Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in English For the latest episode of the “Boiling Point” podcast, I invited two of the most prominent voices in California’s long-running rooftop solar debate to hash out their differences. The result helped explain why it’s so difficult to make faster progress on climate — even in the Golden State.Brad Heavner, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Assn., slammed Gov. Gavin Newsom for letting his appointees slash solar incentives, saying the cuts had destroyed thousands of jobs and badly undermined the industry. Severin Borenstein, an energy economist at UC Berkeley, disagreed, saying the cuts hadn’t been so bad for rooftop solar, and were in fact necessary to help stem rising electricity rates for millions of Californians.The conversation is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. The back-and-forth got tense at times, and surprisingly personal. I tried to help Heavner and Borenstein find common ground. It didn’t work.As much as anything, the discussion illustrated a phenomenon I touched on a few weeks ago, in a column titled “California’s rooftop solar infighting is a colossal waste of time.” There are a lot of people who care deeply about climate change who spend more time arguing bitterly with each other about the best policy responses than they do teaming up to fight the forces of darkness trying to keep us all hooked on fossil fuels.Which is a shame, especially given how powerful the forces of darkness are these days.Just consider the Trump administration’s latest efforts to slash the federal budget, which many experts say are a blatantly unconstitutional breach of the separation of powers of Congress and the executive branch:The Environmental Protection Agency plans to kill hundreds of grants, including dozens in California, aimed at protecting people from wildfires, reducing childhood lead poisoning and more. (Hayley Smith, L.A. Times)The National Institutes of Health, part of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services, will stop funding research on climate change‘s health effects. (Annie Waldman and Sharon Lerner, ProPublica)The Trump administration’s efforts to cut funding for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have ensnared $75 million to plant trees in the neighborhoods that need them most. (Eva Tesfaye, NPR) A sea lion has a seizure at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro. (William Liang / For The Times) President Trump’s budget freeze has put wildlife at risk too:Scientists say the spending cuts will threaten their ability to save marine creatures, such as the sea lions and dolphins currently dying in droves along the California coast. (Susanne Rust and Corinne Purtill, L.A. Times)Federal officials are threatening to slash funding for wildlife crossings over highways. The crossings help not only wildlife but also people who might otherwise get into car crashes. (Catrin Einhorn, New York Times)Speaking of which: The first layers of soil were laid Monday on the world’s biggest wildlife crossing, over the 101 Freeway between California’s Simi Hills and Santa Monica Mountains. (Seema Mehta, L.A. Times)Meanwhile, federal officials are going to bat for polluting companies:While the fossil fuel industry waits for the Trump administration to roll back toxic chemical and air pollution regulations, federal officials say power plant operators and other industrial facilities can email the EPA to ask for temporary exemptions directly from the president. (Hayley Smith, L.A. Times)Trump told a White House staffer to look for ways to help the oil industry fight climate lawsuits brought by state and local governments, including California. (Maxine Joselow and Anna Phillips, Washington Post)The Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars of funds to plug abandoned oil and gas wells, which can leak heat-trapping methane and pollute local water sources. (Nick Bowlin, High Country News)Trump and his appointees aren’t just promoting fossil fuels; they’re undermining renewable energy, with plans to revoke funding for energy storage technologies that could replace oil and gas, Heated’s Emily Atkin reports.Federal officials also are thinking about slashing funding for hydrogen projects in blue states including California — while continuing to fund hydrogen in red states, Politico reports. Hydrogen is controversial, with some climate advocates seeing it as a useful alternative to fossil fuels and others considering it a poor substitute for renewable energy. Either way, funding hydrogen in red states and not blue ones would be vindictive and un-American.All of which brings us back to the rooftop solar debate.Even before Trump returned to the White House, it didn’t make sense for climate advocates to expend too much time and energy hating on each other. They’re on the same team. They want to build a safer, healthier world, and scientists say it’s crucial to reduce emissions as quickly as possible — ideally more than 40% globally by 2030.I sympathize with both Heavner and Borenstein. Each is convinced he’s right about the best way to accelerate climate progress in California. Each is frustrated that lots of people disagree.Somehow, we need to bridge our divides and work together. I just wish I knew how.On that note, here’s what’s happening around the West:THE FIRES Rubble and ash are what remain of a house destroyed in the Eaton fire along McNally Avenue in Altadena. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) It’s been nearly three months since the Eaton and Palisades fires ignited. Now rebuilding is underway — but when you see headlines about local officials approving rebuilding permits, know that they’re doing so despite the Trump administration refusing to test soil on affected properties for toxins, as The Times’ Tony Briscoe reports.Even without soil testing, there are plenty of reasons to be alarmed:Early research has found alarmingly high levels of lead and mercury in the blood of firefighters who battled the Eaton and Palisades fires. (Salvador Hernandez, L.A. Times)New test results from environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay show high levels of lead and other heavy metals in the coastal waters off Los Angeles after the fires. (Corinne Purtill, L.A. Times)Swimming pools in the Eaton fire area could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which have already been spreading disease more easily in Southern California due to climate change. (Hayley Smith, L.A. Times)Speaking of climate change, rising temperatures will keep adding to the region’s fire danger:State officials have added 440,000 acres to Los Angeles County’s fire hazard zones. The new maps leave a lot to be desired, though; most of Altadena still isn’t included. (Noah Haggerty and Sean Greene, L.A. Times)Some of the homes destroyed in the Palisades fire were right along the coast — meaning families desperate to rebuild have no choice but to think about sea level rise too. (James Rainey, L.A. Times)Southern California Edison, meanwhile, continues to face scrutiny for its possible role in igniting the Eaton fire. Edison is now being sued by Pasadena Unified School District — only the latest party to sue the company.A few other stories related to Edison, wildfires and lawsuits:With California utility companies spending so much customer money to limit ignitions from their equipment, why are there still so many ignitions? Utility critics have questions. (Melody Petersen, L.A. Times)Famed activist Erin Brockovich is working with one of the law firms bringing suit against Edison, helping the firm sign up Altadena-area wildfire victims to sue the utility company. (Matt Hamilton, L.A. Times)Under an executive order from Gov. Newsom, private and public utilities can rebuild electric lines, gas pipes and other infrastructure in Altadena and Pacific Palisades without having to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act or the California Coastal Act. (Grace Toohey, L.A. Times)Last but not least: Are you looking to rebuild your home quickly, with fire-resistant material? Then modular or prefabricated housing might be for you, my colleague Liam Dillon writes.EVERYTHING ELSE The California Aqueduct runs through farmland in Kern County. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) First, a quick reminder that oil and gas combustion doesn’t just cause global warming: A new study out of Colorado suggests that living within a few miles of oil and gas extraction can increase the risk of childhood leukemia. Here’s the story from Ishan Thakore of CPR News.In the renewable energy realm, California’s first-ever solar-over-canal project is now producing electricity in the San Joaquin Valley, as Joe Cortez reports for the Turlock Journal. See also my story from 2021 about the potential for canal-spanning solar systems to reduce — although far from eliminate — the need for big solar farms.A few other good-news stories:California now has more electric vehicle charging ports than gas nozzles. (Nathan Solis, L.A. Times)In a positive sign for water supplies, Sierra Nevada snowpack is at 90% of average. That’s near normal levels at the height of snowpack season for the third year in a row. (Melody Petersen, L.A. Times)The Trump administration restored funding for a captive breeding program for Delta smelt, an endangered fish — possibly a concession to the reality that water deliveries to Central Valley farmers depend on keeping the fish alive. (Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle)Not everything was swell this week. The Oregon young people who first sued the federal government a decade ago, demanding stronger action on climate, won’t even get a trial; after a dismissal and several appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear their case, Claire Rush reports for the Associated Press.In Sacramento, meanwhile, state lawmakers are debating the most ambitious proposal ever to reform the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. The bill would make it easier to build dense infill housing, which could reduce heat-trapping pollution from driving. But some activists fear that weakening CEQA could have other damaging environmental consequences. Here’s the story from Ben Christopher at CalMatters.ONE MORE THING A U.S. flag hangs from the ladders of a firetruck parked outside Dodger Stadium before the team’s home opener on Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) I got to Dodger Stadium for Thursday’s home opener several hours early, so I missed the climate protest outside the ballpark. But my L.A. Times colleague Mark E. Potts stopped by to take a video. He talked with activists urging Dodgers owner Mark Walter to dump oil industry sponsor Phillips 66, owner of gas station chain 76.Some folks don’t appreciate the commingling of sports and politics. I understand the instinct.But as Times sports columnist Dylan Hernandez wrote this week, it’s not always possible to disentangle the two. He criticized the Dodgers, the franchise of Jackie Robinson, for accepting President Trump’s invitation to visit the White House as World Series champions.“Eight days after their White House visit, the Dodgers will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. They will insinuate, if not outright say, they are more than a baseball team,” Dylan wrote. “They will portray themselves as leaders of social progress. They will be full of it.”In my view, his argument also applies to leadership on climate change.“The Dodgers are embarking on the path of least resistance, and that’s not what leaders do,” Dylan wrote.This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our “Boiling Point” podcast here.For more climate and environment news, follow @Sammy_Roth on X and @sammyroth.bsky.social on Bluesky.
Keep Reading
