UN Climate Conference, Future of Bay Area Refineries & Coit Tower Murals — State Of The Bay 6pm PT

On tonight’s State of the Bay, we’ll discuss California’s role at the just-concluded United Nations Climate Conference (COP 28) and dig into what the agreement to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels might mean for Bay Area refineries. Plus, we’ll take a tour through the WPA murals of Coit Tower.

First, we’ll talk with Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, representing California’s 16th Assembly District in the East Bay, about the role of California and the Bay Area in this year’s COP.

Then, we’ll look at how the agreement reached at COP 28 to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels might mean for Bay Area refineries. Joining us will be:

  • Ann Alexander, senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council
  • Greg Karras, independent consultant, senior scientist for Communities for a Better Environment and author of “Decommissioning California Refineries: Climate and Health Paths in an Oil State.”

Finally, we’ll take a tour through the WPA murals at San Francisco’s Coit Tower with Charlie Goldman.

Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!

Addressing Corruption In Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chains – New CLEE/NRGI Issue Brief
Fighting corruption in mining approvals – DW – 12/05/2017

In the race to scale up a global supply chain for electric vehicle batteries, mining justice advocates have sought to ensure that the ongoing clean technology minerals boom does not exacerbate longstanding negative impacts from the global mining industry. Chief among these are corruption risks.

To provide guidance to electric vehicle purchasers (particularly fleets), advocates, and leaders in “downstream” markets about how to support anti-corruption measures in the battery supply chain, Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE) partnered with the Natural Resource Governance Institute to issue a new policy brief: Corruption Risks in the EV Battery Supply Chain: What Advocates, Automakers and Fleet Purchasers Can Do.

The brief presents a set of actions for “downstream” markets, such as in the United State and European Union. Among the steps that the report recommends these actors take:

  • Battery manufacturers, automakers, and fleet purchasers could integrate checks on corruption risks into responsible sourcing and due diligence systems. Risks from supply chain relationships may directly affect company operations, and companies can leverage their influence to promote better practices and policies. When necessary, they should be willing to disengage or suspend engagement with suppliers.
  • Manufacturers, automakers and purchasers could also encourage project-level contract, payment, commodity trading, and beneficial ownership transparency and robust ethics and compliance policies from suppliers. Companies could look for comprehensive project or sale-level disclosure of contracts and licenses, payments to governments, and verified beneficial ownership information, internal oversight and independence of ethics and compliance procedures, robust disciplinary and remediation procedures.
  • Electrification and sustainable mining advocates in North America and Europe could emphasize the importance of governance and anti-corruption measures in their advocacy. Specifically, advocates can better incorporate anticorruption into benchmarks or reports that assess companies’ sustainability provisions and/or responsible sourcing.
  • Advocates could push for governments to incorporate strong anticorruption provisions into sustainability criteria for mining projects, in policies and legislation addressing responsible sourcing or due diligence, and in partnerships or trade deals with mineral-producing countries.

Ultimately, corruption is not a victimless crime. It undermines trust in government and deprives the public of needed revenues from mining projects. It can also jeopardize supply chain affordability and reliability as the world makes this critical transition to a cleaner transportation system. With the steps outlined in Corruption Risks in the EV Battery Supply Chain: What Advocates, Automakers and Fleet Purchasers Can Do, advocates, purchasers and downstream market leaders have an opportunity to ensure that the electric vehicle mining boom doesn’t replicate past and ongoing harms from the global mining sector.

Argentina’s Far-Right President-Elect & Upcoming US Supreme Court Cases — Your Call 10am PT

I’m guest hosting Your Call’s Media Roundtable this morning at 10am PT. First, we’ll discuss Argentina’s far-right president-elect Javier Milei. He denies climate change, opposes abortion, plans to slash government spending and dollarize the economy, and eliminate the Central Bank and key ministries. Joining us for an update will be Valen Iricibar, award-winning journalist and editor at the Buenos Aires Herald.

Then we’ll get the latest on major U.S. Supreme Court cases. Next month, the court will hear a case that could reshape the US tax code, including banning future wealth tax proposals, among others. Chris Geidner, award winning legal journalist and author and publisher of Law Dork, will join us to unpack it all.

Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!

A’s Relocation, SF Next Solutions & Rize Up Bakery — State Of The Bay 6pm PT

Tonight on State of the Bay, I’ll talk to The Athletic’s Steve Berman, who will give us the latest on the A’s possible departure to Las Vegas. He’ll also weigh in on the latest with the Niners and Warriors.

Then we’ll be joined by a panel of local citizens who participated in the Chronicle’s SF Next Project, where they came up with practical solutions to our city’s biggest problems. Guests include: 

Finally, we will check in with Azikiwee Anderson from Rize Up Bakery after a recent break in.

Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!

New Report & 1pm PT Webinar Today: Getting To Zero Emissions At Southern California’s Ports

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are major polluters in the region but also potential models for climate action if they can electrify their equipment, from fork lifts to cranes. A new report released by UCLA Law’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) A Heavy Lift: Policy Solutions to Accelerate Deployment of Zero-Emission Cargo Handling Equipment at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and Beyondsurveys the biggest obstacles to speedy electrification and makes some recommendations.

Greenhouse gas emissions at the Ports come from three main sources: ships, heavy-duty vehicles, and cargo handling equipment (“CHE”). Cargo handling equipment is the third largest source of emissions accounting for approximately 14 percent of the Ports’ total greenhouse gas emissions. The Ports have replaced some fossil-fuel powered equipment with zero-emission models as they work toward goals set forth in their Clean Air Action Plan, including a goal to transition to 100 percent zero-emission CHE by 2030. However, more work is needed to fully transition the Ports large CHE fleet to zero-emission models. While some consider cargo handling equipment the “low hanging fruit” of port emissions reductions, there remain challenges for the transition to zero emissions. Some of the needed ZE technology is still being developed, and communities and workers have raised concerns around the potential for job loss.

To address these concerns, the law schools hosted a convening of experts from a variety of industries, including environmental, public health, environmental justice, labor, business, and government sectors. We discussed the challenges and opportunities of decarbonizing cargo handling equipment at the Ports. The report discusses the top barriers to transitioning to electric CHE models and proposes solutions to overcome these barriers.

The report dives into the following barriers:

  1.  Inadequate grid and charging infrastructure to support zero-emission cargo handling equipment and lack of substantial planning and funding to install necessary and timely infrastructure.
  2.  Evolving zero-emission technology for some types of cargo handling equipment and high upfront costs.
  3.  Fear among communities and workers of job loss and of increased emissions from expanded port activities.

The report then recommends several solutions, including:

  • The Ports and utilities, chiefly Southern California Edison and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, could proactively deploy “no regret” infrastructure, including increasing grid capacity and upgrading distribution networks that will be needed regardless of how zero-emission cargo handling equipment is powered.
  • The California Legislature; the Air Resources Board; and/or the South Coast Air Quality Management District, using their existing authority grounded in air pollution control, could create technology-forcing mandates and clear, enforceable implementation deadlines, with penalties for non-compliance, to catalyze the zero-emission cargo handling equipment transition. Where technology is not readily commercially available, regulations could incorporate adequate flexibility and sufficient lead time for entities to meet the mandate.
  • State and local government could implement policies to promote job preservation, local job creation, and worker training, such as programs that encourage ports and terminal operators to partner with local training organizations to upskill and reskill the workforce to use the new vehicles and technologies.
Event flyer for Nov 16 event

Given the importance of the Ports to worldwide commerce, they could help inform climate action at ports around the globe, if they and policy makers can collaborate to achieve these zero-emission goals.

If you want to dive into this topic further, join us for a webinar discussion today, Thursday, November 16th at 1pm PT when we’ll discuss solutions with panelists from Southern California Edison, the Port of Los Angeles, and Earthjustice (RSVP here).

This report is ultimately part of a series on business solutions to address climate change. Read more: A Heavy Lift: Policy Solutions to Accelerate Deployment of Zero-Emission Cargo Handling Equipment at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and Beyond.

This post was co-authored by Beth Kent and Gabi Rosenfeld.

Cruise Suspends Self-Driving Cars, Rosanna Xia on ‘California Against the Sea’ & Berkeley’s Girls Garage— State Of The Bay 6pm PT

On tonight’s State of the Bay, I’ll be speaking with Ricardo Cano, transportation reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, about why state regulators have revoked permits for Cruise’s driverless autonomous vehicles. What are the implications for the autonomous vehicle industry here in California and beyond?

We’ll also hear from Los Angeles Times environmental reporter and author Rosanne Xia about her new book “California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline.”

And finally, we’ll sit down with Emily Pilloton-Lam, founder and executive director of the Berkeley non-profit Girls Garage.  

Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!

Israel-Hamas War On Campus, Universal Basic Income & Art Of Storytelling — State Of The Bay 6pm PT

Join me tonight on State of the Bay, when we’ll hear how two UC Berkeley professors with very different views on the Israel-Hamas war joined together to send a message condemning violence and advocating civil disagreement. Joining us to tell the story will be Professor Ron Hassner, a professor of political science and director of the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies.

Then, what would you do with an extra $500 – $1,000 a month? 725 families in the Bay area received just that. Two generous, privately funded pilot programs in the Bay Area: Oakland Resilient Families and MOMentum in Marin spent the last 2 years running and studying Universal Basic Income here in the bay. Learn what they discovered with:

Finally, we’ll talk with Corey Rosen, host of the Moth story slam, about the art of story telling and how to tell your story at the Moth. You can listen to some of his stories on his website.

Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!

Bay Area Sports, Housing & Censorship — State Of The Bay 6pm PT

Anti-worker or pro-worker? Why California labor unions are fighting over a housing  bill | Jefferson Public Radio

On tonight’s State of the Bay, I’ll be interviewing Steve Berman, the “Bay Area Sports Guy,” now of The Athletic, to hear his insights. Was the 49ers’ shocking loss yesterday a fluke? Will the Warriors’ intriguing new roster work? And can the new WNBA team thrive here?

Then we’ll talk housing in the Bay Area. Governor Newsom recently signed a whopping 56 new housing bills. Cities are under pressure to build more, and fast. Will these new bills help? Joining us will be:

Finally, we’ll hear about a new exhibit on censorship called unBANNED, with Tamsin Smith, curator at Arion Press Gallery in the Presidio.

Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 6pm PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!

The US Should Plan For Sustainable EV Battery Mining — My New Op-Ed In The Hill

We need electric vehicles to fight climate change, and that means a lot of mining for minerals like lithium and graphite for the batteries. It’s better if that mining happens in the US rather than overseas, where worker and environmental protections may be weaker. But we still need to improve mining processes here.

My new op-ed in The Hill has recommendations on how to do so, following the release of a new federal interagency report on mining. The report calls for permitting agencies to conduct better upfront planning to ensure new mining activity is not sited in sensitive areas that would likely produce conflict, litigation and delay. To do this, I argue:

Specifically, the country can take its cue from California, where a public-private partnership among state government, academic institutions and nonprofits pioneered a stakeholder-led process to map lands for large-scale solar development in key regions in the state. That process resulted in the identification of hundreds of thousands of “least conflict” acres, which participants as diverse as Tribes, ranchers, endangered species advocates and developers agreed would be feasible to develop without harming communities or important resources. This approach is now being replicated in other states.

If we can pull this process off in this country, the result would be fewer conflicts, a more sustainable supply chain for EV batteries, and economic and environmental wins for the communities surrounding mines, including many tribal and rural communities. And maybe it could provide a model for other jurisdictions to follow suit, as the world undergoes a dramatic and badly needed transformation in its vehicle fleet to EVs.

Kevin McCarthy’s Ouster & New US Supreme Court Term — Your Call 10am PT

I’m guest hosting Your Call’s Media Roundtable this morning at 10am PT. First, we’ll discuss the media coverage of Kevin McCarthy’s ouster as speaker of the House this week, initiated by eight far-right members of his own party. McCarthy’s 269-day reign as speaker was ended by a 216-210 vote.

How is the media covering the extremists’ power play within the GOP? We’ll hear from:

  • Mark Jacob, freelance writer, former metro editor at the Chicago Tribune and Sunday editor at the Chicago Sun-Times, and author of the website Stop the Presses
  • John Nichols, national-affairs correspondent for The Nation and the co-author of It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism

Then we’ll talk about the new session of the Supreme Court, which started Monday. The justices will examine important cases on major issues such as free speech, gun rights, abortion, voting rights, and a case that could threaten the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and potentially numerous other federal agencies, among others.

Joining us to discuss will be Chris Geidner, award winning legal journalist, author and publisher of the website Law Dork.

Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!

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