Water Crisis in San Diego

The drought is affecting all of California, but San Diego County, where I live, is going to feel the effects acutely. San Diego is, as my friends in the Bay Area like to say, reclaimed desert. As such we are dependent upon imported water. The San Diego County Water Authority, is responsible for supplying over 90 percent of the county's water. This means that if you drink from your tap, water your lawn or crops, take a shower or bath you are dependent up on the SDCWA.

Most of San Diego County seems to be unaware that we are in such a major crisis. The Voice of San Diego recently interviewed Ken Weinberg of the San Diego County Water Authority and the article showed how big of a crisis San Diego is facing . Below are some excerpts from the interview.

The whole article can be found here.

On a scale of 1-10 (1 being ideal and 10 being bad), how bad is our water supply situation right now?
This year I’d put us around a 7 moving to an 8.

This weekend, you’re taking a walk on the beach. And there’s a little lamp there. You rub it, and a genie comes out and says: Ken! I’ll give you three wishes about the world of water in California. So you can’t wish for world peace or anything. What are your three wishes?
Let’s see. A peripheral canal-type of solution in the delta. Large-scale seawater desalination. And efficient irrigation. Those are the three things, the key pieces to getting some certainty in long-term reliability in our supply in San Diego County.

Sitting here in June 2008, how likely is mandatory rationing?
If we get another dry year in 2009, there’s a good likelihood of rationing, just to protect storage. Because you don’t know when the end is in sight.

It looks like there will be a real ballot fight in November over the future of the California's water supply.

Is Nuclear Power Making a Comeback?

Nuclear energy is becoming more popular and receiving support from some diverse quarters, Republicans, the Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) of the AFL-CIO and people concerned about global warming. It makes you wonder if the stars are coming into alignment for the neglected energy sector.

Republican candidate John McCain this week proposed to build 45 new nuclear plants by 2030. Additionally he wants to expedite the permitting process for siting and building the plants. One of the major challenges is skill sets that are needed to build the facilities have become obsolete. We have not built a nuclear power plant in 30 years. There would need to be a major effort to train the workforce to build the plant. That is where labor comes in.

The BCTD President, Mark Ayers participated in a press conference with the CASE Energy Coalition, which is proposing as many as 30 new nuclear facilities. The group is looking at a "Nuclear Renaissance in" America. Two points he made really stuck out to me:

"The resurrection of America’s nuclear power industry is critical for the long-term economic well-being of America and its citizens. Our collective economic fortunes rest upon, in large part, our ability to provide affordable electrical power to American businesses and industries.

Secondly, the career opportunities associated with this resurrection will form the foundation of an American middle class revival which, in turn, will spur additional economic growth as these working families enjoy the fruits of their labors".

If that is not an endorsement I don't know what is! The full statement and white paper from the coalition endorsing more nuclear energy can be found here.

Lastly, as global warming frames more decisions, the need to generate energy without increasing the number of CO2 emissions will likely increase demand for more nuclear energy. The nuclear energy industry is very quick to point out that nuclear energy does not generate Greenhouse Gasses.

The questions is where do we put nuclear waste? No really, where are we going to put this stuff?

Stem Cell Research Facility Construction Gets a Funding Boost in California

California voters in 2004 passed Proposition 71, which a created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and authorized up to $3 billion in bonds to finance the program. A significant portion of that money was recently allocated to universities and nonprofit research institutions throughout the state.

According to the magazine Architectural Record,

"On May 7 the CIRM announced it was allocating $271 million to build stem cell research labs throughout California. The agency’s chairman Robert Klein described it as “one of the largest building programs ever dedicated to a new field of medical science.” The funds were distributed among 12 institutions that contributed, in total, an extra $560 million. Architectural firms from around the country have been tapped to design the labs, from the seven-person Davis Davis Architects in San Diego, California, to the 100-person Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, based in New York. The building streak will create 800,000 square feet of research space, and all projects should be completed and occupied within two years."


The labs are located around the state. The grants to the research facilities range from $84 million to Stanford University to grants for less than a million dollars to nonprofit researchers. The grants appear to fund the actual research as well as construction. A chart with the grant recipients and amounts can be found here.

The Architectural Record article can be found here.

Cal Air Resource Board Regulations for Off-Road Diesel Vehicles Take Effect

Much to the dismay of the construction industry, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) emission standards for Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicles took effect June 15, 2008. The CARB reports that over 1,100 people a year die prematurely from issues related to air pollution and this is one of the best ways to reducing harmful emissions. It is unknown, how large the economic impact will be, but the industry says that it may cost over $10 billion to come into compliance.

The industry has gone on the record to inform the CARB that the new regulations will cost contractors statewide billions to upgrade their equipment and the paperwork and submittals will be major burden to contractors. But the Air Resource Board took a firm position and stood behind fighting air pollution.

Below are a few important details, but their fact sheet that can be found here.

On July 26, 2007, the Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted a regulation to reduce diesel particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from in-use (existing) off-road heavy-duty diesel vehicles in California. Such vehicles are used in construction, mining, and industrial operations.

Who does this apply to?
This applies to any person, business, or government agency that owns or operates diesel-powered off-road vehicles in California (except for agricultural or personal use, or for use at ports or intermodal railyards) with engines with maximum power of 25 horsepower (hp) or greater are subject to the regulation.

What types of vehicles are subject to the regulation?
The regulation applies to self-propelled diesel-fueled vehicles that cannot be registered and licensed to drive on-road. Examples include loaders, crawler tractors, skid steers, backhoes, forklifts, and airport ground support equipment. The regulation does not apply to stationary equipment or portable equipment such as generators.

What does the regulation require?
The regulation requires fleets to apply exhaust retrofits that capture pollutants before they are emitted to the air, and to accelerate turnover of fleets to newer, cleaner engines.

Throughout the blogosphere I have read that fines can be as high as $10,000 per day.

The regulation can be found here.

Building Trades Defends Prevailing Wage from Wall Street Journal Attacks

The Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) defended the benefits of prevailing wages on Federal contracts from sniping by the Wall Street Journal's Opinion page. Last week the opinion page went on one of their conservative tirades. This one implied that prevailing wages are are just a giveaway to the unions and drive up the costs of projects. Their narrowly focused rant, not surprisingly, forgot any and all of the economic benefits that a stable, skilled construction labor force provides.

The BCTD provided some good responses to some of the assertions of the WSJ. One in particular sticks out to me.

" Where the Davis-Bacon Act is applied, union and non-union contractors alike win federal construction jobs based on having the most productive, best equipped and best managed workforce…not the cheapest, most exploitable workforce."

Living in San Diego, adjacent to the border there are many opportunities for employers to take exploit workers. This rush to the bottom for labor rates, makes working in construction impossible for many people who live in most parts of the state. Also we should encourage contractors on public works to get skilled workers instead of unskilled labor who's quality of work more that likely has a lower return on investment.

Lastly paying construction workers good wages allows construction workers to afford to live in our communities. And where to do workers that live in our communities spend their money? In our communities. The money multiplier happens and there are more jobs in our communities.

Check out the BCTD response to the article here.