Santa Lucian October 2013 Santa Lucian - Sierra Club · 2015. 2. 28. · Santa Lucian October 2013 3 ~ for CFC Members Only ~ All current members of the Cal French Donors Circle and

Santa Lucian • October 20131

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The official newsletter of the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club • San Luis Obispo County, California

SantaLucian

IIIII n s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d eNo mystery in Morro Bay 2

Our sustaining members 3

Katcho kicks the coast 4

A watery compromise 7

Nukes, lies, and CNN 8

Classifieds 11

Outings 12

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October 2013Volume 50 No. 9

Santa LucianSanta Lucia Chapter of the Sierra ClubP. O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 84

SAN LUIS OBISPOCA 93401

- page 8

Mike Brune in SLOSierra Club chief will speak at Cal Poly on November 4

Mark your calendar now to jointhe Santa Lucia Chapter of theSierra Club and Cal Poly’sBiomimicry Club and GreenCampus Program for a memorableevening. Michael Brune, ExecutiveDirector of the Sierra Club, iscoming to SLO at 5:30 p.m. onNovember 4 to speak at Cal Poly’sChumash Auditorium. Under Brune’s leadership, theClub organized our Beyond Coalcampaign (part of “a grassrootsrebellion that won the nation’sbiggest climate victory” - MotherJones), and Beyond Oil and Gascampaigns. He is the authorof Coming Clean — BreakingAmerica’s Addiction to Oil andCoal and blogs for the HuffingtonPost and Daily Kos. Tickets are $20 general admis-sion, $10 for students with i.d. Youcan purchase tickets at www.santalucia.sierraclub.org. Click the“Donate” button and select studentor general & number of tickets. Orsend an e-mail to [email protected] to request tickets andpay at the door. All proceeds will go to support-ing the work of the Santa LuciaChapter.

Walking the talk Sierra Club Executive director Michael Brune, handcuffed to the WhiteHouse fence in opposit ion to the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, Feb. 13, 2013. Brune isthe first Sierra Club leader to be arrested in an act of civil disobedience in the Club’s 120-year history.

Los Osos Habitat PlanGets Underway After a long delay, the U.S. Fishand Wildlife service has begun theprocess of creating a Habitat Conser-vation Plan for Los Osos, with thegoal of maximizing the benefits ofconservation measures for multiplespecies. When completed, the HCP willcover approximately 3,560 acresbordered by the Morro Bay Estuary,Morro Bay State Park, Los OsosCreek, and Montana de Oro StatePark -- some of the most environ-mentally sensitive habitat in thecounty. The plan will set the maximumdevelopment-related “take” allowedfor federally listed threatened orendangered species. The law defines“take” as any action that wouldharass or harm listed species. Harmincludes sig-nificant habitat modifi-cations or degradation or impairment

Part of the plan The endangered MorroBay kangaroo rat is one of four federallylisted species proposed for inclusion in theLos Osos HCP, along with the Morroshoulderband snail, Indian Knobmountainbalm, and Morro manzanita.

Two public scoping meetings will beheld to provide the public with ageneral understanding of the back-ground of the proposed LOHCP andactivities it would cover, and alterna-tives for the draft EnvironmentalAssessment or Environmental ImpactStatement. Suggestions on the scope ofissues and alternatives for the USFWSto consider when drafting the EA orEIS will be solicited. The meetingswill be held at the South Bay Commu-nity Center, 2180 Palisades Avenue,Los Osos, on Tuesday, October 8,from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., and from 7 to9 p.m. For more information, contact JulieVanderwier at (805) 644-1766.

of essential behavior patterns. Anypermitted take must be minimized andmitigated and must not reduce thelikelihood of the survival and recoveryof the species.

2


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Santa Lucian

EDITOR

Greg McMillanLindi DoudLinda SeeleyThomas A. CyrEDITORIAL COMMITTEE

The Santa Lucian is published 10 times ayear. Articles, environmental information andletters to the editor are welcome. Thedeadline for each issue is the 13th of theprior month.

send to:

Editor, Santa Lucianc/o Santa Lucia Chapter, Sierra ClubP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA [email protected]

Santa Lucia Chapter

2013 Executive Committee Greg McMillan (12/13) CHAIRPat Veesart (12/13) VICE CHAIRLinda Seeley (12/14) SECRETARYPatrick McGibney (12/14) MEMBERLindi Doud (12/14) MEMBERMichael Jencks (12/15) MEMBERVictoria Carranza (12/15)

Cal French COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERSLindi Doud, Patrick McGibney TREASURERS

Committee ChairsPolitical Michael JencksConservation Sue HarveyMembership Cal FrenchNuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker

Other Leaders

Calendar Sales Bonnie Walters 805-543-7051Outings Joe Morris [email protected]/Kayak openWebmaster Monica Tarzier [email protected] Guide Gary Felsman

Chapter Director Andrew Christie 805-543-8717 [email protected]

Andrew [email protected]

[email protected]

Printed by University Graphic Systems

Office hours Monday-Friday,12 p.m.- 6 p.m., 974 Santa RosaStreet, San Luis Obispo

The Executive Committee meetsthe second Monday of every monthat 5:30 p.m., and the ConservationCommittee meets the secondFriday at 1p.m. at the chapter office,located at 974 Santa Rosa St., SanLuis Obispo. All members arewelcome to attend.

Coordinator Kim Ramos, Admin and Development [email protected]

Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA 93406

Denny MynattPRINT MEDIA COORDINATOR

Sierra Club, PO Box 421041, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1041

2500

search: “Santa Lucia” and become our friend!

Now onFacebook

Linda Seeley [email protected]

Tell ‘em that you told‘em The Santa LuciaChapter warned of theinevitable Morro Bay-Cayucos sewer debaclefrom the beginning.“Staff ’s Captive,” fromthe February 2011 SantaLucian, on line at http: / /santalucia.sierraclub.org/lucian/2011/02Feb.pdf,was especially propheticregarding the currentpolit ical situation inMorro Bay.

Let ’s c lear up

The Mystery

of Morro Bay As we go to press, Morro Bay CityAttorney Rob Schultz and City Mana-ger Andrea Leuker have not beendismissed from their positions. Theimage of a city up in arms against thecity council majority contemplatingthis action has been spread acrossmultiple front pages. A notice of intentto circulate a recall petition againstMayor Jamie Irons has been filed bythe mayor’s political opponents. Sudden self-made legal scholarshave proclaimed their right to knowthe details of a confidential personnelmatter. The Tribune has threatened tohurl a dreaded brickbat if it doesn’t getsome answers soon on exactly whyMayor Irons is seeking the terminationof the City’s senior staff. The cry has resounded throughoutthe city: Why is this happening? As the Morro Bay City Councildoesn’t confide in us any more than itinforms anybody else about the detailsof personnel matters, we can’t defini-tively answer that question. But wehave been paying attention for the lastfew years. We suspect it is pertinent to note thatMr. Schultz and Ms. Leuker oversawthe total botch of version 1.0 of theattempt to replace the Morro Bay/Cayucos wastewater treatment plant,the most expensive public works pro-ject in the history of either community.Throughout that years-long debacle,the Sierra Club, Surfrider, the SLOCoast Journal, Morro Bay PlanningCommission, and the staff of theCalifornia Coastal Commission, alongwith hundreds of local residents indozens of public meetings, told the

city council and Cayucos SanitaryDistrict they were going the wrongway: The project’s EnvironmentalImpact Report was defective; theproject as designed containedmultiple violations of the city’sLocal Coastal Plan and the Califor-nia Coastal Act; failing to includethe recycling of treated wastewaterwas a mistake, etc. Most fundamen-tally: this is no longer the 1950s andthe City would never get a permit toput a new sewer plant on a beach. Two consecutive city councilsignored these warnings because citystaff assured them that everythingwould be okay. Staff continued tomake those assurances even afterthe Coastal Commission found thatappeals of the project raised sub-stantial issues of conformity withthe Coastal Act and put the City onnotice that the project was highlyunlikely to receive a CoastalDevelopment Permit. The voters saw what was coming,and in June 2012 voted out everycity council incumbent on the ballotwho had gone along with theproject. With every light on the boardflashing red, and all the changes inhand that the Coastal Commissionhad explicitly told them needed tobe made in order to create a validproject, senior staff instead led theCity over the cliff, taking a virtuallyunchanged project to the January2013 Coastal Commission permithearing. The Coastal Commission staffreport pronouncing the project dead

on arrival noted “the practicalreality of where the Applicantfinds itself at this juncture…because they pursued a project inthe existing location notwith-standing the issues associatedwith it that have been highlightedfor many years, includingprominently that alternativesiting was necessary.” The morethan $2 million cost of thedesign work, EnvironmentalImpact Report, consultants andlobbyist went down the drain. The question that all mystifiedresidents of Morro Bay should beasking themselves now is: “Whatwould my employer do if I wasresponsible for an outcome likethat?” On October 7, 2010, PERCWater, representing the onlypotential alternative design thathad been allowed into the staff-preferred project, told the citymanager that due to “the lack of

MYSTERY continued on page 9


~ for CFC Members Only ~

All current members of the Cal FrenchDonors Circle and new members who join by

October 12 will receive a personalinvitation to a private reception with

Sierra Club Executive Director MichaelBrune following his speech at

Cal Poly’s Chumash Auditorium onMonday, November 4.

Our Thanks to the Cal French Donors Circle

Named in honor of the Santa Lucia Chapter member who has been a prominent activist and much-honored state andnational leader in the Sierra Club for more than 40 years, the Cal French Donors Circle includes Sierra Clubmembers who contribute to the Santa Lucia Chapter in an amount of $20 or more every month or give a donation of$240 or more annually.

Donors Circle members:

are recognized annually in the Santa Lucian

receive invitations to special Donors Circle events hosted by the Chapter

enjoy the satisfaction of being sustaining members of the chapter.

Richard AlbertsJesse ArnoldJohn & Patricia AshbaughPenny BaronJohn BecciaGeorge BekeyBarbara BellValerie BentzRalph BishopSheila BlakeDavid & Naomi BlakelyRay & Sonya BrackenDuane & Sharon BudgeJoan CarterDavid & Linda ChippingPhilip ChristieSarah ChristieBonita ChurneyTom & Mary ClinePolly Cooper & Ken HaggardDavid CoxKaty CrawfordKenneth CurtisThomas CyrBill DenneenMyra DouglasJill Denton & Caroline HallValerie & Leland EndresCal & Letty FrenchCharles FrenchGeorge FrenchDavid & Carol GeorgiRichard GiffinMarvin GrossDiane HalstedMarilyn HansenLynne HarkinsSue & Richard HarveyEdward & Holly HofferVL HollandJames HoppStacey HuntSusan Lee JameleRichard JohnsonRandall KnightPenny Koines

Richard KranzdorfRichard KresjaSally & Eugene KrugerGary KurisCarroll LeslieGeorge LewisKathleen LongMaria LorcaWilliam LuffeeTim LytsellDouglas MannonPatrick McGibney & Lindi DoudLiz & Edward McQuarrieSteven MarxGreg McMillanVita MillerLanyce MillsJoe MorrisRyan MortensenChristine MulhollandNicholas MurphyPaul & Barbara MurphyStacy MurphyDenny & Kitty MynattPaulette PetersenMichael PhillipsWilliam PowerKim RamosRoy ReevesLinda ReynoldsSharon RippnerCoraline RobinsonWilliam & Sandra RumblerGar & Elizabeth SalzgeberCarla SaundersRobert & Peggy SchotzKlaus SchumannJohn & Julia SchutzLinda SeeleyEugene SpruillBert & Elaine TownsendPat VeesartKalila VolkovAlice WelchertLyn WickhamMary Lou Wilhelm

Without you, we wouldn’t be here

by Bill Waycott

On Sunday morning, August 25th, eight Sierra Club hikers set out fromGuadalupe Dunes County Park on a trek south to Mussel Rock. As we departed,we met and exchanged greetings with the two Santa Barbara County Park (SBP)rangers, not knowing we would see them again in a few hours. As we headed south, the tide was rising, with a high tide expected by the earlyafternoon. The beach was wide open and devoid of humans, but throngs of seabirds, (gulls, curlews, whimbrels, godwits, and the occasional snowy plover)blanketed the sand. We also noted seals bobbing in the surf. On our return after reaching our destination, we walked north. Low clouds andfog had lowered the visibility to around fifty feet. With about two miles to go,we noticed ahead of us some persons trying to move what looked to be a largewooden log onto a small cart. When we reached them, we saw the two SBPrangers, along with a volunteer from the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center(SBMMC) were trying to load a netted female sea lion onto a small platform

Sierra Club Hikers SaveSick Sea Lion

RESCUE continued on page 5

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Loaded SBMMC volunteer Luke Murtha (second from left), SBP ranger Melissa Kelly andSierra Club hikers prepare the injured sea lion for transport to the Marine Mammal Center.

To join the Cal French Circle go to www.santalucia.sierraclub.org, click the “Donate” button, and signup for an automatic contribution of at least $20 per month or $240 annually.

or set up a monthly donation with your bank using a monthly bank check. This “billpay” service is free to anyone with a bank account. Tell your bank the date on whichyou want the check sent every month and our address:Sierra Club, P.O. Box 15755, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.

4


A conversation with John DeBruin

By Stacey Hunt, EcoLogistics

“It’s all about the food, Stacey,” said Santa Barbara organic rancher JohndeBruin, who will present a workshop on The New Model of Getting Back toFarming Basics at the Central Coast Bioneers Conference October 26. At the workshop, John will discuss the new breed of farmer coming on thescene in the U.S. who is turning his/her back on the conventional agriculturepractices currently taught in schools. Farming at its best, according to John,provides animals a full life with humane treatment, protects the environment byrebuilding soils and avoiding pollution, and provides nutritious food. Johnretired from his engineering career in 2003 and settled in Santa Barbara to raisegrass-fed beef. I sat down recently to talk to John about his ranching philosophy.

You said that farming is your chosen retirement, but I’ve heard others claimthat farming is the hardest work there is. What made you chose somethingso strenuous for your “golden years?”

I’ve always loved hard work. As a boy I spent a couple of summers on a cattleoperation and it always stuck with me as something I wanted to do, because Iliked being outdoors. I entertained the idea of living in the country and commut-ing to the city to work, but that never happened, so instead, I dreamed of havinga ranch when I retired. We found this place in Santa Barbara. At first my wifesaid she would sit on the porch and drink mint juleps while she watched mework, but now she’s become sucked into our business, Best Beef Ever, and isinvolved in sales and marketing.

You are one of the new farmers who has turned his back on “traditionalranching.” Seems to me what you are doing is traditional and that it ismodern ranching that is the anomaly. How did thing get the way they are?

Modern ranching practices are commonly attributed to Earl Butz, who wasSecretary of Agriculture under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. His goal was tolower food prices in the U.S. to leave more disposable income for the middleclass to increase its standard of living. During the 1970’s, 20-22% of a family’sincome was spent on food. By starting government subsidies, Butz and hisfollowers were able to lower that amount to only 9%. Of course, these lowerfood costs come at a great cost to the environment and to our health, and societyhas largely been blind to these impacts.

Please describe some of those impacts.

First, we are creating food in a non-renewable way. The standard feed lot todayhas thousands of cattle concentrated on 220-500 acres, eating synthetic – and bysynthetic I mean GMO – foods. Huge amounts of waste are concentrated there,which poison the water supply. If these same cattle were spread out over a muchwider area, the waste would be spread out and put back into the environment, tofeed the growing grass. Petrochemicals are used to grow crops and nutritionalvalues are dropping, not only for us, but for the animals they are being fed to.Second, we have a health crisis in this country, not a health care crisis. Many ofour problems are what I call diseases of affluence – heart disease, diabetes,autoimmune diseases. Traditional societies, who are eating the diets that havebeen handed down through generations, do not have these types of problems. Wehave not made the connection to modern agriculture and our health problems.

What interested you in farming in a more traditional way?

When I started, I knew nothing about the cattle industry. This was a greatadvantage, because I had no biases of doing things a certain way to overcome. Ibecame acquainted with people who were farming in an environmentally friendlyway. I read Alan Nation’s books, including Grass Fed to Finish and Stockman’sGrass Farmer, and Joel Salatin’s books on raising chickens, and I raise andmarket my beef and chicken the same way. You know, when I retired, I wasactually a vegan and took a lot of ribbing as a cattle rancher. I had turned awayfrom red meat because of its connection to cancer, but what I didn’t get at thetime was that it didn’t have anything to do with the meat, per se, but with howthe cattle were raised. Traditional grass-fed raised beef is just as healthful for youas fish, and now I am back to eating meat.

Why are your farming methods better for the planet? I have always heardthat raising cattle has a high carbon footprint.

That is true with modern agricultural practices, however traditional methodsdon’t have such an impact. The discipline of biomimicry is to copy things asnature does it, and this can be practiced in agriculture. Buffalo in the Midwestroamed the plains in huge herds and would mob graze everything in sight. In theprocess their waste was left behind. As the herd moved on, the next thing thatwould happen was that flies would lay their eggs in the manure and larvae wouldhatch. That attracted birds who would fly in to eat the larvae. As they did this, thebirds would scratch around the manure and distribute it so that it could betterincorporate into the soil, aiding the return of the natural flora. I mimic thisnatural process on my ranch by keeping my cattle moving as they feed, and thenfollowing them with chickens. Now I don’t need to put the manure in a fertilizerspreader, saving on diesel and heavy equipment. The chickens do it for menaturally.

How can small, local farmers create an economic climate where they canmake a living, but still sell affordable products?

There is a small town back East where the local farmers grow 92% of theproducts eaten locally. Only 8% is imported from the outside area. In compari-son, Santa Barbara County exports over 90% of its ag products and then imports

the same amount. The current model of modern efficiency results in maximizingthe commute of our food. Restaurants buy their food from big suppliers likeCisco or Jordano, who buy it from anywhere. There doesn’t seem to be muchconcern about where the food comes from. The other day I wanted to buy a largequantity of local tomatoes. It took me two hours on the phone to find someone tobuy from. The average person isn’t going to spend that much time. We need tomake it more convenient and create a system where local farmers can easilymarket our products. My big market is Los Angeles, not Santa Barbara, where Ilive. Most of the farmers in our local farmers markets here aren’t even local! Itcan get very political, who is allowed to sell, and limitations are placed onfarmers selling the same types of produce. I would like to see a rotation programfor contracts with farmers for the markets so different farmers can rotate in andout. I don’t want to have to burn the fuel to travel to L.A. to sell my beef.Another help would be to have an organization that promotes local availability,perhaps an online system. Farmers can come together through co-ops to sell theirproducts.

Thank you, John. We look forward to hearing your talk at the conference.

Great, Stacey, and don’t forget – it’s all about the food!

John deBruin is part of the Food & Farming program at Central Coast Bioneersthis year. Also featured will be a pre-conference screening of “Food Patriots”on October 16 at the Palm Theater, a workshop on October 26 on Access toCapital for Small Farmers: Financing the New Food System Economy withpresenters from California FarmLink, Slow Money SLO and Farm Credit West,followed by free one-on-one financing consultations, a workshop on GrowingNutrient Dense Foods, and a Green Chef Cookoff dinner/dance with music byThe Mother Cornshuckers. For more information or for tickets go towww.centralcoastbioneers.org or call 548-0597.

It’s All About the Food


Why Are We TalkingAbout a Hotel onFossil Point?

fossil point pic

JJ H

olcm

an

Then and now In2007 (far left), a dev-eloper-funded advisorycommittee went offthe reservation, tooka vote and told thedevelopers whatthey didn’t want tohear: There is over-whelming local sup-port for Fossil Pointas public openspace with hikingtrails, and virtually

no support for its develop-ment as a resort area. Today (left),the unfortunate voting incident hasbeen forgotten.

with four small wheels. It turned out that the sea lion wassuffering from Amnesic ShellfishPoisoning, a phenomenon caused by aneurotoxin (domoic acid ) secreted bya plankton (genus Pseudo-nitzschia).Filter feeding fish such as anchoviesand sardines concentrate this toxin athigh levels, which in turn is furtherconcentrated in pinnipeds, such as sealions, as they ingest those small fish inquantity. The neurotoxin causes disorientationin sea mammals, which leads to erraticbehavior and inadequate food intake,putting the animals at serious risk ofmalnourishment. The treatment ofaffected animals starts with an intra-venous feed to flush out the toxins andrestore energy, followed by a rich fishdiet to rebuild the animal’s strength. With the hikers ready to lend ahand, the 300-pound animal was lifted

onto the cart, secured with straps, andthen hauled north along the high tideline through soft sand. This processtook about an hour and a half and a lotof get-up-and-go. Once at the parking lot, the sea lionwas scooted into a large kennelenclosure, secured with zip-ties, andthen lifted onto the SBMMC vehiclefor transport. At that point, a secondsea lion was added to the cargo,having been rescued earlier in the day.Both were then taken to the shelter forrejuvenation. In speaking with the SBMMCemployees recently, they told me themammal in question had been initiallytreated at the Marine Mammal Centerin Morro Bay and later transferred to acenter in Marin County for furtherobservation. They had not yet beenadvised of her current status. After feeling a special connectionwith this fellow mammal, we are allrelieved to know she is in good handsand hopefully doing much better.

Rescuecontinued from page 3

Haul out SBMMC volunteer Luke Murtha (second from left), SBP ranger Spencer Riffle(right) and Sierra Club hikers escorting the injured sea lion.

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Katcho to Coast: Drop DeadOur Assemblymember bowed tobig money, passed over coastalprotection and the public

So bogus Nothing inKatcho’s explanation of hisfailure to vote for AB 976bears any resemblance toreality.

A funny thing happened on the wayto the development of Fossil Point. The striking promontory, thecontaminated site of the Union Oiltank farm that was responsible for thedismantling of Avila Beach, oncecleaned up would become massivelylucrative coastal real estate. In 2007, an advisory group, fundedby developers Chevron and Rob Rossi,convened by pro-development countysupervisor Jerry Lenthall and facili-tated by his hand-picked facilitator,failed to yield the desired result. Assupervisor-to-be Adam Hill wrote inthe February 2007 Santa Lucian:“These facilitated focus groups arepaid for by the developer, to achieve aparticular outcome—support for theirproject. One can scarcely imagine Mr.Rossi or any other developer payingupwards of $30,000 for a process thatconcluded with a recommendationthat the project should not go for-ward.” But instead of what was supposed tohappen, the opposite happened. Themembers of Lenthall’s Fossil PointAdvisory Committee, infected by aspirit of democratic empowerment,ranked about a dozen potential optionsfor the future use of the property andvoted on them. Natural open spacewith hiking trails was ranked numberone, with hotels and other resortdestination amenities dead last on thelist, before the facilitator could shutthem down. The committee wasimmediately disbanded. Six years later, at the September 10County Supervisors meeting, theCounty obliged Chevron, minus Rossi,by initiating the process of rezoningFossil Point as recreational, “the firststep in a long process that could leadto a hotel resort being built on thecoastal bluffs overlooking AvilaBeach,” as the Tribune put it, alongwith a restaurant, spa, shops, andcottages.

Assembly Bill 976 was the mostsignificant piece of environmentallegislation to be considered in Sacra-mento this year. It would have giventhe California Coastal Commissionauthority to levy fines on those whodestroy coastal wetlands, block publicaccess to beaches, or otherwise floutthe rules designed to protect Cali-fornia’s coastal resources frominappropriate development andpreserve them for future generations. Without that fining authority, theCommission must take violators tocourt to enforce the Coastal Act, aprocess that is lengthy, expensive andinfrequent, resulting in a backlog of1,800 enforcement cases and muchgaming of the system by violators. AB 976, as written and amended bythe Assembly and Senate, would haveassured due process for all violationactions under the state’s administrativelaw procedures. Passing it to assureprotections for California’s coast was

“a no-brainer,” as the the San JoseMercury News put it. But it went down to defeat on Sep-tember 10 thanks to the actions of ahandful of “abstaining” members ofthe State Assembly, including KatchoAchadjian, who wanted to keepeconomic special interests happy butavoid the stigma of a “no” vote. The Sierra Club urged San LuisObispo County residents to urge theirAssemblymember to vote for the bill.

KATCHO continued on page 10

This, the Tribune concluded, wouldbe “a long, involved process that willrequire consultation with many stateand local agencies as well as thepublic and the Chumash tribe.” It will also involve many moreattempts to spin, massage, lobby, buyoff or co-opt those agencies and thatpublic. We trust the former membersof the abruptly terminated 2007 FossilPoint Advisory Committee will beenthusiastic participants in thatprocess. They should have much tosay about the level of regard in whichChevron holds the wishes of localresidents.

The Sierra Club Foundation’s newnational vehicle donation program isan opportunity for Sierra Clubsupporters and the general public toget rid of old, polluting vehicles theyno longer use, helping to clean the airand open up greener transportationalternatives while supporting themission of the Club through theproceeds from their car donation. All cars (with the exception ofcollectible cars) that have an MPG ofless than 27 miles per gallon will bescrapped and recycled. Our program partner CARs willaccept cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs,ATVs, trailers, boats, planes, or farmequipment from any location in thecontinental U.S. To make a donation,go to www.scf-cardonations.org or call855-33-SIERRA.

Sierra Clubrolls out car donation program

GreenMyRide

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COMPROMISE continued on page 9

How Compromise Works at the Board of Supervisors

A June 15 article posted to mydesert.com noted the publication of aresearch paper in that week’s issue ofthe journal Science that trackedchanges in water supplies across theU.S. The researchers found that “ground-water reserves, the traditional backupfor water supplies during extendedperiods of drought, are in declineglobally.” This map from the report shows2003-2012 satellite data on “waterlosses in regions such as California’sCentral Valley and the Southern HighPlains Aquifer, caused by overuse ofgroundwater for irrigation.” Theimage data is from GRACE — theGravity Recovery and ClimateExperiment mission – two satellitesthat are able to detect total amounts ofwater, above and below ground, andmeasure changes on a monthly basis. Co-author James Famiglietti said“This is really a regional problem. It’sreally happening all over the south-western U.S., and it’s happening allover Southern California, and we canquantify it.”

The Big Bad Picture

The County has managed to look like it’s doing something to save the Paso Robles groundwater basin

On August 27, the County Supervi-sors deliberated on an emergencyordinance to try to save the PasoRobles groundwater basin from totaldepletion. At the outset of the meeting, repre-sentatives of the big north countyvineyards made their position clear:they did not want any ordinancepassed, and did not want their rate ofpumping or new planting restricted inany way. But if an ordinance did pass, theywanted exemptions for the creation ofhuge agricultural ponds and no re-quirement for a two-to-one offset ofwater use for new plantings or devel-opment, meaning the land ownerwould have to show that he has elimi-nated two gallons of water from cur-rent use for every gallon of proposedfuture use, thereby actually takingsome of the current pressure off thebasin and beginning to allow it toreplenish. The vineyards preferred aone-to-one offset – i.e. status quo. Within minutes of the conclusion ofthat marathon meeting the consensushad formed: a successful compromisehad been forged; everybody had givena little to get a little; hard-wonunanimity had produced an emergencyordinance that will “stop the bleeding”of the stricken Paso basin until theBoard will meet to consider extendingthe ordinance and/or establishing agroundwater management district. Except that’s not really whathappened. One of the most crucial measuresproposed in the draft ordinance wasthe two-to-one offset of water use.Supervisors Bruce Gibson and AdamHill argued for it; Frank Mecham andDebbie Arnold held out for a “waterneutral” one-to-one offset that wouldsimply ensure the basin continues tobleed out at the current rate and wouldentail the least amount of potentialinconvenience for any irrigated agoperations. Here’s the gist of how that conversa-tion went:

rails right now is essentially whatwe’re doing, and if we are doingthat, we should make sure that theoffset does not worsen the prob-lem, and the only way we canensure that is to have it beyond theone [to one]. If the two-to-one isnot acceptable to you, I could seeone & a half.... There’s just acouple of things to me that arecritical. One is that. The other isprojects in the pipeline. I think ifwe don’t cut the pipeline, if stuff’snot in the ground we need to saythis is a true time-out. Those arethe things that I think are mostimportant.

MECHAM: I’m willing to moveahead with this.... If we’re gonnatry to bring compromise to thiswhole situation, then we need tobe able to give a little on one side,give a little to the other side. I’llgo with, I just, I can’t move off, Ican’t even do one and an eighth. Ijust think: one-to-one offset, andleave it at that, and I’m good.

GIBSON: You talk about the spiritof compromise; I think what Adamwas speaking to just then is theessence of compromise because, to

me, we have two ways to go onthis. Do no harm. If you want topropose that we stick to one-to-one, before anybody offsets I wantto see how we actually verify thewater savings before that water isspent on a new planting.

MECHAM: Well they have to dothe offset on a one-to-one —

GIBSON: No, I’m saying that Ibelieve in order to verify that we’redoing no harm, we need to have averifiable system to show thatwater was actually saved and thatno more than that savings of watergo on the plants. I think it would besimpler, and in fact less expensive,for both the County and the land-owner to simply say “look, if you

can, on a reasonable series ofassumptions, say that you’re off-setting at one-and-a-half to one,that simplifies this for everybody.That speeds it up. Again, we’retrying to work together on a pointof compromise. I think that’s amore than adequate point ofcompromise.

MECHAM: I think that otherthings to, you know.… I just forgotwhat I was gonna tell you. Go tothe next one.

GIBSON: The goal has been tooffset water use. And the simple

GIBSON: A two-to-oneoffset…provides the necessarybuffer to assure one-to-one, andthat’s what we’re really after.

MECHAM: You just mentioned thatif you did the offset on ag there’s alot of work that has to be done totry to figure that all out, and whywould we make it even moredifficult?

HILL: Anything that we’re going todo with an interim ordinance isgoing to be an exercise in caution,obviously. We’re putting up guard

way, which I think is the easiestway, is to simply require a two-to-one offset on assumptions…. Ifnew plantings go in, we have to beconvinced they’re not making thesituation worse. That’s the essenceof this temporary ordinance we’reputting into place.

ARNOLD: The problem is, youmentioned this does not affectbusiness, but in this case it doesaffect this kind of business, itaffects just, a lot, and it affects theability for someone to change or doa different crop or do somethingthey need to do. So if you’re water-neutral, and you have evidence thatyou’re using the same amount ofwater, and you’ve just adjusted andyou’ve planted something else over

here, it’s so simple and we’remaking it too complicated.

GIBSON: The nature of thatevidence —

HILL: I think that we should moveon. I think that if we have verifi-able evidence —

GIBSON: Of actual savings —

HILL: Of actual neutrality at thispoint, is what they’re saying. Iwould prefer savings; I think if we

We are not alone The state of the nation’s aquifers due to overpumping for irrigation.

Give me everything I want Supervisor Mecham (left) explains his version of the spirit ofcompromise to Supervisor Gibson.


In February 2012, morethan two dozen localsmall business ownerscame to the SycamoreSprings Resort in AvilaBeach to hear our invitedpanel of staff from theMonterey Bay NationalMarine Sanctuary, the former Mayor of Santa Cruz, and Monterey Countybusiness owners describe how the national marine sanctuary to our north came tobe, and how their businesses and communities have benefited from its presenceand operations. The Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1980. In 1992,Congress pondered the creation of both a Monterey Bay National MarineSanctuary and a Central Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Congress opted todraw an arbitrary line in the ocean just south of San Simeon, decreeing 5,300square miles of the waters to the north of that line to be a national marinesanctuary. That left the coast of San Luis Obispo and part of Santa Barbara, from PointConception to Cambria, as the hole in the doughnut; the area that will be in thecross-hairs the next time the cry “drill, baby, drill!” is heard… followed by spill,baby, spill. As oil supplies get tighter and fracking spreads offshore, nationalmarine sanctuary designation is the only way to permanently protect our watersand their priceless cultural and biological treasures. The take-home message from that panel discussion: The 14 national marinesanctuaries in the United States celebrate and safeguard the nation’s richestunderwater treasures. The National Marine Sanctuary Program is essentially theoffshore version of our National Park System. Everywhere that national marinesanctuaries are designated, local businesses that depend on coastal tourismbenefit from the sanctuary’s promotion of kayaking, diving, camping, wildlifewatching and other coastal recreational activities. After that galvanizing discussion, we promised excited attendees that we wouldfollow up to let them know what they could do to help make the same thinghappen here. Here it is: Support the proposed Chumash Cultural Heritage National MarineSanctuary. The Chumash people are the first inhabitants of the central andsouthern coastal regions of California, and one of the few ocean-going bandsamong the First Peoples of the New World. Their ancient submerged sacred sitesextend 13 miles offshore. More than a dozen coastal sites have been continu-ously occupied for more than 9,000 years. This cultural heritage, along with the most significant wetland system on thecentral coast, the highest coastal dunes in the state, magnificent kelp forests andcorals, a major sea otter population, sea lion haul-outs, and three whale andporpoise feeding areas, combine to form a clear message, and we need your helpto get that message to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries: the waters ofthe Central Coast deserve marine sanctuary status. The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries has revived the sanctuary sitedesignation process and is now reviewing criteria for designation. It will soon beaccepting and evaluating nominations for new sanctuaries from coastal regionsaround the country.

We are pleased to support the Northern Chumash Tribal Council and BakersfieldTribal Council in this initiative and are assisting in gathering the names ofindividuals and businesses who support this designation. Please send an emailwith the subject line “Chumash Sanctuary support,” and your name & city andthe name of your business in the message section, to [email protected].

On September 11, The SLO CountyLibrary was the site of one of ten statewideworkshops to solicit new ideas from thepublic on the future of the State Parksystem. The Parks Forward Commission wascreated by the Natural Resources Agency toconduct an independent assessment of thecurrent State Parks system. Many speakers at the Sept. 11 meetingbrought forth good ideas and pointed

critiques. But, as might have been expected, a small fringe contingent of off-roadenthusiasts and Tea Partiers – inevitably led by Grover Beach Mayor DebbiePeterson (see “The Dusty Trail,” September) -- also turned out, with bad ideasand silly critiques. No longer content with just urging the sale of county land in the Oceano Dunesto State Parks’ Off-Highway Vehicle Division and demanding the repeal of thedust rule put in place to control hazardous emissions from the off-road play-ground, Peterson & co. urged Commissioners to place all state parks above thelaw and beyond the reach of state regulatory agencies -- specifically the Califor-nia Coastal Commission and SLO County Air Pollution Control District --charged with protecting the state’s natural resources and the public health. We predict zero traction for this novel notion.

GMOs Do Not Belong in SLOFarmers Markets

ParksForward, March

Here’s your vision Former Morro Bay City Councilwoman Betty Winholtz told ParksForward Commissioners “I don’t look at programs, I look at whether you’re protecting ourresources, the original intent of state parks. This should not be seen as an industry, but aservice.”

Last year, the Monsanto Corporationand its ag biotech allies spent millionsto defeat Proposition 37, which simplycalled for the labeling of geneticallymodified food in California. Monsantosues 10,000 farmers a year for “patentinfringement,” which their lawyerswill allege if pollen from one of theirgenetically modified organisms driftsinto a farmer’s organic or convention-ally grown crop nearby. In light of the callous disregard andcomplete contempt for consumers andorganic farmers shown by Monsantoand friends, enlightened farmersmarkets make a point of not allowingthe sale of the ag biotech industry’sGMO produce. But throughout the month ofSeptember, Monsanto’s “GMO BT”corn was -- again -- prominently onsale at the Thursday night farmersmarket in downtown SLO. The growing acknowledgment byFarmers markets of the incompatibilityof ag biotech and what a farmersmarket is supposed to represent issummed up in the Arcata farmersmarket policy on GMOs, drafted bythe North Coast Growers Association:“We believe that GMO technologygoes against the very foundations ofsustainable agriculture.” The policygoes on to list the issues related topesticides, corporate control, patentliability, lax government monitoring,and the threat to seed banks and fooddiversity raised by GMOs. OtherCalifornia farmers markets that do not

allow GMOs include Berkeley, SantaCruz, Menlo Park and Orange County,and, across the country, the markets inWestport and Hartford, Connecticut. Sierra Club policy on GMOs(www.sierraclub.org/biotech) is inaccord with that of Arcata’s NorthCoast Growers Association, and alsonotes the environmental damage doneby the intensified use of the herbiciderequired for GMO crops. For more on why geneticallymodified produce should not be infarmers markets and we should not begrowing such crops in the first place,see GMO Myths and Truths, anevidence-based examination of theclaims made for the safety and efficacyof genetically modified foods, avail-able on line from earthopensource.org.

Here are the people you can contact tourge that they adopt a policy of ex-cluding genetically engineered pro-duce from our local farmers markets:

Phillip Langston, SLO CountyFarmers Market Association,[email protected], 481-1040 Mike Cirone, SLO County FarmersMarket Association, 459-1829 Sandra Dimond, North CountyFarmers Market Association Mgr.,[email protected], 748-1109

If you have any questions, please callJesse Arnold at 927-3096.

By Jesse Arnold

Sign Up Your Business

Now’s the time for a central coastNationalMarineSanctuary

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TAKE ACTION

The fine print Farmers Market, San Luis Obispo, September 26, 2012.

8


Pandora’s TimingIt’s always been lousy

Every time the nuclear powerindustry starts handing out cigars tocelebrate the birth of the “nuclearrenaissance,” the cigars explode. As we’ve noted previously (“Diablo:You’re Done,” April 2011), the March14, 2011, issue of Newsweek – whichhit the stands about a week prior to itscover date and a few days before theFukushima disaster on March 11 –printed a rapturous profile of“Atomic” Anne Lauvergeon, CEO ofFrench nuclear energy giant Areva,entitled “Nuclear Powerhouse:France’s most powerful business-woman believes now is the time forthe next atomic boom.” The boom thatdestroyed the building housing thereactor at Fukushima Dai-ichi Unit 1 afew days later was not what News-week and Atomic Anne had in mind. Now comes the pro-nuke pseudo-documentary Pandora’s Promise. Anadmiring full-page review in the July8, 2013, issue of Time magazine(“Glowing Green: A documentarymakes the case for nuclear power”)included the confident announcementthat “there will likely be no detectablehealth impacts from the radiationreleased by the Fukushima melt-down.”* The magazine hit subscribers’ mail-boxes just before the news broke that,contrary to longstanding officialdenials, highly radioactive water isleaking from Fukushima at the rate of300 tons per day. A month later, theworld learned that 400 tons of fuelrods must be removed from the top ofthe damaged Unit 4 reactor building --a delicate, undprecedented year-longoperation in which one mistake couldresult in the release of 14,000 times asmuch radiation as the bomb droppedon Hiroshima. Meanwhile stateside, the nuclearrenaissance has been imploding. Asthe Alliance for Nuclear Responsibil-ity recently noted in the Santa MariaTimes:

sounding greenspeak — up to a point.As Joe Romm, has noted on hisClimate Progress blog: “Breakthroughhas tried to create the impression theyare a progressive, environmentalorganization dedicated to promotingclean energy — so that when theylaunch their umpteenth attack onprogressives and environmentalists andclimate scientists and clean energy,they can be seen as ‘contrarians.’ Stopthe presses: here’s an environmentalgroup saying environmentalists aredoing the wrong thing.” Energy blogger David Roberts also isnot buying what “the BreakthroughBoys” are selling. “Nuclear’s mainproblem is economics,” he wrote in abemused Grist essay on the film.Roberts skewers the central theme ofPandora’s Promise, the notion thatenvironmentalists are changing theirminds and coming around to the ideathat nuclear power is the answer to theplanet’s prayers. Roberts writes, “The roster ofenviros in this purportedly burgeoningmovement: Stewart Brand, the Break-through Boys, and ‘Greenpeacecofounder Patrick Moore,’ who hasbeen a paid shill for industry fordecades…. More recently GeorgeMonbiot and Mark Lynas have beenadded to the list. This handful of con-verts is always cited with the implica-

tion that it’s the leading edge of a vastshift, and yet, it’s always the samehandful. “As of now, of the ten leading envirogroups in the U.S., zero support newnuclear power plants. In the movie,Shellenberger says, ‘I have a sense thatthis is a beautiful thing … the begin-ning of a movement.’ I fear he has onceagain mistaken the contents of hisnavel for the zeitgeist.” Roberts surveys a sampling of criticalresponses to the film, starting with theNew York Times’ advice for filmmakerRobert Stone: “You need to make anargument. A parade of like-mindednuclear-power advocates who assure usthat everything will be all right justdoesn’t cut it.” Variety: “The viewer might almostcome away thinking that what heor she needs in the morning is a healthydose of nuclear radiation. But this is azealotry issue, and Stone is a convert.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “Anaudience discussion after a preview atthe University of Chicago made it clearI was not the only one who sensed theself-righteous tone of the newly con-verted in the film’s narrative. In theend, by dismissing the protestors and

*A claim contradicted by a Japanese government study released in February which found that more than 25 times as many peoplein the Fukushima region have developed thyroid cancer compared with data from before the disaster. Per the July 15, 2013, issueof Stars & Stripes, fifty U.S. sailors and Marines who were involved in humanitarian operations after the disaster are now suffer-ing from leukemia, testicular cancer and thyroid problems or rectal and gynecological bleeding and are suing Tokyo ElectricPower Co. for lying to the U.S. military about the level of danger involved in exposure to radiation from the plant.

Tell NRC: We Have No Confidencein Your Radioactive Waste PolicyMake the reactor licensing moratorium permanent

by Michael Mariotte, Nuclear Information ResourceService

Since the summer of 2012, the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission has been unable to issue licenses fornew reactors, or renewals for existing licenses. Afederal court threw out the underpinning of theagency’s radioactive waste policy—its “wasteconfidence” rule. That rule had stated that the NRCwas confident that high-level radioactive wastealways would be stored or disposed safely, and thuscould continue to be generated. But the court found that with the proposed YuccaMountain nuclear waste site effectively cancelled and no alternative in place, theNRC could not be “confident” of permanent disposal. Moreover, the court ruledthat the NRC had no technical basis for asserting that current on-site storagepractices in fuel pools and dry casks would be safe for the indefinite future. Thisruling forced the current moratorium on licensing. The NRC has now prepared a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement(DGEIS) as part of the process of replacing its “waste confidence” rule and it

Since 2013 began,five nuclear reactors

In November, CNN is set to air Pandora’s Promise, with its gross factual errors,straw man arguments and blatant shills for the nuclear industry unchallenged. CNN needs to balance the film’s pro-nuclear propaganda by broadcasting adiscussion after the film with independent scientists, medical professionals andnuclear power experts who can present an accurate and honest assessment of thenuclear industry. CNN is a news network with a responsibility to present factualcontent. To air what is essentially an advertisement for the nuclear industrywithout a balancing discussion that features independent experts would beprofoundly dishonest and taint CNN’s reputation. Go to www.beyondnuclear.org, click on “Pandora’s false promises,” and signthe petition to ask CNN to feature a panel discussion after the film that will fact-check the picture it presents.

hopes to finalize this documentand resume licensing during2014. During October andNovember, the agency will hold12 public meetings around thecountry to explain and receive

NRC continued on next page

failing to engage them in significantdebate about the pros and cons ofnuclear energy, the film underminedits own message.” Roberts concludes: “Confronted bythe obvious travails of the actuallyexisting nuclear industry, supportersinevitably wave their hands at theNukes of the Future: thorium reactors,small modular reactors, integral fastreactors, and the like…. To hear sup-porters tell it, within a few yearsyou’ll have a reactor in your backyardthat consumes nuclear waste from pastreactors and emits nothing but freshair, clean water, and the scent ofjasmine.” The snake oil on offer in Pandora’sPromise notwithstanding, the SierraClub, Mothers for Peace, Alliance forNuclear Responsibility and hundredsof other groups and energy expertshave pointed out that the productionof nuclear energy as it is practiced inthe real world, risk aside, is the mostexpensive, least effective way to goabout reducing carbon emissions. Wewill continue to advocate for the much-- much --preferable options at handthat will get us to a future of clean,safe, renewable energy.

TAKE ACTION

nationwide, includingtwo in SouthernCalifornia, have beenwithdrawn fromservice by theirowners for various,but ultimatelyeconomic reasons.The economic fallouthas wreaked havocwith counties inVermont, Wisconsinand Florida. Nonehad anticipated thattheir golden goosewould ever stoplaying golden eggs,all of which theirlocal leaders had beenputting in onebasket.”

If you work in publicrelations for the nuclearindustry, right about nowyou must be feeling likeyou can’t catch a break. Concerning Pandora’sPromise, Mark Herts-gaard’s contribution to thearticle “Can Nuclear

Power Save the Planet?” in the July 8issue of The Nation is worth seekingout. Hertsgaard, in dialog with abefuddled Terry Tempest Williams,lays bare the film’s bogus pro-nukeclaims and exposes it as a propagandaeffort comprised of equal parts deceit,distortion and sophistry. But Williams’ befuddlement is thehoped-for response to the film, andwhat the nuclear industry and itsapologists are counting on. At the center of Pandora’s Promise isMichael Shellenberger, co-founder ofthe Breakthrough Institute and a pastmaster of the art of wrapping thecorporate imperative in philosophical-


Get a Grand forGoing Solar

cooperation of City staff…we will nolonger continue our efforts on thewastewater project.” The previousApril, the hapless Mayor Janice Petersdefended the city council’s decision togo along with staff’s preferred project:“We can’t make decisions as informedand wise as the people we pay to giveus advice.” The current city council – havingbeen given a very expensive gift ofhindsight and hard experience — doesnot seem inclined to agree with thatphilosophy. Good for them. As wenoted in our March 2013 issue, afterthe Coastal Commission’s inevitabledenial of the Morro Bay/Cayucossewer project permit: “It is now the jobof the current city council to clean upthe mess left by the previous two.” Morro Bay is now attempting to do awastewater treatment project the rightway. The people the City depends onto get it done probably should notinclude those who for years were hell-bent on doing it the wrong way.

Mysterycontinued from page 2

By Tom Hopkins

Shane Krogen’s tragic death is a bigloss to the conservation of our publiclands. He was an untiring and totallycommitted leader bringing grassrootsvolunteers to restore public land andpublic trails. I met Shane in late 2006 when Ivolunteered for a weekend grow sitecleanup with the High Sierra Volun-teer Trail Crew (HSVTC) in the NorthFork of the Kings River near theDinkey Creek confluence. I wanted tosee how Shane and his folks, whotruly pioneered public lands grow siterestoration work, were organized andgot the job done. I had been picking Shane’s brain viaemail and phone to learn how to getForest Service approval to clean upgrow sites here in the MontereyRanger District. Shane was a big helpand made use of all of his credibilitywith the Forest Service to help us getour first clearance to clean up a site inthe Ventana. The actual HSVTC clean up wasquite different than the ones theVentana Wilderness Alliance ulti-mately did in the district. In thatregion of the Sierra, the grow sites aremostly at 4-6,000 feet elevation andusually not in wilderness. So thevolunteers would go into the site,package up all of the tubing, trash, etc.into chopper sling loads, and localCHP choppers would pull them out.The HSVTC had a number of volun-teers trained to work the sling loadunder the chopper. They had a deal with the local CHPchopper base and crew to pull thetrash out of the sites to provideexternal lift practice and continuingcertification for the CHP chopperpilots. Turns out, even though Shane wassuccessful in persuading the PasoRobles CHP chopper crew to workwith Ventana Wilderness Alliance, ourgrow sites were all in wilderness andnot suitable for chopper support. Sowith the help of many of you, weended up pulling everything out theold fashioned way — backpacks andmules. The HSVTC is also a major playerin maintaining the Pacific Crest Trailin the central Sierra, which was theinitial reason Shane organized thecrew and then jumped from owning anoutdoor gear store in Fresno to beingthe full-time Executive Director anddriving force behind the HSVTC.Let’s hope that the organization he leftbehind can continue the passion andcommitment for preserving andrestoring public wild lands and trailsthat Shane so ably embodied.

can’t get to agreement on savings,then verifiable evidence of waterneutrality, meaning that there’s nomore water use than currently beingused. Let’s move to the next thing.

Compromisecontinued from page 6

After vanquishing 2-to-1 offsets, itwas a simple matter to fudge thedefinition of “projects in the pipeline”to go past vines in the ground andinclude anyone who thinks they’re“vested,” with no definition of what“vested” means (a landowner who hasripped the soil? Ordered vines? In-stalled trellises?) Vesting exemptionclaims are now being filed. Mecham also demanded that big agponds be exempted from the ordinance.They were. All in all, it was a unique inter-pretation of the concept of “give a littleon one side, give a little to the otherside.” At the end, a satisfied Supervisor

Mecham announced: “I got every-thing I wanted” -- an echo of JohnBoehner’s proclamation of victorywhen he rolled President Obama inthe 2011 debt ceiling fight. InMecham’s case, the announcementwas a signal to the big vineyards thathe had delivered the goods for them. All of which bodes ill for thepotential creation of a permanentordinance that would contain anyprovisions that will do anything toactually restore the Paso Roblesgroundwater basin, or the establish-ment of a water management districtcreated by and for the big wineries, inwhich voting rights for water alloca-tion would be based on the amount ofacreage owned. At this point, the politics of ournorth county supervisors are dimmingany hope of saving the basin or therural residents and ecosystems thatdepend on it.

Pay no attention tothose graphs behindthe curtain The bigvineyards wouldconsider it “demonizing”to note that themeteoric rise in winerylicenses (above) and thePaso Robles ground-water basin’s fall off thecliff (right) began in thesame year andconstitute a mirrorimage.

Throughout the month of October,get a free solar evaluation of yourhome via Sungevity’s partnershipwith Sierra Club. And if you elect tohave panels installed, Sungevity willsend $1,000 to you and another$1,000 to our chapter! Most solar owners save money ontheir electric bills immediately, andpowering your home with solar isoften the single best way to shrinkyour carbon footprint. Find out ifyour home is suitable for solar atsierraclub.org/solarhomes.

We Miss Shane Krogen

In 1995, Fresno outdoorsman Shane Krogen adopted a 12-mile segment of theCalifornia Riding and Hiking Trail in the vicinity of Huntington Lake via the U.S.Forest Service “Adopt-a-Trail” program, which enables individuals, businessesand groups to maintain trails within the National Forest. In the summer of 1997,the Forest Service approached Krogen with a challenge: they needed additionalvolunteer help maintaining over 400 miles of trail between Yosemite and Sequoia- Kings Canyon. This included 27 miles of the Pacific Crest / John Muir Trail, insome of the most scenic portions of the John Muir Wilderness. His response wasthe formation of the High SierraVolunteer Trail Crew in the spring of1998, which he served as executivedirector. Shane Krogen died in ahelicopter accident in Tulare Countyon September 12 while working withcrews on cleaning up and restoringtoxic abandoned marijuana grow sitesin national forests and wildernessareas. Our local outings leaders andCal Poly Sierra Student Coalitionmembers who have worked with theVentana Wilderness Alliance mournhis death.

Through a Poet’s Eyes

Poet up SLO Poet Laureate Jerry Smithwas joined by former poets laureate BonnieYoung (2012) and Rosemary Wilvert (2007),along with Evy Cole, Lisha Perini and IvanBrownOtter, for an evening of nature-celebrating at the Santa Lucia chapter’sSept. 18 meeting at the Steynberg Gallery.

public comment on this document. TheNRC is accepting written commentsthrough November 27. These meetings are our opportunityto point out the many technical andlogical shortcomings in this newdocument, and to call for making thelicensing moratorium permanent. Theonly radioactive waste option we haveconfidence in is to stop making it!There will be protests outside andpublic involvement inside each one ofthese meetings. We hope you will joinus and help pack every meeting! At, www.nirs.org/radwaste/wasteconfidence.htm you will finddraft press releases, alerts and otherinformation for each meeting, a link todownload the entire DGEIS if you’dlike, and more. It’s time to join together and makethe strongest public statement possibleat every one of these meetings.

NRCcontinued from previous page

Come to the Courtyard Marriott in SanLuis Obispo at 6 p.m. on October 7.Open house with meeting starting at 7p.m. Let the NRC know how “confi-dent” you feel about storing highlyradioactive waste on our seismicallyactive coastline for the next 300 years.Keeping Diablo Canyon NuclearPower plant running is causing harmto marine life every day it operates. Allthe other issues we care about pale incomparison to an earthquake at DiabloCanyon.

TAKE ACTION

1 0


Summary: A new study by David T. Allen et al, funded by nine oil & gas companies andthe Environmental Defense Fund, finds that fracking for shale gas emits less methane, themost damaging greenhouse gas, than other studies have found. All responses below are fromthe analysis of the study done by Physicians Scientists & Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSE).

“Fracking emits less methane than previously estimated,” by Michael Wines, New YorkTimes, reprinted in The Tribune, Sept. 17, 2013.

Taking IssueReviewing problematic environmental coverage & commentary in our local media

“Can we do it? Thanks tonew EPA regulationscoming online, theanswer to that is goodnews,” Eric Pooley, asenior vice president atthe EnvironmentalDefense Fund said.Many state oil and

gas regulatoryagencies in theUnited States havetoo few inspectors to monitor the large numbers of wells,and regulatory oversight is, thus, greatly limited. In thereal world, gas production operators may not take allprecautions necessary to limit fugitive methane loss.

Those of you who did so received aletter from Katcho informing them thattheir elected representative believesthat “state agencies must be heldaccountable for their actions” and it isnot “appropriate to allow an agency tobe the prosecutor, judge, and jury incases where it is alleged that a viola-tion of agency regulations or state lawhas occurred.” But Katcho wanted you to know thathe had a lot of respect for the bill’sauthor, Toni Atkins, and he reallywants “to ensure that those who areguilty of violating the Coastal Act areheld accountable. Therefore, todemonstrate my commitment to work-ing with her to find an appropriate wayto clear the back log of pending

enforcement actions, I abstained ratherthan voting in opposition to hermeasure.” There are four problems with thisstatesmanlike explanation. First, more than 20 regulatoryagencies in California have theauthority to levy fines if the regula-tions they enforce are violated. Dueprocess is followed; no abuse occurs.No word from AssemblymemberAchadjian on how he intends to makeall those agencies “accountable fortheir actions” and stop them fromacting as “prosecutor, judge, and jury.” Second, Katcho’s abstention was theequivalent of a “no” vote. It didn’tdemonstrate any kind of commitment;it ensured that the bill did not receivethe number of votes it needed to pass. Third, there isn’t “another appropri-

ate way to clear the back log of pend-ing enforcement actions.” The way todo that is to make it more expensive toresist compliance than it is to comply,which can only be done by giving theCoastal Commission authority to fineviolators until they comply. Fourth, Katcho has long treasuredhis self-image as a reasonable moder-ate conservative, an image his actionscontinually betray. AB 976 is now a two-year bill,which means it can come back for avote in 2014. If it does, all SLOCounty residents should remindKatcho that he still needs to vote for it,and the fig leaf of his transparentexcuses for not doing so will neversuffice to cover his cave-in to businessinterests at the expense of the peopleof California and our natural heritage.

Katchocontinued from page 5

Upshot: “Policy-makers and society in general are ingreat need of robust scientific measurements ofmethane emissions from modern gas development. It isdisappointing that Allen and colleagues seem to havefailed to employ basic scientific rules, includingtransparent criteria for the selection of study sites tomeasure, sufficient sample sizes, and the attempt toplace their results in the context of other scientificstudies to date. This study falls short in its attempt tohelp answer questions about methane emissions frommodern gas development beyond the small number of

gas industry-selected wells wheremeasures were taken.” -- Seth B.Shonkoff, PhD, MPH, executivedirector, Physicians, Scientists, &Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSE),University of California, Berkeley.

Drilling for shale oil...appears to cause smallerleaks of the greenhouse gas methane than thefederal government had estimated, andconsiderably smaller than some critics ofshale gas had feared.

...a number of companiesalready capture escapedgases at wells being preparedfor production.

The study...bolsters the contentionby advocates of fracking that shalegas is cleaner and better than coal,at least until more renewable-energysources are developed. More than500 wells were analyzed.

In particular, it indicatedthat containment measurescaptured 99 percent ofmethane that escapedfrom new wells.

This is a finding atodds with otherresearchers’ workthat shows muchhigher rates. Thefugitive lossesreported by Allen andcolleagues are 10 to20 times lower thanthose calculated from more complete(field-level) measurements. Allen andcolleagues do not address this largediscrepancy or even reference theseother studies.

This is a verysmall samplesize. The studymeasuredemissions fromjust 489 gaswells and only27 hydraulicfracturingevents. Thesemeasurements represent 0.11% of thetotal conventional and unconventionalgas wells in the United States. Emissionsreported in this paper reflect a very smallsubset of sources at a single stage of amultistage industrial process. It is not acomplete life-cycle emissions study.Methane is also emitted as gas travels toconsumers through compression, process-ing, storage, transmission, and distribu-tion sectors (i.e. full lifecycle). Indepen-dent scientific research has indicated thatthese additional emissions are larger thanpreviously thought

The study’sresults arebased onevaluationsof sites andtimes selected by the oil and gasindustry rather than random andindependent sampling of sites. Thus,this study must be viewed as a best-case scenario, based upon wellsselected by industry, a party undoubt-edly interested in a particular outcome.

It is in the interest of industry to selectlower emitting wells for sampling.Studies carried out by NOAA and other

independent research-ers which reportsignificantly higherrates of emissions relyon atmosphericmeasurements andchemical analysis ofatmospheric samples toassess emissions acrossthe entirety of a

production field rather than a smallsubset of selected wells. As such, thesestudies are more likely to reflectaccurately real-world emissions from theindustry as a whole.

Santa Lucian • October 20131 1

ClassifiedsNext issue deadline is October 14. Toget a rate sheet or submit your ad andpayment, contact:Sierra Club - Santa Lucia ChapterP.O. Box 15755San Luis Obispo, CA [email protected]

CYNTHIA HAWLEYATTORNEY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONLAND USE

CIVIL LITIGATION

P.O. Box 29 Cambria California 93428Phone 805-927-5102 Fax 805-927-5220

A portion of any commissiondonated to the Sierra Club

Pismo toSan Simeon

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Hold Your Water“Slow it, sink it, spread it” is the mantraof enlightened water managers whoknow that water works best when itstays on the land where it falls. Now that mantra can be yours, too,along with healthier soils, happierwildlife, and reductions in your waterbill, thanks to the tips and techniques inRainwater Management for LowImpact Development, a publication ofthe Appropriate Technology Coalition --SLO Green Build, the Santa Lucia

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Outings and Activities CalendarSeller of travel registration information: CST 2087766-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.

This is a partial listing of Outingsoffered by our chapter.

Please check the web pagewww.santalucia.sierraclub.org for

the most up-to-date listing ofactivities.

All our hikes and activities are open to all Club members and the general public. Please bring drinking water toall outings and optionally a lunch. Sturdy footwear is recommended. All phone numbers listed are within areacode 805 unless otherwise noted. Pets are generally not allowed. A parent or responsible adult must accompanychildren under the age of 18. If you have any suggestions for hikes or outdoor activities, questions about theChapter’s outing policies, or would like to be an outings leader, call Outings Chair Joe Morris, 549-0355. Forinformation on a specific outing, please call the listed outing leader.

Joe MorrisSierra Club(805) [email protected]

Sat.-Sun, Oct 5th-6th Hot SpringsTour in Black Rock Desert. Camp inremote country at a spring close toGerlach, about 100 miles north ofReno Friday night, then re-locate to aprettier spring on Emigrant Trail onSaturday. High-clearance vehiclerequired, 2-WD okay. Primitivecamping, so no RVs or trailers. Formore information, call Leader: DavidBook, 775-843-6443. GreatBasin Group.

Fri., Oct. 11th, 10 a.m. GuidedWalk: The SLO Railroad HistoricDistrict. To whet your appetite for thefun of the Railroad Festival thisweekend, join us on this morningstroll past 15 sites in the old commer-cial district, the depot area, andcentury-old boardinghouses. Hear thestories about the heyday of the South-ern Pacific during the steam age,1890s to 1950s, when the “SP”dominated public life in San LuisObispo and transformed it from a cowtown to a boomtown. Duration about90." Meet at Gus’s Grocery, corner ofOsos and Leff Sts. Leader: Joe Morris,549-0355.

Sat., Oct. 12th, 8 a.m. Vicente FlatsTrail Hike. A long coastal drive to thetrailhead, but worth it. A moderatelystrenuous hike, 10 miles rt, 1800 ft.gain, through very scenic area insouthern Big Sur. In and out on thesame trail, so you may sign outearly. An all-day excursion, so bringlunch, water, and good hiking shoes.Poison oak by trail. Meet at WashburnDay Use Area, north of Cambria.Leader: Carlos Diaz, 546-0317.

Sat-Sun, Oct. 12th-13th. Explore andServe in the Carrizo Plains Car campand help on project Saturday inwilderness area to aid in mobility ofpronghorn antelope by modifyingfences in Carrizo Plain NationalMonument. Sunday, at choice ofgroup, may include touring popularviewing areas in the plains or a hike inthe Caliente Range. Leader: CraigDeutsche, 310-477-6670 [email protected] CNRCCDesert Committee.

Tues., Oct. 15th, 10 a.m. HazardPeak Trail, Montana de Oro. 3.5-

mile, 1000 ft. gain, gentle climb tosummit of Hazard Pk., to enjoy coastalviews. Duration about 2 hrs. Meet atRidge Trail/Hazard Peak trailheadparking lot, about 2.2 miles from parkentrance on Pecho Valley Rd. Leader:Vicki Marchenko, 528-5567 [email protected].

Sat., Oct. 19th, 9:30 a.m. Oaks Peak/Coon Creek/Bluffs Trails in Mon-tana de Oro. Moderately strenuous10-mile hike to top of Oaks Peak, theneasy after that, for a beautiful walkalong the coastline past meanderingstreams. Bring hat, sunscreen,plenty of water, and dress in layers forvarying weather. Meet at Visitor’sCenter at Spooner’s Cove in Montanade Oro State Park Leader: AndreaOrtiz, 934-2792, [email protected] further information or to arrangecarpools.

Sun., Oct. 20th, 5 p.m. Elfin ForestEvening Walk. Enjoy an easy, one-mile walk in this nature preserveoverlooking the ocean in Los Ososwith over 200 plant species. Direc-tions: from South Bay Blvd., turn weston San Ysabel going forward to theocean, then right on 16th St and parkat the end. Leader: Vicki Marchenko,vmarchenko57@ gmail.com or 528-5567.

Sun., Oct. 20th, 10 a.m. SycamoreSprings Trekking-Pole Hike. 2-milehike to model the benefits of usingtrekking poles, 700 feet elevationchange. Meet at entrance to SycamoreSprings Resort, 1215 Avila Beach Dr.Confirm beforehand with DavidGeorgi, [email protected] or458-5575.

Thurs.-Sun., Oct. 24th-26th. DeathValley Wilderness Restoration.Restore wilderness, work on DarwinFalls trail, in this beautiful and remotenational park. Meet early Thursdayafternoon to begin work, then drive toprimitive camping area and set upcamp. Friday work to clean up debrisfrom plane crash. If needed, we willcontinue work on Sunday; otherwiseparticipants are free to explore thePark. Leader: Kate Allen, [email protected] or 661-944-4056. CNRCCDesert Committee.

Steynberg ceremony Vicki Marchenko received her certificate of completion of SierraClub outings leader training from Santa Lucia Outings Leader Joe Morris at our SteynbergGallery bimonthly meeting.

Sat.-Sun., Oct. 26th-27th. GhostTown Extravaganza Halloweenweekend with ghosts of California’scolorful past. Primitive camp nearghost town of Ballarat near DeathValley. Saturday, challenging hike toLookout City ghost town with histo-rian Hal Fowler, then return to campfor Happy Hour, potluck feast, and amidnight visit to Ballarat’s graveyard.Sunday, quick visit to infamous Rileytown site, then home. Group sizestrictly limited. Send $8 per person(check payable to Lygeia Gerard), 2large SASE, H & W phones, email andrideshare info to Leader: LygeiaGerard, P.O. Box 721039, Pinon Hills,CA 92372. Phone: Phone: 760-868-2179 CNRCC Desert Committee.

Sun., Oct. 27th, 10:30 a.m.Montana de Oro Bird and PlantWalk. Join Audubon Society andCalifornia Native Plant Societyleaders for walk along coastalstrand, looking for shorebirds andcoastal dune plants. We will walkalong beach, by dunes and estuary.Low tide at 12:32 p.m. so beachwalking and birding sighting shouldbe easier. Bring water and dress inlayers for changing weather, hat,sunscreen, and good shoes forwalking in sand. Leader: BillWaycott, 459-2103 [email protected].

Sat., Nov. 2nd, 9 a.m. Morro BayHills Hike. 7-mile hike, 1600 ft.gain, exploring hills above MorroBay to the summit of Cerro Alto, thendescending via W. Cuesta Ridge Rd,and Boy Scout Trail to cars. Bringsnack, water, and dress for theweather. $5 Adventure Pass parkingfee if no Golden Age or National Parkspass. Stop at Taco Temple for dinneron way home for those interested.Meet at Cerro Alto Campground DayUse Area. Leader: Gary Felsman, 473-3694.

Activities sponsored by other groups

Sun., Oct. 20, 9 a.m. Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers - Oats PeakTrail work, MDO . Over 5 miles of new trail at Montana de Oro will be open tocyclists and equestrians in March after winter rains. In order to open it, we haveto finish a 200-yard section of the Beebe Trail which still needs considerable dirtwork. We can knock that work out in one workday with 40-50 volunteers, soplease plan on attending. We are proud to report that cyclists (and equestrians)have stayed off the new trails. That responsible behavior has been a big topic ofdiscussion at the State Parks Trails Committee meeting and has really helped tomake the case that mountain bikers can be responsible trail users. Lookingforward to seeing you on Oates & Beebe in October for trail work and in Marchfor a ride! Meet at Park Headquarters above Spooner’s Cove. For more info,contact [email protected].

Sat.-Sun, Nov. 2nd-3rd, CarrizoPlains Explore/Serve Weekend.Saturday, car camp in Monument,modify fencing to increase mobility ofpronghorn antelope. Sunday eitherCaliente Ridge hike or tour of popularareas in the plains. Leader: CraigDeutsche, [email protected] 310-477-6670 CNRCC DesertCommittee.

Sat., Oct. 19,10 a.m. Birding at the Garden with the Morro Coast AudubonSociety. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is pleased to welcome Kaaren Perryof the Morro Coast Audubon Society for a family-friendly birding walk. Thisengaging walk through the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden and the surround-ing environs will get you acquainted with the wide variety of feathered friendsfound in SLO County. We will look for returning wintering birds and fallmigrants including sparrows, warblers, raptors, and others. October is prime timefor rare migrants when nearly anything can show up. Walk will begin at theGarden’s second parking lot. For more information contact [email protected] 805-541-1400 x304.

Documents

Santa Lucian October 2013 Santa Lucian - Sierra Club · 2015. 2. 28. · Santa Lucian October 2013 3 ~ for CFC Members Only ~ All current members of the Cal French Donors Circle and