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On the calendar today …
- LEG HEARING: Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife beginning at 9am. Click here for the agenda and audio link.
- MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9am. Agenda items include a board workshop on the draft 2025 Safe Drinking Water Plan, draft State Fiscal Year 2025-26 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Intended Use Plan, and draft Fiscal Year 2025-26 Fund Expenditure Plan for the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. Click here for the full agenda.
- WORKSHOP: Delta Farmland Conversion Impact Workshop from 1pm to 3pm in Brentwood. Agriculture is a cornerstone of the Delta economy, and changes to farmland use can create challenges for those who rely on it. Preliminary research by Delta Protection Commission staff suggests that more Delta farmland is being converted for habitat and flood management projects than for urban development. Additional conversions are planned. We are preparing a report to better understand the scale and impacts of these changes and to offer practical, achievable recommendations to prevent negative impacts. To ensure the report reflects the experiences of those most affected, we want to hear from farmers, reclamation districts, and other affected parties. How has your land, farming operation or reclamation district infrastructure been affected, or how might it be in the future? To attend, please use this sign-up form. Location: Tess’ Community Farm Kitchen, 8091 Balfour Road, Brentwood.
- WORKSHOP: Real-time Data Direct Grant Program from 1:30 to 3:30pm. The California Department of Water Resources will host the first of two workshops for the Real-Time Data Direct Grant Program Draft Guidelines. Both hybrid workshops will be held virtually through MS Teams and at the Joint Operations Center at: 3310 El Camino Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95821 Members of the public can contact Boone Lek at 916-837-5700 or boone.lek@water.ca.gov to RSVP or request the Teams virtual meeting invitation.
In California water news today …
Algae: Friend or foe?
“Algae are nutritious organisms that lie at the base of many marine food chains. But there seem to be more stories about harmful algal blooms (HABs) sickening both people and animals in recent years. We asked Dr. Raphael Kudela of UC Santa Cruz to explain what’s going on. Q: First, what is a harmful algal bloom, and what causes one? A: “Harmful algal bloom” is really a societal term. Algae are not trying to cause problems. Generally, we like algae because they produce oxygen, take up carbon dioxide, and feed the food webs that produce seafood. HABs occur anywhere there’s algae, which includes freshwater and oceans. What makes algae “harmful” really is anything we don’t like. Some algae produce toxins that are harmful to humans, fish, water birds, whales, and other marine mammals. These algae can have both ecological and economic impacts (such as shutting down fisheries). … ” Read more from the PPIC.
A new invader threatens California water supplies. Can the state stop its spread?
“One of the state’s best investigators was on the hunt for golden mussels — a dangerous new invader in California’s waters, with a reputation for destruction. Wearing a collar and a tongue-lolling grin, Allee, a Belgian Malinois, sniffed along the glittering hull of a bass boat at an inspection station in Butte County. The dog’s handler, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Warden Mark Rose, pointed at the outboard motor and the dog delicately nosed the propellers. She stretched up on her hind legs to get a good whiff of the port side before Rose led her away. She yawned. Nothing here. The dog was searching for any hint of the thimble-sized mussels hidden in the nooks and crannies of boats headed to Lake Oroville, the state’s second-largest reservoir, or two smaller reservoirs nearby. Her human counterparts at the Department of Water Resources’ inspection station combed the boat’s interior for standing water that could harbor larvae. “We have been on high alert,” said Tanya Veldhuizen, special projects section manager in the California Department of Water Resources’ environmental assessment branch, which operates the state’s water delivery system. “It’s not just on our doorstep, it’s in our house.” … ” Read more from Cal Matters.
Suisun Marsh, a zone of potential in sinking ecosystem
“Every few years, it seems, we remember Suisun Marsh. Not that this unique middle chamber of the San Francisco Estuary is ever forgotten; it’s just that, like a relatively quiet child in a troubled family, it can slip into the background. Suisun is a bit downstream from the Delta tunnel battles, a bit upstream from the worst urban sea-level rise concerns. The managed wetlands at the heart of the 107,000 acres legally defined as Suisun, though different from the tidal marshes of the past, support thousands of waterfowl and also pump out food for fish. Suisun is part of what biologists call the North Delta Habitat Arc, a sweep of relatively healthy waters and wetlands running from the marsh eastward past Sherman Island and on up the Sacramento to the Cache-Lindsey Complex and the southern Yolo Bypass. In a stubbornly declining Delta ecosystem, it is a zone of potential, even hope. But two things are moving Suisun back into the news: a fresh report from the San Francisco Estuary Institute, and the prospect of major development along the marsh’s borders. … ” Read more from Maven’s Notebook.
Here’s how we help an iconic California fish survive the gauntlet of today’s highly modified waterways
“Imagine a world where just six out of every 100 newborns make it to their teenage years, the rest unable to survive post-apocalyptic environmental conditions that have become too strange and dangerous for human life. That’s the plight of California’s once-thriving Chinook salmon, a population that now sees 94% of its juveniles die within the few weeks they spend trying to reach the sea from the freshwater sources where they first hatched. This tragic reality is almost entirely due to how their native waterways in the state’s Central Valley have been turned into a system of levees, channels, and large high-head dams that are tightly managed almost exclusively for human needs. In terms of how water is allocated, wildlife is essentially an afterthought. But the Central Valley Salmon Ecology Group, a team of researchers that bridge academia and resource management facilitated by the Fisheries Collaborative Program (FCP) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has come up with a playbook for how water managers can tweak the timing, temperature and volume of releases to dramatically increase the odds of juvenile salmon surviving the perilous journey to the open ocean. The approach, called “facilitated migration,” is detailed in a paper published on July 3 by the Ecological Society of America’s journal Ecological Applications. … ” Read more from UC Santa Cruz.
Best practices for just land transitions in California
Angel S. Fernandez-Bou writes, “Unsustainable groundwater overpumping in California has triggered the need to transition hundreds of thousands of acres of irrigated agricultural land into less water-intensive activities to make water use sustainable. I’m not gonna lie: this is not an easy task. It’s challenging to know what actions at the system level will maintain our rural economies and improve public and environmental health without creating new problems. And it’s even more difficult to know how to implement system-wide solutions in a transdisciplinary context of multibenefit collaboration that’s rather new to everyone involved. But cropland repurposing into other beneficial land uses is a promising solution to address many system-level issues and make everyone happy. The good news is that we are learning, and we are improving. … ” Read more from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Cloud seeding is old hat in Central Sierra
“Cloud seeding has been conducted off and in the central Sierra — including the north fork of the Stanislaus River — since the 1950s. The 80-year old technology is now in the crosshairs of Congress Member Marjorie Greene who wants to outlaw it in the wake of deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas that she contends had to do with cloud seeding. As of March, 25 states had legislative proposals to outlaw cloud seeding spurred by theories circulating on social media long before at least 131 people died in flash flooding in Kerrville, Texas. California is not among the states seeking a ban supposedly because cloud seeding can cause catastrophic flooding. There have been some groups, including the National Park Service responsible for the 1,169 square miles within Yosemite National Park, seeking to end the practice due to concerns the chemicals used can cause damage to ecological systems. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin.
California enforces ballast salinity exchange mandate
“The California State Lands Commission (SLC) has introduced an emergency amendment to Article 4.7 of Title 2, Division 3 of the California Code of Regulations requiring vessels with ballast water sourced from low-salinity areas to conduct a ballast water exchange prior to discharging in Californian ports. The regulation entered into effect on 18 June 2025 and applies to all vessels intending to discharge ballast water into California’s fresh and brackish waters. The emergency rule compels vessels carrying ballast water with a salinity of less than 18 parts per thousand to conduct an open-ocean exchange. This is in addition to the requirement to meet the state’s existing ballast water discharge performance standards set out under Section 2293 of the Code. … ” Read more from Riviera AMM.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath River Accord calls for the halt of new dams, supports removal efforts
“On Sunday, July 13, the first-ever Klamath River Accord was signed by Indigenous youth, Tribal leaders and allied organizations from multiple river basins around the world, including Chile, Bolivia, New Zealand, China and the United States. Rios to Rivers, a nonprofit organization, said in a press release that the call to action is for dam removals and a halt to new construction of dams across the globe. The Klamath River Accord was the culmination of a two-day “Global Free Rivers Symposium” held at the mouth of the Klamath River, following the first source-to-sea descent of the Klamath River by multi-tribal youth that celebrated the largest dam removals in history on that river. … ” Read more froom KRCR.
Indigenous youth complete first descent of undammed Klamath River from source to sea
“On July 11, several dozen Indigenous youth from the Klamath Basin and beyond completed a historic 310-mile, month-long source-to-sea “first descent” of the recently undammed Klamath River beginning in Oregon and ending at the mouth of the river on the Yurok Reservation. “As the youths, ages 13 to 20, approached the sand spit adjacent to the Klamath’s mouth in their bright-colored kayaks, tribal elders, family members, friends and supporters waved and cheered them on,” according to a press statement from Rios to Rivers. “I feel so proud to have completed this trip, and am feeling grateful for the support of my family and the fact that I got to honor my grandma’s legacy in her fight for dam removal,” said Ke-Get Omar Dean V, 18, a member of the Yurok Tribe. “We got to complete this journey because of the people that came before us and ensured a free-flowing river.” … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
SEE ALSO: Native American teens kayak major US river to celebrate removal of dams and return of salmon, from ABC News
The Trinity River: Lessons in restoration
“On a Saturday afternoon in late May, Dania Rose Colegrove stood in the shade of an oak tree, waiting for a small group of young runners to crest the hill on a dusty dirt and gravel road. She and about 60 Tribal members and river advocates had gathered on the banks of the Klamath River near the old Iron Gate dam site in northern California to witness the annual Salmon Run, which follows the migration route of salmon up the Klamath and its largest tributary, the Trinity River. In past years, the race ended abruptly at Iron Gate dam, and runners would shake their fists at the enormous earthen barrier. This year, the mood was buoyant: for the first time, runners were about to race through an undammed stretch of the Klamath River. … ” Read more from The Revelator.
An iconic California landmark is for sale, and locals are livid
“The Albion Headlands — 84 acres of raw bluffs, windswept hills and crashing surf jutting off the iconic Mendocino Coast — are on the market, and the sale has galvanized locals. With no house, no driveway and no utility hookups, the $6.95 million listing at 3400 North Highway 1 isn’t your typical real estate play. It comes with something far more valuable to some: the chance to own and subdivide one of the last undeveloped oceanfront properties on California’s North Coast. Locals aren’t having it. Long considered the crown jewel of the unincorporated hamlet of Albion, population 150, the headlands are now being marketed as 16 residential parcels. Conservationists say that claim is misleading, pointing to failed subdivision attempts and zoning restrictions. Still, the fear remains: One deep-pocketed buyer could step in and close the gates for good. “Some very rich person or developer could still swoop in and grab it,” Conrad Kramer, executive director of the Mendocino Land Trust, told SFGATE in a phone interview. “We think that that won’t happen right away, and I’m knocking on wood here.” … ” Read more from SF Gate.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Lead cable removal project’s final phase planned for fall
“Project partners are returning to Baldwin Beach this upcoming fall to tackle the final phase of lead cable removal, pulling out the last 75 feet of the nearly 100 year old cable system. It’s the final leg of removal after a barge crew pulled around eight miles of cable from Lake Tahoe’s depths in November. The remaining length of cable runs from the sand on Baldwin Beach, and into the land. Depending on the water level, the capped and enclosed end can be underwater. It marks where the project’s first phase stopped and the second phase will begin. The project required two different permits, which necessitated the two-part removal. The USDA Forest Service is the lead permitting agency on this final phase at Baldwin Beach. Removal is currently scheduled for September or October. It was originally announced for spring 2025. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
Tahoe Conservancy set to demolish former Motel 6, make way for restoration
“This month, the California Tahoe Conservancy, in cooperation with the California Department of General Services, will begin demolishing the former Motel 6 on the Conservancy’s Upper Truckee Marsh South property in South Lake Tahoe. “It’s thrilling to be taking this next step in removing aging development from this site, something that we and our partners have looked forward to for many years,” said Jason Vasques, Executive Director for the Conservancy. “We’re grateful to all our funding and project partners who have helped us get to this point.” The Upper Truckee Marsh South property was one of the most consequential environmental acquisitions in years for the Lake Tahoe Basin. In joining with partners to acquire the property in 2024, the Conservancy gained the opportunity to remove development from ecologically valuable floodplain along the Upper Truckee River. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
SEE ALSO: Former hotel site in South Lake Tahoe to be demolished for ecological restoration, from the Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Anderson residents brace for proposed 169% sewer bill hike over five years
“Residents in Anderson are preparing for a significant increase in their sewer bills, with rates set to rise by 169% over the next five years. The first increase, a 65% hike, will take effect on August 1, marking a change from an earlier proposal that suggested a 160% increase in the first year alone. City leaders attribute the rising fees to the need for substantial infrastructure improvements to the wastewater system, which has not been upgraded since the 1980s, as well as increasing operating costs. The last rate increase occurred a decade ago. … ” Read more from KRCR.
Regional collaboration supports Placer County’s water future
“Ensuring reliable, resilient water takes teamwork. Whether preparing for the impacts of climate change or working to ensure that clean water continues to flow reliably to homes and businesses, local agencies across Placer County recognize the value of working together to strengthen outcomes for the entire region. Even when projects lie beyond our county lines—such as those in Sacramento County—our agencies actively support and help lead these efforts because water doesn’t follow jurisdictional boundaries. The Sacramento region is vast, and while Placer County agencies work closely together, that collaboration extends across the region. Our water future depends on shared rivers, groundwater basins, and interconnected infrastructure. A united, regional approach is essential to protecting supplies for all of us. … ” Read more from the Water Forum.
NAPA/SONOMA
Santa Rosa releases FEMA preliminary flood map
“Santa Rosa has published a new FEMA Preliminary Flood Map with updated information on local flood zones. Claire Myers, Storm Water & Creeks Manager for the City of Santa Rosa, says the map focuses on the Santa Rosa Creek watershed, including what FEMA calls Special Flood Hazard Areas. “High risk means there’s a 1% chance of flooding annually. Properties in these areas may be subject to flood insurance requirements and stricter building standards,” said Myers. Myers says this means if your property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and you have a federally backed mortgage, flood insurance will likely be required by your lender. Even without a federally backed mortgage, flood insurance is highly recommended. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Radio.
EASTERN SIERRA
Knee Deep: What if Owens River water stayed in Owens Valley?
“Last Eastern Sierra Trout Opener (Fishmas) Eve, I finally found myself connecting with guide Fred Rowe (sierrabrightdot.com) for a morning on Bishop Creek Canal. No one hits that fishery more often than Rowe, who admits a huge draw is the convenience factor, since, as a Bishop local, it really can’t be beat when he has an hour to kill and wants to do so flyfishing. The canal flows through LADWP property and eventually delivers its water into the lower Owens River, which ultimately feeds the city of Los Angeles. The relationship between the LADWP and the Eastern Sierra region has been a rocky one for over 100 years. There were some questionable tactics in play around the beginning of the 19th century leading up to water from the Owens being diverted toward L.A. in 1913 via the new aqueduct, and that can still be felt resonating to this day in the comments of those who simply know the standard “California water wars” talking points. On my drives up U.S. 395, I often find myself wondering, “what would it be like if all the water stayed in the valley?” … ” Read more from Western Outdoor News.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
State-funded stormwater project to improve water quality, transform vacant SoCal lot into vibrant park
“Today, the State Water Resources Control Board, the City of South Gate and other partners celebrated the completion of an innovative green infrastructure project that will divert and store stormwater under a former industrial site, improving water quality in the nearby Los Angeles River. The multi-benefit project, which will also spur groundwater recharge and offer new recreational opportunities in a disadvantaged community, was funded in part by an $8 million grant from the State Water Board’s Stormwater Grant Program. “This stormwater capture project is a perfect example of how nature-based solutions can transform urban runoff into a resource that builds water resilience,” said Nichole Morgan, State Water Board member. “By prioritizing stormwater capture and groundwater recharge, and investing in green infrastructure, we can help secure the future of California’s municipal water supplies while also improving water quality and giving back to the community.” … ” Read more from the State Water Resources Control Board.
Along the Colorado River …
Western farmers push for bold water infrastructure
“Despite Arizona’s explosive population growth—from 1.3 million in 1957 to more than 7 million residents today—the state’s total water use has remained largely unchanged at around 7 million acre-feet per year. This stability in consumption masks a dramatic shift in allocation. As urban water use has risen, agriculture’s share has diminished, prompting farmers to become more efficient stewards of this vital resource. Nick Papagni, “The Ag Meter,” sat down with Andrew Leimgruber, a grower in California’s Imperial Valley, to explore water issues facing desert agriculture and broader questions about the future of water infrastructure in the West. … ” Listen or read more at Ag Net West.
A mega-dairy is transforming Arizona’s aquifer and farming lifestyles
“In the winter of 2018, Lauralynn Cornelsen moved out of her mobile home in Sunizona, an unincorporated community in southeast Arizona. After more than six years, she was tired of hauling water for drinking and bathing, and she couldn’t afford to drill a well — certainly not one deep enough to survive the impending squeeze once a nearby mega-dairy began to operate. Cornelsen’s story epitomizes the challenges local residents are facing over the ongoing water crisis in this rural community, a problem that worsens every year and that no person or agency has figured out how to solve. She is one of hundreds of people, mostly low- to middle-income, living in a high-desert landscape whose groundwater is rapidly disappearing as water is pumped to grow alfalfa, corn, nuts, wheat and barley. But the greatest pressure on the region’s aquifer comes from Riverview LLP, a Minnesota-based dairy company whose groundwater pumping is seen by many as the primary cause of their drying wells. … ” Read more from High Country News.
Report: Proposed Tucson data centers would guzzle water, eat power
“A data center project near Tucson will use the equivalent of about two golf course’s worth of water a year once fully built out, a new draft agreement between city and Project Blue released Monday says. The data center complex proposed near the Pima County fairgrounds and another within the city limits would become both the top water and electricity user in the area, officials said. The Tucson City Council is expected to discuss Project Blue for the first time during its afternoon study session on Aug. 6. No action will be taken at the meeting because the discussion is for information only, City Manager Tim Thomure said Monday. The first action the council must take will be to consider annexation of the the 290-acre parcel of land near the fairgrounds. That could happen when the council meets Aug. 19 and be final by October, the city says. … ” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
Cottonwoods used to line the Colorado River in Utah. What’ll bring the trees back?
“The Colorado River doesn’t flow like it used to. Massive concrete dams tame its historical flood patterns. Thirsty farms and cities siphon away more and more water. And climate change is supercharging evaporation and drought. That’s bad news for everybody, but especially the green giants that tower over scrubby desert riverbanks. Cottonwood trees have become increasingly elusive. “There’s one cottonwood tree here. There’s maybe another one over there,” Matt McEttrick said as he pointed across the Colorado River in southeast Utah. “But we should be seeing tens — hundreds, probably — at this site, rather than just two.” A century ago, this riverbank on the southern edge of Arches National Park would have looked very different, said the southeast area manager for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. The spot where McEttrick stood would likely have been the middle of a shady cottonwood forest that covered the canyon floor from one red rock wall to the other. … ” Read more from KUER.
Neonic pesticides contaminate Colorado water
“A new report by Dr. Pierre Mineau finds neurotoxic neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) in Colorado water at concentrations 100 times above levels that are expected to harm aquatic life. The report concludes that neonic coatings on crop seeds, known as “seed treatments,” are likely the primary source of this contamination. The report draws from federal and state water testing data and identifies samples in Colorado with alarmingly high levels of neonics—with some samples exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s estimated worst-case scenarios for groundwater pollution. Neonics are the most commonly used pesticides nationwide, and studies link even tiny concentrations of neonics in water with declines in bird populations and the collapse of fisheries. … ” Read more from the NRDC.
The deepening water shortage row between the US and Mexico
“After the thirtieth consecutive month without rain, the townsfolk of San Francisco de Conchos in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua gather to plead for divine intervention. On the shores of Lake Toronto, the reservoir behind the state’s most important dam – called La Boquilla, a priest leads local farmers on horseback and their families in prayer, the stony ground beneath their feet once part of the lakebed before the waters receded to today’s critically low levels. … Now, a long-running dispute with Texas over the scarce resource is threatening to turn ugly. Under the terms of a 1944 water-sharing agreement, Mexico must send 430 million cubic metres of water per year from the Rio Grande to the US. In return, the US sends its own much larger allocation (nearly 1.85 billion cubic metres a year) from the Colorado River to supply the Mexican border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali. Mexico is in arrears and has failed to keep up with its water deliveries for much of the 21st Century. … ” Read more from the BBC.
In national water news today …
House releases Interior-EPA spending bill with deep cuts
“House Republican appropriators unveiled their fiscal 2026 funding legislation for the Interior Department and EPA, with steep cuts proposed for both agencies. The bill would approve about $38 billion for agencies under its purview, nearly $3 billion below the fiscal 2025 amount. Interior would get about $14.8 billion and EPA would be funded at $7 billion, a 23 percent cut for the environment agency. The legislation is, however, more generous than the president’s budget request. The bill would appropriate about $9.2 billion above what the White House requested. The Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee will meet Tuesday to mark up the bill as lawmakers race to fund the government before the Sept. 30 deadline. Congress did not pass final appropriations bills last year, instead leaning on continuing resolutions. … ” Read more from E&E News.
Cloud’s hidden cost: Data centre water consumption creates a global crisis
“A single Google search requires half a millilitre of water, while ChatGPT consumes 500 millilitres for every five to 50 prompts. Multiply these figures by billions of daily interactions, add streaming services and cloud storage, and the result is staggering: data centre water consumption has reached crisis levels, with some facilities using more water annually than entire cities. This hidden cost of our digital addiction is now triggering protests from Uruguay to Holland, as communities fight tech giants for access to their most precious resource. Data centres are essentially the backbone of our digital infrastructure – massive warehouse-like facilities packed with thousands of servers that store, process, and transmit the data we use every day. When you stream a film on Netflix, access files on Dropbox, shop on Amazon, or video call via Zoom, you’re relying on these facilities to deliver that service seamlessly. Major tech companies operate enormous data centres worldwide. Google runs facilities that power Gmail, YouTube, and Google Drive. … ” Read more from Cloud Computing.
Humans are wiping out water bodies that life depends on, new report says
“A landmark report for the global agreement on wetlands paints a dire picture of the state of the world’s water bodies that underpin all life on Earth. The report, released Tuesday by the secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands, says that since 1970 more than one-fifth of wetlands have been lost, meaning they have shrunk so much they’re no longer viable or have completely disappeared. Out of what remains, a quarter of the water bodies are in ecological distress. Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America have the most recent widespread deterioration on average, while Europe and North America have already destroyed many of their wetlands. That spells trouble for global food security, climate stability and the capacity for life on Earth to persist, said Musonda Mumba, secretary general of the convention, in her written remarks about the report, the Global Wetland Outlook. “The data presented in this Outlook are sobering,” Mumba said. “Wetland degradation is widespread across all regions. Millions of hectares have been lost.” … ” Read more from Inside Climate News.
‘Slow motion crisis’: Why some of the most populous cities in the U.S. are sinking
“According to a recent study published in the journal Nature Cities, 28 of the most populous U.S. cities are sinking. It’s due to a phenomenon called land subsidence, exacerbated in many cases by humans extracting too much groundwater from underground aquifers. Ali Rogin speaks with Grist senior writer Matt Simon to learn more. … ” Watch video or read transcript at PBS.
NASA website will not provide previous national climate reports
“NASA said on Monday that it would not host on its website the National Climate Assessments — reports mandated by Congress that detail the ways climate change is affecting every part of the country and how communities can respond. Earlier this month, the Trump administration took down the webpage, globalchange.gov, that provided the reports, which have been regularly published since 2000. A spokeswoman for NASA said at the time, “All preexisting reports will be hosted on the NASA website, ensuring continuity of reporting.” But in a reversal on Monday, the same spokeswoman, Bethany Stevens, said that NASA would not host the archived reports. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Why the federal government is making climate data disappear
“For 25 years, a group of the country’s top experts has been fastidiously tracking the ways that climate change threatens every part of the United States. Their findings informed the National Climate Assessments, a series of congressionally mandated reports released every four years that translated the science into accessible warnings for policymakers and the public. But that work came to a halt this spring when the Trump administration abruptly dismissed all 400 experts working on the next edition. Then, on June 30, all of the past reports vanished too, along with the federal website they lived on. A lot of information about the changing climate has disappeared under President Donald Trump’s second term, but the erasure of the National Climate Assessments is “by far the biggest loss we’ve seen,” said Gretchen Gehrke, who monitors federal websites with the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative. The National Climate Assessments were one of the most approachable resources that broke down how climate change will affect the places people care about, she said. The reports were also used by a wide swath of stakeholders — policymakers, farmers, businesses — to guide their decisions about the future. While the reports have been archived elsewhere, they’re no longer as easy to access. And it’s unclear what, if anything, will happen to the report that was planned for 2027 or 2028, which already existed in draft form. … ” Read more from Grist.
