Fracking’s bad news in California:

Sullied water. Greenhouse gas  pollution. Threatened wildlife. Learn more about the Center for Biological Diversity’s fight to halt  fracking in the Golden State: Don’t Frack With California  Read More

CCWD setting ceiling for rate hikes

Written by Sean Janssen, The Union Democrat  May 06, 2013 12:30 pm http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-News/CCWD-setting-ceiling-for-rate-hikes Calaveras County Water District directors set the ceiling  last week for impending rate hikes on water and sewer bills. The board Thursday approved a notice to be mailed out to  customers in about two weeks laying out a proposal to increase monthly water  bills up to 25 percent in the coming year... Read More

New planning commissioner signs on

By Kristine Williams | Posted: Tuesday, May 7, 2013    Filling a seat that has been vacant for more than five  months, Valley Springs resident and businesswoman Karen Sisk was appointed to  serve District 5 on the Calaveras County Planning Commission. Sisk, who works as an insurance broker at Placer  Insurance in Valley Springs, stepped forward at the request of District 5  Supervisor Darren Spellman. Former District 5 Commissioner Greg Gustafson... Read More

Jerry Brown blames climate change for state’s early fire season

California will have to grow accustomed to more forest fires as a consequence of climate change. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-fire-jerry-brown-global-climate-change-environment-wildfire-sparks-camarillo-20130506,0,6218955.story  Read More

Water element gains steam

By Joel Metzger | Posted: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Joint agency effort urged After a failed initial attempt to add a water element into Calaveras County’s general plan, General Manager Mitch Dion of the Calaveras County Water District hopes to breathe new life into the effort. “The water element is essential because water is closely tied to economic growth and development, and it also is an underpinning of predictability of economic development in... Read More

Revised Time Line for General Plan Completion

A  letter from the Calaveras Planning Coalition pointed out the methods the department was using to secure a plan within 12-months – preparing the general plan document and the environmental impact report at the same time – was opening the county up to potential liability. Read the entire story on this page under Planning Updates  Read More

Copper holds town hall meeting with a twist

Nestled inside the Copperopolis Armory beneath paintings of Table Mountain and the historic schoolhouse, staff members of 25 local government departments set up folding display boards, laid out handouts and pamphlets and stood expectantly beside their displays, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a school science fair. It wasn’t a science fair, though; it was District 4 Supervisor Debbie Ponte’s Copperopolis twist on a town hall meeting, and... Read More

Small dam on Stanislaus floated

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 SAN ANDREAS – The age of massive hydroelectric dam construction ended several decades ago in the United States, but it could be that an era of building small hydro projects is just beginning. The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved a bill that would eliminate environmental hurdles for at least some small hydro projects – those on canals or pipelines operated by the U.S.... Read More

Fire district report suggests that fewer might be better

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 SAN ANDREAS – Calaveras County’s 10 fire districts should consider consolidating into as few as four optimal districts, according to a new report written for the county Local Agency Formation Commission. The report found that many county fire districts operate on shoestring budgets and don’t have the necessary funds to replace aging equipment or make needed repairs to fire stations. Those... Read More

Builders constructing environmental agreements

By Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 Near the peak of last decade’s building boom, air quality officials approved an innovative yet controversial rule holding developers accountable for new pollution caused by growth. But before long, there was no growth. Today, as construction activity resumes in south San Joaquin County and all along the Valley, builders are faced with the challenge of designing cleaner neighborhoods or paying... Read More