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In the lexicon of climate change, one word appears more often than any other: “carbon.”
Carbon credits, carbon emissions, carbon sequestration … These terms are on everyone's lips.
The reason is carbon dioxide (CO2).
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, CO2 is the most important driver of global warming.
At approximately 400 parts per million, atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at its highest level in at least the past 800,000 years.
The burning of fossil fuels and other human activities are currently adding nearly 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year, producing an unprecedented buildup.
NASA is about to launch a spacecraft to keep track of this greenhouse gas. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 is in final preparations for a July 1st launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Also known as “OCO-2”, the polar orbiting satellite will provide a global picture of human and natural sources of carbon dioxide.
Data from OCO-2 will also be used to quantify carbon dioxide “sinks” – that is, places in the ocean and land which naturally pull carbon dioxide out of Earth’s atmosphere for storage.
“Knowing what parts of Earth are helping remove carbon from our atmosphere will help us understand whether they can keep doing so in the future,” said Michael Gunson, OCO-2 project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Although the mission is named OCO two, it is actually NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
The original OCO spacecraft, launched from Vandenberg more than five years ago, never reached orbit because of a separation anomaly in the launch vehicle. OCO-2 is NASA's second attempt.
It's coming just in time. Greenhouse gases like CO2 trap the sun's heat within Earth's atmosphere. By maintaining habitable temperatures, the greenhouse effect is essential to life on Earth. However, increasing CO2 levels may have given our planet too much of a good thing.
Most scientists agree that increased carbon dioxide from human activities, particularly fossil fuel burning and deforestation, has thrown Earth's natural carbon cycle off balance. Global surface temperatures are increasing and changing our planet's climate.
Currently, less than half the carbon dioxide emitted into Earth's atmosphere by human activities stays there. Some of the extra CO2 is absorbed by Earth’s oceans.
Natural land sinks take up the rest, but the amounts of CO2 taken up at various locations on the Earth’s surface are not well understood. OCO-2 scientists hope to coax these sinks out of hiding.
“Quantifying these sinks now will help us predict how fast CO2 will build up in the future,” added Gunson. “Data from this mission will improve the accuracy of global climate change predictions.”
OCO-2 detects carbon dioxide using three onboard spectrometers. These devices work by spreading sunlight into its constituent colors. CO2 reveals itself by absorbing certain colors as sunlight crosses through the atmosphere.
In this way the new spacecraft will dramatically increase the number of observations of carbon dioxide, collecting hundreds of thousands of measurements each day when the satellite flies over Earth's sunlit hemisphere.
OCO-2 measurements will be combined with data from ground stations, aircraft and other satellites to help answer key questions about carbon dioxide and climate change.
The director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, Michael Freilich, summed it up: “With the OCO-2 mission, NASA will be making an important new contribution to the scientific challenge of better understanding our Earth and its future.”
See the ScienceCast here: http://youtu.be/BZtXdBBzJyA .
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man sustained major injuries and was flown to a regional trauma center following a Saturday evening motorcycle crash.
David Pratt, 55, was injured when his motorcycle went off Old Highway 53 and hit a tree, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Hobbs.
Hobbs said Clearlake Police officers and Lake County Fire Protection District firefighters were dispatched to a reported vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision on Old Highway 53 near Airport Road at 6:20 p.m.
Arriving at the scene officers and firefighters discovered the crash actually had only involved a single motorcycle ridden by Pratt, Hobbs said.
Pratt had been riding the motorcycle southbound on Old Highway 53 just north of Airport Road when, for unknown reasons, the motorcycle traveled off the west roadway edge and hit a tree, according to Hobbs.
Hobbs said Pratt sustained major injuries and the motorcycle had moderate damage.
Pratt was briefly treated at the scene and then transported by Lake County Fire Protection District to a landing zone at Ray’s Food Place. Hobbs said a CalStar air ambulance took Pratt to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Old Highway 53 between Airport Road and Lakeview Way was closed for approximately 45 minutes, Hobbs said.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Clearlake Police Officer Joseph Myers at 707-994-8251, Extension 501.
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Homeowners in the Hidden Valley Lake subdivision have issued a recall petition to Bill Waite, the president of the the Hidden Valley Lake Association Board of Directors.
The petition, signed by 225 HVL member-residents, was presented to Waite at the association’s monthly board meeting on Thursday night in the HVL administration building.
The presentation was accompanied by comments regarding why Waite was being served by Will Tuttle, an association homeowner and spokesperson for the property owners attending the meeting.
Tuttle gave three reasons why Waite’s removal as board president, a position he has held for two years, is being sought. They were as follows;
- Abuse of power;
- Failure to properly perform fiduciary duties; and
- Failure to act in the best interests of the association.
At the hub of the recall petition is a lengthening dispute over the HVL Board’s attempt to construct a new building, the Hartmann Complex, to replace the present one with a building that includes a clubhouse, restaurant, bar and pro shop.
The board also wants to replace or restore a second structure that serves as a community building.
The overall cost of the projects has been estimated to be as high at $8 million and, because of the possibility of an assessment, a group of HVLA members are adamantly opposed to going ahead with the two projects without a communitywide vote of approval.
“We are in danger of losing financial stability here with the huge expenses for the golf course and the restaurant,” said Tuttle, who claims the operation of the golf course and lack of business for the restaurant have cost HVL more than $500,000 to $800,000 a year for the last 10 years.
“People know that (HVL’s) financial stability is being threatened by the board’s irresponsible actions, refusing to let us vote, an attitude of stonewalling and not taking the HVL Association seriously,” Tuttle said.
Tuttle added that another reason for the recall effort is an abusive letter sent to Board Member Steve Greenberg which accused him of “hurting the (board) by questioning the very expensive Hartmann Complex.”
“That was outrageous,” said Tuttle.
Waite responded by labeling the recall petition allegations “unfounded.”
“I’m concerned where this leaves the entire community. I feel that the allegations made in the petition are unfounded and don’t understand where they’re coming from,” Waite said in a written communication to Lake County News. “When Will Tuttle read the allegations, they referred to actions from both this board and the previous board.”
Tuttle said that according to state law Waite has 20 days to set a date for a general meeting at which the community will vote whether to recall Waite.
That meeting, in turn, must be held 35 to 90 days after the initial meeting, Tuttle said.
Email John Lindblom at
The number of pertussis (whooping cough) cases in California continues to climb, Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer reported Friday.
In the past two weeks, 1,100 new cases of pertussis have been reported to CDPH. This brings the total number of cases to 4,558 (as of June 24). This far surpasses the total number of reported cases in 2013, which was 2,532, Chapman reported.
Chapman said one additional infant has died, bringing the total number of infant deaths to three. Children 4 months old or younger account for nearly two-thirds of all pertussis hospitalizations.
“Infants are at the greatest risk of illness and death from pertussis,” said Dr. Chapman. “Vaccination is the best form of protection. We’re encouraging all parents to vaccinate their children, and for pregnant women to be vaccinated to protect their babies. This will ensure maximum protection against this potentially fatal disease.”
State data shows that Lake County has two pertussis cases so far this season, with one of them being reported in the past two weeks.
The Tdap vaccination for pregnant women is the best way to protect infants who are too young to be vaccinated, officials said.
All pregnant women should be vaccinated with Tdap in the third trimester of each pregnancy, regardless of previous Tdap vaccination. Inoculated women pass immunity to their unborn babies that protect them until they can be vaccinated, accoridng to health officials.
Infants should be vaccinated as soon as possible. The first dose of pertussis vaccine can be given as early as 6 weeks of age. Chapman's office said older children, pre-adolescents and adults should also be vaccinated against pertussis according to current recommendations.
“It’s particularly important that people who will be around newborns also be vaccinated,” added Dr. Chapman. “This includes babysitters, older siblings, parents and grandparents. When those people are vaccinated they will help protect infants who are too young for immunization.”
The symptoms of pertussis vary by age. For children, pertussis typically starts with a cough and runny nose that can last up to two weeks. The cough then worsens and turns into rapid coughing spells that end with a tell-tale “whooping” sound.
Young infants may not have typical pertussis symptoms and may have no apparent cough. Parents describe episodes in which the infant’s face turns red or purple. For adults, pertussis may simply be a cough that lasts for several weeks.
CDPH is working closely with local health departments, schools, media outlets and other partners to inform the general public about the importance of vaccination against pertussis.
The income tax concept of “basis” figures prominently in estate planning.
On the sale (or final disposition) of an asset, the seller’s basis is used to calculate whether the seller has a gain or loss for income taxes.
A capital gains tax occurs when an asset is sold for more than its basis; such as when an appreciated asset is sold or when a depreciated asset is sold (or disposed of) for more than its remaining tax basis. Minimizing these capital gains taxes is an important estate planning goal.
How basis is determined varies as follows: (1) Purchased assets have an initial cost (purchase price) basis; which may get adjusted up for capital improvements and down for income tax depreciation; (2) gifted assets carry over the transferor’s basis; and (3) inherited assets, other than retirement assets, receive a new basis equal to the appraised date of death value (if higher, it is called a “stepped-up” basis) because they were included in the deceased person’s estate for federal estate tax purposes, regardless of whether an estate tax was due.
With the estate tax thresholds now at $5,250,000 and $10,500,000 for single and married persons, respectively, the estate tax rarely ever bites but is always relevant for basis purposes (except for retirement assets).
For example, in 1970 a father buys his home for $50,000; the father’s initial basis is $50,000.
In, 1975, the father makes $20,000 in improvements. He gets a new basis of $70,000.
In 2012, he dies and his daughter inherits the home, now appraised at $250,000. Daughter’s new basis is $250,000; a $180,000 increase.
Married couples have tax opportunities both for the surviving spouse and for the couple’s subsequent beneficiaries.
At the first spouse’s death, the deceased spouse’s separate property and all the couple’s community property assets get a new basis.
All assets owned as community property receive a full basis adjustment (even though half belongs to the surviving spouse).
At the second spouse’s death, the first deceased spouse’s separate property assets may sometimes get a second step up in basis that typically benefits the children. That is, provided such assets are includable in the second spouse’s estate for federal estate tax purposes.
That can be either because these assets were gifted directly to the surviving spouse (either outright or to the surviving spouse’s revocable trust) or because the decedent’s assets were held in a further marital trust.
A marital trust, to qualify as such, must provide that the surviving spouse receives all the income from the assets, during her lifetime. It may also provide for distributions of principal to the surviving spouse. While alive, the surviving spouse must be the sole beneficiary. At her death, the remaining assets typically pass to the first spouse’s children.
Irrevocable trusts that were previously established at the death of the first spouse with the deceased spouse’s assets, as so-called bypass (aka, “credit shelter”) trust may sometimes qualify as marital trusts.
If the irrevocable trust satisfies the requirements to be a marital trust, a special so-called QTIP election can be made (this year) to allow the trust assets to be included in the surviving spouse’s estate for estate tax purposes and to get a new (and hopefully higher) basis at the surviving spouse’s death.
For these reasons, many estate planners now draft any irrevocable trust established at the death of the first spouse to meet the marital trust requirements.
The surviving spouse can then make the QTIP election, presuming the surviving spouse’s enlarged estate is not expected to be so large as to suffer from an estate tax that would exceed the income tax benefits.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, California. Fordham can be reached by e-mail at
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – This week the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force located and eradicated 818 marijuana plants from multiple locations in Upper Lake.
Lt. Steve Brooks said that on Monday narcotics detectives responded to 12 separate properties in the Upper Lake area, which contained marijuana plants.
Several of the properties were identified during prior overflight missions. The purpose of the overflights is to seek out probable illicit marijuana growing operations, Brooks said.
During the overflights detectives noticed that 11 of the properties were in violation of County Code 2978, which is the medical marijuana cultivation ordinance. Brooks said the marijuana was being cultivated on vacant lands, which were absent any dwellings or structures.
Detectives eradicated 95 marijuana plants from two parcels located on Elk Mountain Road, 113 marijuana plants from four parcels on Bachelor Valley Road, 132 marijuana plants from two parcels on Rancheria Road, 88 marijuana plants from one parcel on Pitney Lane, 286 marijuana plants from two parcels on Clover Valley Road and 104 marijuana plants from one parcel on Mahoney Drive, according to Brooks.
Brooks said Lake County Code Enforcement assisted detectives and red tagged two of the locations.
Detectives searched each of the grow sites and were unable to locate any of the suspects or additional witnesses, Brooks said.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
