SDG&E discount, combined with state & federal incentives, makes EVs more affordable for teachers, firefighters, police officers, Sheriff’s deputies, lifeguards and EMTs

Source:  SDG&E

September 6, 2017 (San Diego) - San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced a new giving initiative today to provide instant rebates to K-12 teachers and first responders (police, fire, Sheriff’s deputies, lifeguards and emergency medical technicians) for the purchase or lease of a new electric vehicle (EV). Under the Champions for Clean Air: SDG&E EV Rebate Program, those professionals who live and work in communities served by SDG&E in San Diego and southern Orange counties are eligible for $1,000 discounts.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: San Onofre nuclear facility, before its shutdown in 2013.

August 31, 2017 (San Diego) – Finding a safe place to store spent nuclear fuel from the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Stations is a daunting task. Yesterday, East County Magazine reported on a settlement reached between Citizens Oversight and Southern California Edison that aspires to move the radioactive waste away from the beach at San Onofre over the next couple of decades.

One of the proposed sites   is in Arizona. But now officials at Arizona Public Services Company, which operates the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix,  say they won’t take California’s nuclear wastes. 

By Miriam Raftery

August 29, 2017 (San Diego) –Citizens Oversight announced today that it has reached a deal with Southern California Edison that aims to ultimately relocate 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste away from the San Onofre beach. The spent fuel is from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Stations shuttered in 2013 following a radioactive leak and various safety concerns.

Trump plan would weaken nuclear regulations

By Andrea Sears, Public News Service

Photo credit: PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay

August 27, 2017 (New York) - The U.S. Department of Energy has released its study of the electric grid's reliability, but some environmental groups maintain it isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

The study concludes that cheap natural gas is the main reason for the decline of coal and nuclear power.

By Miriam Raftery

August 20, 2017 (San Diego) – Already one of the largest urban park in the United States, Mission Trails Regional Park is expanding by 178 acres, to a total of 7,400 acres.  The addition is due to a dedication by Pardee Homes as open space mitigation for its 415-unit housing development, Weston, formerly known as Castlerock in Santee, just off State Route 52 north of Mast Blvd.

By County News Center, County of San Diego Communications Office

August 14, 2017 (San Diego) - The County of San Diego Thursday released a draft Climate Action Plan for a 45-day public comment period scheduled to end Sept. 25.

The draft plan is designed to cut greenhouse gases in the County’s unincorporated communities as well as those related to County government operations. It seeks to meet state requirements with actions that balance environmental, economic and community interests, while taking into account the County’s largely rural character.

Local solar firm is slated to lead the state in LG Chem battery installations

East County News Service

August 7, 2017 (San Diego) -- On Tuesday, the first LG Chem residential energy storage unit in the continental United States went live. It was installed by Sullivan Solar Power at the Keefe residence in Carlsbad. This milestone is a big step toward grid independence for Americans.” It can also power your home in case of a blackout, keeping the lights on while neighbors are left in the dark.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: National Park Service

August 5, 2017 (San Diego) – If you suffer from arachnophobia, you may not like this story.  Those winter showers have brought out more than May flowers. The wet weather has also led to an increase in tarantula sightings locally due to plentiful populations of critters on which these giant spiders feast.

By Andy Tolley, County of San Diego Communications Office

July 30, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - San Diego is known for its many hiking trails. But sometimes, you want to know what you’re getting into before you make that trek. Or maybe you just want to see if the view really is as spectacular as the photos.

By Miriam Raftery

July 22, 2017 (Lakeside) – In a strongly worded “Eye on East County” column, Californian editor Albert Fulcher has criticized a proposal before the county to close three public trails in Lakeside, a proposal that he calls a “recipe for disaster.”

The proposal involves  Lakeside Downs  (parcel S302)  west of State Route 67  near Eucalyptus Hills and Oak Creek Drives. This land has been acquired by the Endangered Habitat League (EHL), which has previously shut down other public trails on land that it has obtained.

Potential 500-megawatt pumped storage project at the San Vicente Reservoir site could help stabilize water rates

Source:  San Diego County Water Authority

July 19, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Water Authority this week issued a Request for Proposals for a potential joint energy storage project with the City of San Diego that could lessen upward pressure on water rates and also increase opportunities for renewable energy penetration throughout the region by leveraging existing infrastructure at San Vicente Reservoir.

By Miriam Raftery

July 15, 2017 (San Diego) – California’s Supreme Court has ruled 6 to 1 in favor of the San Diego Association of Governments, finding that an environmental impact study for the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan is legal and complied with state law on climate change concerns. The ruling overturned only the greenhouse gas study challenge, but upheld a decision by an appellate court that ruled against SANDAG on other issues.

East County News Service

July 11, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – On Monday, July 10, the formal public comment period closed for the review of national monuments. More than 1.2 million comments were received on Regulations.gov and thousands more were received via traditional mail on 27 national monuments designated since January 1, 1996 that are more than 100,000 acres, or that were considered to have inadequate public input are under review in accordance with President Donald J. Trump’s April 26, 2017, executive order. That order had sparked fears that national monuments could be closed or sold off, including several cherished California sites as well as the newly designated Bears Ears national monument protecting Native American sites.

Nearly 7,000 EV drivers applied for the credit

East County News Service

July 6, 2017 (San Diego) – Thousands of electric vehicle (EV) drivers in the San Diego region will get a pleasant surprise when they open their SDG&E residential bill over the next month, as they will be receiving $200 in credit for each EV they own or lease. EV drivers help clean the air and create healthier communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and they save on fueling costs, as charging an electric vehicle costs less than putting gas in the tank.

By Miriam Raftery

June 26, 2017 (San Diego) – State Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) has introduced Senate Bill 507 to help protect the Tijuana River Valley in the wake of repeated severe sewage spills from Mexico, including a spill in February that dumped an estimated 28 to 100 million gallons of raw sewage into the valley.