It was music to these Californians' ears to hear President Obama call for the first-ever federal limits on carbon pollution from power plants as part of his comprehensive climate change initiative. Many of the policy commitments made by the president are rooted in the path breaking work pioneered here in California. Now we have a partner in Washington, DC. NRDC president Frances Beinecke made the following statement:

"The president nailed it: this can't wait. We will cut this carbon pollution today so our children don’t inherit climate chaos tomorrow. We owe that to future generations, and we owe it to ourselves."

It was also good to see California's Governor Brown driving home the importance of science in public policy. He joined in a "call to action" highlighting the scientific consensus about the very real impacts of climate change. Science must also be in the driver’s seat when it comes to water management. The state-federal Bay Delta Conservation Plan must meet the coequal goals of water supply reliability and restoration of the delta's beleaguered ecosystem. California state officials traveled to Washington, D.C. to discuss the governor's two-tunnel proposal. California’s congressional representatives are asking the hard questions that need to be asked to safeguard the environment and scarce public dollars. Taking more water from the estuary would jeopardize California's $250 million per year salmon fishery and other native fish. But if we take action now to manage our water resources, we can have a reliable water supply, healthy rivers and fisheries—even in the face of climate change.

Annie Notthoff, California Advocacy Director
Joel Reynolds, Western Director

California's Assembly Appropriations Committee deep-sixed a bill to reduce widespread plastic pollution last month. With no warning or explanation, the committee refused to take action on AB 521, a bill that would have required manufacturers to figure out how to keep the most common plastic junk out of state waterways. NRDC is now focusing on broadening the coalition for support of a comprehensive approach to combat plastic pollution, especially within important southern California districts. Join us in the Stop Plastics Pollution Campaign and send a message to California's senators that says you don't want your ocean trashed.

As a part of its annual meeting, NRDC’s Global Leadership Council met with more than 20 members of the U.S. Senate and with President Obama's key advisors on climate: Heather Zichal and Nancy Sutley. GLC members urged the president to use his executive authority under the Clean Air Act to issue carbon pollution standards for existing power plants. The GLC group made the case forcefully that there's no time to waste to combat the climate threat. Now that the President has announced his ambitious plan to combat climate change, the GLC will be working to make sure that plan comes to life.

NRDC and our allies won another round in the fight against the notorious Foothill-South Toll Road when the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board turned down this ill-conceived highway project earlier this month. The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency has resurrected its proposal to build the toll road, which would pave over San Onofre State Beach and destroy some of the last remaining wildands along the southern California coast. The regional board’s denial is the latest setback for the road, joining rejections by the California Coastal Commission and the Bush administration in 2008. NRDC continues to fight this proposal. We’ve reopened our 2006 lawsuit against the agency, filed a new lawsuit challenging the toll road, and are rallying public support to stop this unpopular highway project as we did five years ago.

Since 1975, NRDC Trustee Robert Redford has dedicated himself to promoting sound stewardship of the earth. Ranging from efforts to move the country off oil, to stopping tar sands, to protecting Bristol Bay, Mr. Redford has been an undeniable force, truly invested in helping NRDC drive solutions forward to resolve America’s most critical environmental woes. Recently, Mr. Redford was featured in a powerful new TV and online campaign in which he singles out the most effective tool for tackling the climate crisis right now—presidential leadership—challenging President Obama to have the courage of his convictions. "Thirty-eight years ago I decided to consolidate my energies behind the one environmental group with the most power: NRDC. They had the power to sue—the power to go to court against the corporate goliaths. I've felt that way ever since and I feel that way even more so today." We humbly thank him for his devotion— and leadership throughout the years. NRDC looks forward to our continued partnership with Mr. Redford as we continue our fight for the protection of our planet.