Santa Lucian • Jul./Au161

SANTA LUCIAN Jul/Aug 2016

Volume 53 No. 7T h e o f f i c i a l n e w s l e t te r o f th e Sa n ta L u c i a C h a p te r o f t h e S i e r r a C l u b ~ Sa n L u i s O b i s p o Co u n t y, C a l i f o r n i a

IIIII n s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d en s i d eCreate more, consume less 2

Our evening with Cousteau 3

Saving the Coastal Commission 4

Bad forestry 5

Classifieds 7

Outings 8

Please recycle

This newsletter printed on100% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-

based inks

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Santa LuciaChapter

Don’t Miss:

History makers The Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility’s Rochelle Becker (left) and Linda Seeley ofthe SLO Mothers for Peace -- co-chairs of the Santa Lucia Chapter’s Nuclear Power Task Force -- flankformer Sierra Club President David Brower.

DIABLO cont. on page 5

Oaks orNo Oaks?

Unless it takes seriousaction quickly, San LuisObispo County is soongoing to be known for thefamous oak woodlands thatonce carpeted the rollinghills of its Old Californialandscape; the trees we usedto have before they were allbulldozed in the name ofprofit. That was the realizationthat sank in when the newsbroke on June 9 that JustinVineyards had created thelandscape above out ofwhat was once 360 acres ofoak woodlands -- a projecthalted because of gradingviolations, not because thecompany had just renderedup to 8,000 oaks into kin-dling, which, in and of it-self, was perfectly legal. In response to the publicoutcry, winery managerspointed out that their com-pany will plant 5,000 oaksas mitigation for thecompany’s act of arbori-cide. (Note to all chambersof commerce: be sure toplace pictures of these seed-

lings on your brochures andinvite tourists to come ad-mire them -- or more spe-cifically, the ones that actu-ally survive to maturity, inabout fifty years.) The oaks of San LuisObispo have been fallingfor a while. But it took apair of Beverly Hills bil-lionaires intruding on theprocess of death-by-a-thou-sand cuts that has beendecimating our oaks fordecades to clarify the ulti-mate fate that awaits us:the county relieved of all itsprofit-impeding oak wood-lands. Let us thank theWonderful Company, akaStewart and Lynda Resnick-- the lords of Central Val-ley agri-business -- forshoving the pedal to themetal and providing a dem-onstration of the heedlessdestruction of habitat on anindustrial scale. For twenty years, at-tempts to pass an oak pro-tection ordinance in thiscounty have failed. Thereason for that failure has

not been a mystery: Thecounty’s largest economicsector has made it clear that— surprise — they don’twish to be thus regulated,and our elected officialshave bowed low to thosewishes. For a full week in June,the front page of The Tri-bune covered the story ofwhat happens when a countyprostrates itself to the inter-ests of Big Ag at the ex-pense of its natural re-sources and open space:Eventually representativesof the Biggest Ag there iswill take you to the endresult of years of least-resis-tance policy decisions. We’ve had decades ofsworn dedication to theconservation of our re-sources and protection ofour natural landscapes andeverything else that everycandidate for the board ofsupervisors always saysduring every electionseason. Those aerial photos

A billionaire’s Paso Robles oak tree massacre has finally broughtSLO County to the valley of decision

What not to do The last attempt to stop oaks from disappearing from agricultural landin the county came in 2006, when the County Grand Jury issued the report “Oak TreePreservation in San Luis Obispo County” and the Board of Supervisors responded by ap-pointing an Oak Resources Committee, stacked with agricultural interests, to resolve theproblem. The committee, after much thrashing about, came up with a Voluntary OakWoodlands Management Program and a directive “to establish a mechanism for the Plan-ning Department to track all native oak tree removals.” The committee’s minority report recommended that the Board “develop a countywideoak protection ordinance.” It didn’t.

OAKS cont. on page 6

Diablo’s Departure

We called it Readers of the Santa Lucian over the past year hada pretty good idea of what was about to happen to Diablo Canyon.

In 2009, the Santa LuciaChapter of the Sierra Clubsubmitted comments on theNuclear RegulatoryCommission’s Generic En-vironmental Impact State-ment for License Renewalof Nuclear Plants. We wrote that proposingto grant a nuclear plant anadditional twenty years oflife was absurd in the ab-sence of an alternativesanalysis that “should evalu-ate the viability of nuclearpower plants over a 20-yearperiod that will be markedby increasing costs of plantmaintenance and repair,simultaneously with smartgrid and renewable energystorage technologies com-ing on line as the price ofsolar and wind power con-tinues to drop, all pointingtoward the potential com-mercial obsolescence ofnuclear power within therelicensed period.” We said that again to theNRC in August 2015, whenthey were preparing to re-view renewal of the licensesof Diablo Canyon’s reactorsin 2024 and 2025. On June 21, the PacificGas & Electric Companyessentially agreed with us,announcing that it will retirethe Diablo Nuclear PowerPlant by 2025 and that en-ergy efficiency and renew-able energy can supply theneeds of Californians cur-rently supplied by Diablo --thereby contradicting yearsof nuclear industry p.r.,essentially throwing in thetowel in the industry’s at-tack on renewable energy. The joint agreement withFriends of the Earth,NRDC, the Alliance forNuclear Responsibility andseveral labor unions is moreproof of how serious Cali-fornians are about cuttingdependence on energysources and fuel that dam-age the health of people,our economy and ourplanet. Sierra Club is com-mitted to working with theregulators and partner orga-nizations to ensure the

Page 4

SATURDAY, JULY 9

2 Santa Lucian • Jul./Aug. 2016

The Executive Committee meetsthe second Monday of every monthat 5:30 p.m. 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.

Denny Mynatt PRINT MEDIA COORDINATOR

Energy Task Force Karen Merriam

Intergenerational Task Force

Water Subcommittee Keith Wimer

Committee ChairsPolitical David BouquinDevelopment openConservation Sue Harvey

Nuclear Power Task Force Rochelle Becker Linda Seeley Climate Change Task Force Heidi Harmon

Victoria Carranza

Printed by University Graphic Systems CalPoly, San Luis Obispo. Mailing servicescourtesy of Silver Streaks.

Office hours Monday-Friday,1 p.m. - 7 p.m., 974 Santa RosaStreet, San Luis Obispo

Coordinator Kim Ramos, Admin and Development

kimlramos@yahoo.com

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

CNRCC Delegates Lindi Doud, Patrick McGibney John Burdett

Calendar Sales Bonnie Walters 805-543-7051Outings Joe Morris

dpj1942@earthlink.netCanoe/Kayak openWebmaster Monica Tarzier

monica@tarzier.orgTrail Guide Gary Felsman

Chapter Director Andrew Christie

Santa Lucian

EDITOR

Greg McMillanLindi DoudLinda SeeleySandy SimonEDITORIAL 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 93406sierraclub8@gmail.com

Santa Lucia Chapter

2016 Executive CommitteeKaren Merriam (12/18) CHAIRLindi Doud (12/17) TREASURERSue Harvey (12/16) MEMBERCal French (12/16) MEMBERPatrick McGibney (12/17) MEMBER

Lindi Doud COUNCIL OF CLUB LEADERS

Andrew Christie

Now a Word from NanBy Nancy Cole Borges

Greetings Santa LucianSierra Clubbers! I’m Nan, anindependent contractorbrought on to help developmembership engagement andfundraising. Back in 2007 when I firstbecame involved with theChapter, I was one of a num-ber of Cal Poly students whoworked on a variety of pro-jects related to energy, waterand conservation issues. Fast-forward almost a de-cade later, and you will findseveral of those samepeople, once Sierra Clubstudent interns, working onsimilar issues around thisCounty. The Sierra Club providedthe opportunity for youngprofessionals to becomefamiliar with the region’snatural splendor and workon stewarding that brilliancelong after they graduatedfrom college. This partnership betweenstudents—eager to involvethemselves in local mat-ters—and the environmentalpioneers who populate theChapter enabled a kind ofmentorship that remainsinvaluable to the County’senvironmental efforts. Continuing in its role inthe community as a centerfor leadership and develop-ment to spur the next genera-tion of environmental advo-cates, our Chapter is lookingfor students and young pro-fessionals to work on:

Coordinating volunteersfor a number of activities:lead workshops, coordinateevents, conduct trail mainte-

nance, etc. Articulating the SierraClub’s activities to mem-bers and the community viamultiple communicationchannels. Promoting membershipengagement and outreachthrough planning and coor-dinating campaigns andpublic events.

In addition to fosteringthe development of futureleaders in SLO County andbeyond, the Chapter wouldlike to build a diverse rangeof activities and events thatappeal to a wide range ofaudiences. We would like tooffer family-friendly hikes,short hikes, upcyclingworkshops, travel exhibi-tions and more. And ofcourse, our Chapter willcontinue its efforts on localcampaigns, such as the Chu-mash Heritage National

Marine Sanctuary and halt-ing the expansion of oilextraction and transporta-tion through the County. You can give to our Chap-ter in a number of ways:Become a monthly sus-tainer, by donating $20 ormore monthly, or make aone-time donation. The faceof environmental involve-ment is changing all thetime. Students and youngprofessionals can infuse theChapter with their creativityand strong capacity fornetworking. I wanted to return to thisChapter because it hasnever lost its laser-like fo-cus on its purpose. It worksto preserve and protect allthe attributes of this Countythat make it thrive. You are invited to contactme with ideas or commentsat nansantalucia@gmail.com.

In November, membersof the Santa Lucia Chapterwill elect four newleaders of our executivecommittee. The ExComoversees the operations ofthe chapter, including itsfinances, environmentalpositions, outings program,and publications. Thenominating committee islooking for candidates tofill these positions. ExCom term lengths varybecause some open seatsresult from resignations,but the standard term isthree years. The executivecommittee meets monthlyand sometimes for specialmeetings. Please submit your sug-gestions for nominees,including yourself, to CalFrench: cal.french@gmail.com, (805) 239-7338.

Teamwork! Nan with her beloved dog, Mei.

Sierra Club General MeetingThe Lakes of SLO County7-9 p.m., Wednesday, July 27th

Join us tonight for a rare inside look at the ecologyand conservation of Laguna Lake, Lopez Lake, andSanta Margarita Lake. Presented by the folks whoknow them best: Bob Hill, City of SLO Natural Re-sources Manager, and Chuck Woodard, SLO CountyRanger.

Environmental news will begin the meeting.

Steynberg Gallery, 1531 Monterey St., SLO.Info.: Joe Morris, 549-0355.

Alice Kinzie

Soul & Oak

Create More,ConsumeLessDIY 3-Ingredient NaturalCoconut Mint Toothpaste

By Jennifer de Tréglodé

I’m excited to contributeto the Santa Lucian a regu-lar DIY column with greatideas and recipes forimplementing more cre-ativity into your life. Notjust any type of creativity,creativity that helps you tolive a more sustainablelife: financially, environ-mentally, physically, andmindfully. I own a business calledSoul & Oak where mymain mission is to em-power people to live morehappy and connected lives,connected to community,nature, people, purpose,and creativity. I createproducts that I sell andhost creative workshopsthroughout the communityand in people’s homes inan effort to spread the ideabehind creating more andconsuming less. As a stu-dent of the benefits creat-ing can have in our lives, Iam constantly exploringways that we can createmore and consume less. I will be teaming up withSierra Club for a very ex-citing event in the Fall, anevent I have produced afew times many years agocalled the Swap-O-Rama-Rama. We will be holdingthe event as a fundraiser onNovember 12, 2016, withproceeds going to helpfund the Sierra Club’s localefforts. The mission be-hind the Swap-O-Rama-Rama is to encouragepeople to look beyond fastfashion and learn to see thebeauty in trash, pullingfrom the waste stream andlearning to think creativelyto take something old andmake it new again. Every-thing we do with Swap-O-Rama-Rama aligns per-fectly with the create more,consume less philosophybehind my business ofSoul & Oak and creates aperfect opportunity forlocal residents and SierraClub members to be a partof an event that gives eachindividual the power andcreativity to make a differ-

ence in the sustainability ofour planet through their fash-ion choices, all while help-ing to fund a great cause. Tolearn more about Swap-O-Rama-Rama and my busi-ness Soul & Oak, you cancheck out the followingwebsites:www.swaporamarama.comwww.soulandoak.com

In the meantime, I hopeyou will enjoy this column,where I will share with yousome of my favorite DIYrecipes for household andbeauty products. The benefits of makingproducts, such as the tooth-paste from this month’srecipe, are numerous. Theamount of packaging that wecan reduce in making ourown products is significant.Plus some toothpaste tubeshave a 500-year decomposi-tion time. When you makeyour own toothpaste, it iseasy to use reuseable jarsand containers and keepplastic tubes out of the land-fill. Also, most toothpasteyou buy at the store is full oftoxic ingredients that are nothealthy for your body, likecarrageenan, sodium laurylsulfate, triclosan, hydratedsilica, FD&C dyes and so-dium fluoride. You canGoogle these to find out thatthey are not good news —for our bodies or the watersystems these flow into fromour bathroom sinks. For

Easy 3-Ingredient Natural Coconut Mint ToothpasteWhat you need:* 3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil* 3 Tablespoons Baking Soda* 10 – 15 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Instructions:1. Warm the coconut oil if solid.2. Stir in the baking soda & essential oil in with the coconut oil.3. Store in a sealed container (I like a small mason jar).4. If you do not like the taste, try adding a bit of stevia.

example, triclosan is toxicto fish and is not ofteneliminated in wastewatertreatment plans before en-tering our waterways. The good news is there is

a simple recipe for naturaltoothpaste that can reducethe havoc wrought on theenvironment by store-bought toothpaste. Try itout here:

by Judith Bernstein

“The Best of Big BlueLive,” a one-hour documen-tary about Monterey Bay’smarine life, will be shownat the SLO Unitarian Uni-versalist Fellowship onSaturday, August 6, at 3p.m. Following the film,there will be a panel discus-sion about the proposedChumash Heritage NationalMarine Sanctuary. Theevent is free.

The Best ofBig BlueLive

BIG BLUE cont. on page 7

Join theChapterExComRecruitingTeam!

Santa Lucian • Jul./Aug. 20163

Sierra Club85 Second St., 2nd FloorSan Francisco, CA 94105-3441

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Outings, events, and more!

search: “Santa Lucia” and become our friend!

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Mail changes to:

or e-mail:address.changes@sierraclub.org

Enter the 18th AnnualCalifornia Ocean & CoastalAmateur Photography Con-test. This year’s contest issponsored by the CaliforniaCoastal Commission, withthanks to Ocean Campaign,and Fairmont Hotels &Resorts of California. The deadline to enter isJuly 18th; deadline to votefor a viewer‘s choice awardis July 29th. Visitmycoastalphoto.com fordetails. And watch “Art for a SeaChange.” In honor of WorldOceans Day, this compel-

ling new four-minuteYouTube video showcasesnearly 20 years of aerial artformations created by morethan 100,000 elementaryschool children as part ofKids’ Ocean Day. Narratedby Wendie Malick, thevideo demonstrates thepower of students comingtogether to promote oceanconservation and send mes-sages to theworld. The CoastalCommission’sPublic Educa-tion Programprotects andrestoresCalifornia’scoast and oceanby teaching,inspiring, andempowering thepublic to takeenvironmentallypositive action.

AttentionCoastalShutterBugs

THANK YOU......to all our friends and vol-unteers who helped to makeour June 11th FUNraiser atTiber Canyon a great suc-cess: Hosts: Chris Anderson &Will Carlton - Tiber CanyonRanch. Parking: Ryan Dostalek& Nick Overby - Boy ScoutTroop 308: Lamar AmalleCordes Mendibles & ReoCordes. Set up and displays:Diane Dostalek & AmyOverby. Wine: Greg McMillan. Singer / songwriterextraordinaire: SonnieBrown. Food: Mama Ganache,Tom & Eve Neuhaus, TiberCanyon Olive Oil. Serving: Jan Secord &Marcia Alter. Art curator and display:Evy Justesen. Artists: Leslie Hannon,Barbara & “Rosey”Rosenthal, Evy Justesen,Anne Kellogg, RachelWinn Yon, Liz Maruska,Pam Wendel. Crafts: Colleen Leigh,Jennifer de Tréglodé,Nancy Cole, Lisha Perini,Chris Anderson. Jewelry: Mike Hannon,Tracy Kinderknecht, LishaPerini. Books: Don Maruska,Steven Marx, JeanieGreensfelder, KarenMerriam. CDs: Nancy Koren.

By EcoLogistics

If you are concernedabout the health of Earth’sbiosphere and the threats tobiodiversity, and want totake action to move thingsin a better direction, con-sider attending The DeepEcology Collaboratory, athree-day environmentalevent sponsored byEcologistics, Inc. Some of the greatestvoices in the conservationmovement will be on handto address the most intrac-table threats to biodiversityon Earth: Climate Change,Extinction, Habitat Loss,Human Population Over-

shoot, and Globalization.The event is scheduled forOctober 21-23, 2016, atRancho El Chorro RetreatCenter, a 250-acre naturalpreserve in the hills aboveSan Luis Obispo. We know that a funda-mental shift of conscious-ness is essential in confront-ing our environmentalwoes, and this knowledge isimplicit in our yearning fora radical redefinition ofvalues required to turn ourubiquitous, market-cen-tered, earth-pillaging corpo-rate exploitation model, onits head. Fortunately, wehave better models thatreverence the Earth and allher creatures. George Sessions, formerPhilosophy professor atSierra College, points toone such philosophic shift

that has been growing forsome time within the envi-ronmental community: “TheLong-range Deep Ecologymovement emerged more orless spontaneously and in-formally as a philosophicaland scientific social/politi-cal movement during theso-called Ecological Revo-lution of the 1960s. Its mainconcern has been to bringabout a major paradigmshift— a shift in perception,values, and lifestyles — asa basis for redirecting theecologically destructivepath of modern industrialgrowth societies. Since the1960s, the long-range DeepEcology movement hasbeen characterized philo-sophically by a move fromanthropocentrism toecocentrism, and by envi-ronmental activism.”

A Deep Ecology CollaboratoryNational environmental leaders are converging on SLO this fallI come to realize that mind is noOther than mountains and riversAnd the great wide earth, theSun and the moon and the stars.

-Do’gen

It is education, action, andcreating an atmosphere ofconviviality that is the maininspiration for this gather-ing; all three are equally

important. So plan on en-joying organic meals, mi-cro-brews, and live musicbetween the talks andstrategizing workshops. Our

program begins Friday af-ternoon, Oct. 21, with KellySorenson from the Ventana

ECOLOGISTICS cont. on page 7

A good evening Left to right: Fred Collins, Douglas McCauley, Jean-Michel Cousteau,and Andrew Christie took questions from the audience after the presentation.

Our Evening with Jean-Michel Cousteau rocks the house in Santa Barbara The Santa Lucia Chapterhosted “An Evening withJean-Michel Cousteau,” atthe Santa Barbara Library’sFaulkner Gallery on June20, along with co-sponsorsSurfrider, La Isla FashionGroup, the Ocean FuturesSociety, and the Northern

Thank you, scouts of Troop 308!

Sanctuary CelebratedChumash Tribal Council. The free event was thehottest ticket in town, withall seats taken within a dayof our announcement. Thepacked house heard fromthe legendary oceanogra-pher, an impassioned diplo-mat for the environmentwho has produced over 80films and screened clipsfrom his PBS special“America’s UnderwaterTreasures,” in whichCousteau’s dive team ex-plored all 13 national ma-rine sanctuaries. Along with UCSB marine

biologist DouglasMcCauley, Northern Chu-mash Tribal Council Ad-ministrator Fred Collins andSanta Lucia Chapter Direc-

tor Andrew Christie,Cousteau spoke to the im-portance of designatingnew national marine sanctu-aries, including the Chu-

mash HeritageNational MarineSanctuary, andtook questionsfrom the audience.

Nan

cy C

ole-

Borg

es

4 Santa Lucian • Jul./Aug. 2016

July 9: Stop Oil Trains

This letter, signed by dozens of civil society organizations, will be delivered to the WhiteHouse on July 6, the third anniversary of the oil train tragedy in Lac Megantic,Quebec, and the first day of the national Stop Oil Trains Week of Action.

Dear President Obama,

The most recent disaster in Mosier, Oregon, demonstrates again that crude oil is simply toodangerous for the rails. Every day the oil industry sends millions of gallons of highly flam-mable crude through US cities and towns, over critical waterways, and dangerously closeto the homes of 25 million Americans. We ask that you ban oil trains and protect Americanfamilies and students from the inevitable fires and air pollution.

Our rail system was never built for this hazardous cargo. Jim Hall, former National Trans-portation Safety Board Chair, wrote in the Oregonian on June 9 that, “Carrying crude oilby rail is just not a good idea… We need to phase out rail shipments of crude oil.” Most oiltraveling by train is either diluted tar sands bitumen from Canada or fracked shale oil fromthe Bakken formation — both are more toxic, more explosive, and more carbon-intensivethan conventional crude.

This dirty crude is a massive source of carbon pollution, the heavy trains spew diesel ex-haust, and the tank cars vent poisonous gases into communities along the tracks and nearrefineries. Across the US the oil industry is planning new infrastructure to increase oil traintraffic. But communities are blocked from stopping these trains from running near theirhomes, and emergency responders are denied critical information on where and when theyrun.

Emergency response cannot protect the public from a burning oil train. Municipal firedepartments are on the hook when an oil train derails and catches fire. The experience of14 major oil train fires in the US and Canada in the past three years proves that there is noway to douse the burning crude from an oil train. The Washington State Council of FireFighters delivered a letter to Washington Governor Inslee on June 8 demanding an imme-diate halt to crude rail movement and citing that “...these fires are exceedingly difficult toextinguish, even under unusually ideal circumstances.” Fire fighting foam vaporizes atsuch high heats. Mosier Fire Chief Jim Appleton noted that the accident could have incin-erated a nearby school. Only luck and an unusually windless day prevented the derailmenton June 3, 2016, from turning tragic.

Federal safety standards are inadequate — nothing can ensure the safety of a mile-longtrain carrying up to three million gallons of flammable crude. In Mosier, the tracks wereinspected just days before the derailment, Union Pacific Railroad claims the Bakken crudewas stabilized, and the four tank cars that ruptured and burned were state-of-the-art jack-eted 1232 cars — tank cars that will remain in hazardous crude service until May 2025under the federal government’s new safety standards (49 CFR 173).

This extreme oil cannot be moved safely by train, and we don’t need any of it. Accordingto information from the US Energy Information Administration, in any given month the USexports five to seven times more oil products than crude transported by train. So the oilmoving by train doesn’t contribute to our energy supply. Indeed, exports will continue torise under the recent lifting of the crude export ban, only further burdening our nation’scommunities. If we stopped all oil trains tomorrow Americans would never notice thedifference — except to our health and safety.

There are three steps to solve this problem:

1) Ban oil trains: There is no safe way to transport crude oil by rail. To protect the healthand safety of millions of American families, use your authority to place an immediate banon dangerous trains transporting oil through our communities unless the National Trans-portation Safety Board verifies that the transport of crude by rail can be conducted safely.

2) Deny all federal permits and permissions for oil train infrastructure: Stop the oil indus-try from expanding oil train traffic carrying the dirtiest, most dangerous crude oil.

3) Protect the authority of local governments: Uphold the authority of our cities and townsto make decisions that protect the public safety, health and welfare of citizens and to en-sure first responders and communities have the necessary information and resources torespond to disasters.

This isn’t working Washington fire fighters wrote to Governor Jay Inslee asking him to “reject plansfor oil terminals now under review” in the wake of the Mosier, Oregon, oil train fire.

“I hope that this becomes deathknell for this mode of shippingthis cargo. I think it’s insane.I’ve been very hesitant to take aside up to now, but with this in-cident, and with all due respectto the wonderful people thatI’ve met at Union Pacific, share-holder value doesn’t outweighthe lives and happiness ofour community.” - Mosier, Oregon, fire chief Jim Appleton, June 4, 2016

PROTECTSLO.ORG

On Friday, June 3, an oiltrain derailed and caughtfire in Mosier, Oregon, atown 65 miles east of Port-land on the Columbia River.Residents and a nearbyelementary school insidethe one-mile blast zoneone were evacuated. Therewere no reported injuries.But firefighters were nota-bly absent from the scene,which was broadcast forhours from news helicop-ters. The fire burned untilsometime early Saturdaymorning. On May 23, 2016, Standextreme oil campaign direc-tor Matt Krogh published ablog on oil train disasterplans and the “burning needfor the truth about oil trainfires.” The oil and rail in-dustry has launched a pub-lic relations effort to deflectpublic concern over thethreat from crude oil trainscrossing North Americacarrying millions of gallonsof toxic, explosive crudeoil. Oil and rail companieshighlight training activitiesand images of firefighters

On June 3, a train carry-ing volatile crude oil de-railed and exploded nearMosier, Oregon, in the sce-nic Columbia River Gorge. Children had to be evacu-ated from a nearby elemen-tary school only a stone’sthrow from the blast zone.Emergency firefightingefforts completely drainedMosier’s municipal watersystem, and oil leaked intothe local wastewater treat-ment plant, shutting downthe town’s sewer system. Anunknown amount of oil alsospilled into the ColumbiaRiver. The jarring images ofwrecked and flaming oiltank cars were eerily toofamiliar — we’ve seen thisbefore in Lac-Megantic,Quebec; Watertown, Wis-consin; Culbertson, Mon-

tana; and countless otherplaces all across the coun-try. The derailment alongthe precious ColumbiaRiver has sent a chillthrough the Pacific North-west, an area in the cross-hairs of Big Oil’s quest toexport oil. That’s why Oregon Gov-ernor Kate Brown, SenatorsWyden and Merkley, andRepresentatives Blumen-auer and Bonamici have allcalled for a temporary banon oil train traffic throughthe Columbia River Gorgepending a full investigation. That’s the right thing todo — but the ban on dan-gerous oil trains should bepermanent, and given thatan estimated 25 millionAmericans live within theblast zone of oil trains likethese, we must protect all

communities across thecountry that are at risk. Make no mistake: thesafest place for fossil fuelsis in the ground, where theycan’t harm our climate orthreaten the safety of ourcommunities. Togetherwe’ll keep working towardsthat goal.

TAKE ACTION

If Big Oil can’t transportoil safely, it shouldn’t betransporting it at all. Takeaction today to get thesedangerous oil trains off thetracks and away from ourcommunities before thenext disaster strikes.

Go to tinyurl.com/nobombtrains

dousing the flames of burn-ing oil train tank cars. However, concludesKrogh: “Don’t believe thehype: The scene of a crudeoil derailment and fire is anuncontrollable fire. Allfirefighters can do is evacu-ate the area and wait for thefire to burn itself out.” And that is exactly whathappened in Mosier overthe weekend of June 4. Infact, the accident in Mosierwas highly similar to whatKrogh describes as a typicaloil train derailment inci-dent, based on previousincidents in the US andCanada: “When an oil train derailsat any speed over the punc-ture velocity of roughly 10miles an hour (for a com-mon CPC-1232 tank car) adozen or so cars typicallycome off the tracks, de-couple and are thrown fromtheir wheels. If tank cars arepunctured, possibly bysomething on the ground orthe couplers on the ends ofthe cars, the crude (eitherBakken or diluted tar sands,both highly volatile) caneasily self-ignite or find an

ignition source.” “Emergency response tooil train incidents is left tolocal fire departments. Butfew fire departments havethe manpower, training, orequipment to respond tomore than a single burning10,000-gallon tank truck ofcrude. An oil train tank carcarries triple that, and mostoil train disasters involvemore than a single tankcar.” In Mosier, 14 cars report-edly derailed and four tankcars caught fire. Puncturedoil tank cars can leak30,000 gallons of volatilecrude, which flows down-hill filling nearby streamsand sewers. In Mosier, resi-dents were warned not touse water or flush toilets. The burning spilled crudeoil forms pool fires, whichcan heat tank cars and causethermal tank shell failures,potentially dangerous fire-balls that can occur hoursafter the initial derailment. Existing safety standardsare inadequate, industry hasresisted updating rail cars toimprove safety, and upcom-ing federal rules remainyears away. Stand is calling for a banon all crude oil trains. How-ever, government and in-dustry should take immedi-ate steps to protect thesafety of the 25 millionAmericans who live in theoil train blast zone. Krogh concludes: “Fed-eral emergency responseguidance and fire chiefshave long recognized thatthere is no effective emer-gency response to a crudeoil derailment fire event. Ifeven one tank car of crudeoil is involved in a fire,federal guidelines are clearthat firefighters should pullback half a mile and let itburn. And that is anothergood reason that oil trainsare too dangerous for therails.”

Take Oil Trains Off the TracksBy Lena Moffitt, Director, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign

They Had to Let it Burn

Dear President Obama:Please Ban Oil Trains

Rally Against the Phillips 66Oil Train TerminalMitchell Park, SLOSaturday, July 9th @ 12:30PM

March to train station: @ 1PMJoin your fellow concerned citizens in SLO Countyand in solidarity across North America as part of theStop Oil Trains Week of Action!

TAKE ACTION

The fire this time Mosier, Oregon, June 3, 2016.Co

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by Eddie Scher, STAND

Santa Lucian • Jul./Aug. 20165

The continuing coastal crisis

On June 8, A North Caro-lina watchdog groupcharged that a high-rankingfederal official connected tothe fossil fuel industry com-mitted scientific fraud andpossibly criminal miscon-duct in a case with sweep-ing ramifications for globalclimate change and thesafety of workers andneighbors of natural gassites across much of theUnited States. NC WARN called for anexpedited investigation dueto the urgent climate andsafety implications of theEPA’s failure to curb wide-spread methane emissions.The 28-year-old energyjustice nonprofit filed a 68-page complaint with theInspector General of theEnvironmental ProtectionAgency based on evidenceprovided by the engineerwho invented the primarytechnology used to measureleakage and deliberate vent-ing of natural gas. The complaint states thedevice’s severe under-reporting of emissions dur-ing two high-profile studieshas ramifications for re-leases of methane at hun-dreds of thousands of tanks,drilling sites and other gasequipment around theworld. The complaint alleges thatDr. David Allen, then headof EPA’s Science AdvisoryBoard, has led an ongoing,three-year effort to cover upunderreporting of the pri-mary device, the BacharachHi-Flow Sampler, and asecond device used to mea-sure gas releases fromequipment across the natu-ral gas industry. Allen isalso on the faculty of theUniversity of Texas at Aus-tin, where he has beenfunded by the oil and gasindustries for years. The studies were pub-

lished in 2013 and 2014 bythe Environmental DefenseFund as concerns were ris-ing about the climate im-pacts of methane emissionsfrom hundreds of thousandsof gas wells being drilled asthe fracking gas boom ragedin a number of US states.While many other studiesduring the period increas-ingly showed alarming lev-els of methane emissions,the 2013 EDF study, led byAllen, showed far loweremissions, and it has beenused by the gas industry toargue that methane leakageis low and that EPA shouldback off efforts to beginreducing methane emissions. Methane is 100 timesstronger than carbon dioxideat trapping heat over thefirst ten years, and becausemethane levels in the atmo-sphere over the US haverisen sharply since the frack-ing boom began, accordingto researchers from Harvard,Stanford and elsewhere. NC WARN director JimWarren said “The EPA’sfailure to order feasiblereductions of methane leaksand venting has robbed hu-manity of crucial years toslow the climate crisis. Thecover-up by Allen’s teamhas allowed the industry todig in for years of delay incutting emissions - at theworst possible time.” The underreporting flawwith the Bacharach device iswell-documented and itsmanufacturer now admits tothe flaw, although the de-vices are still being used ingas-producing countries. It was engineer TouchéHoward, the inventor of thetechnology, who proved theflaw existed and showedthat emissions could beunderreported in the Allenstudies by up to 100-fold. In its complaint, NCWARN says that despite

Whistleblower:EPA OfficialCovered UpMethaneLeakageProblems inthe NaturalGas Industry

A flurry of bills to reformthe way California CoastalCommissioners do businesswas triggered by the publicoutcry that attended theFebruary firing of formerExecutive Director CharlesLester on a 7-5 vote. Of all the reform bills,none is more consequentialthan SB 1190. Authored bystate Senator Hannah-BethJackson (D-Santa Barbara),it would prohibit so-called“ex-parte” communicationsrelated to pending deci-sions such as the approvalof coastal developmentprojects. The reaction tothe bill is revealing. “This bill will level the

McClure Leaving CoastalCommissionPro-development official oustedfrom 20-year supervisor seat

On June 7, a few weeksafter raining down a torrentof obscenities on an L.A.Times reporter for daring toask questions about herclose relations with andcampaign donations fromlobbyists for coastal devel-opment projects (if youhaven’t read “Cover yourears: Coastal Commis-sioner Martha McClure’son the phone,” it’s worth atrip to the Times’ website),Martha McClure lost herseat on the Del NorteCounty Board of Supervi-sors, which she had heldfor twenty years. As a result, she will leavethe Coastal Commission atthe end of the year. McClure, a Democratwith the endorsement of thelocal Democratic commit-tee, lost to a moderate Re-publican former schoolboard member named LoriCowan. McClure receivedand spent more money thanher opponent or any othercandidate in the county’ssupervisor races. McClure’s district is ap-proximately 50-50 Demo-cratic and Republican, andDel Norte Democrats wentfor Bernie Sanders by 57%.But the voters voted forCowan over McClure by64% to 35% — a mandateand a repudiation. In thecourse of losing her seat,McClure lost her base. It’s not hard to guesswhy. The Del Norte Countysupervisor contest was thefirst election to involve oneof the Coastal Commis-sioners who voted to fireformer Coastal Commis-sion Executive DirectorCharles Lester on atrumped-up pretext sinceMcClure and six of hercolleagues did the deed in

Morro Bay last February. Itwas widely perceived forwhat it was: a direct attackon and undermining of theindependence of the Com-mission, designed to bringjoy to the hearts of coastaldevelopers. (Two ofMcClure’s fellow under-miners who voted to fireLester, CommissionersWendy Mitchell and MarkVargas, tried to helpMcClure keep her seat withcontributions of $750 and$999, respectively.) The next election to in-volve one of the Commis-sioners who sacked Lesterwill be Pismo Beach CityCouncilman Erik Howell inNovember. Howell has several otherthings in common withMcClure: both were ap-pointed to the Commissionby Governor Jerry Brownand both are under investi-gation by the Fair PoliticalPractices Commission, andfor the same reason: bothtook campaign cash fromthe life partner and businessmanager of the biggestcoastal development lobby-ist in the business, thenhappily voted on multipleprojects she representedbefore the Commission. The other thing Howelland McClure have in com-mon is a failing grade onthe Coastal CommissionConservation Voting Chart-- a ranking of Commission-ers’ pro-development andpro-coastal votes on keydevelopment proposalscompiled by the SurfriderFoundation, WildCoast, andEnvironment California. In last year’s chart,Howell and McClure wereboth underwater, their anti-conservation votes signifi-cantly outnumbering pro-conservation votes. Howell

Rising tide Del Norte Countyvoters swept CommissionerMcClure out to sea. Commis-sioner Howell’s fate is up to thecitizens of Pismo Beach.

managed a score of 42%.McClure racked up 32%. As we go to press, the onething Howell does not havein common with McClure isa political opponent.

Who Opposes Reform of theCoastal Commission?Take a wild guess

playing field between big-moneyed interests and thosewithout such financial re-sources,” said Sen. Jackson.“It will remove the possibil-ity of backroom decision-making or the perceptionthat it’s occurring and willhelp ensure that decisionsare made more openly andtransparently.” The bill passed the Sen-ate on May 23 on a vote of23 to 12 and is now beforethe Assembly. Like most high-profilebills, it has a list of organi-zations attached that for-mally support or oppose itwhich is highly revealing. Here’s that list:

Diablocontinued from page 1 SUPPORT (As of May 16):

Audubon CaliforniaCalifornia Coastal CommissionCalifornia Coastal Protection NetworkCourage CampaignEndangered Habitats LeagueFriends of Harbors, Beaches and ParksMalibu Coalition for Slow GrowthOrganization of Regional Coastal ActivistsSierra Club CaliforniaSoCal 350 Climate ActionThe Wildlands ConservancyWestern Alliance for Nature17 former California Coastal Commissioners

OPPOSITION: California Association of RealtorsCalifornia Building Industry AssociationCalifornia Business Properties AssociationCalifornia Chamber of CommerceCalifornia Construction and Industrial Material AssociationCalifornia Cotton Ginners and Growers AssociationCalifornia Farm Bureau FederationCommercial Real Estate Development AssociationNational Federation of Independent BusinessWestern Agricultural Processors AssociationWestern Plant Health Association

Also in opposition are the following currently servingCoastal Commissioners:

Mary LuevanoRoberto Uranga*Gregory Cox**Mark Vargas*Erik Howell*

Still No Love for Nukes

June 16, 2016

RE: “Environmental groupschange tune on nuclearpower: Focus on climatechange has raised profile ofreactors, now viewed asreliable, carbon-free sourceof energy,” Wall St. Jour-nal.

Dear Colleagues,

You may have seen thisarticle today in the WallStreet Journal suggestingthat environmental groupsare softening their historicopposition to nuclearpower. The article includesa gross mischaracterizationof the Sierra Club’s nuclear

policy indicating that weconsider nuclear power a“bridge” to clean energy. You can rest assured, theSierra Club remains in firmopposition to nuclearpower. Our successful work tostop and retire coal, oil, andgas operations has neverprecluded our nuclear ef-forts, nor will it ever.Nuclear power is nothing

more than a dirty and dan-gerous energy source, andwe will continue our effortsto retire existing plants andblock new ones from beingbuilt. Nuclear power, much likecoal, oil, and gas, is abridge to nowhere. Amer-

A Memo from Michael Brune

ica’s energy future must bepowered by 100% clean, re-newable energy like windand solar, and nuclear in noway meets this requirement.

Michael BruneExecutive Director Sierra Club

METHANE cont. in column 6

Erik Howell’s actions have made himperhaps the most politically vulnerableoffice holder in the state (now thatMartha McClure is out of the runningfor that title). All Pismo Beach residents who wouldlike to run for city council are encour-aged to contact the City Clerk’s OfficeASAP for information about the re-quired paperwork. The Pismo Beach City Clerk’s Office is at 760 MattieRoad, open Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.). Phone (805) 773-4657. Fax (805) 773-7006. Email City Clerk EricaInderlied: einderlied@pismobeach.org The deadline to file papers with the city clerk is 5 p.m.,August 12. By becoming a candidate, a civic-minded resident wouldgive Pismo Beach voters the opportunity to do what DelNorte County voters just did, and what Governor Brownhas refused to do, despite the urging of thousands of Cali-fornians: Take a significant step toward cleaning up theCoastal Commission by removing the Commissioners whohave disgraced it.

TAKE ACTION

nuclear plant is replacedwith 100% clean energy andthat these resources areonline by the time the plantis shuttered. “The Sierra Club haswanted to see this nuclearplant shut down and re-placed with clean energy fordecades, and we are re-lieved to know that there isan official end date insight,” said Executive Di-rector Michael Brune.“Diablo Canyon is anotherexample that nuclear poweris too dangerous and tooexpensive for our communi-ties and our country. Foryears, nuclear energy andthe Diablo Canyon Planthave been mischaracterizedby some as clean energy. Itisn’t. “Californian’s want to cutties with dirty fuels that hurtour health and our planet,which is why we are com-mitted to working with oth-ers to ensure that additionalwind, solar, efficiency, en-ergy storage, and other car-bon free resources are readyto replace Diablo by thetime it shuts down.” The Diablo decisioncomes in the midst of afrantic attempt to prop upthe fading fortunes ofnuclear power across thecountry (see Mike Brune’sresponse to an overly enthu-siastic effort by the WallStreet Journal, right). It also marks the occasionfor a raising of the glass toformer Sierra Club presi-dent and executive directorDavid Brower, who knewthat nuclear power plants

and the California coastdon’t mix, and fifty yearsago led the fight against anentrenched old guard in theClub in a losing effort tokeep Diablo Canyon frombeing built. Here’s to all theactivists who followed himand drove the policies andlitigation that forced regula-tory agencies to better pro-tect coastal waters and habi-tat. Here’s to the energyadvocates who laid thegroundwork for the rise ofrenewables and energy effi-ciency and pushed them toviability despite the attacksof a massively subsidizednuclear industry. Hundredsof hearings; dozens of law-suits; thousands of books,articles, essays, investigativereports and voices of proteststeadily shifted the politicaland economic landscapearound the nuclear powerplant, and it was that shiftthat shaped its end. Likewise, the late ‘60sDiablo Canyon insurgencyled by Brower and fellowenvironmental legend Mar-tin Litton reshaped theSierra Club, the minorityvoices they representedeventually coming to sup-plant a status-quo majority,raising the level of our acti-vism and vastly expandingthe Club’s engagementacross a range of issues. From David Brower’sSierra Club to the Friends ofthe Earth to the Mothers forPeace and the Alliance forNuclear Responsibility,Diablo Canyon has been themother of us all. Finallyushering Diablo into thehistory books took — andwill continue to take — avillage.

Howard’s warning andyears of experience as aleading expert and consult-ant on measuring methaneemissions for study teams,Allen moved ahead withpromotion of the studiesthat used the flawed data.He also refused to discussthe problems with Howardwhile telling EDF, EPA andothers that all was okay. Leakage and routine emis-sions at well sites and othergas facilities could be dam-aging local communityhealth while creating explo-sion risks for workers.Howard said, “We simplydon’t understand the levelof emissions across thisindustry. It’s almost cer-tainly higher than studieshave shown, and EPA’sreliance on inaccurate infor-mation has created a disin-centive to take feasiblesteps that could greatlyreduce the emissions.” Cornell University’s Dr.Robert Howarth, a leadingresearcher of methane emis-sions, argues that cuttinggas-industry methane emis-sions is essential to slowingglobal warming quicklyenough to avoid the tippingpoint for runaway climatechange.

Methanecontinued from column 1

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Flare-up Was the EPAsnookered on excess methane?

*Voted to fire Executive Director Charles Lester**Alternate voted to fire Charles Lester

by Maha Calderon, Carlsbad Free Press

6 Santa Lucian • Jul./Aug. 2016

For years, there has been an ongoing struggle in Califor-nia to maintain a balance between eliminating the fuel forwildfires and the total destruction of habitat. Environmentalists helped defeat the California Board ofForestry’s habitat clearance plan a couple years ago. Thelatest version of a proposed Vegetation Treatment Programhas now been released. It remains awful. The current Draft Programmatic Environmental ImpactReport for the proposed program fails to meet the require-ments of the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA). It also fails to address the most effective ways toprotect lives and property from wildfire. The DPEIR will likely exacerbate climate impacts, in-crease the loss of habitat, and fail to adequately accomplishits primary goal – protecting life and property from wildfireloss. Full details about the whole mess can be found atcaliforniachaparral.org/threatstochaparral/helpcalfireeir.html Sierra Club signed on to this letter to the Board of For-estry:

May 27, 2016

California Board of Forestry and Fire ProtectionAttn: Edith Hannigan, Board AnalystEmail: VegetationTreatment@bof.ca.gov

Dear Ms. Hannigan and Members of the Board,

We, the undersigned, have found that the current DraftProgrammatic Environmental Impact Report (DPEIR) forthe state’s proposed Vegetation Treatment Program con-tains many of the same errors (some with the exact word-ing), contradictions, and failures to identify environmentalimpacts that were pointed out in previous versions. Potential impacts are dismissed without support, mitiga-tions of impacts are unenforceable and unmeasurable, thetreatment of northern chaparral is justified by non sequiturreasoning, and the research of several scientists continuesto be misrepresented (despite corrections being submitted).The lack of transparency remains a significant issue – usinga local newspaper to inform the public about projects is nolonger adequate. One of the most egregious examples of the DPEIR’s fail-ure is the continued use of outdated and inadequate spatialdata that provides the foundation for the entire Program.Although updated data is available from Cal Fire itself, theDPEIR ignores this rich resource and depends instead onquestionable information from decades ago.As a consequence, the current DPEIR fails to meet therequirements of the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA). The DPEIR also reveals a significant number of inconsis-tencies as the document initially references current scienceto only qualify or ignore it later in order to support theProgram’s objectives. By using contradictory statements,undefined terms, and legally inadequate mitigation pro-cesses, the document is a testament in ambiguity. It appearsto be a program in search of confirming data rather thanone developed from examining the actual problem. For example, although the DPEIR indicates fires are in-creasing in northern California, acknowledges chaparral isvulnerable to such fires, explains that climate change ischanging fire regimes, and claims the Program is based onthe future, it contradicts itself by maintaining northernchaparral is not threatened by such increased fire frequen-cies. It then misrepresents the research (Safford and Van deWater 2014) by leaping to the conclusion that fuel treat-ments in northern chaparral can be used for ecological pur-poses. (4-113) This is a non sequitur. There is no scientificevidence to support such action. The most concerning issue, however, relates to the failureof the document to provide a key component of a program-matic EIR - providing a more exhaustive consideration ofeffects and cumulative impacts than could be accomplishedat the project level (14 CCR § 15168). Instead, volumes of repetitive text are punctuated withthe unsupported claim that determining impacts is impos-sible, pushing it off to project managers to determine with achecklist and standard project requirements that depend onsubjective judgments. How does the DPEIR justify ignoring a thorough exami-nation of impacts as required by CEQA? The documentvacillates between claiming the Program is too large andcomplex to analyze, or the treatment areas are too small tohave an impact. As a consequence, the current DPEIR- fails to provide adequate support for concluding that theproposed program will not have a significant effect on theenvironment.- fails to provide adequate guidance to prevent significantenvironmental harm.- fails to adequately support Cal Fire’s mission to protectlife, property, and natural resources. Briefly, the reasons for these failures include:

1. Circumventing CEQA- impacts determined to be less than significant by the “Fal-lacy of Authority” (our conclusions are true because we sayso – no evidence provided)- lack of detail as required within a programmatic EIR- passing on responsibility to project managers to deter-mine potential impacts- inadequate mitigation measures- Significance Criteria to determine impact to biologicalresources dismissed without support.

2. Substandard Research- misrepresenting cited scientific literature- dependence on anecdotal evidence- contradictory statements- ignoring information in the record- cited references missing, non sequiturs.

3. Inadequate Data- outdated fire hazard analysis model/data unsuitable forproject level planning- utilizing coarse-scale maps that cannot provide sufficientdetail for competent analysis- WUI assessments based on 26-year-old information- dependence on maps that no longer reflect current condi-tions.

Failure to properly address climate change With the impacts of human-caused climate change accu-mulating much faster than even the most severe predic-tions, it is imperative that every policy we implement fromhere on out must honestly and exhaustively examine how

such policy can facilitate the reduction of carbon in theatmosphere and the protection of what natural environ-ment remains. The current DPEIR fails to do so. Regarding carbon emissions, the DPEIR uses the sameresponse it does throughout to dodge examining signifi-cant impacts – it merely states there won’t be any impactsbecause of unsupported assumptions. The DPEIR assumes all the projects will work out prop-erly, and treated plant communities will not type convertto low carbon sequestering grasslands because of theProgram’s project requirements. These requirements arelegally inadequate and unenforceable. The DPEIR fails to account for the loss of undergroundcarbon storage with the concomitant loss of above groundshrub cover in shrublands, an important carbon sink(Jenerette and Chatterjee 2012, Luo 2007). The DPEIRalso fails to address the research that has shown vegetationtreatments often release more carbon than wildfires(Mitchell 2015, Law et al. 2013, Meigs et al. 2009). Byusing assumptions based on anecdotal evidence and focus-ing on the short term (such as how to reduce flamelengths, remove dead trees, or increase the number ofclearance projects), the DPEIR will likely exacerbate cli-mate impacts, increase the loss of habitat, and fail to ad-equately accomplish its primary goal – protecting life andproperty from wildfire loss.

Suggested DPEIR Improvements Detail impacts. Examine possible direct and cumulativeimpacts and develop legally adequate mitigations for thoseimpacts as required by CEQA. Recognize all chaparral as potentially threatened.Chaparral in the northern part of the state will likely bethreatened by higher fire frequencies as the climate contin-ues to change. There is no ecological rationale for fueltreatments in shrub dominated ecosystems in northern orsouthern California. Define terms. Define all terms utilized in the text neededto ensure consistency in use such as old growth chaparral,critical infrastructure, forest health, etc. Redefine WUI. Establish a reasonable distance for theWUI by using science rather than anecdotal information. Use most current Calfire fire hazard data. It is inad-equate to utilize a fire hazard analysis done in 2000-2003that uses a wildland urban interface (WUI) model basedon the 1990 U.S. Census. The DPEIR needs to base theProgram on current, scientifically verified informationavailable from Cal Fire. Research support for conclusions. Conclusions in aDPEIR need to be supported by research, not by employ-ing the Fallacy of Authority. Sweeping generalizations likethe one below have no place in a science-based document.

Burn This

“Landscape constraints, Standard Project Requirements,and Project Specific Requirements developed as a resultof the Project Scale Analysis will, in the aggregate, reducecumulative impacts to less than significant.”

Maintain consistency and research quality. Eliminatecontradictions, errors in citations, and inconsistenciesthroughout the document. Consultation on chaparral treatments. All projects in-volving chaparral should be developed in consultation andin agreement with the California Native Plant Society.Real alternatives. Create at least one new alternative thatfocuses on a program that emphasizes the reduction of firerisk by using “from the house out” approach – reducinghome flammability, properly maintained defensible space,community fire safe retrofits, then strategic fuel treatmentswithin 1,000 feet if needed. Proper account of carbon sequestration. Recalculate theloss of carbon to account for the loss of below groundcarbon sequestration in chaparral communities.Account for biodiversity in chaparral. Incorporate into thecumulative impact analysis how biodiversity may be im-pacted by the Program. See Halsey and Keeley (2016).Increase transparency. Develop a web-based public notifi-cation process for projects similar to the US Forest Ser-vice SOPA website. For example: http://www.fs.fed.us/sopa/forest-level.php?110502 5 Plan for the future. Base project need, selection, andtreatment approach, on projected climate change sce-narios, not past, anecdotal experiences.

We urge the Board of Forestry and Cal Fire to produce adocument that starts by responding to the following ques-tion, “How do we protect lives and property from wild-fire?” instead of “How do we manage fuel?” These aretwo different questions resulting in two different answers.Such a powerful approach will challenge everyone to le-verage their own experiences, be willing to consider newparadigms, and honestly collaborate with others, espe-cially with those who have different perspectives. Other-wise, we will continue practices that have brought us tothis point – increased loss of homes, increased loss ofhabitat, and increasing levels of carbon in our atmosphere. Therefore, we urge the Board to prepare a revisedDPEIR by addressing and incorporating the suggestedimprovements above. We owe it to ourselves and futuregenerations to get it right this time, especially because thechanging climate will not be forgiving if we squander theopportunity.

Sincerely,

Xiuhtezcatl MartinezYouth DirectorEarth Guardians

Michael J. Connor, Ph.D.California DirectorWestern Watersheds Project

Dr. Sandra RossPresidentHealth & Habitat, Inc.

Claire SchlotterbeckHills for Everyone

Bob SchneiderSenior Policy DirectorTuleyome

Richard W. HalseyDirector, CaliforniaChaparral Institute

Joaquín AganzaPresidentFriends of Hellhole Canyon

Joyce BurkChair, Southern CaliforniaForests CommitteeSierra Club

Jeff KuyperExecutive DirectorLos Padres ForestWatch

Frank Landis, Ph.D. Conser-vation Chair, CaliforniaNative Plant SocietySan Diego Chapter

of the industrial moonscapeat Justin Vineyards are whattwenty years of lip servicelooks like. There is another emotionwe should all be feeling inaddition to the dismay andoutrage that accompaniedthe news of what JustinVineyards’ new owner hathwrought upon thousands ofoaks on hillsides that nobodythought would ever becleared and graded. That emotion is embarrass-ment. Santa Barbara has a nativetree protection ordinance.Monterey has one. Venturahas one. Even Los Angeleshas an oak protection ordi-nance. San Luis Obispo, ofall places, does not. That

Oakscontinued from page 1

needs to change, right now. On June 21, the CountySupervisors voted unani-mously to direct staff tobring back an emergencynative tree protection ordi-nance for a special meetingon July 15 and begin workon a permanent ordinance.Until the County can comeup with a better method offiguring out whether there isenough water to supportthem, the Board also wantsoptions for prohibiting orregulating the creation oflarge storage ponds thatcorporate vineyards areusing to store water ex-tracted from the ground-water shared in commonwith all, held as their pri-vate property. And this time, the Agcommunity was in favor. Progress is possible.

1. Protect all oak species - not just deciduous speciesas Santa Barbara’s ordinance does.

2. Prohibit actions resulting in death of trees (e.g. cut,girdle, poison, bulldoze) over specified threshold peracre (e.g. 10% or 10 trees per 100 acres).

3. Trees that have died or been irretrievably damagedby natural causes (e.g. wind, fire, flooding), that posean immediate threat to safety or that conflict withmeeting Calfire defensible space requirements within100 feet of an existing residential structure shall beexempt from permit requirements.

4. Notice of processing an oak tree removal permitshall be mailed to owners of the property, all adjacentowners and/or owners within 1000 feet of propertyboundaries AND one general newspaper at least 30days prior to the hearing or action.

5. Replanting requirements:

Testimony of Holly Sletteland, Santa Lucia ChapterConservation Committee, SLO Board of Supervisors,June 21, 2016.

Its déjà vu all over again. Back in 1997, everyone wasup in arms over the bulldozing of hundreds of oaks byKendall Jackson winery in Santa Barbara. I served as analternate on the development of a County Native TreeProtection Ordinance to make sure that it didn’t happenhere. Unfortunately, that ordinance was shot down infavor of voluntary tree management guidelines, and ithas happened here. The County also failed to act on a Grand Jury recom-mendation in 2006 to implement an ordinance to protectoak trees. Another committee was formed. More goodideas were put forward. And again, nothing happened toprevent oak trees from falling. We can’t let this happen again. Oaks are in even moretrouble now than they were 20 years ago, what withincreased land conversion, extreme drought, over-drafted water basins, higher temperatures and pests likeSudden Oak Death and the Spotted Oak Borer. There is overwhelming public support for preservingour oaks. I urge you to impose an immediate moratoriumon further clear cutting and direct staff to develop a per-manent ordinance within a few months’ time. The ordi-nance should prohibit removal of any oak species over asensible threshold without a permit and include penaltiessevere enough to deter future violations. There must alsobe requirements for adequate replacement planting andenforced monitoring that will sustain the woodlands wehave left, and recover some of what we have lost.

The devil’s in the details. Join us at the July 15 meeting ofthe Board of Supervisors to support these suggested oakwoodland protection ordinance requirements:

a. Require propagation from local oak stands forreplanting onsite/offsite to conserve the geneticintegrity of local oak populations.b. If replacement oaks are planted off-site, the re-ceiver site should be close-by and/or adjoining ex-isting oak woodlands.c. Removed trees shall be mitigated at a 15:1 (30:1for valley oaks) ratio by replacement planting, orprotection of naturally occurring oak trees betweensix inches and six feet tall.d. Replacement trees must be protected from animalbrowsing above and below ground by fencing orcaging until the tree is a minimum of 8 feet inheight.e. Replacement trees must be nurtured for fiveyears, without supplemental water for the last twoyears. At the end of this period, ten trees for everytree removed must be alive and capable of surviv-ing without nurturing and protection.

6. Violation of the ordinance will result in fines rela-tive to the type and quantity of oak removed.

7. In addition, any violator will be barred from apply-ing for any land use permit for five years. (No amountof plausible fines would likely impede the Resnicksand their ilk, but this would.)

8. Evaluate the ordinance every five years and reviseif goals are not being met.

TAKE ACTION

Santa Lucian • Jul./Aug. 20167

The SLO Unitarian UniversalistFellowship’s Green Team extends aspecial invitation to Sierra Clubmembers and hopes they will joinus at the Fellowship on August 6th.

ClassifiedsNext issue deadline is August 15. To get a rate sheet or submit your ad and payment, con-tact: Sierra Club, P.O. Box 15755, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 or sierraclub8@gmail.com

CYNTHIA HAWLEYATTORNEY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONLAND USE

CIVIL LITIGATION

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

Wildlife Society talkingabout conserving CaliforniaCondors and their habitat.Dave Foreman, a leadingfigure in the conservationmovement, Earth First co-founder, and Director of theRewilding Institute willgive a “fireside” talk onFriday evening. Saturday, Oct. 22, will bea full day of talks, work-shops, and music. The pro-gram begins with WilliamRyerson and Joe Bish fromThe Population Media Cen-ter discussing the impact ofour global human popula-tion overshoot (see alsoDave Foreman’s recentbook, Manswarm, on thissubject.) Eileen Crist, notedwriter (Gaia in Turmoil:Climate Change, Bio-depletion, and Earth Eth-ics) and professor at Vir-ginia Tech will speak onFreedom, Entitlement, andthe Fate of the NonhumanWorld. Stephanie Mills, alongtime bioregionalist andNeoLuddite, contributor toscores of publications likeOrion, Whole Earth Cata-logue, and Resurgence, willspeak on Bioregionalism:Keeping Faith with Natureand Place. Saturday afternoon events

start with Bill McKibben,founder of 350.org and TheSchumann DistinguishedScholar in EnvironmentalStudies at Middlebury Col-lege, speaking (via Skype)on What Winning the Cli-mate Change Battle LooksLike, followed by a work-shop and discussion of theCitizens’ Climate Lobbystrategy to pass a revenue-neutral carbon tax and divi-dend and a report on localactions by 350SLO. Ecologistics is holding aProtest Songwriting Com-petition as part of theCollaboratory and will besoon seeking submissionsfor a cash prize. A liveperformance by the winnerof the Protest Song contest,among other musicians,will be the cap toSaturday’s activities. The last day of theCollaboratory, Sunday, Oct.23, will start with a 9 a.m.walk through the Penning-ton Creek Biological Pre-serve led by noted authorand CalPoly professor,Matt Ritter. Next, JerryMander, Founder and Di-rector of the InternationalForum on Globalizationand noted author, willspeak on capitalist econom-ics and the negative role(most) technological inno-vation continues to contrib-

ute to our environmentalwoes. Derrick Jensen, radi-cal environmentalist, notedauthor and host of Resis-tance Radio, will speak onthemes from his recent bookThe Myth of Human Su-premacy. Throughout the sessionswe will be creating togethera Deep Ecology Manifestofor Preserving our PlanetaryCommons. We plan to useLoomio, an easy to useonline tool (a technologicalspin-off from the Occupymovement) to keep indi-viduals and groups con-nected following the Col-laboratory for continuedwork in implementing thestrategies outlined in theDeep Ecology Manifesto. This gathering offers aunique opportunity for com-munity activists, state andlocal officials, students, andanyone seeking to empowerthemselves to find new waysto take action to heal theplanet, have fun, andmake some newfriends. For ticketinginformation and vol-unteer opportunities,please visit theEcologistics website:ecologistics. org/index.html. We look forward tomeeting you in Octo-ber.

Ecologisticscontinued from page 3

The film is a summaryversion of a longer docu-mentary produced by theBBC that aired on PBSstations earlier this year. It

documents the extraordi-nary rejuvenation of theonce endangered and nowthriving ecosystem of theMonterey Bay NationalMarine Sanctuary. Some ofthe world’s most charis-matic marine creatures --humpback whales, bluewhales, sea lions, dolphins,elephant seals, sea otters,great white sharks, shear-waters, and brown pelicans-- convene in a once-a-year

confluence shown in thefilm. The documentary alsodescribes the kind of pro-tections a national marinesanctuary provides againstsuch threats as overfishing,oil extraction, pollution andseismic surveys. The panel participants are

people who have been in-strumental in creating andsubmitting the current Chu-mash Heritage NationalMarine Sanctuary proposal.If sanctuary status isgranted, it would be thefirst in the national systemto focus on indigenousculture and history as aprimary core value alongwith the protection of oceanhabitat. The panel will talk about

the process ofapplying forthe sanctuarydesignation,what comesnext in orderto bring thesanctuary to

fruition, and howpeople attending the program can help. Panelmembers are Fred Collins, an administrator forthe Northern Chumash Tribal Council, AndrewChristie, Director of the Santa Lucia Chapter ofthe Sierra Club, and P.J. Webb, a member of theMonterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Ad-visory Council. The proposal submitted by the Northern Chu-

mash Tribal Council, working with theSierra Club and other environmentalgroups, was officially accepted last Octo-ber and is now eligible for designation aspart of the National Marine SanctuaryProgram. The proposed sanctuary stretches fromSanta Rosa Creek in Cambria to GaviotaCreek in Santa Barbara, some 140 miles ofcoastline. The value of a sanctuary in our regionhas been aptly put in a petition sent to theWhite House Council on EnvironmentalQuality:

Big Bluecontinued from page 2

Designating a National MarineSanctuary is the only way to perma-nently protect this critical andunique marine ecosystem from oilextraction, seismic testing, pollutedwastewater and other threats and toincrease its resilience in the face ofclimate change and ocean acidifica-tion. The Chumash Heritage Na-tional Marine Sanctuary will fill acritical gap between the MontereyBay National Marine Sanctuary andthe Channel Islands National Ma-rine Sanctuary, thereby providing along-term legacy of ocean and wild-life protection for our children andgrandchildren.

The SLO Unitarian UniversalistFellowship is located at 2201Lawton Avenue, SLO.

8 Santa Lucian • Jul./Aug. 2016Outings 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.

All our hikes and activities are open to all Club members and the general public. Please bring drinking water to all outings andoptionally a lunch. Sturdy footwear is recommended. All phone numbers listed are within area code 805 unless otherwisenoted. Pets are generally not allowed. A parent or responsible adult must accompany children under the age of 18. If you haveany suggestions for hikes or outdoor activities, questions about the Chapter’s outing policies, or would like to be an outingsleader, call Outings Chair Joe Morris, 549-0355. For information on a specific outing, please call the listed outing leader.

Jul. 17-19, Aug. 21-23, Sept. 25-27, Oct. 23-25.Join us for a 3-day, 3-island, live-aboard cruise tothe Channel Islands. Hike windswept trails bor-dered with blazing wildflowers. Kayak ruggedcoastlines. Snorkel in pristine waters teeming withcolorful fish. Swim with frolicking seals and sealions. Look for unusual sea and land birds. Watchfor the endangered island fox. Or just relax at sea!All cruises depart from Santa Barbara. $650 costincludes an assigned bunk, all meals, snacks and

beveragesplus the services of a naturalist-docent as-signed by the national park to help leadhikes, point out items of interest and giveevening program. For more information,contact leader: Joan Jones Holtz; 626-443-0706; jholtzhln@aol.com. To hold a reservation, mail a $100 checkto Sierra Club, and send to Joan JonesHoltz, 11826 The Wye St., El Monte, CA91732.

Island Hopping in Channel Islands National Park

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.

Activities sponsored byother organizations

(805) 549-0355

Sat., July 2nd, 8:30 a.m.Oats Peak via ValenciaPeak-Coon Creek Loop.Moderately strenuous10.5-mile, 2800-ft. gainhike in Montana de OroState Park. Enjoy coastlineviews from Valencia Peakand explore backcountryon Coon Creek Trail, on-ward to cypress grove forlunch, then returning tocars along ocean bluffs.Possibility of trailsidepoison oak and ticks.Bring water, snacks, lunch,and dress for changingweather. Those not wish-ing to return along bluffcan arrange a shuttle byleaving a car at the CoonCreek trailhead. Meet atthe Valencia Pk trailheadjust past park visitor cen-ter. There is a possibilityfor post-hike eats. Leader:Chuck Tribbey, 441-7597.

Sun., July 10th, 2 p.m.Historic Walk of MorroBay. Join us on a guided

stroll of this charmingbeach town, past downtownbuildings, murals, and theEmbarcadero. Uncover thetown’s hidden history from19th-century fishing villageto World War II navy baseto seaside resort. Meet infront of the Bay Theatre,464 Morro Bay Blvd.Leader: Joe Morris, 549-0355.

Sat., July 16th, 8:30 a.m.Cruikshank to SodaSprings. Strenuous nine-mile, 2,500 ft. gain hikewith a mile section not wellmaintained. If fog not anissue, views from high el-evations down the coast arestunning. Poison oak alongtrail. We will do a carshuttle between thetrailheads. Meet atWashburn Day Use area inSan Simeon State Park,about 1.7 miles north oftraffic light at Main andWindsor in Cambria. Ex-treme heat will postpone

hike to a later date. Leader:Carlos Diaz-Saavedra, 546-0317.

Mon., July 18th, 9 a.m.Los Osos Trail Mainte-nance. Join us for 3 hourstrimming shrubs and somepoison oak in state parknear Los Osos. Hedgeshears, loppers, or squareshovel and protective cloth-ing on arms and legs re-quired. Cal one week inadvance or email if you canhelp and for more instruc-tions. Leader: VickiMarchenko, 528-5567 orvmarchenko57@gmail.com.

Wed., July 27th, 7-9 p.m.Bimonthly General Meet-ing: “The Lakes of SLOCounty.” Join us tonightfor a rare inside look at theecology and conservation ofthe county’s lakes, centeringon Laguna Lake, LopezLake and Santa MargaritaLake. Presented by the twomen who would know best:

Bob Hill, City of SLONatural Resources Man-ager, and Chuck Woodard,SLO County Ranger. Envi-ronmental news will beginthe meeting. Meets at theSteynberg Gallery, 1531Monterey St., SLO. Leader:Joe Morris, 549-0355.

Sun., July 31st, 9 a.m.Johnson Ranch OpenSpace and Irish HillsNatural Reserve. Six-milehike, 700 ft. gain hike, 3hours duration, to exploretrail connecting JohnsonRanch and Irish Hills Re-serve. Meet at JohnsonRanch Open Space trail-head at the turnout of inter-section of S. Higuera St andOntario Rd., adjacent toHwy 101, south of San LuisObispo. From there, we willshuttle in cars to the IrishHills Reserve trailhead atthe southern end of Ma-donna Rd in SLO —tenminutes drive. At hike’send, we will shuttle driversback to cars at Irish Hils. Bring water, snacks, anddress in layers for changingweather. Hat and sturdywalking shoes recom-mended. The plants, ani-mals, and geology of thearea will be discussed. Leader: Bill Waycott, 459-2103 or bill.waycott@gmail.com.

Sat., Aug. 6th, 10 a.m.Quarry Hill Trekking-Pole Hike. Come on a two-mile, 400 ft.gain hike todemonstrate effective use oftrekking poles. Polecats isa group dedicated to theirpractice and use. Meet atQuarry Hill trailhead. FromHwy 1 in Morro Bay, takeLos Osos/Baywood Parkexit, driving 1.4 miles southon South Bay Blvd. to trail-head parking lot on left.Leader: David Georgi, 458-5575 or hikingpoles@gmail.com.

Sat., Aug. 13th, 9 a.m.Cruikshank Trail to VillaCreek Camp. Moderatesix-mile, out-and-back hike,1600 ft gain, in Silver Peakwilderness—southern BigSur. Enjoy great views ofBig Sur coastline and red-wood trees at our lunch stopin Villa Creek Camp. Ifinterest, we may exploreUpper Cruikshank camp oldhomestead. Ticks and poi-son oak are possible alongtrail. Bring lunch or snacks,water, and dress for chang-ing weather. Meet at Wash-burn Day Use area of SanSimeon State Park, about a

mile north of Cambria offHwy 1. Eats are an optionafter hike. Leader: ChuckTribbey, 441-7597.

Fri-Sun., Aug. 19th-21st,Perseid Meteor ShowerWeekend in Black RockDesert. Enjoy this spec-tacular shower in a remote,dark-sky area where mete-ors show up well. We willprobably host about 100campers in the widest partof the Black Rock Desert,about 100 miles north ofReno. A potluck, tours, andmeteor watching areplanned Side trips to hotsprings and the EmigrantTrail are likely. Leader:David Book, 775-843-6443Great Basin Group/CNRCCDesert Committee.

Sat., Aug. 20th, 8:30 a.m.Vicente Trail Hike toNacimiento Summit.Strenuous eleven-mile,3100 ft. gain hike in north-ern county. Rather thanthere and back as in previ-ous hikes, we will walk theentire trail and then follow

the road south to intersec-tion with Nacimiento Rd. There will be a car shuttle.Poison oak along trail. Bring lunch and water andgood hiking shoes. Leaderwill have a water purifier toreplenish at Vicente Camp. Meet at Washburn Day UseArea, 1.7 miles north oftraffic light at Main andWindsor in Cambria. Ex-treme heat will postponehike to a later date. Leader:Carlos Diaz-Saavedra, 546-0317.

Mon., Aug. 29th, 10 a.m.Badger Loop Trail inMontana de Oro StatePark. Join us for a 2 1/2mile, 450 ft. gain hike withgreat vistas of mountainsand coast, but without asteep climb near base ofValencia Pk. Meet atValencia Pk. trailhead onPecho Rd., 2.8 miles pastpark entrance and 500 ft.past Spooner Ranch Housevisitor center. Leader:Vicki Marchenko, 528-5567or vmarchenko57@gmail.com.

The latest issue of Sierra Club California’s Desert Re-port is now available at desertreport.org/. Featured in this issue:

• Join The Re-vole-ution! Bringing a Tiny Mammal Backfrom the Brink

• Change Comes Slowly To The Desert• EPA and Communities Tackle Childhood Asthma• Desert Tortoise Conservation: Science And Politics

Clash• Anatomy Of A Successful Grass Roots Campaign: Com- munities Challenge a Flawed Travel Management Plan• Lands With Wilderness Characteristics In The

DRECP: A Continuing Inventory of Public Lands• Blowing In The Wind: Airborne Dust And Valley Fever• Sage-Grousing In Nevada: A Conservation Challenge• Air We Can Not Breathe: The Ongoing Fight Against

Environmental Injustice

Says EditorCraig Deutsche,“the first twostories in theissue are in-tended to besimply goodreading -- thekind that willmake you wantto visit thedesert again.” The Desert Report is a publication of the CaliforniaNevada Regional Conservation Committee’s Desert Com-mittee. It is funded by Sierra Club California, contribu-tions from readers, chapters, and a bequest.

Vole-ay! Micro-mammal makes comeback.

SLO Speaks and DiabloRising Tide present twoevents for direct action vs.climate change:

Saturday, July 16, 6 p.m.Direct Action vs. ClimateChange: A night of schem-ing & dreaming with Ris-ing Tide. SLO City/CountyLibrary Community Room,995 Palm Street, SLO. Con-tact diablorisingtide@riseup.net, 415-235-0596;SLOSpeaks@gmail.com,805-317-6661.

Sun., July 17, 10 a.m. –2 p.m. Direct Action vs.Climate Change: Non-Violent Direct ActionWorkshop. The Grange,2880 Broad St, SLO. Con-tact diablorisingtide@riseup.net, 415-235-0596;SLOSpeaks@gmail.com,805-317-6661.

Diablo Rising Tide is theSan Francisco Bay Areachapter of Rising TideNorth America, a grassrootsorganizing network in Can-ada, the U.S., and Mexicowho confronts the rootcauses of climate changewith protests and events.California is being ravagedby fracking, industrial agri-

culture anddrought. Oilspills havepolluted ournatural land-scape. The oillobby has con-tinued to pourmillions ofdollars intostate politics.Gov. Brownremains pro-fracking, pro-oil and pro-coal exportterminal de-

spite his assertions of “cli-mate leadership.” At the UN climate talks inParis, thousands told theworld’s leaders that theymust act on climate and

keep fossil fuels in theground. Kayaktivists haveflooded into the waterwaysof Seattle and Portland tostop Shell’s Arctic drilling.In May, thousands took

action to Break Free fromFossil Fuels in one of thelargest global coordinatedclimate actions in history.Find out more atwww.diablorisingtide.org.