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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 22, 2013.

Posted: 22 Aug 2013 16:06:29
ARB Newsclips for August 22, 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.

CAP AND TRADE

UPDATE 2-California carbon permits sell at auction for less than
expected. California's largest greenhouse gas-emitting businesses
paid $12.22 per metric tonne (1.1 tons) for the right to release
carbon this year, lower than expected and down almost 13 percent
from the previous sale in May, the state said on Wednesday. Oil
refineries, utilities and market speculators were among those
that purchased all 13.87 million current year permits…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/21/california-carbon-idUSL2N0GM1N220130821


California Carbon Trading for 2016 Jumps After Sellout.  Trading
on California carbon allowances that companies can use beginning
in 2016 surged after the state sold out of the permits for the
first time. Futures contracts for a record 1.83 million 2016
allowances for December 2015 delivery cleared today on the
IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE), settling at $12.50 each,
Brookly McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the exchange in Atlanta,
said by e-mail. The previous high was 960,000 allowances on May
21. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-21/california-carbon-allowances-sell-at-a-dollar-below-forecasts.html


California auctions vintage 2013 GHG allowances for $12.22/mt. 
The California Air Resources Board sold vintage 2013 greenhouse
gas allowances for $12.22/mt each during last week's auction,
according to results released Wednesday.  The clearing price
marks a decrease compared with the previous auction held in May,
which saw vintage 2013 GHG allowances sell for $14.00/mt. One GHG
allowance covers 1 mt of emissions.  Posted. 
http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/washington/california-auctions-vintage-2013-ghg-allowances-21453971


It's Getting Cheaper to Pollute in California. The August
auction, held by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on
August 16, was part of California's greenhouse gas cap and trade
program established by AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of
2006. The auction included both emissions allowances for this
year and advance sales of some allowances for 2016's "vintage."
Posted.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/climate-change/its-getting-cheaper-to-emit-greenhouse-gases-in-california.html


Prices slide in Calif.'s 4th cap-and-trade auction. Prices slid
slightly in California's fourth auction of greenhouse gas permits
for its first-in-the-nation economywide trading system,
reflecting the state's move to give more allowances to
high-emitting industries for free, observers said. The Golden
State's Aug. 16 sale of allowances to cover businesses' emissions
for 2013 fetched $12.22 per ton, a 13 percent decline from the
previous auction in May…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986316/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

Haze Blankets Hong Kong as Pollution Hits Very High Level. Hong
Kong’s air pollution index reached “very high” levels today as a
tropical storm that passed through Taiwan trapped pollutants and
blanketed the city in haze, triggering a government health
warning. The index was 153 at roadside-monitoring stations in the
Central business district, nearing the highest in more than four
months, as of 3:00 p.m. The reading was 159 in the commercial
district Causeway Bay and 152 in Mong Kok. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-22/haze-blankets-hong-kong-as-air-pollution-hits-very-high-level.html


Air pollution monitoring stations face closure as government
looks to cut costs. Campaigners accuse Defra of covering up
pollution figures as it plans to close up to 600 stations in
England to save money. Up to 600 stations for monitoring air
pollution across England could be shut down under new government
plans to save money by cutting regulations. Ministers want to
remove obligations on local authorities to assess air quality in
their areas, resulting in less monitoring. Posted.
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2290375/air-pollution-monitoring-stations-face-closure-as-government-looks-to-cut-costs

CLIMATE CHANGE

State regulators call on EPA to keep greenhouse gas rules
flexible. The National Association of Clean Air Agencies sent a
letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy yesterday with
guidelines on how to draft regulations to limit greenhouse gases
from power plants. NACAA, a group of state environmental
regulators, said EPA should work closely with state and local air
agencies, use flexible measures that encourage energy efficiency
and renewables, and shift energy dispatch to cleaner-burning
plants. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986315/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

Fracking war: Sierra Club says bill not good enough.
Environmental and liberal activist groups are split over a
pending pioneering bill that would regulate the controversial
oil-extraction technique known as fracking.Legislation by Sen.
Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) would, for the first time in the
nation, require oil companies to disclose details of the
chemicals, locations and procedures involved with hydraulic
fracturing and related "well-stimulation" activities. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-enviros-split-over-fracking-bill-20130821,0,3752625,print.story

http://www.capradio.org/8976 
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=254890
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059986265/print  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

62 countries have policies to support renewable fuels -- advocacy
group. Sixty-two countries now have policies in place to spur the
use and development of biofuels, according to research and
advocacy group Global Renewable Fuels Alliance. Most of the
policies set a specific mandatory or voluntary percentage level
of ethanol that must be blended into transportation fuel, such as
in the European Union, where 10 percent of transportation fuel
must be made from renewable sources. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986344/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Tesla CEO Weighs Europe, Asia Plants for Mass-Market Car. Tesla
Motors Inc. (TSLA) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said the
electric-car maker intends to add factories in Europe and Asia,
anticipating volume gains from a planned mass-market battery car.
The company this year plans to make at least 21,000 of its
$70,000 Model S premium sedans at its Fremont, California, plant,
and double that in 2014. While the factory has capacity to
produce as many as 500,000 vehicles a year…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-08-21/tesla-ceo-studies-europe-asia-plants-for-mass-market-car.html


Big Science tools for clean transportation: neutron scattering at
ORNL.  This begins an occasional series on “big science” tools
hosted at US national laboratories that are being applied to
support the development of technology innovations for clean
transportation. First up is a quick look at the two advanced
neutron-scattering facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL) in Tennessee, which Green Car Congress recently had the
opportunity to tour: …Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130821-neutrons.html  

Land Rover launching diesel hybrids: Range Rover Hybrid and Range
Rover Sport Hybrid.  Land Rover is launching its first hybrid
models—Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid. The two
all-aluminum diesel-electric hybrids are based on Land Rover’s
Premium Lightweight Architecture and share an identical
powertrain. First deliveries will be in early 2014.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130821-rover.html  

100.000 EVs by 2020: electric cars in Norway.  There are over
11.000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the Norwegian roads today and
electric cars constitute 3% of new cars sold in Norway each
month. Furthermore, six out of nine political parties have
included electric vehicles in their political programmes.
cars21.com decided to take a closer look at Norway to see why it
is called the most-EV friendly country in the world.  With four
EVs registered per each 1.000 cars, Norway has the largest share
of EVs in the world. Posted. 
http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5566 

Electric roads to the Hyperloop: Our Jetsons future starts now.
This was the rare week when an innovative transportation scheme
captivated America’s imagination. After months of expectation, on
Monday Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Hyperloop, a giant vacuum
tube designed to whisk passengers between Los Angeles and San
Francisco at nearly 800 miles per hour, completing a 520-mile
journey in a mere 40 minutes. By now, attentive readers have
experienced all the dizzying spins of the Hyperloop news cycle:
anticipation, excitement, backlash, rebound. Posted.
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/17/electric_roads_to_the_hyperloop_our_jetsons_future_starts_now/


GREEN ENERGY

Wind Farms Take Root Out at Sea. In a warehouse district on the
outskirts of Bremen in northwestern Germany is a big,
well-lighted work space dominated by the massive top section of a
wind turbine called a nacelle.  It is here that Siemens, the
German power systems giant, trains new employees and gives
refresher courses on how to work safely on modern windmills that
can rise 90 meters, or about 300 feet, and weigh more than 100
tons. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/business/energy-environment/wind-farms-take-root-out-at-sea.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print


San Francisco government infrastructure operating on 100%
renewable energy. City departments collectively failed to reduce
greenhouse gases by their 2012 target, yet the shortcoming had
nothing to do with electricity usage. The San Francisco Public
Utilities Commission is able to boast that it delivers
zero-emissions electricity to government properties. That
electricity comes from the hydropower production at the Hetch
Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite Valley. Posted.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/san-francisco-government-infrastructure-operating-on-100-renewable-energy/Content?oid=2555351


Sacramento Valley Town to Buy Solar Power From Kern County. The
32-megawatt photovoltaic solar plant is scheduled for
construction sometime next year on agricultural lands in northern
Kern County, near the intersection of state routes 46 and 33.
Though Kern County's Planning Department seems not to have made
the full Draft Environmental Impact Report available
online…Posted.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/sacramento-valley-town-will-buy-solar-power-from-lost-hills.html


Installations likely to increase as states move rapidly toward
cleaner power – report. U.S. investment in clean energy was down
in 2012 after breaking records all through 2011, but rapidly
declining installment costs mean deployments are likely to
continue to rise, according to new analysis from Ernst & Young
LLP, a multinational accounting firm. The report ranked the
renewable energy "attractiveness indices" for all 50 states, and
those numbers remained similar …Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986322/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Eisenhut a good addition to air board. Congratulations to
agribusinessman-farmer John Eisenhut of Turlock on his
appointment to the California Air Resources Board, a powerful
state board that makes critical decisions affecting business,
industry and individuals. It deals with all types of air
pollution issues, from promoting the use of alternative-fuel
vehicles to making rules on implementing AB 32, the state's
controversial law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Posed.
http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/21/2877034/eisenhut-a-good-addition-to-air.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/21/2877351/brown-appoints-turlock-man-to.html


County gets grant for needle containers. The California
Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has
awarded a grant that provides containers for the collection of
used sharps/needles to the Riverside County Waste Management
Department to promote the proper disposal of home generated
sharps/needles. Home-generated sharps waste includes hypodermic
needles, pen needles, intravenous needles…Posted.
http://www.paloverdevalleytimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=747&ArticleID=19094


OPINIONS

COLUMN-Natural gas could be a bridge fuel to $1 solar: Wynn.
Natural gas could be the dominant power source for the next two
decades in the western United States, even under the most
aggressive climate scenarios, before making way for solar,
findings from the University of California Berkeley suggest. The
Berkeley study examined the impact of cheap solar power, as
envisaged by the so-called "sunshot" initiative launched two
years ago by former U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/22/column-wynn-solar-usa-idUSL6N0GM26A20130822


COLUMN-Biomass burners beware new EU oversight: Wynn. Utilities
planning to invest in wood-fired power plants beware: the
European Commission's draft green standards for burning biomass
would regulate carbon emissions from burning wood for the first
time. At present, EU laws favouring green energy have led
countries to pay generous subsidies for burning biomass, but in
the future developers would have to meet the new standards to get
those incentives. (For draft copy, see Chart 1) Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/21/column-wynn-biomass-eu-idUSL6N0GL1LD20130821
 

Welcome to the Age of Denial.  In 1989, when “climate change” had
just entered the public lexicon, 63 percent of Americans
understood it was a problem. Almost 25 years later, that
proportion is actually a bit lower, at 58 percent. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/opinion/welcome-to-the-age-of-denial.html?_r=0
 

Researching Dirty Air’s Effect on Health: Are Some Texans Immune?
For years now, Texas has tried to block Federal air pollution
laws, contending they stifle economic growth. But just last week,
the U.S. Department of Justice filed another lawsuit to force
power plants in northeast Texas to reduce toxic air emissions. As
the battle continues over how clean the air in Texas should be
and at what cost, It might be worth highlighting why any of this
matters. One way to do that is ask researchers what they’re
learning about how air pollution affects people. Posted.
http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/08/22/researching-dirty-airs-effect-on-health-are-some-texans-immune/


BLOGS

Hong Kong Air Pollution Spikes.  Hong Kong air pollution reached
extreme highs this week, turning Victoria Harbor a soupy gray and
prompting government warnings for residents to stay indoors.  On
Thursday morning in the crowded shopping district of Causeway
Bay, pollution levels hit a high of 187 on the local
air-pollution index. When the city’s levels of air pollution are
that high, the government recommends that children, the ill and
the elderly try to stay inside. Posted. 
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/08/22/hong-kong-air-pollution-levels-spike/
 

By 2050, flooding could cost the world’s coastal cities over $60
billion a year.  In 2005, flooding caused $6 billion worth of
damage globally. By 2050, we could be hit with 10 times that much
in losses — and that’s only if the world’s biggest coastal cities
make significant investments to mitigate risk. If we do nothing,
costs could soar to $1 trillion.  These sobering statistics come
from a new study in Nature Climate Change which identifies the 20
coastal metropolises that stand to lose the most when (not if)
major flooding occurs in the future. Posted. 
http://grist.org/news/by-2050-flooding-could-cost-the-worlds-coastal-cities-over-60-billion-a-year/


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