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newsclips -- Newsclips for February 10, 2011.
Posted: 10 Feb 2011 11:31:27
California Air Resources Board News Clips for February 10, 2011. 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. AIR POLLUTION GOP Invites Business To Vent About Regulations. From large manufacturers to a small electric company, businesses are sounding off about costly government rules. Witnesses at a House hearing complained about regulations on endangered species, excessive paperwork, EPA anti-pollution standards and much more. The hearing of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee quickly became partisan Thursday. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2011/02/10/1550271/republican-hearing-focuses-on.html http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_716ada2d-9e86-545d-ac6f-a4720daa459e.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/10/2266621/republican-hearing-focuses-on.html#storylink=misearch http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/10/AR2011021000680.html CLIMATE CHANGE GOP Attacks EPA On Rules. Washington – Congressional Republicans on Wednesday opened a formal assault on the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases, raising doubts about the legal, scientific and economic basis of rules proposed by the agency. The forum was a hearing convened by the energy and power subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to review the economic impact of pending limits on carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/10/v-print/3390715/gop-attacks-epa-on-rules.html House Republicans Take E.P.A. Chief to Task. Congressional Republicans on Wednesday opened a formal assault on the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases, raising doubts about the legal, scientific and economic basis of rules proposed by the agency. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/science/earth/10emissions.html?scp=8&sq=climate%20change&st=cse House Panel Plans To Overturn EPA's Finding On Climate Change. Washington - Republicans on the House of Representatives energy committee on Wednesday aired their proposal to block the Environmental Protection Agency from reducing greenhouse gases and to reverse the agency's scientific finding that climate change is dangerous. While the plan might be blocked in the Senate or vetoed by President Barack Obama, the comments during Wednesday's hearing were a fresh indication of the depth of opposition in Congress to action on reducing U.S. carbon pollution. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2011/02/09/1549530/house-panel-plans-to-overturn.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/09/2266039/house-panel-plans-to-overturn.html#storylink=misearch http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/02/09/v-print/108383/house-panel-plans-to-overturn.html Low-Income Groups Could Delay California’s Pollution Legislation. As California officials get ready to implement their historic climate-change legislation they’re being met with expected challengers. Groups representing low-income residents have filed a motion that could possibly delay the effectuation of portions of the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) because they say the law violates the California Environmental Quality Act because the air board did not provide any alternatives, and have risked the welfare of many residents. Posted. http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/low-income-groups-could-delay-californias-pollution-legislation/5141/ Heat’s On Cap And Trade. There’s a persistent myth out there that left-wing loonies are somehow trying to foist carbon cap-and-trade schemes on California business. In fact, lots of progressives and environmental groups aren’t all that crazy about cap and trade either—and believe that it’s a complicated game which lets polluters off the hook for their impacts on local communities. In fact, the state’s ambitious anti-global-warming law, Assembly Bill 32, is now stumbling in the courts, because several environmental-justice organizations sued over the controversial cap and trade plan that state regulators approved in December. Posted. http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/PrintFriendly?oid=1920200 Enviro Groups Hit Lawmakers In Swing Districts On Emission Regs. Environmentalists today released polls that found a majority of independent voters in the swing districts of nine House Energy and Commerce Committee members oppose legislation that would halt U.S. EPA action on greenhouse gas emissions. The polling unveiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) marks the latest step in green groups' intensifying campaign to discredit lawmakers from both parties who seek to handcuff EPA. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/02/10/1 What’s New? Objections Filed in the AB 32 Lawsuit. The parties involved in the lawsuit “Association of Irritated Residents v. California Air Resources Board (CARB)” filed objections on Monday to the judge’s tentative ruling that could lead to a temporary suspension of the state’s landmark climate change plan. Given the breadth of the materials filed in this suit and the scope of the ruling, the arguments in the objections were both expected and appropriate. In fact, they shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Posted. http://www.favstocks.com/what%E2%80%99s-new-objections-filed-in-the-ab-32-lawsuit/0932662/ IID Continues Emissions Progress. The Imperial Irrigation District is on track to meet greenhouse gas emission standards as required by Assembly Bill 32. The bill makes the California Air Resources Board responsible for monitoring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to cut emissions by 25 percent, to 1990 levels, said David Kolk, IID assistant general manager, at the IID Board of Directors meeting Tuesday. Incremental reductions begin next year with 2 percent cuts per year until 2015. Then 3 percent cuts are required until 2020. Posted. http://articles.ivpressonline.com/2011-02-09/iid-assistant-general-manager_27739955 DIESEL EMISSIONS Workshop Set On Truck Clean Engine Rules And Funding. State and regional air pollution regulators will conduct free workshops for truckers Feb. 19 and March 19 on how to meet California's clean engine rules for diesel trucks and on obtaining government grants to comply. The free Saturday workshops will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 19 at the College of Alameda, 555 Ralph Appezzato Parkway, Alameda; and from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 19 at the San Mateo County Events Center, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_17342387?nclick_check=1 http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17342387?nclick_check=1 FUELS 2 Studies Target Sticking Points, Gaps In Life-Cycle Calculations. Conducting in-depth life-cycle assessments of the environmental impacts of biofuels is complicated, and new research suggests some questions in comparing biofuels to alternatives like petroleum-based fuels will never be answered. Furthermore, one study argues, consumer choices driven by price differences between bio-based and petroleum-based fuels will play into how biofuels affect the environment, adding another layer of complication that must considered. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/02/10/8 GREEN ENERGY San Francisco Mandates Energy Audits. San Francisco -- The San Francisco board of supervisors voted this week to require owners of all nonresidential buildings to disclose their energy use. Property owners will have to publish their buildings' energy footprints once a year and owners of commercial structures larger than 10,000 square feet will eventually be required to conduct in-depth efficiency audits every five years. Audits will start in October for commercial properties larger than 50,000 square feet, extending to buildings as small as 10,000 square feet starting in 2013. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/02/10/10 Renewable Energy Standards Survive GOP Offensive. Colorado Democrats slammed the door Wednesday on Republican plans to undo clean-energy policies adopted in recent years. A Democrat-controlled Senate committee narrowly rejected three Republican proposals to lower consumer utility bills. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/feb/09/renewable-energy-standards-target-of-colo-gop/ Chicago Awards Contract For Car Charging Stations. Chicago officials have awarded a California company a $1.9 million contract for installing 280 electric vehicle charging stations in the city and some surrounding suburbs by the end of the year. The Chicago Tribune reports that under the contract, San Diego-based 350 Green LLC will set up 73 plazas where motorists driving electric cars will be able to plug in to either of two different types of charging stations. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2011/02/09/1549631/chicago-awards-contract-for-car.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/feb/09/chicago-awards-contract-for-car-charging/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/09/2266131/chicago-awards-contract-for-car.html#storylink=misearch Settlement Fund To Pay For RI Wind Power. Rhode Island's attorney general says funds from a settlement agreement with a major U.S. power company over pollution allegations will finance wind energy projects in the state. In a statement Wednesday, Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin says the state will spend a fifth of its $1.2 million portion of the settlement to construct wind turbines along its windy southern coast. The turbines will partly power a state beach facility and a state campground. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/feb/09/settlement-fund-to-pay-for-ri-wind-power/ Groups Argue Against Proposed PNM Rate Increase. Several renewable energy and consumer advocacy groups have come out against a proposed rate increase for customers of New Mexico's largest electric utility. Western Resource Advocates, New Energy Economy, the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy and others have filed statements of opposition with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission over Public Service Company of New Mexico's revamped request for a rate increase that would average nearly 11 percent for residential and business customers around the state. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/feb/09/groups-argue-against-proposed-pnm-rate-increase/ VEHICLES CARB Chairman Accuses Auto Trade Group Of Lying To Congress. Don’t mess with Mary Nichols, Chairman of the California Air Resources Board (CARB). In a letter to the CEOs of seven major automobile manufacturers (see CARB Press Release), she alleged that their trade association misrepresented CARB’s role in the regulatory process for development of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulations for motor vehicles. Specifically, Nichols accused the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) of falsely complaining to Congress that CARB was not cooperating with industry, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA). Posted. http://www.examiner.com/environmental-news-in-bakersfield/carb-chairman-accuses-auto-trade-group-of-lying-to-congress All Aboard: California High-Speed Rail Planners Prepare To Put Out Billions In Contracts. California’s bullet train planners Wednesday cracked open the flood gates for bidders expected to rush in seeking billions of dollars in construction work projected to start next year. Requests for expressions of interest were sent to thousands of large and small contractors worldwide that may want a piece of the first phase of the $43-billion network that is supposed to connect the Bay Area and Southern California with trains running up to 220 mph. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/02/all-aboard-california-high-speed-rail-planners-put-billions-in-contracts-out-for-bid-worldwide.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29&utm_content=Google+Reader High-Speed Rail Group Surveys Industry's Interest. With $5.5 billion to spend on the first stretch of a statewide high-speed train network, the California High-Speed Rail Authority invited private industry Wednesday to help finance, build and operate the system. The agency announced that it has mailed out several thousand letters to businesses, chambers of commerce and other business organizations, asking for "expressions of interest" in building or designing the 120-mile initial stretch from north of Fresno to Bakersfield, or participating in future efforts to build, maintain, operate or fund the $43 billion first phase of the system from San Francisco to Southern California. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/10/BA6T1HL2AL.DTL&type=printable High-Speed Rail Authority Invites Input From Business. In the first formal step to figure out who's going to build and run California's high-speed rail system, officials Wednesday invited companies to speak up if they're interested -- and send in ideas. The California High-Speed Rail Authority's "request for expressions of interest" is 44 pages long, and it's going out to businesses around the world. Its release marks the start of a yearlong process to select firms to design and build the initial segment between Fresno and Bakersfield. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/09/v-print/2266551/calif-rail-authority-invites-input.html Fla. Lawmaker Questions Calif. High-Speed Rail. Washington -- The influential chairman of the House transportation committee voiced skepticism Wednesday about California's high-speed rail plans. While not ruling out eventual support for California, Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said he's unimpressed by what he's seen so far. Mica specifically questioned the state's current plans to start with tracks connecting a rural stretch of the central San Joaquin Valley. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/09/v-print/2266539/fla-lawmaker-questions-calif-high.html Calif. Gauges Private-Sector Interest As Critics Question Cost, Ridership. California went fishing for private contractors and investors yesterday with the state's first open invitation to outside parties looking to participate in construction of an 800-mile high-speed rail line. The agency in charge of the project, the California High-Speed Rail Authority, gave interested parties a five-week window, until March 16, to express interest in design, construction, financing, operations and maintenance of the north-to-south line. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/02/10/4 Bill Blocks Tailpipe Emissions Limits. Legislation would bar states from imposing their own rules. Washington — The top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee wants to block the Environmental Protection Agency from setting tailpipe emissions limits. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, has introduced legislation that would have the effect of barring California and a dozen other states from also imposing their own emissions rules. The bill would overturn a 2007 Supreme Court decision that said the EPA can regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Posted. http://detnews.com/article/20110210/AUTO01/102100364&template=printart OPINION You Can’t Make It Up. Just how crazy is the assault on reason done in the name of combating “climate change”? Well, consider this scenario from — where else? — California. Not even the ultra-liberal Golden State can pass a cap-and-trade law through its legislature. Instead, it has long relied on its unelected air resources board (CARB) to implement any and all restrictions by fiat. But a funny thing happened recently on the way to de facto cap-and-trade in California. Posted. http://www.dailynews-record.com/opinion_details.php?AID=54568&CHID=36 BLOGS Yet Another Route to Cellulosic Ethanol. There are myriad routes to making car fuel from waste, using mix-and-match technologies assembled in novel ways, but none has worked yet on a commercial scale. On Wednesday, Ineos Bio, the subsidiary of a major international chemical firm, broke ground on a plant that aims to use yet another combination. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/yet-another-route-to-cellulosic-ethanol/ E.P.A. and Carbon Dioxide: The Prequel. As a committee of the Republican-controlled House settled in to interrogate the Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, about her agency’s efforts to regulate greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, a senior House Democrat released three-year old documents showing that the Bush administration’s E.P.A. sought to follow exactly the same course. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/e-p-a-and-carbon-dioxide-the-prequel/ On Edge-Pushing Statistics and Climate Basics. There’s a young field at the interface of science and mathematics called spatial statistics. It’s so new that its first international conference is taking place next month in the Netherlands. It’s an important line of work, with the potential to help clarify everything from the risk of disease outbreaks to the rate of warming across the vast and sparsely monitored Antarctic continent. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/on-edge-pushing-statistics-and-climate-basics/?scp=4&sq=air%20pollution&st=cse Clorox Comes Clean: Company Discloses All Ingredients In All Products. The maker of bleach, Pine-Sol and other popular cleaning products announced Tuesday that it will disclose the specific preservatives, dyes and fragrances it uses in its cleaning, disinfecting and laundry products sold in the U.S. and Canada. The Clorox Co. announcement builds on the ingredient communications program the corporation launched in January 2008, which disclosed the active ingredients in its natural Green Works line on a dedicated Clorox website. In 2009, Clorox also began listing the active ingredients of its more traditional products. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/02/clorox-ingredients.html A Cool Reception: EPA Administator Experiences Climate Change In The House. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson got a cool reception Wednesday in her first appearance before a House energy subcommittee under Republican rule. Conservatives grilled Jackson on her agency's ability to regulate greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, saying it would burden manufacturers with expensive costs. Posted. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/post-carbon/2011/02/a_cool_reception_epa_secretary.html Air Board Defends EPA on Capitol Hill. A high-ranking California official appeared on Capitol Hill today to defend the right of the federal Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. James Goldstene, executive director of the state’s Air Resources Board, told members of a House subcommittee that the EPA's recently released regulations will not create a "regulatory train wreck." Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2011/02/09/ca-official-epa-climate-regs-would-cause-no-regulatory-train-wrecks/ Wind Farm Forecast: More & Bigger. How much wind energy do we need to make California's goal of 33% clean electricity by 2020? Whenever I put this question to one of the experts, the answer is always: "It depends." But under almost any scenario, thousands more windmills will dot the California landscape in years to come. Those who don't see them on a daily basis might be surprised to learn that there is already something on the order of 13,000 commercial wind turbines operating in California. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2011/02/09/wind-farm-forecast-more-bigger/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Climate+Watch+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader Supercomputer Helps Turn Big-Rigs Into Energy Efficient ‘Smarttrucks’. Energy efficient big-rig trucks might may hit the highways much sooner than anticipated — thanks to the nation’s fastest supercomputer. BMI Corporation and Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have teamed up to develop the SmartTruck UnderTray System, a set of finely-tuned wind deflectors that when installed make 18-wheeler... Posted. http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/thinking-tech/supercomputer-helps-turn-trucks-into-energy-efficient-smarttrucks/6237/