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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 25, 2013.
Posted: 25 Oct 2013 14:17:18
ARB Newsclips for October 25, 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. ZERO EMISSIONS VEHICLES California, 7 Other States Push to Get More Zero Emission Vehicles on Road. In the past three years, Americans have bought just 140,000 electric and plug-in hybrid cars. But sales are increasing. They more than tripled in 2012. Now the governors of eight states have signed an agreement to take steps they hope will increase the market share of Zero Emission Vehicles. “We’re in the midst of a transformation, our job is to try to make it happen faster and more successfully,” says Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/10/24/california,-7-other-states-push-to-get-more-zero-emission-vehicles-on-road/ http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_24382536/eight-states-join-forces-promote-zero-emission-vehicles http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989406/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Canada Greenhouse Gas Emissions Set to Rise, Government Says. Canada, the world’s seventh-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, will increase output of carbon dioxide through 2020, failing to meet a government pledge to lower emissions, Environment Canada said today. Without further measures to curb carbon output, emissions will increase to 734 megatonnes by 2020 from 701 megatonnes in 2011, Environment Canada said today on its website. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-24/canada-greenhouse-gas-emissions-set-to-rise-government-says.html Response to a City’s Smog Points to a Change in Chinese Attitude. Emergency measures came swiftly in Harbin, the northeastern city blanketed with hazardous smog this week: Schools were shut down, buses ordered off the roads, the airport closed, police roadblocks set up to check tailpipe emissions from cars. City officials even fanned out in the surrounding countryside, ordering farmers to stop burning the cornstalks left in their fields after the harvest. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/world/asia/smoggy-days-in-harbin-prompt-quick-reaction.html?pagewanted=all&pagewanted=print Breathe easier with help from The Doctors. It kills more Americans than stroke, Alzheimer's and diabetes. And if that's not enough to make you pay attention to COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, consider this: an estimated 24 million people have it, but about half don't know it. Many people mistake increased shortness of breath as a normal part of aging; it's not. Plus, COPD…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/weekend/health/doctors/2013/10/25/the-doctors-breathe-easier/3183965/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+newsmain2+%28USATODAY+-+News+Flipboard%29 Imperial County, Imperial Irrigation District sign Memorandum of Understanding for Salton Sea. The Imperial County Board of Supervisors and the directors of the Imperial Irrigation District held a special signing ceremony today at the Salton Sea commemorating a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines how the county, the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District and the IID will work together to restore California's largest and most troubled inland lake and avert severe harm to public health…Posted. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/imperial-valley/5730-imperial-county-imperial-irrigation-district-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-for-salton-sea.html As Keystone XL battle rages, Canada claims 'success' with climate record. As the debate continues over the climate impact of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline, the Canadian government released a report yesterday saying it is "achieving success" at controlling greenhouse gases. Environmentalists, however, criticized Environment Canada's annual emissions trend report for showing that the country's projected greenhouse gas emissions through 2020 are higher than last year and are short of climate targets under the Copenhagen Accord. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989405/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Australia PM: Climate change not causing wildfires. The government staunchly rejected arguments that climate change is causing the wildfires ravaging parts of eastern Australia following a record hot start to the spring season. "That is complete hogwash," Prime Minister Tony Abbott told News Corp. Australian newspapers in an interview published on Friday. Environment Minister Greg Hunt backed his prime minister, saying no individual event can be linked to climate change. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_WILDFIRES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/us-usa-wildfires-smoke-idUSBRE99O03J20131025 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/24/5850906/australia-wildfires-not-linked.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/24/wildfires-smoke-climate-change-harm-health/3173165/ http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/24/2992626/australia-wildfires-not-linked.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24384765/australia-pm-climate-change-not-causing-wildfires?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24384765/australia-pm-climate-change-not-causing-wildfires?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/24/3571172/australia-wildfires-not-linked.html http://world.time.com/2013/10/23/australias-epic-wildfires-likely-affected-by-climate-change-no-matter-what-prime-minister-says/ Three U.S. states, British Columbia to ink climate pact. California governor Jerry Brown said on Thursday he plans to sign an agreement to formally align the state's climate and clean energy policies with those of Oregon, Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Brown will host the governors of the northwestern states and British Columbia's environment minister in San Francisco on Monday to announce the partnership and details of an agreement aligning their climate strategies. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/24/us-usa-environment-idUSBRE99N1K720131024?feedType=RSS Indonesia forests still dwindle despite reforms. t home and abroad, Indonesia is highlighting its progress in curbing the environmental destruction that has depleted forests and made the Southeast Asian nation a leading source of greenhouse gases. But environmentalists are unconvinced. They say pulp and palm oil plantations are still expanding at an alarming rate in Sumatran forests, despite efforts by the government and industry. That expansion has contributed to climate change and threatens endangered tigers and orangutans. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Indonesia-forests-still-dwindle-despite-reforms-4921746.php http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989407/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Some Good News About U.S. Carbon Emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from power and industrial plants in the U.S. fell 4.5 percent in 2012, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, and they’re down 10 percent since emissions tracking from the power sector began in 2010. Although Americans are consuming slightly less electricity, much of the decline in emissions has resulted from natural gas displacing coal. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-24/some-good-news-about-u-dot-s-dot-carbon-emissions New 'dashboard' display seeks to bring world up to speed on state's climate progress. A new online tool seeks to explain California's sweeping suite of climate policies in one fell swoop. The California Carbon Dashboard, by the nonprofit Climate Policy Initiative, aggregates news, state agency announcements and real-time tweets about the Golden State's pioneering approach to managing its greenhouse gas emissions. The site provides particular detail on the state's economywide cap-and-trade program, which went into effect this year…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989408/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY India stalls action to eliminate 'super greenhouse gases' India has blocked progress toward an international agreement to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), gases with thousands of times the global warming power of carbon dioxide. The South Asian giant refused to allow discussions on the technical details of an HFC phaseout at the 25th Montreal Protocol meeting in Bangkok. It is the last big superpower to stand in the way of what some see as the one of the most effective methods for curbing climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989409/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Devil’s Gate Dam cleanup will generate hundreds of truck trips, air pollution. A long-awaited environmental review of the Devil’s Gate Dam project released Thursday estimates the removal of between 2.4 million and 4 million cubic yards of backed-up sediment will require a maximum of 400 truck trips per day for five years. The draft environmental impact report for the Devil’s Gate Dam sediment removal project says the project, which may begin in 2015, will pollute the local air…Posted. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/environment-and-nature/20131024/report-devils-gate-dam-cleanup-will-generate-hundreds-of-truck-trips-air-pollution FUELS CORRECTED-Poland could halve demand for coal by 2030, study says. Poland could halve its demand for coal by 2030 with a shift to renewable energies that would end its image as a laggard in European Union efforts to slow climate change, a study showed on Friday. The report, by researchers in Germany and Poland, renewable energy groups and environmental group Greenpeace, included a foreword by ex-Polish Environment Minister Maciej Nowicki who called it a "feasible, realistic scenario". Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/climate-poland-idUSL5N0IE2PQ20131025 UPDATE 1-Malaysia to help palm sector with new biodiesel blend rules. Malaysia is set to impose a requirement for biodiesel to use 7 percent palmoil, up from 5 percent now, as a way of whittling down palmoil stocks and cushioning prices in the face of growing competition from other edible oils. Industry and government officials in the world's second-biggest palmoil producer said the "B7" biodiesel blend could be mandatory from December as talks with interested parties were nearing a conclusion. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/malaysia-biodiesel-idUSL3N0IF2FI20131025 Wall Street Demands Answers From Fossil Fuel Producers on 'Unburnable' Carbon. Groundbreaking initiative is forcing an investor rethink: What's the value of fossil fuel stocks if companies must leave reserves in the ground? A well-heeled coalition of investors is asking top fossil fuel companies to calculate the risks of plowing billions into new oil, gas and coal projects. They fear that carbon emission limits and slowing demand will turn them into bad investments that leave investors worse off. Posted. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20131024/wall-street-demands-answers-fossil-fuel-producers-unburnable-carbon?page=show Global demand for fossil fuels continues to rise. Despite concerted global efforts to reduce carbon emissions through the expansion of clean and renewable energy resources, fossil fuels continued to dominate the global energy sector in 2012, according to new figures released yesterday by the Worldwatch Institute. Coal, natural gas and oil accounted for 87 percent of the world's primary energy consumption last year, the group reported in a new "Vital Signs Online" report. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989393/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Coalition of investors calls for fossil fuel companies to develop low-carbon business plan. Fossil fuels used to be one of the safest investments a person could make, but as anti-pollution policy takes shape around the world and companies go to greater extremes to find reserves, this could soon no longer be the case, according to a coalition of 70 investors worth more than $3 trillion. What these investors are now asking is for fossil fuel companies to develop a new business plan for how they will remain profitable in an increasingly low-carbon world. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989396/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Feds won't investigate Tesla electric car fire. U.S. auto safety regulators have decided not to open a formal investigation into the Oct. 2 fire that damaged a Tesla electric car near Seattle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday there's no indication at this time that the fire was caused by a safety defect or that there was any violation of federal vehicle safety standards. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TESLA_FIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/24/2992061/feds-wont-investigate-tesla-electric.html Power in Numbers: The Benefits of Entering Fleet-Vehicle Territory. In 2007, Namasté Solar, a company that installs solar-power units, acquired a used Dodge Sprinter diesel cargo van. "We could run B20 biodiesel in it," says Max Christian, co-founder and COO of the Boulder, Colo.-based operation. "It got almost 25 mpg, which was much better than a Ford Econoline van, and at the time it was a unique vehicle. It fit our image, and it was the cheapest, best vehicle we could afford." Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/idUS242187030920131025 The Future of Diesel in America. Auto manufacturers — including Audi — are constantly exploring alternative ways to power their automobiles. Recent advancements in lithium-ion battery technology have allowed hybrid and full-electric cars to drive further on electric power alone, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are in development as well. But today and for the foreseeable future, diesel offers a practically unbeatable combination of efficiency, lower emissions, and performance. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/wp/2013/10/23/the-future-of-diesel-in-america/ Musk Scorns Hydrogen Vehicles Seen as Tesla Credit Threat: Cars. Elon Musk, the outspoken co-founder of electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc., is turning his sharp tongue toward a new target: hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. He argues that such cars are currently rare and expensive, with few locations to refuel. And while the vehicles, such as those being developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co., emit only water vapor, the hydrogen fuel can be expensive and dirty to produce. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Musk-Scorns-Hydrogen-Vehicles-Seen-as-Tesla-4925020.php Can condos and electric cars co-exist? Electric cars and charging equipment are an easy fit for a single-family homeowner with a garage. For condo and apartment dwellers -- not so much. More than one-third of San Diego County residents live in multi-family units, where overnight charging facilities are rarely available. The California Energy Commission is teaming up with local government and private partners to come up with solutions to that equation in San Diego. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/25/condo-electric-cars/ GREEN ENERGY City to Fit All Streetlights With Energy-Saving LED Bulbs. The amber glow of the New York City streetlight is going away. In an energy-saving effort, the city plans to replace all of its 250,000 streetlights with brighter, whiter, energy-saving, light-emitting diode fixtures in one of the nation’s largest retrofitting projects, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, said in a news conference on Thursday. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/nyregion/city-to-fit-all-streetlights-with-energy-saving-led-bulbs.html?pagewanted=print Residential solar rebates extended. San Diego households adding rooftop solar panels will be eligible for an additional $5 million in rebates. State utility regulators approved the rebate extension on Wednesday, at the request of the California Center for Sustainable Energy, which administers the incentive program for customers of San Diego Gas & Electric. The decision shifts some money away from incentives for nonresidential solar projects. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/24/home-solar-rebates-extended/ OPINIONS Column: Grangemouth refinery falls victim to U.S. shale: Kemp. There is probably no long-term commercial future for the oil refinery and associated petrochemicals plant at Grangemouth in Scotland even if the current owners, Ineos and PetroChina, can resolve their dispute with workers and the labor union. Excess capacity in the refining industry, especially in Europe, and the shale revolution in North America will continue to pressurize Grangemouth and Britain's other oil refineries. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/24/us-britain-refinery-idUSBRE99N0OA20131024 Clearing the Air in China. In the northeast Chinese city of Harbin this week, the air pollution was so thick that schools were closed, traffic became gridlocked and flights in and out of the metropolis were canceled. For years, severe air pollution and ever rising carbon emissions have been downsides to China’s economic growth, even as that growth has lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/opinion/international/clearing-the-air-in-china.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1382715516-IJm+xfo82GyYAFMDh2VnKA Viewpoints: Coal mine methane offsets are a bad fit for California and its clean energy law. California’s historic clean-energy law could become a $300 million source of new revenue for the coal industry if a state regulatory agency votes today to allow California’s major polluters to offset their emissions by purchasing credits from methane-reducing projects at coal mines located primarily out of state. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/25/5849985/viewpoints-coal-mine-methane-offsets.html#storylink=cpy Energy Risk: Carbon Budgets and US Emissions. The Carbon Brief has a must-read article up, Carbon briefing: Making sense of the IPCC’s new carbon budget that points out the precarious nature of our emissions situation: So how big is the budget? For it to remain likely that we stay below two degrees, the total amount of carbon released through carbon dioxide emissions must be less than 1000 billion tonnes, the IPCC says. ‘Likely’ here means a 66 per cent chance. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/lougrinzo/293201/carbon-budgets-and-us-emissions BLOGS The Climate Post: EIA Says Carbon Emissions Decline. In 2012, energy-related carbon emissions in the United States declined 3.8 percent even as global carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.4 percent, according the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The recorded 5.29 million metric tons of carbon dioxide amounted to the largest decline since 1994, continuing a downward trend that started in 2007. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-profeta/the-climate-post-eia-says_b_4163138.html?view=print&comm_ref=false