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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 5, 2014.

Posted: 05 Mar 2014 14:50:57
ARB Newsclips for March 5, 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.

CAP AND TRADE

Statkraft Awarded Tender to Sell UN Carbon Credits to Flanders.
Statkraft AS won a tender to sell United Nations carbon credits
to Belgium’s region of Flanders, according to a spokeswoman for
Norway’s biggest utility. “We have been awarded three lots in the
tender,” Ursula John, a communications adviser at Statkraft
Markets GmbH, said by phone today from Dusseldorf, Germany
without commenting on the amount or price of the deal. Bart
Naessens, an official at the Flemish department of environment,
declined to comment on the award. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-03-05/statkraft-awarded-tender-to-sell-un-carbon-credits-to-flanders.html


AIR POLLUTION

China Sets Targets to Curb Pollution. China on Wednesday provided
more details on how it plans to reform some of its tightly
regulated resource prices this year and gave hard targets for
reducing pollution in 2014. "The problems of consumption of
resources and environmental pollution are prominent," the
National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top
economic planning agency, said in an annual report. "In
particular, smog frequently engulfs large areas of China and
seriously affects people's lives and health." Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304585004579419911740859426


Li Says China Will Declare War on Pollution as Smog Spreads.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said pollution is a major problem and
the government will “‘declare war’’ on smog by removing
high-emission cars from the road and closing coal-fired furnaces.
Pollution is ‘‘nature’s red-light warning against the model of
inefficient and blind development,’’ Li said today in his work
report at the start of this year’s National People’s Congress in
Beijing. ‘‘Fostering a sound ecological environment is vital for
people’s lives and the future of our nation.”  Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-05/china-to-declare-war-on-pollution-as-smog-spreads-across-country.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/05/china-parliament-pollution-idUSL3N0M20IS20140305
 

Big Victory for Chevron Over Claims in Ecuador. Since losing a
$19 billion judgment in an Ecuadorean court three years ago,
Chevron has drawn the condemnation of human rights and
environmental activists by refusing to pay anything in fines or
accept blame for polluting the Ecuadorean rain forest. The award
against Chevron was one of the largest judgments ever imposed by
a court for environmental pollution, and it appeared to pit a
mighty corporate Goliath against powerless peasants and the
principal lawyer who represented them, Steven R. Donziger, as a
brave David. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/business/federal-judge-rules-for-chevron-in-ecuadorean-pollution-case.html


Drought linked to polluted winter air. Lack of rainfall, along
with low winds and stagnant conditions that trapped pollution
near the ground, contributed to increase in soot, officials say.
California's parched winter brought a big surge in air pollution,
pushing the number of bad air days one-third higher than the
previous winter and posing a serious health threat, state air
quality officials said Tuesday. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0305-winter-air-20140305,0,1205897.story#ixzz2v79MWqIo


China May Use Drones To Kill The Smog Problem. China has for some
time now struggled with smog, and now Chinese premier Li Keqiang
has "declared war" against pollution. Policymakers want to lower
emissions of "PM10 and PM2.5, particulate matters in air smaller
than 10 and 2.5 micrometers respectively, which are believed to
be hazardous to health and major contributors to smog," according
to Xinhua. Coal-fired furnaces will be shut down and
high-emission vehicles will be taken off the road. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/China-May-Use-Drones-To-Kill-The-Smog-Problem-5290639.php


CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate engineering ideas no longer considered pie in the sky.
Scientists backed by the government and Bill Gates are studying
schemes such as sunlight-blocking particles and giant carbon
vacuums to halt climate change. As international efforts to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions stall, schemes to slow global
warming using fantastical technologies once dismissed as a
sideshow are getting serious consideration in Washington. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-climate-engineering-20140305,0,3602250.story#ixzz2v78nHw3p


Relax, Chipotle won't stop serving guacamole because of global
warming A single sentence in a corporate filing by Chipotle had
lovers of the burrito chain in a frenzy Wednesday morning over
whether Chipotle would stop serving guacamole because of global
warming.   In a paragraph on pricing, the company said that
because of changes in global weather patterns, prices of certain
items on the menu, such as chicken, beef, cheese, avocados,
beans, rice, tomatoes and pork could rise. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-guacamole-chipotle-global-warming-20140305,0,7093960.story#ixzz2v7E3icLn


Begich says he doesn't support a carbon tax. U.S. Sen. Mark
Begich's campaign is running radio ads taking aim at Charles Koch
and David Koch, the billionaire backers of the conservative group
Americans for Prosperity. The group, in an ad that began running
last month, said Begich is on record supporting a carbon tax and
urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make it a priority.
That claim stemmed from a 2010 letter Begich signed with 11 other
senators. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Begich-says-he-doesn-t-support-a-carbon-tax-5287884.php


Ex-Greenpeacer Patrick Moore questions climate change, challenges
liberals. As a former Greenpeace insider, Patrick Moore wasn’t
surprised by the heated reaction from the left on his explosive
testimony about climate change last week before a Senate
committee. Mr. Moore drew headlines for disputing the
environmental movement’s doomsday scenario, depicting climate
change over the past century as “minor warming” and arguing that
“there is no scientific proof that human emissions of carbon
dioxide are the dominant cause.” Posted.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/4/former-greenpeace-insider-patrick-moore-who-questi/#ixzz2v7D3GY8y


DROUGHT

In California, Drought Plays Out Unexpectedly. Semiarid South Is
Relatively Flush, While the North Faces Restrictions.  As the
Golden State suffers through a three-year drought, residents of
semiarid Southern California are mostly being asked to
voluntarily conserve water. In typically wetter Northern
California, residents are faced with mandatory rationing. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303636404579397403690607412?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5&mg=reno64-wsj


L.A. County reservoirs get 6-billion-gallon infusion from storms.
Even so, L.A. County is still far short of normal rainfall for
this time of year; water allotments may have to be reduced later.
The storms that doused Los Angeles County over the weekend filled
reservoirs in the San Gabriel Mountains with some 6 billion
gallons of water, enough to supply more than 150,000 people for a
year. The twin storms left more than 11 inches of rain in some
higher elevations. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-water-tally-20140305,0,3776729.story#axzz2v1p1mktu


Sacramento council votes to launch ‘cash for grass’ program to
save water. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to
launch a “cash for grass” program that will provide rebates to
homeowners who replace their grass lawns with drought-tolerant
landscaping. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/04/6209303/sacramento-council-votes-to-launch.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region


Reservoirs Rising But Still Well Below Normal. Several days of
rain and snow have raised water levels in most major California
reservoirs in the past month. Several days of rain and snow have
raised water levels in most major California reservoirs in the
past month. But, Doug Carlson with the California Department of
Water Resources says the state is nowhere near even a normal year
for rain and snow. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/19281 

FUELS

U.S. Seeks to Reduce Ukraine’s Reliance on Russia for Natural
Gas. The crisis in Crimea is accelerating Obama administration
efforts to reduce Ukraine’s dependence on Russia for natural gas,
part of a diplomatic push that seeks to undercut President
Vladimir V. Putin’s ability to use his nation’s gas supplies as a
weapon. The effort has created an unusual group of allies in
Washington, as Republican leaders on Capitol Hill have joined
with the Obama administration and major oil companies in
promoting the natural gas sales. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/world/europe/us-seeks-to-reduce-ukraines-reliance-on-russia-for-natural-gas.html?action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry236%23%2Fclimate%2Bchange%2F24hours%2Fallresults%2F1%2Fallauthors%2Fnewest%2F


VEHICLES

President Obama Plans Support Natural Gas Trucks. According to
United Parcel Service, "In 2012, liquefied natural gas vehicles
finally became a viable option worthy of broad-scale
deployment..." That's a good thing because the president is now
calling for tighter fuel-efficiency standards for the nation's
trucking fleet. That will most likely mean an increase in the
number of natural-gas powered trucks riding the nation's streets
and highways. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/President-Obama-Plans-Support-Natural-Gas-Trucks-5290295.php


HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Judge: Kings County high-speed rail lawsuit can move forward. A
Sacramento judge ruled Tuesday that Kings County and two of its
residents can forge ahead with a challenge to the California
High-Speed Rail Authority over its statewide bullet-train plans.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny denied a
request by the rail agency to dismiss the second stage of a
lawsuit that questions whether the state's proposed high-speed
train system complies with state law. Posted. here:
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/03/04/3802992/judge-kings-county-high-speed.html#storylink=cpy


MISCELLANEOUS

CARB to hold diesel education training courses in March. The
California Air Resources Board will hold several free courses to
help educate the public about its diesel emission regulations
this month. Course 511 – Controlling Diesel Emissions, devices
and filters – will focus on diesel particulate matter and health
effects, particulate matter and NOx control strategies as well as
diesel particulate filters. The course will be offered from 9
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 20 in Diamond Bar, CA. Posted.
http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=26645 

OPINIONS

Editorial: Green-energy focus means higher electricity prices.
San Diego Gas & Electric is proposing to significantly alter its
rate structure – and many people are not happy about it. The
company, which serves 3.4 million energy customers in San Diego
and southern Orange counties, wants to shift to a more dynamic
“time-of-service” pricing model that would charge higher prices
during peak-demand hours. Under the plan, peak hours would now
include early evening hours and would run from 2-9 p.m. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/energy-604200-customers-proposal.html


BLOGS

Pacific Ocean Actually Absorbs Smog. Oh boy, Fox News is going to
have a field day with this one. It turns out that at least some
the pollution that causes global warming (allegedly!) is actually
soaked up by the very ocean beloved by the only folks who can
afford to live anywhere close to it anymore - liberal Hollywood
celebrities who are always yapping about global warming. Posted.
http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/03/04/pacific-ocean-actually-absorbs-smog


Smart Growth Helps Combat Climate Change. We are past the point
of arguing about the science of climate change. Study after
study, expert after expert, has confirmed that it is real. We are
also past the point of denying the effects of climate change.
Droughts, hurricanes, wildfires, the polar vortex, and record
highs and lows, make it clear that the damage of climate change
is real. Those are the debates of the past. What we now need to
focus on, and quickly, are solutions. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-doris-matsui/smart-growth-helps-combat_b_4899548.html?view=print&comm_ref=false


Chipotle Warns It Might Stop Serving Guacamole If Climate Change
Gets Worse. It’s your choice, America. Fix the climate, or the
guac gets it. Chipotle Inc. is warning investors that extreme
weather events “associated with global climate change” might
eventually affect the availability of some of its ingredients. If
availability is limited, prices will rise — and Chipotle isn’t
sure it’s willing to pay. Posted.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/03/04/3360731/chipotle-guacamole-crisis/



California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.

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