What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for December 5, 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 RESOURCES BOARD

Air Resources Board Makes Sure Truck Drivers Comply. The
California Air Resources Board has been out in full force for the
past year making sure truck drivers are within regulation. Today
they targeted the Calexico border crossing. Enforcement teams
have been in the Imperial Valley but this is the first time the
educational team has come out to make sure that truckers comply
with the policy. Posted.
http://www.kyma.com/slp.php?idN=7693&cat=Local%20News 

CAP AND TRADE

First Cap-And-Trade Allowance Auction Rakes In More Than $289
Million For State Coffers. The first of the quarterly
cap-and-trade allowance auctions, held by the California Air
Resources Board (ARB) on November 15, resulted in the sale of
$289,102,449.90 worth of carbon permits primarily to entities
covered by state law AB 32. To give some perspective, that amount
is 15.2 percent of the projected state budget deficit for the
2013-2014 fiscal year, which includes new taxes from the passage
of Proposition 30. Posted.
http://lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/176-12-12-03/1107-first-cap-and-trade-allowance-auction-rakes-in-more-than-289-million-for-state-coffers.html


AIR POLLUTION

Asian Cities’ Air Quality Getting Worse, Experts Warn.  Air
pollution has worsened markedly in Asian cities in recent years
and presents a growing threat to human health, according to
experts at a conference that began on Wednesday. Clean Air Asia,
a regional network on air-quality management, aggregated data
from more than 300 cities in 16 Asian countries and found that
levels of fine particulate matter — a key pollutant in terms of
its impact on human health — were below targets recommended by
the World Health Organization in just 16 cities, most of them in
Japan. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/world/asia/asian-cities-air-quality-getting-worse-experts-warn.html?_r=0


China pledges $56 billion to cut air pollution. Local governments
will fund most of the programs aimed at cutting the level of
harmful particles in the air in 117 cities by at least 5 percent
between 2011 and 2015, the Ministry of Environmental Protection
said in a statement on its website. Doctors warn that the tiny
floating PM 2.5 particles, named for their less than 2.5
micrometer diameter, can settle in the lungs and cause
respiratory problems and other illnesses. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/05/us-china-pollution-idUSBRE8B40H220121205


Group pitches targeting US power plant emissions state by state.
The Natural Resources Defense Council called on Tuesday for the
Environmental Protection Agency to set state-specific emission
rates that would take into account their different energy
generation mixes. Power plants account for one-third of U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA in March used the federal Clean
Air Act to issue an emissions performance standard for new power
plants that would make it virtually impossible to build new
coal-fired facilities. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/04/epa-power-plants-idUSL1E8N4DVP20121204


Russia to set 2020 carbon target that will let emissions rise.
Russia plans to set itself a binding 2020 goal for carbon
emissions, a top climate change official said on Wednesday - the
only problem is it would allow them to rise. Russia's emissions
plunged after the collapse of Soviet-era smokestack industries to
2.21 billion tonnes in 2010, or 34 percent below 1990 levels,
according to the latest data available from the nation's official
statistics. However, it is still the world's fourth biggest
emitter of greenhouse gases behind China, the United States and
India. Posted. 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/05/climate-talks-russia-idUSL5E8N540M20121205


Bay Area breathes easier, ozone data show. Compared with Southern
California, living in the Bay Area is a breath of fresh air.
That's according to air pollution data from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Based on the number of days per
year in which smog, soot and other ozone emissions surpass U.S.
regulatory standards, the Bay Area's nine counties fall well
below the state average. This is good news, as breathing
pollution puts people at risk for asthma and other medical
conditions. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Bay-Area-breathes-easier-ozone-data-show-4091179.php#ixzz2ECaEYrgc


Court rules against long-range transportation plan. A nearly $200
billion road map charting how a growing San Diego County will
meet its transportation demands over the next four decades may
have to be redrawn. San Diego County Superior Court Judge Timothy
Taylor this week ruled that the plan fails to comply with state
environmental laws that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
linked to global warming. Posted.
http://www.nctimes.com/blogsnew/news/politics/court-rules-against-long-range-transportation-plan/article_c79aca41-7988-58a4-b47d-b7abdfe61eeb.html


San Diego hits clean-air milestone. San Diego County has achieved
a milestone in its quest for cleaner air, reducing unhealthy
ozone to the lowest levels ever despite steadily growing numbers
of people and vehicles. As a result, the region will soon be
declared in compliance with 1997 federal ozone standards for the
first time, heading off any threats of sanctions. Cleaner cars
and cleaner fuels are receiving most of the credit. Posted.
http://www.nctimes.com/blogsnew/news/politics/san-diego-hits-clean-air-milestone/article_05ff0b72-804b-5156-b9d5-9ee20e00df45.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

World Bank: Arab World hit hard by climate change. The Middle
East and North Africa will be especially hard hit by climate
change in the coming decades, the World Bank said in a report
Wednesday, saying the region will see less rainfall, more
recording-breaking temperatures and rising sea levels. Should
temperatures rise as expected, the hotter conditions are likely
to hit the region's $50 billion ((EURO) 38.2 billion) tourism
industry and further worsen its food security since many
countries in the region _ especially Gulf states _ depend heavily
on imports to feed their populations.  Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_TALKS_MIDDLE_EAST_?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES

http://www.nctimes.com/news/science/world-bank-arab-world-hit-hard-by-climate-change/article_326eb7a8-5e72-5adc-8f69-d1f432c66cb3.html

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/12/05/3089418/world-bank-arab-world-hit-hard.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/world-bank-climate-change-will-hit-middle-east-and-north-africa-especially-hard/2012/12/05/577e15bc-3eb8-11e2-8a5c-473797be602c_story.html


Activists accuse Arab states over climate change at U.N. talks.
Arab nations have failed to use U.N. talks on climate change to
put forward any meaningful measures on tackling the problem in
their own countries, delegates and environmental activists said
on Wednesday. Delegates from 200 nations have gathered in Qatar
for two-week talks to try to agree a symbolic extension of the
U.N. Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that obliges about 35 developed
nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/05/arab-climate-idUSL5E8N588N20121205
 

China demands timetable to $100 billion climate aid for
developing world. But most rich nations, facing economic slowdown
at home that cut overall development aid in 2011, said they were
unable to stake out a timetable for rising aid at deadlocked
global climate talks. "The core issue is finance," Xie Zhenhua,
head of China's delegation, told a news conference of a main
track of the November 26-December 7 talks among 200 nations in
Doha, Qatar, that is a big block to a modest deal to keep U.N.
climate efforts on track. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/05/us-climate-talks-idUSBRE8B217F20121205
 

To Stop Climate Change, Students Aim at College Portfolios. A
group of Swarthmore College students is asking the school
administration to take a seemingly simple step to combat
pollution and climate change: sell off the endowment’s holdings
in large fossil fuel companies. For months, they have been
getting a simple answer: no. As they consider how to ratchet up
their campaign, the students suddenly find themselves at the
vanguard of a national movement. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/business/energy-environment/to-fight-climate-change-college-students-take-aim-at-the-endowment-portfolio.html?ref=earth


News Summary: UN chief blames rich for warming.  HEAT IS ON: Rich
countries are to blame for climate change and should take the
lead in forging a global climate pact by 2015, the head of the
United Nations said Wednesday.  FAIR WEATHER: At the
international climate talks in Qatar, U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon said it was "only fair and reasonable that the developed
world should bear most of the responsibility" in fighting the
gradual warming of the planet.  Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/12/05/3089800/news-summary-un-chief-blames-rich.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/news-summary-un-chief-says-rich-countries-caused-climate-change-must-take-lead-in-fixing/2012/12/05/09b10c76-3eff-11e2-8a5c-473797be602c_story.html


The People's Republic of California. At the annual U.N. climate
talks in Doha, Qatar, delegates are undoubtedly applauding the
new Australian cap-and-trade scheme, bemoaning Canada's
withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, and wondering what to do
about emissions from emerging India. They will spend far less
time thinking about an economy bigger than any of those:
California. Posted.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/12/04/the_people_s_republic_of_california


DIESEL EMISSIONS

Obama admin asks justices not to hear L.A. 'clean truck' case.
The Obama administration has urged the Supreme Court not to
review the legality of the clean truck program introduced by the
Port of Los Angeles. In a September 2011 ruling, the San
Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the bulk
of the program while invalidating one section (E&ENews PM, Sept.
26, 2011). The American Trucking Associations sought Supreme
Court review of the entire system, prompting the court to ask for
the administration's views. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/12/05/17  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

U.K. to Reveal Gas Power Plans. The U.K.'s government is expected
to announce Wednesday plans for a major expansion of gas-fired
power plants, backing away from a previous plan to phase out
fossil fuels altogether from electricity generation by 2030.
The boost for natural gas, which is a source of carbon dioxide
emissions, comes as the two main planks of low-carbon energy
suffer growing setbacks. Opposition to onshore wind power is
increasing within the U.K. government and the cost of building
new nuclear power plants in Europe continues to rise. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323401904578159231805634620.html?user=welcome


UK flirts with shale industry but keeps fracking ban. Britain
gave a boost to its shale gas industry on Wednesday by creating a
dedicated government office to simplify regulation and by
confirming tax breaks, but stopped short of lifting a ban on
exploration imposed over a year ago.The government will form an
Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil to create one point of
contact and to streamline rules relating to shale exploration,
finance minister George Osborne said. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/05/britain-economy-shale-idUSL5E8N589K20121205


Britain creates shale gas office to simplify regulation. Finance
minister George Osborne also confirmed his announcement made two
month ago to hold public consultations on tax breaks for shale
gas exploration. "We are consulting on new tax incentives for
shale gas and announcing the creation of a single office so that
regulation is safe but simple," Osborne said in his half-yearly
budget statement. The Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil will
join up responsibilities across government departments to provide
a single point of contact for investors and streamline the
regulatory process. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/05/britain-economy-shale-idUSL5E8N580G20121205


Big miner buys pair of energy companies for $9B.  Mining company
Freeport-McMoRan is buying a pair of oil and gas producers for $9
billion, creating a natural resources conglomerate with assets
ranging from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico to mines in
Indonesia.  Freeport, based in Phoenix, is paying $6.9 billion in
cash and stock for Plains Exploration Co., and $2.1 billion for
McMoRan Exploration Co. Freeport will also assume $11 billion in
debt in the deal.  Posted. 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22129246/big-miner-buys-pair-energy-companies-9b?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/freeport-mcmoran-buys-oil-and-gas-producers-for-9b-creating-natural-resource-conglomerate/2012/12/05/8ca69cec-3f02-11e2-8a5c-473797be602c_story.html


US crude oil supplies drop by 2.4 million barrels. The nation's
crude oil supplies shrank last week, the government said
Wednesday. Crude supplies decreased by 2.4 million barrels, or
0.6 percent, to 371.8 million barrels, which is 10.8 percent
above year-ago levels, the Energy Department's Energy Information
Administration said in its weekly report. Analysts expected a
drop of 1.25 million barrels for the week ended Nov. 30,
according to Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill
Cos. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/US-crude-oil-supplies-drop-by-2-4-million-barrels-4093190.php#ixzz2ECcc2LVL


GREEN ENERGY

Meadows reuses everything from fry oil to manure. Each time
diners at Meadows Racetrack and Casino restaurants order french
fries, they're helping the environment.
In an average week, the South Strabane facility's three
restaurants and the food court generate 200 gallons of frying
oil. The Meadows recycles every drop into biodiesel, which helps
power most of the racetrack's vehicles and equipment. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Meadows-reuses-everything-from-fry-oil-to-manure-4093258.php#ixzz2ECg907xi


Report says California's green transformation could push up
energy prices. California's aggressive plans to build a
clean-energy economy could mean higher energy prices for
consumers and businesses, according to a report released Monday
by the Little Hoover Commission. The report largely focuses on
California's so-called renewable portfolio standard, which
requires utilities to obtain a third of their electricity from
renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020. Utilities like
PG&E are well on their way to meeting that goal. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22115191/californias-green-energy-transformation-could-push-prices-up


Solar project to save $7 million at Hanford waste plant. Hanford
dedicated a new solar power system Tuesday that is expected to
save the city millions of dollars in electricity costs at its
wastewater treatment plant in the coming years. Chevron Energy
Solutions designed and installed the 1-megawatt system, which has
solar panels mounted at ground level. Chevron also will operate
and maintain the photovoltaic panels, which convert sunlight
directly into electricity. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/12/04/3089319/solar-project-to-save-7-million.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy


VEHICLES

2013 Ford Fusion: Redesigned midsize has good looks, charm and
efficiency. There’s no variation in the plastic coloring and the
instrument panel air vents lack a separate control for flow, just
direction. The 2013 Ford Fusion will be its own fusion – a from
of automotive alchemy turning steel into sales gold. This
redesigned midsize sedan offers a desirable balance of
contemporary design, engaging drivability and a line of efficient
and potent four-cylinder engines – and no V-6. Posted.
http://www.nctimes.com/ford-fusion-redesigned-midsize-has-good-looks-charm-and-efficiency/article_9cf759f4-8fc9-5654-ab2d-cb9459d87acd.html


MISCELLANEOUS 

Radio host calls for poop patrols at La Jolla cove. A local radio
host is calling for patrols to clean up bird droppings that have
created a stink at La Jolla Cove. On Friday, he took the first
shift. Mike Slater, the morning show host on the talk radio
station 760 KFMB, said he considered taking action after seeing
news stories last week about an unpleasant odor at the
picturesque cove. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/04/radio-host-calls-for-poop-patrols-at-la-jolla-cove/
 

Mountain View joins plastic bag ban club; ordinance goes into
effect on Earth Day. Mountain View joined a growing list of
Peninsula cities Tuesday night that plan to ban single-use,
carry-out bags beginning in April. The city council voted 5-2 to
adopt an ordinance outlawing their use as well as a related
environmental impact report. The ban applies to all retail
businesses that sell clothing, food and personal items directly
to consumers. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_22128006/mountain-view-joins-plastic-bag-ban-club-ordinance?source=rss


OPINION

Set an example on energy reform, California. Without better
coordination, oversight and study, the state's energy policies
may be a primer in what not to do, an advisory panel reports.
California can't stop global warming on its own. Its
environmental regulations won't save the whole world, and its
energy policies won't wean the nation off fossil fuels. What it
can do is set an example, and it has approved radical laws and
programs to achieve that — such as a renewable portfolio standard
that sets a course for the state to get 33% of its power from
renewable sources by 2020…Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-energy-california-little-hoover-20121205,0,3946880.story


Stop NY’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Proposed Changes
That Could Result In Millions Of Tons Of Pollution: Deadline Dec
6th! There is no time to wait. Few programs have been as
successful in reducing climate pollution as the nine-state
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). And yet, in spite of
the lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy; in spite of the need to
fight climate pollution to keep residents safe and healthy; and
in spite of the significant environmental and economic benefits
RGGI has delivered, we risk losing ground to dirty polluters.
Posted.
http://ecoanchornyc.com/2012/12/stop-nys-regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative-proposed-changes-that-could-result-in-millions-of-tons-of-pollution-deadline-dec-6th/
 

BLOGS

How to cut U.S. carbon emissions by 10 percent — without
Congress.  Now one environmental group is arguing that the Obama
administration doesn’t even need Congress to make sweeping cuts
to U.S. carbon emissions. On Tuesday, the Natural Resources
Defense Council released a new report explaining how the
Environmental Protection Agency could enforce sharp emissions
cuts at America’s power plants.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/04/how-the-u-s-could-cut-carbon-emissions-by-10-percent-without-congress/


Energy Journal: Rural America Enjoying the Oil Boom. U.S. oil
production is running at a 15-year high, and the boom is boosting
incomes in the heartland. Official data shows that crude-oil
production reached its highest level in nearly 15 years in
September, with average daily production of nearly 6.5 million
barrels, The Wall Street Journal says. And small-town America is
feeling the benefit most. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2012/12/05/energy-journal-rural-america-enjoying-the-oil-boom/?KEYWORDS=+fuels


Cal Fire gives home heating safety tips. Improper use of or
poorly maintained heating equipment is one of the leading causes
of home fires and home fire deaths across the country. With a few
simple safety tips and precautions, you can prevent most heating
fires from happening. Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/breaking-news/x1012270085/Cal-Fire-gives-home-heating-safety-tips


Five Things You Should Know About Ozone Depleting Substances in
California's Cap-and-trade Program. California's cap-and-trade
program incorporates the use of carbon offsets generated from the
destruction of ozone depleting substances (ODS) to help the state
meet its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While you
may not be familiar with the term ozone depleting substances,
chances are that these substances can be found in your home and
business. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-gero/five-things-you-should-kn_b_2046367.html


Why we’re still fighting the smog that once choked London: It
still kills.  Sixty years ago today, London was pitch black. The
"Great Smog," a blanket of ozone and particles of soot, covered
the city for days. Photos of the event show life in a dark gray
cloud, cars' headlights on no matter the time of day. An
estimated 4,000 people died prematurely as a result of the
pollution. Posted. 
http://grist.org/news/why-were-still-fighting-the-smog-that-once-choked-london-it-still-kills/


As global climate talks founder, young people demand real change.
 For more than 18 years, negotiators representing countries big
and small have come together at this time of year under the
auspices of the United Nations to talk about how we are going to
avoid the worst of climate change. For the 40,000 or so people
who attend the climate negotiations each year, it has become
something of a holiday tradition -- and as with any family, the
global family of nations is ripe with characters and
disagreements that never seem to get resolved.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/as-global-climate-talks-founder-young-people-demand-real-change/


November 2012 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Sales Report Card.  While
October ranked as the all-time pinnacle of plug-in electric
vehicle sales, November is shaping up to be the month where
electric vehicles try to hold onto their market share as many of
the incentives available in September and October to move
inventory have expired.  This model-by-model list is populated as
it is reported in real time by each manufacturer throughout the
day. So if you don’t see your EV’s sales listed yet, just sit
tight, it is coming.  Posted.  http://cars21.com/news/view/5067 

6 Reasons Why 2013 May Be The Turning Point For Electric Vehicle
Industry.  In 2008, the electric vehicle industry entered into
the hearts and minds Americans. What followed however, were years
was wrought with many challenges and difficulties; the high costs
of cars, limited range distance and poor planning each played a
role in the slow adoption of electric vehicles. That's in the
past, and with lessons learned, the electric vehicle industry is
poised for an unprecedented upswing; from an investment
standpoint, these stocks could not be any cheaper than they are
now.  Posted.  http://cars21.com/news/view/5065