We’ve been dealing with problems at the Hanson Quarry, but it’s only one of several active quarries in Santa Clara County. Below is our comment letter on an EIR that would expand the Lexington Quarry. Some of the same issues involving a massive industrial project in a pristine area arise at Lexington as well as...
Category: News
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Impervious surface document -draft for review
This posting is a little different from our others – CGF received a generous grant from the Santa Clara Valley Water District to write a report on the missing analysis of impacts from increased impervious surfaces in Santa Clara County. We have a draft available for review – when the final version comes out it...
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Earth’s health in trouble
From the SF Chronicle website: “U.N. Study: Earth’s Health Deteriorating“ Unless nations adopt more eco-friendly policies, increased human demands for food, clean water and fuels could speed the disappearance of forests, fish and fresh water reserves and lead to more frequent disease outbreaks over the next 50 years, it said. Something we should keep in...
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Morgan Hill looking for good people on its Planning Commission
The City of Morgan Hill wants volunteers to serve on its Planning Commission, which I can guarantee would be a great place for some good environmentalists. You have to be a City resident or in the City’s Sphere of Influence, which extends a bit beyond the City’s boundary. City describes the Planning Commission below: 7-member...
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San Jose illegally polluting the Bay
The Merc reports that the Environmental Protection Agency has ordered San Jose to clean up pollutants it dumps into San Francisco Bay. EPA produced a 28-page list of violations of the Clean Water Act. Disturbing quote from the article: Significantly, the city wastewater plant empties into South Bay marshes, where water is less than five...
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Global warming and open space protection
(Below is another “thought piece” on issues relevant to CGF’s work) Stop global warming – save the Bay Area’s farms and natural areas! Many Bay Area residents want to stop the global warming that will dry up our water supplies and flood our coastal and Bayside lands, but taking action means more than buying hybrid...
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Coyote Valley Alternatives letter
San Jose has solicited comments on the alternatives it should consider in the EIR for Coyote Valley. CGF initiated this letter, which was cosigned by Sierra Club and Audubon Society after their input. -Brian
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Stanford trail and hotel news
We’ve been hearing about a potential hotel on Stanford land near the end of Sand Hill Road. Something like this has been under discussion for years, but news from The Almanac suggests they’re getting a little more serious. The land is undeveloped open space with some environmental value involved. CGF will be following this issue...
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Cyberspace environmentalism
Brad DeLong has an interesting post about Internet spam as a form of pollution that benefits polluters but harms the cyberspace environment. I thought it’s an interesting way to take an environmental analogy and apply it to an “unreal” world. Brad discusses the typical economist solution to the problem – privatize the property being polluted,...
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Another victory
We didn’t give it the same press as when Santa Clara County changed its policy on secret contacts with developers, but on the same day, the County rejected a 25,000 square-foot monster mansion on a ridgeline. CGF Journal describes our work on this here. The County told the developers to to reduce the size of...