Questions about a 6.6 million dollar grant application to tear down the old Palace Hotel in Ukiah. The Daily Journal reports a review by the state Department of Toxic Substance Control of the request by the Guidiville Rancheria has found what the agency calls "regulatory discrepancies". The rancheria wants to bring down the building to study the site for possible groundwater contamination. The department initially approved the request, but has followed up saying it needs to look more closely at it. The money is part of a 250 million dollar state program to help tribes, nonprofits and municipalities in rural areas take care of contaminated sites. There could be more information about the review next month.
Watch out for scams targeting your utility service. PG&E says it’s been getting reports of customers in Mendocino County getting calls demanding immediate payment of bills to avoid a shutoff. The advice is–don’t believe it. One potential tip off is that the caller wants that payment on a gift card or right from your debit card. PG&E says they’ll never cold call looking for a payoff or threaten immediate disconnection . Remember–panic the scammer’s best weapon, so keep your cool and call the REAL PG&E number on your bill to put your mind at ease. The average loss in those rip-offs is $785 dollars you can’t afford to lose – but it happened to about 43,000 customers last year.
California is taking steps to reduce single use plastic waste. The state has released new draft rules that would be the country’s biggest requirements to cut use of those plastics by 2032. It aims to use 25 precent less of single purpose plastic packaging , make ALL of it recyclable and compostable and cut the use of single use food ware–like utensils, plates and cups – by 65 percent. Secretary for Environmental Protection Yana Garcia says plastics are oftens falsely promised to be recyclable, when they are actually meant to be just tossed out. He wants the plastics industry to be more accountable and deliver products that actually are more easily recyclable. Cal recycle is spending 55 million dollars this year to promote new technology and support new jobs in the recycling industry. The state says 50 percent of what ends up in landfills is packaging material.
