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ARB Newsclips for January 17, 2014. 

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

North China Smog Prompts Second-Day Warnings to Stay Indoors.
Smog hit hazardous levels in China’s steel-producing Hebei region
for the second day as state-controlled media announced plans to
fine local governments that don’t meet pollution-control targets.
A concentration of PM2.5, the pollutants that pose the greatest
risk to human health, reached 443 micrograms per cubic meter in
Shijiazhuang and 758 in Xingtai as of 12 p.m., data from the
China National Environment Monitoring Center showed. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-01-17/north-china-smog-prompts-second-day-warnings-to-stay-indoors.html


Climate Aids in Study Face Big Obstacles.  Some of the
technologies cited in the latest draft report by United Nations
climate experts face significant obstacles before they can be
widely put in effect to limit the impact of climate change. The
technologies, including a method of energy production that
permanently removes carbon dioxide from the air, are still in
their infancy, with few projects operating around the world.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/science/earth/climate-aids-in-study-face-big-obstacles.html?hpw&rref=world
 

Sluggish Economy Prompts Europe to Reconsider Its Intentions on
Climate Change. The European Union, which for years has sought to
lead the world in addressing climate change, is tempering its
ambitions and considering turning mandatory targets for renewable
energy into just goals. The union’s policy-making body is also
unlikely to restrict exploration for shale gas using the disputed
technique known as hydraulic fracturing. A deep and lasting
economic slowdown, persistently high prices for renewable energy
sources…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/17/business/energy-environment/sluggish-economy-prompts-europe-to-reconsider-climate-goals.html?hpw&rref=business&_r=0
 

Air quality district sues battery recycler Exide for $40 million.
Air district officials filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking up to $40
million from a Vernon battery recycler accused of posing a health
risk for emitting too much lead and arsenic. The South Coast Air
Quality Management District sued Exide Technologies in Los
Angeles County Superior Court, accusing the company — one of the
world's largest manufacturers and recyclers of lead-acid
batteries…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-exide-battery-recycler-sued-20140116,0,289807,print.story


Colby fire: Plume of smoke, ash prompts air quality advisories. A
rapidly growing fire in the foothills of Glendora showered a wide
area of Los Angeles County with smoke and ash Thursday, prompting
air quality alerts across the region. As hundreds of firefighters
raced to the Angeles National Forest to battle the Colby fire,
the South Coast Air Quality Management District warned that air
quality was forecast to quickly plummet to unhealthy levels
across the region. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-air-quality-colby-wildfire-los-angeles-20140116,0,7217942.story#ixzz2qg98ba3x


Democrats, Republicans debate EPA plan. Senate Republicans
attacked the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to slash
carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants Thursday, saying it
would damage the economy, as newly energized Democrats retorted
that climate change is costing jobs in industries such as
Northwest oyster beds and Utah ski resorts. Agency chief Gina
McCarthy defended the EPA's proposed rules at a hearing of the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Sen.
Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. She said power plants are the largest
single U.S. source of carbon pollution…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Democrats-Republicans-debate-EPA-plan-5150918.php


Dry, stagnant winter unraveling Valley air-quality efforts.  A
stagnant, dry winter has created near-historic soot levels in the
San Joaquin Valley and around California, perhaps unraveling
years of work on federal air standards, Valley air authorities
said Thursday.  The Valley was supposed to achieve a federal
standard for such tiny particles, known as PM-2.5, by 2015. But
the soot siege during the record-breaking drought probably ends
any chance the Valley might have had, air officials said. 
Posted. 
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/01/16/3444634/dry-stagnant-winter-unraveling.html


Study: Exposure to wildfire smoke damaging to infants and
children.  Exposure to wildfire smoke may be particularly
damaging to infants and young children, according to a study of
monkeys conducted at U.C. Davis. The study found that baby
monkeys born during a spate of dense pollution from wildfire
smoke in 2008 suffered lasting immune system impairment compared
to adult monkeys or other babies born during times of cleaner
air. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140116/A_NEWS/140119882


Study of vehicle emissions at U.S.-Mexico border to determine
impact on Imperial Valley air quality. While it is well-known
that emissions from idling vehicles waiting to cross the
U.S.-Mexico border affect air quality in the Imperial Valley, the
real impact has not yet been documented. The Imperial County Air
Pollution Control District is getting ready to study those
impacts after receiving a $98,800 grant from the Environmental
Protection Agency. Over a period of a year, the district will
estimate particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions from
northbound vehicles waiting to cross the border a the Calexico
west and east ports of entry. Posted.
http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/study-of-vehicle-emissions-at-u-s--mexico-border/article_5fe02d7a-7f40-11e3-9cdf-0019bb30f31a.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

UN warns against delayed action on global warming. Delaying
action on global warming will only increase the costs and reduce
the options for dealing with the worst effects of climate change,
according to a draft report by U.N. experts. The final draft of
the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, says that global
warming will continue to increase unless countries shift quickly
to clean energy and cut emissions. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_UN_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Showtime climate change series travels globe. Producers of a
Showtime series on global warming due this spring said Thursday
it was crucial to get celebrities and Republicans involved to
spread the stories beyond people who already believe it's an
important issue. The series, "Years of Living Dangerously,"
begins April 13. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a
Republican who was in Pasadena to promote the series, is among
the celebrities who travel to different sites to illustrate the
impact of climate change. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TV_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-tca-arnold-schwarzenegger-in-climate-control-doc-for-showtime-20140115,0,4662780.story#ixzz2qg9f44bb
http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_24928104/schwarzeneggers-latest-foe-global-warming


Environmentalists Citing Keystone Fault Obama on Energy.  A
coalition of environmental groups is calling on President Barack
Obama to put greater emphasis on combating climate change in his
energy policy, pressing the administration as it weighs approving
the Keystone XL pipeline. The administration’s pursuit of
increased domestic oil and gas production jeopardizes progress
made toward lowering carbon pollution linked to climate
change…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-17/environmentalists-citing-keystone-fault-obama-on-energy.html


Climate Protection May Cut World GDP 4% by 2030, UN Says. The
cost of holding rising temperatures to safe levels may reach 4
percent of economic output by 2030, according to a draft United
Nations report designed to influence efforts to draft a
global-warming treaty. Most scenarios that meet the 2-degree
Celsius (3.6-degree Fahrenheit) cap on global warming endorsed by
world leaders require a 40 percent to 70 percent…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-01-16/climate-protection-may-cost-4-of-world-gdp-by-2030.html


BP forecasts rise in GHG levels over next 20 years. A new BP PLC
report found global greenhouse gas emissions are expected to
increase by almost a third in the next two decades, making
ambitions to stave off perilous climate change unlikely to be
realized. Despite international attempts to reduce carbon and
major growth in shale gas use, the extreme rise in emissions will
be inevitable, according to BP. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059993091/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

California governor proclaims state in a drought. Gov. Jerry
Brown formally proclaimed California in a drought Friday, saying
the state is in the midst of perhaps its worst dry spell in a
century and the conditions are putting residents and their
property in "extreme peril." Brown made the announcement in San
Francisco amid increasing pressure from lawmakers, including
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and as firefighters chased
flare-ups in a Southern California wildfire that has kept
thousands of people from their homes. Posted.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/california-governor-proclaims-drought-emergency


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-drought-Jerry-Brown-declares-5152625.php

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/01/17/california-drought-emergency/4581761/

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/16/6079657/gov-brown-to-declare-california.html#storylink=cpy


As California drought looms, political division could slow
solutions to a trickle. A California drought will soon test
lawmakers’ ability to legislate. It’s a test they haven’t always
passed. But as an official California drought declaration draws
closer, members of the state’s often fractious congressional
delegation are maneuvering once more. A freshman House Republican
from the San Joaquin Valley has been quietly trying to write
water legislation. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/16/6078663/as-california-drought-looms-political.html#mi_rss=Latest%20News#storylink=cpy


California drought: Three more months of dry weather likely,
National Weather Service announces. In a new dose of bad news for
a state growing increasingly concerned about lack of rain,
California's historically dry weather is expected to last for at
least another three months, federal scientists said Thursday. The
dire forecast for the rest of the state's winter rain season came
as federal officials classified much of California as being in
"extreme drought." Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24929977/california-drought-three-more-months-dry-weather-likely?source=rss


FUELS

California Energy Commission to award up to $24M for new biofuel
projects.  The California Energy Commission announced the
availability of up to $24 million in grant funds for the
development of new, or the modification of existing,
California-based biofuel production facilities that can
sustainably produce low-carbon transportation fuels. (PON-13-609)
Eligible biofuels are diesel substitutes, gasoline substitutes,
and biomethane as defined in the solicitation.    Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/01/20140117-cec.html 

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

California guv scrambles to save bullet train, floats
cap-and-trade scheme.  California Gov. Jerry Brown is scrambling
to keep a pricey high-speed train project from being derailed by
raiding millions of dollars from the state's cap-and-trade
program -- in what critics are calling a "desperate" ploy to save
the beleaguered plan.  The state's cap-and-trade program puts a
cap on greenhouse gas emissions, but lets companies buy
"allowances" to pollute more. Posted. 
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/17/california-guv-scrambles-to-save-bullet-train-floats-cap-and-trade-scheme/


Effort to halt bullet train and allow 'Hyperloop'-like options
aims for Calif. Ballot. Two drives are underway to stop
California's high-speed rail line through a November ballot
initiative, including one that wants to speed development of a
futuristic transport system like the "Hyperloop" described by
Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk. Nicholas Garzilli wants voters to
approve a measure that would bar the sale of more bonds to fund
the Golden State's planned bullet train, which is estimated to
cost $68 billion to link Los Angeles to San Francisco. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059993099/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GREEN ENERGY

Green-energy funds for schools.  State schools Superintendent Tom
Torlakson has announced that school districts can apply for part
of $65 million that is available to those that wish to plan
energy-efficiency projects under the California Clean Energy Jobs
Act.
The $65 million in available marks the second round of funding
under the 2012 voter-approved initiative to create clean jobs and
reduce school operating costs. The first round of funding totaled
$105 million. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140116/A_NEWS/140119893/-1/A_NEWS04
 

Navy taps private financing for clean energy.  Strapped for cash,
the Department of Defense is harnessing private-sector financing
tools to accelerate clean energy projects at military
installations, according to a study released Thursday by the Pew
Charitable Trust. Pew estimates that 80 percent of future Defense
Department renewable energy projects will use power purchase
agreements that rely on private developers to finance, build and
maintain clean energy projects while saving the military money
over the life of the contract. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/16/military-solar-strategy/
 

MISCELLANEOUS

Internal disarray can lead to surprisingly good performance in
lithium-ion batteries – study. Inside a lithium-ion battery, you
might not want to keep everything neat and tidy; a little bit of
disorder may improve its performance, according to new research.
Engineers meticulously arrange materials in rigid patterns in
typical lithium-ion cathodes and anodes, the idea being that a
more structured arrangement yields a more efficient battery.
Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059993114/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

BLOGS

Explosion in extreme drought in California. In just a week’s
time, the percent of California in extreme drought skyrocketed
from 28 to 63 percent, as the state deals with one of its driest
stretches in recorded history. The U.S. Drought Monitor reports a
dismal state of affairs for much of the state: Water-year
precipitation in most of the [extreme drought] area was now less
than 20 percent of normal, with locales from the southern San
Joaquin Valley to the Pacific Coast reporting less than 10
percent of normal. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/01/16/explosion-in-extreme-drought-in-california/


Brown to declare California drought emergency as Western water
woes intensify.  California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) will use a
morning news conference in San Francisco on Friday to declare a
drought emergency amid one of the driest winters on record.  The
declaration comes a month after Brown appointed a panel to assess
the situation and make recommendations. Several members of
Congress, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), had pushed Brown
to declare the emergency. Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/01/17/brown-to-declare-california-drought-emergency-as-western-water-woes-intensify/
 

Real-Time Data Show Just How Bad China’s Industrial Pollution Is.
 The source of China’s air pollution has always been partly
blamed on emissions from industrial facilities such as power
plants and steel mills. Now there’s proof.  A group of
nongovernmental organizations and research institutes, led by the
Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs,
published a report showing that major power plants in
Beijing…Posted. 
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/01/17/real-time-data-show-just-how-bad-industrial-pollution-is/
 

Experts Skeptical of In-Car Air-Quality Claims.  With China’s
pollution in the news, a few auto makers are trying to appeal to
consumers by touting the clean air inside their cars.  Some
experts are skeptical, saying the air-filtering system in most
cars is different from those used in buildings and homes. The
auto makers defend their air-quality findings, though they say
drivers will have to replace the air filters in their cars
frequently to enjoy pollution-removing benefits.  Posted. 
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/01/17/experts-skeptical-of-in-car-air-quality-claims/


‘Airpocalypse’ Smog Hits Beijing at Dangerous Levels.  On
Thursday, some residents of Beijing woke up with splitting
headaches. A curtain of haze had fallen across the city of more
than 20 million. It was the first “airpocalypse” of the year in
the Chinese capital and nearby provinces, and it had come
appropriately enough one year after a similar event had led to
widespread anxiety. “How does the smog differ from the
apocalypse?” Posted.
http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/airpocalypse-smog-hits-beijing-at-dangerous-levels/
 

BMW i3 qualifies for both green and white HOV stickers in
California.  BMW buyers tend to have enough cash on hand to be
buffered from the concept of "sticker shock," but the term may
take on a different meaning when it comes to the German
automaker's i3 plug-in vehicle and its classification by
California clean-air regulators.
The first i3 EVs are set to be sold in May, and some are
questioning if the new car will be eligible for the state's white
stickers or green High-Occupancy Vehicle lane stickers, both of
which allow for solo-occupancy in HOV lanes. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/01/16/bmw-i3-green-white-hov-sticker-california/