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ARB Newsclips for January 28, 2013. ARB Newsclips for January 28,
2013

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

Valley air district $500 million fund targets diesel pollution.
As the economy shrunk government budgets over the past five
years, a special air district fund quietly has grown tenfold --
beyond $100 million annually. But it's no slush fund, and it
isn't the target of activist lawsuits. This obscure pot of money
is a key to curbing diesel pollution, the biggest California
air-quality problem of this era. It's the San Joaquin Valley Air
Pollution Control District's incentive fund, bankrolled by
government agencies, businesses and your vehicle registration
fees. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/27/3150359/valley-air-districts-500m-fund.html#storylink=cpy


NASA flights measure quality of San Joaquin Valley's air. ABOVE
THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY -- A pair of NASA airplanes crisscrossing
the sky and doing stomach-turning loops are giving scientists a
3-D look at winter air pollution in a way they've never seen
before. The flights are part of a five-year, $30 million mission
called DISCOVER-AQ, an effort to help researchers develop the
next generation of satellites to measure air pollution from
space. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/26/2550510/nasa-flights-measure-quality-of.html#storylink=cpy
BY SUBSCRIPTION

CLIMATE CHANGE

Norway Data Shows Earth’s Global Warming Less Severe Than Feared.
New estimates from a Norwegian research project show meeting
targets for minimizing global warming may be more achievable than
previously thought. After the planet’s average surface
temperature rose through the 1990s, the increase has almost
leveled off at the level of 2000, while ocean water temperature
has also stabilized, the Research Council of Norway said in a
statement on its website. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-27/norway-data-shows-earth-s-global-warming-less-severe-than-feared.html


‘Bipartisan’ task force on climate change one party short. Two
Democrats on Capitol Hill are seconding President Obama’s call
for real political muscle to address climate change and vowed to
form a bipartisan task force — but they haven’t found any
Republican takers yet. The administration found itself under
growing pressure on another front, as a bipartisan majority of
senators has signed on to a letter seeking approval of a massive
new oil pipeline project staunchly opposed by leading
environmental groups. Posted.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/24/bipartisan-task-force-on-climate-change-one-party-/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS#ixzz2JHuok2zA


Big cities' heat can change temperatures a continent away -U.S.
study. The energy big cities burn - mostly coal and oil to power
buildings, cars and other devices - produces excess heat that can
get into atmospheric currents and influence temperatures
thousands of miles (km) away, a new study found. The so-called
waste heat that leaks out of buildings, vehicles and other
sources in major Northern Hemisphere cities makes winters warmer
across huge swaths of northern Asia and northern North
America…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/27/environment-cities-heat-idUSL1N0AV1HW20130127

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-energy-consumption-heating-20130125,0,3163938.story?track=rss

http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/28/4  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 

Major climate changes looming. In his inaugural address last
Monday, President Obama made climate change a priority of his
second term. It might be too late. Within the lifetimes of
today's children, scientists say, the climate could reach a state
unknown in civilization. In that time, global carbon dioxide
emissions from burning fossil fuels are on track to exceed the
limits that scientists believe could prevent catastrophic
warming. CO{-2} levels are higher than they have been in 15
million years. The Arctic, melting rapidly and probably
irreversibly, has reached a state that the Vikings would not
recognize. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Major-climate-changes-looming-4227943.php#ixzz2JIfLwCYm


A new water fight — over global warming. The perpetual and
sometimes bitter disputes between the San Diego County Water
Authority and Metropolitan Water District have taken another
twist, this time over recouping the cost of buying state permits
to release greenhouse gasses linked to global warming. The county
water authority is proposing legislation that would guarantee it
a share of any state Air Resources Board rebate issued to
Metropolitan in the future. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/25/water-dispute-global-warming/?print&page=all


On battered Jersey shore, Sandy victims struggle with costs of
climate change. Before Sandy hit, FEMA was redrawing its
flood-risk maps to account for rising sea levels connected to
climate change. The result: rebuilding in some places has become
much costlier. Nearly three months after hurricane Sandy
inundated their house with five feet of water, retirees Brian and
Dorothy Beebe went to the town hall here, clutching a survey of
their home stuffed into a brown envelope, eager to repair their
split-level home along New Jersey's shore. Posted.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2013/0128/On-battered-Jersey-shore-Sandy-victims-struggle-with-costs-of-climate-change



FUELS

Canadian carbon project aims to prove 'clean coal' works. A
technology that holds the hope for cleaner use of coal will be
tested on a commercial scale for the first time in Canada next
year, aiming to resolve big uncertainties about the vast amount
of power it will need. Saskatchewan Power Corp. (SaskPower) hopes
that a $1.24 billion refit of its 45-year-old Boundary Dam power
plant to capture carbon dioxide emissions will make investors
think twice about shifting to gas-fired plants from dirtier coal.
Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/28/climate-carbon-canada-idUSL5N0AX5X220130128


California Sued for Allegedly Failing to Regulate Fracking.
California was sued for allegedly failing to regulate and
supervise hydraulic fracturing by oil and gas companies under the
state’s underground injection control program. The Center For
Biological Diversity, a Tucson, Arizona- based environmental
group, said in a complaint filed in state court in Oakland today
that the program requires the state to obtain detailed studies,
conduct inspections and supervise testing before any subsurface
injection or disposal project can begin. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-24/california-sued-for-allegedly-failing-to-regulate-fracking-1-.html


Court Overturns E.P.A.’s Biofuels Mandate. A federal appeals
court threw out a federal rule on renewable fuels on Friday,
saying that a quota set by the Environmental Protection Agency
for incorporating liquids made from woody crops and wastes into
car and truck fuels was based on wishful thinking rather than
realistic estimates of what could be achieved. The ruling by the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
involved a case brought by the American Petroleum Institute,
whose members were bound by the 2012 cellulosic biofuels quota
being challenged. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/business/energy-environment/court-overturns-epas-biofuels-mandate.html?ref=earth


DART rolls out new compressed natural gas bus. Dallas Area Rapid
Transit has rolled out the first of hundreds of new buses meant
to be more friendly to the environment. DART's first bus fueled
by compressed natural gas began service Monday. Several of the
updated buses will be introduced each week as the 459 vehicles
become available from the manufacturer. DART has a $210 million
contract with North American Bus Industries Inc. of Anniston,
Ala. The 30- and 40-foot buses are part of the latest phase of
DART's clean transit fuels program. Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22465119/dart-rolls-out-new-compressed-natural-gas-bus


Rising use of corn ethanol stresses Midwestern groundwater.
Biofuel production is often touted as a boon to rural
development, but a University of Iowa engineering professor is
worried about the effect of corn ethanol plants on his and other
states' water supplies. At a biofuels energy symposium hosted by
the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies last week in
Washington, D.C., Professor Jerald Schnoor said corn ethanol
production facilities require large quantities of high-purity
water during the fermentation process. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/28/5 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Daimler, Ford and Nissan ink deal on fuel cell cars. Three global
carmakers joined forces on Monday to develop a line of affordable
fuel cell cars for sale starting in 2017 in what could be the
first major advance for the promising zero-emission technology. 
Daimler (DAIGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Ford
(F.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Nissan (7201.T:
Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said the new alliance sends
a clear signal to suppliers, policymakers and the industry to
encourage the further development of hydrogen infrastructure
worldwide. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/28/us-daimer-ford-nissan-idUSBRE90R0CO20130128
 http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/28/ford-daimler-nissan-to-research-hydrogen-02/#ixzz2JIDPk7pP


HIGH-SPEED RAIL

California still hasn't bought land for bullet train route.
Construction is supposed to start in July. High-speed rail
officials say they can do it. But they face resistance from
landowners, and if the schedule slips, costs could grow too high.
Construction of California's high-speed rail network is supposed
to start in just six months, but the state hasn't acquired a
single acre along the route and faces what officials are calling
a challenging schedule to assemble hundreds of parcels needed in
the Central Valley. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bullet-land-20130127,0,6688039.story?track=rss
 

GREEN ENERGY

ENERGY: Riverside businessman’s plan riles Utah town. A Riverside
company with ties to Inland political and business leaders has
filed plans to build an experimental energy plant in scenic
southeastern Utah, raising dissension among residents who say it
will be a polluting eyesore and those who welcome the new jobs.
The plant would be based on technology developed at UC
Riverside’s engineering school to break down coal, green waste,
trash, sewage sludge or other carbon-based materials into what
the company’s president described as “building block” hydrogen,
methane and carbon monoxide gases. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130125-energy-riverside-businessmans-plan-riles-utah-town.ece
 

What holds energy tech back? The infernal battery.  As 21st
century technology strains to become ever faster, cleaner and
cheaper, an invention from more than 200 years ago keeps holding
it back. It's why electric cars aren't clogging the roads and why
Boeing's new ultra-efficient 787 Dreamliners aren't flying high.
And chances are you have this little invention next to you right
now and probably have cursed it recently: the infernal battery.
Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_22445989/what-holds-energy-tech-back-infernal-battery?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
 

Researchers develop safer, lighter and more efficient lithium
battery. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have
developed a component for rechargeable batteries that can
increase energy densities while improving safety. The component
is a nanostructured electrolyte engineered from bulk lithium
thiophosphate to conduct ions 1,000 times faster. "This is a
solid electrolyte," explained Chengdu Liang, a co-author and a
research staff member in the chemical functionality group at the
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/28/2 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Moderate Michael Rubio takes on California's environmental law.
State Sen. Michael Rubio says he first wondered if something were
wrong with California's environmental review law during his days
as a Kern County supervisor, when he saw it used to slow wind and
solar projects he considered green by their very nature. Now,
just more than two years into his Senate term representing a
large swath of the southern Central Valley, he is taking on
fellow Democrats on the issue…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/28/5144984/moderate-michael-rubio-takes-on.html#mi_rss=Top%20Stories


OPINIONS

A Powerful Way to Galvanize Protest. Well-intentioned critics of
fossil fuel divestment have called for students to lobby their
senators and representatives as a more direct path to federal
action on climate change. These critics underestimate the fossil
fuel industry’s stranglehold over our political system, and their
suggested path would only repeat past failures of the climate
movement. They also ignore the networks of institutions,
influence and capital that can be moved to support an end to
extraction and fight climate change. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/01/27/is-divestment-an-effective-means-of-protest/a-powerful-way-to-galvanize-protest-over-climate-change


Your Biggest Carbon Sin May Be Air Travel. LAST fall, when
Democrats and Republicans seemed unable to agree on anything, one
bill glided through Congress with broad bipartisan support and
won a quick signature from President Obama: the European Union
Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011. This odd law
essentially forbids United States airlines from participating in
the European Union Emissions Trading System, Europe’s somewhat
lonely attempt to rein in planet-warming emissions. Under that
eight-year-old program…Posted
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/sunday-review/the-biggest-carbon-sin-air-travel.html?src=twr&_r=1&


BLOGS

Europe’s Big Bet on EVs and Hybrids. If you build it, they will
come. That’s the bet behind an ambitious plan to boost the number
of electric vehicles and hybrids plying European roads by making
electric charging stations nearly as common as gas stations. The
European Union wants to build a half million charging stations by
2020. Posted.
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/europes-big-bet-on-evs-and-hybrids/
  

An Ecolabel for McDonald’s Fish Fare. McDonald’s has signed on
with the Marine Stewardship Council to show that the fish it
serves is caught in an environmentally responsible manner. While
the fish is not changing, the deal will make the council’s
distinctive blue logo familiar to tens of millions of Americans
for the first time. The world’s biggest fast-food company
announced last week that its sourcing of fish for the United
States market, which is entirely wild-caught Alaska pollock, had
been certified by the council, perhaps the best-known
organization promoting sustainable fishing around the world.
Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/an-ecolabel-for-mcdonalds-fish-fare/?ref=earth
 

Is There a Green Side to the Super Bowl? Opower, an energy
consulting firm, compared the electricity use of 145,000 American
households during last year’s Super Bowl with consumption on
other winter Sundays when the weather was similar. Power use was
down by as much as 7.7 percent, depending on the region of the
country. And in the West, where the game ended early in the
evening, electricity consumption was depressed until bedtime. The
precise reasons are hard to identify, but apparently the
increased sources of use – running a big-screen TV…Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/is-there-a-green-side-to-the-super-bowl/?ref=earth


Weaker Global Warming Seen in Study Promoted by Norway’s Research
Council. | Updates below |  Purveyors of climate doubt have
seized on a news release from the Research Council of Norway with
this provocative title: “Global warming less extreme than
feared?” The release describes new research finding that global
warming from the buildup of greenhouse gases will be on the low
end of the persistently wide spread of projections by other
research groups. (There’s a presentation describing the work
below.) Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/weaker-global-warming-seen-in-study-promoted-by-norways-research-council/