Golden Empire Chapter News 
Environmental News Impacting the Golden Empire

K-8 Environmental Education Grant Program and College Scholarship Program Winners  EDUCATION GRANTS AWARDED  Cesar Chavez Elementary - School Garden Program Freedom Middle School - Garden Program Stockdale Elementary - Science Kits Discovery Elementary - Science Books/Quizzes Lost Hills Elementary - Garden Program Lost Hills Elementary - Solar System Project (2 awards) A.M. Thomas Middle School - Solar Panels/Rech. Batteries Stockdale Elementary - Paper Recycling Munsey School - 4-Mondule Science Programs SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED Jessica Reed - CSUB Laura Greenwood - UC Berkley William Bedard - CSUB Kate Greenwood - UC Berkley Cassandra Poe - Bakersfield College Allison Duran - Concordia University Jake Reed - Bakersfield College Kristen Ewert - U. S. Naval Academy The Chapter is proud to announce these winners who are participating in grants and scholarships totaling almost $10,000!

EPA ANNOUNCES NEW SMOG HEALTH STANDARD    The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a stricter new standard for smog-causing pollutants on Thursday that, if adopted, will impose large costs on industry and local governments but will also bring substantial health benefits to millions of Americans.  The proposed standard would replace one set by the Bush administration in March 2008, which has been challenged in court by environmental advocates as too weak to adequately protect human health and the environment.  The Obama administration's proposal sets a primary standard for ground-level ozone of no more than 0.06 to 0.07 parts per million, to be phased in over two decades. The new rule would replace the standard of 0.075 parts per million imposed by the Bush administration. The agency is also proposing a secondary standard that will vary with the seasons to protect plants and trees from repeated exposure.  The agency estimated that complying with the new standard will cost $19 billion to $90 billion a year by 2020, to be largely be borne by manufacturers, oil refiners and utilities. But the agency said that those costs would be offset by the benefits to human health, which it valued at $13 billion to $100 billion a year in the same period.  For more information check out the article in the New York Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/07/us/AP-US-EPA-Smog.html

ATTENTION TEACHERS! Environmental Lesson Plans Teaching Aids The following lesson plans are now available through A&WMA's website...   Air Quality: Particulate Matter-"Consider the Source" - An Air Quality lesson for Grades 3-5 - Students learn about natural and human-generated sources of the criteria pollutants. Air Quality: Particulate Matter-"A Bird's Eye View" - An Air Quality lesson for Grades K-2 - Students construct a "flying bird" to learn about air pollution. Air Quality: Ozone-"Ozone-"The Good (Ozone), The Bad (Ozone), and The Ugly (Smog)" -An Air Quality lesson for Grades 3-5-Students will build an earth using modeling clay to learn about ozone.

DTSC's REA E-Newsletter Available Here  The California DTSC's March-April 2011 REA E-Newsletter is now available for your review.  Even if you're not an REA there's lots of great information available.  The newsletter provides information on currently available courses, DTSC job postings, future Webcasts, air, waste, water and pesticide issues.

Appeals Court Rules in Favor of SJVAPCD on Rule 9510 Case  An appeals court has validated the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's pioneering regulation requiring that new developments in the Valley air basin contain air-mitigation measures.  The Fifth District Court of Appeals in Fresno affirmed a landmark 2008 decision by the Fresno County Superior Court which ruled in favor of the District in a challenge by developers to District Rule 9510. Also called Indirect Source Review, the rule was adopted in December 2005 and establishes development fees for air-pollution mitigation.

The lawsuit claimed that the District had no authority to regulate development and impose fees, and amounted to a tax under Proposition 13. It was filed in June 2006 by the California Building Industry Association.  To read more about the judgment go to the District's web page.

Employment Opportunities    If you're looking for a job in the environmental field, look no further.  A&WMA's Career Center is a new online resource for job seekers in the environmental professions.  And if you're looking for qualified environmental professionals to fill a job vacancy, we can help there, too. The A&WMA Career Center provides job seekers with free and confidential resume posting and many other benefits.  Employers get access to one of the largest audiences of qualified environmental professionals.  Be one of the first to take advantage of this new service! Visit the A&WMA Career Center today to post your resume or job listings. 

Is A&WMA Membership in Your Future?   A membership in A&WMA can prove to be a real enhancement to you personally and to your career.  If you aren't a member of A&WMA at either the Chapter or the National level - why not consider joining today?!!  Membership comes with many benefits - and there are even more being planned for YOU right now!  To learn more about what A&WMA membership has to offer you, take a few minutes to view our PowerPoint slide show titled A Partner In Your Success!   Then simply click on the MEMBERSHIP tab to join us!    
 

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MONTH'S EM MAGAZINE!  EM Celebrates over 10 years of helping environmental professionals - preview a copy today.  Just click on the cover to the left! A free subscription to EM or to A&WMA's Journal (a $49/year value) is available to all Chapter members who are National members as well.  To learn more about membership and its benefits, just go to the MEMBERSHIP tab.

The A&WMA Journal is available to all Chapter members who are National members as well.  To learn more about membership and its benefits, just go to the MEMBERSHIP tab.

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