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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 14, 2014.

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 16:35:35
ARB Newsclips for August 14, 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.


AIR POLLUTION

Court throws out EPA permit for Calif. power plant, handing
enviros a victory. A federal appeals court yesterday threw out a
U.S. EPA air pollution permit for a proposed California natural
gas power plant because it did not meet the agency's air quality
standards at the time it was issued. The case centered on an
August 2011 Prevention of Significant Deterioration, or PSD,
permit that EPA awarded to the proposed 600-megawatt Avenal power
plant in the San Joaquin Valley. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060004441/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Should You Fear the Pizzly Bear?  The emergence of the Eastern
coyote, however, shows how human activity can break down the
barriers that separate species. Perhaps the most obvious way in
which humanity is altering the natural world is through climate
change. The Arctic, where its effects are especially evident, is
warming between two and four times as fast as the rest of the
planet. Spring thaws now arrive weeks earlier; winter freezes
come weeks later. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/magazine/should-you-fear-the-pizzly-bear.html?_r=0
 

Expanding Existing Farmland Would Benefit Climate.  With
worldwide food production expected to double by 2050, it's almost
inevitable that agriculture is going to have to expand in a
warming world with a growing population. A new study suggests
that if new farmland is created carefully, billions of tons of
carbon emissions could be saved. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/state/expanding-existing-farmland-would-benefit-climate_60780629
 

WATER BOND

Californians to vote on $7.5 billion water plan. Driven to action
by the state's historic drought, California lawmakers on
Wednesday voted to place a $7.5 billion water plan before voters
in November. The measure marks the largest investment in decades
in the state's water infrastructure and is designed to build
reservoirs, clean up contaminated groundwater and promote
water-saving technologies. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_WATER_BALLOT_MEASURE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/08/14/us-usa-california-drought-idINKBN0GE02H20140814

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/13/6626961/california-lawmakers-reach-deal.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/08/14/lawmakers-reach-deal-on-7-5b-water-bond.html

http://www.kmph-kfre.com/story/26280712/voters-will-decide-on-water-bond-in-november
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140814/californians-to-vote-on-75-billion-water-plan#2

http://www.kgoradio.com/common/page.php?id=86914 

COBBLED-TOGETHER WATER BOND WON’T STAVE OFF DROUGHT “You know why
there are so many whitefish in the Yellowstone River?” asked
Montana-based landscape artist Russell Chatham, in his 1978 book.
“Because the Fish and Game people have never done anything to
help them.” I keep that quotation in mind whenever the government
promises to solve a problem, especially a big one that promises
to tame nature. Posted. 
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/14/tp-cobbled-together-water-bond-wont-stave-off/


DROUGHT

Brazil's biggest city faces rationing amid drought. Brazil's
biggest city is running out of water and options. The worst
drought to hit the Sao Paulo region in 84 years is forcing local
authorities for the second time in a year to put water pumps
below the gates of the main reservoir, where the level has
dropped sharply, so water can flow to the city's 9 million
people. Federal prosecutors are also demanding that state
officials immediately present a plan for water rationing, warning
that otherwise the reservoir could go dry. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_BRAZIL_DRY_SAO_PAULO?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


How dust could be the solution to Calif.'s drought.  With 80
percent of California in a state of extreme drought, you wouldn't
think dust would be the answer to the state's water woes. New
research presented in San Francisco yesterday suggests, however,
that dusty air blown across the Pacific Ocean from Asia and
Africa could be influencing precipitation in the region. In a
presentation at a national meeting of the American Chemical
Society yesterday, Kim Prather from the University of
California…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004473/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FRACKING

Fracking Disclosures Erased From Website, Group Says. The oil and
gas industry is ignoring a requirement to get permits before
using diesel in hydraulic fracturing, putting at risk drinking
water supplies near wells, an environmental watchdog group
reported. The Environmental Integrity Project combed through data
on an industry-backed website and found 351 wells since 2010 that
were fracked with chemicals that match the Environmental
Protection Agency’s definition of diesel. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-13/fracking-disclosures-erased-from-website-group-says.html


Diesel is used in fracking without permits, report says. Energy
companies have used thousands of gallons of diesel to frack for
oil and gas without obtaining the necessary permits required
under federal law, according to a new report by the Environmental
Integrity Project. The watchdog group's review of industry and
federal data from 2010 to 2014, released Wednesday, found 351
wells in 12 states that used diesel in fracking. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fracking-diesel-20140814-story.html?track=rss


VEHICLES

Are Hydrogen Cars a Threat to Electric Cars? California's $46.6
million bet on hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles is testing
the theory, "if you build it, they will come." Automakers are
only just starting to bring fuel cell cars to the market and most
are beta test cars, according to Chris White, communications
director for the California Fuel Cell Partnership in Sacramento.
There are about 300 fuel cell cars and buses on the road in the
state today, according to that organization. Posted.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/build-california-invests-millions-hydrogen-fueling-stations/story?id=24962830


California Revealed As Instigator of the Eight State ZEV Action
Plan (page 6). From Michigan to Shanghai, government directives
and incentives are encouraging PEVs onto roads.  Meanwhile at
California’s instigation, a group of like-minded US states have
taken a pledge to advance the cause. Posted.
http://www.thebatteryshow.com/assets/files/show-preview-magazine-final-digital.pdf


The Oregon Trail. Ashley Horvat, Chief EV Officer at the Oregon
DOT, explains how the recent eight-state ZEV Action Plan is the
textbook to which participating states will turn to achieve a
low-carbon environment and a clean efficient transportation
system. The Action Plan, released in May 2014, is setting the bar
for the promotion of zero emission vehicles by aiming to put 3.3
million on the road by 2025 and thus offering the prospect of a
much cleaner and healthier environment in the USA. Posted.
http://www.evtechexpo.com/media/news/2014/08/12/the-oregon-trail/


DOE to award more than $55M to 31 projects for plug-in and
efficient vehicle technologies; Delphi receives $10M to further
GDCI.  The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding more than
$55 million to 31 new projects to accelerate research and
development of vehicle technologies that will improve fuel
efficiency and reduce costs under a program-wide funding
opportunity announced in January. (DE-FOA-0000991, earlier post.)
Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/08/20140814-doe.html 

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Lack of land slows work on California bullet train project. The
Hollywood Inn, a shuttered nightclub in a run-down section of
Fresno, has been demolished. A few miles away, an 80-foot-deep
shaft to test soil conditions has been sunk into the banks of the
Fresno River. Officials say such activities, along with recent
legal victories and new long-term state funding, show genuine
progress on the $68-billion high-speed-rail project that would
link the state's major cities with 220-mph train service. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-bullet-train-land-20140814-story.html#page=1


California bullet train scores new victory.  High Speed Rail
already has authorized the purchase of more than 600 parcels --
and can now negotiate on 158 new parcels in the pathway of the
bullet train. Those properties can be acquired through eminent
domain.  One of those properties belongs to Helen Sullivan, of
M&S Farming in Kings County.  Posted. 
http://www.kcra.com/news/california-bullet-train-scores-new-victory/27463570#!bDobTz


GREEN ENERGY

Catholic Charities will host solar event Saturday. The Catholic
Charities Diocese of Stockton will host an event Saturday for
residents interested in going solar. No, you don’t have to be
Catholic to participate. The diocese has entered into a
partnership with Oakland-based solar provider Sungevity to make
it easier for parishioners and the general public to switch to
solar power. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/article/20140813/A_NEWS/140819923/101094/A_NEWS
 

NRG Energy Buys Solar Start-Up Goal Zero.  NRG Energy, one of the
country’s largest independent power producers, is getting into
the mobile solar business with the acquisition of a start-up
called Goal Zero, company executives said on Thursday. Goal Zero
makes solar-charged battery packs that can fit in a handbag and
mobile generators that could run the main components of a home.
Posted.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/14/nrg-energy-buys-solar-start-up-goal-zero/


MISCELLANEOUS

Sierra Club: UCI is coolest for being greenest.  They focused on
the little things, like not serving meat on Mondays in the dining
halls and offering “hydration stations,” where students can fill
reusable bottles with filtered water.  Add to that, campus
leaders took steps to reduce energy use by 23 percent in just
five years.  Posted. 
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/uci-631656-energy-school.html


OPINIONS

Local projects can keep the water flowing in L.A. To the editor:
There's no denying Jim Newton's point that the issue of how water
is sourced and distributed throughout California is contentious.
Yet the future of Los Angeles' water supply is less about
fighting others for water than it is about making smart
investments and using ratepayer dollars wisely. ("The
contentious, complicated fight for water in California," Op-Ed,
Aug. 10). Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0814-thursday-water-drought-20140814-story.html


Our View: Central Valley delegation led way on California water
bond. It’s not often something happens deserving of the word
“monumental,” especially when discussing the legislative process.
This might be one of those times. With the Northern San Joaquin
Valley delegation playing a pivotal role, and agreeing to trust a
governor who is following in the footsteps of his father, an
agreement was reached Wednesday on a water bond that could signal
a victory in California’s legendary water wars. Posted.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/08/13/3794563/our-view-central-valley-delegation.html?sp=/99/177/#storylink=cpy


Clean up big vehicles for a healthier California: Opinion.  If
California is going to meet clean air and climate goals, we have
to tackle pollution from the transportation sector. State
emission reduction programs like AB 32 have an important role to
play, but there is also a need for targeted investment and
incentives. This is especially true for heavy-duty diesel
vehicles such as trucks, buses and off-road equipment.  Posted. 
http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20140813/clean-up-big-vehicles-for-a-healthier-california-opinion


BLOGS

Tesla is becoming the 800-pound green jobs gorilla.  I don’t even
have a car, but I have a soft spot for the folks at Tesla Motors.
They’re doing some really cool things with electric car batteries
and solar. They melted my cold heart when they reopened the Nummi
plant in Fremont, Calif. I’m someone whose entire family was once
employed by some aspect of the auto industry. When Nummi became
Tesla, it felt like a happy ending to some of the most boneheaded
maneuvers that General Motors ever pulled.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/business-technology/tesla-is-becoming-the-800-pound-green-jobs-gorilla/
  

Lloyd’s Warns Sea Level Rise, Land Subsidence Imperil Many
‘Megacities’.  A bulletin from Lloyd’s of London warns that, “as
sea levels rise, ground levels in coastal megacities are also
falling – with potentially disastrous implications for insurers.
Insurers of large property portfolios in the world’s great
coastal cities will have factored the effects of climate change
into their catastrophe models – including rising sea levels and
more frequent storm surges. But what’s often missed is that many
of these cities are sinking faster than the water is rising.
Posted.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2014/08/13/337421.htm


Water Bond Heads to November Ballot as Proposition 1.  A plan to
spend $7.5 billion on water projects across California is on its
way to the November ballot. The water bond measure — officially
the “Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of
2014” — passed both houses with near-unanimous support Wednesday
night. Posted. 
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/08/14/california-water-bond-proposition-1


Will Mazda sell diesel hybrids in Japan in 2016?  Could the "Zoom
Zoom" automaker start making hybrids that go "glug glug glug"?
Mazda, known for its fuel-efficient Skyactiv engine line, will be
the first Japanese automaker to make a diesel-hybrid vehicle for
Japan and Europe. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, Mazda may
start making its oil-burning hybrids as soon as 2016…Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/08/14/will-mazda-sell-diesel-hybrids-in-japan-in-2016/

 



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

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