In 2020, the Salton Sea was described by Palm Springs Life Magazine as “the biggest environmental disaster in California history.” With the largest lake in California holding such a bleak title, it’s amazing how obscure its legacy is.
Over spring break, we decided to go on a road trip to visit an eccentric settlement in the middle of the lower Colorado desert, known as a Slab City. This settlement is most well known for being a site of post-apocalyptic garbage art and a home for colorful nomads. Due to its libertarian ethos, it is billed as the “last free place in America.” Slab City also happens to be situated in Niland, a small town just a few miles southeast of the Salton Sea. Before planning our trip, we had never previously heard of the Salton Sea, but as we researched what we were going to do on our trip, we discovered that the sea, peculiarly, was of vastly more interest than the city itself. Unsurprisingly, we actually spent most of our time exploring there instead
Gavin Newsom did what no other oil-state governor has but more is needed
Photo by AP Photo/Nic Coury
Last Friday, when California governor Gavin Newsom directed state regulators to begin a process of ending new permits for hydrofracturing in 2024, it seemed like reason for environmentalists to celebrate. With a recall effort threatening Newsom’s job and a pandemic still raging throughout the state, moving to restrain the state’s influential oil industry is clearly an act of political courage.
But, as the governor himself noted, fracking which in California means shoving huge amounts of water laced with sand and chemicals into oil-bearing rock formations accounts for only 2 percent of the state’s oil production. And even that may overstate just how little oil Newsom’s directive will leave in the ground.
For Immediate Release, May 5, 2021
Contact:
Angélica Simón, Greenpeace Mexico, +52 (555) 534-3544, angelica.simon@greenpeace.org
Nydia Gutierrez, Earthjustice, (202) 302-7531, ngutierrez@earthjustice.org (for English)
Robert Valencia, Earthjustice, (305) 457-7938, rvalencia@earthjustie.org (for Spanish)
Kelly Hunter Foster, Waterkeeper Alliance, (212) 747-0622 ext. 160, kfoster@waterkeeper.orgkfoster@waterkeeper.org (for English)
Public Health Experts, Conservationists Ask Mexico’s Highest Court to Uphold Suspension of 49,000-Hog Industrial Animal Operation in Yucatán Peninsula
Efforts Support Constitutional Claims Raised by Mayan Children
MEXICO CITY,
Mexico Conservation groups, scientists, doctors and public-health experts filed a legal brief with Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation today supporting constitutional claims raised by Mayan children who oppose approval and operation of an industrial animal operation in the Yuca
Urban oil drilling harms lung function in L A residents living near wells usc.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from usc.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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L.A.’s legacy of oil drilling impacts lung function in residents living near active and inactive wells
A new USC study links living by urban oil wells with wheezing and reduced lung function, symptoms disproportionately borne by people of color in Los Angeles.
In some cases, the respiratory harm rivals that of daily exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke or living beside highways spewing auto exhaust, researchers say.
The study, recently published in the journal Environmental Research, focuses on drilling sites in two South L.A. neighborhoods, Jefferson Park and North University Park, yet could have implications elsewhere in the region. Approximately one-third of L.A. County residents live less than 1 mile from an active drilling site and some live as close as 60 feet.