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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 22, 2014.
Posted: 22 May 2014 15:46:03
ARB Newsclips for May 22, 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 California Carbon Allowances Sell Out at Auction for $11.50 Each. California, the second-most polluting state in the U.S., sold all 16.95 million carbon allowances at auction for $11.50 each, in line with analysts’ expectations. Units of Chevron Corp. (CVX), Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) were among the companies that qualified to purchase the permits put up for sale May 16, a report posted today on the state Air Resources Board’s website shows. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-21/california-carbon-allowances-sell-out-at-auction-for-11-50-each.html Study says state fuel/pollution policies are saving billions of dollars. The state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and cap-and-trade program will save Californians more than $10 billion in health, energy and other costs by 2020, according to a new report from the Environmental Defense Fund and American Lung Association. The report, “Driving California Forward,” analyzes health and economic issues affected by California fuel/pollution policies within the scope of AB 32…Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/05/21/3659251/study-says-state-fuelpollution.html#storylink=cpy AIR POLLUTION Tricked-out car measures air pollution on Sacramento freeways and roads. If you want to measure how much air pollution exists on streets and freeways, there’s no substitute for sticking a pipe out a car window and sucking air in. In simple terms, this is the work of a gray RAV4 that has been traveling Sacramento area roadways recently measuring pollution from vehicles. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/21/6423373/tricked-out-car-measures-air-pollution.html#storylink=cpy EPA stays mum, denounces speculation on power plant rule. Less than two weeks before President Obama announces a highly anticipated U.S. EPA rule to limit greenhouse gases from existing power plants, rumors abound about how ambitious the rule will be and how easy it will be for utilities to comply while keeping electricity reasonably priced and reliable. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060000050/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Climate group to sink $100M in 7 races in 2014. Setting his sights on Republicans who reject climate change, an environmentalist billionaire is unveiling plans to spend $100 million this year in seven competitive Senate and gubernatorial races, as his super PAC works to counteract a flood of conservative spending by the Koch brothers. NextGen Climate Action said it plans to spend at least $50 million contributed by…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_POLITICAL_MONEY_ENVIRONMENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Another month, another heat record tied for globe. Once again, the world hit record heat levels. The average global temperature last month tied the hottest April on record four years ago. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday say last month's average temperature was 58.1 degrees Fahrenheit (14.5 degrees Celsius). That was 1.39 degrees F (0.77 C) warmer than the average last century. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_HOT_APRIL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-05-20-13-51-22 Obama Divides Power Players With Rule Utilities Accept. The Obama administration’s upcoming greenhouse gas rules are gaining acceptance from an unlikely quarter -- power companies -- and splitting the energy industry’s normally unified opposition to new limits. The proposed regulations set for release on June 2 would mandate deep cuts in greenhouse-gas pollution while allowing smokestack emissions…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-05-22/obama-divides-power-players-with-rule-utilities-accept.html Climate change a wedge issue in 2014? Billionaire Tom Steyer hopes so. One of President Obama’s wealthiest supporters is pledging to spend at least $50 million in a bid to make climate change the central issue in hotly contested elections in New Hampshire, Florida, Michigan and a handful of other battleground states. A group run by California billionaire Tom Steyer unveiled plans to aggressively target Republicans in seven states who have been skeptics of global warming. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-pn-steyer-20140521-story.html Climate change to result in less nutritional food, report says. Climate change threatens to undermine not only how much food can be grown but also the quality of that food as altered weather patterns lead to a less desirable harvest, according to a new study. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-climate-food-20140522-story.html As Central Valley fog disappears, fruit, nut crops decline. The soupy thick tule fog that regularly blanketed the Central Valley and terrorized unsuspecting motorists during the winter has been slowly disappearing over the past three decades, a UC Berkeley study has found. The blinding mists may not be missed by those who remember white-knuckle drives in zero visibility and regular multiple-car pileups, but the fog dearth is bad news for farmers, according to a study published this month. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/As-Central-Valley-fog-disappears-fruit-nut-5496710.php Cutting carbon is cheaper than its costs, groups say. A new report released by the Environmental Defense Fund and the American Lung Association concludes that it’s cheaper overall for California to cut greenhouse gases and switch to cleaner-burning fuels than to do nothing. The study’s release comes as regulatory disputes and court challenges continue over the state's efforts to reduce the "carbon intensity" of California's vehicle fleet…Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/05/21/44294/cutting-carbon-is-cheaper-than-its-costs-groups-sa/ Glacial melt pouring iron into the ocean – study. Call it natural geoengineering. Scientists report in a new study this week that glacial melt may be funneling significant amounts of reactive iron into the ocean, where it may counter some of the negative effects of climate change by boosting algal blooms that capture carbon. The paper, published in Nature Communications, adds to a body of research suggesting that melting ice at both poles may have widespread consequences beyond rising sea levels. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060000044/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DROUGHT Severe drought leads to dying lawns at state Capitol. The state Capitol grounds are a bit less green this year, thanks to California's severe drought. In an effort to save water, state landscapers are letting several lawns bordering the Capitol building die. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-drought-capitol-lawn-20140520-story.html California drought: S.F. gets smart water meters. Across California, residents are being asked to decrease their water use to cope with the drought - 10 percent, 20 percent, sometimes more. But unlike a dieter who regularly steps on a bathroom scale, water consumers can't track the gallons as they flow down the drain. Their effort to cut back, if they make one, is often educated guesswork. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/California-drought-S-F-gets-smart-water-meters-5496714.php DIESEL EMISSIONS UPDATE 1-EU policymakers inch towards regulating truck emissions. EU policymakers took the first steps towards regulating emissions from lorries through greater fuel efficiency on Wednesday, but stopped short of the targets that have forced car manufacturers to make their vehicles pollute less. As part of wider efforts to cut the need for imported energy, especially from Russia, the European Commission is seeking to improve energy efficiency across all sectors. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/21/eu-europe-trucks-idUSL6N0O72X620140521 FUELS Estimate of recoverable Monterey Shale oil slashed. The amount of oil that can be recovered from California's sprawling Monterey Shale formation using existing technology is far less than thought, according to a new federal estimate that potentially deals a blow to oil companies looking to extract the resource. About 600 million barrels of oil can be tapped from the formation…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SHALE_OIL_CALIFORNIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Diesel Slumps in Europe as Russia, U.S. Imports Surge. European diesel will probably stay depressed this summer after plunging to the lowest for this time of year since 2003 amid surging imports from Russia and the U.S. Barges of diesel traded at $9 a metric ton more than the June gasoil contract on the ICE Futures Europe exchange on May 19. That’s the lowest premium in more than three months and a drop of 66 percent from April 15, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-22/diesel-slumps-in-europe-as-russia-u-s-imports-surge.html Russia Offers Gas To China While European Energy Prices Fall. Russia is a bit of an enigma to many of us Americans, but looking at European energy prices helps our understanding. Oil in Europe (Brent) has been falling in price since 2011. This surprises us in the United States, where oil (in West Texas) has been roughly flat. Brent and West Texas prices used to move in lockstep, but they’ve diverged somewhat in the past few years. They cannot get too far apart, but they do show different paths recently. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2014/05/21/russia-offers-gas-to-china-while-european-energy-prices-fall/ FRACKING Reduced estimates of oil trapped in Monterey Shale. The amount of oil that can be squeezed from California's vast Monterey Shale formation through fracking, acidizing and other drilling techniques may be far less than originally believed, according to a new estimate from the federal government. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Reduced-estimates-of-oil-trapped-in-Monterey-Shale-5496353.php http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_25810989/fracking-new-monterey-shale-oil-estimate-rocks-californias http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060000052/ BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Toyota recalls 466,000 vehicles globally for spare tire, braking issues. Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Thursday it is recalling 466,000 minivans and cars globally, mostly in the United States, for possible faulty brakes and loss of a spare tire. The Japanese automaker said it is recalling about 16,000 Lexus GS sedans from model year 2013 because a switch in the braking system could cause the system to activate while driving, which could cause unexpected deceleration of the vehicle. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/22/us-toyota-recall-usa-idUSBREA4L0S020140522 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304479704579577981058416384?mg=reno64-wsj Electric, hybrid car sales up, California auto emissions down. California continues to lead the country in transportation efficiency, says the Green Innovation Index, a new study on energy use and emissions by the nonprofit group Next 10. The Green Innovation Index shows statewide registrations of alternative fuel vehicles rising 16% from 2011 to 2012, at a time when all California vehicle registrations increased by only 1.5%. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-vehicle-sales-up-auto-emissions-down-20140521-story.html?track=rss DOE to award up to $2M to develop supply chain, manufacturing competitiveness analysis for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The Energy Department announced up to $2 million to develop the domestic supply chain for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and to study the competitiveness of US hydrogen and fuel cell system and component manufacturing. (DE-FOA-0000854) (Earlier post) This funding will support projects that focus on scaling-up the production of today’s hydrogen and fuel cell components and systems to commercial scale. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/05/20140522-doe.html GREEN ENERGY China’s Global Search for Energy. Whether by diplomacy, investment or in extreme cases, force, China is going to great lengths to satisfy its growing hunger for energy to fuel its expanding car fleet and electrify its swelling cities. The Chinese government showed that desire on Wednesday when it reached a 30-year natural gas deal with Russia, even as China was locked in a tense standoff with Vietnam over a Chinese oil rig drilling in the contested South China Sea. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/business/international/chinas-global-search-for-energy.html?_r=0 California’s Economy Gets Good Marks In Green Innovation Report. San Diego gets good marks in the latest assessment of the state's green economy. The nonpartisan group Next 10 is out with its annual Green Innovation Index. The report finds California's clean technology sector is growing at a faster rate than the rest of the economy. The state's green friendly policies get a lot of credit for creating an environment that encourages innovation. Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/may/21/californias-economy-gets-good-marks-green-innovati/ Utilities 'freaked out' by solar growth, but leaders say energy revolution is near. Large-scale solar will be competitive with traditional sources of energy in "just a few years," executives and researchers said here Tuesday. Rooftop and larger-scale solar is booming in 15 states where about half of the nation's population lives, leaders of SolarCity and Sunrun said at the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference, a gathering of business, environmental and government leaders. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060000043/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Mopeds Cause Significantly More Air Pollution Than Cars In Some Places. While some may just offhand assume that, owing to the relatively small size of mopeds, there’s no way that they produce more air pollution than a car (during an equivalent trip), that’s not always true, according to new research from the Paul Scherrer Institute. Despite making up just a fraction of total traffic-volume in most regions…Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/22/mopeds-cause-significantly-air-pollution-cars-research-shows/#hkXKb4sWyaP0WSys.99 Report: Environmental laws could save $10B by 2020. California’s controversial environmental protection laws will result in economic savings of over $10 billion by 2020 from avoided health care and oil consumption costs, according to a report jointly produced by environmental and health advocates. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/05/21/report-environmental-laws-could-save-10b-by-2020.html OPINIONS If We Judged The Monterey Shale By Green Energy Standards Then The 96% Cut In Recoverable Oil Is Great News. An interesting report telling us that the amount of oil thought to be recoverable from the Monterey Shale has just been cut by 96%. This is taken as being something of a blow to employment prospects, to the economy of California and so on. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2014/05/22/if-we-judged-the-monterey-shale-by-green-energy-standards-then-the-96-cut-in-rcoverable-oil-is-great-news/ Timm Herdt: Ask a California farmer about climate change. If there's any group that doesn't have to be sold on the idea that government must address the effects of climate change, it's farmers. "Anybody who's paying attention knows the climate has already changed," says Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center at UC Davis. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/Opinion/ci_25808223/Timm-Herdt:-Ask-a-California-farmer http://www.insidebayarea.com/Opinion/ci_25808223/Timm-Herdt:-Ask-a-California-farmer New controls needed on carbon pollution. As a parent, I would do everything in my power to protect my child, which is why I support the EPA’s new carbon pollution limits for existing power plants. Carbon pollution — much of which comes from power plants burning fossil fuels — directly contributes to air pollution and is linked to asthma attacks, lung disease and neurological disorders. Posted. http://www.app.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/05/21/new-controls-needed-carbon-pollution/2289464/ BLOGS The Surprising News About Vehicle Emissions. DANIEL SPERLING: The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) met last month in Berlin to finalize its scientific assessment of solutions to curb greenhouse gas emissions. One of the key takeaways in the report is the opportunity for large emission reductions in the transportation sector. Transportation is often thought to be the most intractable sector for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2014/05/22/the-surprising-news-about-vehicle-emissions/ The Energy-Efficient Mortgage: Win, Win, Win. With housing stats trending upward again in the U.S., we may be missing a golden opportunity to stimulate local economies and to put an extra paycheck into the pockets of homeowners, all while making the air cleaner and the nation more energy-efficient. The opportunity is energy-efficient mortgages, or EEMs. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2014/05/22/the-energy-efficient-mortgage-win-win-win/ The great uniter: Conservative reform. At an event at the American Enterprise Institute recognizing the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s declaration of the War on Poverty, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) joined AEI president Arthur Brooks for a discussion about conservative reform. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2014/05/22/the-great-uniter-conservative-reform/?wpisrc=nl%5Fpopns 'Stop the denial' on climate change. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and more than 40 of her colleagues Wednesday urged a crowd of environmental activists to push lawmakers to address the threat of climate change. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/05/boxer-stop-the-denial-on-climate-change.html The Himalaya shows off how fast it can melt, too. Last week, we got the news that the West Antarctic ice sheet is ditching us. Then, on Sunday, another fresh study told us that Greenland is also melting away rather fast. And now glaciology brings us a new report, on what’s going on at the so-called “third pole” (so called because it has more snow and ice than anywhere outside of the polar regions): the Himalaya mountain range. Posted. http://grist.org/news/the-himalaya-shows-off-how-fast-it-can-melt-too/ 5 Reasons California Latinos Should Care About Clean Fuels. For the first time since becoming a state in 1850, Latinos are the "new majority" in California, representing the largest ethnic demographic in the country's most populous state. While Latinos account for 39 percent of California's population, they are disproportionately exposed to dangerous air quality, health impacts, and adverse economic risk from dirty fuels. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jorge-madrid/five-reasons-california-l_b_5366666.html California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.