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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 25, 2013
Posted: 25 Nov 2013 13:52:21
ARB Newsclips for November 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. CAP AND TRADE California Sells Carbon Permits for $11.48 Each at Auction. California, the second-largest carbon-emitting state in the U.S., sold 16.6 million carbon allowances at auction for $11.48 each, roughly in line with analysts’ expectations. Units of Chevron Corp. (CVX), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS) and PG&E Corp. (PCG) were among the companies that qualified to buy permits in the Nov. 19 auction, a report posted on the state Air Resources Board’s website today showed. The agency doesn’t disclose the names of winning bidders. The state received 1.82 offers for every permit put up for sale. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/california-sells-carbon-permits-for-11-48-each-at-auction.html California Air Resources Board Announces Results of Carbon Auction. Ninety-six percent of the carbon allowances were bought at auction by companies required to do so in order to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets. The price of each allowance was $11.48, just 77 cents more than the minimum price allowed. Emily Reyna with Environmental Defense Fund says that’s not necessarily bad. “Opponents were saying that cost could be upwards to $70 to $100 or more," says Reyna. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/11/25/california-air-resources-board-announces-results-of-carbon-auction/ AIR POLLUTION Analysis: U.S. air pollution authority faces Supreme Court tests. The U.S. government's authority to regulate air pollution nationwide, often against the wishes of Republican-leaning states, could face new curbs when the Supreme Court takes on two high-stakes cases in coming months. The cases focus on the broad-ranging power wielded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the landmark Clean Air Act, first enacted in 1970. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/24/us-usa-court-airpollution-analysis-idUSBRE9AN0E120131124 Spare the air alert issued for Bay Area. Bay Area residents seeking to escape the cold weather must use options other than burning wood in their fireplace after the first Spare the Air Alert of the winter season was issued on Monday. The alert from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District bans burning wood, fire logs, pellets or other solid fuels in fireplaces, woodstoves, outdoor fire pits or other devices. The alert is in effect for 24 hours. The air quality agency issues alerts when the particulate matter in the air reaches an unhealthy level. Particulate matter consists of fine particles in the air that can be detrimental to a person's health. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24595959/spare-air-alert-issued-bay-area?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Bay Area’s 1st Spare-The-Air Alert Of Season Issued For Monday. The first Spare the Air alert of the winter season has been issued for Monday by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. A cold weather pattern and lack of wind has allowed air pollution to rise to a level that is considered unhealthy, according to the BAAQMD. The alert bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or other solid fuel, both inside and outdoors, for 24 hours. Homes without permanently installed heating systems are exempt. Posted. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/11/24/spare-the-air-alert-monday/ http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/first-spare-air-alert-winter-issued-monday-wood-fi/nb3zL/ Monday to be a no-burn day. Air quality officials issued the first winter Spare the Air Day banning indoor and outdoor wood burning starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday. Prompted by air pollution levels, the ban prohibits the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors for 24 hours. Residents of homes without permanently installed heating for whom wood stoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat are exempt. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131124/articles/131129720 Newport Beach could get natural gas fire rings on two beaches. Newport Beach residents may soon be one step closer to roasting marshmallows beachside over natural gas-burning fire rings. On Tuesday, the city staff plans to recommend that the City Council approve participation in a pilot project with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to install natural gas fire rings in certain beach areas, while also removing some of the existing wood-fueled fire rings. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1124-fire-rings-20131124,0,3268491.story#axzz2lgTFr4OS http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/24/3050794/newport-beach-to-consider-natural.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Deals at Climate Meeting Advance Global Effort. Two weeks of United Nations climate talks ended Saturday with a pair of last-minute deals keeping alive the hope that a global effort can ward off a ruinous rise in temperatures. Delegates agreed to the broad outlines of a proposed system for pledging emissions cuts and gave their support for a new treaty mechanism to tackle the human cost of rising seas, floods, stronger storms and other expected effects of global warming. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/world/deals-at-climate-meeting-advance-global-effort.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/world/europe/un-climate-talks-near-end.html?_r=0 Whitehouse talks climate change with MLB, NBA, NFL. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is praising the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball and other professional sports organizations for taking steps to address climate change. The Rhode Island Democrat met with representatives from all the major sports organizations Thursday to discuss what teams are doing to limit their carbon emissions and encourage renewable energy. He says professional sports take climate change seriously. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/24/3050749/whitehouse-talks-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy DIESEL EMISSIONS Two sides emerge in emissions argument at CSUSB. Slapping tighter regulations on emissions from diesel-burning trucks might not help the Coachella Valley or other regions across Southern California create economically and environmentally sustainable communities, but keeping schools away from major sources of emissions, such as highways or railroad yards might. Two very different schools of thought emerged early at the Sustainable Goods Movement Symposium, held Thursday and Friday at California State University, San Bernardino’s Palm Desert campus. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20131122/BUSINESS0302/311220018/Two-sides-emerge-emissions-argument Port Of Oakland Truckers Association Votes Unanimously For Wednesday Work Stoppage. Port of Oakland Truckers Association (POTA) members voted unanimously late Friday evening to stop work at the port on Wednesday, November 27. They’ve met with city, state and federal regulators, terminal managers, and Port of Oakland officials many times since their August 19 work stoppage, but have not made any gains on their demands. On November 13, truckers met with Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Deputy Mayor Sandré Swanson, Port Executive Director Chris Lytle, as well as California Air Resources Board (CARB) members, expecting to bring offers of an extension from CARB or funding from the City and Port, but were forced to return to their membership without any offers to present. Posted. http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/11/24/18746759.php Oakland, Calif., truckers authorize strike. After meeting with the California Air Resources Board and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Nov. 13, the Port of Oakland Truckers Association held a general membership meeting and “voted unanimously for what amounts to a strike authorization if their demands aren’t met.” (POTA press release). While the truckers’ association was meeting with CARB, Mayor Jean Quan and Port of Oakland Executive Director Chris Lytle at City Hall, over 70 truckers surrounded the downtown plaza in a deafening convoy, honking their horns in support of their representatives. Posted. http://www.workers.org/articles/2013/11/22/oakland-calif-truckers-authorize-strike/ ARB offers relief to truckers on diesel rules. The California Air Resources Board announced on Nov. 14 it will provide relief to truckers working to meet state deadlines for upgrades to aging diesel fleets. The relief is detailed in a regulatory advisory that recognizes "good faith" efforts of fleets to meet upcoming compliance deadlines. The advisory also provides "early access" to planned regulatory changes to be considered by the board in April. The move comes as larger fleets were required under the Statewide Truck and Bus Regulation to complete the upgrade for most of their trucks with diesel particulate filters by Jan. 1 and as smaller fleets are just beginning to undertake similar actions. Posted. http://www.appeal-democrat.com/business/article_f2545796-54c3-11e3-bf1f-0019bb30f31a.html FUELS Iowans worry about ethanol’s lost clout. For decades, presidential candidates’ chances in Iowa were wounded if not doomed unless they backed federal support for ethanol, a boon to the state’s corn-growing economy. That rule of politics collapsed resoundingly in the 2012 campaign when five of the six top Republican candidates said it was time for such intervention in the private market to end. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/25/tp-iowans-worry-about-ethanols-lost-clout/ GM and U.S. Army expand fuel-cell collaboration. Expanding on a demonstration project in Hawaii, General Motors Co. and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) will again collaborate on fuel-cell technology under a new cooperative research and development agreement. The new collaboration will focus on the testing of new hydrogen fuel-cell materials and designs to evaluate their performance and durability before assembling them into full-scale fuel-cell propulsion systems. Currently, TARDEC is evaluating GM fuel-cell vehicles in a Hawaii comprehensive demonstration; the technology has possible military applications ranging from ground vehicles to mobile generators. Posted. http://articles.sae.org/12508/ California Energy Commission to award up to $29.9M to hydrogen refueling infrastructure projects. The California Energy Commission (CEC) will award up to $29.9 million to projects to develop hydrogen refueling infrastructure in California (PON-13-607). The solicitation has two goals: 1) to develop infrastructure necessary to dispense hydrogen transportation fuel; and 2) to provide needed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) funding to support hydrogen refueling operations prior to the large—scale roll—out of Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs). CEC will provide funding to construct, to upgrade, or to support hydrogen refueling stations that expand the network of publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations to serve the current population of FCVs and accommodate the planned large—scale roll—out of FCVs beginning in 2015. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/11/20131124-cech2.html VEHICLES L.A. Auto Show drives new green-car market. If there’s a subliminal message hidden amid the flash and sizzle of this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, it’s this: Soccer moms and macho guys can be green, too. Automakers are extending the alternative-fuels market to buyers of family-friendly SUVs and minivans as well as sports cars and large-format pickup trucks preferred by male consumers. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20131122/la-auto-show-drives-new-green-car-market GREEN ENERGY Wind Energy Company to Pay $1 Million in Bird Deaths. Duke Energy agreed on Friday to pay $1 million in fines as part of the Justice Department’s first criminal case against a wind power company for the deaths of protected birds. A subsidiary of the company, Duke Energy Renewables, pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Wyoming on Friday to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a federal law that protects migratory birds. The company was charged with killing 14 golden eagles and dozens of other birds at two wind projects in Wyoming since 2009. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/us/wind-energy-company-to-pay-1-million-in-bird-deaths.html?ref=earth http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20131122/wind-farm-gets-fined-for-killing-eagles Starkville has largest solar array in Mississippi. For years and years the guys behind Synergetics were interested in solar power but never pulled the trigger. The biggest hurdle: cost. It just wasn't financially feasible for the Starkville-based information technology company, which was founded in 1992 and employs almost 50 people. "We didn't want to be green for the sake of being green," David Palmer, the company's 45-year-old CEO, said. "We didn't want to be green if it didn't make sense." They took other "green" steps. They recycled. They installed energy efficient light fixtures. They changed the color of their corporate headquarters' roof from black to white. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/24/3040303/starkville-has-largest-solar-array.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Dan Morain: From an obscure panel, John Froines made a difference in our lives. The tribute was very low-key, fittingly held in a small hearing room at the California Environmental Protection Agency. No one knew about it, other than a few selected guests. John Froines, a chemist and retired UCLA professor of environmental health, was the man of the hour. Froines’ name might stir dim memories among some tiny number of people who recall the turbulent 1960s. But this event was about Froines’ science and the impact it has had on our lives. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/24/5938492/dan-morain-from-an-obscure-panel.html OPINION Climate Crisis: Who Will Act? The last-minute deal at the United Nations Climate Conference in Warsaw keeps hopes for a comprehensive successor agreement to the 1997 Kyoto protocol alive. But let us be clear: Much more decisive action will be needed if we are to stand any chance at fending off the dangers of climate change. We now have just one more shot, next year in Peru, to make more substantive progress toward a successor agreement before the crucial 2015 Paris conference. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/opinion/climate-crisis-who-will-act.html?hpw&rref= EDITORIAL: Hits and misses. Regulations to clean up the air will not make much difference without enforcement. Inland residents, especially, should welcome regulators’ efforts this week to ensure that diesel trucks are complying with state emissions rules. Inspectors from the state Air Resources Board conducted spot checks of trucks along Interstate 15 in Lake Elsinore on Tuesday. The state’s 2008 rules require California truckers to phase in cleaner diesel engines and retrofit old engines with exhaust filters that cut down on pollution. The owners of about 50,000 trucks in the state’s smallest fleets — three trucks or less — face a January deadline to comply with the standards. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20131122-editorial-hits-and-misses.ece Our View: Good news in the air over the Valley. Many of our region’s most vexing problems don’t get cured per se, but sometimes we do see signs of progress. It’s important to acknowledge the improved outlook on two fronts: Promising sign No. 1 – better air. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control district believes it has met the federal one-hour ozone standard, so the Valley should be relieved of the $29 million annual fine that is paid primarily through higher vehicle registration fees. It could take a year to learn whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will remove the penalty, but we think the progress is worth applauding. For the first time on record, the Valley did not record a violation of the one-hour ozone standard during the warm months when the problem occurs. Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/11/22/3350737/good-news-in-the-air-over-the.html To keep L.A. and Long Beach's ports trucking. It takes 10,000 professional truck drivers to move all the goods that come into the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. And it's no wonder. Our two ports handle 40% of all goods imported to the United States. A lot of the jobs generated by the ports, including those of unionized longshoremen and railroad workers, pay good wages that contribute to a solid middle class in the region. But many of the truck drivers who serve the ports find themselves stuck at the bottom of the economic ladder because of the way their employers classify and exploit them. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-hahn-port-truckers-20131125,0,7186112.story#axzz2lgTFr4OS Viewpoints: Making sure renewable energy produces clean energy. Californians can certainly brag about the state’s leading role in deploying renewable energy from the sun and wind. In-state renewable energy generation has spiked in the past few years, prices have come down significantly, and we appear to be well on our way to meeting the goal of 33 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2020. But will this renewable energy boom actually mean cleaner air and less greenhouse gas pollution? Most of us assume that renewable means clean. But the intermittent nature of much of this power – since the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow – may lead grid operators to rely on more fossil fuel-based power to fill gaps in the renewable sources. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/24/5935340/viewpoints-making-sure-renewable.html BLOGS U.S. Embassy Stocks Up on Air Purifiers. Companies and institutions employing foreigners in China are starting to realize that to keep workers in the cities, they need to make changes to the way they operate. Based on anecdotal evidence, air pollution, more than anything else, is driving expatriate workers away from China, or dissuading those outside China from taking postings here. News reports of various rounds of “airpocalypse” descending on Chinese cities have not helped. Posted. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/u-s-embassy-stocks-up-on-air-purifiers/