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Two men were convicted and sentenced today for cutting down a tree which housed migratory and protected birds. Stephen John Esser, 47, Dana Point, and David Roger Stanley, 41, Downey, each pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of unlawful possession and destruction of bird nests/eggs, and one misdemeanor count of unlawful taking of migratory nongame birds. They were each sentenced to three years of informal probation, ordered to serve 120 hours of community service in lieu of 15 days in jail, and both defendants were ordered to pay $14,000 in fines and restitution.

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that a group of 66 companies have agreed to clean up contaminated groundwater at the Omega Chemical Corporation Superfund Site in Whittier, California.  The settlement requires the companies to spend an estimated $70 million to install wells and operate a groundwater treatment system.  In addition, the parties will reimburse EPA $8 million and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control $70,000 toward costs incurred in those agencies’ past cleanup actions at the site

The House Appropriation Committee today approved the fiscal year 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The legislation provides annual funding for national defense nuclear weapons activities, the Army Corps of Engineers, various programs under the Department of Energy (DOE), and other related agencies.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy released the following statement on passage of the House Appropriations Committee fiscal year 2017 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which includes legislative provisions pushed by McCarthy, Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert, Appropriations Committee Member Rep. David Valadao, and the California Republican delegation to deliver water to the Central Valley and southern Californian communities while protecting water rights

Representatives Mike Thompson (CA-05), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Doris Matsui (CA-06), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) and John Garamendi (CA-03) released the following statement today in response to the news that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) within the Department of the Interior will conduct a review of the Delta Habitat Conservation and Conveyance Program, also known as California WaterFix.

Financing Plan Allows Construction Progress of Transbay Transit Center to Proceed On-Time & Creates Cost Control Board to Add Transparency & Oversight. Mayor Edwin M. Lee along with Supervisor and Metropolitan Transportation Commissioner Scott Wiener, Supervisor and Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) Director Jane Kim, and TJPA Board Chair Greg Harper today announced a proposed financing package to allow completion of the Transbay Transit Center, Phase One

Continuing to build a better future for all of San Diego’s neighborhoods, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer today introduced the City of San Diego’ s Proposed Fiscal Year 2017 Budget – a balanced budget that marks a doubling of infrastructure funding and near-tripling of streets funding since Faulconer took office

Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace Napolitano (D-CA) introduced legislation that will help communities finance critical clean water infrastructure projects. The “Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2016”, would invest $20 billion over five years in wastewater infrastructure through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and other efforts to improve water quality and create thousands of new, living wage construction jobs.

Since introducing the SOS Act of 2016 in February, U.S. Representative Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) has received support from water districts and organizations across the Valley focused on delivering water to families and farms. Rep. Denham’s bill, which eliminates the counterintuitive doubling requirement for predator fish created by the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), is scheduled for a hearing in the House Natural Resources committee next week.<

In light of the nearly unprecedented penalties paid by the powerful Westlands Water District to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges for misleading investors, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today launched an investigation with several of his congressional colleagues into a major settlement agreement between Westlands and the federal government. The settlement agreement, currently pending in Congress, would forgive hundreds of millions of dollars owed by Westlands yet lacks key safeguards and assurances that the water district will hold up its side

Officials from the City of Sacramento, Robla School District, and Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency will celebrate the completion of the new Main Avenue Sports Field made possible through a joint partnership between the three entities. Currently used by the school district for children to play soccer and other physical exercise during school hours, officials expect word of the new “field of dreams” to spread throughout the community and attract a variety of year round sports activity including soccer and baseball.

Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) praised the inclusion of several provisions that will provide relief to California’s ongoing drought in the Fiscal Year 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Rep. Calvert is a member of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee, which approved the bill earlier today.

Rep. Lois Capps (CA-24) participated in an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing titled: Flint Water Crisis: Impacts and Lessons Learned. The Hearing was jointly held by the Health and Environment and Economy Subcommittees; Capps is a member of both subcommittees

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy, Water, and Related Agencies today approved the fiscal year 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The legislation provides annual funding for national defense nuclear weapons activities, the Army Corps of Engineers, various programs under the Department of Energy (DOE), and other related agencies.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development today approved fiscal year 2017 funding legislation that totals $37.5 billion in discretionary budget authority, which is $355 million more than fiscal year 2016 and $261 million more than the President’s request

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) issued the following statement at a House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing on the Flint Water Crisis: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this important hearing today. First and foremost, we must do everything we can to support the women, children, and families in Flint affected by this public health crisis.

Plug loads, or devices that plug into the wall, are responsible for at least 25 percent of electricity use in California buildings. And not only is that percentage growing, it’s a hard number to manage since “plug loads” include hundreds of device types—from small appliances to electronics to lighting—making device-specific solutions ineffective in most cases

The House Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2017 Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation provides funding for national defense nuclear weapons activities, the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Energy (DOE) programs, and other related agencies.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) released the following statement upon the release of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2017, which includes language to deliver water to California’s Central Valley and southern Californian communities while protecting water rights

Environment California Research & Policy Center was joined in front of San José City Hall by Councilmember Ash Kalra and SunPower Managing Director Bobby Ram to celebrate San José’s impressive solar power achievements. San José has more solar panels than most major American cities, ranking 5th among dozens of metropolitan areas analyzed in a new report