Free Republic

The California State Fish and Game Commission adopted sweeping closures of ocean waters off the Southern California coast, eliminating sportfishing and most other uses in these areas in a vote Dec. 15 in Santa Barbara. In adopting the regulations, mandated as part of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), three words come immediately to mind about the process: corrupt, unfunded and unnecessary. The process has been flawed from the beginning. First, there is massive conflict of interest that should disqualify two of the commissioners from voting: Commissioner Michael Sutton, whose employer stands to gain financially with the passage of massive...

In legal papers filed with the state Supreme Court, environmentalists have accused California energy regulators of violating state law by approving an expansion of the El Segundo power plant without requiring operators to study the potential harm to marine life. Santa Monica Baykeeper and Heal the Bay alleged in the filing last week that the California Energy Commission went against state recommendations to study the effects of large water pipes that suck in and destroy trillions of marine organisms every year. El Segundo plant operators plan to increase the amount of Santa Monica Bay seawater pulled in by 25%, for...

<p>HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.(AP) - A stretch of beach here was rated among Orange County's five most polluted by the environmental group Heal the Bay.</p> <p>"It's the usual suspects," said the group's executive director Mark Gold. "Orange County had six sewage spills that, though minor, resulted in shoreline closures, compared to four in Los Angeles County that did not lead to closures. Last year, Orange County had 14 sewage spills."</p>