In a lawsuit, activists alleged that utilities colluded with local politicians to save PG&E money at the expense of safety at proposed youth sports fields, according to the Tracy Press. A natural gas pipeline below the proposed West Schulte Road sports field apparently had a waiver application supported by Rep. Richard Pombo, former Tracy mayor Dan Bilbrey, and current Tracy mayor Brent Ives. The land was bought by the city from the U.S. Department of Justice last fall under a law written by Pombo that prevented a prison from being built there, according to the report. A low-carbon fuel standard may increase carbon emissions but is unlikely to do so, according to a new paper by U.C. Berkeley researchers. The paper simulates the outcomes of a national low-carbon standard focusing on gasoline and ethanol as the high- and low-carbon fuels. It is available at ucei.berkeley.edu. Credit Suisse announced it will finance forestry projects to generate carbon offset credits May 17. According to the Financial Times, the bank set up a $200 million financing joint venture with Sustainable Forestry Management in the U.K. The Department of Water Resources would implement programs designed to enhance habitats for cold-water fisheries to benefit the threatened and endangered Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead in the Feather River and warm-water fisheries in Lake Oroville, according to an environmental impact report at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The deal for DWR's 762 MW hydro dam includes a comprehensive program to monitor water quality and bacteria levels at project waters for the benefit of both fisheries and visitors using the project's swimming areas. Electricity demand could be reduced from the current 2.2% annual increase to 0.7% through moderate efficiency improvements, according to a McKinsey Global Institute report this month. It is available at www.mckinsey.com. Carbon sequestration would need a pipeline infrastructure, according to a congressional research report issued April 19. A host of proffered federal legislation attempts to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting coal-fired power that could use the relatively untested sequestration method. The reports notes, however, that none of the legislation addresses the need for pipelines to take the carbon dioxide from where it's created to an underground sequestration site. Biofuels appear to be leading to the biggest food price increase in 30 years, according to the Financial Times. Raw materials, including wheat, barely, milk, cocoa, and oils show a cost inflation of 21 percent, noted one research index.