Environment in California Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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California is the third largest U.S. state in terms of area. In 2005, California’s estimated population was 36,132,147, making it the most populous state in the country. Approximately 68 percent of Californians live in the greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Areas.

The discovery of gold in 1848 led to the California Gold Rush, which marked the opening of the Sierra Nevada region to European-American occupation and development. What began as amateur mining with simple technologies in the early years transformed by the 1860s into large-scale mining, including the excavation of mines with hydrologic operations. A federal injunction put an end to immense on-site and downstream environmental impacts of hydrologic mining during the 1890s. Mining in California, however, did not stop with the end of the Gold Rush. In 2004 California ranked first in the nation in nonfuel mineral production, accounting for nearly 8 percent of the national total.

California’s diverse physical landscape is now managed through a mosaic of private, federal, and state landholdings. In 1890 Sequoia National Park became California’s first national park. In 1902 Big Basin State Park became the first state park in California. Today, 47 percent of the land ownership in California is under the control of the federal government (20 percent Forest Service, 15 percent Bureau of Land Management, 8 percent National Park Service, and 4 percent military), while 5 percent of California’s land ownership is under the jurisdiction of the state. The other 48 percent falls under private ownership.

Located at the interface of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, California experiences frequent seismic activity. The San Andreas Fault runs the length of California and is one of the state’s most active fault lines. One of the most destructive earthquakes along the fault was the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. In 1989 the Loma Prieta Earthquake struck along the San Andreas Fault, causing widespread damage to the San Francisco Bay Area.

There are many other active fault lines in California. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake in Southern California, which is considered by many to be the most costly earthquake in U.S. history, occurred along the Santa Monica Mountains Thrust Fault. In reaction to California’s vulnerable position, the California Legislature passed a landmark law in 1972 requiring the identification of seismic hazard zones. In these zones, special geologic studies are mandatory before structures can be assembled for human occupancy.

Agriculture

California’s Central Valley is the state’s true agricultural breadbasket and one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country. In 2002, California ranked first in the nation in agricultural product sales, amassing a market value of $25,737,173,000. A significant portion of California’s agricultural employment is composed of immigrants. Cesar Chavez, a Mexican American labor activist who founded the National Farm Workers Association (later the United Farm Workers), was central in the fight for immigrant worker rights throughout California and the United States. Chavez encouraged labor unions and fought for workers’ rights, including reducing worker exposure to harmful pesticides. Through these efforts, Chavez brought the plight of immigrant workers to the public’s attention and organized a number of important environmental justice agreements.

Meeting Water Demand

Water has traditionally been the most contested natural resource in California. A number of factors complicate its use and management. First, California only receives precipitation nine months out of the year, leaving summers without a consistent water supply. Second, although the state contains a number of underground aquifers, many of them are over drafted, too deep to access economically, or contaminated by toxins such as MTBE. Third, the majority of precipitation in California falls in the northern portion of the state and in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, while a majority of the population resides in the southern portion of the state. Fourth, demand is high with a population of over 36 million and the nation’s most productive agricultural sector.

All of these factors have necessitated the formation of a large-scale system for redistributing water across the state. The two key elements of this statewide system are the storage of runoff from mountain snow pack in reservoirs in order to control the timing of water delivery and the construction of waterways to control the geographic distribution of water.

In 1960 the California State Water Project commenced, enabling the production of a large water storage and transport system across the state. The Central Valley Project, containing 21 primary reservoirs and the 450-mile (725-kilometer) California Aqueduct, has enabled the delivery of water to Central Valley farmers and residents of Southern California. Today, the system supplies water to over 23 million residents and 750,000 acres (303,514 hectares) of irrigated farmland.

Other significant water storage and transport systems include the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the O’Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy. The Los Angeles Aqueduct was completed in 1913 under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The controversial aqueduct devastated the Owens Valley but was instrumental to the growth of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Today, the aqueduct still carries water southwest from the Owens Valley to the city of Los Angeles. The controversial O’Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite National Park was completed in 1923, much to the chagrin of preservationists like John Muir. Water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir serves the San Francisco Bay Area, which owes much of its early prosperity and economic growth to the reservoir.

Landmark Policies

California is home to a number of landmark policies including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which is a state-led version of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). Enacted in 1970, CEQA requires that all projects undertaken or requiring approval by state and local governments be made public and reviewed for their potential environmental impacts. Projects deemed to have significant environmental effects are required to complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). CEQA requires these agencies prescribe ways of minimizing and/or mitigating deleterious environmental impacts.

The California Endangered Species Act (CESA) of 1970 (revised in 1984) remains a progressive piece of environmental legislation. The act was created to protect endangered and rare flora and fauna threatened by rapid statewide development. The CESA has resulted in the listing of numerous plants and animals that would not otherwise be protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act. As of mid 2006, California contained 155 listed endangered and threatened animal species with 31 only listed under the California Endangered Species Act. California lists 98 plant species under the sole protection of the CESA.

The passage of the California Clean Air Act in 1988 signaled a new era of statewide stringent air quality regulations. Under this act, California’s ambient air quality standards are generally stricter than federal standards. Despite tough measures, Los Angeles was ranked in 2003 as the most polluted metropolitan area in the United States by the American Lung Association in terms of particulate matter and smog levels. Although other regions of California also experience elevated pollution on occasion, the Los Angeles Basin is particularly vulnerable due to low precipitation and a persistent inversion layer.

With over 28,000,000 registered vehicles as of 2000, transportation is responsible for roughly 35 percent of California’s energy consumption and over 85 percent of total petroleum use. California is also one of the most progressive states in terms of setting strict motor vehicle efficiency standards. For example, California passed legislation in 2002, known as the Pavley Bill, requiring automakers to limit greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles in the state. The effects of California’s progressive automobile legislation are far-reaching. By 2006, 10 other states adopted these strict California standards, which in turn put pressure on car manufacturers to fill this growing market. In 2004 California produced 80 percent of its electricity with 10.6 percent from renewable sources. The other two major energy sources in California are petroleum and natural gas. In 2004, California produced 41 percent of its petroleum and 15.5 percent of its natural gas. The rest of California’s energy needs are imported from other states. California deregulated its electricity market in 1996. A significant outcome was the 2000-01 California electricity crisis resulting in rolling blackouts, extremely high energy prices, numerous energy sector bankruptcies, a State of Emergency Declaration, and the eventual ousting of then governor Gray Davis.

Bibliography:

Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water (Penguin Books, 1993);
State of California, www.ca.gov;
University of California, The Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress (1996).