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Environment

About

From water shortages to climate change to wildfires, we cover everything you need to know about environmental issues that confront California.

Meet the Team
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Molly Peterson
Environment and Health Editor
Rachel Becker
Water Reporter
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Alejandro Lazo
Climate Reporter
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Alejandra Reyes-Velarde
California Divide / Environmental Justice Reporter
Climate Change
A pivotal race for California Democrats
Can a Democrat cross environmentalists and labor unions and still keep her seat in the California Legislature? Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino) is putting that question to the test. After two terms in the statehouse, Brown is facing a challenge from the left as she runs for re-election. Environmentalists and union leaders unhappy with Brown’s […]
By • March 30, 2016
Climate Change
California will rate big energy users
State officials recently added a new piece to the patchwork quilt that is California energy policy:  a mechanism for easily—and publicly—tracking how non-residential buildings use energy. The details aren’t worked out yet under a law that took effect three months ago. But such programs are already in place in San Francisco and a smattering of other […]
By • March 29, 2016
Environment
California officials say going green will cost you some, save you some
Before remodeling a kitchen or building a house, Californians should consider Title 24 of the state building code. It spells out the state’s energy-use requirements for new and existing structures. Since 1978, Title 24 has set such standards for builders and homeowners, guiding them along a path that will lower the energy footprint of California’s buildings. The code is updated every three years, with the […]
By • March 16, 2016
Environment
Renovating a home is about to cost more
Owning a home in California could get more complicated starting next year with a new law intended to cut energy consumption, partly by increasing the efficiency of home heating, cooling and lighting systems. The legislation requires a doubling of statewide energy savings by 2030. All sectors of California’s built environment — state buildings, commercial and […]
By • March 9, 2016
Climate Change
How is California doing on climate change?
A panel of energy experts gave mostly passing marks to California’s landmark climate change law, but raised concerns about the cost of implementing additional, more stringent, measures. In a spirited but cordial debate Thursday night in Bakersfield, lawmakers, regulators and advocates explored the state of play in the decade since the passage of AB32, the […]
By • March 4, 2016
Climate Change
Oil gears up for another climate fight
A Harvard economist known globally for his work on climate change policy sat in the Sacramento office of the oil industry’s lobbying firm recently, making the case that California is fighting global warming the wrong way. The state has a good cap and trade system, Robert Stavins said, but some of its other environmental policies […]
By • March 2, 2016
Environment
Making California more energy-efficient: What will the new rules mean for you?
CALmatters is looking into the complex topic of making California’s houses, schools, hospitals, offices and other buildings more energy-efficient — part of Governor Jerry Brown’s strategy for battling climate change. Beginning next year, new rules will determine how millions of structures throughout the state use less energy so that consumption is cut in half by […]
By • February 24, 2016
Environment
On crowded roads, technology offers hope
Lawmakers are debating how to find money to fix the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges. But it will be almost impossible to end Californians’ top driving headache — congestion. Making roads wider is a traditional solution. But this holds little appeal in California, where land is expensive and and urban corridors are densely packed. Also, […]
By • December 12, 2015
Climate Change
California, a climate model for the world, has work to do at home
When Gov. Jerry Brown arrives in Paris next week for a major international conference on climate change, he will showcase one of the world’s most sweeping programs to cut greenhouse gas emissions. California has perhaps the most comprehensive cap-and-trade program in the world, setting a limit and a price for pollution from factories, utilities and […]
By • November 19, 2015

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