Friday, August 31, 2012
August Update
August was a very busy month for us! Here is just a snapshot of the work Surfrider
is doing throughout California.
Lobbying the Coast at the Capital
Surfrider Foundation participated
in the annual “Green California Lobby Day” that brings together advocates from 85
organizations to meet with elected officials about pressing environmental issues. Each lobby team was comprised of different
organizations representing different issues.
Surfrider focused on issues that would impact our oceans, beaches waves,
by lobbying for two pieces of legislation (a statewide ban on plastic bags (AB298) and a phase-out of polystyrene (SB 568) foam food containers). Despite having strong public support,
both SB 568 and AB 298 did not garner enough votes and will
not become law. Read more here. While Surfrider is disappointed the legislature failed to act, we are still
encouraged by the many local cities and municipalities that have already
enacted local ordinances to curb plastic pollution. There are over 100 plastic bag and
plastic foam ordinances throughout California alone. Surfrider Foundation
Chapters will continue to work for local plastic reduction ordinances along
with a sustained focus on plastic pollution community outreach and education.
Congress’s
Poor Coastal Voting Record Revealed
Those of us working on coastal and ocean
issues have seen a trend to undermine laws and policies that protect our
coastline. However, we had no idea how
bad it was until a recent report highlighted Congress’s poor voting record. Congressman Waxman helped launch the report
and invited Surfrider and other environmental leaders to participate in a press
conference. The report finds that since January 2011, the House has voted 297
times to weaken basic environmental protections. The main focus of the
report was to expose how coastal laws and policies are often targeted. Of
the 297 anti-environment votes, 117—39%—were for policies that would undermine
protection of America’s coastal areas.
Go here to see a write up of the press conference Surfrider held with
the Congressman.
Slip Sliding Away…You Know the Nearer the Garbage….
In
Daly City (San Francisco Bay area) there is a landfill that sits near the ocean. Although the landfill was closed and covered
to create a park, the garbage is still there.
Unfortunately, the area suffers
from unstable geology (it's right where the San Andreas Fault enters the Pacific Ocean) which means the landfill’s location constantly poses a
threat of garbage sliding into the ocean.
Our San Francisco Chapter is arguing the landfill ultimately be “moved
back” to ensure a long-term solution. At
a recent Coastal Commission hearing, our Chapter submitted comments urging the
Commission to explore managed retreat (i.e. relocating the landfill away from
the coast). Our comments spurred a great
discussion and movement by the commissioners to direct the city to fully
evaluate retreat options. Managed
retreat would not only help keep garbage from sliding into the ocean, but would
also encourage natural coastal processes that would open the beach back up for
public access. View our
comment letter here, : and
see the landfill's proximity to the ocean in this photo.
