What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for August 15, 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

Cap-and-trade linked to likely gas-price hike. Democrats first
began raising concerns last winter about what California’s
cap-and-trade law would do to gas prices. Those concerns for
low-income Californians continue to reverberate — especially
since, one way or another, those prices will likely rise. In
February, Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat,
proposed a gasoline tax at 15 cents per gallon to avoid a
potentially higher hike resulting from California’s cap-and-trade
law. Posted.
http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2014/08/15/cap-and-trade-linked-to-likely-gas-price-hike.html?s=print


Some businesses see opportunity in expanded cap-and-trade rules
gas prices. The last few weeks have seen a rise in businesses
howling against a coming hike to gas prices resulting from oil
refineries being folded into California’s climate change law. But
behind the scenes, a coalition of California clean-energy
companies are quietly defending the program.  Posted.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/08/14/some-businesses-see-opportunity-in-expanded-cap.html


AIR POLLUTION

Fire rings bill stalls in state Senate committee. A bill to
preserve beach bonfires is kaput this legislative session, after
the state Senate Appropriations Committee held the bill Thursday.
The action stalls the proposed legislation, which had gained
unanimous support in the Assembly earlier this year, now
preventing it from going to the Senate floor for a vote by all
members. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/beach-631764-fire-rings.html 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Study blames humans for most of melting glaciers. More than
two-thirds of the recent rapid melting of the world's glaciers
can be blamed on humans, a new study finds. Scientists looking at
glacier melt since 1851 didn't see a human fingerprint until
about the middle of the 20th century. Even then only one-quarter
of the warming wasn't from natural causes. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_MELTING_GLACIERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


DROUGHT

UC Davis Scientists Say The Drought Has Helped Water Quality At
Lake Tahoe. The drought had at least one positive effect on Lake
Tahoe in 2013: improved water clarity. UC Davis researchers have
been monitoring the health of Lake Tahoe for nearly 50 years and
released the annual "State of the Lake" report Thursday.  UC
Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center director Geoff Schladow
said the drought has improved clarity as reduced snowmelt has
kept contaminants and pollutants from washing into the lake.
Posted. http://www.capradio.org/30199 

Crippling California drought levels off, latest map shows. After
months of worsening drought across California, conditions appear
to have leveled off, at least for now. According to the latest
assessment released Thursday, more than 80% of California
continues to suffer extreme drought conditions -- a figure that
has remained unchanged now for roughly two weeks. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-drought-unchanged-20140814-story.html


WATER BOND

Environmentalists blast new water bond. The water bond that will
be on the November ballot in California is a “poster-child of
pork barrel politics, a rejection of 21st Century solutions and a
return to the failures of the dam building era,” says a critique
of the bond’s fine print by the California Sportfishing
Protection Alliance. The $7.5 billion bond pushed by the governor
represents “an enormous underground subsidy” for the governor’s
massive water…Posted.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/templates/print.cfm?ID=26502


VEHICLES

Three-wheeled Elio gets closer to going on sale. Your next
commuter car could have two seats, three wheels and get 84 miles
to the gallon. Elio Motors wants to revolutionize U.S. roads with
its tiny car, which is the same length as a Honda Fit but half
the weight. With a starting price of $6,800, it's also less than
half the cost. Phoenix-based Elio plans to start making the cars
next fall at a former General Motors plant in Shreveport,
Louisiana. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_THREE_WHEELED_COMMUTER_CAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.modbee.com/2014/08/15/3488567/your-next-car-3-wheels-2-seats.html

UC Davis researchers suggest we may be at the beginning of a real
hydrogen transition in transportation.  Researchers at the
Institute of Transportation Studies University of California,
Davis suggest that a number of positive trends indicate that we
may be seeing the beginning of a real hydrogen transition in
transportation, despite earlier starts that fizzled.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/08/20140815-ucd.html  

Orange County to get hydrogen fueling stations.  State energy
officials plan to spend $50 million on 28 public hydrogen fueling
stations by the end of the year, five of which will be located in
Orange County: Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest,
Mission Viejo and Orange, according to the Orange County
Register.  Posted. 
http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2014/08/14/orange-county-to-get-hydrogen-fueling-stations.html
 

MISCELLANEOUS

California to Expand Survey of Ingredients.  In Consumer Products
to 300,000 Items. As many as 2,000 cleaning, personal care and
other consumer products manufacturers and suppliers will be
required to participate in a multiyear data gathering effort the
California Air Resources Board is launching Sept. 1. “This is
probably the largest and most comprehensive survey of consumer
products we've undertaken,” Dave Edwards, air quality planning
and science division manager with the California Air Resources
Board, told Bloomberg BNA Aug. 4. The survey is part of CARB's
effort to control ozone pollution by limiting emissions of
volatile organic compounds—which promote ozone formation—and will
enable the agency to maintain an accurate inventory of products
containing VOCs. Posted. Daily Environment Report - Carolyn
Whetzel and Pat Rizzuto - Bloomberg BNA.
 
OPINIONS

Editorial: Jerry Brown, Democrats and Republicans agree on that
most contentious of issues, water. A rare event played out in the
Capitol on Wednesday night, and it’s worthy of note. Gov. Jerry
Brown achieved bipartisan agreement on that most contentious of
issues: water. By votes of 37-0 in the Senate and 77-2 in the
Assembly, the Legislature agreed to allow a statewide vote this
Nov. 4 on a $7.5 billion bond intended to pay for improvements to
California’s water system. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/15/6630334/editorial-jerry-brown-democrats.html#storylink=cpy


Editorial: Half century later, California Legislature must
regulate groundwater. Now that the governor and legislators have
put together a water bond, they must confront the groundwater
crisis. In the third year of severe drought, groundwater has been
critical, providing 60 percent of the water for the state’s $45
billion agriculture industry. Californians have been depleting
groundwater for 50 years, probably longer, by pumping more water
than nature can replenish. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/15/6629687/editorial-half-century-later-legislature.html#storylink=cpy


Viewpoints: Farmers want reasonable groundwater regulation, too.
Farmers use water to grow our food, a basic need. No water, no
farming, no food. Farmers have been stewards of our natural
resources for generations, and have provided jobs and commerce.
Despite California’s extensive aqueduct system, the current
drought has severely strained surface water supplies. As a
result, groundwater is being pumped out at record rates, harming
the state’s aquifers and sometimes other landowners. One of the
reasons this is happening is that California lacks consistent
groundwater management. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/15/6629533/viewpoints-farmers-want-reasonable.html#storylink=cpy


Viewpoints: Geothermal bill will hurt consumers, set back
renewable energy efforts. Most Californians would agree we need
more jobs and cleaner air. Supporters of Senate Bill 1139 are
promoting the bill under these claims. The proposed legislation
would require select retail sellers of electricity to procure 500
megawatts from new geothermal plants. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/15/6629618/viewpoints-geothermal-bill-will.html#storylink=cpy


Editorial: Water bond could leave state awash in new debt. “It
was an amazing convergence over a big idea.” So said Gov. Jerry
Brown on Wednesday, when he signed a ballot measure, passed by
the Legislature, asking California voters to approve a $7.5
billion water bond. Of course, it’s hardly amazing that the
Democratic supermajority in the Assembly and near-supermajority
in the Senate blithely signed off on $7.5 billion in new
borrowing. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-631736-billion-bond.html


Officials: Support of water plan right move. Delta-area
legislators defended their support of California's new $7.5
billion water bond proposal on Thursday amid tough criticism from
some of their friends who believe the bond could be tied to Gov.
Jerry Brown's proposed twin tunnels. Delta-area legislators
defended their support of California's new $7.5 billion water
bond proposal on Thursday amid tough criticism from some of their
friends who believe the bond…Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/article/20140815/NEWS/408150319/-1/A_BIZ

 
Now who’s blowing smoke?  The Environmental Protection Agency’s
unswerving assault on heavy-duty trucks continues. States and
municipalities have taken the agency’s cue and continue to impose
idling prohibitions, making them even more restrictive. However,
heavy-duty trucks have evolved since 2002 from dirty dogs of the
highway to big green machines. Trucks coming off the line today
emit so few pollutants that, in some cases, they actually clean
the air.  Posted. 
http://www.landlinemag.com/Magazine/2014/AugSep/News/whos-blowing-smoke.aspx


BLOGS

The Debate Over CA’s Cap-and-Trade Funds Is Not Over. Los Angeles
Mayor Eric Garcetti led a group of California mayors on a trip to
Sacramento to push for legislation on a number of issues that
impact cities before the final, frantic weeks of August that mark
the end of the legislative session. On their agenda was getting
assurance that cap-and-trade funds would be available to help
cities reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years.
Posted.
http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/08/14/the-debate-over-cas-cap-and-trade-funds-is-not-over/


California Isn’t Just Dry — It’s Hot. California might be headed
for its hottest year on record. The state’s average temperature
for the first half of the year is already its highest in recorded
history, according to a recent report by the National Atmospheric
and Oceanic Association’s Climatic Data Center. The average
temperature for January through July was 60.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
It beat the previous record, set in 1934, by 1.4 degrees. Posted.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/08/14/california-isnt-just-dry-its-hot/


A Little Touch of Climate-Change Despair. Do methane bubbles in
the Arctic signal a new level in our dangerous game with climate
change? I was passing through Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport
last Sunday, on my way home with my two sons. We'd just spent the
past 13 days in the Republic of Congo, visiting the Mbendjele
forest people, a forest concession and a very fine national park,
in order to experience life in Africa. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-poynton/a-little-touch-of-climate-change-despair_b_5674254.html?page_version=legacy&view=print&comm_ref=false


Politicians must take on transport “taboos” to curb emissions.
Sustainable transport policies will fail unless “taboos” around
air and car travel are broken, researchers have warned. Green
technology alone cannot cut transport emissions enough to meet
emissions targets, say the experts from Lund University and the
University of Surrey. Posted.
http://www.rtcc.org/2014/08/15/politicians-must-take-on-transport-taboos-to-curb-emissions/#sthash.uk6rF7w6.dpuf


EPA's State-by-State Carbon Limits Indicate Smart Policy, Not
Arbitrary Rulemaking. In June, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) announced – for the first time ever – standards to
limit carbon emissions from U.S. power plants, known as the Clean
Power Plan (CPP). Currently power plants emit 40 percent of U.S.
carbon emissions, but under the proposed Clean Power Plan, the
U.S. power sector will cut carbon pollution by 30 percent below
2005 levels. Posted.
http://theenergycollective.com/edfenergyex/462776/epa-s-state-state-carbon-limits-indicate-smart-policy-not-arbitrary-rulemaking?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+(all+posts)


Chemical Air Pollution Around The Tar Sands Is Getting Worse,
Data Shows.  Chemical air pollution surrounding the primary areas
where tar sands oil is mined and processed in Canada is on the
rise, according to new data released by the Alberta government. 
The 2012 data released Thursday showed that levels of both sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen dioxide — chemicals that help cause acid
rain, smog, and myriad health problems…Posted. 
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/08/15/3471679/chemical-air-pollution-tar-sands/
  

5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Improving Indoor Air Quality. As
humans, we take our air and breathing for granted. Each time we
breathe, we give our lungs and heart the air they need for
circulating our blood to keep us alive. The quote above assumes
we are grounded in the moment, but are we really giving our
bodies (and minds) the high quality air they need? Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dorit-sasson/5-ecofriendly-alternative_b_5680322.html

New app displays air pollution data for 1000 cities worldwide,
offers personalized alerts.  For those sensitive to air pollution
and poor air quality, such as allergy and asthma sufferers, as
well as athletes concerned about the air quality when they train
outside, the Allairgoo app can offer a helping hand.  If going
outside during periods of poor air quality can set off your
asthma or allergies…Posted. 
http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/new-app-displays-air-pollution-data-1000-cities-worldwide-offers-personalized-alerts.html
 

Cyclists exposed to five times less air pollution than those in
cars, experiment suggests.  Those who travel by car can
experience five times higher pollution levels than those who
cycle, and three and a half times more than those walking,
according to an experiment by academics and campaigners.  In a
video, shown on the Guardian website, by the Healthy Air
Campaign, Kings College London, and Camden Council… Posted. 
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/cyclists-exposed-five-times-less-air-pollution-cars-experiment-suggests-133129
 




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