Defying Trump, California Continues to Bet Big on Offshore Wind
California is moving ahead with the $4.7 billion Pier Wind project at the Port of Long Beach, a 400‑acre terminal that will assemble and stage some of the world’s largest floating offshore wind turbines. The state aims to support its 25 GW offshore wind target by 2045 despite the Trump administration’s $2 billion payout to developers to abandon federal leases. Pier Wind would assemble 1‑2 turbines per week, each 20‑25 MW, and store them offshore before towing them to lease areas 20 miles north. The effort is framed as a long‑term climate strategy that outlasts the current federal opposition.
Hiltzik: Trump's 'Weird War' On Wind Power Will Jeopardize Our Energy Future and Cost Americans Billions
President Trump’s administration has earmarked roughly $2 billion of taxpayer funds to terminate offshore wind projects, while federal courts have blocked his executive order that halted new permits. The Interior Department also delayed or cancelled up to 165 private‑land wind projects,...
200,000 Californians Help the Grid Out in Tough Times and Get Paid for It. Now That's up in the Air
California’s Demand‑Side Grid Management program, launched in 2022, pays more than 200,000 households to export solar‑charged battery power during hot‑weather peaks. Participants like the Lipps family earn a $300 annual credit while collectively supplying over a gigawatt of clean energy—roughly...
Heavier Storms and Longer Dry Spells Are Drying California and the West
A new study in Nature shows rainfall across California and the western United States is becoming increasingly clustered into fewer, heavier storms separated by longer dry periods. This concentration dries soils, limits groundwater recharge, and intensifies drought despite stable or...
Sweeping California Law on Single-Use Plastic Meets with Outrage From All Sides as It Goes Live
California’s landmark single‑use plastic law, SB 54, took effect this week, imposing producer‑responsibility fees and a 2032 deadline for fully recyclable or compostable food packaging. Environmental groups, led by the NRDC, say the new CalRecycle regulations create loopholes—especially around chemical recycling...
New Coalition Decries 'Parasite' Data Centers Proposed in City of Industry
The City of Industry City Council unanimously changed zoning to permit a battery storage site and future data centers, prompting a large protest by San Gabriel Valley residents. Demonstrators from Rowland Heights, Avocado Heights and surrounding unincorporated areas warned of air‑quality degradation, health hazards,...
What Is an 'Ash Devil'? Rare Fire Phenomenon Rises in Phelan's Trinity Fire
Firefighters battling the Trinity fire in San Bernardino County observed a rare ash devil, a mini‑tornado of hot ash and embers created by wind shear. The fire, which ignited on May 1 in Phelan, burned 19 acres, damaged an unknown number of...
Bald Eagle 'Massaging' Its Mate? AI Deepfakes Collide with the Laws of the Wild
AI-generated wildlife deepfakes, such as a fabricated bald‑eagle "massage," are flooding platforms like Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. These hyper‑real videos attract millions of views, blurring the line between authentic nature footage and synthetic content. Experts warn they can mislead audiences...
Recycled Plastics Industry Gets Unexpected Boost From Iran War
The war with Iran has disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, driving virgin plastic prices up 30‑40 % and reviving interest in recycled plastics, whose costs have remained stable. Analysts note rising demand for recycled resin across automotive, packaging...
Gas Prices, Wildfire, Insurance, Climate — What Each Gubernatorial Candidate Said Last Night
California’s gubernatorial debate highlighted a worsening wildfire‑insurance crisis as insurers retreat amid rising climate‑driven risks. Candidates offered divergent fixes, from Tony Thurmond’s plan to withhold subsidies from non‑cooperative insurers to Chad Bianco’s call for stricter vegetation‑management policies. Tom Steyer pushed...
New Solar Project Will Help Power California's Most Powerful Water Plant
The California Department of Water Resources has signed a 20‑year power‑purchase agreement for the 105‑megawatt Pastoria Solar Project, located two miles from the Edmonston Pumping Plant that can draw up to 800 MW of electricity. The solar farm, paired with an...
What to Plant (and What to Remove) in California's New 'Zone Zero' Fire-Safety Proposal
California’s Board of Forestry and Fire Protection unveiled draft landscaping rules aimed at reducing wildfire risk in high‑hazard communities. The plan creates a 1‑foot “Safety Zone” – part of a broader “Zone Zero” concept – where any combustible material, including...
More than 200,000 Lost Their Homes in the L.A. County Fires. For People Already on the Streets, the Damage Ran...
Four UCLA‑led studies link climate disasters to a surge in homelessness, using the January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires as a case study. The fires destroyed roughly 200,000 homes and inflicted injuries, respiratory problems, and shelter loss on more than three‑quarters...
Mayor Bass Has a New Plan for Addressing Climate Change in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass unveiled a comprehensive Climate Action Plan that aims to double solar capacity, electrify the city bus fleet and install 120,000 EV chargers by 2030, and achieve 80% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% by 2035....
This Long Beach Startup Says It Has a Patch for California's Power Problems
Long Beach‑based Critical Loop secured $26 million in new funding, bringing its total to $49 million, to accelerate deployment of battery‑and‑grid‑management systems that deliver power in days rather than years. The startup’s controller instantly switches between the public grid, on‑site batteries, solar...