Environment

The Supreme Court’s decision to limit federal environmental protection rules will have little-to-no effect on California’s carbon-reduction policies, according to experts — and state leaders say they are doubling down on their climate commitment.

In a bid to avoid power shortages, state lawmakers approved funding that could save California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

A bill negotiated by environmentalists, the plastics industry and lawmakers is keeping a California recycling measure off the ballot. The bill sailed through the Assembly on Wednesday night and the state Senate on Thursday morning, and the proponents withdrew the initiative just before the deadline.

The governor's plan irritated legislators who objected to the last-minute brokering of the deal and its reliance on fossil fuels to keep the lights on.

An outsized source of greenhouse gases, California cement companies are trying creative climate solutions to meet mandates. But they are seeking state help.

Environmentalists and clean-energy experts say Newsom is pushing to give the Energy Commission sole control over siting of energy plants, usurping local control. The deal also would prolong the life of natural gas plants.

Hundreds of people lined up today to voice concerns about California’s sweeping new climate strategy at a public hearing. Without massive investments in clean energy, air board officials warned that more fossil fuels will be needed to power electric cars and ensure a reliable power grid.

It’s no quick fix. The scaled-down tunnel — which would bypass the Delta and funnel more water south — still has to clear a gauntlet of reviews, would cost at least $16 billion and could take 20 years.

Cal Fire faces a mental health crisis. As wildfires burn year-round, thousands of overworked California firefighters carry a heavy load of trauma, pain and grief. They leave a fire but the fire never leaves them.

Strong and stoic, a Cal Fire captain fought wildland fires and helped retrieve the bodies of despondent people who had jumped off a remote bridge. When the bridge beckoned him, he couldn’t keep fighting.