What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB News Clips for January 26, 2012. 

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.

CLEAN CAR REGULATIONS

Calif. poised to vote on new 'clean car' regs. San Francisco The
head of California's air quality board is calling proposed rules
that would require automakers to build less-polluting cars and
trucks by 2025 a historic move for a cleaner environment. A vote
on the rules will come at a meeting that began Thursday of the
California Air Resources Board. Board Chairman Mary Nichols says
she hopes the rules to require that vehicles emit about
three-quarters less smog-producing pollutants will "lead the
nation and the world." Posted.
http://hosted2.ap.org/PAGRE/8b068da42337421092f81e6bcce678fa/Article_2012-01-26-California%20Clean%20Car%20Standards/id-0c7384284c5b45f5a6dfeb552178ec43
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_CLEAN_CAR_STANDARDS?SITE=CAANR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

AP Newsbreak:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/environment/calif-poised-to-vote-on-new-regs-to-cut-auto-pollution-and-increase-zero-emission-vehicles/2012/01/26/gIQAnyBESQ_story.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/01/26/national/a001057S87.DTL&type=printable
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_19821240
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/26/2697943/calif-poised-to-vote-on-new-clean.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/calif-poised-to-vote-on-new-clean-car-regs/article_1552c0c0-fe9b-53e5-bce5-8c0cc39683f5.html
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_19824861?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_19821240?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20120126/BUSINESS/120126004/New-clean-car-regulations-considered-by-state-board?odyssey=nav%7Chead
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72017.html#ixzz1kaSSB4p2
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/26/california-to-vote-on-new-clean-car-regulations/
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/state&id=8519697
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/California-Clean-Car-Program-Zero-Emission-Vehicle-Hybrid-138124558.html
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Calif-Demands-More-Electric-Cars-138123583.html
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/01/26/calif_poised_to_vote_on_new_clean_car_regs/
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2012/jan/26/california-poised-vote-new-clean-car-regulations/?print=1
http://www.newsday.com/business/calif-poised-to-vote-on-new-clean-car-regs-1.3480557
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/morning_call/2012/01/california-air-board-to-vote-on.html
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/24498-1
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/california-expected-approve-landmark-ev-rules-35760.html
http://www.torquenews.com/397/election-year-begins-california-seeks-clear-air
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2012/1/26/california_air_board_to_vote_on.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tX1xi7iy0Q
http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/1512219/New-Smog-Requirements-Proposed.html

AIR POLLUTION

FirstEnergy closing 6 coal-fired power plants.  FirstEnergy Corp.
said Thursday that new environmental regulations led to a
decision to shut down six older, coal-fired power plants in Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Maryland, affecting more than 500 employees. 
The plants, which are in Cleveland, Ashtabula, Oregon and
Eastlake in Ohio, Adrian, Pa. and Williamsport, Md., will be
retired by Sept. 1. Posted. 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_19826393?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_19826393?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Car emissions may fuel desert forest fires. Nitrogen emissions
from car exhaust and industrial sources might be increasing
forest fires across the California desert by fueling the spread
of invasive grasses, according to a new report by the Ecological
Society of America. Agricultural nitrogen is also causing
groundwater contamination in the state, the report concluded.
Most nitrogen in the atmosphere is trapped in an inert form that
is unusable by most plants and animals. Posted.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/car-emissions-may-fuel-desert-forest-fires-14625

CLIMATE CHANGE

Britain ranks top risks posed by climate change.  Coastlines,
working patterns, and even the country's most famous meal are
under threat from climate change, Britain said Thursday in its
first-ever national assessment of the likely risks.  The 2.8
million pound ($4.4 million) study sets out the most pressing
problems expected to affect the United Kingdom as a result of
climate change, from rising sea levels to more frequent summer
droughts.  Posted. 
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gubwafVHHU9KLdK-M8qerqixDAAA?docId=6c8ca7e3548a4db5b09945ef9e588a3b

AP Newsbreak:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/uk-ranks-top-risks-posed-by-climate-change-including-to-nations-beloved-fish-and-chips/2012/01/26/gIQAnnoRSQ_story.html
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/26/2698033/britain-ranks-top-risks-posed.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.nctimes.com/news/science/britain-ranks-top-risks-posed-by-climate-change/article_8eb99a91-e72e-5fc5-9cbf-4bc175a6ffe8.html
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_19825326?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_19825326?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Why Climate Change Will Make You Love Big Government. A Secret
History of Free Enterprise and the Government That Made It
Possible. Look back on 2011 and you’ll notice a destructive trail
of extreme weather slashing through the year. In Texas, it was
the driest year ever recorded.  An epic drought there killed half
a billion trees, touched off wildfires that burned four million
acres, and destroyed or damaged thousands of homes and buildings.
 Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christian-parenti/why-climate-change-will-m_b_1233903.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

Watch 131 Years of Global Warming in 26 Seconds.  From our
friends at NASA comes this amazing 26-second video, depicting how
temperatures around the globe have warmed since 1880. That year
is what scientists call the beginning of the “modern record.”
You’ll note an acceleration of those temperatures in the late
1970s as greenhouse gas emissions from energy production
increased worldwide and clean air laws reduced emissions of
pollutants that had a cooling effect on the climate, and thus
were masking some of the global warming signal. Posted. 
http://www.climatecentral.org/videos/web_features/nasa-finds-2011-ninth-warmest-year-on-record/

VEHICLES

More retail centers installing electric vehicle charging
stations. Mall operators and retailers consider the chargers a
good investment, a way to one-up competitors and burnish a green
reputation — even though few of their customers own electric
vehicles. "Charge it" may soon have new meaning at shopping malls
and retail centers across the country. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-retail-electricity-charging-20120126,0,4419792.story

Tesla Motors to unveil the Model X Feb. 9. For Tesla Motors
(TSLA), 2012 is the year of its all-electric sedan, the Model S.
But before the Model S even hits the street this summer, the
company is stoking interest in its next electric vehicle, the
Model X. Described in a regulatory filing as having "the
functionality of a minivan with a design as cool as an SUV," the
first prototype of the Model X will be unveiled Feb. 9 at Tesla's
design studio in Hawthorne, near downtown Los Angeles. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_19820723?source=rss

GREEN ENERGY

Obama doesn’t back down on clean energy.  After every State of
the Union speech, pundits rush to lament that the speech
contained lofty rhetoric unmatched by substantial policy
proposals. All the concrete ideas are “small bore,” a “laundry
list.” And indeed, that’s a fair way to characterize last night’s
speech.  But that criticism misses the point. The president does
not control domestic policy.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/politics/obama-doesnt-back-down-on-clean-energy/

MISCELLANEOUS

This old house: Why fixing up old homes is greener than building
new ones.  Looking for the ultimate earth-friendly bungalow? No
need to engineer some LEED certified space pod. Buy an old house
and gird yourself for an eco-friendly remodel.  A study released
Tuesday finds that in almost every instance, remodeling an old
building is greener than building a new one. Posted. 
http://grist.org/cities/this-old-house-why-fixing-up-old-homes-is-greener-than-building-new-ones/

OPINIONS

Martin Lagod: Other states still look to California to lead the
way.  There's a formula for success California businesses use to
great advantage, in everything from film and aerospace to
computers and high tech industries: leadership = market
development = jobs. We incubate great ideas here, bring them to
market, and then -- most crucially -- lock in our leadership
position so we keep the jobs those ideas create in California. 
Posted.  http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_19821417

Guest commentary: Cleaner air standards under attack in Congress.
The ink has barely dried on the long awaited mercury and air
toxics standards, and already there are some in Congress
furiously working to unravel this and other vital healthy air
protections. A recent survey conducted by the American Lung
Association revealed that 60% of Michigan and Ohio voters want
EPA scientists, not members of Congress, to set pollution
standards. Posted.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120126/OPINION05/201260431/Guest-commentary-Cleaner-air-standards-under-attack-in-Congress?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp

BLOGS

California to Consider Major Revision to Zero-Emission Mandate.
This week, the California Air Resources Board, commonly known as
CARB, will vote this week on a staff recommendation to require a
significant increase of zero- and near-zero-emission cars to be
on state roads in 2025. If the program is adopted, it would
effectively require the addition of 1.4 million
advanced-powertrain vehicles in 2025. Posted.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/california-to-consider-major-revision-to-zero-emission-mandate/

Clean Car Agreement Moving Auto Industry & America Forward. In
his State of the Union speech, President Obama touted the
remarkable turnaround of the auto industry. Critical to this
turnaround was the original clean car agreement the
administration brokered in 2009. That agreement helped lay the
foundations for the industry’s recover by putting fuel-efficiency
product plans into high gear. Posted.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rhwang/clean_car_agreement_exemplifie.html

Study Revises Cost of Long Beach Air Pollution. New research by
USC and UMass puts the average price of living with asthma at 7
percent of annual income here, and blames half of new cases on
air pollution. Each case of asthma in Long Beach costs an average
of $3,819 a year, and local traffic-related air pollution is
likely a major cause, a new study says. Posted.
http://belmontshore.patch.com/articles/usc-long-beach-pollution-study

Mayor Works to Bring Clean Tech to Los Angeles.  At the
VerdeXchange Marketmakers Conference that took place in downtown
Los Angeles this week, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave a keynote
speech to an audience of 500 industry leaders working to build
and shape the green economy of Los Angeles and the nation. The
group included individuals working in both the public and private
sectors to further the development of technologies and markets
related to energy efficiency…Posted. 
http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/01/mayor-works-bring-clean-tech-los-angeles/