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newsclips -- Newsclips for April 22, 2011.

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 13:13:52
California Air Resources Board News Clips for April 20, 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

State Regulators List 33 Ways EPA Rules Aren't Working. If the
administration is going to strip away some red tape, as President
Obama said when he penned an executive order telling federal
agencies to get rid of ineffective and outdated regulations, one
group of top state officials has 33 good places for U.S. EPA to
start. The executive order, which was signed in January, asked
the members of the public to air their grievances. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/04/21/21greenwire-state-regulators-list-33-ways-epa-rules-arent-91396.html?pagewanted=print

Heating Oil Phase-Out Part Of NYC Clean-Air Plan. The city will
phase out the use of polluting heavy oils to heat buildings and
will begin building solar power plants on capped landfills, Mayor
Michael Bloomberg said Thursday in his first update to a
4-year-old environmental plan that aims to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions 30 percent by 2030. Under the plan, the phase-out of
heavy oils from the city's boilers would start right away and be
completed by the 2030 deadline. Posted.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9MO6C380.htm

Tougher Air Rules Coming, Air District Says. Imagine a ban on
leaf blowers. Or no new businesses allowed. Or even a restriction
on all fossil fuel burning in the San Joaquin Valley. Those are
some of the restrictions that could kick in if the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency adopts tough new pollution
controls this summer, said Seyed Sadredin, executive director of
the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Posted.
http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/article_25b06a62-6c32-11e0-ad9c-001cc4c002e0.html

Black Carbon Testing Finds High Levels.  When the City Council
passed an ordinance in early April to reduce emissions from
construction equipment working on city jobs, it touched on a
larger problem: harmful amounts of diesel exhaust in Chicago’s
air.  Residents of several neighborhoods are most likely exposed
to diesel emissions at levels several times higher than the
national average for urban areas, testing by the Chicago News
Cooperative shows. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/us/22cnccarbon.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=air%20pollution&st=cse&gwh=9238126272D2F9AE8E5DA44E5E4BD88D

CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Footprint Varies By Location, Income. What is your carbon
footprint? Like the real estate slogan, it depends on location,
location, location. For a single-person household earning less
than $10,000, living in California, the annual carbon footprint
is about 16 tons of greenhouse gasses. But for a couple earning
$90,000 living in the Bay Area, it's about 57 tons annually. That
is almost the same as a family of five living in St. Louis, with
half of the annual income. Posted.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/carbon-footprint-varies-location-income-9951

Global Warming Doesn't Mean The End Of Winter. Here's some good
global warming news -- for folks who likes snowball fights and
shoveling out their driveway -- we still have some chilly winters
ahead, despite climate change. Still good -- Winter scene of
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with snow and trees. CAPTIONUS
FWSA 2008 series of National Academies of Sciences reports
concluded average global atmospheric temperatures will likely
rise from 2 to 11 degrees by the end of this century, continuing
a 1.4 degree rise over the previous one. Posted.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/04/global-warming-doesnt-mean-the-end-of-winter/1

New York City Studies Feasibility And Cost Of 80% Greenhouse Gas
Cut. New York -- This city will pursue 132 new initiatives as
part of a multi-decade effort to improve air and water quality
and sharply curb greenhouse gas emissions, Mayor Michael
Bloomberg (I) announced yesterday. New schemes include a
utility-scale solar power plant on closed New York City landfills
and pilot projects that would convert solid waste into energy.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/04/22/3

To States, Climate Change Means Plan Now, Or Pay More Later –
Report. Unmitigated climate change will deal a significant blow
to state coffers, according to new work from a national security
group. A state-by-state map detailing the economic, public health
and tourism impacts of climate change across the 50 states was
rolled out by the bipartisan American Security Project this week.
It is expected to become fodder for future climate policy
debates. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/04/22/4

Carbon-Footprint Labels Face Obstacles In Calculations,
Recognition. Despite pushes for eco-consciousness, few consumers
recognize carbon-footprint labels at the store, and even fewer
agree on how emissions should be calculated in the first place
for common products. While some countries have begun developing
labeling schemes, there are no international standards, and the
United States falls behind countries such as Japan and France. In
many cases, consumers must turn to online carbon-footprint
calculators. Disagreements on how to calculate carbon footprints
continue to be an impediment. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/04/22/18

FUELS

Linking Mileage to Pump Price. Auto makers are pushing to link
federal fuel-economy and emissions targets to the price of
gasoline, saying consumers won't pay enough for fuel-efficient
cars to make them profitable if gas prices aren't high. The
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the industry's main trade
group, is proposing that regulators periodically review gas
prices and other market factors, and scale back fuel-mileage and
emissions requirements if gas prices don't hit certain targets.
Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704889404576276782973215212.html

Court Declines To Rehear Case On Renewable Fuel Standard. A
federal appeals court today declined to reconsider its decision
to reject the petroleum industry's challenge of U.S. EPA's
biodiesel blending requirements. In December, a three-judge panel
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held
that EPA had followed the correct procedures in issuing the new
regulations (E&ENews PM, Dec. 21, 2010). Today, the court
rejected a request from the National Petrochemical and Refiners
Association and the American Petroleum Institute that the entire
court rehear the case en banc. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/04/22/17

VEHICLES

Cupertino Looks Into Installing Electric Car Charging Stations At
City Hall.  The city of Cupertino plans to leverage grant money
to bring electric car charging stations near city hall and the
Cupertino Library. The council unanimously voted earlier this
month to bring stations to Rodrigues Avenue.  The city is
accepting a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and plans to
partner with Coulomb Technologies, a Campbell-based business that
deploys charging stations in municipalities, utilities, office
buildings and parking garages.  Posted. 
http://www.mercurynews.com/san-jose-neighborhoods/ci_17904678?nclick_check=1

GREEN ENERGY

Opportunities For California Seen In China's Green-Tech
Industries. China's leadership in the green technology sector
represents "a wake-up call" for California companies but it also
provides opportunities, a top state official said Wednesday. In
just a few years, China went from being "barely on the map" to
the largest manufacturer of solar panels and the largest energy
consumer in the world, said Margret Kim, a deputy director at the
California Environmental Protection Agency and head of the
agency's China program. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/21/v-print/3568509/opportunities-for-california-seen.html

In Oakland, A Creative Strategy for Financing the City's Solar
Roofs.  The city of Oakland, Calif., is getting its residents to
help build out a clean energy economy, one solar tile at a time. 
By selling 5,000 tiles at $100 each to locals, the city is aiming
to piece together entire rooftop solar arrays at seven
budget-strapped schools, youth centers and houses of worship. 
Posted. 
http://solveclimatenews.com/news/20110422/oakland-creative-strategy-financing-citys-solar-roofs

REGION: More Builders Turning To Eco-Friendly Practices.  The
average customer at the University Avenue McDonald's in Riverside
probably doesn't realize that the restaurant's water is heated by
solar power, its countertops are made with recycled glass and the
parking lot's permeable pavers eliminate polluting storm water
runoff.  Posted. 
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_earthday22.132b57d.html

Regulators, Recyclers And Retailers Build 'Urban Mining'
Industry. Each year, new electronics hit the market and capture
consumers' attention, giving them reason to throw away the old
VCR or standard television and engross themselves in
state-of-the-art gadgetry. Most of the time, the old electronics
end up in the garbage, despite holding plenty of reusable
material. But a push for recycling them has gained ground in
recent years through both new state laws and a developing
"e-recycling" industry. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/04/22/2

Google Exec Hopes New Wind Power Deal May Spark Industry Trend.
San Francisco -- Google Inc.'s point man on energy hopes a deal
the company cut yesterday for 100 megawatts of wind power to fuel
a data center in Oklahoma sparks a trend that others in the
information technology sector will soon follow. Bill Weihl,
Google's green energy czar, spoke about the contract with NextEra
Energy Resources during a conference here in which he explained
why the Internet search giant decided to pursue its second
agreement to date with the wind power developer. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/04/22/5

A National Clean Energy Standard Should Curb Natural Gas Use,
Group Says. A national clean energy standard could fail to spark
future renewable energy technologies if the program doesn't cap
utilities' use of natural gas, according to a leading think tank.
The system proposed by President Obama to double low-emission
electricity by 2035 will also need to regulate at least 666
utilities, which produce 92 percent of the nation's power, to
approach the goal of generating 80 percent clean energy
nationwide, the group says. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/04/22/7

MISCELLANEOUS

As Consumers Cut Spending, ‘Green’ Products Lose Allure.  When
Clorox introduced Green Works, its environment-friendly cleaning
line, in 2008, it secured an endorsement from the Sierra Club, a
nationwide introduction at Wal-Mart, and it vowed that the
products would “move natural cleaning into the mainstream.” 
Sales that year topped $100 million, and several other major
consumer products companies came out with their own “green”
cleaning supplies.  Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/business/energy-environment/22green.html?scp=4&sq=green%20energy&st=cse&gwh=2862090C679582777EAC73826D6D2398

OPINION

The Clean Air Act Keeps Us Healthy. Congress can't be trusted to
interfere with the EPA's scientific standards. I love American
success stories. Start-up companies that change the marketplace,
inventors who create new technologies, and, of course, immigrants
who make it big in Hollywood. That's why I love the Clean Air
Act, one of the most successful laws in American history. Over
the last 40 years, it has made our air dramatically cleaner,
saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and substantially boosted
our economy. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703789104576273120525192318.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Editorial: Battle Of The Greenhouse Gas Regulators. It's risky to
predict what the U.S. Supreme Court will do, but a broad
consensus in the media this week concluded justices are likely to
dismiss a case brought by California and five other states
seeking to use "public nuisance" lawsuits to regulate greenhouse
gas emissions. That would be the proper decision. The issue is
which arm of government is appropriate for the task. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/greenhouse-297408-court-epa.html

BLOGS

In Texas, Questions of Drought and Climate Change. The severe
drought across Texas has hit the oil and gas city of Midland
especially hard, as I reported in Friday’s New York Times and
Texas Tribune. Since Oct. 1, Midland has received only 0.13
inches of rainfall — making it “most likely the driest
six-and-a-half-month period in recorded history,” said David
Hennig, a Midland-based meteorologist with the National Weather
Service. Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/in-texas-questions-of-drought-and-climate-change/?pagemode=print

For a Few, Focus on Green Products Pays Off.  These days, it
seems, the provenance of green products matters.  Manufacturers
who have long aligned themselves with environmental causes, like
Seventh Generation and Method, have rebounded better from the
recession than the “green” lines of larger, more traditional
manufacturers.  Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/rebound-for-product-makers-with-green-focus/?gwh=D0FD3DA5D3C816F0B1B5644457371ABF
 
Smog Season Is Almost Here -- And We're The Culprits, Too.  Take
a look back 10 years ago in the San Joaquin Valley's ozone
records and see how bad it was: 162 violations in summer 2001.
Ouch.  So, flash forward to last year and note there were only
93. Improvement, yes. You can see it when you look at the chart
of violations.  But the Valley still has major ozone problems.
The months of July and August are still an assault on the lungs.
And most of us are culprits.  Posted. 
http://fresnobeehive.com/news/2011/04/smog_season_is_almost_here_--.html#storylink=misearch
 
Greenpeace Gives Apple Low Marks On Green Tech.  ust in time for
Earth Day, Greenpeace published a report Thursday on cloud
computing that asserts Apple is the company with the dirtiest
data.  The report looks at the practices of several tech
companies that rely on cloud computing and scored the companies
on coal power use, policy transparency, data center sites and how
the companies offset their energy use.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/greenpeace-gives-apple-low-marks-on-green-tech/2011/04/21/AFWWPwOE_blog.html

Solar Panels Boost Home Prices. A new study from Lawrence
Berkeley National Lab could help California's homeowners decide
whether or not to "go solar." Researchers found that on average,
homeowners who recently installed solar photovoltaic (PV) panels
recouped most or all of their investment when they sold their
homes. “A house that has a PV system compared to a house that
doesn’t have a PV system is expected to sell for more,” said Ben
Hoen, the lead researcher on the study and a principal research
associate at Berkeley Lab. Posted.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2011/04/22/report-solar-panels-boost-home-prices/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Climate+Watch+Blog%29

Going Green For Innovation. As a former member of the California
Coastal Commission, the California Air Resources Board and
current member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have
long been an active steward of environmental issues. What these
experiences have taught me is that it is difficult to be an
environmentalist without encountering some sort of paradox that
suggests otherwise. Posted.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-a-environment/157333-going-green-for-innovation?tmpl=component&print=1&page=

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