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newsclips -- Newsclips for July 25, 2014
Posted: 25 Jul 2014 13:39:05
ARB Newsclips for July 25, 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’s Progressive, Divisive Cap and Trade Plan. California is claiming the environmental high ground by preparing to take the next step in its carbon reduction plan, but the result may leave drivers fuming. Starting on January 1, 2015, a cap and trade system will go into effect for all transportation fuels in California, including, of course, gasoline. Oil companies are predicting it will mean an immediate increase of at least 12 cents a gallon at the pump. Posted. http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Californias-Progressive-Divisive-Cap-and-Trade-Plan.html AIR POLLUTION U.S. West States Met to Discuss EPA Emission Proposals. Top air regulators from 13 states across the western U.S. met in private last week to talk about how they could work together on carbon-emissions cuts proposed by the Obama administration. California Air Resources Board chairman Mary Nichols, Nevada Environmental Protection administrator Colleen Cripps and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality director Henry Darwin attended the July 17 meeting in Denver…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-07-25/u-s-west-states-met-to-discuss-epa-emission-proposals.html http://insideclimatenews.org/todaysnews/20140725/us-west-states-met-discuss-epa-emission-proposals China’s Plan to Limit Coal Use Could Spur Consumption for Years. Under pressure to reduce smog and greenhouse gas emissions, the Chinese government is considering a mandatory cap on coal use, the main source of carbon pollution from fossil fuels. But it would be an adjustable ceiling that would allow coal consumption to grow for years, and policy makers are at odds on how long the nation’s emissions will rise. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/25/world/asia/chinese-plan-to-reduce-coal-use-could-allow-increases-for-years.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMediaHigh&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news What Do Chinese Dumplings Have to Do With Global Warming? ‘In Sichuan, we’re eaters,” said Chen Zemin, the world’s first and only frozen-dumpling billionaire. “We have an expression that goes, ‘Even if you have a very poor life, you still have your teeth to please.’ ” He smiled and patted his not insubstantial belly. “I like to eat.” Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/what-do-chinese-dumplings-have-to-do-with-global-warming.html?_r=0 Hot weather prompts bad-air warning. Soaring temperatures across the Bay Area have prompted air quality regulators to issue a Spare the Air Alert for Friday. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is advising residents to avoid prolonged outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day. Agency officials also are urging people to carpool or take public transportation to reduce the number of smog-producing cars on the road. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Hot-weather-prompts-bad-air-warning-5645173.php http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/SF-Bay-Area-officials-issue-air-quality-alert-5646388.php http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/25/6582062/sf-bay-area-officials-issue-air.html##storylink=cpy http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_26210064/Bay-Area-Spare-the-Air-alert-issued-for-Friday http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jul/25/sf-bay-area-officials-issue-air-quality-alert/ Fairbanks pollution initiative to appear on ballot. Enough signatures have been gathered for a ballot initiative seeking to renew a law barring the Fairbanks North Star Borough from regulating home heating devices. The "Home Heating Protection Initiative" will appear on the municipal ballot in October. It's the third in a series of initiatives that have barred the borough from imposing regulations on home heating devices since 2010…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Fairbanks-pollution-initiative-to-appear-on-ballot-5644125.php EPA awards grant for native indoor air pollution study. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the award of a new grant to measure the effects of indoor pollution on native subsistence hunters in subarctic North America. The $700,000 (£411,413) Science to Achieve Results grant has been awarded to Richard Peltier, health scientist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Posted. http://www.envirotech-online.com/news/air-monitoring/6/breaking_news/epa_awards_grant_for_native_indoor_air_pollution_study/31092/ Indoor air purifier company fined $120,000 by ARB for illegal product sales. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced today that it has fined a manufacturer of indoor air cleaning machines $120,000 for violating state regulations that applied to two of its products. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/indoor-air-purifier-company-fined-120-000-by-arb-for-illegal-product-sales CLIMATE CHANGE Obama to attend UN climate summit in September. President Barack Obama will attend a United Nations summit on climate change in September. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited heads of state and other leaders to the Sept. 23 summit in New York. The U.N. says the goal is to spur governments, industry and civil groups to make new commitments to addressing climate change. Posted. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/obama-attend-un-climate-summit-september OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Obama-to-attend-UN-climate-summit-in-September-5646916.php Climate Change May Reduce Corn, Wheat Crop Yields. Rising temperatures caused by climate change increase the odds that corn and wheat yields will slow even as global demand for the crops for food and fuel increases in the next 10 to 20 years, according to a study published in Environmental Research Letters. There is as much as a 10 percent chance the rate of corn yields will slow and a 5 percent probability for wheat because of human-caused climate change…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-07-25/climate-change-may-reduce-corn-wheat-crop-yields.html Kudzu That Ate U.S. South Heads North as Climate Changes. As the climate warms, the vine that ate the U.S. South is starting to gnaw at parts of the North, too. Kudzu, a three-leafed weed first planted in the U.S. more than 100 years ago for the beauty of its purple blossoms, has been spotted in every county in Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. It chokes young trees, brings down power lines and infests abandoned homes. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-07-25/kudzu-that-ate-u-s-south-heads-north-as-climate-changes.html El Nino Seen by Forecasters Weak or Delayed for Months. El Nino will probably develop as a weak event in late summer or early fall in the Northern Hemisphere, according to MDA Weather Services, while Commodity Weather Group LLC said it may be delayed for several months as the warming of the Pacific Ocean slows. Palm oil futures fell. A drier pattern in Southeast Asia and eastern Australia, and lower monsoon rainfall in India are signs of an El Nino-like event…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-07-25/el-nino-seen-weak-or-delayed-for-several-months-by-forecasters.html States Against E.P.A. Rule on Carbon Pollution Would Gain, Study Finds. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma are among the most vocal Republican skeptics of the science that burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming, but a new study to be released Thursday found that their states would be among the biggest economic winners under a regulation proposed by President Obama to fight climate change. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/us/states-against-epa-rule-on-carbon-pollution-would-gain-study-finds.html?_r=0 Study casts doubt on rate of Antarctic sea ice growth. A new study suggests that scientists must re-examine records that show increases in Antarctic sea ice since 1979. Researchers found that something changed in the way satellite data get converted into ice cover, but they can't yet identify the exact nature of the change, or whether it fixed a problem or introduced one. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/24/6580855/study-casts-doubt-on-rate-of-antarctic.html##storylink=cpy Brown to sign climate pact with Mexico, with linkage on the table. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is heading to Mexico next week to sign a climate change agreement that will call for some sort of linkage between the two jurisdictions, according to a document detailing part of the agenda. Brown is scheduled to sign the memorandum of understanding in Mexico City on Monday with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, as part of a three-day trip also dealing with energy and trade issues. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060003498/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY White House report shows drop in greenhouse gas emissions. Federal agencies have continued to cut their greenhouse gas emissions over the past year, according to a new White House report released today. Agencies across the federal government have reduced emissions by more than 17 percent since 2008. In addition, more than 9 percent of electricity used by the government came from renewable power…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060003527/print BY SUBSCRIPITON ONLY Global warming found not to drive tropical soil carbon into the atmosphere – study. Contrary to popular belief, climate warming does not cause the carbon trapped in soil -- found in tropical forests, at least -- to enter the atmosphere at an accelerated rate. While it is true that the planet's soil releases about 60 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year, many short-term studies claim that rising temperatures will increase this process and, in turn, speed up global warming. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060003500/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Researchers trace ancient 'tipping points' that could warn of future climate shifts. At the end of the last Ice Age 18,000 years ago, the Northern Hemisphere transitioned rapidly into a new climate state. Glaciers retreated and the world warmed, and by 11,500 years ago, the planet had entered the constant summer of today's Holocene Epoch. Right before this shift, there may have been a warning sign that the planet was hitting a tipping point into a warmer state. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060003495/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DROUGHT Satellites show major Southwest groundwater loss. Groundwater losses from the Colorado River basin appear massive enough to challenge long-term water supplies for the seven states and parts of Mexico that it serves, according to a new study released Thursday that used NASA satellites. Researchers from NASA and the University of California, Irvine say their study is the first to quantify how much groundwater people in the West are using during the region's current drought. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_COLORADO_BASIN_SHRINKING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-07-24-17-49-50 California Tries to Measure Water Use as Drought Worsens. State and local officials in California are struggling to track water use as Governor Jerry Brown calls for a 20 percent drop in consumption to alleviate a record drought. The State Water Resources Control Board, for instance, reported usage in Santa Ana soared 63.6 percent in May from the average of corresponding months in 2011-2013, while the city said the increase was 7 percent. Posted. Fire season in West so far is below expectations. Widespread drought across the West had forecasters expecting an above-average wildfire season this summer, which so far has not lived up to expectations. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Wednesday that the hot windy weather known as "red flag" days have not lined up with the lighting strikes that start most fires, particularly in drought-parched California. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/24/6578607/fire-season-in-west-so-far-is.html##storylink=cpy California to water-wasters during drought: no more Mr. Nice Guy! As the California drought grinds through its third year, it’s no more Mr. Nice Guy as far as the government goes. After last month’s news that the New Year’s call by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) for a voluntary 20 percent cutback actually yielded a 1 percent increase in water use statewide by June, California took the unprecedented action of imposing a mandatory requirement that all 440 of the state’s major water districts implement drought response plans as of Aug. 1 Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2014/0724/California-to-water-wasters-during-drought-no-more-Mr.-Nice-Guy FUELS Gasoline prices falling in California, across nation. California gasoline prices are falling, welcome news for motorists amid the summer driving season. The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular fell below $4 Friday for the first time since April 1, according to price-tracking website GasBuddy.com. Friday’s average of $3.998 a gallon compares with a recent high of $4.264 on May 1. “You might not go back above $4 this year,” said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for GasBuddy. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gas-prices-20140725-story.html Industry Vows to Fight U.S. City’s Ban on Canadian Oil Sands. Why Canada Would Rather Export Oil Than Refine It. Many residents of South Portland, Maine, were ecstatic over a recent decision by the city council to forbid the use of the city's facilities to export Canadian oil sands. The council voted 6-1 on July 21 against allowing the use of the 236-mile Portland-Montreal Pipe Line to ship the Canadian oil to South Portland for export. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Industry-Vows-to-Fight-U-S-City-s-Ban-on-5643718.php California Energy Commission selects 11 advanced biofuels projects for $43.6M in awards. The California Energy Commission (CEC) has selected 11 biofuel projects projects—including gasoline substitutes, diesel substitutes and biomethane projects—for $43,633,421 in awards under a grant solicitation released in January for the development of new, or the modification of, existing California-based biofuel production facilities that can sustainably produce low carbon transportation fuels. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/07/20140725-cec.html Ethanol producer to integrate renewable diesel production from corn distiller oil. Ethanol producer East Kansas Agri-Energy LLC (EKAE) intends to integrate renewable diesel production at its ethanol plant in Garnett, Kansas. Renewable diesel will be made from the corn distillers oil (CDO) already produced at the plant along with other feedstocks purchased on the market. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/07/20140725-ekae.html For energy-producing states, shifts in domestic fuel use could be the biggest impact of the Clean Power Plan. States that pay the highest abatement costs under U.S. EPA's new power plant carbon rule may actually emerge as economic winners once upstream impacts are accounted for, according to a new joint analysis by the Rhodium Group (RHG) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In the month and a half since EPA first released a draft version of its Clean Power Plan (CPP)…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060003497/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EPA IG may have strengthened agency's hand on methane regulation. A report released today by U.S. EPA's inspector general may help pave the way for methane regulations for natural gas pipelines. The agency's IG found that EPA is doing too little to limit methane leakage from the natural gas transmission sector, which it estimated to contribute more than 13 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent each year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060003534/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Sales of Big S.U.V.s Pulling the Weight at General Motors. When the redesigned 2015 Chevrolet Suburban started coming off the assembly line this year, Mike Quinto made sure he was one of the first to buy one, ordering it, sight unseen, two months ahead of time. Mr. Quinto, a technology consultant from Blowing Rock, N.C., is well aware that the fuel economy of his four-wheel-drive Suburban, a large sport utility vehicle, is low, officially rated at a combined 18 miles a gallon. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/25/business/sales-of-big-suvs-pulling-the-weight-at-general-motors.html?_r=1 Nissan will offer free charging to new Leaf electric car buyers. Taking a cue from Tesla Motors, which provides the owners of its cars a network of free charging stations nationwide, Nissan is launching a similar program for drivers of its Leaf electric vehicle. Starting in August, Los Angeles area Leaf buyers will get a card that pays for two years of no-cost public charging at hundreds of stations. The car includes access to fast chargers that can recharge a Leaf battery to 80% power in about 30 minutes. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-nissan-leaf-free-charging-20140723-story.html Changing human behavior is major factor in selling cleaner cars, curbing congestion. Henry Ford's vision to create cars "for the great multitude" has been far better received than anyone could have imagined. More than a century since the Model T was introduced, global demand for personal vehicles is stronger than ever, particularly in the developing world, where people want cars for improved mobility and as status symbols. But as car culture spreads, vehicles are clogging up city streets and threatening the planet with harmful emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060003467/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY China pushes harder to boost electric car sales. China this week issued a new guideline on how it plans to add more electric vehicles and other green models on the road, reviving the hope that clean car producers will see a long-awaited sales surge in the world's largest auto market. In a statement posted on its website, the State Council, or China's Cabinet, laid out an extensive list of objectives to achieve by 2020, including speeding up green transit in public transportation…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060003494/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail Pacheco Pass route upheld by appeals court. A state appeals court on Thursday upheld a proposed route for California's high-speed rail line connecting the San Francisco Bay Area to the Central Valley. The decision is a short-term win for Gov. Jerry Brown, who has prioritized the $68-billion project that has become bogged down by legal and regulatory challenges. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_26211208/high-speed-rail-pacheco-pass-route-upheld-by?source=rss GREEN ENERGY German Utilities Bail Out Electric Grid at Wind’s Mercy. Germany’s push toward renewable energy is causing so many drops and surges from wind and solar power that the government is paying more utilities than ever to help stabilize the country’s electricity grid. Twenty power companies including Germany’s biggest utilities, EON SE and RWE AG, now get fees for pledging to add or cut electricity within seconds to keep the power system stable…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-24/german-utilities-bail-out-electric-grid-at-wind-s-mercy.html State Department Names Acting Energy Envoy. Amos Hochstein Takes Post at Critical Time for Obama's Energy Diplomacy. The State Department on Friday named Amos Hochstein as acting special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs, filling the position at a critical time for the Obama administration's energy diplomacy efforts. The State Department's Bureau of Energy Resources, which Mr. Hochstein will now lead…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/articles/state-department-names-new-energy-envoy-1406299086#printMode New technologies await 'discussions' to extend U.S.-China partnership. The U.S. government may be a few months away from renewing a $150 million clean energy research partnership with China, according to a senior U.S. adviser on the program, and he suggested that researchers on both sides of the Pacific have a strong idea about what they would want to spend the new funds on. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060003499/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY U.K. announces cap of £200M to renewable energy subsidies. In a move that frustrated green energy advocates and small businesses in the industry, the United Kingdom's government announced yesterday it would cap subsidies for renewable energy projects at £200 million ($340 million) a year. The decision will affect low-scale renewable energy initiatives, such as wind, solar and biomass installations, and the funding will be available under…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2014/07/25/stories/1060003471 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Diversity in U.S. power supply poised to fall, and that could drive prices up – study. The United States is heading toward a less diverse supply of electricity in a shift that could stir volatility in the coming decades, according to a new report from IHS Inc. Factors behind the trend include proposed environmental regulations, a preference for natural gas and renewable energy over other sources and lower wholesale power prices, IHS said in a news release yesterday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060003501/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS San Pedro butane storage company agrees to pay $260,000 fine to EPA. The operator of a large butane storage site in San Pedro that has long drawn complaints from residents has agreed to pay a $260,000 fine for safety and inspection lapses at the facility, federal environmental officials announced Thursday. Rancho LPG Holdings LLC, the owner of two liquid petroleum tanks that can hold up to 25 million gallons of flammable substances…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-storage-tank-fine-20140725-story.html OPINIONS COLUMN-Time to be afraid - preparing for the next big solar storm: Kemp. The probability of a solar storm striking Earth in the next decade with enough force to do serious damage to electricity networks could be as high as 12 percent, according to solar scientists. One such storm erupted from the surface of the Sun two years ago, on July 23, 2012. If it had been directed at this planet, it would have produced the worst geomagnetic storm in more than four centuries and caused extensive power problems. Posted. http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/25/electricity-solarstorms-kemp-idINL6N0PZ5D120140725 Robert Rubin: How ignoring climate change could sink the U.S. economy. Good economic decisions require good data. And to get good data, we must account for all relevant variables. But we’re not doing this when it comes to climate change — and that means we’re making decisions based on a flawed picture of future risks. While we can’t define future climate-change risks with precision, they should be included in economic policy, fiscal and business decisions because of their potential magnitude. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-rubin-how-ignoring-climate-change-could-sink-the-us-economy/2014/07/24/b7b4c00c-0df6-11e4-8341-b8072b1e7348_story.html A Carbon Tax’s Ignoble End. Why Tony Abbott Axed Australia’s Carbon Tax. It will be remembered as one of the most ignoble moments in our history: On July 17, Australia became the first country to repeal a carbon tax. The deputy leader of the Greens Party, Adam Bandt, said it was “the Australian Parliament’s asbestos moment, our tobacco moment — when we knew what we were doing was harmful, but went ahead and did it anyway.” Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/25/opinion/julia-baird-why-tony-abbott-axed-australias-carbon-tax.html Dan Walters Daily: Rising costs undermine California cap-and-trade. (VIDEO) Consumers support California's efforts to combat climate change until it hits their pocketbooks, Dan says. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/25/6581209/dan-walters-daily-rising-costs.html##storylink=cpy Genesis finds its groove. Pop a few buttons off most provocatively dressed Hyundais, and you will find four-cylinder hearts born to be mild. Like a few big-city strutters you've known, they promise more than they can deliver. (I keep a tattered court document in a bottom drawer to remind me of mine.) In fact, take a typical Hyundai to a wild party and it will doze off in the parking lot by 9 o'clock, probably dreaming of growing up to be a Lexus. Don't get me wrong. Hyundais can comfortably transport us to a glassy office or a table at a local burger joint. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/25/6582041/genesis-finds-its-groove.html##storylink=cpy Win some, lose some. Re "Australia scuttles tax on carbon emissions" (Page A9, July 18): This is a defeat for efforts to combat climate change. What happened? This was not a simple carbon tax where all revenue collected was returned to Australian households. Thus, the average Australian saw increased energy costs with no direct compensation for these costs. Also, The tax was strongly opposed by the conservative party and when it returned to power it immediately sought the repeal of the tax. Posted. here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/24/6566323/win-some-lose-some.html##storylink=cpy The records keep coming. Re "State's on a warming trend in 2014" (Capitol & California, July 22): The records keep coming. NOAA announced that global average temperature reached a new high in the month of May and then again in June. The National Weather Service reported that the first six months of this year were the hottest in California history. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/24/6574521/the-records-keep-coming.html##storylink=cpy EarthTalk / Another result of climate change: Wildfires. Dear EarthTalk: Why are wildfires on the increase and what can be done to stop them from happening? There's no question that wildfires are on the increase across the American West and other fire-prone regions of the world, and most environmental leaders agree that global warming is largely to blame. In a recent study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EarthTalk-Another-result-of-climate-change-5645330.php [Editorial] Don’t let big business ruin efforts to cap carbon emissions. Greenhouse gas emission trading, the key program for responding to climate change by reducing carbon emissions, is running into trouble at the very outset. On July 15, the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and other business lobbyists suggested delaying the implementation of the new system until after 2020. Posted. http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/648581.html BLOGS This animation shows how awful the California drought is this year. For the first time since 2000, air pollution is not the top environmental concern among Californians, according to a Public Policy Institute of California survey. It’s water. A full 35 percent of the survey’s respondents cited drought or water supply as their top environmental concern in response to an open-ended question, PPIC reported this week. That’s up from 8 percent just three years ago. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/07/25/this-animation-shows-how-awful-the-california-drought-is-this-year/ More Americans working in solar than coal mining. In a report issued in May 2013 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics sites data that estimated slightly over 80,000 jobs for all occupations within the coal-mining industry. A 2013 report from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration cited 123,227 jobs in coal mining. The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2013 sites data that shows as of November 2013 the solar industry employed 142,698 Americans. Posted. http://blog.timesunion.com/lawrencewhite/more-americans-working-in-solar-than-coal-mining/2046/ California GOP turns on climate change law. If you want a sense of how politicized the fight against global warming has become, look no farther than the latest poll from the Public Policy Institute of California. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2014/07/24/california-gop-turns-on-climate-change-law/ The Dark Side Of Solar Energy: Weaponry. Panic struck late medieval Europe. The Muslims were on the verge of producing, according to one of the most learned men of the day, Roger Bacon, the ultimate doomsday device, a solar mirror that “would burn fiercely everything on anything it could be focused upon.” “Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2014/07/25/dark-side-solar-energy-weaponry/ How an Island-City Plans to Hold Back Rising Seas. I’m on the east side of Alameda Island, standing in mud in front of a storm drain that empties out into San Leandro Bay. There’s a stretch of homes right on the shoreline looking out at estuaries, the Oakland Airport, and Coliseum. The waterline isn’t quite at my feet right now, but in less than a century I’d likely be standing in water up to my shoulders. Posted. http://newamericamedia.org/2014/07/how-an-island-city-plans-to-hold-back-rising-seas.php On climate change, Republicans are even more backward than oil companies. Ask your average liberal or environmentalist to name the primary impediment to action on climate change, and the response will probably be: “Easy. It’s the fossil fuel industry.” It’s not that easy, however. The fossil fuel companies are actually more accepting of climate reality than virtually every Republican in Congress. Posted. http://grist.org/politics/on-climate-change-republicans-are-even-more-backward-than-oil-companies/ Big Polluters Cry Wolf Over EPA Plan to Protect Health and Fight Climate Change. Next week the Environmental Protection Agency will host four public hearings on its plan to reduce climate change pollution from power plants. The speakers list is already filling up. Physicians will outline the health hazards linked to climate change. Farmers will talk about the challenges of raising crops in the face of extreme weather. And governors and mayors will describe the benefits of attracting clean energy investment to their communities. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/big-polluters-cry-wolf-ov_b_5620690.html Drive an EV and you, too, can pay the equivalent of 75 cents a gallon. One in six households can party like it's 1979 by purchasing a plug-in vehicle. Add a thumpin' sound system to that vehicle and you can celebrate by pumping out an appropriate hit from that year, too. We think Chic's Good Times would be appropriate. Thanks to special rates for households with battery-electric of plug-in hybrid vehicles, about 21 million households (a sixth of the country's total)…Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2014/07/25/drive-ev-pay-equivalent-of-75-cents-a-gallon/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.