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ARB Newsclips for May 21, 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

Electricity market structure will make carbon-cutting difficult –
report. The patchwork of different electricity markets in the
United States will make it difficult for states to meet upcoming
environmental rules to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according
to a recent report released by the American Public Power
Association. The lack of a nationwide cap-and-trade system or
carbon tax as part of the rules will be another barrier, the
report says. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059999923/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

Synthetic Gas: False Friend for China’s Clean Air Drive?
Beijing's city hall recently ordered 300 industrial polluters to
relocate outside the city by October as part of a campaign to
clean up its notoriously bad air. Nationwide, officials have been
handed sweeping new enforcement tools in what Bloomberg calls the
most significant overhaul to China's environmental regulations in
more than 25 years. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Synthetic-Gas-False-Friend-for-China-s-Clean-5494777.php


What are you doing to help improve your indoor air quality?
[Infographic] The home is often thought of as a haven where
parents feel confident about the environment they've created for
family members. However, while people may be conscious of outdoor
air pollution and health hazards, many don't realize that there
may also be pollutants inside the home. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/What-are-you-doing-to-help-improve-your-indoor-5492243.php


O.C. ranks low in annual report on State of the Air.  The
American Lung Association recently released their annual,
national State of the Air report, which gave Orange County a
failing grade in air quality.  The study “is useful, but it isn’t
very well represented,” said Jane V. Hall, a Cal State Fullerton
professor of economics who studies how air pollution affects the
California economy.  Posted. 
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/air-615066-people-hall.html 

EPA still unsure about industry's methane emissions – director.
U.S. EPA is not yet fully convinced that emissions from the oil
and gas industry are higher than stated in the national
greenhouse gas inventory, according to Paul Gunning, director of
the agency's Climate Change Division. Several studies in recent
months have suggested that EPA may be underestimating how much
methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is leaking from the industry.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059999960/print
BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

NY Attorney General to Propose Bill Requiring Climate Adaptation
for Utilities. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman (D)
has proposed legislation to require that New York's electricity
and gas utilities assess their vulnerability to the impacts of
climate change and prepare a plan for adapting to severe weather.
Schneiderman May 19 said the proposed legislation would build on
a February decision by the state Public Service Commission
(PSC)…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-05-21/ny-attorney-general-to-propose-bill-requiring-climate-adaptation-for-utilities.html


UN Climate Fund Agrees Rules, Paving Way to Raise Funds. The
Green Climate fund set up as a result of United Nations
climate-treaty talks to help finance projects that reduce
emissions in poorer nations agreed on a set of rules, paving the
way for initial capital to be raised. The design of the fund, how
it will raise funds and spend them, was completed at a meeting in
Songdo, South Korea, today, the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-21/un-climate-fund-agrees-rules-paving-way-to-raise-funds.html


U.K. Urged to Fast-Track Drax, SSE Carbon-Capture Plans. U.K.
ministers should accelerate funding for carbon-capture and
storage projects by Drax Group Plc (DRX) and SSE Plc (SSE) to
kick-start a technology that’s vital for climate protection, a
panel of lawmakers said. Seven years after the U.K. first pledged
to help pay for a project to demonstrate technology that strips
out carbon dioxide from power plant emissions…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-05-20/u-k-urged-to-fast-track-drax-sse-carbon-capture-plans.html


EPA is readying climate rule for existing power plants as
deadline approaches.  With less than two weeks to go, the
Environmental Protection Agency is readying a climate rule for
existing power plants that requires steep carbon reductions while
allowing states and companies broad flexibility in how they limit
their overall greenhouse gas emissions.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/epa-is-readying-climate-rule-for-existing-power-plants-as-deadline-approaches/2014/05/21/8d1c0b5c-e088-11e3-9743-bb9b59cde7b9_story.html


Pat Sajak calls global warming advocates ‘unpatriotic racists’ 
“Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak sparked a social media backlash
Tuesday after calling people concerned about climate change
“unpatriotic racists.” Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/21/6421817/pat-sajak-calls-global-warming.html#storylink=cpy


Industry says EPA's existing plant rule could lead to expensive
GHG-cutting measures. U.S. EPA's eagerly anticipated power plant
rule could bar states from using the most cost-effective means
for cutting greenhouse gases, an industry-backed paper finds.
President Obama will announce the nation's first-ever regulations
to control greenhouse gases from the nation's existing power
plants -- the source of about 40 percent of the country's carbon
emissions -- on June 2. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059999956/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DOE leadership role discussed at White House methane round table.
White House counselor John Podesta and Energy Secretary Ernest
Moniz met privately yesterday with scientists as well as
representatives from environmental groups and other
nongovernmental organizations to discuss methane emissions from
the natural gas sector. The participants discussed the gaps in
knowledge when it comes to emissions from the industry…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059999959/print  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Insurers pledge to be involved in climate debate. Sixty-seven
insurance companies committed to tackling climate change
yesterday by encouraging government action and promoting emission
reductions, marking new momentum within one of the world's
richest industries, organizers said. The Geneva Association
released a Climate Risk Statement containing a broad set of
principles in which signatories pledge to underwrite clean energy
projects…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059999933/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

Sen. Feinstein's wrong response to the drought. The test of any
water policy is not if it works in the wet times but if it
protects widely shared public values in the dry times.
So it is distressing to see Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,
determined to toss out water management policies and protections,
worked out over 20 years to balance the water needs of California
cities, farms and the environment, in order to serve some
interests at the expense of others. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Sen-Feinstein-s-wrong-response-to-the-drought-5493436.php


Court upholds SD water deal. A federal appeals court says
environmental reviews were properly done on the nation’s largest
farm-to-city water transfer, the latest ruling to uphold a 2003
agreement on how California agencies divide that state’s share of
Colorado River water. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals ruled Monday that federal authorities properly
considered how the transfer from Imperial County to San Diego
would affect the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/20/water-imperial-san-diego-transfer-colorado-river/


Calif. water district sues federal supplier over cutbacks. A
California water supplier is suing the federal government over
drought-induced supply cutbacks. The Friant Water Authority filed
suit yesterday in U.S. District Court in Fresno against the
Bureau of Reclamation, alleging that the agency violated the
terms of its contract by cutting its customers' supplies to zero
in order to fulfill others' needs during the current drought.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059999986/print 
BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

EC sets out strategy to cut CO2 emissions from heavy-duty
vehicles; short-term focus on measurement and reporting. 
Heavy-duty trucks, buses and coaches would use less fuel and emit
lower amounts of carbon dioxide under a strategy adopted by the
European Commission. Such heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) are
responsible for around a quarter of CO2 emissions from road
transport in the EU. Without action, HDV emissions in 2030-2050
are projected to remain close to current levels.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/05/20140521-ec.html 

FUELS

Oil climbs to $103 as US supplies seen falling. The price of oil
climbed to $103 a barrel Wednesday after a report showed a large
drop in U.S. crude supplies. By early afternoon in Europe,
benchmark U.S. crude for July delivery was up 71 cents to $103.04
a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile
Exchange. On Tuesday, the Nymex contract gained 22 cents. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


U.S. Agency Will Assess Dangers of Tar Sands Oil Spills.
InsideClimateNews.org — The federal government said Tuesday it
will study a critical question in the battle over oil pipelines
carrying Canadian diluted bitumen: Are spills involving dilbit
more dangerous to people and the environment than leaks of
lighter traditional oil? In recent years, dilbit spills in
Michigan, Arkansas and elsewhere have provided convincing
evidence on the subject…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-05-21/u-s-agency-will-assess-dangers-of-tar-sands-oil-spills.html


U.S. officials cut estimate of recoverable Monterey Shale oil by
96% ederal energy authorities have slashed by 96% the estimated
amount of recoverable oil buried in California's vast Monterey
Shale deposits, deflating its potential as a national "black gold
mine" of petroleum. Just 600 million barrels of oil can be
extracted with existing technology, far below the 13.7 billion
barrels once thought recoverable from the jumbled layers of
subterranean rock spread across much of Central
California…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oil-20140521-story.html  

Clean Energy Fuels Corp Is About More Than Saving Customers
Money. As the world's cleanest commercial fuel, Clean Energy's
Redeem can make a huge difference in achieving many companies'
sustainability goals. And it's cheaper than diesel, according to
Andrew Littlefair, the CEO and co-founder of Clean Energy Fuels .
Littlefair sees great potential for Redeem in heavy-duty trucking
fleets, such as those operated by and for Procter & Gamble and
The Home Depot. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Clean-Energy-Fuels-Corp-Is-About-More-Than-Saving-5494772.php


Natural Gas Pipelines Needed in the Northeast. Natural gas
pipelines, especially in the East Coast, continue to expand.
There are 15 proposed pipelines in the works, and as aging coal
plants continue to go offline, natural gas will be in even
greater demand. In this "Digging for Value" video, Fool energy
and materials analysts…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Natural-Gas-Pipelines-Needed-in-the-Northeast-5495139.php


Wash. governor set to use executive authority to enact clean
fuels program. On the heels of an executive order that
jump-starts efforts to address climate change, Washington Gov.
Jay Inslee (D) has signaled he is willing to take further
executive action to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation
fuels. Appearing on a recent Seattle-based television show,
Inslee said he is willing to use executive authority to implement
a low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS). Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059999922/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

GM adds 218,000 older cars as number of U.S. recalls this year
hits 29. General Motors Co is recalling more than 218,000 older
Chevrolet small cars in the United States and its territories due
to a potential fire hazard, bringing U.S. recalls this year to 29
and a record number of vehicles. The recall, and a related
smaller action, is the latest announced by GM, the largest U.S.
automaker. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/21/us-gm-recall-aveo-idUSBREA4K0G420140521


Electric-car charging program hits speed bump. Nissan's plan to
let buyers of its electric Leaf recharge their cars for free may
be in jeopardy, after the country's largest charging station
network announced Tuesday it was dropping out of the program.
ChargePoint, based in Campbell, will not take part in the
EZ-Charge promotion, expected to start this summer in the Bay
Area and a handful of other markets nationwide. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Electric-car-charging-program-hits-speed-bump-5493482.php


HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Role of state law at issue in bullet train lawsuit. California's
$68 billion bullet train project should be exempt from the
state's strict environmental review process now that it is
subject to federal oversight, the state attorney general's office
argued Tuesday in a state appellate court. The hearing came after
the federal Surface Transportation Board determined last year
that it has authority over California's high-speed rail project,
subjecting it to additional federal requirements. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/20/role-of-state-law-at-issue-in-bullet-train-lawsuit/


GREEN ENERGY

U.K. Green Investment Bank Aims to Allocate $1.2 Billion. The
U.K. Green Investment Bank aims to boost the capital it commits
to carbon-cutting projects to 700 million pounds ($1.2 billion)
this year as it chases deals in offshore wind, waste and energy
efficiency. The bank, capitalized with 3.8 billion pounds of
government funds, allocated 668 million pounds to clean-energy
projects in the year through March…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-05-21/u-k-green-investment-bank-aims-to-allocate-1-2-billion.html


EPA regs could make solar shine brighter, experts say.  An
already-booming U.S. solar industry could see even more growth by
2020 as utilities look to renewable energy technologies to help
comply with new federal fossil fuel plant regulations, experts
said yesterday. A draft of the new U.S. EPA power plant
regulations aimed at reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases from coal-, oil- and natural-gas-fired power generators is
expected by June 2… Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059999935/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

DMV adopts autonomous vehicle testing rules. The state Department
of Motor Vehicles says it has adopted regulations governing how
car manufacturers can test autonomous vehicles on California
roads, effective Sept. 16 this year. The regulations set rules
for vehicle testing, insurance, registration and reporting by
manufacturers. Autonomous vehicles can operate without driver
input, steering or control. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/21/6420571/dmv-adopts-autonomous-vehicle.html#mi_rss=Business#storylink=cpy


OPINIONS

COLUMN- For polluted China, gas is a matter of life or death:
Kemp "If I work in your Beijing, I would shorten my life at least
five years," Premier Zhu Rongji, a career politician from
Shanghai, quipped in 1999, referring to the notorious air
pollution in China's northern capital. Research has confirmed
life expectancy in northern China is 5.5 years shorter than in
the south owing to the worse air pollution, and the shocking
difference stems from a well-intentioned government policy to
keep the residents of northern China warm in winter. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/21/china-russia-gas-pollution-idUSL6N0O73HS20140521


Jerry Brown faces climate change facts while GOP chases
moonbeams. It was once said that California is the place where
America’s future gets invented. Now, it is once again leading the
way -- this time into a tomorrow of daunting changes in climate.
With 100% of the state under various levels of drought, from
moderate to extreme, Gov. Jerry Brown says California is “on the
front lines” in the battle with global warming. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-jerry-brown-climate-20140521-story.html


Editorial: Jerry Brown takes the lead on climate change, as does
California. California, as Gov. Jerry Brown says, is on the front
lines of the climate change battle. The nation should consider
itself lucky. If it were up to Congress, it’s unclear whether
anyone would have the courage to lead the charge. The last couple
of months have brought a barrage of alarms on the devastating
impact of global warming, not just in the future, but right here
and right now. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/21/6419855/editorial-jerry-brown-takes-the.html#storylink=cpy


Viewpoints: Two policies that help limit air pollution and reduce
emergency room visits. I’ve spent the better part of my life as a
doctor, caring for my patients, working to make their lives
better and helping them live longer. Modern medicine, innovative
research and preventive health care have certainly improved
patients’ quality of life, but over the years, the growing number
of patients suffering from lung cancer, asthma, heart
attacks…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/21/6419723/viewpoints-two-policies-that-help.html#storylink=cpy


BLOGS

Santa Cruz Is First California County to Ban Fracking. Santa Cruz
County has become the first county in California to impose a
“permanent” ban on fracking, as well as all other on-shore oil
and gas development. Tuesday morning the Board of Supervisors
unanimously approved the pre-emptive move against hydraulic
fracturing, a technology that uses water and chemicals to unlock
oil and gas underground. Posted.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/05/20/santa-cruz-is-first-california-county-to-ban-fracking/


California will not exempt Tesla from zero emissions rebate
program.  Amid discussions on how to address its finite funds for
zero emissions vehicle rebates last month, the California Air
Resources Board suggested that owners of electric cars costing
more than $60,000 be exempt from the program.  It would mean that
buyers of the $75,000 Cadillac ELR would not qualify for a $2,500
state rebate. Posted. 
http://ecomento.com/2014/05/21/california-will-not-exempt-tesla-from-zero-emissions-rebate-program/
 
http://www.siliconbeat.com/2014/05/20/carb-shelves-proposal-to-kick-tesla-out-of-the-zev-rebate-program/






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