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Cal Poly grad has held various forestry positions in western U.S.
Staff Report
U.S. Forest Service officials announced the selection of Jeanne Dawson as the new deputy forest supervisor for Los Padres National Forest. Dawson succeeds Chris Stubbs, who last June was named Los Padres Forest supervisor.
Dawson previously served in the Forest Service’s Northern Region on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest as the range, recreation, partnerships and lands staff officer and resource advisory committees coordinator. She has also worked in the Southwest Region on the Santa Fe National Forest as the forestry program manager and on the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands as a zoned timber management assistant and district forester.
Through these positions, she gained experience in working with collaborative groups of different sizes and backgrounds to find consensus in designing and implementing large, landscape-scale restoration projects to benefit wildlife, watersheds, local communities, public land users, and ecological resiliency to wildfire, insects and disease.
While Dawson has worked in wildland fire suppression and prescribed burning throughout her career, she also worked several seasons as a type 6 engine assistant on the Pacific Northwest Region’s Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and was a seasonal technician for fuels and fire suppression on the Rocky Mountain Region’s Pike-San Isabel National Forest. Dawson recently completed an assignment as an acting district ranger on the Lincoln National Forest.
A California native, Dawson’s first Forest Service job was on the Kootenai National Forest in Montana following her freshman year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry and natural resources.
“I am excited to return to the Central Coast and I look forward to working with our dedicated employees and amazing partners in stewarding the important resources and values that the American public expects and entrusts us to do,” Dawson said.
Dawson began in her new role Oct. 9.
Los Padres National Forest's newly selected deputy forest supervisor Jeanne Dawson started her job on Oct. 9. Contributed Photo
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California Proposition Preliminary Results
Seven propositions voted on in the Nov. 8 elections
Staff Report
California voters voted on seven statewide propositions on Tuesday, Nov. 8, and here is how the results are coming in as of Friday, Nov. 11:
Proposition 1
Prop 1 amends the California Constitution to add the right to choose to have an abortion and use contraceptives, currently at 65.1% yes and 34.9% no.
Propositions 26
Prop 26 amends the California Constitution to legalize sports betting for adults age 21 and older at Native American tribal lands and horse-racing tracks. Allows roulette and dice games at tribal casinos. Imposes a 10% tax on sports wagering profits at horse-racing tracks currently at 70.1% no and 29.9% yes.
Propostion 27
Prop 27 amends the California Constitution to legalize online sports betting for adults age 21 and older via platforms that have agreements with Native American tribes; imposes a 10% tax on sports-wagering revenues, coming in at 83.4% no and 16.6% yes.
Proposition 28
Prop 28 requires K-12 public schools to spend at least a certain percentage of their funds on arts and music programs, currently at 61.8% yes and 38.2% no.
Proposition 29
Prop 29 sets staffing, reporting, and patient coverage requirements for kidney dialysis clinics currently at 69.9% no and 30.1% yes.
Proposition 30
Prop 30 imposes an additional 1.75% tax on individual income over $2 million, with proceeds going toward incentives for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure and wildfire prevention currently at 59.2% no and 40.8% yes.
Editors Note: Correction from the SYVS last issue we stated “wildlife prevention programs” as a part of Prop 30 in error. It should have said “wildfire prevention.”
Proposition 31
Prop 31 upholds a state law banning the sale of flavored tobacco products currently at 62.4% yes and 37.6% no.
Atlas V Launches From Vandenberg Space Force Base
Rocket is the 301st, and last, Atlas variant to take off from base
Staff Report
Team Vandenberg launched a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) and NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 1:49 a.m.
Col. Rob Long, Space Launch Delta 30 commander, was the launch decision authority.
“Today the Western Range closed another chapter in history that began with the first Atlas vehicle launch from SLC-3 in 1958,” Long said. “Our outstanding airmen and Guardian professionals continue to showcase flawless execution and teamwork alongside NASA, NOAA and ULA conducting safe launch and range operations to ensure a successful mission.”
The advanced JPSS system improves the accuracy and timeliness of numerical weather prediction models to enhance weather forecasting. Surveying the planet twice daily, JPSS-2 will obtain global observations that serve as the backbone of both short- and long-term weather forecasting and climate record-keeping and monitoring.
Data includes imagery, atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, land and ocean surface temperature measurements, and readings on ozone levels and solar radiation from the planet. Improving the accuracy of weather forecasts enables decision-makers, emergency managers and the public to prepare and pre-position resources that are necessary steps to save lives and property.
JPSS-2 is the 301st Atlas rocket launched from Vandenberg, and the final Atlas variant from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The 300th Atlas launched that occurred last year, was also Team Vandenberg’s 2000th launch. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for managing the launch service.
After JPSS-2 reaches orbit, LOFTID will be put on a reentry trajectory from low-Earth orbit to demonstrate the inflatable aeroshell or heat shield’s ability to slow down and survive re-entry. LOFTID’s large deployable aeroshell — an inflatable structure protected by a flexible heat shield — acts as a giant brake in the atmosphere. The large aeroshell creates more drag than a traditional, smaller rigid aeroshell.
“I’m incredibly lucky to have been the launch director for Team Vandenberg’s 2000th launch for the Atlas V Landsat 9 mission as well as today’s JPSS-2 mission,” Long said. “Our mission partners, in government and industry is critical to our success. While we close this chapter, we are excited about the increased tempo on the horizon at the Western Range.”
For questions regarding the launch window or Vandenberg SFB range operations, contact Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs at (805) 606-3595 or SLD30. PA.Workflow@us.af.mil.
PG&E Files Licensing Action to Renew Operating Licenses for Diablo Canyon Power Plant
Plant would continue serving as a reliable, low-cost, carbon-free bridge while state brings online new clean energy resources
Staff Report
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today took another step on the path to relicensing Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) to support California’s safe and reliable transition to a clean energy future.
PG&E filed its first licensing action with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for renewing the operating licenses for DCPP’s Units 1 and 2. PG&E must obtain the necessary NRC licenses — as well as other required state regulatory approvals — to operate the plant’s two units beyond their current operating licenses, which expire in 2024 and 2025.
This request is aligned with new California energy policies that seek to preserve operations at DCPP in San Luis Obispo County beyond its current licensed operation period to improve statewide energy system reliability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while additional renewable energy and carbon-free resources come online.
PG&E requests the NRC to designate the appropriate licensing process to follow, as the company withdrew its license renewal application in 2018 based on state energy policies at the time.
“We are proud of the role Diablo Canyon plays in providing safe, reliable, low-cost and carbon-free energy to our customers and Californians," said Paula Gerfen, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. "This request to renew our licenses is another step to help California reliably achieve its bold decarbonization goals. We will help deliver on those goals while continuing to run one of the top performing plants in the country.”
In addition to the need for renewed licenses from the NRC, the path for continued operations of DCPP past 2025 includes regulatory approvals from such entities as the U.S. Department of Energy, the California State Lands Commission, the California Energy Commission, the California Coastal Commission, and the California Public Utilities Commission.
About Diablo Canyon Power Plant
Diablo Canyon can generate 2,200 megawatts of baseline electricity, and currently provides approximately 17 percent of California’s zero-carbon electricity supply and 8.6 percent of the state’s total electricity supply.
PG&E is committed to the highest levels of safety, performance and security at DCPP. The plant has an excellent safe operating record and is subject to rigorous regulatory oversight, including with respect to seismic safety. The NRC’s current assessment places DCPP among the highest performing plants in the nation. All plant operations will continue to be overseen and monitored by the NRC, as well as several other independent industry and external oversight entities.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge. com/about/newsroom/.
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