The first EOcalls for a report from the National Academy of Sciences to help state and local agencies plan for sea level rise and provides additional direction for the forthcoming California Climate Adaptation Strategy. Hopefully this will result in more staff and resources being devoted to the adaptation challenge, which is slowly gaining the attention it deserves.
The second EOstates that 33 percent of California's electricity should come from renewable power by 2020 and initiates a comprehensive, coordinated approach to addressing the potential environmental effects of new renewable energy projects in California's desert ecosystems. Through his announcement, the Governor reaffirmed that the California Department of Fish and Game and other wildlife agencies should play a leadership role in California's fight against global warming.
It's now time for the Governor and the State Legislature to enact legislation that will ensure that California increases its renewable energy mix to 33 percent by 2020 and that our public agencies protect fragile ecosystems from the impacts of new energy projects. On Monday, State Senate pro Tem Darryl Steinberg expressed his hope to enshrine the 33 percent goal in law within the first 90 days of the 2009-10 legislative session. Let's hope that spirit of collaboration and enthusiasm pervades all our environmental initiatives in the year ahead.
GIVING CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE: PCL OFFERS MCLE UNITS FOR ATTORNEYS AT ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE SYMPOSIUM
The Planning and Conservation League is pleased to offer three MCLE sessions at its Annual Legislative Symposium. PCL members can earn 4.75 credits for just $200 if they act before December 31, 2008.
Get ready to enjoy these attorney-focused sessions:
California Wildfire and CEQA
Wildfires have a significant impact on the landscape and thus the humans and animals that inhabit that space. CEQA documentation can serve as a useful tool by requiring consideration of wildlife related issues when deciding were to develop and how densely. Panelists Kate Dargan (California State Fire Marshall), Kevin Johnson (Johnson and Hanson LLP), Dan Silver (Endangered Habitats League) and Rick Halsey (The Chaparral Institute) will discuss CEQA's role in protecting wildlife habitat as well as developing the built environment in a maximally defensible manner, away from high fire risk areas. Panelists will also examine the environmental damage caused by wildfires, exploring ways planners should foresee fire damage to land used as habitat mitigation.
The Brave New Water Economy: Privatization and Public Accountability Water, while a cornerstone of life, has become a highly prized commodity. Private, for-profit interests have advocated for water privatization suggesting this is the most efficient and cost effective means to address ailing infrastructure and poor water quality in California. Yet in some communities where privatization occurred, citizens found services and quality further eroded, while fees increased. With intense public organizing and legal action Californians have thwarted privatization of municipal and state watersheds. Join panelists Roger Moore (Rossmann and Moore LLP), Wenonah Hauter (Food and Water Watch) and Brian Johnson (Trout Unlimited) in a discussion of the varying attempts to privatize water in CA, and the legal techniques that have succeeded in stemming the trend.
Conservation and Land Use Agreements: Tejon Ranch Case Study
Land use agreements are a unique tool used to protect our natural heritage lands. In the case of the historic Tejon Ranch, 90 percent of the 270,000 property was protected, a spectacular parcel of land that spans four ecological regions in Southern California. Panelists with different perspectives will convene to discuss the logistics involved in negotiating this conservation land use agreement. Hear Bob Stine (Tejon Ranch Company), Richard Taylor (Shute Mihaly & Weinberger LLP) and Joel Reynolds (Natural Resources Defense Council) describe tools used for advanced agreements on issues such as habitat management, public access, transfer fees that will support restoration, as well as the creation of a Conservancy that will oversee conservation easements. Find out how to effectively utilize planning and land use agreements to protect our natural environment in profound and lasting ways.
Register earlyfor the PCL-PCLF Symposium and Banquet. The event is on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento. For more information, contact Melanie Schlotterbeck at (714) 779-7561 or MSchlotterbeck@pcl.org.
1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789
1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (916) 444-8726 • Fax (916) 448-1789 •
Copyright • 2008 The Planning and Conservation League. All rights reserved. Privacy and Contribution Policies To report problems with or to ask questions about our website, please email pclmail@pcl.org.
