What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for September 2, 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

South Korea delays smog tax; starts emission trading in 2015 -
finance minister. South Korea has delayed a proposed tax on
vehicle carbon emissions by over five years to the end of 2020,
but confirmed it would push ahead with plans to begin its carbon
emissions trading scheme from the start of 2015, finance minister
Choi Kyung-hwan said on Tuesday. Posted.
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N0R31S620140902


AIR POLLUTION

Tighter restrictions coming to a hearth near you.  It's a little
early -- and hot -- to start worrying about fireplaces. But if
valley air officials have their way, the use of open-hearth
fireplaces and other "dirty" wood-burning devices could be cut in
half this winter. In summer, the valley's biggest air problem is
ozone, an unhealthy component of smog that forms under the hot,
summer sun. But during late fall and winter, the valley's air
pollution scourge is particulate matter, or PMs, a mixture of
tiny solid particles and liquid droplets in the air. Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x110585275/Tighter-restrictions-coming-to-a-hearth-near-you


If 2 New Yorkers Shared a Cab ... It may be anathema to New
Yorkers. But a team of mathematicians and engineers has
calculated that if taxi riders were willing to share a cab, New
York City could reduce the current fleet of 13,500 taxis up to 40
percent, in that way unclogging traffic, conserving fuel and
fighting air pollution. “The predicted economic and environmental
savings are considerable,” said Steven Strogatz, a mathematician
at Cornell and an author of a paper describing the findings,
published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/science/sharing-taxis-nyc-mathematics.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A6%22}


Wyoming carbon test site could be chosen soon.  The location of a
proposed facility to test new technologies for capturing carbon
dioxide from a working power plant could be selected by state
officials within the next few months, a utility official said.
Two power plants in the Gillette area are being offered as
potential sites for the test center by Rapid City, South
Dakota-based Black Hills Power and Bismarck, North Dakota-based
Basin Electric Power Cooperative. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/wyoming-carbon-test-site-could-be-chosen-soon_49866575


Valley ozone at record low levels ... but.  The valley may be
decades away from reaching the federal government's latest
clean-air standards, a line that valley air officials refer to as
the "moving goal posts" of federal regulation. But for the second
summer in a row, the region is seeing record-low levels of the
corrosive gas known as ozone, the main component of valley smog.
"We are very pleased that the historically low ozone levels we
saw last year were not just an anomaly," said Seyed Sadredin,
executive director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District. Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x110585268/Valley-ozone-at-record-low-levels-but


EPA staff recommends significantly lower ozone standard.  The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staff said Friday that the
nation should tighten smog rules significantly, a step that would
improve air quality in California but force costly new
requirements on government and industry. The EPA staff
recommendation is the final step before the rule goes to the
agency's leadership and the White House. As a result of lawsuits
by environmental and health groups, the agency must propose a new
ozone rule by December and the final rule by October 2015.
Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SMOG_RULE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-ozone-20140830-story.html 
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/epa-staff-agency-tough-smog-25186090
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/epa-staff-says-agency-needs-to-be-tough-on-smog/2014/08/29/b7840d8c-2fce-11e4-be9e-60cc44c01e7f_story.html


Communities going into power business to cut cost, carbon
footprint. Sonoma County, which enticed Americans to forsake
factory-made food for artisan wines and farmers market produce,
now wants consumers to reconsider another everyday commodity. New
on the menu: locally curated energy. The county is at the
forefront among eco-minded communities plunging into the power
business nationwide. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sonoma-power-20140902-story.html


Mountain air has high levels of ozone pollution, too.  Mountain
air may look and smell clean, but a new study shows high levels
of ozone may be polluting the atmosphere at the summit.  The
Front Range in Colorado was the subject of an investigation,
studying air pollution levels in the region.  Posted. 
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/14454/20140830/mountain-air-high-levels-ozone-pollution.htm

CLIMATE CHANGE

On Climate, a Younger Bush’s Ideas Stray From Party Ideology. On
the campaign trail in Texas for a little-known statewide office,
George P. Bush is generally toeing the Republican Party line: He
is attacking the federal health care overhaul, decrying abortion
and championing gun rights. But it is environmental policy that
will be under his purview if, as expected, he wins his race to be
the state’s next land commissioner in November. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/us/on-climate-a-younger-bushs-ideas-stray-from-party-ideology.html?_r=0


Climate Change Could Soak Up California’s Fresh Mountain Water
Runoff. A new study suggests rising global temperatures could cut
into California's water supply by altering high-altitude
vegetation. Water used to irrigate crops in the Central Valley
often begins as runoff from the top of Sierra Nevada mountains.
It's so cold up there, vegetation can't take root. But with
global temperatures rising, that could change. Posted.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/sep/01/climate-change-could-soak-californias-fresh-mounta/


Nearly Half the World’s Trash Is Burned, and That’s Worsening
Climate Change.  Nearly half the world’s trash is burned in the
open, spewing pollutants into the atmosphere that contribute to
climate change and affect human health, according to a new study.
 Since such burning is largely unregulated and unreported,
emissions of some pollutants have been underestimated by as much
as 40 percent, said the researchers, who published their findings
in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.  Posted. 
http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/09/01/burning-trash-is-new-climate-change-threat


Climate Change and the Threat to Cancer Research.  Climate change
is having negative effects upon medical breakthroughs for
diseases such as cancer and dermatological disorders, says
eco-business Celestial Green Ventures (CGV) in its most recent
study.  Droughts and floods are just two impacts of climate
change being seen in the Amazon Rainforest today; a phenomenon
that is being contributed to greatly by the deforestation of the
area.  Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-Change-and-the-Threat-to-Cancer-Research-5726158.php


Climate study yields bad news for tiny desert fish.  For 10,000
years, a tiny iridescent blue fish has lived in the depths of a
cavern in Nevada's desert. But a new study says climate change
and warming waters - and its lack of mobility - are threatening
its existence and decreasing its numbers. Scientists studying
climate change anticipate that as Earth continues to warm, fish
and wildlife will migrate away from the equator or seek higher
ground for a cooler habitat. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/state/climate-study-yields-bad-news-for-tiny-desert-fish_76471587

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/climate-study-yields-bad-news-for-tiny-desert-fish/2014/09/01/60ff9b4e-31e9-11e4-9f4d-24103cb8b742_story.html

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-study-yields-bad-news-for-tiny-desert-fish-5726405.php


New Marin Plan Aims to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 30%. A new
"climate action plan" providing a "blueprint for a more
sustainable future" aims to curb greenhouse gas emissions 30
percent in Marin's unincorporated areas by 2020, a goal that is
among the most ambitious in the nation. That's roughly the
equivalent of removing 20,000 cars from the road or reducing
gasoline consumption 11 million gallons each year, the report
calculated. Posted.
http://california.construction.com/yb/ca/article.aspx?story_id=id:0lVYwrgUSCeU2kcqi0ehEbJ-PUm9WxOwahiZxQ-h36hvzffp8M_sZ1fR1LjuTeNS


Polar vortex visits to U.S. linked to climate change.  Remember
the polar vortex, the huge mass of Arctic air that can plunge
much of the U.S. into the deep freeze? You might have to get used
to it. A new study says that as the world gets warmer, parts of
North America, Europe and Asia could see more frequent and
stronger visits of that cold air. Researchers say that's because
of shrinking ice in the seas off Russia. Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_POLAR_VORTEX?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/09/02/polar-vortex-climate-change/14973047/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories


DROUGHT

Water bond could aid Salton Sea. This largest of inland lakes in
California is expected to see even more rapid water loss by 2018
connected, in part, to water sales to the San Diego region. The
water loss threatens the biological diversity of the sea, which
serves as a central stop for hundreds of bird species on the
Pacific Flyway. Lower lake levels could also foul air quality for
communities around the sea, as the wind whips more exposed playa,
laden with pesticides from agricultural run-off. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/01/tp-water-bond-could-aid-salton-sea/


Drought: Is the bottled industry shrinking California's water
supply?  California's drought has many communities looking hard
at where their water comes from and where it goes. One concern is
that some water goes into bottles, and those bottles go somewhere
else for sale. California has a lot of companies that bottle
water, whether it’s purified water — sourced from a municipal
system and filtered some more — or spring water, which comes out
of the ground.    Posted.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/economy/2014/09/02/17232/is-bottled-water-taking-away-from-calif-s-water-su/


Chance of 'megadrought' in U.S. Southwest now 50%, study
concludes.  The chance of a "megadrought" gripping the Southwest
for more than 30 years has increased to 50%, scientists say,
which means bad news for California's already parched landscape.
The odds of a 10-year drought afflicting the southwestern U.S.
have increased to 80%, according to a new study by Cornell
University, the University of Arizona and the U.S. Geological
Survey. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-megadrought-forecast-20140829-story.html?dlvrit=649324&track=rss&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it


Burlingame asks: How green is gray water?.  The merciless drought
parching California is forcing people to confront scary questions
about the state's water supply -- and search for answers.  On
Wednesday, city leaders in Burlingame will host a forum on two
emerging methods of water conservation titled "The Pros and Cons
of Gray Water and Rainwater." Tom Bressan, owner of the Urban
Farmer Store and an expert in water-friendly landscaping, will
lead the discussion.  Posted. 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_26448736/Burlingame-asks:-How-green-is-gray-water

GREEN ENERGY

Solar Company Seeks Stiff U.S. Tariffs to Deter Chinese Spying. 
In the daunting battle against corporate online espionage
worldwide, one major solar company wants to deploy a powerful and
novel weapon: higher tariffs. SolarWorld Americas, the largest
manufacturer of solar panels in the United States, has asked the
Commerce Department to investigate claims that Chinese military
personnel broke into the company’s computers and stole documents
important to its business and its long-running trade dispute with
China. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/business/trade-duties-urged-as-new-deterrent-against-cybertheft.html


California among 5 states offering major incentives to Tesla in
bid to secure $5 billion factory.  From the start, little has
been typical about Tesla Motors’ plan for a $5 billion factory to
make batteries for a new generation of electric cars. It’s not
just the project’s massive scale, the cutting-edge technology, or
even the bonanza of 6,500 good-paying jobs.It’s how Tesla is
deciding where to build. Posted.
http://www.sbsun.com/business/20140831/california-among-5-states-offering-major-incentives-to-tesla-in-bid-to-secure-5-billion-factory


http://www.sbsun.com/business/20140831/what-states-like-california-can-offer-to-get-teslas-5-billion-factory


DOE seeking information on clean energy manufacturing
technologies.  The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced
Manufacturing Office (AMO) has issued a request for information
(DE-FOA-0001158) on mid- Technology Readiness Level (TRL)
research and development (R&D) needs, market challenges, supply
chain challenges and shared facility needs in addressing advanced
manufacturing development challenges impacting clean energy
manufacturing. Submissions are due by 3 October.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/09/20140901-amo.html

California to phase out EV incentives for the wealthy. 
California, which offers rebates of up to $2,500 to electric
vehicle buyers to help meet a goal of getting 1.5 million
zero-emission vehicles onto its roads by 2025, is overhauling its
incentive program in response to a common criticism: The state’s
rebates are sometimes just a windfall for the wealthy.  Posted. 
http://www.autonews.com/article/20140829/OEM05/140829854/california-to-phase-out-ev-incentives-for-the-wealthy


Kia selects Greenlots to provide fast chargers and open standards
networking for 2015 Soul EV rollout in US.  Greenlots, a global
provider of open standards-based technology solutions for
electric vehicle (EV) networks, is partnering with Kia Motors
America (KMA) and ABB, a global leader in power and automation
technologies, to offer DC fast-chargers (DCFCs) at select Kia
dealerships on the West Coast for the soon-to-launch 2015 Kia
Soul EV.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/09/20140902-greenlots.html

MISCELLANEOUS

Taxi Sharing Could Reduce Traffic, Air Pollution: Study.  If New
Yorkers who normally took taxis alone would share their cab with
a stranger, the city could cut the size of its taxi fleet by up
to 40 percent, according to a new study.  The study, published
Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and
reported by the New York Times, found that if passengers rode
together it would unclog busy streets, conserve fuel and decrease
air pollution in the city without drastically increasing the
length of their trips.  Posted. 
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Share-Cab-Study-NYC-New-York-City-Environment-TLC-Traffic--273528971.html

OPINIONS

AB32 helps California move forward on curbing emissions.  When
climbers team up to scale a big peak, they share the goal of
making it to the summit. Success rests on training, detailed
planning, clear communication, using the best available
technologies and a bit of luck with the weather. If all line up,
one might make the summit. These values are at the core of The
North Face, the company I have worked with for the past 31 years.
Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2014/08/29/3510835_ab32-helps-california-move-forward.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


Limiting carbon emissions is not enough to stop global warming. 
The Post’s editorial series on climate change made valid and
important points [“A climate for change,” Aug. 25 through Aug.
29]. In particular: The problem is real, important and urgent.
And applying the principles of Economics 101 is an effective and
efficient response — if only politics didn’t get in the way. But
the series did a disservice by reinforcing the widespread but
wrong perception that the source of the problem is carbon dioxide
emissions and that alone.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/limiting-carbon-emissions-is-not-enough-to-stop-global-warming/2014/08/29/2a7b6546-2edb-11e4-be9e-60cc44c01e7f_story.html

Viewpoints: Beware of too much power in executive branch. 
Recently, we have seen mounting criticism targeted toward one
agency, the California Air Resources Board. While some defend the
board’s policies, others say that it has enacted complex policies
with little legislative oversight, some of which could affect
gasoline prices in California, and others that could even impact
the price of wheat in Haiti and rice in Bangladesh. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/30/6662543/viewpoints-beware-of-too-much.html#storylink=cpy


BLOGS 

California renters may soon install EV chargers at home. 
Electric-vehicle charging stations. They may not just for the
landed gentry anymore. At least in the Golden State.
California lawmakers have passed a bill that would enable
residential and commercial tenants to install electric-vehicle
charging stations, provided that they foot the bill, according to
Charged EVs. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/09/01/california-renters-may-soon-install-ev-chargers-at-home/


How minor parties help address climate change.  Concern over
climate change continues to grow among climate scientists and
across the political spectrum. But climate change is a difficult
problem to address in large part because its consequences are not
immediately apparent, and thus it can be difficult to convince
the public to accept the material sacrifices required. In
democracies, this task can be made more difficult by the
incentives parties and politicians face to pander; that is, to
pursue votes by appealing to voters’ short-term interests. In the
case of global warming, this would be by appealing to voters’
preferences for material comfort in the present at the expense of
a future stable climate.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/09/01/how-minor-parties-help-address-climate-change/


'Hidden Gas Tax' or Not—California's Cap and Trade Policy Starts
a New Era.  Will California gas station see queues at their pumps
on December 31 as motorists seek their last fill-up before gas
prices soar 15 cents per gallon, as AB 69 supporters warned? The
bill died in the state legislature on August 22.  Marc Lifsher of
the Los Angeles Times writes from Sacramento, "The bill, AB 69,
was designed to head off what [Assemblymember Henry T. Perea
(D-Fresno)] and allies -- in a major multimedia public relations
campaign -- called a 'hidden gas tax' of as much as 15 cents a
gallon extra that consumers are going to start paying at the pump
in January."  Posted.  http://www.planetizen.com/node/71001 

Earth Log: Dirty air started up again, so here's my ozone riff. 
Dirty air made a comeback on the day that I wrote about the
record-setting clean streak in August -- if I only had such
influence over rainfall.  But it did spark interest in ozone.
Several readers wanted to talk about this notorious warm-season
pollutant that can scar your lungs and trigger asthma attacks. 
Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/29/4094338/earth-log-dirty-air-started-up.html


This California bill will make electric cars way less
pretentious.  Finally, electric cars are for everybody, and not
just the snooty, Prius-driving set: California’s legislature has
just passed a first-of-its-kind bill that would up the number of
electric cars on the state’s roadways by increasing their
availability to disadvantaged and low-income drivers.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/list/this-california-bill-will-make-electric-cars-way-less-pretentious/


Empty study paves the way for fracking in California.  Well,
there you have it, ladies and gents: Fracking’s just fine! A
study found no significant evidence to suggest that fracking and
similar extraction techniques are harmful to the environment. 
Energy companies poised to dig into California’s reserves are
breathing a sigh of relief. The findings pave the way for the
Bureau of Land Management to resume issuing oil and gas leases on
federal land in California next year, following a temporary halt
to the practice last year and the defeat of an attempted
statewide moratorium on fracking this spring.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/news/empty-study-paves-the-way-for-tracking-in-california/


Why coal is (still) worse than fracking and cow burps.  Is
fracking for natural gas good for the planet?  To understand the
pitched fight over this question, you first need to realize that
for many years, we’ve been burning huge volumes of coal to get
electricity — and coal produces a ton of carbon dioxide, the
chief gas behind global warming. Natural gas, by contrast,
produces half as much carbon dioxide when it burns, and thus, the
fracking boom has been credited with a decline in U.S. greenhouse
gas emissions. So far so good, right?  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/why-coal-is-still-worse-than-fracking-and-cow-burps/
 

Earth Talk: Electronic waste.  Dear EarthTalk: We must really be
swimming in electronic waste, what with all the iPhones and other
devices that are so common. How is this all being dealt with? -
Mary Shufelt, New Bern, NC.  With electronic equipment and
gadgets the fastest growing waste stream in many countries, how
to deal with so-called "e-waste" may in fact be one of the most
pressing environmental problems of the 21st century.  Posted. 
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/02/6671966/earth-talk-electronic-waste.html






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