Environmental groups are suing over the expansion of one of the state's largest crude-oil operations.

The lawsuit contends that the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District illegally approved permits without environmental review of the risks of importing millions of gallons of toxic and potentially explosive oil.

Matt Krough, campaign director for ForestEthics, said 5 million Californians live in the evacuation zone for an oil train derailment or explosion. He said it's too dangerous to allow the Bakersfield Crude Terminal to increase traffic without investigating the threat to air quality and public safety.

"You see the potential for these oil trains passing through every major population center of California," he said, "crossing critical waterways and aquifer recharge zones, crossing through valuable farmland."

The lawsuit, filed by Earthjustice, maintains that Air District officials approved the permits in a piecemeal fashion to keep the project from getting public scrutiny.

The Kern County terminal opened last year and is allowed to accept up to 100 crude-oil trains a day, including those carrying volatile crude from the Bakken shale formation as well as heavier and highly toxic tar sands.

According to the California Energy Commission, oil shipments by railroad into California have hit an all-time record, which Krough said also increases the risk of a disastrous spill.

"That's rare, but it's a real risk," he said. "The other side, though, is that there is a chronic exposure for people all along the rail route to emissions from the trains in transit, and from this terminal itself."

Krough said California's weather also is a hazard for trains carrying volatile crude oil.

"These tank cars, black ones, coming through California in the summer - and you actually have boiling contents, with the constant popping of these pressure-released valves," he said. "This is the sort of thing that needs to be studied and understood."

The lawsuit contends that the expansion of the Bakersfield Crude Terminal could lead to a 1,000 percent increase in the amount of crude imported by rail into California each year.

The petition is online at earthjustice.org.


get more stories like this via email

West Virginia lawmakers are pushing legislation forward to pave the way for state management of the transport, storage and disposal of potentially dangerous radioactive waste.

House Bill 208 would set up an agreement with federal regulators to allow the state Health Department to control low-level radioactive waste, commonly associated with fracking.

Morgan King, climate and energy program manager for the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, argued the state is already dealing with poorly managed fracking waste, such as the Fairmont Brine processing site, where residents discovered unsecured radioactive ponds.

"If we rush into an agreement that would allow more radioactive waste to be brought into our state from out of state, especially given that so much fracking is going on in Ohio and Pennsylvania, we could see the same thing happen again in other parts of our state," King contended.

The bill recently passed in the House of Delegates and is now being considered by the Senate during a special session.

King pointed out critics of the bill are concerned the state lacks the knowledge and infrastructure to keep residents safe, given the stakes for public health. Research shows radioactive waste from fracking can spread to groundwater, which supplies more than a quarter of the nation's drinking water.

"We want to make sure that if this is going to move forward, that the agency has enough resources and expertise for their responsibility," King emphasized. "We don't believe that, at the moment, the Department of Health has that expertise to manage it."

Exposure to radioactive fracking waste has been linked to leukemia, low birth weight and preterm births, asthma and early deaths.

Federal data show health care and technology-related jobs are still in high demand but a career in clean energy is now at the top of the list, too, and Wisconsin labor leaders said opportunities are unfolding in the region.

New findings from the Climate Jobs National Resource Center list 82 Wisconsin projects tied to the clean energy transition in the pipeline, which could qualify for tax incentives and key labor standards under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Emily Pritzkow, executive director of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council, said companies behind wind, solar and similar development need to attract workers while adhering to hiring benchmarks.

"Excellent pay, flexibility," Pritzkow pointed out. "And we are rising to meet that."

Labor standards for Inflation Reduction Act projects call for apprenticeships to be offered, so new hires can learn on the job. Pritzkow stressed Wisconsin unions play a big role in carrying out the learning aspect of the hiring boom. There are challenges though, with labor groups noting not enough people are aware of job possibilities and the need for things like affordable housing if a worker has to relocate for their new career.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists wind turbine technicians and solar installers as the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. In amplifying messaging, Pritzkow emphasized they have to overcome long-held beliefs only certain other industries, such as dentistry, routinely offer stable employment.

"I think there maybe are some old ideas about what working in the trades means," Pritzkow observed. "These are not temporary jobs. These are meant to be careers."

She added clean energy projects are helping to fuel record demand for apprenticeships. Earlier this year, four major utilities operating in Wisconsin pledged to hire union workers for development spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Climate Jobs National Resource Center estimates the incentives will lead to more than 42,000 union-scale jobs in Wisconsin.

A volunteer program has caught the attention of West Virginia tourism officials.

The Dolly Sods Wilderness Stewards program has been recognized with a "Spirit of West Virginia Award." The program started as a collaboration in 2021 with West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the Monongahela National Forest.

Dave Johnston, program coordinator, said volunteers are trained to educate visitors on 'leave no trace' principles, trail cleaning and more.

"Taking inventories of campsites and things like that," Johnston explained. "We're basically serving as eyes and ears for the Forest Service for what's going on in the backcountry."

More than 100 volunteers work to preserve and maintain the more than 17,000-acre area in the Allegheny Mountains. According to the International Journal of Wilderness, more states are turning to volunteer groups to maintain trails and collect data, as dollars for the management of federal lands have decreased.

Johnston added the work is important for sustaining protected lands for future generations, noting wilderness areas are specially designated by Congress to remain as pristine as possible.

"They're the most primitive form of public lands that are set aside for people to enjoy in this country," Johnston emphasized.

According to numbers by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, an estimated 35,000 people hike and retreat to the Dolly Sods each year.


get more stories like this via email