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State AG sues Exxon for plastic pollution, alleged deception about recycling By Joe Taglieri
By Staff
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Airport Fire nearly fully contained ire officials expected the 23,519-acre Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside counties to be fully contained Tuesday after achieving 88% containment. Containment of the Airport Fire increased rapidly overnight from 74% to 81%, state fire officials said Monday. On Tuesday containment rose an additional 7%. Injuries totaled 22, and the fire has destroyed 160 structures and damaged 34 as of Tuesday, according to Cal Fire. The Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties has burned 54,878
joet@beaconmedianews.com xxon Mobil Corp. is facing lawsuits from the California Department of Justice and environmental groups for an alleged decadeslong "campaign of deception" that has resulted in the global plastics pollution crisis. California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Sunday announced the state has filed a lawsuit against global oil giant alleging violations of state nuisance, natural resources, water pollution, false advertisement and unfair competition laws. The first-of-its-kind lawsuit seeks accountability for one of the world's largest petrochemical manufacturers for misleading the public about the recyclability of plastic and polluting California’s environment and communities, according to the AG's office. The state's lawsuit was filed Monday in the San Francisco County Superior Court and claims Exxon Mobil has deceived Californians for 50 years via "misleading public statements and slick marketing" purporting that recycling was the solution to the increasing amounts of plastic waste. The suit seeks an end to the allegedly deceptive public platform and also an abatement fund, disgorgement and civil penalties for the harm done by plastics pollution to people and the environment that the attorney general estimated would be multiple billions of dollars. In a separate lawsuit, the locally based Surfrider
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acres and was 79% contained, Cal Fire reported Tuesday morning. It is the state's largest active blaze, followed by the 39,232-acre Line Fire in San Bernardino County. The Line Fire was 75% contained Tuesday. The Airport Fire started near Trabuco Canyon Road in the area of a remotecontrolled airplane airport, OCFA Capt. Sean Doran said. Officials determined the fire was caused accidentally by an Orange County Public Works Department crew using heavy equipment. Southern California
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Polymers are a major source of ocean pollution. | Photo courtesy of the California Attorney General's Office
Foundation and Heal the Bay joined the Sierra Club and Baykeeper raised similar complaints against Exxon Mobil for the company's alleged role in concealing the causes of the plastics pollution crisis. “Plastics are everywhere, from the deepest parts of our oceans, the highest peaks on earth, and even in our bodies, causing irreversible damage — in ways known and unknown — to our environment and potentially our health,” Bonta said in a statement. “For decades, ExxonMobil has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they clearly
knew this wasn’t possible. ExxonMobil lied to further its record-breaking profits at the expense of our planet and possibly jeopardizing our health." Exxon Mobil issued a prepared statement in response to the suit: "For decades, California officials have known their recycling system isn't effective. They failed to act, and now they seek to blame others. Instead of suing us, they could have worked with us to fix the problem and keep plastic out of landfills. The first step would be to acknowledge what their counterparts across the U.S. know: advanced See Exxon Mobil Page 31
recycling works. To date, we've processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic waste into usable raw materials, keeping it out of landfills. We're bringing real solutions, recycling plastic waste that couldn't be recycled by traditional methods." Exxon Mobil produces the largest amount of polymers, which formulate single-use bottles and other plastic products. The company makes polymers from fossil fuels and supplies them to other companies that manufacture single-use plastic. The suit contends that for decades Exxon Mobil
Riverside police arrest 4th student this month for alleged school threats By Staff
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iverside police have arrested four students this month who attend local schools for allegedly making threats of violence via social media against fellow students and school staff members. A13-year-old male was taken into custody Monday and booked into a Riverside County juvenile detention facility on suspicion of criminal threats and conspiracy. Police said a second middle school student will be charged with conspiracy as well. Late Monday night officers launched a "School Threat See School threats Page 32
Assessment and Response," or STAR investigation following reports from Central Middle School parents of an Instagram post depicting a "student with a possible firearm and a list of classmates' names," according to a Riverside Police Department statement Tuesday. Police identified the student, and a search of his home uncovered a "realistic toy gun," the statement said. Authorities requested anyone with additional information on this alleged threat of school violence to contact School Resource Officer Ben