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Greg Pierce

@gregspierce.bsky.social
1.4K followers 414 following 800 posts

UCLA: Human Right to Water Solutions Lab, Luskin Center, Department of Urban Planning, Water Resources Group

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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 7h
www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Russia launches largest attack on Ukraine energy infrastructure since spring
In total 11 regions of the country were attacked overnight, with residential buildings and railways also targeted, the Ukrainian PM says.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Obviously you haven't heard enough from our @luskininnovation.bsky.social- @ucanrwater.bsky.social water systems-wildfire working group, so here's a chance to get an update and discuss: "Fact and fiction: What changed for water systems following the 2025 LA fires"
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 28/09/2026
If you're in LA or at UCLA, a reminder that this event is tonight! Would love to see you there. I'm also meeting informally with Scripps colleagues tomorrow morning + packing in another big talk and two more meetings.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
My former colleagues, Mark Cane and Stephen Zebiak, were the first to successfully predict El Niño more than a year in advance in the late 1980s. Now we’re really good at it, and know the consequences. It’d be irresponsible for governments not to take action. Read this from my buddy Jeff Shaman.
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Super El Niño Comes Bearing One Gift: Time to Prepare (Gift Article)
There’s still time to prepare.
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Faith Kearns, Ph.D. @fkearns.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Water Talk podcast is back for a seventh season with an opening episode on PFAS, aka "forever chemicals," and how best to communicate with publics about them based on new research from the University of Wisconsin - Madison www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/epi...
watertalkpodcast.com
PFAS: Science, Risk, and Communication — Water Talk
A conversation with Gavin Dehnert (Emerging Contaminants Scientist, University of Wisconsin–Madison) and Lyn van Swol (Professor of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin–Madison) about Perfluoro...
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Climate change pushes on the internal external and existential margins of the obligation to serve of public utilities. This is one, and an exceedingly rare, progressive example. Stay for some grumpy quotes from me on statewide standards and support efforts. calmatters.org/environment/...
calmatters.org
He knows his community is going to burn again. Now he's making sure they’re ready
As climate-fueled wildfires test water systems in new and devastating ways, a rural California county has a plan to adapt
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Ian James @ianjames.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"A red flag for the future." New research based on satellite data reveals California needs years of heavy snow to recoup groundwater. Scientists say it suggests recharging depleted aquifers will become more difficult as global warming brings more rain and less snow. www.latimes.com/environment/...
latimes.com
For the first time, scientists link heavy snow to groundwater in California
Scientists are finding that snowfall is more connected to water underground than we knew. Using satellite data, they found groundwater levels actually rise during big snow years, in contrast to most y...
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The new parking- local public finance- deportation contractor nexus.
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Dr. Samantha Montano @samlmontano.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I never made it past the first chapter but @andrewrumbach.bsky.social did. Hopefully we never need to talk about this man ever again. andrewrumbach.substack.com/p/i-read-dav...
andrewrumbach.substack.com
I Read David Richardson’s Book So You Don’t Have To
There is a character in the 4th season of The Wire, Lieutenant Marimow, who was sent into the major crimes unit to undermine their investigation of the drug trade and its connections to local politics...
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Happy to see this ruling which rejects plaintiff claims (against SFPUC) that explicit fire hydrant charges are in violation of Prop 218. h/t @mavensnotebook.com kmtg.com/news/legal-a...
kmtg.com
Appellate Court Reinforces Need to Follow Validation Procedure in Litigating Retail Water Service Rates Under Proposition 218
The First District Court of Appeal has, for the second time this year, affirmed the dismissal of a Proposition 218 challenge to water rates subject to Government Code section 53759. In Toy v. City and...
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Going forward, the US National Science Foundation research budget for all atmospheric, ocean, and Earth sciences is $110 million per year. Trump's illegal war with Iran cost the Department of Defense (i.e., the American taxpayers) $38 billion in the first 5 months, or $220 million per day.
cbo.gov
Estimating the Cost of Combat Operations Against Iran
CBO assesses the Department of Defense's costs for the current armed conflict against Iran, as well as the conflict's economic and budgetary effects.
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Gareth Funning @gfun.earth · 15/09/2026
NSF GEO webinar summary: we have reduced programs from 15 down to 3, we have no deadlines, we have no guidelines on project size, duration or budget, we have no money
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 14/09/2026
Breaking News: The E.P.A. is said to be planning to announce that the U.S. will no longer limit climate pollution from power plants.
nyti.ms
E.P.A. Will Erase Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants
Generation of electricity is the second largest source of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases in the United States.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
The role of alternative information sources and channels on wildfire and disaster perceptions and preparedness in a wildfire context: A comparison of the Great Plains and Mountainous Western states in the U.S.
Greater wildfire frequency and severity have increased the need for disaster preparedness and related education, yet household disaster preparedness a…
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Tim Dawson @timblor.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Currently practicing for the post-earthquake water outages because the water main on our street broke and we are without water. Imagine this scaled up by multiple orders of magnitude due to an earthquake. Hmmm, when was the last time I changed out our emergency water? Oh no…
A bunch of city workers standing around a hole in the street filled with water that is pouring down the street.
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Los Angeles Times @latimes.com · 11/09/2026
A hefty industry-oriented consortium is quietly organizing to burn California's landmark plastic and recycling legislation to the ground. What you need to know www.latimes.com/science/stor...
latimes.com
Leaked emails reveal industry plan to kill California's plastic and recycling laws
Leaked internal memos reveal how a packaging alliance drove a widespread lobbying and marketing campaign to dismantle California’s landmark plastic and recycling laws.
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Chris Goodman @cbgoodman.co · 10/09/2026
I'm not certain that the City of Chicago realizes how serious the DWC is about cutting them out. And certain ratepayers in Chicago (that pay lower water rates because of wholesale subsidization) realize their rates will go up.
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Sustainable LA @ UCLA @uclasustainablela.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Proud to support this important work. Read more about restoring public confidence in drinking water after wildfires.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Did you want >20k words on "Restoring public confidence in drinking water after wildfires" You are in luck🔽 innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2026/09/10/r...
innovation.luskin.ucla.edu
Restoring public confidence in drinking water after wildfires | UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
UCLA-led workshop with more than 50 experts identifies communications, research…
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Alissa Walker @awalkerinla.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
There's basically a regional construction moratorium from June to September 2028, and starting in March around some venues. Are the unions working on the convention center and LAX also upset about losing work? Where's the messaging about these things that LA's leaders have known for a decade?
politico.com
Trouble on the Olympics highway
Unions are not happy with California’s plan for managing highways in 2028.
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Inside Climate News @insideclimatenews.org · 10/09/2026
Billions in federal funding to build EV charging stations is on the ropes. But just what are Americans getting for that money? We hit the road in an electric Chevy to find out.
insideclimatenews.org
Pennsylvania Is Building More EV Chargers. Will Drivers Come? - Inside Climate News
An electric road trip across Pennsylvania—a state that’s spending big on its charging network—shows early promise.
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Dan Ross @1danross.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“The kids are sitting there sucking those fumes" - my @lapublicpress.bsky.social investigation into cancer-causing soil vapor gases threatening kids at Jordan High in Watts, and the decades long story of regulatory failure and judicial indifference leading here. @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social
lapublicpress.org
Explosions, cancer-causing gases: How regulators failed Jordan High students for decades
Three separate Atlas explosions and cancer risks the LA County DA’s office calls 48-times above health standards threaten the Watts school.
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Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 10/09/2026
This directly will raise your future electricity bill. Like directly raises it.
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Anthony Edwards @edwardsanthonyb.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Huge waves from Hurricane Marie slammed the Southern California coast this week, eroding popular beaches and damaging oceanfront homes. The destruction may be a winter preview, as a potentially record-strength El Niño could steer more powerful storms with large waves toward California.
sfchronicle.com
‘Never seen something like this’: Huge waves from hurricane blast Southern California beaches
Powerful waves from Hurricane Marie slammed the Southern California coast this week, eroding popular beaches and causing significant damage to oceanfront homes.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“When it rains, I don’t sleep and I watch the river”
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Growing connection between climate-accelerated disasters and water supply problems, part 415 www.latimes.com/environment/...
latimes.com
Wildfires and extreme rain are filling U.S. reservoirs with dirt
Nearly half of U.S. reservoirs are more than one-quarter full of sediment. By 2041, wildfires will double sediment accumulation in more than one-third of U.S. watersheds.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Thanks to @ianjames.bsky.social for covering the latest on legislative attempts to right-size the potential legal liability of water supply systems wrt wildfire events with their actual responsibilities, capabilities and levels of financial support. www.latimes.com/environment/...
latimes.com
California water agencies may get a new defense in lawsuits over hydrants running dry in wildfires
A bill that would help California water agencies avoid being sued when hydrants run dry in wildfires is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Very cool stuff “He also said there was no constitutional right to “truthful information from officials during a public health crisis.”” www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
usatoday.com
No constitutional right to clean water, federal court finds
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit from Mississippi residents related to lead-contaminated water.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
www.economist.com/united-state...
economist.com
A reservoir of last resort is running dry in Wyoming
Competing water uses in the American West are getting harder to manage
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
washingtonpost.com
Water crisis in Israel raises fears over impact of Gaza sewage
Five of Israel’s six desalinization plants are offline. Untreated wastewater from Gaza’s destroyed sewage system could be part of the problem, experts warn.
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
US budget deficit this year: ~6% of GDP. Outside of wars or recessions, that's the highest in the postwar era.⁣ ⁣ We're borrowing at emergency-level scale with no emergency and no political will to change course. Bond markets have noticed. Voters haven't yet. youtu.be/HprbhEwxuT0
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
"Many ‌houses on ⁠the main roads and those that are easily accessible get drinking water trucked in every 3 to 5 days, while some in remote areas wait for as many as 23 days." www.reuters.com/business/env...
reuters.com
In El Nino-hit Sri Lanka, wells run dry and farmer incomes shrink as drought deepens
Sri Lankan farmers have fallen victim to one of the nation's worst El Nino-driven droughts.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
All the sound and fury on the energy side (with good reason), but we quietly may have a partial fix to inverse condemnation issues on the water side www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/wi...
jdsupra.com
Wildfire Liability: California Legislature Clarifies the Role of Public Water Systems | JD Supra
California water providers are one step closer to receiving important statutory protection against inverse condemnation claims arising from...
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Kelly Hereid @kellyhereid.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Oh dang - USGS just produced a great new inventory of post-fire debris flows and their associated damage, covering 1879-2025 www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Distribution of types of damage, fatalities, and monetary loss from post-fire debris flows
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Chris Goodman @cbgoodman.co · 02/09/2026
To understand why using AI to scrape special district boundary data *might* be useful, we need to understand the underlying problem.
cgoodman.com
The Special District Boundary Problem | Christopher B. Goodman
A nationally representative dataset of special district shapes does not exist. But what if it did? And how can we get there?
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Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 01/09/2026
The electricity grid stressed by growing energy demands. Join @nationalacademies.org on January 13-14 to explore technical, policy, and regulatory strategies for strengthening the U.S. electricity system. I’m on the planning committee for this event and we hope you will tune in: bit.ly/4xXIwrB
bit.ly
Planning and Building the Electricity System of the Future: A Workshop
The electricity system is a backbone of U.S. economic activity, enabling peoples’ health and livelihoods, and is a key pathway for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the grid is at an inflect...
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Just a national park with 4m+ visitors in the middle of the desert which can't keep a potable water supply going. First fire, now floods on top of the 12.5-mile (20-kilometer) long Transcanyon Waterline "enduring dozens of breaks in recent years." apnews.com/article/gran...
apnews.com
Flash flooding causes major damage to the Grand Canyon's critical water pipeline
The sole pipeline that supplies water for millions of Grand Canyon visitors was badly damaged by weekend flash flooding, setting up a tricky repair scenario and upending a yearslong construction proje...
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Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 31/08/2026
Household air conditioning may avert more than 5,000 heat-related deaths in the US annually, according to research in Nature Health. go.nature.com/3Syh3xz 🧪
This is figure 1, which shows a map of temperature and household AC usage in the CONUS.
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Rachel Becker @ra-becks.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Data centers drink up California's water. But how much? Last year, Gov. Newsom vetoed a bill that would have required data centers to disclose their water use and plans. This year, lawmakers tried again with two new bills. The question is: will Newsom sign them? calmatters.org/environment/...
calmatters.org
Newsom already said no to data centers disclosing water use once. Now he has two more chances
California data centers guzzle billions of gallons of water to cool AI servers — and the public still doesn't know how much. Lawmakers want that to change. Newsom vetoed the idea last year. Now two ne...
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David King @cityplanning.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
This is a good article that adds to the argument we have been studying car dependence wrong. Kent and Harris argue scholarship has been FOR policy rather than ABOUT policy. So we keep adding evidence to things we know but we really are after how to make change, and that requires study of politics.
tandfonline.com
Positioning the Private Car as a Political Problem
Private car dependency in cities is often viewed as highly problematic. There is ample knowledge about how to structure and manage cities to support less private car dependence, yet cars continue t...
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Mac McGill @maddmac.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Terrifying article that bodes poorly.
npr.org
NPR spent 2 years tracking deaths from heat. We found a staggering hidden toll
An NPR investigation found that people in the U.S. are dying from heat much more often than official counts show. We explore the reasons why — and how lives can be saved.
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Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Most of Israel's #desalination plants are temporarily shut, apparently from climate/weather conditions worsening turbidity in the eastern Mediterranean, which affects plant operations. #water Speculation of a cyberattack has been denied. www.timesofisrael.com/almost-all-o...
timesofisrael.com
Almost all of Israel’s desalination plants shut due to weather; source denies cyberattack
5 of 6 facilities temporarily close due to 'severe turbidity,' prompting limits for agriculture use; incident follows recent hack on US water systems, allegedly by Iran
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Harrowing but incredibly important reporting on growing number of people living in “liminal space” in the Antelope Valley. Or informality if you prefer. Without basic utilities but with the highest levels of heat and fire risk www.latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com
Far off the grid in the Antelope Valley, RVers make a mess — and elude the homeless count
The disappearance of more than 700 RVs from the rural Antelope Valley reported in the 2026 homeless count is baffling locals who say the number of unpermitted vehicles has only increased.
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Just read a (well-cited) paper abstract that starts with "A paper like this does not lend itself to conclusions" and feeling jealous.
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Alissa Walker @awalkerinla.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Be sure to always ask how the air taxi got there
Air taxi unveiled at LA Live, site of planned vertiport ahead of 2028 Olympics

One of L.A.'s first air taxis was unveiled at L.A. Live, where Archer Aviation and AEG plan to
construct a vertiport.The air taxi unveiled at L.A. Live on Monday was brought there by truck and has not yet been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for flight. The aircraft has a range of 100 miles and
can hold four passengers. Sept. 2024: Air taxis in LA? Aviation startup wants to bring
rideshare aircraft to SoCal, reduce gridlock
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Deb Chachra @debcha.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Oh look the NYT is ON IT with an interactive explainer of sidewalk markings! www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/a... Apropos of nothing in particular, you can preorder the *third* revised edition of @lifewinning.com's NETWORKS OF NEW YORK, here. networksofny2026.bigcartel.com/product/netw...
networksofny2026.bigcartel.com
Networks of New York, 2026 Edition (PRE-ORDER)
SHIPPING SEPTEMBER 2026! Networks of New York is a book by me, Ingrid Burrington. It helps readers identify indicators of physical internet and telecommunications infrastructure in New York City. Usin...
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Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
The national energy efficiency appliance standards, and the comparable #water efficiency standards, have saved consumers billions of $$, huge amounts of #energy, reduced #greenhousegas emissions, & reduced uncertainty for appliances makers. Trump would end them. www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-pro...
utilitydive.com
DOE wants to ‘permanently end’ appliance efficiency requirements
A proposed rule would create an “obstacle course of restrictions” bogging down the Department of Energy’s appliance efficiency program, a consumer advocate said.
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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
India’s upstream position on the Indus River system gives it important but limited leverage over Pakistan. Withholding flow and flood-warning data or manipulating reservoir operations can create uncertainty and pressure. My comments to @NikkeiAsia asia.nikkei.com/economy/natu...
asia.nikkei.com
India's hydropower push raises natural disaster fears in Kashmir
Seven dam projects ongoing as locals face repeated cloudbursts, floods and landslides
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Heat-water- mobile home nexus In LA county ktla.com/news/local-n...
ktla.com
SoCal mobile home park residents say they are without water during heatwave
Residents of an Antelope Valley mobile home park say the management company has left them without water in the middle of a heatwave. Three residents of the Sagetree Village Manufactured Home Commun…
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Greg Pierce @gregspierce.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Just another story re: drought in famously-arid Arkansas arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...
arktimes.com
Some towns short on water amid drought - Arkansas Times
Extreme heat and drought are prompting some Arkansas water utilities to put temporarily limits on watering lawns, filling swimming pools and washing cars.
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