Susanne Rust

Marine mammals are dying in record numbers along the California coast It's been a doozy of a year for marine mammals, who have been dying in record numbers along the California coast. Volunteer rescue crews are traumatized and fatigued, but refuse to give up.

Historic number of marine mammals died along CA coast this year. Anomaly? Or a sign that our oceans are changing too fast to support these guys? Hats off to the exhausted and traumatized volunteers working tirelessly since spring #marinemammalcenter #strandingnetwork www.latimes.com/environment/...

And maybe a few in OR, too -- migration? (Also one in NJ)

No biggie, but noticing a few #H5N1 #BirdFlu wastewater "hits" in the SF Bay Area: Palo Alto, San Jose and Sunnyvale. 🤔

Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S. Chagas disease is deadly, pervasive and more prevalent in the U.S. than you'd think. It's not just brought here by people from nations where the disease is endemic, but by bloodsucking kissing bugs na...

The parasite that causes Chagas disease, which kills more people in Latin America than malaria, is here in the U.S. The disease's symptoms generally don't show up for decades: heart attack, stroke, death. Have we been ignoring a potential source of #CVD ? www.latimes.com/science/stor...

Foie gras still on some store shelves in California, despite state ban California banned the sale of foie gras -- the French delicacy made from the livers of goose and duck. So why can it still be found on store shelves?

You can't sell or produce foie gras in Calfiornia. So what is the bird liver delicacy doing on store shelves? www.latimes.com/science/stor...

California dairy farmers got millions to cover bird flu losses. Critics say that's part of the problem Dairies say the USDA relief money helped them sustain operations as bird flu decimated milk production, but critics say the aid perpetuates industrial farming practices that make herds vulnerable to d...

I talked to @susrust.bsky.social @latimes.com about the USDA compensation program for dairies with H5N1-infected herds.

There has never been enough of an investment in containment. Compensation without support to change practices will not end the outbreak of moo flu.
www.latimes.com/science/stor...

Immigration crackdown could stymie efforts to fight bird flu outbreak, experts fear Farm workers facing possible arrest would likely resist getting tested for bird flu should there be a resurgence this fall, as many anticipate

It's not just the #H5N1 #birdflu cuts across the federal government, but the Trump admin's targeting of immigrants that could trigger a pandemic. They're our front-line livestock workers -- and when the birds start flying south in the fall... www.latimes.com/science/stor...

#GroundSquirrelInvasion? At least 14 in my back yard. I’ve never seen it like this.

Gray whale washes up in Richmond, the 17th spotted in the Bay Area this year The gray whale was up against rocks along Point Isabel in Richmond.

Dead gray whale washes up in Richmond. Marine Mammal Center says ship strike is probable cause. Gray whale numbers are on the decline -- never recovering from the steep drop off that started in 2019. abc7news.com/post/gray-wh...

CalRecycle now has a portal for people to report illegal sales of expanded polystyrene food ware and packaging in stores and restaurants -- 6+months after the products were banned: calrecycle.ca.gov/packaging/pa...

Like Texas, California faces major dangers when extreme floods come The flood disaster in Texas claimed dozens of lives. Extreme floods also bring dangers in parts of California, although experts say there are differences.

What happened in TX was tragic; it could happen here, too. @ianjames.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...

Newsom calls on Trump to boost wildfire preparedness and 'make America rake again' Gov. Newsom challenged the Trump administration to match the state's investments in wildfire preparedness. In response, the administration criticized Newsom's own funding cuts.

Make America Rake Again -- Trump and Newsom battle over wildfire funding @nohaggerty.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...

EPA Workers Face Retaliation Over Dissent Declaration On Monday, hundreds of EPA workers published a Declaration of Dissent criticizing their leadership. Now, they’re getting placed on leave pending review.

EPA Workers Face Retaliation Over Dissent Declaration
www.importantcontext.news/p/epa-worker...

Commentary: Republican budget bill would slaughter America's cleanest, cheapest energy It's hard to find reasons for optimism. But we're not doomed.

And read @sammyroth.bsky.social 's latest on the Trump bill. It's a disaster for the planet. www.latimes.com/environment/...

'Chaotic and deeply frightening': Once a global gold standard, U.S. government health guidance is falling apart Government-provided health information now comes with disclaimers that the government can't be trusted.

This story by @corinnepurtill.bsky.social makes me want to simultaneously cry and scream www.latimes.com/science/stor...

Federal contractors improperly dumped wildfire-related asbestos waste at L.A. area landfills Cleanup crews contracted by the Army Corp of Engineers dumped asbestos-tainted wildfire debris in landfills that they shouldn't have, according to government records.

Asbestos-laden fire debris hauled by fed contractors to non-hazardous waste landfills. What could be the problem?? @tonybrisco
www.latimes.com/environment/...

Measles outbreak strikes New Mexico jail as US total climbs

#NewMexico with #measles outbreak in a prison

“measles outbreak at a correctional facility in Deming, after five detainees tested positive

“Health officials are sending personal protective equipment, test kits, and measles vaccine to the prison, which houses 400 inmates and employs 100 staff”

Wow! The pediatric death toll for the 2024-25 flu season keeps climbing. #CDC was informed of +3 deaths last week; they occurred between early Feb & mid April.
The total is now 253 pediatric deaths (& more reports could still come). 90% of these kids weren't vaxed.
www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Here's a screenshot of the video clip Newsom's comms shop sent me -- the one they threatened to send to my editor if I proceeded with this story. They searched for a video/photo of me with a water bottle, found one, then circled it in red. They never provided a response to my questions.

Newsom's podcast sidekick: a single-use plastic water bottle Newsom has called for a future free of plastic waste, yet a single-use plastic bottle is usually by his side during his podcasts.

Strange thing about this story: Newsom's comms team's response to my questions about his ever-present-plastic-water-bottle was to: 1) not answer any q's; but 2) instead threaten to send my editor a video of me near a plastic water bottle. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Why L.A.’s food and yard waste is being dumped in the Antelope Valley A state law that mandated diversion of organic waste from landfills is being blamed for exacerbating illegal dumping in remote desert areas.

Another example of a well-intentioned CA law causing environmental damage: Compost law feeding into rampant dumping in SoCal's desert Antelope Valley. #SB1383 #CalRecycle @latimes www.latimes.com/environment/...

State composting law took aim at greenhouse gases. Illegal dumping was a byproduct A state law that mandated diversion of organic waste from landfills is being blamed for exacerbating illegal dumping in remote desert areas.

Dozens of illegal dump sites in the Antelope Valley: ‘It’s gotten markedly worse.’

A California law aimed at reducing the amount of greenhouse gases at landfills is exacerbating the problem, local officials and residents say. @susrust.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com

RFK Jr. removes all members of CDC panel advising U.S. on vaccines It's the latest move by Kennedy – a prominent vaccine skeptic – to change and potentially undermine vaccinations in the U.S. since he took the helm at HHS.

#US removing ALL experts in #vaccines

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday said he is “retiring” all 17 members of a crucial government panel of vaccine advisors”

“The group reviews vaccine data and makes recommendations that determine who is eligible for shots and whether insurers should cover them”

Lawmakers ask Newsom and waste agency to follow the law on plastic legislation More than two dozen lawmakers signed a letter urging the governor and CalRecycle to toss regulations drafted to implement landmark plastic legislation they say ignores the law.

#SB54 shenanigans continue: 23 lawmakers say #CalRecycle exceeded its authority in the new draft regs for the state's landmark plastic legislation and undermined the law. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Want to understand CalRecycle's chemical recycling rules? You'll need to pay CalRecycle's latest attempt at rules to implement the state's plastic waste law is under fire — including for its decision to use ISO guidelines on hazardous waste that cost nearly $200 to access.

In the continuing saga of CA's plastic law, CalRecycle introduced draft regs re chem recycling based on a report you can't access unless you pay $187 -which is kind of a scam, bc no standards or guidelines are in report. 🤷‍♀️ #plasticwaste @gavinnewsom.bsky.social #SB54 www.latimes.com/environment/...

CalRecycle drafts revised plastic recycling rules that are more friendly to industry Newsom scuttled the finalization of a landmark waste law, leading CalRecycle to propose new rules. Critics say the rules pander to industry by making broad exemptions.

CA was leading the world in plastics reduction when @governor.ca.gov signed SB54 in 2022. Then he blocked its implementation. Now, his waste agency has come back w/a new package that exempts most single-use plastics, and allows for chem recycling. "It's a joke" www.latimes.com/environment/...

A rockslide-generated tsunami in a Greenland fjord rang Earth for 9 days Climate change is increasingly predisposing polar regions to large landslides. Tsunamigenic landslides have occurred recently in Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat), but none have been reported from the east...

...it concluded since the landslide was triggered by the melting glacier, and since *that* happened due to rising global temperatures...

This was a signal - and a warning - from our rapidly changing world, heard in every single part of it.

Best we listen up.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

10/

Antelope Valley residents say they are fed up with rampant dumping, official inaction Thousands of tons of trash are being dumped at unauthorized waste sites across the Antelope Valley, lawsuits claim. Authorities say they are aware but have done little to stop it.

LA trash haulers are bringing their loads up to the Antelope Valley and dumping it. I saw a river canyon filled -- 30 feet deep and about 60 acres in area -- of solid trash. www.latimes.com/science/stor...