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ARB Newsclips for September 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Firm pays fine for not reporting mine pollution. The
Canadian-based owner of a gold mine in northern Nevada has agreed
to pay a $182,000 civil penalty for failing to correctly report
to federal environmental regulators the release of millions of
pounds of toxic chemicals — including arsenic and cyanide — into
the air and ground. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Firm-pays-fine-for-not-reporting-mine-pollution-5780839.php
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/25/6735862/veris-gold-pays-182k-penalty-at.html

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/25/firm-pays-fine-for-not-reporting-mine-pollution/


Ozone health watch issued for metro Phoenix. Environmental
regulators on Thursday issued a day-long ozone health watch for
metropolitan Phoenix. A health watch is issued when ozone levels
are expected to approach federal health standards. Ozone can
irritate the lungs and aggravate existing health conditions such
as asthma. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Ozone-health-watch-issued-for-metro-Phoenix-5779589.php


Valley residents may get help replacing old wood-burning devices.
 The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s
Governing Board has authorized more money to change out older,
high-polluting wood-burning devices for newer, cleaner units. 
The move increases the incentive amount available to residents
who change out their older, polluting wood-burning devices to
$1,500 per device, up from $500.  Posted. 
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=26799 

CLIMATE CHANGE

US Homeland Security moves to tackle climate change risks.
Protecting the infrastructure of American cities from the effects
of climate change is rising on the agenda of the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security, according to a top agency official. 
Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-foundation-climate-security-idUSKCN0HK2PW20140925


AFRICA INVESTMENT-Africa adds climate change bonds to global
warming arsenal. Global warming in Africa may soon move bond
markets. In 2016, the first climate change bonds will be issued
from Africa - unique instruments that will enable the world's
poorest continent to tap both capital markets and donor funds to
bolster its defenses against extreme weather events such as
prolonged drought or extreme heat. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/26/africa-investment-idUSL6N0RR1Q920140926


EPA head: No need to fear hurting economy in battle against
climate change. Hot off the United Nations Climate Summit 2014,
the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency kept up the
Obama administration’s push for significant changes in the rules
on carbon pollution – an overhaul she said would help, not
hinder, economic progress. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/25/6736034/epa-head-no-need-to-fear-hurting.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/09/25/4143639/epa-head-no-need-to-fear-hurting.html


Despite split from group, Google’s links to climate change denial
run deep. Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has given
$29,000 over the past six years to politicians who could be
lumped in with the “liars” on climate change that he denounced
this week. Schmidt’s donations to eight Republican legislators
since 2008 have become part of Google’s complicated
relationship…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Despite-recent-split-from-conservative-group-5781594.php


Insurers, after White House meeting, emerged worried about more
'extreme weather' events. Five insurance trade groups are
promoting stronger building decisions to help counter a sharp
rise in losses from extreme weather, prompted by a meeting on
climate change between senior White House officials and industry
leaders in June. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006351/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

Drought has 14 communities on the brink of waterlessness. Under
the blistering Central Valley sun, Filiberta Sanchez and her
toddler granddaughter strolled down a Parkwood sidewalk lined
with yellow weeds, dying grass and trees more fit for kindling
than shade. "It was very pretty here, very pretty," said Sanchez,
56, as little Jenny crunched a fistful of parched dirt and pine
needles she grabbed from the ground. "Now everything's dry."
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-critical-water-20140926-story.html#page=1


Water shortages not a problem for King fire crews. Over the past
two weeks, as the King fire raced through dry Sierra forestland
before Thursday’s rain, fire crews had no trouble finding enough
water to battle the blaze, although they have had to get creative
to access some lakes and reservoirs that have shrunk during the
state’s severe drought. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/25/6737227/water-shortages-not-a-problem.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region#storylink=cpy


How will California’s Drought relief funds be spent? The
Department of Water Resources announced this week that the first
$200 million would be distributed from a $687 million drought
relief package. KPCC's environment reporter Molly Peterson says
the money will be distributed in three installments. The final
decision on how to spend that first installment is expected by
Oct. 31. Posted.
http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2014/09/25/39530/how-will-california-s-drought-relief-funds-be-spen/


FUELS

Prices at the pump head below $3 in much of US. The price of a
gallon of gasoline may soon start with a "2" across much the
country. Gasoline prices typically decline in autumn, and this
year they are being pulled even lower by falling global oil
prices. By the end of the year, up to 30 states could have an
average gasoline price of less than $3 a gallon. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GASOLINE_UNDER_3_DOLLARS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/25/6735623/gas-prices-falling-headed-below.html


GE to give Penn State $10M for gas drilling center. Penn State
University said Wednesday that General Electric will give the
school up to $10 million to create a new center for natural gas
industry research. Penn State President Eric Barron said in a
statement that the center will produce tangible benefits to the
industry, to communities that are affected by drilling or related
activity, and to consumers. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/GE-to-give-Penn-State-10M-for-gas-drilling-center-5779222.php


VEHICLES

EU orders Germany to stop using banned car refrigerant. The
European Commission on Thursday ordered Germany to stop using a
banned car refrigerant within two months or face court action and
possible fines. The EU executive's decision follows months of
investigation by the Commission after German luxury carmaker
Daimler refused to stop using a highly polluting coolant and won
backing from German authorities. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-eu-germany-coolant-autos-idUSKCN0HK19520140925


GREEN ENERGY

Renewable energy plan hinges on huge Utah caverns. A proposal to
export twice as much Wyoming wind power to Los Angeles as the
amount of electricity generated by the Hoover Dam includes an
engineering feat even more massive than that famous structure:
Four chambers, each approaching the size of the Empire State
Building, would be carved from an underground salt deposit to
hold huge volumes of compressed air. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WIND_FARM_LOS_ANGELES_POWER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


UK approves Dong Energy offshore wind farm extension. Britain's
energy ministry on Friday approved the expansion of Dong Energy's
Burbo Bank offshore wind farm in the Liverpool Bay of northwest
England, paving the way for the Danish company to build on its
leading position in the UK market. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/26/dong-energy-uk-burbobank-idUSL6N0RR2KZ20140926


Federal report shows how solar panels may hit utilities’ profits.
For years, utility executives have watched the rapid spread of
rooftop solar power with trepidation, seeing a potential threat
to their profits. A new federally funded report suggests that
it’s not an idle fear. Rooftop, photovoltaic, or PV, solar could
cut utility earnings by as much as 15 percent…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Federal-report-shows-how-solar-panels-may-hit-5781107.php


Group delivers 'clean energy' petition to PRC. A group of Latino
environmentalists is delivering more than 6,000 petition
signatures to the state Public Regulation Commission that call
for more renewable energy. Juntos New Mexico was launched earlier
this year by Conservation Voters New Mexico Education Fund.
Organizers have spent months going door-to-door to collect the
signatures. The petition calls for electricity to be generated in
a way that won't pollute New Mexico's air and water. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Group-delivers-clean-energy-petition-to-PRC-5779365.php
 

Study predicts California will use only renewable energy by 2050.
 In a study published by Energy in June, a group of Stanford
academics predicted that California will use only renewable
energy by 2050.  Researchers outlined how to power California
with wind, water and solar energy and discussed land-use
implications, supply and demand and job creation. Posted. 
http://www.stanforddaily.com/2014/09/25/study-predicts-california-will-use-only-renewable-energy-by-2050/
 

New laws will boost residential solar installations,
electric-truck production.  The governor signed laws this week
intended to streamline rooftop solar installations and to speed
up the production and deployment of electric trucks and buses. 
The green laws arrive as Gov. Jerry Brown returns from a U.N.
Climate Summit in New York this week where he defended
California’s controversial cap-and-trade program, which assesses
fees on polluting companies.  Posted. 
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/09/25/new-laws-will-boost-residential-solar.html


Arcane technical standards play key role in solar power's future.
For all their environmental bad marks, U.S. coal-fired power
plants have been good citizens of the grid, their engineers are
quick to say, rapidly and dependably adjusting output to keep
power in balance and flowing. Now, as wind farms and distributed
solar power spread, so must sophisticated electronic devices that
will have to help take over the essential stabilizing role of
retired coal plants. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060006478/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

If energy is a global weapon, 'America should have the largest
arsenal' – Perry. Texas Gov. Rick Perry called on the president
and Congress to make the United States the world's leading
exporter of energy so that "we can help liberate our European
allies from Russian energy aggression." Characterizing the oil
and gas renaissance underway in Texas and elsewhere in the nation
as the greatest opportunity the United States has seen in
generations…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060006492/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Recycling advocates ponder expanding California’s program. The
fact that you drag that recycling to the curb doesn’t mean it
escapes the landfill. In the years since California enacted a
recycling framework, subsidized by the deposits paid on cans and
bottles, people have generally been willing to do their part.
Cities and counties have reflected that receptiveness by
expanding the universe of materials eligible to be picked up
curbside. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/25/6733938/recycling-advocates-ponder-expanding.html#storylink=cpy


California oil train bill wins Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature.
California’s emergency responders will receive more information
about trains carrying crude oil under legislation signed by Gov.
Jerry Brown on Thursday. As the volume of crude oil transported
by trains increases, elected officials in California have
amplified concerns about the types of deadly accidents that have
struck several towns. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/25/6736976/california-oil-train-bill-wins.html#mi_rss=Capitol%20Alert#storylink=cpy


Study looks at environmental impact on home values.  In a study
of U.S. counties, market researcher RealtyTrac found that if you
live in a county with a high percentage of bad air quality days
and other man-made pollution issues, short-term home value
appreciation was strong. But long-term appreciation was stronger
in counties with fewer environmental hazards.  Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/price-of-paradise/study-looks-at-environmental-impact-on-home-values_49809593


OPINIONS

Letter: Study rest-stop barriers now, not later. The Sept. 18
public hearing on I-95 rest area safety barriers was greatly
disappointing and frustrating to the many concerned citizens who
for months have been advocating for barriers. It was a classic
case of the hierarchy of Project Services LLC and the Connecticut
Department of Transportation not listening or being responsive to
the many concerns of the people in Fairfield. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letter-Study-rest-stop-barriers-now-not-later-5782551.php


Larry Printz: Electric car sales are rising. Will they have their
day in the sun once more? Notice to gas-electric hybrid car
lovers: sales are stalling if not falling, according to a study
by online automotive site Edmunds.com, capturing 3.6 percent of
the market through August, a light decline from last year when
hybrids and electric cars netted a 3.7 percent share. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/26/6737849/larry-printz-electric-car-sales.html#storylink=cpy


Gail Collins: Florida goes down the drain. On Miami Beach, rising
sea levels have interesting consequences. The ocean periodically
starts bubbling up through local drainpipes. By the time it’s
over, the concept of “going down to the water” has extended to
stepping off the front porch. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/25/6735441/gail-collins-florida-goes-down.html#storylink=cpy


Drones won't help drought. Re "Police should get warrants for
drones" (Viewpoints, Sept. 23): Drones are a promising technology
for water conservation. Some drones are able to travel to the
edge of space and cover the Central Valley in 3 hours. Susan
Ustin of UC Davis has projected a savings 1 to 2 percent of
agricultural water using drone data in combination with other
information. Posted. here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/23/6731161/the-drought-is-too-serious-to.html#storylink=cpy


Joseph Perkins: California's green-energy push not cost-free. 
Gov. Jerry Brown was in New York City this week for the United
Nations Climate Summit.  In remarks delivered during the
gathering of more than 120 heads of state and government leaders,
the governor boasted of California’s putative “global leadership”
in combating climate change.  Posted. 
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-636320-brown-state.html
 

BLOGS

Certainties, Uncertainties and Choices with Global Warming. 
Steven E. Koonin, once the Obama administration’s undersecretary
of energy for science and chief scientist at BP, stirred up a
swirl of turbulence in global warming discourse this week after
The Wall Street Journal published “Climate Science is Not
Settled,” his essay calling for more frankness about areas of
deep uncertainty in climate science…Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/26/certainties-uncertainties-and-choices-with-global-warming/?_php=true&_type=blogs&partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0


Climate impact of black carbon severely overestimated, says
study. Global warming efforts should focus on CO2, not soot
particles known as black carbon, say Norwegian team. The global
warming effect of ‘black carbon’, or soot, has been greatly
exaggerated due to mistaken assumptions about the atmospheric
altitude at which its particles are concentrated, according to a
new study. Soot plumes belch from chimneys, stoves and forest
fires…Posted.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/26/climate-impact-of-black-carbon-severely-overestimated-says-study


Nation's Largest Battery Storage Project Charges Forward in Kern
County. The largest battery-based grid power storage system in
North America just went online in Kern County.  With a storage
capacity of 32 megawatt-hours, enough to power a typical American
home for about 15 months, Southern California Edison's Tehachapi
Energy Storage Project is intended to allow grid operators to
store surplus power…Posted.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/the-grid/huge-battery-storage-unveiled-in-desert-wind-area.html


I’m Optimistic About Climate Change, and You Should Be Too. We’re
living in an extraordinary age, a time when just one recently
evolved species of small, wandering, wondering, endlessly
meddling social mammals have adapted the entire planet to suit
us. It’s ironic that at precisely the moment we’ve achieved this
awe-inspiring mastery, we discover that we’re endangering our own
future as a result. Posted.
http://www.wired.com/2014/09/im-optimistic-climate-change/ 

EPA chief says to expect 'changes' in final climate rule. There
will be "changes" made in the Obama administration's proposal to
cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, according to
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Gina McCarthy.
"People who know me well enough know there are going to be
changes between proposal and final because we listen," McCarthy
said on Thursday. Posted.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/218975-epa-chief-says-to-expect-changes-in-final-climate-rule


Senators Call On Obama To Regulate Methane Emissions From Oil And
Gas Development. Fifteen senators are pressing the Obama
administration to regulate methane emissions from oil and gas
production, arguing that addressing methane is a "key component"
of curbing planet-warming emissions. "Ton for ton, methane causes
at least 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide over a 20-year
period,"…Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/methane-emissions-obama_n_5889108.html


This Palm-Sized Laser Could Make Self-Driving Cars Way Cheaper.
We don’t know how much self-driving cars will cost when they
finally hit the market, but our best guess is, a lot. The
technology needed to take the wheel out of your hands is
frightfully expensive. Now, we can revise that estimate down a
bit with the debut of a laser system that’s roughly the size and
shape of a hockey puck and costs just eight grand. Posted.
http://www.wired.com/2014/09/velodyne-lidar-self-driving-cars/ 

National Drive Electric Week sees 150 percent growth from last
year.  Since National Plug In Day became National Drive Electric
Week this year, electric-vehicle advocates, or at least the
greedier ones, perhaps hoped for a sevenfold increase in
attendance. Even though that didn't quite happen, the number of
people who showed up to celebrate all that is electric and drives
certainly surged. Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/09/26/national-drive-electric-week-150-percent-growth/
 

Climate change and aviation.  For more than a decade, a battle
has brewed over how to tackle aviation emissions as a part of
various efforts to mitigate climate change. Domestic emissions
from aviation are naturally part of each national government's
policy process; the EU, for example, has chosen to include
aviation emissions in their regional emission cap-and-trade
program, the EU-ETS (EU Emissions System). Posted. 
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/218976-climate-change-and-aviation



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