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ARB Newsclips for February 6, 2013. ARB Newsclips for February 6,
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

Air pollution linked to low birth weight. Mothers who breathe the
kind of pollution emitted by vehicles, coal power plants and
factories are significantly likelier to give birth to underweight
children than mothers living in less polluted areas, according to
international findings published Wednesday. The study is believed
to be the largest to examine how newborns' bodies are affected by
air quality, an issue that has raised particular concern in China
and other developing nations. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Air-pollution-linked-to-low-birth-weight-4254514.php#ixzz2K8eQMTlT


WILDOMAR: Residents express frustration with air officials.
Several Wildomar residents who blame their housing tract for
several illnesses expressed frustration Tuesday night, Feb. 5,
when regional air quality officials shared the result of air and
soil tests on three homes that found nothing unusual. Several
questioned the thoroughness of last month's investigation by the
South Coast Air Quality Management District and said more
comprehensive testing should be done. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/southwest/southwest-government-headlines/20130205-wildomar-residents-express-frustration-with-air-officials.ece


CLIMATE CHANGE

Greenhouse gas emissions from US power plants down 4.6 pct.
Greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants fell 4.6 percent
in 2011, as more generators were switched to cleaner-burning
natural gas and renewable sources from coal, according to new
data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency's
second inventory of greenhouse gas emissions reported by the
country's largest industrial polluters showed that power plants
…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/usa-climate-emissions-idUSL1N0B5ESY20130205


Obama Urged to Be ‘Go-Getter’ on Climate Change. President Barack
Obama can only deliver on a pledge to curb greenhouse-gas
emissions by adopting a “go-getter” strategy to push rules on
power plants, appliances and gas drilling, according to a new
report. The World Resources Institute said that by 2020, federal
and state regulation may cut carbon-dioxide pollution by 17
percent from 2005, though it said reductions won’t happen without
a determined effort for strong rules by regulators. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-02-06/obama-urged-to-be-go-getter-on-climate-change.html


U.S. could fall short of 2020 climate goal, new study says, but
target remains in reach.  The United States is not on track to
meet its international commitment to cut its greenhouse gas
emissions 17 percent compared with 2005 levels by 2020, according
to an analysis released Wednesday by the World Resources
Institute.  The new findings, which examine the impact of the
country’s energy and transportation sectors as well as sources
such as methane releases from landfills, provide the clearest
picture yet of the challenges the United States faces in curbing
its carbon footprint.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-could-fall-short-of-2020-climate-goal-new-study-says-but-target-remains-in-reach/2013/02/06/128f8f82-6f08-11e2-ac36-3d8d9dcaa2e2_story.html


British researchers say their new Antarctic base can slide across
ice on hydraulic stilts.  British researchers have unveiled a
futuristic Antarctic research base that can move, sliding across
the frozen surface to beat the shifting ice and pounding snow
that doomed its predecessors.  The British Antarctic Survey said
Wednesday that the Halley VI Research Station is the sixth
facility to occupy the site on the Brunt Ice Shelf — a floating
sheet of ice about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the edge of the
South Atlantic.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/british-researchers-say-their-new-antarctic-base-can-slide-across-ice-on-hydraulic-skis/2013/02/06/0ac6cb30-7061-11e2-b3f3-b263d708ca37_story.html


Report: Warming bringing big changes to forests. Big changes are
in store for the nation's forests as global warming increases
wildfires and insect infestations, and generates more frequent
floods and droughts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns in
a report released Tuesday. The compilation of more than 1,000
scientific studies is part of the National Climate Assessment and
will serve as a roadmap for managing national forests across the
country in coming years. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/05/report-warming-bringing-big-changes-to-forests/


Global warming vs. time: why some problems can't wait. Global
warming appears to be speeding up as ice melts faster and faster
on Greenland and at the poles, Cobb writes. Problems such as
global warming and resource depletion will not wait for a
long-term schedule. America believed it could put off the
question of slavery. It did for 73 years from the drafting of the
U.S. Constitution to the beginning of the Civil War. Posted.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0204/Global-warming-vs.-time-why-some-problems-can-t-wait


Climate talks cool off in Australia. Despite record-breaking heat
waves, flood and drought, climate change politics in Australia
seem to be cooling down. Tony Abbott, leader of the country's
conservative coalition and front-runner for the upcoming 2013
election, called the election a "referendum on the carbon tax."
The pricing mechanism was introduced last year by the minority
Labor government. According to the coalition, the carbon tax is
to blame for the hikes in energy prices. What's more, Abbott's
approach seems to be working, with many voters pointing at the
carbon pricing for high energy bills. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/06/10 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

China to roll out cleaner fuel standards- government. China will
introduce national V standards for automotive diesel fuel by June
and similar specifications for gasoline by end-2013, the
government said on Wednesday, as it moves to clear up the smoggy
air of many Chinese cities. Ahead of these moves, Beijing will
soon launch national IV fuel standards for automotive diesel,
similar to Europe's IV quality with a sulphur content of 50 parts
per million (ppm)…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/china-fuel-standards-idUSL4N0B65WX20130206


Cyprus to grant new gas drilling license.  Cyprus will give
France's Total SA a license to drill for offshore oil and gas
deposits, a move the cash-strapped country hopes will yield
much-needed revenue.  Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said
Tuesday the licensing deal, which will be signed Wednesday,
covers drilling in two of 13 blocks on the southern coast that
make up the country's 19,700 square mile (51,000 square
kilometer) exclusive economic zone.  Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/05/3161448/cyprus-to-grant-gas-drilling-license.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy


First-time reports from industry reveal massive methane
emissions. U.S. EPA's addition of oil, gas and coal methane
emissions to its online greenhouse gas tracking tool revealed an
82.6-million-metric-ton increase in carbon dioxide equivalents
over numbers from the previous year, when those figures were not
available. EPA published data yesterday for 2011, adding 12 new
sources from the reporting program since last year's 2010
figures. Although carbon dioxide is a much more abundant
greenhouse gas than methane, the latter makes a far bigger impact
on climate change with more than 20 times the global warming
potential of carbon. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/06/2 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

New UPS electric fleet touted as clean-air boost. Big Brown is
going green. United Postal Service's trademark brown vans will be
joined by 100 fully electric vehicles in what is being touted as
the largest rollout of zero-emissions, all-electric delivery
vehicles in California. UPS debuted its electric fleet in a
Tuesday morning ceremony at its Shore Street distribution center
in West Sacramento. Built in Stockton, the trucks will cover
routes in Sacramento, Ceres, Fresno, Bakersfield and San
Bernardino. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/06/5168748/new-ups-electric-fleet-touted.html#mi_rss=Business#storylink=cpy

http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/06/2565491/new-ups-electric-fleet-touted.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy


Turbocharged cars' gas mileage may be lackluster after all.  As
the technology makes a comeback, Consumer Reports finds that most
turbos don't deliver on advertised fuel economy or outperform
non-turbo rivals with bigger engines. GM and Ford disagree. While
electric vehicles continue to grab the green-car spotlight, an
older technology has quietly emerged as a player in the fuel
economy wars: turbocharging. Once the province of performance
cars, turbochargers now power economy cars, family sedans and
even full-sized trucks. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-turbo-20130205,0,2222557.story


Ford increasing EV-certified dealerships in US to 900; 3,405
plug-in vehicles sold in total so far.  Ford will have one-third
of its US dealers in all 50 states—more than 900—certified to
sell the Focus Electric battery electric vehicle (BEV) and C-MAX
Energi and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)
by spring. The 900 dealers represent about one-third of all Ford
dealers in the US—triple Ford projections for the time frame—and
are an increase up from 200 in November 2012, the second full
month the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrids were
available.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/ford-20130206.html  

GREEN ENERGY

COLUMN-Murkowski's energy report shows scope for compromise:
Kemp. Abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure energy is
in the U.S. national interest. So finds a report on the future of
the country's energy system published on Monday by Senator Lisa
Murkowski, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Energy
and Natural Resources Committee. "Energy 20/20: A Vision for
America's Energy Future" is a thoughtful attempt to discuss some
of the energy choices and opportunities the United States will
face by the end of the decade. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/column-kemp-us-energyreport-idUSL5N0B67QI20130206


OPINIONS

Saudi Arabia focuses on renewable energy. President Obama warned
in his inaugural address that America can't resist the "long and
sometimes difficult" transition to renewable energy. "We must
lead it," he urged the nation. "We cannot cede to other nations
the technology that will power new jobs and new industries." But
it already could be too late. While the United States still
searches for a coherent national energy policy, countries you
wouldn't expect are at the forefront of a green transformation.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Saudi-Arabia-focuses-on-renewable-energy-4244307.php#ixzz2K8g5yakm
 

BLOGS

A New Path on Emissions. In his second inaugural address,
President Obama promised to take on climate change as a priority
in his second term. “We will respond to the threat of climate
change, knowing that failure to do so would betray our children
and future generations,” he said at the start of one of the
longest passages devoted to a single subject in the speech.
Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/a-new-path-on-emissions/
 

‘Plug-In Ecosystem’ Available at Indiana Mall. Electric car
owners who visit the Clay Terrace mall in the Indianapolis suburb
of Carmel can connect to a charging station that taps into energy
from the sun. On Jan. 30, the mall cut the ribbon on a “Plug-In
Ecosystem” that combines solar power, a large storage battery and
both Level II and Level III chargers. For the time being, the
electricity is free. There should be no shortage of electric
vehicles to charge at the station, which is close to Whole Foods
and Starbucks outlets. Posted.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/plug-in-ecosystem-available-at-indiana-mall/


Chevron VP: forget cellulosic biofuel, build better cars. The oil
industry is mounting a concerted push to roll back biofuel
mandates, both in Washington and Sacramento.
At the federal level, oil lobbyists have joined with
environmentalists and ranchers — a Coalition of the Unlikely — to
block new rules increasing the amount of ethanol that can be
blended into gasoline. They’ve attacked federal mandates for the
production of cellulosic ethanol (derived from grasses and woody
plants) as nothing more than wishful thinking, since very little
of the stuff has been made to date. Posted.
http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/02/05/chevron-vp-forget-cellulosic-biofuel-build-efficient-cars/


Climate Change: The Case for Heat. Could the heat coming from
your refrigerator be contributing to global warming? Anyone who
has given a public lecture on climate change has almost certainly
gotten this question: Whenever you operate a motor or turn on a
light, you generate heat. How do you know that that heat is not a
significant source of global warming? It's a good question. To
answer it, let's start with a review of one of my favorite
topics. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/climate-change-the-case-f_b_2625524.html?view=print&comm_ref=false