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ARB Newsclips for April 28, 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

Calif. board adds mine methane capture to cap-and-trade system.
The California Air Resources Board voted last week to allow the
capture of waste methane from mines to count toward compliance
with the state's cap-and-trade system. The vote is a win for
California companies looking for new compliance avenues and
mining companies looking for incentives to capture their methane
emissions. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/25/6354235/climate-change-play-funded-by.html


Calif. extends free allowances for oil and food companies, allows
coal mines to get credits. California tweaked its cap-and-trade
program Friday to make it less expensive for its companies to
comply, giving them more free allowances and expanding its
auxiliary offsets program to include a new sector -- methane
reductions from coal mines. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998540/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

Oil firm accused of hazardous South L.A. emissions agrees to
upgrades. The agreement settles a probe by the EPA, launched
after residents of the South L.A. neighborhood complained of
health problems. An oil operation that sent noxious fumes into a
South Los Angeles neighborhood has agreed to spend about $700,000
on upgrades to prevent future hazardous emissions, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0425-fumes-20140425,0,5681734.story#ixzz30CcK4Bfw


New maps pinpoint neighborhood health risks. California
environmental officials released new data last week ranking
neighborhoods based on their vulnerability to pollution,
accounting for both demographic factors and environmental risks.
The information, produced on what’s called a CalEnviroScreen map,
was broken down by census tract…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/27/6356685/new-maps-pinpoint-neighborhood.html#storylink=cpy


Sweeping new Chinese laws hope to tackle mounting pollution
problems. China’s lawmakers approved sweeping new environmental
protections this week amid mounting concerns over pollution
poisoning the nation’s air, water and soil. The amendments,
approved Thursday by the Standing Committee of China’s National
People’s Congress, are the first revisions to China’s
environmental protection law…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/25/6353267/china-passes-sweeping-new-laws.html#storylink=cpy


How pollution is harming the Earth - and our health. Pollution,
quite literally, stinks. And as ominous images from around the
world show, it is a problem that spans from China, India and
Paris to California, New York and everywhere in between. Whether
from vehicle emissions, coal plants, agricultural operations,
forest fires, or other sources, pollutants take a toll - on the
Earth, of course, but also on its inhabitants. Posted.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/04/28/how-pollution-is-harming-earth-and-our-health/


CLIMATE CHANGE

They’re Not Sure What ‘Climate Finance’ Is But Say We Need a Ton
of it Why is Google putting $100 million into financing rooftop
solar power in the U.S.? There are two answers. The first is
simple enough. The company has made a strategic commitment to
invest in renewable energy. It will help the company to secure
its own reliable energy sources, develop new products and
services around energy-use data, earn tax credits and cut carbon
pollution. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-28/they-re-not-sure-what-climate-finance-is-but-say-we-need-a-ton-of-it.html


DROUGHT 

Gov. Brown orders more emergency drought measures.  Gov. Jerry
Brown on Friday signed a sweeping new emergency drought
proclamation, cutting red tape for a variety of government
functions to help water agencies find new supplies, and to press
the public to use water carefully. “I call on every city, every
community, every Californian to conserve water in every way
possible,” Brown said in a statement. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/25/6354618/gov-brown-orders-more-emergency.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998543/print  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 

A few California cities start water-waste patrols. Steve Upton
thinks of himself more as an "Officer Friendly" than a water cop.
On a recent sunny day, the water waste inspector rolled through a
quiet Sacramento neighborhood in his white pickup truck after a
tipster tattled on people watering their lawns on prohibited
days. He approached two culprits. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/27/6357581/a-few-california-cities-start.html#mi_rss=Latest%20News#storylink=cpy


California drought putting fish, birds and tree species at risk,
scientists say. California’s drought is imperiling tricolored
blackbirds, large trees and native fish, with some of the
affected species already on the state’s endangered list and
others likely headed there because of rapidly declining numbers,
scientists say. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/25/6355521/california-drought-putting-fish.html#storylink=cpy


California drought: Jobs, money dry up in farm towns. Jose Pineda
Rivas could use the cash. He's got rent to pay, and his tooth
hurts so badly he needs to see a dentist. 
But these days, money for fieldworkers like Rivas in this
drought-parched stretch of California is about as scarce as rain.
And the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-drought-Jobs-money-dry-up-in-farm-5431129.php


DIESEL EMISSIONS

Air quality regulators give truckers more time to meet smog
standards.  California Air Resources Board extends deadline for
diesel trucks to cut emissions and comply with strict pollution
rules. A day after hearing hours of impassioned testimony from a
divided trucking industry, California air quality regulators on
Friday postponed deadlines for aging heavy-duty trucks to comply
with the nation's toughest diesel air pollution rules. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-diesel-trucks-20140426,0,3351398.story#ixzz30CaJwJDx


FUELS

Coal to Fill China's Nuclear Gap. Gigawatt Buildup by 2030 Will
Be Huge, but Likely Short of Goal. Though China is pushing hard
to promote the use of nuclear and renewable energy, coal is
likely to be the fuel of the world's most populous and polluted
country into the foreseeable future. To combat worsening
greenhouse-gas emissions and pollution…Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304163604579529142484282038?KEYWORDS=energy&mg=reno64-wsj
 

Industry lashes out at corn stover study. The biofuels industry
is coming down hard on a study it feels has unfairly
characterized ethanol from corn stover as being worse for the
climate than gasoline and far from qualifying for U.S. EPA's
coveted advanced biofuel designation. Last week, University of
Nebraska, Lincoln, researchers published a paper in Nature
Climate Change finding that fuels made from corn residue -- the
tough, fibrous stalks…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998542/print 

VEHICLE

Toyota to move jobs and marketing headquarters from Torrance to
Texas. Toyota's move to suburban Dallas would put management of
Toyota's U.S. business close to where it builds most cars for the
American market. Toyota Motor Corp. plans to move large numbers
of jobs from its sales and marketing headquarters in Torrance to
suburban Dallas, according to a person familiar with the
automaker's plans. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-toyota-texas-20140428,0,2881400.story#ixzz30CWhLIvR


2012 autos beat environmental standards, EPA reports. Cars and
light-duty trucks for the 2012 model year exceeded new federal
standards for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The 2012 fleet
averages 23.6 miles per gallon, up from 22.4 for the previous
model year - one of the greatest improvements in fuel economy in
30 years, according to a report released Friday. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/27/6357335/2012-autos-beat-environmental.html#storylink=cpy


Musk says China could become Tesla's largest customer. Tesla
Motors Inc. delivered its first Model S electric sedans last week
to enthusiastic customers in China, which is set to become the
electric car-maker's largest market. "It was like a pop concert;
it was just crazy," said Musk, who had just returned from a trip
to Beijing, at the Export-Import Bank of the United States'
annual conference in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998541/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GREEN ENERGY

A battle is looming over renewable energy, and fossil fuel
interests are losing. In state capitals across the country,
legislators are debating proposals to roll back environmental
rules, prodded by industry and advocacy groups eager to curtail
regulations aimed at curbing greenhouse gases. The measures,
which have been introduced in about 18 states, lie at the heart
of an effort to expand to the state level the battle over fossil
fuel and renewable energy. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/a-battle-is-looming-over-renewable-energy-and-fossil-fuel-interests-are-losing/2014/04/25/24ed78e2-cb23-11e3-a75e-463587891b57_story.html


Nuclear Industry Gains Carbon-Focused Allies in Push to Save
Reactors. Environmentalists and the nuclear industry are
beginning a push to preserve old nuclear reactors whose economic
viability is threatened by cheap natural gas and rising
production of wind energy. They argue that while natural gas and
wind are helpful as sources of electricity with little or no
production of greenhouse gases…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/28/business/energy-environment/nuclear-industry-gains-carbon-focused-allies-in-push-to-save-reactors.html


U.S. electricity prices may be going up for good. Experts warn of
a growing fragility as coal-fired plants are shut down, nuclear
power is reduced and consumers switch to renewable energy. As
temperatures plunged to 16 below zero in Chicago in early January
and set record lows across the eastern U.S., electrical system
managers implored the public to turn off stoves, dryers and even
lights or risk blackouts. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-power-prices-20140426,0,6329274.story#ixzz30CaifMXy


Utility resumes construction of wind power project. Consumers
Energy is resuming construction on a wind power project in
Michigan that will expand the company's renewable energy options.
The unit of Jackson-based CMS Energy Corp. broke ground last year
on the project in Tuscola County's Akron and Columbia townships,
about 90 miles northwest of Detroit. The renewed work announced
Monday comes as warmer weather returns to Michigan. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/28/6359578/utility-resumes-construction-of.html#storylink=cpy


Can a DOE competition jump-start wind power in America's vast
offshore? Right about now, offshore wind developers across the
United States have started holding their breath. Next month, the
Department of Energy will announce three competition winners that
could blaze a path for offshore wind's future in the United
States, where, despite the best efforts of a few determined
mavericks, no utility-scale offshore wind farms have yet been
built. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998514/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Solar power's reach accelerates and moves east – survey. For the
sixth consecutive year, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. provided
more new solar energy to its customers than any other utility in
the nation, with nearly 1,500 megawatts of new power coming from
both utility-scale solar facilities and homes and businesses with
rooftop solar systems, according to figures released today by the
Solar Electric Power Association. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998539/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

National Renewable Energy Lab commissions global offshore wind
database. The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL) has hired Danish firm K2 Management to
build a global installation database for offshore wind. NREL
wants easily accessible data on installation times, correlation
effects, implications and processes involved in developing
offshore wind so the industry can develop in the United States
with best practices…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998512/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian man confronts mining industry, wins prize. The man walked
into Ramesh Agrawal's tiny Internet cafe, pulled out a pistol and
hissed, "You talk too much." Then he fired two bullets into
Agrawal's left leg and fled on a motorcycle. The 2012 attack came
three months after Agrawal won a court case that blocked a major
Indian company, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd., from opening a second
coal mine near the village of Gare in the mineral-rich state of
Chhattisgarh. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDIA_TAKING_ON_INDUSTRY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-goldman-prize-20140428,0,3262999.story#ixzz30CX4HUXP

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/28/6359026/indian-man-confronts-mining-industry.html


Japanese wins California air award. A former senior official of
the Tokyo Metropolitan Government became the first Japanese to
win the Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award handed out by the California
state government. Teruyuki Ono, who once headed the Tokyo
Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Environment, is managing
director of the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation, which was
established by Softbank Corp. Posted.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/04/25/national/japanese-wins-california-air-award/#.U13OF9iKBMs


OPINIONS

The Koch Attack on Solar Energy. At long last, the Koch brothers
and their conservative allies in state government have found a
new tax they can support. Naturally it’s a tax on something the
country needs: solar energy panels. For the last few months, the
Kochs and other big polluters have been spending heavily to fight
incentives for renewable energy, which have been adopted by most
states. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/opinion/sunday/the-koch-attack-on-solar-energy.html
 

China’s Ravaged Farmlands. China’s environmental degradation
poses a health hazard that should be classified as a human rights
violation. A report issued by the Ministry of Environmental
Protection and the Ministry of Land and Resources last week was
another reminder of just how bad things are: One-fifth of China’s
farmland is polluted. And the area of polluted soil is increasing
sharply. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/29/opinion/chinas-ravaged-farmlands.html?_r=0


Irwindale's a town where something always smells funny. The city,
currently enmeshed in a flap over the Sriracha hot sauce plant,
is no stranger to controversy. Let me state my bias up front. I
like hot sauce. I like it on eggs. I like it in ramen. I like it
on stir-fry dishes and Mexican food, and I don't think you can
honestly call yourself a Californian if you're not a hot sauce
lover. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0427-lopez-sauce-20140425,0,3819273.column#ixzz30CYk9DLM


Calculating the costs of pollution. The EPA's rule on mercury
will save lives. Last week, a divided court of appeals upheld
what may well be the most important environmental rule in the
nation's history: the Environmental Protection Agency's mercury
standards. The regulation is expected to prevent up to 11,000
premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks
a year. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-sunstein-mercury-regulation-pollution-epa-20140425,0,5554039.story#ixzz30CXdZU00


Letters: The environment and the GOP. Re “Obama's Keystone trap,”
Opinion, April 22 Jonah Goldberg has a point. On one side there
are the global warming deniers; on the other are the hard-line
environmental activists. One side refuses to accept there is a
problem; the other demonizes those who raise questions.
Environmentalists who consider global warming an emergency should
support the construction of safe…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters/la-le-environment-and-the-gop-20140425,0,4127714.story#axzz30CX2Li4e


The EPA's rule on mercury will save lives. Last week, a divided
court of appeals upheld what may well be the most important
environmental rule in the nation's history: the Environmental
Protection Agency's mercury standards. The regulation is expected
to prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks and
130,000 asthma attacks a year. Critics of the mercury rule have
focused on its expense. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/28/6359367/the-epas-rule-on-mercury-will.html#storylink=cpy


Dan Walters: California politicians jousting over how to spend
cap-and-trade money. We humans crave free money – which explains
why we buy so many lottery tickets despite infinitesimal chances
of winning. Politicians are no different. Free money? There is,
of course, no such thing, but politicians consider money borrowed
via bonds, federal aid and money from fees “free” because they
can spend funds as they wish without directly tapping
constituents’ wallets. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/28/6356696/dan-walters-california-politicians.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy


Communicating The Renewable Energy Revolution. The clean tech
movement is about a shift toward a more peaceful world, a world
in which there is more respect for others and in which our ways
of living leave a smaller environmental footprint. Clean energy
is not just about cleaning our air, preserving our water supplies
and helping to protect our climate; it is also about
democratizing the energy sector. Posted.
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/27/communicating-renewable-energy-revolution/#HLkMRiZZwFIeil2J.99


Atmospheric pollution. These days, the atmosphere of all major
urban cities around the world has become overladen with gases
emitted by automobiles. The alarming rate of deaths caused by
automobile pollution is something that should be brought to the
notice of the authorities concerned. With the passage of time,
countless experts have maintained that polluted air has serious
effects on health, climate and economics. Posted.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/701436/atmospheric-pollution/ 

BLOGS

Climate Change: The Externality That Came in From the Cold. An
externality is something that costs nothing on the part of the
person or enterprise that creates it, but imposes a cost or
conveys a benefit to others. The world is full of them. My
children create them by Skyping with their friends at elevated
decibel levels all night. Externalities come in all sizes too.
Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-fox-gorte/climate-change-the-extern_b_5225870.html


Apple's New Green Manifesto: Renewable Energy Is Ready to Become
Mainstream. With the launch of Apple's new environmental
initiative, the world is once again buzzing with comments,
critique and speculation on what the world's biggest brand is
doing. Apple's bold move is an impetus for the private sector to
move in the same direction. Renewable energy is ready to become
mainstream, and those companies that fail to pick up on the trend
will lose their competitive edge. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kumi-naidoo/apples-new-green-manifest_b_5226037.html
 




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