EnvironmentCould Free Transit For Kids Help California Beat Climate Change?February 29, 2020Under a new Sacramento transit program, kids from pre-kindergarten to high school get to ride the region’s buses and light rail for free. Now, lawmakers are considering a proposal that tries to emulate the program.
Insight With Vicki GonzalezIs California Headed For A Drought?February 27, 2020January was dry. February was very dry. This doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a drought. One way this is measured is with snow surveys. There’s one happening today at Phillips Station. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
EnvironmentSMUD Wins In Giving Builders Solar Options, Advocates Say It Sets A Dangerous PrecedentFebruary 20, 2020 | Ezra David RomeroThe California Energy Commission unanimously voted to allow the Sacramento Municipal Utility District to offer builders and homeowners an option for community solar, in addition or instead of rooftop solar on new homes.
EnvironmentIf Bumble Bees Become Endangered In California, Farmers Say It Sets A ‘Dangerous Precedent’February 5, 2020 | Ezra David RomeroCalifornia native bees could become the first insects on the state’s endangered species list. But listing them is angering some farmers and growers that rely on bees to pollinate their crops.
EnvironmentSierra Nevada Snowpack Below Average, But Nowhere Near Levels From Most Recent DroughtJanuary 31, 2020 | Randol WhiteThe snowpack California relies on for much of its annual water supply is around 79 percent of average we head into February. Officials said that while below average, the conditions are decent.
EnvironmentFolsom Dam Is Getting Taller In Effort To Lower Flood Risk In SacramentoJanuary 21, 2020 | Bob MoffittThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is making the area around Folsom Lake higher with the hope of protecting residents in cases of extreme weather and flooding.
Great Question!Could Sacramento Flood Like New Orleans? It's Possible, But Water Managers Are Trying To Make It Less Likely.January 21, 2020 | Ezra David RomeroTwo rivers cut through the Sacramento region and that means the risk of flooding is often on people’s minds. As part of CapRadio’s Great Question! series, one listener wondered about the probability of a major flood in the Sacramento region. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
EnvironmentCalifornia’s Renewable Energy Targets Slashed Carbon Pollution — Now There’s A Proposal To Pause ThemJanuary 12, 2020It’s not about cap and trade. A non-partisan report says California's renewable energy mandate is the star of the state's greenhouse gas goals, just as some propose to stop it.
EnvironmentCalifornia’s ‘Hydrogen Highway’ Never Happened. Could 2020 Change That?January 11, 2020Hydrogen-powered cars haven't taken off. But with successful pilot projects using hydrogen buses and trucks, and with carmakers poised to expand consumers' options, proponents say this may be the year when the “fuel of the future” finally arrives.
EnvironmentCalifornia Lays Out Ambitious Climate Change Budget Plan, Says Trump Administration Isn’t HelpingJanuary 10, 2020 | Ezra David RomeroGov. Gavin Newsom’s new budget proposal holds ambitious goals for addressing climate change — including a climate resilience bond for the November ballot.