Before the Flood - was DiCaprio too wishy-washy or not?

The new climate change film, Before the Flood, has making a lot of news lately. Currently being shown on the National Geographic Channel and available for free streaming on iTunes, the film features actor Leonardo DiCaprio as he travels the world searching for answers to what many say is the most pressing environmental problem facing the world today.


Some people have commented that the message of the film isn't harsh enough in warning of the dangers of uncontrolled anthropogenic emissions. Others say the film presents everything in just the right manner for the general public.

Have you seen it yet? What do you think? let us know in the comments section below.

Free America Recycles Day event in Bakersfield on November 12, 2016

Bakersfield and Kern County residents looking for a way to get rid of certain unwanted or unusable items should head to the Rabobank Arena next week. A free, drive-thru recycling event will be taking place on Saturday, November 12, 2016, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the arena's South Parking Lot.

Items accepted include electronics, batteries, large and small household items, passenger vehicle tires (limit 4), used motor oil filters, used clothing, shoes, linens, surplus construction materials, paper shredding waste (limit - 2 file size boxes), and other recyclable material.

For further information, call 661.831.2321.

Stunning new map shows every river basin and its tributaries in the U.S.

One of the bread and butter issues that many environmental professionals deal with are spills into the navigable waterways of the United States. 

A new map that shows every river basin in the United States,and its tributaries, may cause many sleepless nights for those professionals who must determine whether a spill of hazardous material has impacted a navigable waterway, whose definition is not what the layperson may think it is.

See it for yourself at this link: U.S. River Basin Map

VW settles part of emissions cheating scandal

Volkswagen (VW) has agreed to a $14.7 billion settlement with U.S. and California authorities to resolve its unprecedented emissions cheating scandal, according to an announcement by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) yesterday. 

Part of a partial Consent Decree issued by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, the agreement is the largest in automaker history. In addition to CARB, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) approved the edict.

Photo: USEPA, Fair Use

The scandal was revealed after CARB engineers discovered that VW had installed "defeat devices" in certain 2.0-liter diesel powered passenger vehicles sold under the VW and Audi nameplates. The devices prevented federal and California required emission control equipment from operating properly unless the system detected that the vehicle was undergoing an emissions inspection, at which point its programming caused the equipment to do what it was required to do by law.

Approximately 500,000 such vehicles were sold in the United States between model years 2009 and 2015. About 71,000 were sold in California. The scandal was particularly notorious because the vehicles were promoted as ones that utilized clean diesel technology, thus encouraging potential owners and lessees to choose the vehicles because they were duped into thinking that they were doing their part to help the environment.

 A similar scandal involving 3.0-liter engines sold in VW, Audi, and Porsche vehicles, is not part of this agreement.

The terms of the Decree require VW and Audi to:

• Buy back, terminate leases, or provide approved emissions modifications for nearly 475,000 2.0-liter TDI diesel cars in the U.S.;
• Provide cash payments to owners/lessees;
• Pay for environmental remediation; and
• Promote zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) technology.

California will receive about $1.2 billion to mitigate environmental damage caused by VW's cheating.

“The court’s approval of the largest settlement for California under the Clean Air Act sets in motion a public process that will develop a range of projects to mitigate the harmful health effects of smog,” said CARB’s Chair Mary D. Nichols. “While we continue to pursue penalties for these violations -- and a resolution for 3.0-liter vehicles which were also equipped with defeat devices -- this decision sends a clear message that California will continue  to ensure cars and tailpipes meet the standards designed to protect the public from pollution and smog.”