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newsclips -- Newsclips for April 30, 2014
Posted: 30 Apr 2014 14:09:13
ARB Newsclips for April 30, 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 Germany Levies Fines on Aircraft Operators Over Emissions. Germany ordered 61 aircraft operators from countries including Russia and the U.S. to pay fines for breaching European Union emissions-trading rules. The penalties are the first since the EU included aviation in its carbon market, the world’s largest, in 2012, drawing protests from the U.S. and emerging countries. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-30/germany-levies-fines-on-aircraft-operators-over-emissions.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-04-30/germany-levies-fines-on-61-aircraft-operators-over-emissions China says could add big-polluting regions to carbon market. China is developing plans to expand its pilot carbon trading schemes into more of its key industrial regions, a top climate official said, as the country continues its drive to curb emissions. China, the world's biggest emitter of climate-changing gases, has over the past 10 months launched pilot carbon markets in six cities and provinces with a view to rolling out a national market later in the decade. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/30/us-china-carbon-idUSKBN0DG0AG20140430 http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-china-carbon-20140429,0,4389822.story Valley truckers, farmers fear effects of pollution-credit auctions. Representatives of trucking and agriculture want state legislators to delay air-quality regulations that they say will create unpredictable spikes in gasoline and diesel prices starting next year. State regulators say those fears are overblown, and continue to aim at a Jan. 1 date for including fuel distributors in California's controversial cap-and-trade program. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/28/3900016/valley-truckers-farmers-fear-effects.html?sp=/99/170/#storylink=cpy Inslee Calls For New Cap And Trade Program. “This is the time to act,” said Inslee, a Democrat, at a news conference Tuesday inside the Automotive Training Center at Shoreline Community College near Seattle. Acknowledging that Washington is already a low carbon-emitting state, Inslee said "we may be a small fraction of the world’s pollution, but we own 100 percent of our own moral commitment to our own children and our grandchildren.” Posted. http://kplu.org/post/inslee-calls-new-cap-and-trade-program http://www.isidewith.com/news/article/inslee-orders-a-move-toward-limits-on-carbon-emissions http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2014/apr/30/inslee-task-force-to-tackle-issue-of-carbon/ AIR POLLUTION L.A., Central Valley have worst air quality, American Lung Assn. says. Los Angeles has again topped a list of the cities with the worst smog in the nation, violating federal health standards for ozone an average of 122 days a year. The annual air pollution rankings, being released Wednesday by the American Lung Assn., were dominated by the Los Angeles Basin and California's Central Valley…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-0430-air-pollution-20140430,0,2614465.story#ixzz30O7QE2vA http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Saratoga-County-gets-high-grade-for-air-quality-5440202.php http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/29/3901583/fresno-area-air-problem-ranks.html http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/29/3315999/fresno-area-air-problem-ranks.html#storylink=cpy http://www.dailybulletin.com/environment-and-nature/20140430/air-quality-gains-could-be-eroded-by-drought-climate-change http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140430/A_NEWS/404300317/0/SEARCH http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/30/nations-air-quality-worsens/8466889/ http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/04/30/report-phoenix-air-quality-rankings-dip/8499045/ Permits will be needed for outdoor burning in areas of Calaveras, Tuolumne counties. Burn permits will be required beginning Thursday for all outdoor burning within California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection coverage areas in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties as well as the eastern edges of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. The Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit of Cal Fire issues the burn permits at its stations, including the unit headquarters at 785 Mountain Ranch Road in San Andreas. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140429/A_NEWS/140429824/0/SEARCH Pollution's victims: 92,903 S.J. residents face higher risk than 95 percent of rest of state. More than 100,000 Stockton residents are among the most vulnerable in California to pollution, new data show. Those residents, many of whom live in some of the city's poorest neighborhoods, shoulder a disproportionately high level of risk compared to almost all other regions of the state. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140430/A_NEWS/404300321/0/SEARCH CLIMATE CHANGE South Africa Publishes Plan for Carbon Offsets. South Africa has published proposals for businesses to lower carbon-tax liability, which includes proposalsto reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Public comments on the carbon offets paper must be submitted by June 30, according to an e-mailed statement by the National Treasury in Pretoria. The carbon offsets program is meant to complement the carbon tax that South Africa plans to introduce from 2016, it said. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-29/south-africa-publishes-plan-for-carbon-offsets.html EPA’s Powers Upheld by Court With Climate Rules on Deck. The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday strengthened the Environmental Protection Agency in its drive to cut air pollution, a result critics warned would lead to costly regulations as the agency moves to curb global warming. The justices, voting 6-2 to overturn a lower court, backed the EPA’s so-called Good Neighbor rule, which targets air pollution that crosses state lines. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-30/epa-s-powers-upheld-by-court-with-climate-rules-on-deck.html U.S. Greenhouse Emissions Tied to Aging Nuclear, Coal Plants. Is Natural Gas No Better than Coal? New projections from the Energy Information Administration find that the trajectory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is highly sensitive to the operation of the nation's nuclear and coal-fired power plants. The rate and timing of retirements from these aging plants could dramatically impact how much carbon pollution the U.S. will emit decades from now. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/U-S-Greenhouse-Emissions-Tied-to-Aging-Nuclear-5438598.php Scientific ‘buried treasure’ may yield data about shorelines’ future. Deep beneath the ocean floor off the New Jersey coast lie secrets that could help scientists predict how climate change might affect one of the most popular shorelines in the country. Gregory Mountain, with a name that befits his expertise, teaches Earth and planetary sciences and has spent a lot of time in recent years sailing those waters to uncover the answers. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/30/6365785/scientific-buried-treasure-may.html#storylink=cpy Climate change: Pacific Ocean acidity dissolving shells of key species. In a troubling new discovery, scientists studying ocean waters off California, Oregon and Washington have found the first evidence that increasing acidity in the ocean is dissolving the shells of a key species of tiny sea creature at the base of the food chain. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_25664176/Climate-change:-Pacific-Ocean-acidity-dissolving http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_25664176/Climate-change:-Pacific-Ocean-acidity-dissolving Deadly avalanche, 'closed' Everest blamed on climate change. The deadly avalanche on Mount Everest earlier this month that killed 16 Nepalese sherpas and effectively ended the 2014 climbing season wasn't technically an avalanche. Instead, it was a collapse of a glacial serac in one of the mountain's most dangerous areas. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998678/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientist probes weather risk that's like 'fire hose aimed at the coast' On a 70-degree April day, scientist Marty Ralph looked out his office window here toward a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. The sky was clear, the ocean was calm, and paragliders floated toward the water. It's what most people envision when they think of California weather, said Ralph…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998738/print BY SUBSCRIPTION FUELS Pipeline supporters seek quick Senate vote. In a struggle steeped in election-year politics, supporters of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline are seeking a swift Senate vote on legislation to approve construction of the project that environmentalists oppose strongly and the Obama administration has delayed indefinitely. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SENATE_KEYSTONE_PIPELINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/29/6364218/keystone-xl-pipeline-supporters.html Oil price falls on supplies rise, Russia sanctions. The price of oil fell to near $100 a barrel on Wednesday as a report showed an increase in U.S. crude stockpiles and investors shrugged off the impact of new sanctions on Russia. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark U.S. crude for June delivery was down 97 cents to $100.31 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Financial firms launch fossil-free investment fund. An environmental group and two major financial firms are launching an investment fund that excludes companies involved in the fossil fuel business. The Natural Resources Defense Council says it helped BlackRock Inc. of New York and FTSE Group of London to develop a stock index for investors who want to avoid fossil fuel related companies. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/AP6e543463e5d447afac127c347893e7ab.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/29/6363479/financial-firms-launch-fossil.html#storylink=cpy Fracking-inspired moratorium on oil drilling to expire in Carson. An effort to extend a moratorium on all oil drilling in the city of Carson failed Tuesday night after the five-member City Council failed to reach the four-fifths supermajority needed to keep the ban in place. The temporary ban, passed last month, was initially sought by the council to allow the city more time to study the potential effects of oil extraction techniques… Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-moratorium-oil-drilling-carson-fracking-20140430,0,7557119.story#ixzz30O9L8oXZ China Can’t Quit Coal. China to Ban High Sulfur Coal Imports. Despite enacting recent ambitious clean energy targets, coal will likely remain a central pillar of the Chinese energy economy for years to come, according to a new report from research and consulting company Wood Mackenzie. China is in the midst of a massive build out of all types of energy in an effort to diversify away from coal…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/China-Can-t-Quit-Coal-5441628.php California Joins H2 USA to Advance Hydrogen Transportation. In California’s latest effort to advance hydrogen transportation, the Energy Commission and the Air Resources Board announced today that California has joined H2 USA, a public-private partnership led by the U.S. Department of Energy. H2 USA is dedicated to accelerating the commercialization of clean transportation solutions…Posted. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/8421-california-joins-h2-usa-to-advance-hydrogen-transportation.html Effort to keep gas prices from increasing. With gasoline already over $4.00 a gallon business interests are rallying to delay a state law they believe will make prices go even higher, hurting the economy. Michael Kelton is the CEO of Inland Star, a Fresno trucking and warehouse company. "I believe that the working poor will be impacted the greatest over this, it's all gonna be passed down, all the costs will be passed on." Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9519866 3 cellulosic producers eye 2014 start dates. Three big companies that have placed bets on turning agricultural waste into transportation fuel say they're on track to open production facilities this year. Abengoa Bioenergy, POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels and DuPont have invested millions of dollars in facilities that would convert post-harvest corn debris into cellulosic ethanol. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998744/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Hydrogen is fuel of the future � and Southern Californians have more access than others. As Hyundai readies its Tucson fuel cell electric vehicle for market this spring, the hydrogen highway to support those vehicles is beginning to get paved. The California Energy Commission recently provided a map of the six existing hydrogen fueling stations in Los Angeles and Orange counties…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/29/6363885/hydrogen-is-fuel-of-the-future.html#storylink=cpy http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hydrogen-611921-fuel-cell.html GREEN ENERGY Mexico lays out energy reform rules. The Mexican government is proposing bidding-based rules for the opening of its state-owned oil and energy industry, saying contracts and production licenses will be put out for public bid and will go to the company that offers the best return. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_MEXICO_ENERGY_REFORM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT For now, industry hangs its hopes on Texas -- AWEA report. Wind power installation rates aren't what they used to be. But that could change within the next two years, asserts the leading wind energy industry group, largely thanks to a surge of construction activity in Texas. The first quarter of 2014 saw 214 megawatts of wind energy built, according to the American Wind Energy Association's "U.S. Wind Industry First Quarter 2014 Market Report," released yesterday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998702/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY State regulators seek credit in new rule for efficiency programs. The state regulators that will play a leading role in implementing U.S. EPA's greenhouse gas rules for existing power plants are putting the finishing touches on guidelines for how the rule should handle state energy efficiency programs. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998736/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Environment focus of Calif. governor's Mexico trip. California Gov. Jerry Brown plans a trade and environmental mission to Mexico this summer, in part to strike a deal reducing air pollution. Brown's office announced the dates for the trip Tuesday. The mission will take place the last week of July and be organized by the California Chamber of Commerce. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/29/6364795/environment-focus-of-calif-governors.html#storylink=cpy Marine base trash finds a new beat with recycling message. Anyone walking through the Oceanside Earth Festival on Sunday afternoon might have wondered why a trash heap of twisted metal was piled up behind behind the stage on Tremont Street. As a jazz band from Coastal Music Studios left the stage, however, it became clear that the old pipes, auto parts and plastic boxes weren’t trash, but the next act. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/apr/29/oceanside-recycled-drum-line/ OPINIONS The Right Way to Develop Shale Gas. LISTENING to the polarized energy debate in the United States, you might think natural gas was an economic and geopolitical cure-all — or an environmental curse. Too many oil and gas executives behave as if this newly abundant resource, released from underground shale deposits by the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, has no environmental challenges. Opponents often act as if it has no economic and environmental benefits. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/opinion/the-right-way-to-develop-shale-gas.html?_r=0 Keeping Track: Air Pollution and Drones. In a victory for clean air, the Supreme Court on Tuesday voted 6-to-2 to uphold the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to find the most cost-effective way of reducing harmful air pollution that crosses state lines. Because soot and ozone from power plants don’t respect borders, states are required by the Clean Air Act to establish plans to avoid “significantly” polluting their neighbors. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/30/opinion/keeping-track-air-pollution-and-drones.html?hp&rref=opinion Why 'cheap' coal is actually expensive Re "Sticker shock," April 26 Before bemoaning the fact that we are moving from coal to renewable energy, it should be noted that coal-generated electricity is no bargain. The hidden cost of coal is $345 billion a year, according to Harvard researchers. Given that, coal is one of the most expensive fuels in the U.S. We all suffer from climate change thanks in no small part to coal. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-le-0430-wednesday-electrcity-price-20140430,0,6868686.story#axzz30O861Bq7 EDITORIAL: Court ruling on drifting air pollution makes sense. Logic and laws don't always mix, but they did this week in a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. It ruled that the source of air pollution can be held responsible even if its smog or soot blows far away across state lines. The decision vindicates a long effort by the Environmental Protection Agency to hold polluters accountable even if they don't violate local standards. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EDITORIAL-Court-ruling-on-drifting-air-pollution-5439769.php Editorial: California’s leaders shrug off Toyota move. Occidental Petroleum. Raytheon. Legalzoom. Waste Connections. Daegis and Revionics. And, this week, Toyota Motor Sales. The list of major companies that have left California recently, or are planning on leaving soon and taking their jobs with them, is getting uncomfortably long. Toyota announced Monday it was moving 3,000 white-collar jobs from its sprawling campus in Torrance to a new, consolidated headquarters in Plano, Texas. Posted.: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/30/6364955/editorial-californias-leaders.html#storylink=cpy Kate Gordon and Cole Wheeler: Price of gas not as meaningful as its bad impacts. We’re public policy advocates, so we’re always happy to hear that legislators are discussing our work. But we were less than pleased by the recent op-ed (“Hidden double-digit gas tax would affect Central Valley the most,” April 25, Page A13) on gas prices from Central Valley policymakers Sen. Anthony Cannella and Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen…Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/04/28/3623086/price-of-gas-not-as-meaningful.html?sp=/99/177/#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/28/3314373/price-of-gas-not-as-meaningful.html?sp=/99/1641/#storylink=cpy OPINION: California should rethink water management practices. The 2014 drought is unprecedented in modern times. It is also our first glimpse into a future where climate disruption alters when and how California gets water. But it won’t be the last. Within 35 years, projected temperature increases mean that rain is likely to outpace snow in the Sierra Nevada. Average snowpack may be reduced by as much as 40 percent and more rain will flow quickly through western rivers in winter months. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/local-views-headlines/20140429-opinion-california-should-rethink-water-management-practices.ece As U.S. warms, dangerous mosquito thrives. Many Americans think global warming is a distant risk that threatens faraway places with ice caps and polar bears. Very few Americans link global warming to infectious disease, but that could change. As the climate of the northern United States warms, the Asian tiger mosquito, one of the world's most invasive pests, continues spreading northward from Texas to New York…Posted. http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/30/opinion/pagani-climate-change-mosquito-illness/ LOIS HENRY: Epic drought calls for epic solution: backward flow. Water does funny things in California. When there's a drought as bad as the one we're in now, it does things you wouldn't think were possible. Like flow backwards. As in south to north. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/columnists/lois-henry/x1042368439/LOIS-HENRY-Epic-drought-calls-for-epic-solution-backward-flow Joe Schwarcz: The high-stakes challenge of capturing carbon dioxide. It is clear that no longer can we continue to spew carbon dioxide recklessly into the atmosphere; and it is also clear that eventually we will run out of fossil fuels. So, how about killing two birds with one stone? (Only figuratively, of course.) The challenge consists of capturing the carbon dioxide formed in combustion processes before it is released into the atmosphere…Posted. http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/Schwarcz+high+stakes+challenge+capturing+carbon+dioxide/9791093/story.html BLOGS Car Makers Are Delivering Better Mileage, But How Much Is Real? Auto makers are doing a better job of reducing fuel consumption in their new cars than federal regulators predicted they would, according to a new report today from the U.S. government. How much of that progress is real is the subject of some debate. The Environmental Protection Agency says major auto makers in the U.S.—the Big Three and their major foreign rivals… Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2014/04/28/car-makers-are-delivering-better-mileage-but-how-much-is-real/?KEYWORDS=climate+change Put Down Your Pistols: Cap and Trade Isn't Dead Yet. The latest U.N. report says that the darling climate strategy isn't working. But that doesn't mean it's dead. For climate advocates, those are fighting words. Cap-and-trade efforts to combat global warming have often come under fire from politicians. And sometimes literally. Posted. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/04/29/put_down_your_pistols_cap_and_trade_isnt_dead_yet_climate_change BY SUBSCRIPTION Types of Carbon Pricing: Part 1 of 3. This post is the first of three summarizing the differing features of carbon pricing instruments – emissions trading (cap-and-trade), carbon taxes, and hybrids – and commenting on some of the implications for existing carbon pricing schemes. The three together can be found as a pdf file under the carbon pricing pages of this site. These posts focus on the differences between types of carbon pricing. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/onclimatechangepolicy/374286/types-carbon-pricing-part-1-3 This man is on the hunt for California’s next climate leaders. Tom Steyer isn’t the only ambitious fundraiser working to get climate hawks elected. Meet Nick Josefowitz. Both men live in San Francisco, but while Steyer is playing on the national scene, Josefowitz is focused on his home state. He recently founded a new political action committee, Leadership for a Clean Economy…Posted. http://grist.org/politics/this-man-is-on-the-hunt-for-californias-next-climate-leaders/ Trident Inceni stakes claim to world's fastest diesel sports car, will come to US. It was back in 2006 when we first came across Trident and its plans to create a diesel-powered sports car. The prototype was up and running a couple of years later, and it debuted at the Salon Privé in London a few years after that. It's now been the better part of two years since its debut – and eight years since the project first surfaced – but Trident Sports Cars says it's finally ready to launch the vehicle it called Iceni. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/30/trident-inceni-worlds-fastest-diesel-sports-car/ Tesla making plans for Gigafactory in at least two states. Ever since February, when Tesla officially announced that it would build a gigafactory to make the incredible number of lithium-ion batteries it expects to need to power its electric vehicles, we thought it would be located in one of four states. Those four states – Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada – have been lobbying the automaker ever since, hoping to hear that the new…Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/29/tesla-making-plans-for-gigafactory-two-states/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.