Free Environmental Training for Journalists

Understanding the Environmental Stakes

A training program administered by the National Press Foundation

Application Deadline: Monday, April 24, 2017

Training Dates: June 18-21, 2017, in Washington, D.C.

Laws passed almost five decades ago form bedrock protections for water and air quality and wildlife and public lands in the United States. What will happen to the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and more in the coming years?

In a four-day training program for journalists, the National Press Foundation (NPF) will look at proposed budget cuts and how changes at the Environmental Protection Agency and elsewhere could affect the environment. NPF will look at rules and regulations that could be rolled back, water use out west, the latest scientific research on the environment, and the outlook for clean energy and climate treaties. NPF will show journalists how to find and use the best data to underscore their reporting on the environment.

APPLY HERE

Funding for this training is provided by the Walton Family Foundation.

National Press Foundation
1211 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 310
Washington, DC 20036

New York City Environmental Justice Alliance Honorees

New York City's Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA) 25th Anniversary Gala will honor the Magnificient Seven

NYC-EJA'S HONOREES: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

Alexie Torres-Fleming, Executive Director of Access Strategies Fund

Omar Freilla, Founder of Green Worker Cooperatives

Mathy Stanislaus, Former EPA Assistant Administrator in EPA's Office of Land and Emergency Management

Michelle DePass, Dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy

Samara Swanston, Legislative Counsel to the Environmental Protection Committee of the New York City Council

Charles Barron, NYS Assembly Member 

Errol Louis, Political Anchor of NY1 News

Charles Barron

CHARLES BARRON 

Assembly member Charles Barron has been a community activist for over 45 years. In 1969, in need of a vehicle to express his desire for justice, Barron joined the Harlem branch of the Black Panther Party. After his Black Panther experience, he attended New York City Community College, now known as New York City College of Technology, where he obtained an Associate's Degree. He then attended Hunter College where he acquired his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology with a minor in Elementary Education.

In 1979, Barron joined the National Black United Front (NBUF) and became the founding chairperson of NBUF'S Harlem Chapter. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Reverend Dr. Herbert Daughtry, Chairperson of the National Black United Front. From 1982-87 he served as Secretary General of Rev. Daughtry's African Peoples Christian Organization (APCO). He traveled across the United States visiting many college campuses, churches, prisons and communities organizing around international, national and local issues. As the founder and CEO of the Dynamics of Leadership Corporation, Charles also traveled the country presenting seminars and workshops on leadership development. He previously served on the board of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.

In 2001, Barron was elected to the New York City Council. He served as Chair of the Committee on Higher Education for over eight years and was a member of the Committees on Education; Consumer Affairs; Immigration; Land Use (Planning, Dispositions & Concessions); and Women's Issues. As a Council Member Charles Barron secured funding to renovate 3 parks totaling over $15 million; secured allocations for 2 new $80 million schools; was the number 1 Council Member in Brooklyn in securing real affordable housing; secured millions of dollars for funding of the Black Male Initiative for City University of New York (CUNY); and millions of dollars for a work force development project that generated over six thousand jobs in neighborhoods of high unemployment in New York City. At his final session of the City Council, Charles was described as "the conscience of the City Council."

He is a founding member of the East New York based organization Operation POWER (People Organizing and Working for Empowerment and Respect) and was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 4, 2014.

Assembly member Barron is known as a fearless fighter for human rights issues. He is described as "unbought and unbossed," speaking truth to power and delivering for his community and beyond.

Charles is married to Council member Inez Barron and they have 2 sons, Jelani and Jawanza.

Errol Louis

ERROL LOUIS 

Errol Louis is the Political Anchor of NY1 News, where he hosts "The Road to City Hall,"  a nightly prime-time show about New York City politics, on which he regularly interviews top political and cultural leaders, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and ex-mayors David Dinkins, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg; Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-governors George Pataki, Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson; and dozens of city, state and federal officials.  Louis also serves as a CNN Contributor, providing on-air commentary on key events from presidential primaries to Election Night.

Louis has moderated dozens of debates between candidates for Mayor, City Council, Public Advocate, City and State comptroller, U.S. Senate and state Attorney General, and was a questioner in the final 2016 presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Louis writes a weekly column for the New York Daily News on a range of political and social affairs and was recently ranked #40 on the list of the 100 most powerful people in New York City politics.

Louis serves as Director of Urban Reporting at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where he has taught political and investigative reporting to dozens of students. He is co-editor of Deadline Artists, a two-volumeanthology of America's greatest newspaper columns published in October 2011. He previously served on the board of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.

Louis lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Juanita Scarlett, and their son.

NYC-EJA's 25th ANNIVERSARY GALA HOST COMMITTEE

Sarah Hope, Executive Director, Solutions Project

Hector Figueroa, President, 32BJ

Rhea Suh, President, Natural Resources Defense Council

Bill McKibben, Founder, 350.org

George Miranda, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16

Maritza Silva-Farrell, Executive Director, ALIGN

WITH PERFORMANCES BY

ASHNI Music

ASHNI MUSIC

Ashni is a singer songwriter currently teaching, creating and performing in New York City. Listen to her work here.

DJ Big Lou

DJ Big Lou

After the awards ceremony, DJ Big Lou will keep the party going. Check out his instagram page here.

Eddie Bautista

Executive Director, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance

www.nyc-eja.org

African Americans In Energy: Congressional Panel

Congressman Marc Veasey is sponsoring a panel discussion in observation of Black History Month entitled, “Closing the Gap: African Americans in Energy” on Thursday, February 16 at 11 AM.

The panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities for African Americans in the energy sector. Moreover, the discussion seeks to educate Members, staffers, stakeholders and students pursuing STEM degrees or jobs in the energy industry, examine current energy policy issues and offer an outlook for the 115th Congress.

Panelists Include:

• Gilbert Campbell, Founder and CEO, Volt Energy
• Ray Dempsey, Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, BP America
• Paula Glover, President, American Association of Blacks in Energy
• Commissioner Colette Honorable, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

They would love to have you join them for this event.

For questions please email zoe.cadore@mail.house.gov.

Things To Do In Washington, DC Seminar Government

A Legend Is Leaving - Mustafa Ali

Electricity Procurement

Assembly Bill No. 1937

CHAPTER 664

An act to amend Sections 399.13 and 454.5 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to electricity.

[ Approved by Governor  September 26, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State  September 26, 2016. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1937, Gomez. Electricity: procurement.

Full Bill

The Public Utilities Act requires the Public Utilities Commission to review and accept, modify, or reject a procurement plan for each electrical corporation in accordance with specified procedures, considerations, and objectives. The act requires that electrical corporations’ proposed procurement plans include certain elements, including a showing that the electrical corporations will first meet their unmet needs through all available energy efficiency and demand reduction resources that are cost effective, reliable, and feasible.

This bill would require electrical corporations’ proposed procurement plans to also include a showing that the electrical corporations (1), in soliciting bids for new gas-fired generating units, actively seek bids for resources that are not gas-fired generating units located in communities that suffer from cumulative pollution burdens and (2), in considering bids for, or negotiating bilateral contracts for, new gas-fired generating units, give preference to resources that are not gas-fired generating units located in those communities. The bill would require the commission, before approving a contract for any new gas-fired generating unit, to require the electrical corporation to demonstrate that it has complied with its approved procurement plan. Because this requirement would be a part of the Public Utilities Act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime.

Existing law requires electrical corporations, in soliciting and procuring eligible renewable energy resources for California-based projects, to give preference to renewable energy projects that provide environmental and economic benefits to communities afflicted with poverty or high unemployment or those suffering from high emission levels of toxic air contaminants, criteria air pollutants, and greenhouse gases.

This bill would specify that the above requirements apply to all procurement of eligible renewable energy resources for California-based projects whether the procurement occurs through all-source requests for offers, eligible renewable energy resources only requests for offers, or other procurement mechanisms.

This bill would incorporate changes to Section 454.5 of the Public Utilities Code proposed by both this bill and AB 2454, which would become operative only if both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2017, and this bill is chaptered last.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

DIGEST KEY

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal Committee: yes   Local Program: yes  

AB 1550 Climate Investments for California Communities Act

Assembly Bill No. 1550

CHAPTER 369

An act to amend Section 39713 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to greenhouse gases.

[ Approved by Governor  September 14, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State  September 14, 2016. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1550, Gomez. Greenhouse gases: investment plan: disadvantaged communities.

Full Bill

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation. Existing law requires the Department of Finance, in consultation with the state board and any other relevant state agency, to develop, as specified, a 3-year investment plan for the moneys deposited in the fund. Existing law requires the investment plan to allocate a minimum of 25% of the available moneys in the fund to projects that provide benefits to disadvantaged communities, as defined, and a minimum of 10% to projects located in those disadvantaged communities. Existing law authorizes the allocation of 10% for projects located in disadvantaged communities to be used for projects included in the minimum allocation of 25% for projects that provide benefits to disadvantaged communities.

This bill would instead require the investment plan to allocate (1) a minimum of 25% of the available moneys in the fund to projects located within, and benefiting individuals living in, disadvantaged communities, (2) an additional minimum of 5% to projects that benefit low-income households or to projects located within, and benefiting individuals living in, low-income communities located anywhere in the state, and (3) an additional minimum of 5% either to projects that benefit low-income households that are outside of, but within a 1/2 mile of, disadvantaged communities, or to projects located within the boundaries of, and benefiting individuals living in, low-income communities that are outside of, but within a 1/2 mile of, disadvantaged communities.

The bill would become operative only if AB 1613 of the 2015–16 Regular Session is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2017.

DIGEST KEY

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal Committee: yes   Local Program: no

AB 197 State Air Resources Board: Greenhouse Gases: Regulations

Assembly Bill No. 197

CHAPTER 250

An act to add Article 7.6 (commencing with Section 9147.10) to Chapter 1.5 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and to amend Sections 39510 and 39607 of, and to add Sections 38506, 38531, 38562.5, and 38562.7 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to air resources.

[ Approved by Governor  September 08, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State  September 08, 2016. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 197, Eduardo Garcia. State Air Resources Board: greenhouse gases: regulations.

Full Bill

(1) Existing law establishes the State Air Resources Board consisting of 14 members and vests the state board with regulatory jurisdiction over air quality issues.

This bill would add 2 Members of the Legislature to the state board as ex officio, nonvoting members. The bill would provide that the voting members of the state board are appointed for staggered 6-year terms and upon expiration of the term of office of a voting member, the appointing authority may reappoint that member to a new term of office, subject to specified requirements. The bill would require the state board to establish the initial staggered terms. The bill would create the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies consisting of at least 3 Members of the Senate and at least 3 Members of the Assembly and would require the committee to ascertain facts and make recommendations to the Legislature and to the houses of the Legislature concerning the state’s programs, policies, and investments related to climate change, as specified.

(2) Existing law requires the state board to inventory sources of air pollution within the air basins of the state and determine the kinds and quantity of air pollutants. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt regulations to require the reporting and verification of statewide greenhouse gas emissions and to monitor and enforce compliance with the act.

This bill would require the state board to make available, and update at least annually, on its Internet Web site the emissions of greenhouse gases, criteria pollutants, and toxic air contaminants for each facility that reports to the state board and air districts. The bill would require the state board, at least once a year at a hearing of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies, to present an informational report on the reported emissions of greenhouse gases, criteria pollutants, and toxic air contaminants from all sectors covered by the scoping plan, as specified.

This bill would require the state board to make available, and update at least annually, on its Internet Web site the emissions of greenhouse gases, criteria pollutants, and toxic air contaminants throughout the state broken down to a local and subcounty level for stationary sources and to at least a county level for mobile sources, as specified.

(3) The act requires the board to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020. The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

This bill would require the state board, when adopting rules and regulations to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions beyond the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit and to protect the state’s most impacted and disadvantaged communities, to follow specified requirements, consider the social costs of the emissions of greenhouse gases, and prioritize specified emission reduction rules and regulations.

This bill would require the state board, when updating the scoping plan, to identify specified information for each emissions reduction measure, including each alternative compliance mechanism, market-based compliance mechanism, and potential monetary and nonmonetary incentive.

(4) This bill would become operative only if SB 32 of the 2015–16 Regular Session is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2017.

DIGEST KEY

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal Committee: yes   Local Program: no 

SB 32 California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006

Senate Bill No. 32

CHAPTER 249

An act to add Section 38566 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to greenhouse gases.

[ Approved by Governor  September 08, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State  September 08, 2016. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 32, Pavley. California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: emissions limit.

Full Bill

(1) The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The state board is required to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020 and to adopt rules and regulations in an open public process to achieve the maximum, technologically feasible, and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

This bill would require the state board to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to 40% below the 1990 level by 2030.

(2) This bill would become operative only if AB 197 of the 2015–16 Regular Session is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2017.

DIGEST KEY

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal Committee: yes   Local Program: no

AB 2722 Transformative Climate Communities Program

Assembly Bill No. 2722

CHAPTER 371

An act to add Part 4 (commencing with Section 75240) to Division 44 of the Public Resources Code, relating to greenhouse gases.

[ Approved by Governor  September 14, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State  September 14, 2016. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2722, Burke. Transformative Climate Communities Program.

Full Bill

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and to be available upon appropriation.

Existing law establishes the Strategic Growth Council, which consists of the heads of various state agencies and certain other members, and requires the council to identify and review activities and funding programs that may be coordinated to improve air and water quality, improve natural resource protection, increase the availability of affordable housing, improve transportation, meet the goals of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, encourage sustainable land use planning, and revitalize urban and community centers in a sustainable manner.

This bill would create the Transformative Climate Communities Program, to be administered by the council. The bill would require the council to award competitive grants to specified eligible entities for the development and implementation of neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that include greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits to disadvantaged communities, as defined. The bill would require the council to develop guidelines and selection criteria for the implementation of the program. The bill would require the California Environmental Protection Agency to provide assistance in performing outreach to disadvantaged communities and assessing the environmental justice benefits of project awards.

DIGEST KEY

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal Committee: yes   Local Program: no  

Environmental Justice Law For California Local Government Land Use Planning

Senate Bill No. 1000

CHAPTER 587

An act to amend Section 65302 of the Government Code, relating to land use.

[ Approved by Governor  September 24, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State  September 24, 2016. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

Full Bill

SB 1000, Connie Leyva. Land use: general plans: safety and environmental justice.

(1) The Planning and Zoning Law requires the legislative body of each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city and of any land outside its boundaries that bears relation to its planning. That law requires this general plan to include several elements, including, among others, a safety element for the protection of the community from unreasonable risks associated with the effects of various geologic hazards, flooding, wildland and urban fires, and climate adaptation and resilience strategies. That law requires that the safety element be reviewed and updated, in the case of flooding and fire hazards, upon the next revision of the housing element after specified dates or, in the case of climate adaptation and resilience strategies, upon either the next revision of a local hazard mitigation plan after a specified date or on or before January 1, 2022, as applicable. That law also requires, after the initial revision of the safety element to address flooding, fires, and climate adaptation and resilience strategies, that for each subsequent revision the planning agency review and, if necessary, revise the safety element to identify new information that was not available during the previous revision of the safety element.

This bill would instead require a planning agency to review and revise the safety element to identify new information, as described above, only to address flooding and fires.

This bill would, in addition, add to the required elements of the general plan an environmental justice element, or related goals, policies, and objectives integrated in other elements, that identifies disadvantaged communities, as defined, within the area covered by the general plan of the city, county, or city and county, if the city, county, or city and county has a disadvantaged community. The bill would also require the environmental justice element, or related environmental justice goals, policies, and objectives integrated in other elements, to identify objectives and policies to reduce the unique or compounded health risks in disadvantaged communities, as specified, identify objectives and policies to promote civil engagement in the public decisionmaking process, and identify objectives and policies that prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of disadvantaged communities. The bill would require the environmental justice element, or the environmental justice goals, policies, and objectives in other elements, to be adopted or reviewed upon the adoption or next revision of 2 or more elements concurrently on or after January 1, 2018. By adding to the duties of county and city officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

(2) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 65302 of the Government Code, proposed by AB 2651 that would become operative only if this bill and AB 2651 are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2017, and this bill is chaptered last.

(3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

DIGEST KEY

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal Committee: yes   Local Program: yes