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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 29, 2012.

Posted: 29 Jun 2012 12:02:53
ARB Newsclips for June 29, 2012. ARB Newsclips for June 29, 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.

AIR POLLUTION

EPA air chief defends carbon regs in court victory's wake. U.S.
EPA air chief Gina McCarthy defended her agency's plans to
address greenhouse gases this morning before a key House Energy
and Commerce subpanel, fortified by a federal appeals court
decision this week that affirmed EPA's proposal. She testified
that EPA had taken a "deliberative and common-sense approach" to
limiting carbon pollution that would not be a hit to the economy,
as some lawmakers have said. "Over 40 years of Clean Air Act
implementation, we've seen that clean air and a healthy economy
go hand in hand," she told the Energy and Power Subcommittee.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/06/29/7  BY
SUBCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Calif. plans to go it alone on cap and trade, at least at first.
Sacramento, Calif. -- California's foray into carbon emissions
trading will begin as a solo venture, regulators announced
yesterday at a hearing originally intended to secure the Canadian
province of Quebec as the state's first trading
partner.California air pollution officials said they still plan
to include other jurisdictions in their economywide cap-and-trade
program, but it won't happen in time for the inaugural auction
this November of allowances to manufacturers, oil refineries and
other industries, which must obtain them to cover their carbon
dioxide emissions starting next year. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2012/06/29/4  BY SUBSCRIPTION
ONLY

FUELS

Brazil Said to Consider Increased Ethanol Mix in Fuel. Brazil is
considering a request by Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4), the
country’s state-owned oil company, to increase the amount of
ethanol added to gasoline, said two government officials with
knowledge of the discussions. Authorities are reviewing ethanol
supplies in the South American country to determine if there is
enough to proceed with the measure, which would help reduce
imports and boost Petrobras’s earnings, said the officials, who
asked not to be identified as the matter is not public. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-29/brazil-said-to-consider-increased-ethanol-mix-in-fuel.html


Western Colorado Struggles as Energy Jobs Fade. The news of a
nationwide energy boom is almost too much for people in this town
built atop a sea of oil shale and natural gas, where rusting
tanks line the highways and ExxonMobil helped to finance the 4-H
club’s new community center. Elsewhere — seemingly everywhere
else but here, locals say — an oil and gas stampede is
transforming towns from the green hills of western Pennsylvania
to the plains of North Dakota and eastern Colorado, bringing a
flood of money, jobs and attendant environmental concerns.
Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/us/energy-boom-turns-to-bust-in-colorado.html


US, Canada cooperate on advanced biofuels, clean energy tech. The
U.S. DOE and Environment Canada released the U.S.-Canada Clean
Energy Dialogue Action Plan II on June 21. The plan outlines the
next phase of activities the two countries plan to undertake to
jointly advance clean energy technologies. According to the DOE,
the new action plan renews the commitment between the U.S. and
Canada to involves work in several areas, including biofuels,
carbon capture and storage, smart grids and energy efficiency.
Posted.
http://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/8562/us-canada-cooperate-on-advanced-biofuels-clean-energy-tech

Groups say CAFE standards could stymie biofuels industry.
Proposed fuel economy standards could hamper the U.S. biofuels
industry, a coalition of rural energy proponents and farm
organizations said yesterday. In comments filed with U.S. EPA,
the groups warned that the new corporate average fuel economy
standards, commonly known as CAFE standards, eliminate incentives
to use biofuels. In addition, the standards do not adequately
value the reduced greenhouse gas emissions possible through the
use of biofuels, they said. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/06/29/9  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

ENERGY: Escondido firm installs 400th electric vehicle charger.
Escondido firm Baker Electric Inc. has now installed 417
residential electric car chargers and 143 publicly available
high-speed chargers in San Diego County, the company said
Thursday. The county has been at the center of a national
electric vehicle roll-out: Nissan launched its all-electric Leaf
and Chevy launched its mostly electric Volt in 2010 in San Diego
County. At the same time, the region has been one of five areas
in which the Arizona firm Ecotality has been installing chargers
paid for by the government. Posted. 
http://www.nctimes.com/business/energy-escondido-firm-installs-th-electric-vehicle-charger/article_79a121fe-83db-5e99-8498-8b683cb19451.html

High-profile early adopters demo hydrogen car. Actress Diane
Kruger is one of more than 35 environmental enthusiasts and
"early adopters" in California who are among the first to drive
Mercedes-Benz's emissions-free B-Class F-Cell vehicle. The
hydrogen-fuel-cell electric vehicle generates electricity on
board in a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. With a
range of about 250 miles and short refueling times, the B-Class
F-Cell combines emissions-free local mobility with suitability
for long journeys and impressive performance, producing as its
only by-product, pure water. Posted. 
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_20918851/high-profile-early-adopters-demo-hydrogen-car?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com

Shift points. Toyota says it will start selling a super-small
electric vehicle in its Japanese home market for a super-small
price: just US $12,600, reports electric-vehicle advocate Green
Car Congress. The two-seater will be based on the COMS
single-seat EV unveiled at last year's Tokyo Motor Show.  Nissan
expects to triple sales of its Leaf electric car in Europe this
year, as new production facilities in England come on stream.
Europe sales and marketing chief Paul Wilcox projects 9,000 unit
sales this year compared to 3,000 last, reports industry journal
Automotive News. Posted. 
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_20918837/shift-points?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com


GREEN ENERGY

A 2nd U.S.-Supported Maker of Solar Panels Will Close. Abound
Solar, a solar panel maker that received a $400 million loan
guarantee from the federal government, announced on Thursday that
it would file for bankruptcy amid plummeting prices and intense
competition from Chinese manufacturers in the solar equipment
market. The failure of Abound, which tapped about $68 million of
the loan guarantee before the Energy Department cut off its
credit last September, comes after the collapse last year of
Solyndra, another high-tech solar panel maker that had received
federal funds. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/business/energy-environment/abound-solar-says-it-will-file-for-bankruptcy.html

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/jun/28/solar-firm-that-got-doe-loan-to-declare/

http://www.modbee.com/2012/06/28/2261647/solar-firm-that-got-doe-loan-to.html#storylink=misearch

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/06/28/2891319/solar-firm-that-got-doe-loan-to.html#storylink=misearch


Telecom pioneer Green now wired for solar. On a Santa Rosa
hilltop, telecom entrepreneur Don Green opened his home Thursday
to unveil a solar array that is one of the largest residential
installations in the country. It takes a lot of energy to power
his 14,000-square-foot home and guest house, and Green's
84.6-kilowatt system is expected to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 2,266 tons of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years,
the equivalent of a small car driving about 7.7 million miles.
Posted. 
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120629/BUSINESS/206291105

MISCELLANEOUS

House Solyndra Probe Nears Completion. The Republican-led
investigation into Solyndra LLC, the solar-panel maker that
received a $535 million U.S. loan guarantee only to go bankrupt
two years later, is drawing to an end. Representative Cliff
Stearns, the chairman of the House Energy Committee’s oversight
panel, told reporters yesterday that he was awaiting
certification from the White House that it had turned over all
requested documents relating to Solyndra. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-28/house-s-stearns-says-investigation-into-solyndra-nearing-end.html


Elk Grove to open hazardous waste collection center. Elk Grove
residents currently have to travel about an hour round trip to
get rid of an old TV set or paint can. But they soon will be able
to drop off household hazardous waste for free in their own city.
The city of Elk Grove started construction on a $4.6 million
special waste collection center, scheduled to open in May. The
center will be built on a vacant lot in an industrial area off
Grant Line Road and Highway 99. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/29/4598190/elk-grove-to-open-hazardous-waste.html


Critics say conference report deals major blow to alternative
transport. As Congress drives to sign a national transportation
bill into law just days before the current policy expires,
environmental and transportation groups attacked the conference
report released yesterday for stripping support for
transportation options. The bill represents a major and somewhat
unexpected legislative success following indications that
Congress would instead opt for the 10th extension of existing
law. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/06/29/6
 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

OPINIONS

Spray-on solar windows use teeny tiny solar cells to capture
energy. If the Internet has taught us anything, it is that
everything is better when it is smaller. Kittens are better than
cats. Cake pops are better than cakes. LEGO models of anything
are pretty great, even if the full-sized version is pretty iffy
(say, a meth lab). Thus: Solar panels? Good. Teeny tiny solar
cells? BETTER. Solar cells so tiny they can be sprayed onto
windows? SO COOL. Posted. 
http://grist.org/list/spray-on-solar-windows-use-teeny-tiny-solar-cells-to-capture-energy/


BLOGS

Pondering a Link Between Forest Fires and Climate Change. This
week, record temperatures and wildfires have scorched the western
United States. The National Climate Data Center reports that 41
heat records (6,027 weather stations take measurements around the
country) have been broken or tied since Sunday, mostly in
Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, which is quite unusual for this
time of year. Since Saturday, a wildfire near Colorado Springs
has burned over 18,000 acres, and 34 other large fires are still
burning in the country. Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/pondering-a-link-between-forest-fires-and-climate-change/

Car Rentals for the ‘Eco-Curious.’ Electric car sales have so far
ranged from disappointing to dismal. But Lee Broughton, head of
corporate sustainability for Enterprise Holdings, the parent of
Enterprise, National and Alamo, has an idea about how they might
be improved: by enlisting an American demographic he calls the
“urban eco-curious.” In 2010 Enterprise invested in electric
vehicles, buying 350 Nissan Leafs, but it found that its
customers were not really interested. Consumers hesitate to rent
them for the same reason that they hesitate to purchase: “range
anxiety,” or worry about how far the car will go without a
charge. Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/car-rentals-for-the-eco-curious/

BMW and Toyota expanding cooperation: fuel cells, sports car,
powertrain electrification and lightweight technologies.
Expanding their existing cooperation agreement signed in December
2011 (earlier post), Toyota Motor Corporation and the BMW Group
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at long-term
strategic collaboration in four fields: joint development of a
fuel cell system; joint development of architecture and
components for a future sports vehicle; collaboration on
powertrain electrification; and joint research and development on
lightweight technologies. (Earlier post.) Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/06/bmwtmc-20120629.html 

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