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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 28, 2013.
Posted: 28 Aug 2013 14:53:13
ARB Newsclips for August 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. CAP AND TRADE EU Carbon Closes at Seven-Week High as Crude Oil Price Surges. European Union emission permits advanced to the highest in seven weeks on speculation that crude oil’s surge to a two-year peak may spur demand for carbon allowances. Carbon for December gained as much as 3.7 percent to 4.72 euros ($6.31) a metric ton on London’s ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract closed up 1.5 percent at 4.61 euros a ton, the highest since July 3. West Texas Intermediate crude rose as much as 3 percent in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-28/eu-carbon-permits-jump-to-eight-week-high-as-crude-price-surges.html Study: $500M for cleaner air. New York's version of a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions has brought in almost $500 million since its inception in 2008, according to a survey released Tuesday. The report comes as the price on pollution credits is likely to rise. The funds have helped create jobs in the growing alternative-energy and energy-efficiency fields, according to Environmental Advocates, the watchdog group responsible for the study. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Study-500M-for-cleaner-air-4766059.php Judge upholds cap-and-trade auctions in tentative ruling. A California judge yesterday denied business groups' bid to overturn the state's system of distributing greenhouse gas permits, in a tentative ruling issued one day before this morning's oral arguments. Judge Timothy Frawley of Sacramento Superior Court said California's 2006 global warming law, A.B. 32, gives the state wide discretion to select the method by which it caps greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2020. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986523/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Questor Surges on Stricter Energy Pollution Controls. Questor Technology Inc. (QST), Canada’s top pollution-control stock in the past three years, said stricter air quality rules will boost revenue for its flare-gas incineration systems as North American energy output surges. “The world has changed in the oil and gas industry,” Questor Chief Executive Officer Audrey Mascarenhas said in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York on Aug. 23. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-28/questor-surges-on-stricter-energy-pollution-controls.html Exide to begin testing for dangerous metals buildup in neighborhood. Responding to Exide neighbors' health concerns, California ordered Vernon battery plant to test for toxic substances in soil and dust. State officials have ordered a Vernon battery recycler to begin testing dust and soil in the neighborhood around its plant to determine whether dangerous metals have accumulated and are posing a health risk to the community. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20130828,0,13409.story http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-vernon-battery-plant-20130827,0,303641.story A strong voice in Louisiana's Cancer Alley. The police asked the right question. "Can you think of anyone who would want to do you harm?" investigators asked Wilma Subra, trying to understand who might have fired a gun at the diminutive grandmother. Enemies? Subra could arrange them alphabetically, or geographically, or in descending order according to how much her work as an environmental chemist had cost them in money or public embarrassment. She had gone after so many corporate polluters over the decades…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/columnone/la-me-c1-subra-enviro-20130827-dto,0,5811045,print.htmlstory African dust clouds worries scientists. Each summer, microscopic dust particles kicked up by African sandstorms blow thousands of miles across the Atlantic to arrive in the Caribbean, limiting airplane pilots' visibility to just a few miles and contributing to the suffering of asthmatics trying to draw breath. The phenomenon has been around as long as there's been sand in the Sahara Desert. But it's attracting ever more attention from regional scientists who say the clouds have grown, even if there's no global consensus on the issue. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CUBA_AFRICAN_DUST_CLOUDS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/African-dust-clouds-worries-scientists-4766015.php Top 5 Sources Of Air Pollution In The Region. Studies have shown that air pollution is one of the greatest environmental concerns affecting human health and climate change, specifically in Southern California. A significant contributor to air pollution is a group of highly reactive gasses known as nitrogen oxides (NOx), which include nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrous acid and nitric acid. Sources contributing nitrous oxide production surround Long Beach…Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/lof-scroller/1754-top-5-sources-of-air-pollution-in-the-region-.html Calif. fire prompts unhealthy air warnings in Nev. The giant wildfire burning at the edge of Yosemite National Park has not only destroyed buildings and threatened water supplies, electricity and sequoias, it has also unleashed a smoky haze that has worsened air quality more than 100 miles away in Nevada. The plume from the Rim Fire in California triggered emergency warnings in the Reno and Carson City area. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Calif-fire-prompts-unhealthy-air-warnings-in-Nev-4766691.php http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23962098/calif-fire-prompts-unhealthy-air-warnings-nev?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/28/calif-fire-prompts-unhealthy-air-warnings-in-nev/ http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130828/wire/130829563?title=California-fire-prompts-unhealthy-air-warnings CLIMATE CHANGE Oceans Storing Earth’s Excess Heat in Leaked UN Report. The oceans are becoming a repository for almost all of Earth’s excess heat, driving up sea levels and threatening coastlines, according to a leaked draft of the most comprehensive United Nations report addressing climate science. The findings are detailed in a 2,200-page report that will guide UN envoys as they devise a new treaty to fight climate change by 2015. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-27/oceans-storing-earth-s-excess-heat-in-leaked-un-report.html Silicon Valley may follow in Richmond, Berkeley climate change efforts. In the 1980s, hundreds of American cities, states and universities sold their investments in South African companies as part of a protest against that country's former apartheid government. Now, environmental groups are trying to duplicate that effort, but with global warming polluters in the role of villain. And, just as with South African divestment a generation ago…Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_23948942/silicon-valley-water-district-moves-join-global-warming?source=rss A cooler Pacific linked to recent global warming pause – study. Average global temperatures haven't increased in the past 15 years, and scientists have been working to determine why. A number of recent studies have fingered the ocean as the cause. Researchers believe heat that might otherwise warm the planet is being stored -- hidden, in a way -- in the sea. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986506/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Calif. water district considers oil divestment. A Northern California water agency is set to decide on a plan to drop its investments in fossil fuel companies. Supporters of the measure before the Santa Clara Valley Water District in San Jose accuse the companies of exacerbating climate change and the resulting water challenges water districts face. But industry officials and other critics say many fossil fuel companies are working on alternative energy projects…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/27/5685721/calif-water-district-considers.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Calif-water-district-considers-oil-divestment-4765666.php REFINERY Government agencies at odds in probe of fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery. The federal government is fighting with itself over last year's massive fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery that sent 15,000 people to hospitals with respiratory ailments. In one corner is the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which conducted 119 interviews in an effort to find out what caused last year's fire and how to prevent it from happening again. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_23956660/government-agencies-at-odds-probe-fire-at-chevrons?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com VEHICLES New Mazda6 poised for gains. Agile and poised, the new-for-2014 Mazda6 mid-size sedan is a major leap over its predecessor in styling, features and fuel economy. Gone is the ho-hum, Toyota Camry-like exterior. In its place is a handsome, rakish look and larger tires. The five-seat Mazda6 interior looks nicer, too, with soft-touch plastic all around and nearly an inch more rear legroom than its predecessor. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BEHIND_THE_WHEEL_2014_MAZDA6?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT GREEN ENERGY Wind turbines don't hurt home values, study says. Wind-power turbines, which are increasingly dotting California's mountain and desert regions, don't appear to be having a negative effect on home values, according to a new report by the Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory. The research, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, analyzed more than 50,000 home sales near 67 wind farms in 27 counties across nine states. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-wind-turbines-dont-hurt-housing-values-study-says-20130827,0,6727893.story?track=rss Piedmont vows lawsuit over planned wind farm. The Piedmont City Council has declared a planned wind farm a public nuisance and says it will file suit if the developer builds turbines within a 3-mile radius of the city. The council voted this week to support legal action against Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy Inc., which plans to build a 300-megawatt wind farm in northern Canadian County and southern Kingfisher County. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5687814/piedmont-vows-lawsuit-over-planned.html#storylink=cpy LC port approves agreement with Clean Energy. The Port of Lake Charles board has approved an operating agreement with Lake Charles Clean Energy for the handling and storage of methanol - a major step in bringing the $2.6-billion project forward. Port officials said Monday the new submission will allow the product to be exported - about one million tons per year. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/27/lc-port-approves-agreement-with-clean-energy/#ixzz2dHOTB91A US wastes enough energy to power UK for 7 years, report finds. The United States wasted 61 percent of all its energy input in 2012, according to a new report on energy efficiency. That's enough energy to power the United Kingdom for seven years, the report found. Each year the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory releases an analysis of the energy input and energy use of the US economy to determine the energy efficiency. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0828/US-wastes-enough-energy-to-power-UK-for-7-years-report-finds MISCELLANEOUS Shampoos still contain carcinogens, lawsuit claims. An Oakland watchdog group has sued four companies and plans to sue dozens more for allegedly manufacturing or selling shampoos, soaps and other care products without attaching labels warning consumers that they contained high levels of a carcinogen. The suit, filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court by the Center for Environmental Health...Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Shampoos-still-contain-carcinogens-lawsuit-claims-4765891.php NM gets $1M for carbon dioxide production. The State Land Office says it's received $1.2 million in royalties from a company for carbon dioxide production in northeastern New Mexico. Land Commissioner Ray Powell said the payment from the Hess Corp. covers production since 2010 on state trust land in Harding County in a carbon dioxide gas field known as the West Bravo Dome. Powell said the carbon dioxide is sent by pipeline to West Texas where it's injected in oil reservoirs to help increase production. Posted. http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_23962276/las-cruces-sun-news OPINIONS RPT-COLUMN-Fracking fears expose confusion about risk: Kemp. Should oil and gas producers be allowed to hydraulically fracture wells even if there is a small but hard-to-quantify risk to the environment, property and human life? That is the question politicians, environmentalists, local residents and the media are all grappling with across large parts of the United States, Britain and other countries. For some environmental campaigners and local residents, the answer is No. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/28/kemp-fracking-us-idUSL6N0GS3HM20130828 Letters: Take care of the climate, or else. Re “Coastal flooding could cost cities $60 billion by 2050, study says,” Aug. 20 Annual losses of $60 billion — I'm taking bets that this is not just wrong, it will prove to be tragically wrong if we don't change our ways. We know there is a lag between the burning of fossil fuels and higher temperatures. We are approaching tipping points after which humankind loses any control; after which science predictions have no meaning. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters/la-la-take-care-of-the-climate-or-else-20130827,0,7853783,print.story Preserving Cameroon's treasures. The West African nation's amazing biodiversity is under threat. It needs economic growth but also a plan to manage its resources. Cameroon, located on the west coast of Africa between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, is a nation of unparalleled beauty and biological diversity. Mt. Cameroon, in the west, is one of Africa's largest volcanoes, reaching 13,255 feet…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-smith-cameroon-conservation-20130827,0,4238070.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5687299/preserving-cameroons-treasures.html Passing a carbon tax will help fight climate change: Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, Aug. 13, Passing a carbon tax will help fight climate change. Re “Put brakes on hybrid subsidies” (Commentary, Aug. 8): The writer is upset about a few hybrid subsidies of up to $10,000 each. Why isn’t he gagging on our fossil fuel subsidies estimated at $14 billion to $52 billion annually? And the fact that Big Oil, gas and coal aren’t charged a fee for dumping their waste CO2 into the atmosphere — which is putting the future of the planet in jeopardy — amounts to additional billions in subsidy. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20130828/passing-a-carbon-tax-will-help-fight-climate-change-letters-to-the-editor-for-tuesday-aug-13 Editorial: Steinberg’s CEQA bill is a step in the right direction. Three camps tend to dominate the debate over the California Environmental Quality Act. There’s the “CEQA is totally broken” camp, the “CEQA needs to be stronger” camp and the “CEQA isn’t broken but needs to be updated” camp. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, is clearly in the third group, which is why he’s getting brickbats from the other two sides. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5688071/editorial-steinbergs-ceqa-bill.html#storylink=cpy Letter: Idling unhealthy, hurts environment. The article "Windows of opportunity," Aug. 9, described the increase of drive-through windows and how they have become a staple of American life. We are going in the wrong direction. More drive-throughs mean more engines idling and the problems that idling causes. First, engine idling pollutes the air. In the United States, idling adds 34.5 million tons of greenhouse gas annually to the atmosphere, a major cause of climate change. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letter-Idling-unhealthy-hurts-environment-4762686.php . Fire and climate change. I was impressed with The Chronicle's reporting this past week with focus on stories of the impact of climate change. The article in the Health section, "Expert scopes out health risks of climate change" (Aug. 21), outlined the many grave health consequences of an unabated rise in emissions levels. On Sunday, the dependence on fossil fuels along with climate change were identified as the most serious national security threat by top military…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letters-to-the-editor-Aug-28-4765969.php Disservice by climate change deniers. On Aug. 15, The Bee published another letter from a writer who insists there is no global warming (‘‘Global warming letter used bad data’’). The author said warming ended in 2002 and refers readers to the Climate Depot website. There, after a little digging, you will discover the founder is Marc Morano, who has no scientific experience, but has a history in communications for Rush Limbaugh and Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla…Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/27/2887976/disservice-by-climate-change-deniers.html#storylink=cpy Trade and Transportation by Dr. Thomas O’Brien. In the research community – whether public or private sector, academia or industry – we tend to appreciate the latest and greatest, the state of the art. But research is about developing our cumulative knowledge on a topic. As a result, the research and development process begins with a review of the work already done, an identification of the gaps in our knowledge base, and a justification of how the work we are doing now moves that collective knowledge forward. Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/trade-transport/1751-the-value-of-looking-back.html Letter: Beware climate change deniers. Re “Beware climate catastrophe charlatans” (Monitor Forum, Aug. 24): Michael Sununu engages in an extreme case of “shoot the messenger” in his argument against climate models. When I studied experimental particle physics in the early 1980s, I made extensive use of computer models to simulate particle collisions. Climate scientists’ use of models today parallels my use of models then. In the ’80s our models could not answer all our questions about particle physics…Posted. http://www.concordmonitor.com/opinion/8247331-95/letter-beware-climate-change-deniers My Turn: Don’t believe the hype on global warming. Why do so many people believe everything Al Gore says about global warming is true? My guess is because he is very talented at manipulating the public’s emotions in order to push his agenda. Mr. Gore once again demonstration his crafty skills as the keynote speaker at the 17th annual Lake Tahoe Summit. Former Vice President Al Gore, California Governor Jerry Brown, Nevada Senator Harry Reid…Posted. http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/northshore/7882825-113/lake-global-warming-tahoe BLOGS Oceans making global warming worse. August 27, 2013 6:31 PM | No Comments I am not the brightest bulb on the tree and so there are some things I don't understand. And I try to avoid complex scientific stories that confuse more than they clarify. There is a possibility this could be one of those stories. So I will try to simplify it. With numbers. Do numbers make things simpler or do they just offer us the illusion of simplicity? 1) When we burn fossil fuels, it releases extra carbon into the atmosphere. http://blogs.redding.com/dcraig/archives/2013/08/oceans-making-g.html#sthash.jcZdy5pJ.dpuf Environmental group touts greenhouse-gas cap in new report. As Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration formally moves to lower the state’s cap on greenhouse-gas emissions, a top New York environmental group is touting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative as a success in a new report. Environmental Advocates of New York issued the report Tuesday, which says the nine-state RGGI program—in which emissions are capped and carbon allowances are sold at auction…Posted. http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2013/08/27/environmental-group-touts-greenhouse-gas-cap-in-new-report/ Move Over Global Warming! White-Tailed Deer Pose Biggest Threat To East Coast Forests. The rapidly rising population of white-tailed deer pose a more significant threat to forest habitats across the eastern United States than global warming, according to a new study by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). “White-tailed deer likely impact every landscape east of the Mississippi River,” said the TNC. “The damage has been insidious — both slow moving and cumulative.” Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2013/08/28/move-over-global-warming-white-tailed-deer-pose-biggest-threat-to-east-coast-forests/