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California Air Resources Board News Clips for October 14, 2009.


This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
of Communications.  You may need to sign in or register with
individual websites to view some of the following news articles.


EPA Releases Bush-Era Global Warming Report. Washington - A
controversial e-mail message buried by the Bush administration
because of its conclusions on global warming surfaced Tuesday,
nearly two years after it was first sent to the White House and
never opened. The e-mail and the 28-page document attached to it,
released Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Agency, show
that in December of 2007 the agency concluded that six gases
linked to global warming pose dangers to public welfare, and
wanted to take steps to regulate their release from automobiles
and the burning of gasoline. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/14/MN4M1A5875.DTL&type=printable
http://www.sacbee.com/702/story/2252231.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i-ucDlUd12j2c9AuIkLx_7Lw2rggD9BAJ1A81
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101303897.html
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_13551941
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/10/13/13greenwire-epa-releases-bush-era-endangerment-document-47439.html

http://www.modbee.com/politics/story/891882.html

Toyota Will Fight Utilities For Low-Carbon Credits In Calif. 
San Francisco -- Automakers, not electric utilities, should
receive emissions credits granted under California's low-carbon
fuel standard, to reflect the risk the car companies have taken
to manufacture more efficient vehicles, a top executive at Toyota
Motor Engineering said last week. In a filing with the state's
Public Utilities Commission, Kevin Webber, general manager for
Toyota Motor's regulation and certification division in Ann
Arbor, Mich., said the auto industry has "absorbed the costs to
develop, manufacture and market advanced technology vehicles to
meet California's requirements." Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2009/10/14/4

New CARB Rule Mandates Metallic Window Coating; GPS, Electronics
Affected? Leave it to the California Air Resource Board to craft
another interesting mandate in the name of eco-friendly vehicles.
As part of its new "Cool Cars" program for 2012, CARB will
require all vehicles sold in California to sport a special
metallic glaze on all windows. Posted.
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/6595764/green/new-carb-rule-mandates-metallic-window-coating-gps-electronics-affected/index.html

Carbon Labeling Bill Tanks For Second Time In Calif.  San
Francisco -- Missing from the hundreds of bills singed into law
this weekend by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was a
measure that would have permitted manufacturers to stamp consumer
products with carbon data. The bill, from state Assemblyman Ira
Ruskin (D), would let businesses attach carbon labels to products
in much the same way nutritional data is listed on food
packaging. The carbon labels would list the total greenhouse gas
emissions created in harvesting, manufacturing, selling and
transporting products. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2009/10/14/7

Voluntary CO2 Offsets Doing Little To Reduce Emissions.
Voluntary carbon offsets purchased by companies have done little
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, market participants
said at a carbon industry conference yesterday. While voluntary
credits totaling 123 million tons, valued at $705 million, were
traded on the carbon market in 2008, overall only 34.69 million
tons of voluntary offset credits have been retired so far,
according to industry estimates. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2009/10/14/10

Boxer: Climate Bill Ready. A major Senate climate change bill is
written and ready to be debated before the Environment and Public
Works committee, the chairwoman of the panel said Tuesday. Sen.
Barbara Boxer’s legislation would distribution of tens of
billions of dollars of pollution allowances to power plants,
manufacturing, and other industries. It will mirror cap and trade
legislation passed by the House in late June with, she noted, “a
few tweaks.” The legislation has been sent to the Environmental
Protection Agency for analysis, which should be completed by the
end of the month. Posted.
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=5004CF13-18FE-70B2-A8FEAB37A01B3502

Governor Signs Six Bills By Oropeza. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
this week signed into law six bills by state Sen. Jenny Oropeza
that deal with greenhouse gases, idling school buses, mammogram
machines and honoring a pioneer of the gay rights movement. The
Republican governor also vetoed three bills by the Long Beach
Democrat, including proposed regulations and reforms for illegal
taxicabs and alcoholic-beverage licensing. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13554289?nclick_check=1

EPA Air Chief Says Carbon Registry Could Spur Emissions Cuts.
The public release of data revealing top U.S. industrial sources
of greenhouse gases could spur companies to voluntarily slash
their emissions, according to U.S. EPA's top air official.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/10/13/13greenwire-epa-air-chief-says-carbon-registry-could-spur-26767.html

Valley Officials Warn Gusts Bring Poor Air Quality. Bakersfield,
Calif.—Gusty winds accompanying the storm blowing through
California are being blamed for unhealthy air quality in portions
of the San Joaquin Valley. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District issued a warning on Tuesday saying blowing gusts
are causing unhealthy levels of particulate pollution in Kings,
Tulare and Kern counties. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13553174http://www.modbee.com/state/story/892215.html
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/oct/13/valley-officials-warn-gusts-bring-poor-air/
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x948484105/Dust-storm-prompts-health-warning

State Grant Retires Polluting School Buses. Four new school
buses in the Kings Canyon Unified School District will be
unveiled at Orange Cove High School on Thursday, replacing older
models that were found to produce excessive air pollutants.
Posted.
http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/index.php/environment/2567-state-grant-retires-polluting-school-buses.html


EPA Fines Stockton Metalworks Firm. A company that produces
metal powder has been fined $193,996 by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency for failing to file paperwork about its
emissions. Valimet Inc., on Sperry Road, is required to file
emissions reports with the EPA because it processes a certain
quantity of potentially toxic materials, including aluminum and
copper. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091014/A_NEWS/910140310/-1/A_NEWS14#STS=g0sagir9.19vw


World Bank Looks to Help Developing Nations With Carbon Capture
and Storage. Norway and the World Bank are in discussions over
setting up a new trust fund to help developing countries create
and deploy carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/10/14/14climatewire-world-bank-looks-to-help-developing-nations-73229.html


Colleges Are Battlegrounds For Coal Fight. Environmentalists are
taking the fight over coal beyond Capitol Hill and onto college
campuses. The Sierra Club is targeting coal-fired power plants
located at 60 college campuses. Setting its sights initially on
22 schools, the group is recruiting student activists to gather
signatures on petitions, ask faculty members to endorse their
cause, organize rallies outside administration buildings and
lobby school leaders. There are more aggressive messages, as
well, like students dumping coal on the administration doorsteps.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2009/10/14/1

Midwestern Senator Puts Manufacturing Issues at Forefront of
Climate Debate. In the quest to secure 60 votes for cap-and-trade
legislation, bill sponsors can point to almost any member of the
Democratic Senate majority as a "must have" vote. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/10/14/14climatewire-midwestern-senator-puts-manufacturing-issues-33943.html


Show Promotes Cleaner Energy. Sacramento State has partnered
with the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance to host the
third annual Clean Technology Showcase on Friday. The event will
showcase more than 100 local environmentally conscious businesses
and their products. Posted.
http://media.www.statehornet.com/media/storage/paper1146/news/2009/10/14/News/Show-Promotes.Cleaner.Energy-3802201.shtml


Hybrid Cars May Include Fake Vroom for Safety. For decades,
automakers have been on a quest to make cars quieter: an auto
that purrs, and glides almost silently in traffic. They have
finally succeeded. Plug-in hybrid and electric cars, it turns
out, not only reduce air pollution, they cut noise pollution as
well with their whisper-quiet motors. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/automobiles/14hybrid.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=air%20pollution&st=cse

Colo. Gov Touts 'New Energy Economy' At Conference.
Denver—Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter says his state's efforts to
build a new energy economy can provide a model for addressing
climate change and other challenges facing the country and world.
Ritter spoke Tuesday on the last day of the Association for the
Study of Peak Oil and Gas conference in Denver. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_13553854

Calif. Considers Strict Energy Standards For TVs. Sacramento,
Calif.—California utilities and environmental groups Tuesday
urged state energy regulators to ban the most power-hungry
televisions from stores as a way to lower electricity demand. A
rule before the California Energy Commission would impose the
nation's first energy-efficiency requirements for flat-screen
TVs, a mandatory standard that is expected to be copied by other
states. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13552829
http://www.modbee.com/state/story/892216.html 

Texas Heavy Industries Worry About EPA Crackdown. Dallas -- For
15 years, environmentalists have complained that state
regulations have allowed the powerful oil and chemical industries
to skirt Clean Air Act standards in Texas, the nation's foremost
producer of industrial air pollution. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/14/AR2009101400091.html

Warmer Planet, Fewer Crops? This column has focused on the
effects of food production on climate change. But what about the
effects of climate change on food production? After all, few
things are as sensitive to changes in weather as agriculture.
Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101300419.html

The Chamber's Numbers Game. The nation's largest business lobby
may be much smaller than it appears. A review of archival press
releases suggests that the US Chamber of Commerce—which will not
disclose the names of its members—has vastly overstated its size
in recent years, helping to make its controversial positions on
health care and climate change look like a consensus of American
businesses. In testimony before Congress, statements to the
press, and on its website, the Chamber claims to represent "3
million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions." In
reality, the number is probably closer to 200,000. Posted.
http://www.motherjones.com/print/28242