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ARB Newsclips for July 12, 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

Iowans sue EPA over livestock feedlot emissions. Cedar Rapids,
Iowa (AP) — A group of Iowa residents has filed a lawsuit seeking
to require the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate
emissions from livestock operations. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday
in U.S. District in Cedar Rapids, claims the EPA's failure to
regulate pollutants such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide,
commonly found in the air around the operations, endanger public
health and welfare, The Gazette (http://bit.ly/NjVeoH ) reported.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Iowans-sue-EPA-over-livestock-feedlot-emissions-3702528.php


POLLUTION: Tougher burning restrictions expected. On the heels of
a new rule that restricts wood fires in people’s homes and yards,
air-quality regulators are talking about a further crackdown on
fireplaces to control fine-particle pollution in Southern
California. Under the current rules, the South Coast Air Quality
Management District proclaims no-burn days in areas where
fine-particle pollution is expected to reach unhealthful levels.
The district is considering a lower threshold for no-burn days
that would be in effect for the entire air basin from the ocean
to the mountains, district spokesman Sam Atwood said. Posted. 
http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20120711-pollution-tougher-burning-restrictions-expected.ece

Thursday will be third Spare the Air day this week. Air quality
officials have declared a third consecutive Spare the Air Day on
Thursday because of forecasts calling for hot temperatures and
high pollution levels. Residents around the greater Bay Area are
being advised to avoid any unnecessary driving, as well as
strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest part of the day. It
will be the fourth Spare the Air day of the season, and the third
since Tuesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said.
Posted. 
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120711/COMMUNITY/120719929

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21054475/spare-air-alert-called-thursday-bay-area?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21054475/spare-air-alert-called-thursday-bay-area?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com


Mill Fire acreage and containment climb slightly Wednesday.
Northern California – Firefighters continued to make progress on
a wildland fire that’s been burning in the Mendocino National
Forest for nearly a week. The Mill Fire, burning north and east
of Upper Letts Lake within the Colusa County side of the forest
since last Saturday, reached 16,800 acres late Wednesday,
according to Mendocino National Forest officials. The fire edged
up about 800 acres on Wednesday, with containment improving to 38
percent, the agency said. Posted.
http://www.lakeconews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25932:mill-fire-acreage-and-containment-climbs-slightly-wednesday&catid=1:latest&Itemid=197

 
Higher CO2 levels in atmosphere could speed emissions from soils
– study. As higher levels of carbon dioxide permeate the Earth's
atmosphere, scientists have long counted on forests -- which, as
individual trees, grow larger in carbon-rich environments -- to
soak up some of the excess. But after nearly a decade and a half
of observing forest ecosystems in controlled settings, scientists
now see evidence that elevating carbon levels may cause forests
to release as much extra carbon as they absorb. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/07/12/2 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Canadian regulators approve first large CO2 control project for
oil sands. Canadian regulators approved a project yesterday that
could become the first-ever large-scale attempt to control CO2
emissions from the country's oil sands region. The Alberta Energy
Resources Conservation Board greenlighted Royal Dutch Shell PLC's
Quest CCS project, which envisions capturing 1 million metric
tons of carbon dioxide annually from an oil sands upgrader -- an
oil processing unit -- and storing the greenhouse gas underground
permanently. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/07/12/3  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

FOOD: Technology helps limit drought losses. For months, Illinois
farmer David Kellerman held out hope for rain, even as the worst
drought in nearly 25 years spread across the country. He finally
gave up when the temperature hit 108 three days in a row. Corn
won’t develop kernels if it gets too warm during pollination, and
Kellerman knew the empty cobs in his fields would never fill out.
Just after the Fourth of July, he and the neighbor he farms with
took an extraordinary step: They cut down the entire crop and
baled the withered plants to use as hay for their cattle. Posted.
 http://www.pe.com/business/business-headlines/20120711-food-technology-helps-limit-drought-losses.ece

http://www.nctimes.com/business/crop-technology-helps-limit-corn-losses-in-drought/article_874f4fc8-8c94-542a-8ae7-57529d0f5942.html


Cap and Trade Resurrected? Some States Awaken to Its Economic
Benefits. Evidence showing that cap and trade can bolster a new
revenue stream has some state and federal officials quietly
seeking answers. Cap and trade is long dead in the United States,
a victim of shifting political winds, fierce oil industry
opposition and a weak economy. With many states in financial
trouble—and with evidence building that cap and trade can bolster
a new revenue stream and create jobs—some states are starting to
take a second look. Posted.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120708/cap-and-trade-rgg-states-california-economic-benefits-energy-efficiency-jobs-carbon-auctions-proceeds-deficits


California Department of Water Resources Finalizes Climate Action
Plan. The California Department of Water Resources ("DWR")
recently finalized and approved a Climate Action Plan ("Plan").
The first phase of this Climate Action Plan is a Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Reduction Plan, which will guide State Water Project
development and decision making with respect to energy use and
greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions. The Plan outlines how DWR will
make substantial reductions in its GHG emissions in the near-term
(present to 2020)…Posted.
http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=44f5a37d-933e-41bf-acdd-c0b1331502dd


DIESEL EMISSIONS

California fines Caterpillar for engine violations. The
California Air Resources Board said Caterpillar Inc., the Peoria,
Ill.-based producer of industrial equipment and engines, will pay
a $510,000 fine for shipping nearly 600,000 on- and off-road
engines that did not have legally required emissions controls.
ARB said the fine resulted from a joint investigation with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of
Justice. The fine is part of a larger national settlement
resulting in payment of $2.55 million for violations of the Clean
Air Act. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/11/v-print/4622946/california-fines-caterpillar-for.html


FUELS

Brent leaps above $101 as U.S. ups sanctions versus Iran. Brent
crude futures turned higher in late trading on Thursday, jumping
above $101 a barrel, after the United States announced increased
sanctions against Iran, quashing sharp losses sparked by global
economic growth worries. U.S. crude followed suit and gasoline
futures rose more than 1 percent higher tracking the global
benchmark Brent futures, traders said. The U.S. Treasury said, in
announcing the move, that it was blacklisting a number of firms
and individuals for contributing to what it called an effort to
acquire nuclear weapons. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/12/us-markets-oil-idUSBRE83H17O20120712

 
Can fracking pollute water? Study tries to answer. A new study
being done by the Department of Energy may provide some of the
first solid answers to a controversial question: Can gas drilling
fluids migrate and pose a threat to drinking water? A drilling
company in southwestern Pennsylvania is giving researchers access
to a commercial drilling site, said Richard Hammack, a spokesman
for the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh.
Posted. 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/11/can-fracking-pollute-water-study-tries-to-answer/

Dominion begins operations at new Va. power plant. Dominion
Virginia Power has started commercial operations at its Virginia
City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise County as part of its blueprint
to meet growing energy demands and comply with changes to
environmental regulations. The Richmond, Va., energy provider
said Wednesday that the 585-megawatt power station in St. Paul
was placed in commercial operation late Tuesday after four years
of construction that employed nearly 2,400 workers at its peak.
The $1.8 billion power station uses coal, waste coal and biomass
to produce enough to power 146,000 homes at peak demand. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/jul/11/dominion-begins-operations-at-new-va-power-plant/


Companies that bought fake renewable credits fault EPA for lack
of warning. One thing that has particularly irked companies that
were taken in by a recent high-profile scam involving the
peddling of fraudulent renewable energy credits on the biodiesel
market is the fact that U.S. EPA knew about the scam for more
than a year before it told buyers about it. Oil refiners and
other obligated parties that purchase the renewable fuel credits
to satisfy government mandates have questioned why EPA didn't
provide them with a heads-up about the green energy scheme
sooner. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/07/12/4 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Sacramento public parking garages to add electric charging
stations. Sacramento electric car owners will have 28 more
charging stations to use starting in November. The City Council
last week approved installation of the stations at eight public
parking garages. The new stations – provided by Coulomb
Technologies' ChargePoint America program – will work with every
electric vehicle on the road except for select Tesla model
vehicles. For those cars, an adapter is sold by Tesla. The
charging stations will be free to use. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/11/4622584/sacramento-public-parking-garages.html


United Airlines orders 150 Boeing 737s. United Airlines is buying
150 Boeing 737s, planning to use them to replace older planes
that are not as fuel efficient. The order announced on Thursday
includes 100 of Boeing's new 737 Max 9s.That's a new version of
the plane that will have new engines and other tweaks to cut how
much fuel it burns. Those planes start arriving at United in
2018. United is also buying 50 of Boeing's current 737-900ER.
Those planes begin arriving late next year. Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/United-Airlines-orders-150-Boeing-737s-3702057.php
 
www.fresnobee.com/2012/07/12/2906722/united-airlines-orders-150-boeing.html#storylink=misearch


ROUSH CleanTech Receives CARB Retrofit Alternative Fuel System
Certification for 2010-MY Vehicles. ROUSH CleanTech has received
California Air Resources Board (CARB) approval of its propane
autogas fuel system for retrofitting 2010 model year 5.4-liter
Ford E-150, E-250 and E-350 cargo vans and wagon. This is the
first CARB certification awarded since 2000 for a liquefied
petroleum gas retrofit system, and the first CARB certification
for any alternative fuel system for retrofit installation on 2010
model year vehicles, according to the company. Posted. 
http://www.businessfleet.com/News/Story/2012/07/ROUSH-CleanTech-Receives-CARB-Retrofit-Alternative-Fuel-System-Certification-for-2010-MY-Vehicles.aspx


McKinsey analysis indicates Li-ion pack prices could fall to
$160/kWh by 2025; EV TCO competitive with combustion engine
vehicles. A new analysis by the consultancy McKinsey & Company
indicates that the price of a complete automotive lithium-ion
battery pack could fall from the current $500–$600/kWh to about
$200/kWh by 2020 and to about $160/kWh by 2025 (in real dollars,
indexed to 2011). These figures represent the price per effective
kWh, assuming batteries with 70% depth of discharge (DoD), and
include the price of battery cells, battery-management systems,
and packaging. Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/07/mckinsey-20120712.html 

China aims to build and sell 5M energy-efficient vehicles by
2020. The Chinese government plans to invest heavily in
green-tech vehicles and appliances, providing subsidies and
incentives to get industries on board. The goals are to lessen
dependence on foreign oil, cut emissions and speed the transition
of the auto industry to a more environmentally sustainable model.
By 2015, the country hopes to build and sell 500,000
energy-efficient and alternative-energy vehicles, increasing that
number to 5 million by 2020. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/07/12/11 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GREEN ENERGY

China drives 24% rise in new clean tech investment. China was the
main contributor to a 24 percent rise in new global investment in
clean energy in the second quarter as large Chinese solar and
wind projects raised millions of dollars of finance, said
research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance. New global clean
energy investment totalled $59.6 billion in the second quarter of
this year, up 24 percent from the previous quarter but still 18
percent below the near-record high of $72.5 billion in the second
quarter of 2011, the company said in a report on Wednesday.
Posted. 
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/11/clean-energy-investment-idINL6E8IB5JL20120711

U.S. trails in energy efficiency ranking. The United States
ranked ninth out of 12 major industrial powers in overall energy
efficiency, according to a new survey released Thursday. The
American Council on Energy Efficient Economies scorecard rated
the world’s top 12 economies on a variety of fronts, including
energy use in buildings, fuel economy standards and energy
intensity in the industrial sector. The United Kingdom ranked
highest, with an overall score of 67 out of 100. The United
States scored 47. Posted. 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/12/us-trails-energy-efficiency-ranking/


Gills Onions, Duda unveil newest ventures into renewable energy.
The future of agriculture in Ventura County and California just
may be a high-tech battery on an Oxnard onion farm. On Wednesday,
amid the tangy aroma of fresh-cut onions, grower and food
processor Gills Onions unveiled the technology to curious
onlookers — a vanadium flow battery that converts chemical energy
into electricity to store for later use. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/jul/11/gills-onions-duda-unveil-newest-ventures-into/

Brazilian inmates can reduce their sentence by providing
human-powered electricity. Brazil is pioneering a new sort of
jailhouse workout, in which inmates ride bikes instead of pumping
iron. That’s not because they’d prefer fast inmates to strong
ones (either one seems problematic if there’s an incident). It’s
because the bikes, unlike weightlifting or prison-yard
basketball, help power a nearby town. The program has four bikes,
sourced from the police department’s lost and found. The
incentive, as the Associated Press reports, is that the more time
inmates spend generating pedal power, the shorter their stay in
prison will be. Posted. 
http://grist.org/list/brazilian-inmates-can-reduce-their-sentence-by-providing-human-powered-electricity/

Industry adopting natural gas, shunning coal – experts. The
energy industry is transitioning out of coal generation, and
natural gas is poised to take its place, according to a panel of
experts at the Summer 2012 Energy Outlook Series yesterday.
Panelists said it would be difficult for coal to regain its
former hold on the market as record-low natural gas prices and
pressure from U.S. EPA to adopt stricter environmental standards
have made coal-fired power plants less cost-effective. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/07/12/7  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Energy storage policy -- a necessity that is ramping up slowly.
San Francisco -- Using energy storage to capture and mete out
wind and solar power has immense potential but not enough
financial upside for utilities to embrace currently, backers are
saying. At this week's Intersolar conference in San Francisco,
advocates of energy storage were front and center, arguing for
policy updates on the state and federal levels. Encompassing
batteries, pumped water, compressed air and flywheels, the field
is not considered to be mature relative to the renewable energy
technologies it's intended to supplement. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/07/12/8  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

APNewsBreak: Tube wear detailed at CA nuke plant. Federal
regulators have released the most detailed information to date on
damage at California's idled San Onofre nuclear power plant.
Records posted Thursday show the extent of wear in 3,400 tubes
that carry radioactive water in the plant's troubled steam
generators. The tube wear caused by vibration and friction was
found in 15,000 places at varying degrees of erosion. The report
has implications for the fate of the plant shut down since
January. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/APNewsBreak-Tube-wear-detailed-at-CA-nuke-plant-3702580.php


OPINIONS

Is California's high-speed train on track or off the rails? One
political party absolutely loves the idea of the modern rail
system, both as a boon for business and commerce, and,
incidentally, perhaps as a bit of a boondoggle for its political
buddies. Guess which party. It’s the GOP, 150 years ago. The rail
system I’m talking about is the railroad to the Pacific. It was a
very wide plank in the Republican Party platform in 1856 and
1860, and a dream of Abraham Lincoln’s that he never lived to see
realized. Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-california-high-speed-train-20120710,0,4229826.story

Bullet train vote demonstrates California Legislature working
well. When the California Legislature works, this is one example
of how it works well. But one big caveat: We're talking about
functional versus dysfunctional, leadership versus ineptitude — a
system that is running smoothly rather than broken. We're not
necessarily talking about a desired policy result. Sometimes you
lose. (If you're a California Republican, you usually do in
Sacramento.) First, the math: Gov. Jerry Brown and his
legislative leader allies needed a majority vote in each house.
Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap-rail-20120712,0,4624110.column

EDITORIAL: Uncle Sam’s solar eclipse. As much of the nation
broils under the merciless July sun, the Obama administration
can’t resist the urge to burn cash on “green” energy projects.
Each time one of these solar-energy firms flames out, American
taxpayers get singed. Even a sundial would indicate it’s quitting
time. The latest to fail is Abound Solar, a Colorado solar-panel
manufacturer. The firm filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation
on July 2, two years after being awarded a $400 million stimulus
loan guarantee. President Obama personally touted the loan during
a 2010 radio address called “A Solar Recovery.” Posted. 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/11/uncle-sams-solar-eclipse/


A Ticket to Ride: High-Speed Rail Moves Forward on a Historic
(and Bumpy) Track in California. Last Friday's narrow passage of
legislation authorizing the beginning of construction of the
first high-speed rail system in America was a dramatic moment
many years in the making. And while it was undertaken entirely by
Democrats at the end, some famous Republican politicians made it
happen along the way. In fact, it would never have happened
without them. Which makes the current version of the once Grand
Old Party and its knee-jerk opposition to the project all the
more ironic. Posted. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/a-ticket-to-ride-highspee_b_1666733.html


Spare the Air - is anybody listening? It was a Spare the Air day,
but that was news to Stephanie Gillian and her carpool mates who
drove across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco on Wednesday.
"Isn't the entire summer Spare the Air?" Gillian, 28, asked on a
day when the air quality in the eastern and southern reaches of
the Bay Area was predicted to slip into the unhealthy range for
people with respiratory problems. "Or is it in the winter?" asked
Jeffery Wu, a 29-year-old information technology technician.
"You're not supposed to burn wood during the holidays. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Spare-the-Air-is-anybody-listening-3700478.php


Why California is still the place for business. Polluters and
their friends have made a blood sport out of knocking
California’s economy and regulatory climate. Although study after
study from the Public Policy Institute of California about
business relocations debunks the myths, the adage “if you repeat
something loud enough and often enough, people begin to think it
is true” is being repeated thanks to the efforts of the
conservative propaganda machine. But facts are stubborn things.
And here’s one that hasn’t changed: California employs more
Americans and has more businesses than any other state. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/05/why-california-still-place-business/?print&page=all


BLOGS

B FAO Yields to Meat Industry Pressure on Climate Change. The
past year has been the warmest ever in the United States, with
record heat sweeping across the country last week, causing at
least 52 human deaths and also harming livestock. In fact,
livestock are not only harmed by human-caused global-warming
greenhouse gas, but also cause about 18 percent of it, according
to “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” a 2006 UN Food and Agriculture
Organization report by FAO livestock specialists (who normally
promote livestock). Posted. 
http://bittman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/fao-yields-to-meat-industry-pressure-on-climate-change/


LaHood: Obama high-speed rail effort 'off to a good start,'
despite GOP opposition. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said
Wednesday that the Obama administration's high-speed rail
proposals have gotten off to a "good start" despite rejections by
several Republican state officials. Speaking at the start of the
World Congress on High-Speed Rail in Philadelphia, LaHood said
the rejection of rail money by GOP governors in states like
Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio was offset by a recent approval in
California. Posted. 
http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/railroads/237271-lahood-us-high-speed-rail-effort-off-to-a-good-start