In 1987 the Montreal Protocol was signed to fix the ozone hole over Antarctica. More than two dozen countries began replacing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in things such as refrigerators, air conditioners and hair sprays with other gases that contain chlorine or fluorine. "The chemicals that replaced CFCs are better for the ozone layer, but do little to help global warming," writes John Heilprin. "These chemicals, too, act as a reflective layer in the atmosphere that traps heat like a greenhouse." In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was signed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1 billion tons by 2012. The replacement chemicals, HCFCs and HFCs, are projected to add the equivalent of 2 to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere by 2015 – the same amount the CFCs they replaced would have added. "... the atmosphere could be spaced the equivalent of 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions if countries used ammonia, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide or other ozone-friendly chemicals rather than HCFCs and HFCs in foams and refrigerants," writes Heilprin. However, industry representatives say these pose safety and energy efficiency problems.

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EPA's Pesticide Streamlining Rejected
The Los Angeles Times, August 25, 2006

A federal judge overturned a Bush administration regulation, restoring pre-2004 standards requiring EPA to consult federal wildlife biologists before licensing pesticides. "The Bush administration's 2004 rule had allowed the EPA to bypass the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in order to shorten the years-long process of reviewing whether each pesticide posed danger to any of the nation’s 1,200-plus endangered species," writes Marla Cone. "The ruling was a victory for nine environmental groups that sued the U.S. Interior Department two years ago." Plaintiffs argued that 400 animals and plants are at risk of extinction from pesticides directly applied or allowed to drift into their habitat or flow into waterways from farms or yards. "One of the most controversial pesticides is atrazine, an herbicide used on corn crops. The EPA approved its continued use in 2003 despite a finding by UC- Berkeley biologist Tyrone B. Hayes that it feminizes frogs at low concentrations," writes Cone.

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Settlement Will Provide Water for Parched River
The Los Angeles Times, August 20, 2006

During the Depression, the Friant Dam was part of the Central Valley Project which "turned the state into an agricultural giant, dammed and diverted many other rivers, including the Sacramento, the state's mightiest," writes Betinna Boxall. The building of the Friant Dam in 1949 and the 151-mile canal running to Bakersfield in 1951 started the demise of one of California's greatest rivers, the San Joaquin. "About 60 miles of the San Joaquin, the state's second-longest river, shriveled to dust as its mountain waters were rerouted to a million acres of farmland up and down the arid eastern flanks of the San Joaquin Valley," writes Boxall. Now, after an 18-year court battle, the river will get some of its water back. The U.S. District Judge ruled that the federal government had violated a section of the California Fish and Game code requiring dam owners to release enough water to keep in good condition any fish that may be planted or exist below the dam. In the late 1800s, 200,000 to 300,000 chinook salmon migrated up the San Joaquin and it tributaries. It is hoped that there will be a restored spring run of 5,000 to 10,000 salmon.

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