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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 30, 2014.

Posted: 30 Sep 2014 15:16:02
ARB Newsclips for September 30, 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

Air board adopts new wood-burning rules.  The Valley Air
District’s Governing Board has authorized more funding to change
out older, high-polluting wood-burning devices for newer, cleaner
units through the Burn Cleaner fireplace and wood stove
change-out program.  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.recorderonline.com/news/air-board-adopts-new-wood-burning-rules/article_875c970c-47f0-11e4-adee-0017a43b2370.html
 

Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution Announce City
Council Endorsements.  Concerned Residents Against Airport
Pollution (CRAAP) has endorsed incumbent Kevin McKeown and
Planning Commissioners Richard McKinnon and Sue Himmelrich
following CRAAP's three-hour candidates forum on Sept. 22 that
featured 13 of the 14 candidates for Santa Monica City Council. 
Posted. 
http://www.smmirror.com/articles/News/Concerned-Residents-Against-Airport-Pollution-Announce-City-Council-Endorsements/41250


Greens file brief opposing EPA waste-burning rules. Environmental
groups are asking a federal court to send rules governing what
discarded materials are exempt from air regulations back to U.S.
EPA for review. The organizations say EPA's regulations run
contrary to both the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as allow harmful air emissions
when materials are burned. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060006635/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Scientists Trace Extreme Heat in Australia to Climate Change. The
savage heat waves that struck Australia last year were almost
certainly a direct consequence of greenhouse gases released by
human activity, researchers said Monday. It is perhaps the most
definitive statement climate scientists have made tying a
specific weather event to global warming. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/science/earth/human-related-climate-change-led-to-extreme-heat-scientists-say.html?_r=0


Growing, and Growing Vulnerable.  As the president of the Fire
Island Association, Suzy Goldhirsch has a message she says she
often offers property owners. “We are living on a sandbar in the
middle of the Atlantic Ocean,” she tells them. “We are in a
high-risk environment. We on barrier islands are on the front
lines of climate change.” The same could be said of many coastal
areas around the world, which are threatened by rising sea levels
as the planet warms. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/science/barrier-islands-feeling-the-effects-of-climate-change.html
 

California drought and climate warming: Studies find no clear
link. Global warming contributed to extreme heat waves in many
parts of the world last year, but cannot be definitively linked
to the California drought, according to a report released Monday.

The third annual analysis of extreme weather events underscored
the continuing difficulty of teasing out the influence of
human-caused climate change on precipitation patterns. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-change-california-drought-20140929-story.html
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-drought-tied-to-climate-change-Maybe-5788420.php
 

'This Changes Everything' tackles global warming.  "This Changes
Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate" (Simon & Schuster), by
Naomi Klein Cutting the vast amounts of man-made pollution that
feed global warming is an enormous challenge for societies that
gobble up coal, oil and gas. But in "This Changes Everything,"
Naomi Klein argues that those fuels aren't the root problem —
capitalism is. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/30/this-changes-everything-tackles-global-warming/


Study: Climate Not a Factor in Epic Colorado Floods.  The rains
that the National Weather Service called " Biblical " were
thought to be possibly linked to climate change because, overall,
higher atmospheric temperatures allow air to hold more moisture,
leading to more extreme precipitation. It wasn't a foregone
conclusion in Colorado because extreme precipitation may vary by
region. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/state/study-climate-not-a-factor-in-epic-colorado-floods_38544200


Climate Fueled Some of 2013’s Most Extreme Events. As the
planet’s temperature steadily rises thanks to the burning of
fossil fuels that pumps greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,
that warming is having a discernible impact on some of the
world’s weather, particularly to heat waves across the globe.
Posted.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-fueled-some-of-2013s-most-extreme-events-18104


Beyond Treaties: A New Way of Framing Global Climate Action. As
negotiators look to next year’s UN climate conference in Paris,
there is increasing discussion of a new way forward that does not
depend on sweeping international agreements. Some analysts are
pointing to Plan B — recasting the climate issue as one of
national self-interest rather than global treaties. Posted.
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/beyond_treaties_a_new_way_of_framing_global_climate_action/2809/


Scientists find human-caused link to heat wave, but ties to
drought and heavy rains elude them. Blistering heat waves
recorded around the globe in 2013 were linked to human-caused
global warming, according to a broad survey of studies on extreme
weather events published yesterday. But the studies could not
link climate change as clearly to heavy rainfall, droughts and
storms. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006603/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

As temperatures rise in coming decades, climate 'refugees' have
few options. Scientists forecasting cities and regions that will
remain relatively safe from extreme storms, destructive flooding
and brutal drought don't point to many options. As temperatures
rise, many researchers predict, people will shift across the
United States to friendly climate havens. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006591/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GHGs from U.S. power plants rose slightly last year – report.
Power plants are still responsible for more emissions of
greenhouse gases than any other industrial sector, according to a
U.S. EPA report released today. The power sector released almost
a third of U.S. man-made carbon dioxide last year, the Greenhouse
Gas Reporting Program's report says. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060006649/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

Are humans causing the drought? New study causes a stir.  In a
controversial study, Stanford University scientists on Monday
linked California’s historic drought with atmospheric conditions
caused by human-induced climate change.  The scientists said the
type of atmospheric conditions causing California’s drought very
likely exist because of human-created emissions of large amounts
of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.  Posted. 
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/drought-636736-climate-california.html
 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_26627640/Californias-drought-linked-to-greenhouse-gases-climate-change-in-Stanford-study


FUELS

Canada Tar-Sands Image Set for Overhaul With New Premier.
Canada’s reputation as climate bad-boy was invented in Manhattan
in 2008. Months before TransCanada Corp. (TRP) applied for a
permit for Keystone XL and the pipeline battles that followed,
the Rockefeller Brothers Fund convened a gathering of
environmental groups to discuss a strategy for taking down
Canada’s tar-sands industry. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-30/canada-s-tar-sands-image-set-for-image-with-new-premier.html


A U-Turn for a Terminal Built in Texas to Import Natural Gas. 
The giant Golden Pass natural gas import terminal here, meant to
bring Middle Eastern gas to energy-hungry Americans, sits eerily
quiet these days, a sleepy museum to a bygone era. Its 5,000
valves, 50 million pounds of steel and ship berth as big as 77
football fields — representing a $2 billion investment by Qatar
Petroleum…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/business/energy-environment/a-u-turn-for-a-terminal-built-in-texas-to-import-natural-gas.html
 

Dominion natural gas exports plan gets federal OK.  Dominion
Energy received federal approval late Monday to export liquefied
natural gas from its Cove Point terminal on the Chesapeake Bay in
Maryland. In its decision, the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission concluded that the project, as approved with
conditions, would minimize potential adverse impacts on
landowners and the environment. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/29/dominion-natural-gas-exports-plan-gets-federal-ok/


World's first coal carbon capture project set for startup this
week. The world's first large coal-fired generator refitted to
capture the majority of its carbon dioxide emissions is ready for
operations. This week, Canadian utility SaskPower hosts officials
from the Department of Energy and around the world as part of an
official launch of the utility's Boundary Dam carbon capture
project, one of four initiatives cited by U.S. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006606/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Study finds solo hybrid drivers in California HOV lanes amplify
congestion, create up to $4,500 per car in adverse social costs
annually.  Allowing single-occupant low-emission cars in
California to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on congested
highways exacerbates the congestion and causes up to about $4,500
per car in adverse social costs annually, including increased
commute times and carbon dioxide emissions…Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/09/20140930-hov.html  

GREEN ENERGY

Offshore Wind Turbines Could Tame Hurricanes. Huge Arrays of
Windmills Could Protect U.S. Coastal Cities—and Produce Power.
Could an armada of giant windmills reduce damage from the next
big hurricane? A study by scientists at Stanford University and
the University of Delaware suggests that U.S. coastal cities
could be spared by installing tens of thousands of gigantic wind
turbines offshore in arrays up to 20 miles long. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/offshore-wind-turbines-could-tame-hurricanes-1411937788


SOLAR TOWERS: Plans for Palen solar farm fizzle.  The developer
of the Palen solar project filed a notice Friday with the
California Energy Commission to withdraw its license application
for a 750-foot “power tower” in eastern Riverside County. Palen
Solar Holdings, a partnership between Oakland-based BrightSource
and Abengoa Solar in Spain, “reassessed its position” after an
energy commission committee recommended a scaled-down version of
the project, said Joe Desmond, a BrightSource vice president.
Posted.
http://www.pe.com/articles/solar-750823-palen-project.html  

An RV takes road to energy independence.  Thomas “Tim” Lemieux
lives in an unlikely showcase for green energy: a 1997 Winnebago
recreational vehicle. Scale a narrow ladder up the side of the
motorhome, and a compact rooftop solar farm comes into view.
Photovoltaic panels cover the top, and even the front hood. They
are linked to a series of batteries that help distill and cool
water for drinking. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/26/an-rv-rid-of-the-grid/


IEA estimates solar could dominate energy sources by 2050. More
than a quarter of the world's electricity demand could be met
with solar power by midcentury, surpassing generation from any
other single source, including coal, natural gas, oil, wind,
hydro and nuclear, the International Energy Agency has
determined. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006596/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

New Western real-time market aims to smooth bumps in renewable
generation. A new market for electricity is starting this week
aimed at integrating renewables onto the power grid in seven
Western states. The "energy imbalance market" will give Western
buyers the option to purchase electricity in five-minute
increments, a privilege previously enjoyed only by participants
in the California grid. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060006608/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Gov. Brown signs phase-out of single-use plastic bags in stores.
Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday fulfilled a promise by signing a
measure that will phase out single-use plastic bags from checkout
stands at California supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor
stores and pharmacies. California is the first state in the
nation to enact such a ban at the state level…Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-gov-brown-signs-phaseout-of-singleuse-plastic-bags-in-stores-20140929-story.html

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/30/6746966/brown-says-hes-likely-to-sign.html

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/29/plastic-bag-ban-california/


Earth Talk: Air quality. Dear EarthTalk: What are some of the
more dangerous threats to our air quality and what can be done to
eliminate them so we can all breathe more easily? - Melanie
Smith, Pomfret, CT The main threats to local air quality across
the United States (as well as most everywhere else) remain smog
and particulate pollution, which combined or acting alone trigger
millions of hospital visits and health complications for citizens
every year. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/30/6747446/earth-talk-air-quality.html#storylink=cpy


BLOGS

How to End the Gridlock on Climate Change. MAZEN SKAF: Three
interrelated questions are missing in the ongoing climate-change
debate among the convinced and the skeptics: 1) What is the
appropriate frame and could our biases cause us to miss out on
specific interventions or solutions? 2) What if the models or
analyses used on either side of the debate are significantly
flawed; what will be the implications for upside risks and
downside risks...Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2014/09/30/how-to-end-the-gridlock-on-climate-change/


California Is Burning.  The drought may cost the region’s farmers
upward of $1.7 billion in damages and lost crops, resulting in
more than 14,500 farmhand layoffs, Mr. Sahagun writes. “Central
Valley irrigators will only get two-thirds of their normal water
deliveries,” he says. “Additional pumping of groundwater to
replace those shortages will cost farmers about $450 million.
Posted.
http://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/california-is-burning/?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A11%22}
 

Harry Reid in favor of $10,000 federal EV tax credit.  Harry Reid
says the federal government should commit more funds towards
incentives for electric-vehicle purchases. We'll wait for
readers' shock to sink in. Now, here are the details. The Senate
Majority Leader (D-NV) is backing President Barack Obama's
efforts to raise federal incentives for EV drivers to $10,000
from $7,500, according to The Detroit News. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/09/30/harry-reid-in-favor-of-10-000-federal-ev-tax-credit/
 

Totaled Tesla Model S is a case of buyer beware.  Getting a Tesla
Model S for just $50,000 is a steal, but when it's a salvage
title car and was written off as totaled by an insurance company,
the bargain might not be worth the headache. That's what a San
Diego man is learning now that he's having trouble getting his
fancy but damaged electric vehicle to work. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/09/29/totaled-tesla-model-s-buyer-beware-video/


Big Greens Are Spending Big Green In 2014 Midterms. First there
was a pickup truck. Then there was an ark. The vehicle of choice
for drawing attention to the NextGen Climate Action Committee has
been, well, vehicles. The climate change super PAC, funded by
billionaire investor Tom Steyer, recently rolled a truck filled
with fake oil barrels into New Hampshire to chide Republican
Senate candidate Scott Brown. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/steyer-nextgen-climate-elections_n_5901232.html


Cities are lapping countries on climate action.  National
governments — especially the American government — are largely
paralyzed on climate change. But one message from the U.N.
Climate Summit and surrounding events last week was that cities
can do a lot to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on their own.
They account for most of the world’s population and emissions.
Posted. 
http://grist.org/cities/cities-are-lapping-countries-on-climate-action/
 

The little island that could is going 100 percent renewable. 
Europeans thought the tiny island of El Hierro was the end of the
world before Cristobal Colon sailed to that other hemisphere. Now
it’s the beginning of a post-fossil energy world.  One of Spain’s
Canary Islands off Africa’s coast, El Hierro is an active
volcanic landmass too remote to hook up to the motherland’s
electricity grid. Posted. 
http://grist.org/news/the-little-island-that-could-is-going-100-percent-renewable/



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

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