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On July 22nd, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced that he was unable to obtain the necessary 60 votes in the Senate to defeat a filibuster of the energy and climate bill and thus he wouldn’t move this critically important policy forward this year. Instead, Reid is proposing a weaker and watered down energy bill containing only those policies which face no opposition.
The new smaller bill includes funds for the oil spill, natural gas vehicles, a land and conservation program and Home Star, a program which focuses on energy-efficient homes. However, it does not include a cap on greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants, nor does in contain energy efficiency or renewable electricity standards, which are key components of any comprehensive energy and climate policy.
The Senate’s failure to act on meaningful energy and climate legislation this year means two things. First, California’s clean energy law – AB 32 – is more important than ever, and efforts by big Texas oil companies and other polluters to undermine it with Proposition 23 must be defeated. Second, at a federal level, maintaining the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions is essential. The President Obama has stated that he will veto any bill that undermines the EPA’s power.
A new report by the consulting firm Tetra Tech reveals the impact climate change will have on water supply reliability in the United States and clearly demonstrates that urgent action is needed to move California toward more sustainable water supplies.
As part of its analysis, Tetra Tech used an index to assess risks to water supply reliability on a county-by-county basis. Fully one-third of all counties in the lower 48 states will face high risks of water shortage by 2050, and nearly half of those will face extremely high risks of water shortage. Water use in some of these high-risk areas like the Great Plains and the Southwest is already unsustainable. As climate change affects temperature and precipitation levels, the number of counties facing high water shortage risks will increase, and areas like the Great Plains and the Southwest may not have any available precipitation at all.
Higher temperatures mean less water for two principle reasons. First, a changing climate means shifts in precipitation, including a change in how much, where, and when rain falls. In California, we are likely to see more rain and less snow, for example. Second, warmer temperatures cause an increase in evaporation both from ground surfaces like lakes and reservoirs and through vegetation.
In the report Tetra Tech took into account an increase in water demand over the coming decades, estimating that total water demand in the United States may grow as much as 12.3% by 2050.
Tetra Tech’s analysis shows that climate change will have a significant effect on future water supplies, particularly in places like California that already contends with shortages. The report demonstrates why California must adopt the innovative new policies outlined in PCL’s 8 Affordable Water Solutions for California report, which include among others increasing water recycling and reducing water demand from new homes. Tetra Tech’s full report is available here.
On Tuesday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced plans to introduce a new energy bill in the coming days. This proposal is expected to include four parts: a section that deals with greenhouse gas emissions from the electric utility industry; an oil spill response section; a clean-energy and job-creation title; and an energy tax package.
Reid has put aside a week to debate the measure later this month and will need 60 votes to move this comprehensive energy bill along and avoid a filibuster. Given the heated debate around previous “cap and trade” proposals, Reid’s measure will instead focus on reducing pollution from power plants, which produce the majority of air pollution in the nation and are responsible for a third of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite the narrowed focus, it is still unclear whether or not Reid can get the 60 votes needed to move the bill. Groups on both sides of the debate are weighing in and are anxious to see a draft proposal.
On Wednesday, the State Water Resources Control Board released its draft flow criteria report for the Bay-Delta estuary, calling for increasing the volume of fresh water flows. The report meets the mandate outlined in Senate Bill X7 1 from last year, by specifying the volume of water that must flow to the Delta from its major tributaries, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, to sustain healthy ecosystems and native fish populations.
The flow recommendations in the report are based on the work of leading academic researchers, wildlife agencies, and the Delta Independent Science Board. The call for increasing flows reflects overwhelming scientific evidence that greater flows will be required to prevent the Delta’s fragile fisheries from collapsing. Speaking to the Contra Costa Times regarding the recommendations, Gary Bobker, program director at The Bay Institute, said, “Flows are critical to protecting this estuary. In order to restore the species and habitats you have to dedicate significantly more water than we do today.”
The flow criteria outlined in the report will be one of the most important inputs to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan process and the Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Plan. The State Water Resources Control Board will convene August 3rd, to consider adopting the recommendations in the report.
