What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for August 26, 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 bill to delay cap-and-trade expansion finished for
year. Avoiding an election-year legislative debate over how
California’s cap-and-trade program could affect gasoline prices,
the leader of the state Senate has sidelined a bill that would
have delayed a key aspect of California’s landmark emissions law.
Several years have passed since California enacted AB 32, a 2006
law meant to reduce heat-trapping emissions and which requires
industries to purchase permits…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/25/6653053/california-bill-to-delay-cap-and.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fuel-bill-fails-20140825-story.html

http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2014/aug/26/california-cap-and-trade-will-not-be-delayed/
http://capitolweekly.net/senate-leader-delay-cap-trade-plan/  
http://www.capradio.org/30884 
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2014/08/26/stories/1060004913 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

California business groups oppose 'hidden gas tax'. California
business groups are crying foul over what they say is a hidden
tax that will raise gas prices. Starting in January, oil
refineries in California will be required to participate in the
state’s cap-and-trade program. California’s cap-and-trade system
is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capping the
total amount of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere.
Posted.
http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/california-business-groups-oppose-hidden-gas-tax/article_67bd4640-4f4c-51ed-882b-d39e8b8b2923.html
BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

Fracking Link to Birth Defects Probed in Early Research. The
first research into the effects of oil and gas development on
babies born near wells has found potential health risks.
Government officials, industry advocates and the researchers
themselves say more studies are needed before drawing
conclusions. While the findings are still preliminary, any
documented hazards threaten to cast a shadow over hydraulic
fracturing, or fracking -- the process of blasting chemicals,
sand and water deep underground to extract fuel from rock that’s
helped push the U.S. closer to energy self-sufficiency than at
any time since 1985. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-26/fracking-link-to-birth-defects-probed-in-early-research.html


Black carbon linked to increased cardiovascular risk; exacerbated
by co-exposure to motor vehicle emissions.  Black carbon (BC)
from incomplete biomass and fossil fuel combustion is the most
strongly light-absorbing component of particulate matter (PM) air
pollution and a major climate-forcing emission. A new
international study led by McGill University (Canada) Professor
Jill Baumgartner suggests that black carbon may also increase the
risk of cardiovascular disease. The team’s findings are published
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States (PNAS). Posted.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/08/20140826-baumgartner.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Growing, and Growing More Dangerous,
Draft of U.N. Report Says. Runaway growth in the emission of
greenhouse gases is swamping all political efforts to deal with
the problem, raising the risk of “severe, pervasive and
irreversible impacts” over the coming decades, according to a
draft of a major new United Nations report. Global warming is
already cutting grain production by several percentage points,
the report found, and that could grow much worse if emissions
continue unchecked. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/science/earth/greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-growing-and-growing-more-dangerous-draft-of-un-report-says.html
 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-08-26/irreversible-damage-seen-from-climate-change-in-un-leak.html


Modern Research Borne on a Relic.  As part of the study, Dr.
Miller and her colleagues asked other researchers whether they
thought they might benefit from access to a stratospheric
airship. To their surprise, they found that climate scientists
were just as interested as cosmologists were in developing a
low-cost, reusable platform for their research. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/science/airships-that-carry-science-into-the-stratosphere.html?_r=0


Government Auditors Say 'Social Cost of Carbon' Is by the Book.
Year-long probe gives no new ammunition to outspoken critics in
Congress who requested the audit. Government auditors have taken
a close look at a disputed calculation used by federal regulators
to assess the long-term costs of carbon pollution. Their verdict:
It was all done by the book. The hotly contested economic
calculation, known as the "social cost of carbon," or SCC…Posted.
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20140826/government-auditors-say-social-cost-carbon-book


DROUGHT

Bills to regulate California groundwater use opposed by farmers.
A package of bills aimed at regulating drought-parched
California's stressed groundwater supplies has come under fire
from agricultural interests, injecting doubt into the measures'
fates in the waning days of the state's legislative session this
week. The bills, which would allow the state to take over
management of underground aquifers and water accessed via
wells…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/25/us-usa-california-water-idUSKBN0GP21N20140825


Mapping the Spread of Drought Across the U.S. Maps and charts
updated weekly show the latest extent of the drought in the
United States. Droughts appear to be intensifying over much of
the West and Southwest as a result of global warming. Over the
past decade, droughts in some regions have rivaled the epic dry
spells of the 1930s and 1950s. About 34 percent of the contiguous
United States was in at least a moderate drought as of August 19.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/mapping-the-spread-of-drought-across-the-us.html?abg=1&abt=0002&_r=0


These 9 before and after photos show the impact of California’s
drought. In these before-and-after images, full water levels are
visible around Lake Oroville in Oroville, California and Folsom
Lake in El Folsom, California on July 20, 2011 and low water
levels are visible on August 19, 2014. As the severe drought in
California continues for a third straight year, water levels in
the state’s lakes and reservoirs are reaching historic lows. Lake
Oroville is currently at 32 percent of its total 3,537,577 acre
feet. Posted.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20140825/NEWS/140829628 

The future of water in Southern California.  As the state endures
one of the worst droughts in recorded history, Southern
California residents are looking for answers about the
sustainability of the region’s water supplies. Farmers have felt
the sting of below-average rainfall for years, but as the crisis
worsens, urban and suburban areas are likely to suffer drastic
change in their relationship with the vital liquid. Wildfires and
brown lawns may be increasingly common visual symptoms of
drought…Posted.
http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2014/08/25/39018/the-future-of-water-in-southern-california/


GREEN ENERGY

New solar farm in Richmond begins generating power.  A utility
says its latest solar farm in eastern Indiana has started
generating electricity. Indiana Municipal Power Agency says the
eight-acre solar farm on the grounds of Richmond Power and Light
contains about 4,000 solar panels. They will generate one
megawatt of electricity at peak capacity, or enough electricity
to power about 200 homes. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/new-solar-park-in-richmond-begins-generating-power_30451697
 

SolarWorld Americas recalls solar panels. SolarWorld Americas of
Hillsboro, Oregon, is recalling solar panels it has installed
after June 1, 2010, due to the possibility of bare-copper
grounding lugs that can corrode, according to the U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission. If the grounding logs corrode, there
is the potential for a faulty ground circuit, the consumer
protection agency says. That could cause electrocution, electric
shock or fire. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/business/local/company-news/solarworld-americas-recalls-solar-panels_27500400
 

Underground energy debate powering up. California lawmakers may
decide this week whether San Diego County utility customers must
underwrite a new fleet of geothermal power plants. The proposed
legislation requires the state’s major investor-owned utilities,
including San Diego Gas & Electric, to collectively contract 500
megawatts of electrical generating capacity…Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/26/california-geothermal-mandate-tough-sell/
 

OPINIONS

A climate for change: America should not wait while the world
warms.  FOR MORE than a century, scientists have understood the
basic physics of the greenhouse effect. For decades, they’ve
realized humans can affect the climate by burning coal, oil and
gas. But the country’s leaders remain divided on the need to curb
greenhouse emissions, let alone how to do it.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-climate-for-change-america-should-not-wait-while-the-world-warms/2014/08/25/872bab64-2a00-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html


Editorial: Stop the delays; pass groundwater regulation. Bills to
create a system for managing groundwater are being undermined
before they come up for final votes as early as today in the
Senate and Assembly.  Senate Bill 1168 by Fran Pavley, D-Agoura
Hills, and Assembly Bill 1739 by Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento,
have been through a process beginning early this year that
engages various water users and organizations. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/26/6653604/editorial-stop-the-delays-pass.html#storylink=cpy


Our View: We must protect our water, below and above ground.
Taken by itself, the legislation known as Pavley-Dickinson is a
desperately needed attempt to create a sustainable supply of
groundwater. But just as creeks connect to rivers and rivers to
oceans, groundwater is inextricably connected to the water that
flows through our region. And no plan that ignores that essential
fact can succeed for us. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2014/08/25/3503839_our-view-we-must-protect-our-water.html?sp=/99/1641/&rh=1#storylink=cpy


BLOGS

Which Chinese Cities Are Most Congested? A new study by online
mapping company Autonavi lists China’s most congested cities,
with a surprising city taking the No. 2 spot. Shanghai suffers
more from gridlock than the nation’s capital, according to the
report released last week. Despite notorious stories of traffic
jams that last for days, Beijing ranked third—after Hangzhou—in
the study, which was based on data compiled from 25 cities around
the country. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/08/26/which-chinese-cities-are-most-congested-the-answer-may-surprise-you/


A Closer Look at Turbulent Oceans and Greenhouse Heating. 
Earth’s climate is shaped by the interplay of two complicated and
turbulent systems — the atmosphere and oceans. (The photo above
is from the two years I spent at that interface as crew on
ocean-roaming sailboats.) The oceans hold the majority of heat in
the system, are full of sloshy cycles on time scales from years
to decades and, despite an increase in monitoring using
sophisticated diving buoys, remain only spottily tracked. Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/a-closer-look-at-turbulent-oceans-and-greenhouse-heating/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Climate%20Change&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs®ion=Body&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A11%22}


Steinberg: Cap-and-trade expansion will not be delayed. Sen.
Henry Perea had introduced a measure to hold off on placing
vehicle fuels into California’s emission reduction program for
three years, a move to delay gas prices from increasing by 13
cents or more by 2020. But in a letter to Perea, Senate leader
Darrell Steinberg said that Assembly Bill 69 would not be heard
on the Senate floor because, he argued, the cost of delaying
cap-and-trade outweighed the cost of implementing the program.
Posted.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/08/steinberg-cap-and-trade-expansion-will-not-be.html


Are the EPA's MPGe ratings hurting EV sales? Plug-in vehicle
makers are losing out on sales dollars because the mileage
ratings don't make a lot of sense. That's what one Venture Beat
writer says after buying a Toyota Prius Plug-in and trying to
apply the miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) standard to
real-world results. In short, it's difficult to do. The Prius
Plug-in Hybrid's 95 MPGe rating is not only difficult to
quantify, but it's "artificial" and "purely imaginary" …Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/08/26/are-the-epas-mpge-ratings-hurting-ev-sales/



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