U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Bird Nerds Really Excited About Christmas Avian Count

On Thursday, bird fanatics from around the Bay Area will gather in San Francisco to do what they do best: Look at birds. At this post-Christmas powow, avian aficionados will trek through city parks, neighborhoods, the bay, and the woods, with binoculars and scopes calling out the names and numbers ... More >>

Environmental Protection: New Research Says It's About Spin

Chevron Says Bay Area Air Is Safe After Refinery Fire

We already gave you the bad news today: Gas prices are ridiculously high, in part because of the Chevron fire last week. But there is some good news you can take in. Contrary to what you saw last Monday -- plumes of black smoke hanging in the air -- Chevron says you can go ahead and take a deep brea ... More >>

San Francisco Cellphone Safety Law To Be Debated in Court This Week

Cellphone users in the 21st century are just like cigarette smokers were in the 1950s -- addicted to the buzz. But, like cigarettes, do cellphones really need "warning labels" alerting us to the potential health dangers? Well, that's exactly what San Francisco is trying to find out.On Thursday, the ... More >>

Bayview-Hunters Point Community Weighs in on Navy's Plan for Superfund Site

Many San Franciscans were unaware of a local Superfund site in the Hunters Point Shipyard until there was a fire in the landfill in 2000. The fire occurred on the most contaminated portion of property in San Francisco.Now there's a debate over what to do about it and how exactly to clean it up.Many ... More >>

Gary Johnson, Libertarian Candidate, Gives Marijuana Supporters an Alternative to Republicans

Will Ron Paul Supporters Follow?For all the love showered upon him by cannabis and hemp activists, Ron Paul was always going to be a bitter pill for liberals to swallow. On the surface, the straight-talking Texan sounded good for voters weary with mainstream party choices: The long-tenured Congressm ... More >>

Columbus Salame: Will Noxious Chemicals Harm Brand?

For Bay Area shoppers, staring into the eyes of Christopher Columbus' homely visage is a nostalgic experience. Columbus Salame, like Mother's Cookies or even the It's-It, is a company that deserves the title "local institution." Ice cream and cookie companies may hold a more special place in the hea ... More >>

Columbus Salame: Will Noxious Chemicals Harm Brand?

For Bay Area shoppers, staring eye-to-eye into Christopher Columbus' homely visage is a nostalgic experience. Columbus Salame, like Mother's Cookies or even the It's-It, is a company that deserves the title "local institution." Ice cream and cookie companies may hold a more special place in the hear ... More >>

SF's Drinking Water May Be Unsafe for Those with HIV/AIDS

UV-Irradiated Water Doesn't Alarm San Francisco Alarmists

​San Francisco's elected officials are worried that the radiation from cell phones will melt your brain. Our citizenry is certain that the radiation from PG&E Smart Meters will melt your brain. Our school board is terrified that irradiated meats will melt your childrens' brains.  So the c ... More >>

Erosion at Ocean Beach could send sewage into the sea

Drink up: SF Tap Water "Safer" Than Bottled Water

sfwater.orgWorth every penny​Take a long, cool drink of the Hetch Hetchy the next time someone hands you a bottle of Fiji: city officials have long said that the imported mountain water which provides San Franciscans' tap water is better than bottled H20, and now they have a study to prove it.The ... More >>

Baylinks: Limos, Velociraptors, and 420

He's got nothin' on Bea...​Totally nutzo PETA ad starring the deceased Bea Arthur followed by painting of Bea Arthur schooling a velocirapter? Thank you! [Vegansaurus!]So, no one showed up for 420 in the Haight. Juuuuust kidding! [SF Citizen]Banner accusing Yellow Cab of almost killing them might ... More >>

Your Rundown on the Week in S.F. Government

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi will be even happier if his colleagues agree to denounce PG&E this week​Do you fear the encroachments of the technological Leviathan known as Google? Are you wary of the carcinogenic effects of your cell phone? Relax. That buzzing you feel in your head probably isn't ... More >>

Dead Sea

An unpublished study shows the surprisingly lethal effects of the Cosco Busan oil spill. Why are government scientists helping the ship's owner keep it a secret?

Baylinks: Body Armor, Helpless Tourists, & Dangling Beds

​Not sure if you can wear body armor or not? Read this primer. [Sweet Melissa]Muni Manners rule No. 42: Instead of mocking them, help lost tourists. [Muni Manners]Kill joys warn pantsless BART riders not to shock grannies. [SFAppeal]Facebook group promotes mowing down cyclists. [Streetsblog]Leogla ... More >>

S.F. Water Main Rupture Symptomatic of Trillion-Dollar National Problem

Eruptions of water are more picturesque in Yellowstone Park than South of Market​Here's a reassuring thought -- yes, the city does have a program in place to replace its oldest and most vulnerable water mains. Here's a less reassuring thought: A 100-year-old water main burst over the weekend, floo ... More >>

U.S. Sues San Francisco Over 2005 Muni Fuel Spill

Jim Herd​UPDATE: City, DOJ, EPA Agree on $250K settlement, see details here.U.S. Department of Justice attorneys filed suit against San Francisco in connection with a 2005 bus yard fuel spill that released as much as 54,000 gallons of diesel gasoline into San Francisco soil and sewers -- with some ... More >>

I Wish I Knew How to Quit You: S.F. Chamber of Commerce Won't Leave Global Warming-Denialist U.S. Chamber

​People in fields such as petroleum, investment banking, or running chambers of commerce, know what it means to be blessed. They are embedded within industries that love to put on conventions and trade shows. Workers travel to distant cities, check into the Hyatt, mingle with people who went the s ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

The Man Who Cried Dust

Christopher Muhammad's fight with Lennar over toxic dust has resulted in a restraining order against him, an accusation that he's a shakedown artist, and grudging respect from his rivals.

Transit Spotting

A transportation activist points to inefficient and costly projects like the Central Subway.

Wii's Samurai Warriors Offers Dull Swordplay

Unhealthy Union

Could there be a secret deal with Arnold on health care that will inflate union rolls?

The Simpsons Movie : Grade A- “… It Doesn’t Suck!...”

Global Warning

Al Gore was in town last week to remind us all that we're ruining the planet. But do you think the concern about climate change is just a bunch of hot air?

Toxic Acres

The fill below Treasure Island is filled with dangerous toxins left by the Navy

Reps Etc.

Fishing on the Dock of the Bay

Too many fishermen are still unaware of the dangers of consuming San Francisco Bay seafood

A Question of Risk

Plans for a biodefense "hot lab" at Lawrence Livermore have ecologists, disarmament advocates, and mainstream scientists up in arms

Letters to the Editor

Week of October 15, 2003

Glowing Review

The Navy says radiation levels are within federal safety guidelines, but are higher than what is legally acceptable for the property to be transferred

Diseaseville

Asthma, cancer, and other illnesses occur at higher-than-average rates in Hunters Point. Many residents blame the nearby Navy shipyard, one of the most contaminated ex-military bases in the nation.

Hot Story

Navy admits burning 600,000 gallons of radioactive fuel at S.F. shipyard

Calling All Yahoos

Worried about what John Poindexter's up to as federal information czar? Call his home number and ask.

Papered Over

The Chronicle turns its back on the people of Bayview-Hunters Point

Burning Mad

Deciding they just wouldn't take it anymore, Bayview citizens stopped a Navy plan to incinerate toxic gas at Hunters Point Shipyard

Fallout: The Past Is Present

The Nuclear Witnesses

Apples and Oranges; Water Fight

How Kennedyesque is Gavin Newsom?

Now, the Emphatic Colonic News

Chevron to Turks: Bay is pristine! GOP to pot doctor: Good job! Tenants to landlords: You're illegal! Potheads to supervisors: Like, wow -- a sanctuary!

Running on Empty

Detroit automakers have spent millions attempting to unplug California's effort to put electric cars on the road. And so far, Detroit's succeeding.

Dragon Bites

A Beautiful Day to Be Irradiated; We Have Plenty of Lines Open; Annals of Blowback; Press Release of the Week

Pointed Queries

Three California members of Congress are demanding information from the Navy about radioactive materials at Hunters Point Shipyard

The Return of the Screw

PG&E is doing to New England what greedy, polluting, out-of-state energy suppliers have done to PG&E and California

Regulating Change

Bush will likely gut national health and safety regulation; local liberals screw up regulation by forgetting its purpose -- protecting the general public

Current Events

How development pressure and environmental law may force radical change along the seemingly idyllic but deeply troubled Russian River

Midway to Nowhere

The residents of Daly City's Midway Village wonder if their environmental concerns will ever be addressed

Foul Ball

The Giants' new stadium site is almost certainly seeping a stew of toxic chemicals into the bay. Why doesn't the government care?

No Place Like House

Dish