What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for April 1, 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

Californians to get first power bill credits from climate
program. California residents and small businesses will receive a
first-of-its-kind climate credit on their utility bills starting
on Tuesday, as the state's ambitious greenhouse gas reduction
program begins to affect the pocketbooks of average citizens.
Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/31/california-climatechange-idUSL1N0MS1UR20140331

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Calif-climate-change-fight-results-in-utility-5360311.php
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/01/6284190/carbon-credit-coming-for-pge-electricity.html#mi_rss=Business

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/30/april-electric-bill-credit/
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/California-utility-customers-get-climate-credit-5361452.php

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140331/A_NEWS/140339986/0/SEARCH

http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/03/31/lower-power-bills-for-nearly-12-million-californians/
     
http://www.rtcc.org/2014/04/01/california-rewards-energy-users-with-climate-credits/
 
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059996994/ BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2014/04/01/stories/1059997094
BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

On Canvas, Clues About Air Pollution.  Sunsets painted by the
great masters are now providing a type of information their
creators could never have imagined: important clues about air
pollution. Polluted skies result in redder sunsets, and artists
captured this redness on the canvas, said Andreas Kazantzidis, an
atmospheric physicist at the University of Patras in Greece who
was involved in the research. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/science/on-canvas-clues-about-air-pollution.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%3Dqry461%23%2Fair%2Bpollution%2F24hours%2F&_r=0


Company Tries to Catch CO2 Before It Touches the Sky.  Andre
Boulet, chief executive officer of Inventys Thermal Technologies
Inc. in Burnaby, British Columbia, holds up a 6-inch piece of
charcoal, showing how light passes through toothpick-sized air
shafts. He says the crevices in this filter offer a cheap way to
capture carbon dioxide before it ascends into the atmosphere and
haunts future generations.. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-01/cleaning-dirty-gas-enabling-c02-sales-to-dirtier-oil-producers.html


EPA seeks public input on Ill. carbon-capture plan.  The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comments on a
plan to inject carbon dioxide deep underground in western
Illinois. FutureGen Industrial Alliance wants to capture carbon
dioxide from a coal-burning power plant in the Morgan County
village of Meredosia, then inject it into underground wells near
Jacksonville, about 20 miles to the east. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/apr/01/epa-seeks-public-input-on-ill-carbon-capture/#ixzz2xekF3pBG
  

CLIMATE CHANGE

UN panel: Warming worsens food, hunger problems. Global warming
makes feeding the world harder and more expensive, a United
Nations scientific panel said. A warmer world will push food
prices higher, trigger "hotspots of hunger" among the world's
poorest people, and put the crunch on Western delights like fine
wine and robust coffee, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change concluded in a 32-volume report issued Monday. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_SCI_CLIMATE_REPORT_FOOD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CLIMATE_CHANGE_ASIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
   

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/science/earth/climate.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%3Dqry461%23%2Fair%2Bpollution%2F24hours%2F
  
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-0401-climate-change-20140401,0,1584240.story
  
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/01/6284558/climate-change-is-already-felt.html
 
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/30/6280954/global-warming-dials-up-our-risks.html#storylink=cpy
 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/mar/30/global-warming-dials-up-our-risks-un-report-02/#ixzz2xejsqtrc

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26810559    

Costs of climate change steep but tough to tally. The economic
and financial impact of global warming is complex and not well
understood. In some scenarios there would be economic benefits
for countries that get warmer and wetter and consequently more
fertile agriculturally. Drier weather in some regions would
result in sharply lower crop yields. Overall, changes in climate
are expected to cause significant disruptions that also exact an
economic toll. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CLIMATE_CHANGE_ECONOMY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CLIMATE_PANEL_LISTICLE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Exxon sees little climate change risk to assets. Exxon Mobil
Corp, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said on
Monday that risks related to climate change pose little risk to
its oil and gas reserves because the resources will be needed to
meet expected growth in energy demand. Responding to queries from
shareholder activists, the company also said it is "confident"
that none of its oil and gas reserves will lose value or become
"stranded" if governments act to slash carbon emissions. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/31/exxon-carbon-idUSL1N0MS1UF20140331

California Climate Policies Continue To Survive Legal Challenges.
Lawsuits challenging California's climate policies have yet to
delay implementation of the programs, attorneys involved in the
various cases said March 26. “The California Air Resources Board
is batting about 1,000,’’ Tom McHenry, a partner at Gibson, Dunn
and Crutcher in Los Angeles…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-28/california-climate-policies-continue-to-survive-legal-challenges.html


Climate Study Puts Diplomatic Pressure on Obama.  A sweeping new
study on the effects of climate change — which the report says is
already disrupting the lives and livelihoods of the poorest
people across the planet — creates a diplomatic challenge for
President Obama, who hopes to make action on both climate change
and economic inequality hallmarks of his legacy. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/world/climate-study-puts-diplomatic-pressure-on-obama.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%3Dqry461%23%2Fclimate%2Bchange%2F24hours%2F
  

College Classes Use Arts to Brace for Climate Change.  University
courses on global warming have become common, and Prof. Stephanie
LeMenager’s new class here at the University of Oregon has all
the expected, alarming elements: rising oceans, displaced
populations, political conflict, endangered animals. The goal of
this class, however, is not to marshal evidence for climate
change as a human-caused crisis, or to measure its effects — the
reality and severity of it are taken as given — but how to think
about it, prepare for it and respond to it. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/education/using-the-arts-to-teach-how-to-prepare-for-climate-crisis.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%3Dqry461%23%2Fclimate%2Bchange%2F24hours%2F


Cupertino officials crafting Climate Action Plan. The Cupertino
City Council gave the go-ahead March 18 for the city to work with
a consultant on its first Climate Action Plan. Cupertino, along
with many local governments in California, is working on a
Climate Action Plan to meet the regulations of the California
Global Warming Solutions Act, commonly known as AB32. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_25427901/cupertino-officials-crafting-climate-action-plan


DROUGHT

Drought prompts some in Sacramento area to rethink lawns as
landscaping norm. The capital’s turf tradition is deeply rooted
and is even enshrined in the bylaws of various homeowners
associations. That may be starting to change, however. Nudged by
local governments worried about water shortages, home builders
and homeowners associations are showing increased willingness to
embrace the drought-tolerant landscapes that more naturally suit
California.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/01/6284201/drought-prompts-some-in-sacramento.html


California Drought: San Joaquin Valley sinking as farmers race to
tap aquifer. So wet was the San Joaquin Valley of Steve Arthur's
childhood that a single 240-foot-deep well could quench the
thirst of an arid farm. Now his massive rig, bucking and
belching, must drill 1,200 feet deep in search of
ever-more-elusive water to sustain this wheat farm north of
Bakersfield. As he drills, his phone rings with three new appeals
for help.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_25447586/california-drought-san-joaquin-valley-sinking-farmers-race


California Drought: After years of overpumping groundwater, state
may be ready for reforms. For nearly 50 years, California has
passed sweeping environmental laws that limit private property
for the common good -- from the nation's toughest automobile
pollution standards to curbs on clear-cutting forests to rules
requiring that developers keep beaches open to the public…Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_25453902/california-drought-after-years-overpumping-groundwater-state-may


In a new era, maybe we need a groundwater budget. Groundwater
needs a budget, said Carl Hauge, who worked for the Department of
Water Resources for four decades, including serving as chief
hydrogeologist. Posted.
http://www.chicoer.com/chicostate/ci_25444052/new-era-maybe-we-need-groundwater-budget


FUELS

Exxon: Highly unlikely world limits fossil fuels. On the same day
the world's scientists issued their latest report on climate
change and the risks it poses to society, the nation's biggest
oil and gas company said the world's climate policies are "highly
unlikely" to stop it from selling fossil fuels far into the
future. Exxon Mobil issued a report Monday on the risks that
climate change policies could pose to the value of its assets and
future profitability…Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EXXON_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Gas hits $4 a gallon in California once again. Once again,
California motorists are forking over $4 a gallon for gas and
they may have to dig for 10 to 15 cents more as prices continue
to rise through the rest of the spring and into summer. The state
hit an average of $4 per gallon Monday, the first time since
September, with the usual factors in play -- increased driving as
winter recedes, higher crude prices…Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_25462076/gas-hits-4-gallon-california-once-again?source=rss


VEHICLES

Waiting list forms for Calif. green car rebates. A California
program that gives rebates for the purchase of cars with no
tailpipe emissions is so popular it's running out of money. The
state's Air Resources Board (ARB) Friday announced the formation
of a waiting list for its Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. The list
will log people who buy eligible cars between now and late
summer, when the state is expected to make more money available
for the effort. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059996991/ BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Estimated Travel Time Latest Issue with California Bullet Train. 
Travel time may be another issue facing California's
controversial bullet train.  When voters approved funding for the
high speed rail project in 2008, they were told it would take two
hours and 40 minutes to run between San Francisco and Los
Angeles.  Posted. 
http://www.kfbk.com/articles/kfbk-news-461777/estimated-travel-time-latest-issue-with-12205358/
  

GREEN ENERGY

All Your M&Ms Will Be Green by 2040: The Mars Mission.  Mars
Inc., which sells about $30 billion of deliciousness a year, is
going green. We’re talking 100 percent. The Mars mission: to
eliminate fossil fuel use by 2040. The maker of Snickers and M&Ms
is just 3 percent green today, at least when it comes to
renewable energy. But don't worry, your green M&Ms won't cost a
penny more than the coal-colored ones, according to Barry Parkin,
chief sustainability officer at Virginia-based Mars. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-31/all-your-m-ms-will-be-green-by-2040-the-mars-mission.html


For some, solar tariff will last 20 years.  Rooftop solar
customers can hold on to a popular tariff for 20 years as
California reconfigures the payoff for utility customers who
generate their own renewable energy, state utility regulators
ruled Thursday. Solar installers and finance companies expect a
quick boost in business from the decision by the California
Public Utilities Commission, as new customers rush to lock in the
old credit system. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/28/solar-tariff-grandfathered/
 

MISCELLANEOUS

Car won't pass smog check? Get free help at event.  Vehicle
owners whose cars are unlikely to pass a smog check could be
eligible for up to $500 in free repairs, if they attend an event
on Saturday. The "Tune In & Tune Up" event runs from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, but the gates open at
6:30 a.m. and drivers are advised to arrive early. Expect a wait
of two hours or more. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140331/A_NEWS/140339993/0/SEARCH


Environmentalists Sue to Block Explosive Fracked Oil Shipments in
Richmond. The fight against shipping crude oil by rail through
Bay Area communities intensified late last week when
environmental groups filed suit to stop Kinder-Morgan from
shipping highly explosive Bakken crude oil through its rail yard
in Richmond. The groups are also suing the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District (BAAQMD) for approving Kinder-Morgan’s switch
to transporting crude oil…Posted.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2014/03/31/environmentalists-sue-to-block-explosive-fracked-oil-shipments-in-richmond
  
http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1059996943/  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Rat poison maker challenges rule restricting sales. The
manufacturer of a popular rat poison is suing California over a
new regulation that would prevent consumers from buying many
types of pesticides for at-home use because they can harm pets
and wildlife. Reckitt Benckiser, a major producer of health and
home products, including d-CON rodent poison, filed a lawsuit in
San Diego on Friday against the California Department of
Pesticide Regulation. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Rat-poison-maker-challenges-rule-restricting-sales-5365237.php

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_25461592/makers-rat-poison-d-con-sue-state


L.A. poised to OK sweeping overhaul of trash collection. Hoping
to make Los Angeles a national leader in steering trash away from
landfills, the City Council is poised to approve a sweeping and
controversial transformation of garbage collection for tens of
thousands of businesses and apartment buildings. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-zero-waste-20140401,0,5164440.story


OPINIONS

Climate Signals, Growing Louder.  Perhaps now the deniers will
cease their attacks on the science of climate change, and the
American public will, at last, fully accept that global warming
is a danger now and an even graver threat to future generations.
On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a
United Nations group that since 1990 has been issuing
increasingly grim warnings about the consequences of a warming
planet, released its most powerful and sobering assessment so
far. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/opinion/climate-signals-growing-louder.html?hp&rref=opinion&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%3Dqry461%23%2Fair%2Bpollution%2F24hours%2F


Editorial: Yes, climate change is real and damaging. Faced with
overwhelming evidence, climate-change deniers resort to cherry
picking and spinning. Global warming will reduce cold-related
deaths, they say, and plants will grow bigger with more carbon
dioxide in the air. Seriously, that’s the deniers’ response to
the latest report, released Sunday in Japan, by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which reviewed more
than 12,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/01/6284069/editorial-yes-climate-change-is.html#storylink=cpy


California climate law is paying off – literally. The millions of
Californians receiving the first "climate credit" on their
electricity bills in April have the state's landmark climate and
clean energy law to thank. Not only is the Global Warming
Solutions Act, known as AB32, reducing the amount of carbon
pollution dumped into the atmosphere and improving the air we
breathe, it also is literally paying off for customers of Pacific
Gas and Electric…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/California-climate-law-is-paying-off-literally-5361457.php


Will electric-bill credit get reinvested?  Given $75 and a
choice, will Californians invest in energy-efficient appliances,
light bulbs and other gadgets that address climate change? The
state’s two top clean-air regulators said Monday that they hope
it is a safe bet that millions of utility customers will put a
twice-annual “climate credit” toward purchases that can further
lower their utility bills. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/31/spending-your-climate-credit/


Combating climate change in San Diego.  The real questions about
global climate change have always come down to what to do about
it, how quickly and at what cost. What San Diego City Council
President Todd Gloria wants to do about it goes further than
probably any other city in America. It would cost homeowners and
businesses a bundle and could put San Diego at an economic
disadvantage. And, with few if any other local governments doing
anything similar, its impact on global climate change would be
minuscule. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/29/climate-change-san-diego-gloria-plan/


Hedge the bet on energy. The U.S. Energy Department’s recent
announcement of the construction of a $14 billion nuclear power
plant in Augusta, Ga. — the first one to be built in the United
States in nearly 30 years — is welcome news. But it’s not enough
to reverse the current trend. Nuclear plants are shutting down in
every region of the country: California, Wisconsin, Florida and
Vermont. Posted.
http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/202241-hedge-the-bet-on-energy#ixzz2xewwuw3E


BLOGS

Jerry Brown calls himself 'missionary' to oil executives in
climate change fight. Gov. Jerry Brown, whose permissiveness of
hydraulic fracturing has alienated many environmentalists, said
Monday he is a "missionary" to oil executives in the fight
against climate change. Posted.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/03/in-climate-change-fight-jerry-brown-calls-himself-missionary-to-oil-executi.html


California Forms Waiting List for Electric Car Rebates.  The
growth of electric car sales in California can be attributed, in
part, to the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. But the
success of the program, which has surpassed expectations, caused
the California Air Resources Board this week to temporarily
suspend mailing rebate checks. The administrators of the program
formed a waiting list for EV buyers seeking the rebate.  Posted. 
http://www.plugincars.com/california-forms-waiting-list-electric-car-rebates-129566.html
 

What the U.N.’s new climate report says about North America. 
Global warming is a global crisis, but the effects of climate
change are being felt differently in different corners of the
globe. The latest report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change warns of a world wracked by hunger, violence, and
extinctions.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/news/what-the-u-n-s-new-climate-report-says-about-north-america/


The hellish monotony of 25 years of IPCC climate change warnings.
The latest blockbuster United Nations report on the impacts of
climate change makes dire reading, just as the first one did
almost a quarter of a century ago. Entire island nations
"rendered uninhabitable", millions of people to be displaced by
floods and rising seas, uncertainties over global food supplies
and severe impacts on human health across the world. Posted.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2014/mar/31/ipcc-climate-change-impacts-report-history-warnings


With Drought, New Scrutiny Over Fracking’s Water Use.
California’s historic drought and shrinking water supplies are
putting a spotlight on hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” and its
thirst for freshwater. In other states, the controversial
technique is a heavy water consumer, using millions of gallons of
freshwater to extract oil or gas from each well. In California,
fracking uses less water on average than in other states,
according to industry data. Posted.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/with-drought-new-scrutiny-over-frackings-water-use/


Palo Alto lawmaker opens inquiry into EPA’s toxic waste cleanup
program. A Silicon Valley lawmaker has opened an inquiry into the
toxic trail of environmental damage created by the Superfund
cleanup program. U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, today
requested details on how the Environmental Protection Agency
deals with the pollution that’s left behind by treating and
shipping toxic waste across the country and whether it’s looked
into alternative cleanup methods. Posted.
http://cironline.org/reports/palo-alto-lawmaker-opens-inquiry-epas-toxic-waste-cleanup-program-6226


Massachusetts introduces $2,500 state incentive for EVs. Now that
the deuces are wild for Massachusetts, its governor is placing a
bigger bet on electric-vehicle adoption in the Bay State. With
exactly 222 publicly accessible electric-vehicle charging
stations currently available, the famously liberal Massachusetts
is finally joining the ranks of those states that are piling
rebates on top of the incentives the federal government provides
for those who buy electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/03/31/massachusetts-introduces-2500-state-ev-incentive/
 

60 Minutes can't even get Tesla Model S EV sound right.  60
Minutes has come under fire for screwing up important bits of
news recently, but an error in Sunday's profile of Tesla Motors
and CEO Elon Musk is completely perplexing. 60 Minutes has said
it was an "audio editing error," but we're wondering how you
manage to edit in internal combustion engine and transmission
sounds into a video specifically on electric vehicles. The stock
footage that 60 Minutes used is official Tesla material, but the
videos on the company's YouTube page are devoid of engine sounds.
Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/01/60-minutes-cant-even-get-tesla-model-s-ev-sound-right/




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