Nettleton Insights - September 21, 2016

September 21, 2016

Climate change, clean technology, the economy and jobs. While you wouldn't know it from the presidential campaigns, great gains are being made in the clean energy economy. An August 8, 2016, report by Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), “District Economic Facts From Climate Policies (California),” assessed the economic impacts of climate policy on each of California’s assembly districts. E2 says that $37 billion has flowed into the California cleantech economy since 2006, resulting in 500,000 jobs. This makes clean energy the fastest growing industry sector in the state, and California is the fastest growing economy in the country (tied with Oregon but California’s GDP is bigger). In a March 2016 report, “Clean Jobs America,” E2 determined that on the national level the U.S. now has 2.5 million clean energy jobs. A related story in GreenTechMedia asks why the mainstream media doesn’t seem to know clean energy jobs are growing rapidly in America.

Water innovation. Water continues to be of concern in the west, but the innovation economy is stepping up to the challenge. From low-flow showerheads to collecting water from the air, innovators are gaining ground. Some examples:

• Nebia has developed a low-flow showerhead (.7 gallons per minute) using jet engine technology that gives a great shower.
• Skywell has a system that can capture up to 100 gallons each day from the air.Ambient Water is developing a similar system in with UC San Diego.
• Envi has devised a system to wash cars at your location without water, using a natural product, and you call for the service with an app.
• Hittite Green Solutions uses waste heat to treat seawater and industrial waste water and can produce between 25,000 and 75,000 gallons per day.
• MillerCoors has reduced the amount of water needed to make a barrel of beer (31 gallons) from 3.88 to 3.01 barrels.
• The West Basin Municipal Water District has developed a multi-faceted water recycling program that develops five different types of water from groundwater replenishment to an ultrapure project for Chevron.
• The Orange County Sanitation District’s Groundwater Replenishment System is the world’s largest purification system for potable use, recycling waste water and injecting into an aquifer for use by the Orange County Water District.
• By 2030, the City of San Diego plans to recycle enough water to provide 53 million gallons each day and to supply that water directly through its reservoir system.
• The San Diego County Water Authority is supporting the Carlsbad Desalination Plant and developing projects that use lower cost solar and wind energy to pump water uphill to a storage reservoir. Later in the day, it sends the water downhill to a hydroelectric plant and sells the energy at a profit.

Is a true multi-party system in the works? Could the rancor in the Republican Partyand the push and pull between the two wings of the Democratic Party make it likely that one or more new parties will emerge after the elections?  Could moderate Republicans and Democrats come together as a middle-of-the-road party? Will there be a Trump Party if the Donald doesn’t win in November and traditional Republicans are able to take back their hijacked brand? Will Bernie Sanders lead a new Progressive Party given that the non-profit Our Revolution has formed, led by his former campaign manager? Evangelicals (think Ted Cruz) and Tea Party activists (Ron Paul) are other potential groups that could form parties. Even the Libertarians are gaining strength that could be a factor if the U.S. system becomes truly multi-party rather than a two-party system. See my May 16 story in Huffington Post about this subject.

Climate change and global civil disruption. The fighting in the Middle East has no end in sight, but international leaders are failing to recognize the role that climate change has played in that part of the world and will play elsewhere as climate impacts grow. The drought that began in Syria in 2006 resulted in the country becoming a net importer of wheat when previously it had been an exporter. More dangerously, 1.5 million people from farm communities migrated to camps outside of cities, most with no jobs, making them susceptible to recruitment by the Islamic State. See my story in Fortuneaddressing the issue and what could happen in other parts of the world as climate change creates drought, sea level rise, extreme storms and other impacts.

Trade benefits San Diego, the U.S. and Mexico. While trade and Mexico are both volatile topics on the campaign trail, San Diego, the U.S. and Mexico all continue to benefit from trade. The Wilson Institute says that forty cents of every dollar the U.S. spends to buy manufactured goods from Mexico comes back to the U.S. through the logistics chain. Every Toyota Tacoma in the U.S. is made in Tijuana, and on September 14 Toyota announced it plans to invest $150 million in Tijuana to make 50,000 more Tacoma pickups each year. This comes on the heels of the September 12 announcement by ICON Corporation that it will build a facility in Tijuana to manufacture composite airframe components for the company’s A5 aircraft, creating 1,000 jobs.  This is all part of the annual $6 billion in cross-border trade between Tijuana and San Diego. See my April 30 story in Huffington Post about trade benefits.

Recently Published Stories

• August 9, 2016, Huffington Post, "San Diego a Leader in Phones, Drones and Genomes: the TPP and Jobs of the Future," a look at the importance of international trade to San Diego.
• July 26, 2016, Fortune, "What the U.S. Presidential Candidates Are Missing in the Immigration Debate," examines the role that climate change and drought will play in civil disruption and the development of groups like the Islamic State using drought in Syria and conflict in the Middle East as an example.
• June 11, 2016, Huffington Post, "In the Move to Robot Vehicles, the Enemy Is Us," a story about the integration of automated vehicles using the road infrastructure if vehicles driven by people were eliminated.
• May 28, 2016, Huffington Post, "New Binational Research Institute Represents the Future for U.S. Mexico Relations," a story about the human side of the opening of the new Cali-Baja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
• May 16, 2016, Huffington Post, "Could the U.S. Become a Multi-Party Nation?" the U.S. political system has always been dominated by two political parties, however, this year both the Democrats and Republicans have evolved into groups that could be imagined as new political parties.
• April 30, 2016, Huffington Post, "Presidential Campaigns Make U.S./Mexico Benefits Invisible," a story about the lack of visibility of cross border trade and culture during the presidential campaigns.
• April 23, 2016, Huffington Post, "Leaving 'The Rock,'" a story that asks if we are willing to move to a clean energy future metaphorically linked to my days as a UPS truck washer.
• March 25, 2016, Huffington Post, "A Kettle of Hawks and the Pundits Circled," a fun story relating the annual migration of Swainson's hawks with the 2016 presidential campaign.

Carl Nettleton

Carl Nettleton is an acclaimed writer, speaker, facilitator, and analyst. Nettleton Strategies is an environmental policy firm that specializes in oceans, all things water, energy, climate, and U.S./Mexico border issues. Carl also founded OpenOceans Global, a non-profit linking people to the world's oceans. He serves on the national and California advisory councils for Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), a national, nonpartisan group of business owners, investors and others who advocate for policies that are good for the economy and good for the environment. He is also active with the international Eye on Earth initiative and other business and environmental organizations. He regularly writes for the Huffington Post, the Independent Voter Network (IVN), and other publications.

Nettleton Insights SPECIAL EDITION - Annual Water Update

April 5, 2016

The Greatest Debate, the Best Presidential Debate

March 16, 2016

As a professional facilitator, I have been disappointed by the failure of moderators to better manage the 2016 presidential debates. A clear set of rules could help to avoid the disrespectful banter that has dominated the dialogue.

While recognizing the debates have become a source of entertainment, there is still time for a meaningful debate, if the media and the candidates are willing.

Two primary rules should be followed:

• The candidates should agree to respect the opinions of others even if they don’t embrace that point of view. The late Justice Anthonin Scalia said it best: “I respect the people who have them, but I think those views are just flat out wrong.”
• The moderator should never lose control of the microphone.

Candidates would be allowed to respectfully say “I don’t agree with the way the U.S. is handling this issue.” They would not be allowed to disrespectfully say “he is lying about that.”

To maintain respectful dialogue, the moderator should be able to mute the microphone of each candidate. The first time a candidate violates any rule, he or she is cut off for five minutes. The second time, the penalty is ten minutes. Five minutes would be added for each violation thereafter.

Given the disrespectful tenor of the past debates, these two additional rules should also apply:

• No references to other candidates, their policies, or the names of past presidents. For example, candidates should not say “I want to get rid of ObamaCare,” but would be allowed to say “the Affordable Care Act doesn’t achieve the health care reform we need. This is what’s wrong with it and what I would do to fix it.” This effectively would describe a point of view about the current status of healthcare without disparaging a person or personalizing policy. Similarly, they would not be allowed to allude to their opponents in a negative way. The purpose would be to focus on their own points of view instead of just blaming or praising others.
• Adjectives that provide an opinion would not be allowed. Given the current rancorous dialogue, this rule would remove the ability to describe a policy by just calling it “great” or to characterize a candidate by calling their hands “small.”

These are the questions and the progression of the debate that would make it work.

1. In place of an opening statement, what are the three most important professional positions you have held that qualify you to be president?
2. What are the three most important issues or problems that must be addressed or resolved? Describe your view about why each is a problem in no more than three sentences using facts.
3. What would this issue look like in the future if you could fix the problem?

The issues would be listed on the screen in the order that they were most frequently mentioned and discussed in that order. Each candidate be asked to list the three most important steps they would take to address the issue.

During the remaining time, candidates would debate the ideas for each issue, testing each other’s responses, but not personalizing them.

Closing comments would be limited to describing what they learned during the debate that will help them present their viewpoints to the American people during the rest of the campaign.

The debate should not be a party-centric. There are eight candidates remaining, three Republicans, three Democrats, one Green, and one Libertarian. Democrat Roque De La Fuente is on the ballot in all fifty states but has been ignored. Libertarian Gary Johnson, the former Governor of New Mexico, and Green candidate Jill Stein have also been invisible in the media.

De La Fuente, Johnson, and Stein have no chance of becoming president, but perhaps they have knowledge or points of view that would inform the dialogue. For example, De La Fuente is a major landowner on the Mexican border at San Diego and Johnson was the governor of a state bordering Mexico. They might provide some intelligent observations about border issues. Likewise, Jill Stein is a physician who might have thoughtful views on health care.

This debate format might attract and hold less viewers than those to-date, particularly those viewers who have been watching primarily to gape at the juvenile banter, but it would tell us more about the candidates and their ideas than we know now.

Two questions remain:

• Is there a major media outlet willing to host a great debate, the best debate, using these rules?
• Would the candidates participate if invited?

NOTE: This post first appeared in the Huffington Post on March 16, 2016.

Where In the West Are the Presidential Candidates?

March 3, 2016

As the presidential election cycle ramps up, the usual polarizations are apparent: blue states and red states, Tea Party vs. liberals, and right-to-life vs. choice. The new anti-establishment trend has firmly established itself with Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump gaining unexpected support.

However, another trend has gone unexplored by campaign analysts: the lack of candidates from the West.

The above map of all 2016 presidential candidates locates their city of residence and shows the South and the Northeast are well represented with well-known candidates, but the West doesn’t even have one with name recognition.

As defined by U.S. Census Bureau, the West has a population of 76 million, nearly 25 percent of the nation. Except for the Libertarian Gary Johnson from New Mexico and Democrat Roque De La Fuente from California, there are no candidates from the western half of the country. Both De La Fuente and Johnson are virtually unknown, have no access to debates, and might not be representative of the West even if they were to be heard. But we haven’t heard from them, so we don’t know.

As of February 21, 2016, ten candidates remained, and the map above of those remaining shows even more clearly the representation of candidates with name recognition from the South and the Northeast.

Every sitting president must take into account the needs of the populations of all the states. However, that accounting is shaped by the dialogue of the campaign season. Without strong, recognizable voices competing in the presidential campaign, even voices unlikely to win, the interests, issues and opportunities that come from the West will be less likely to be heard. As a result, western issues will be less likely to gain traction with the next administration.

“Without strong, recognizable voices competing in the presidential campaign, even voices unlikely to win, the interests, issues and opportunities that come from the West will be less likely to be heard.”

A good example is the immigration/border issue. The national agenda has focused on illegal immigration, closing the border, and striking fear into working class audiences about how illegal immigrants are taking U.S. jobs. A California point of view might ask how could the border be more open, how could we better take advantage of the synergies between our two economies, and how we can create programs that allow legal status to workers needed to fill seasonal positions so they aren’t considered criminals?

There are those who argue that U.S. workers won’t take jobs that are filled by immigrant workers. The discussion about how immigrant workers take low paying jobs does not rise to an understanding that workers who have crossed the border illegally have no way to object to low pay. There is no discussion about how pay levels might improve if those workers had legal status, even to the point where more U.S. workers would take some of those jobs. Whether these points of view are right or wrong the dialogue to bring clarity is missing.

Consumers and the businesses who hire undocumented immigrants likely benefit through lower labor costs and a resultant lower cost of goods and services, but at the expense of creating an illegal class of marginalized workers. This discussion is not on the table, in part because there are no candidates from the West who understand the immigration issues in a different way.

According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. is the largest import market for Mexico with $293 billion coming to the U.S. and Mexico is the second largest export market to the U.S. with $243 billion being exported to Mexico. Every dollar spent by the U.S. in trade with Mexico returns forty cents to the U.S. because the products Mexico exports to the U.S. contain a high percentage of U.S. components. Compare this to the exchange with China where only six cents is returned to the U.S. for each dollar spent on Chinese goods exported to the U.S. Where in the presidential debates is the dialogue on the importance of bringing manufacturing in China back to Mexico which would boost the economies of both Mexico and the U.S.? In addition, there would be global benefits in reducing carbon emissions and benefits to the U.S. companies outsourcing manufacturing because they would be closer to the manufacturing facilities. Who is talking about that?

The current relationship between the U.S. and Mexico has been forged through the High Level Economic Dialogue, an effort to place national priorities on cross-border transportation infrastructure, security, education and other issues of mutual importance. The educational initiative has a goal of 100,000 students from each country studying in the other country by 2020. This is intended to increase long-term relationships, cultural understanding and trade over time. With no western candidates, there are no voices to explain the strategy behind these initiatives or discuss whether it is important to the nation’s future.

From climate change and energy policy to water rights, there are viewpoints in the West that deserve focus in the campaign dialogue, but without western candidates to voice them, the silence is deafening.

NOTE;This article first appeared on LinkedIn on February 29, 2016, and later the same day on IVN.

Nettleton Insights SPECIAL EDITION – 2015 Water Update

April 19, 2015

As California moves into the 16th year of a drought pattern, it is more important than ever to stay up-to-date on the status of water and what is being done to address the impacts of low water supplies to the economy, the environment, and ability of various sectors from all regions to work together toward both short and long-term solutions. This special edition of “The Nett Report” is designed to give clients and friends an overview of the subject. Nettleton Strategies specializes in water and other issues relating to sustainability and resource use. If you need media relations, government relations, communications, or facilitation services regarding water or other issues, please contact us at: info@nettstrategies.com.

The State of the State’s Water

On April 1, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown announced a mandatory 25 percent reduction in water use throughout the state, excluding agriculture. Depending on past levels of conservation, communities will be required to achieve water savings of between 10 and 35 percent. The specifics of the proposed cutbacks can be visualized on this New York Times Interactive map. Some communities are likely to protest the levels of cutback. The details of the restrictions to help achieve these reductions can be found in this story from VOX. NBC San Diego created a short quizto help its viewers become aware of the restrictions. The photo at left is at the site of the press conference where Governor Brown made the announcement regarding the restrictions. The location where he is standing is adjacent to where the state’s snow pack is measured every year. April 1 is considered the date when the snow pack in the northern Sierras is at its peak. In a normal year, there would be five to six feet of snow on the ground where he is standing (see graph below).

How Low is California’s Snow Pack?As shown in the photo with Governor Brown above, the snow pack is essentially non-existent.  There is some snow in the Sierras, approximately 5 percent of average, but the graph below shows how this year compares to an average year, last year, the year before, the previous worst year (1976-1977), and the wettest year (1982-1983). A foot of snow fell in the Sierras early on the week of April 6 which will provide a small amount of additional supply (image courtesy of Department of Water Resources, California Data Exchange Center).

Understanding Reservoir Capacities

Media reports often use local reservoirs as a backdrop for drought stories, giving the impression that the levels of these reservoirs are indicative of the status of available water supply.  While local reservoirs play an important role in capturing San Diego’s limited rainwater, their primary role is as storage for the imported water that supplies more than 85 percent of the region’s supplies. To gain a sense of the relative size of reservoirs that are important to San Diego, please see the chart below displaying the capacities of four representative reservoirs and how imported water flows to and through them.

Both Lake Mead on the Colorado River and Lake Oroville in the northern Sierras provide water to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. One of the reservoirs receiving that water is Diamond Valley Lake, built in 1999 to help bolster Southern California reserve capacities. Diamond Valley is connected by aqueduct to San Diego, and the San Vicente Reservoir has recently been expanded to provide the largest local storage capacity.  From this chart, you can see that the reservoirs with the greatest water storage capacity are Lake Mead and Lake Oroville, however, each reservoir throughout the state’s water system plays an important role in capturing, storing and transferring water.

Where Are Reservoir Storage Levels Now?

Storage in Lake Mead on the Colorado River is hovering above the shortage level. Because that level has not yet been reached, California is receiving its full allocation of Colorado River water. Snow pack in the Rockies was below average this year, but not at record lows. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projects there is a 21 percent chance the water level in Lake Mead will drop below the shortage level in 2016 and a 54 percent chance in 2017. Even if shortage rules go into effect, Arizona and Nevada are required to take the first cuts in supply. However, it is likely that California will help its neighboring states should that occur. Lake Oroville, the primary storage reservoir for the State Water Project, is at 66 percent of average and 51 percent of capacity. These numbers are not shocking in themselves except that with snow pack at an historic low, containing only five percent of average water content, there will be little snowmelt to replenish Oroville as the reservoir is drawn down during the summer. The graphic below illustrates the issue (image courtesy of Department of Water Resources, California Data Exchange Center).

  Colorado River Concern About Future Water Levels Results in New Hoover Dam Turbines

Although Colorado River supplies are not yet at shortage levels, last year the New York Times reported that the Colorado River and reservoirs from the Rockies to southern Arizona “are being sapped by 14 years of drought nearly unrivaled in 1,250 years.” Last year, for the first time, water released from Lake Powell to Lake Mead was decreased by ten percent, but those cutbacks did not affect Lake Mead allocations. The Times said that “studies now show that the 20th century was one of the three wettest of the last 13 centuries in the Colorado basin. On average, the Colorado’s flow over that period was actually 15 percent lower than in the 1900s. And most experts agree that the basin will get even drier.” Five new  turbines have been installed in the Hoover Dam to keep the power plant working with less water in the reservoir.

Is It a Four-Year Drought or a 16-Year Drought?

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Most news outlets have reported California is entering its fourth year of drought since 2011, a year with well above average precipitation.  However, many climate scientists agree that California has been in a drought pattern since 1999. Since that year there have been only two water years that have been significantly above average: 2011, as mentioned above, and 2006. To illustrate the situation, the image below shows Sacramento River runoff between 2002 and 2015. The 2000 and 2001 water years were also below average (image courtesy Metropolitan Water District of Southern California).

Is the Drought Due to Climate Change?

While climate change is projected to significantly change future weather and precipitation patterns, the current drought does not appear to be climate related. Most climate scientists attribute the drought to variability in annual precipitation patterns. In addition, there appears to be no linkage between either oceanic or climatic conditions that could account for the last two years of very limited precipitation. The culprit is a persistent high-pressure system (see image on the left) that has blocked storms from reaching Northern California and most of the West Coast. Known as the Ridiculously Resilient Ridge, this high-pressure system has forced storms north into the Arctic, and they have found their way back into the continental U.S.. creating the severe cold weather that has brought record-breaking snow to the eastern U.S. However, scientists admit that two consecutive record-breaking dry years is unusual. It is clear that climate change has exacerbated the drought. Record warm temperatures have caused what precipitation has reached the state to fall as rain rather than snow, contributing to the minimal snow pack. In addition, the heat dries the soil and vegetation, creating a greater chance of fire danger and increasing water use for irrigation in both urban and rural areas (image courtesy NOAA).

To further inform the conclusion that the last two years of historically low precipitation and the current drought are not part of a climate pattern, scientists also analyzed tree ring research which shows there have been a number of drought periods in history not unlike the current dry period. Here are some highlights of that research:

• 1580 – the driest single year in history when the estimated flow of the San Joaquin River was half of the 1976-77 water year.  1976-77 is considered the lowest flow year in the modern era.
• Mid-1100s –  marked by a rarity of wet years.
• Mid-1400s – a persistent drought when precipitation was less than the median for 13 consecutive years.
• 20th century – droughts longer than four years were not unusual.

This historical data was gathered from tree ring studies going back to 900 A.D., researched and published by the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree Ring Research.

Finding Your Water Use Restrictions and Tips for Conserving Water

To find water use restrictions your water agency has implemented, the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) has created an agency locator. A link to each agency will take you to the page with the water restriction rules currently in place. You can also find information about ways to conserve water at the SDCWA web site and at each agency’s site. One quality product is the Water Authority’s “Guide to a WaterSmart Lifestyle.” This 140-page digital book is an interactive resource to water conservation and can be accessed on computer, tablet, or smartphone. The guide is in a flipbook format that allows you to move through the pages as if it were a real book. Interactive features allow users to share ideas on Facebook, electronically “pin” plant and garden photos for their followers, watch videos, and scroll through a library of images. The eGuide includes plant finders, interactive maps, animated graphics, landscape design tools, and details about rebates and incentives. The San Diego Union-Tribune has published a story, “33 Ways You Can Save Water Now,” that can also be helpful.

Nettleton Strategies Out and About on the Water IssueWith more than 30 years of experience with water issues, Nettleton Strategies continues to participate in water-related activities.  Here are some of the more recent highlights.

• Currently participating on the working group developing a curriculum for the CCO Training Bootcamp on “The Fundamentals of the Energy, Water & Food Nexus,” a component of the Climate Change Officer Certification for the Association of Climate Changer Officers.
• Interviewed regarding water conservation on NBC San Diego’s Politically Speaking with Equinox Center Executive Director Stephen Heverly. Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Dennis Cushman, were on the previous segment. March 29, 2015.
• Represented Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) in a roundtable discussion on the Water Energy Nexus convened by the California Senate Select Committee on Climate Change and AB32 Implementation chaired by Senator Fran Pavley. March 20, 2015.
• Presented “California Drought – a Big Picture Perspective with NIDIS Insights” at the University of San Diego’s University of the Third Age. January 15, 2015.
• Guest host and moderator for the Global Classroom “Resilient Cities – Designing Resilient Waste Systems” for the World Resources Simulation Center Summer Series 2014. July 31, 2014.
• Presented “California Drought – a Big Picture Perspective with NIDIS Insights” at the Water Conservation Action Committee, July 20, 2014, and at multiple other public venues.
• Facilitated “Making Stormwater Alternative Compliance Programs Work: Opportunities in Development, Funding and Partnering,” sponsored by Procopio, July 17, 2014. The event was a live interactive session with nearly 150 stormwater professionals including San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board Executive Officer David Gibson.
• Moderated the Public Policy Panel at San Diego World Affairs Council’s Climate Energy and Climate Change Symposium, May 14, 2015. Panel included Representative Scott Peters; Ambassador Reno Harnish, Director of the Center for Environment and National Security at Scripps Institution of Oceanography; and Gary Gero, President of the Climate Action Reserve.
• Interviewed by KPBS Evening Edition regarding the San Diego World Affairs Council Climate and Energy Symposium, May 12, 2014.
• Moderated the Water/Energy Nexus panel at the February 2014 Climate Leadership Conference hosted by theAssociation of Climate Change Officers.

Nettleton Strategies serves on the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Energy and Water Committee and on the leadership group for the Water Conservation Action Committee. Other current activities include working with clients or partners on municipal water conservation projects,financing concepts for water recycling, and developing a data analysis tool related to water, emissions and energy. If you need assistance with water regulations, moving your water-saving technology into the mainstream, or just connecting with the right people in the right places, please contact Nettleton Strategies (see below).

Nettleton Insights - July 29, 2013

July 29, 2013

"Nettleton Insights" shares information coming across our desktops with our clients and friends. We encourage you to share this report with your friends. For facilitation, analysis, insight, communications and connections, Nettleton Strategies​ is ready to help you! ​Please contact us at info@nettstrategies.com. ​

Turtles, Sharks, Food, and Wine Oh My!

The Living Coast Discovery Center is only seven minutes from downtown, but many people aren't even aware of its existence.  On August 3, this unique and unforgettable organization on San Diego Bay will host Chef Andrew Spurgin and a host of regional restaurants and breweries with a Farm to Bay feast not to be missed.  While you are there, you can visit Franklin the bald eagle, see Raptor Row, get up close with sea turtles and leopard sharks, and enjoy the company of people who value San Diego Bay and our unique coast.  See Caron Golden's recent foodie blog about the Discovery Center and Channel 8's Shawn Styles report that tells the whole story.  Click here for tickets.

Senate Bill 64 to Benefit Clean Technology Innovations

Nettleton Strategies has recently been helping our strategic partners in Sacramento, Clean Tech Advocates, gain support for Senate Bill 64  Last year, the Legislature enacted and the Governor signed into law the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Investment Plan and Communities Revitalization Act to provide a framework for use of the greenhouse gas auction revenues.  SB 64 is an important step, proposing a Clean Technology Investment Account within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to ensure a portion of future auction revenues is available to fund development of innovative technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Nexus Between Water, Energy and Emissions

Nettleton Strategies participated in a public forum on the nexus between water, energy and emissions presented by the Conservation Action Committee on July 8, 2013, at SDG&E's Energy Conservation Center.  Presentations ranged from a discussion of how to optimize energy use to incentives for water and energy conservation.  The Nettleton Strategies presentation provided an overview of how policy decisions in water affect energy and emissions and vice versa. An example focused on the priority rights to Upper Colorado River Basin water held by interests that plan to develop oil shale in the Colorado, Utah and Wyoming high country.

South County Economic Development Council

Nettleton Strategies has joined the South County Economic Development Council.  This highly-effective non-profit organization was formed in 1989 by a group of South San Diego County business and community leaders, to promote education and encourage economic development in the South San Diego County Region.  Member cities include Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, San Diego, San Diego County, and the Port of San Diego.  The organization works with partners in Baja and promotes bi-national economic development with the cities of Mexicali, Tijuana, Tecate, Rosarito, and Ensenada. Among its many programs, the organization is undertaking a project to shape a vision for the South County region.

Dr. Margaret Leinen Named New SIO Director

Scripps Institution of Oceanography has appointed a new leader.  San Diego's pre-eminent ocean research organization named Dr. Margaret Leinen as Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dean of the School of Marine Sciences. Dr. Leinen is a highly distinguished, award-winning oceanographer and an accomplished executive with extensive national and international experience in ocean science, global climate and environmental issues, federal research administration, and non-profit startups. She is currently the Vice Provost for Marine and Environmental Initiatives and Executive Director of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, a unit of Florida Atlantic University. She is a researcher in paleo-oceanography and paleo-climatology. Her work focuses on ocean sediments and their relationship to global biogeochemical cycles and the history of Earth’s ocean and climate. Leinen replaces Tony Haymet, who served as UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences from 2006 until his retirement from the administrative post at the end of 2012. 

San Marcos General Plan Is Top Esri Conference Map 

Each year 15,000 people gather at the San Diego Convention for a week at the Esri conference, including a competition between map makers competing to be the best in their category.  This year, the competition resulted in the City of San Marcos taking first place for the map of its general plan. The map was created by  the City's Mettja Kuna. Mettja's map took First Place in the “Map Series or Atlas – In-House Copy” category and was also the “Best Overall.” Esri is the world leader in mapping software and "inspires and enables people to positively impact the future through a deeper, geographic understanding of the changing world around them."

Nettleton Insights - December 12, 2012

December 12, 2012

Nettleton Insights Is Back! We've been on hiatus for a number of months, but now the Nett Report is back in a new simpler-to-read format, both for smart phones and browsers. We've also created a new Nettleton Strategies web page where you can: where you can:

• Learn about our work, services and expertise.
• Check out the Natural Hazards Map with real time access to hurricanes, volcanoes, wildfires and earthquakes around the globe. The map is an example of how Nettleton Strategies can provide intelligent mapping services.

Please remember that for facilitation, analysis, insight, communications and connections, Nettleton Strategies is ready to help you!

Climate Change

What does climate change have to do with baseball? In baseball, batters using steroids hit more and longer home runs. No individual home run can be attributed to steroids since the baseball players were capable of hitting homers without the assistance of steroids. In the same way, no given storm can be attributed to climate change. But statistically, the intensity and number of storms will likely be more because of climate change, just like baseball players on steroids hit more home runs and hit them farther. This Business Week story places more light on the subject of "theweather-on-steroids." Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher Dr. Richard Somerville also shared the story on KPBS.In baseball, batters using steroids hit more and longer home runs. No individual home run can be attributed to steroids since the baseball players were capable of hitting homers without the assistance of steroids. In the same way, no given storm can be attributed to climate change. But statistically, the intensity and number of storms will likely be more because of climate change, just like baseball players on steroids hit more home runs and hit them farther. This Business Week story places more light on the subject of "theweather-on-steroids." Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher Dr. Richard Somerville also shared the story on KPBS.

Interactive Sea Level Map. The New York Times recently published an interactive map that shows how sea level rise could affect various cities if the rise was anywhere from 0 feet to 25 feet. The State of California’s official projections assume a 55 inch rise by 2100, nearly five feet.

Oceans

OpenOceans Global. We spent most of the summer and fall focused on developing funding for OpenOceans Global, the non-profit, non-advocacy organization dedicated to creating an international, cross-sector ocean community focused on aggregating and creativly displaying the world's ocean data. Please check out the web site and blog and consider an end-of-the year contribution to the development of this international institution!

Human Genome Project for the Ocean. An OpenOceans Global article, "From Fear to Hope, A Human Genome Project for the Ocean," recently appeared in Hydro International, a global ocean industry publication reaching 20,000 readers in addition to its online reach. The article focused on the importance of the use of maps to tell the stories of ocean research.

Hawaii Ocean Research and Economic Development. We recently visited the Natural Energy Laboratory on the Big Island of Hawaii. The 322-acre facility brings 41 degree (Fahrenheit) water from 3,000 feet below the surface of the ocean and warm surface water ranging between 76 to 81 degrees to the facility. The original intent was to create energy from the temperature differential, but now the facility has expanded to 40 tenants, ranging from alternative energy, to aquaculture, to research and more. The state facility next to Kona International Airport generates more than $45 million in annual economic impact, creating more than 300 jobs and high value exports.

The Perpetual Ocean. If you are interested in the ocean and haven’t seen the Perpetual Ocean video by NASA, it is sure to intrigue you. The video combines several years of data to visualize current patterns on the world’s oceans.

Floating Windmills Off California Coast? The Department of Energy (DOE) is scheduled to make a decision on whether to allow a pilot program using floating wind turbines off the coast of California. DOE in March unveiled a six-year, $180 million research initiative to support deployment of offshore wind technologies that have potential for lowering the cost of energy below 10 cents per kilowatt hour. This is the threshold at which DOE believes the sector can compete with other regional generation sources without subsidies.

Energy

Solar Boat Sails Into the Record Books. A Swiss adventurer has circumnavigated the globe in 585 days on a 98-foot yacht powered solely by the sun. Raphael Domjan’s boat, "Turanor," has enough photo-voltaic panels to cover two tennis courts.The journey was designed “to show the world that this technology is not science fiction, it is very real and it can help us change how we do things now rather than in the future," Domjan said.

E2 Reports. Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), a national community of business leaders who promote sound environmental policy that builds economic prosperity, has released several reports in recent weeks addressing biofuels and energy jobs. These include: "The Econonomic Benefits of Military Biofuels," "Third Quarter Clean Energy Jobs Roundup," and "An Advanced Biofuel Market Fact Sheet and Report."

Energy Resources Web Sites. Two web sites we recently learned about provide valuable information regarding the status of various energy resources around the world. Developed in part by National Geographic, Energy Realities is a site that provides visualizations about the world’s energy resources. Domestic Fuels has created a mapping report: “State by State Resource for Renewable Energy.”

Water

Rains and Lake Oroville. Recent rains in Northern California have begun to have an effect on water supplies. Because of its prominence in the State Water Project system, Lake Oroville is a good indicator of the status of water supplies for the coming year. Recent northern California rainfall has spiked the reservoir water levels upward from a drought projection back to more average water levels. The Department of Water Resources projects 30 percent of requested deliveries will be provided by the State Water Project next year, an estimate that could increase depending on precipitation.

Water Privatization Pro and Con. The Wall Street Journal recently published a thoughtful pro and con article about privatizing water utilities. Neither of the two policy experts saw privatization as a panacea, but each discussed the benefits and downsides.

The Economy

1972 Report Might be Right. A Smithsonian analysis of a 1972 report called “The Limits of Growth,” says there is validity to the report’s projection that the world economy could collapse by 2030. At the time, economists disagreed with the report. The new analysis by Australian physicist Graham Turner says that “we are not on a sustainable track” but that could change “if governments forged policies and invested in technologies to regulate the expansion of humanity’s ecological footprint.”

Nettleton Insights - July 12, 2011

July 12, 2011

Quote of the Week - "If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters."  - Garfield the cat

"Nettleton Insights" shares information coming across our desktops with clients and friends of Nettleton Strategies LLC. In turn, we encourage you to share this report with your friends and associates. If "Nettleton Insights was forwarded to you, please sign up by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. You can also remove your name from the Nettleton Insights" list if you don't want to receive it in the future. Your comments are welcome at info@nettstrategies.com.

Worth Seeing

• Scripps Institution of Oceanography has a new high-definition camera on the end of Scripps Pier.  Watch surfers, the surf and the occasional dolphin from your laptop.
• Don't miss this video of a seagull that stole a running camera and flew away!

Along the Border

• The U.S. Good Neighbors Environmental Board recently met in San Diego.  The group advises the President and Congress on environmental and border issues.  The meeting included a number of presentations about border-related clean energy projects.

Water

• A July 1 New York Times article reports that flooding is inevitable in the Sacramento Delta and calls the region "the most flood-prone" in the U.S.
• According to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, as of June 8, only about 50% of the accumulated snowpack for 2011 had melted in the Colorado River Basin. There is still significant snowpack within the basin which will support high flows into the reservoirs over the next 2 months (large pdf report, might take some time to download).
• National Geographic Magazine has developed an online interactive map with accompanying stories to explain the status of the Colorado River and how it supplies water to the west.

Climate Change

• Author Terry Gerlach from the U.S. Geological Survey provides a comparison of carbon dioxide from human activities and volcanoes in the American Geophysical Union's EOS Magazine.NOAA's Carbon Tracker You Tube video shows a visualization of the increase in atmospheric carbon first using the Keeling Curve data set and then gas analysis from ice cores.

Transportation

• NBC News reports that "U.S. High Speed Rail Is Slower Than a Speeding Bullet" in a June 30 story.
• An Idaho company, Solar Roadways, took first place in the second round of GE's Ecoimagination contest for a concept to transform the nation's roadways into a source of solar-powered electrical generation.

Energy and Sustainability

• AOL Energy reports that IBM has successfully implemented a smart grid on Malta, a small island in the Mediterranean south of Italy.  The project could be a model for smart grid implementation in the U.S.
• The world's largest marine tidal-powered turbine is expected to produce 6,000 megawatts of power annually from the waters off Scotland, according to Marine Insight, a maritime technology website.  Addtional turbines are to be installed in the Bay of Fundy and Vancouver, British Columbia.
• San Diego has been named one of the top ten most climate-ready cities in the country by CO2 Impact.  The organization says climate-ready cities are "the big U.S. cities leading the way, based on political commitment, green buildings, university leadership, transit, greenhouse-gas emissions, cleantech investment, and energy."

Nettleton Insights - February 9, 2011

February 9, 2011

Quote of the Week - "Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy........than to fumble THIS football" - John Heisman 

"Nettleton Insights" shares information coming across our desktops with our clients and friends.  We encourage you to share this report with your friends and associates. Your comments are welcome at info@nettstrategies.com.

Free Diving with Great Whites

In case you need a little more excitement in your life, perhaps free diving with great white sharks in Baja California at Guadalupe Island would take care of that urge.  Fortunately for your loved ones, the providers of this video are not offering the opportunity commercially.

Meeting Jane Goodall in Abu Dhabi

While attending a recent environmental data conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Carl Nettleton had a chance to meet Jane Goodall.  Dr. Goodall wowed the crowd with her encouraging talk about teaching environmental education to students.  She tells students to reach for the stars. "Even if you don't make the stars, you might make the moon!" she said.  Dr. Goodall is internationally respected for her research work with chimpanzees in Africa and has extended that work to environmental education.

San Diego Lead Task Force Honored by USEPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has honored the Lead Poisoning Prevention Citizen’s Advisory Task Force for ensuring the protection of children from the threat of lead-based paint and dust in San Diego.

Presidential Primary Updates Available at IVN 

The Independent voter Network (IVN.us) publishes a daily update about the status of the presidential candidates as well as other political news.  With the new California Open Primary coming up in June, IVN's parent, the Independent Voter Project, has published an open primary guide for voters and a guide for candidates.  The candidate guide is extremely timely since the filing period for candidates opens on February 13 and, for the first time, candidates in the June primary are not officially affiliated with parties but only indicate their party preference, if any.

Solar Zones Suggested to Encourage Industry Growth

A San Francisco venture capital firm has suggested that creating solar zones could spur development of the solar industry.

Forbes Criticizes Wall Street Journal Climate Coverage

A recent Forbes article takes on the Wall Street Journal for editorial bias when writing about climate change. 

San Diego Visioning Deadline Extended

The deadline for the San Diego Foundation's visioning process (Show Your Love for a Greater San Diego Vision) has been appropriately extended to Valentines Day, February 14, 2012.

Study Finds Emissions Reporting Ups Stock Value

A U.C. Davis study has found that the stock value of public companies goes up when they disclose green house emissions and carbon reduction strategies.

Growth Council Releases 2012-2014 Plan

The State of California's Strategic Growth Council has released its Strategic Plan 2012-2014. The plan calls for "a profoundly different" future than the past.

Reports Say Iran Electricity to Go to Iraq and Others

According to reports on the Global Energy Network Institute website, agreements to move electricity from Iran to Iraq have been been made by those nations.  Another report says that Iran will be sending electricity to the European Union through a new electricity line passing through Armenia and Georgia.  A power line to Russia is also being considered.