What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for October 1, 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

How to build business support for a price on carbon. Recently
protestors held massive demonstrations in New York City
surrounding the United Nations Climate Summit 2014. The goal of
the summit was to mobilize the international community in
preparation for next year's climate meeting in Paris, and
protestors wanted to show their support for strong action to
reverse climate change. Posted.
http://www.greenbiz.com/print/58598 
 
AIR POLLUTION

Beauty Companies Want to Protect Your Skin From Air Pollution.
Companies Want to Establish Whether Smog and Car Exhaust Lead to
More Signs of Aging. In the dirty world of car exhaust, cigarette
smoke and smog, the beauty industry sees its next big
opportunity. Air pollution's suspected effects on the
skin—increased signs of aging, dark spots and
inflammation…Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/beauty-companies-want-to-protect-your-skin-from-air-pollution-1412118685


CO2 emission cuts from energy efficiency save more lives – study.
State plans to cut carbon emissions could avoid premature deaths
of about 3,500 people annually if they come from increased energy
efficiency, according to a new analysis. It also found that
switching from coal to natural gas would not prevent as many
deaths. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006680/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

'This Changes Everything' tackles global warming.  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://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BOOK_REVIEW_THIS_CHANGES_EVERYTHING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


South Pacific flotilla to protest climate change inaction at
Australia coal port. Protesters from 12 South Pacific nations
plan to block ships entering and leaving Australia's Port of
Newcastle, the world's largest coal export terminal, this month
to highlight effects they say climate change is having on their
islands. Some experts say climate change will cause higher tides
that will swamp lower-lying Pacific islands…Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/10/01/us-australia-southpacific-coal-idINKCN0HQ3CJ20141001


Stanford scientists say greenhouse gases worsen California
drought. California's catastrophic drought has most likely been
made worse by man-made climate change, according to a report
released Monday by Stanford University, but scientists are still
hesitant to fully blame the lack of rain on climate change. The
research, published in the Bulletin of the American
Meteorological Society as part of a collection of reports on
extreme weather events in 2013…Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/09/30/usa-california-drought-idINL2N0RU2TT20140930


ENVIRONMENT: Dark cloud over solar plans.  The Obama
administration’s push for big solar plants and other renewable
energy projects on public lands has started to stall as
developers question whether they can finish projects in time to
qualify for key federal subsidies. Just days after U.S. Interior
Secretary Sally Jewell came to Palm Springs to trumpet the
success of these projects in combating climate change…Posted.
http://www.pe.com/articles/project-751058-energy-palen.html  

A common-sense climate plan for San Diego.  Common sense in
governing can be a wonderful thing. The latest proof is in Mayor
Kevin Faulconer’s proposed plan for San Diego to do its share in
curbing the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
The plan is a model of realistic steps to achieve realistic goals
without punishing home and business owners with costly financial
mandates. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/oct/01/tp-a-common-sense-climate-plan-for-san-diego/
 
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/30/faulconer-climate-change-plan-unveil/


EPA Releases Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Large Facilities.
The EPA released its fourth year of Greenhouse Gas Reporting
Program data, detailing greenhouse gas pollution trends and
emissions broken down by industrial sector, geographic region and
individual facilities. In 2013, reported emissions from large
industrial facilities were 20 million metric tons higher than the
prior year…Posted.
http://www.pollutionengineering.com/articles/89229-epa-releases-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data-from-large-facilities

http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006674/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

October begins water year with prospect of tighter restrictions.
As the state ends the fourth-driest water year on record with no
guarantee of significant rain and snowfall this winter,
Californians face the prospect of stricter rationing and meager
irrigation deliveries for agriculture. California begins a new
October-September water year Wednesday with total reservoir
storage at 36% of capacity, or 57% of average for this time of
year. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-water-year-20141001-story.html

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/30/6748897/california-ends-one-of-driest.html
 

Droughts likely to be new normal for California. Whether viewed
from a dry-as-dust ground level or from a sky-high planetary
perch, the ongoing drought in California is remarkable. As this
slow-moving meteorological disaster intensifies, burning forests,
fallowed agricultural fields and critically low reservoirs shows
the increasingly high-stakes interactions among scientists,
policymakers and everyday Californians. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/30/6747452/droughts-likely-to-be-new-normal.html#storylink=cpy


FUELS

U.S. gasoline stocks lowest in 23 months. U.S. gasoline stocks
hit 208.5 million barrels last week, their lowest levels since
November 2012, according to weekly data from the U.S. Energy
Information Administration on Wednesday. The number fell by 1.84
million barrels from the prior week, according to the EIA.
Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/10/01/oil-energy-eia-milestones-idINL2N0RW16R20141001


Exxon fracking report responds to shareholders. Exxon Mobil
issued a report Tuesday that acknowledges the environmental risks
of hydraulic fracturing but also defends the practice as being
better for the environment than other types of energy production
and generation.  Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/30/6749405/exxon-fracking-report-responds.html#storylink=cpy


Oil's plunge means $3 gas for many consumers. With crude oil
prices plunging to near two-year lows and likely to remain tepid
through year's end, consumers in all but a handful of states
could soon pay $3 a gallon or less for gasoline, the lowest pump
prices since 2010. Rising global oil production, ample
inventories, slackening demand and a U.S. dollar trading at
multiyear highs have wreaked havoc on the global oil markets in
recent weeks. Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/09/30/plunging-crude-oil-could-push-gasoline-to-3-a-gallon-for-much-of-the-us/16494285/


Will California Gas Prices Jump At Beginning Of Year, Or Are Oil
Companies Full Of Hot Air?  Advertisements are warning California
drivers that a big jump at the pump could be on the way, but how
likely is a large jump and how big will it be?  Experts say the
lower-than-normal gas prices we’ve been saying lately are likely
to climb. Jay McKeeman with the California Independent Oil Market
Association estimates prices will move up 12 to 15 cents in
January. Posted.
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/09/30/will-gas-prices-jump-at-beginning-of-year-or-are-oil-companies-full-of-hot-air/


Lower-Carbon Gasoline In CA: Don't Believe Gas-Price Scare
Tactics, Says UCS. When it comes to green transportation
policies, California leads the way. The state has enacted
numerous policies to cut transportation-related emissions,
improve energy efficiency, and in some cases eliminate the use of
fossil fuel. One such policy--the state's Low-Carbon Fuel
Standard, or LCFS--is not sitting well with oil companies…Posted.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094697_lower-carbon-gasoline-in-ca-dont-believe-gas-price-scare-tactics-says-ucs


U.S. LNG exports may be key in reducing global emissions –
experts. Boosting the United States' natural gas exports is
needed to create market liquidity, drive down prices and give
American allies energy options they wouldn't otherwise have. But,
at its core, enabling exports is also about curbing greenhouse
gas emissions, industry experts said yesterday at an energy
security event in Washington, D.C.  Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060006684/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Lower-Carbon Gasoline In CA: Don't Believe Gas-Price Scare
Tactics, Says UCS. When it comes to green transportation
policies, California leads the way. The state has enacted
numerous policies to cut transportation-related emissions,
improve energy efficiency, and in some cases eliminate the use of
fossil fuel. One such policy--the state's Low-Carbon Fuel
Standard, or LCFS--is not sitting well with oil companies, which
claim the regulation will raise the price of gasoline, harming
consumers. Posted.
https://autos.yahoo.com/news/lower-carbon-gasoline-ca-dont-believe-gas-price-120004944.html


GREEN ENERGY

Governor wins challenge over green building codes.  Republican
Gov. Susana Martinez has won a legal challenge over her
administration's repeal of "green" building standards implemented
when Democrat Bill Richardson was governor. The state Court of
Appeals last week upheld a decision by the state Construction
Industries Commission to revamp building codes. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2014/10/01/3567710/governor-wins-challenge-over-green.html#storylink=cpy
 

Time running out for rooftop solar benefit.  The sun is setting
steadily on California's super-incentive for rooftop solar.
Customers of San Diego Gas & Electric have reached the half-way
point toward a cumulative cap on a program known as net energy
metering, the utility reported on its website. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/oct/01/days-numbered-solar-incentive/


The world's biggest energy hogs aren't who you think they are.
You might expect the US and Canada to be home to some of the
biggest energy consumers in the world, but Iceland and
Luxembourg? Oilprice.com calculated the top 10 countries with the
highest energy use per person and the results may surprise. Next
time you get into your car and drive to the supermarket, think
about how much energy you consume on an annual basis. Posted.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2014/1001/The-world-s-biggest-energy-hogs-aren-t-who-you-think-they-are
 

OPINIONS

Why Are Supposed “Greedy” Oil Companies Lowering Gas Prices
During Cap and Trade Debate? Oil companies have been part of the
campaign to make voters aware that gas prices will increase in
January once fuels are put under the cap-and-trade provisions of
AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. Yet, a strange thing is
occurring. The campaign to delay the application of cap and trade
rules for fuels goes on as gas prices continue to fall in
California. Posted.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2014/09/supposed-greedy-oil-companies-lowering-gas-prices-cap-trade-debate/


Viewpoints: Climate change is increasing the chances of drought.
Whether viewed from a dry-as-dust ground level or from a sky-high
planetary perch, the ongoing drought in California is remarkable.
As this slow-moving meteorological disaster intensifies, burning
forests, fallowed agricultural fields and critically low
reservoirs show the increasingly high-stakes interactions among
scientists, policymakers and everyday Californians. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/30/6746200/viewpoints-climate-change-is-increasing.html#storylink=cpy


Cool Davis: working on local solutions to global warming. When it
comes to climate change, you can hear a lot of excuses or fine
talk from political and business leaders, but usually little
practical action. It can be dispiriting given the consequences we
know could result. Fortunately, Davis is a community that does
not indulge in despair. Rather, it believes in pro-actively
looking for solutions that lower our community’s carbon
footprint. Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/09/30/plunging-crude-oil-could-push-gasoline-to-3-a-gallon-for-much-of-the-us/16494285/


De Blasio’s Green Housing.  New York City’s plan to make
multifamily buildings, subsidized and rent-regulated housing, and
public housing more energy efficient is a significant step
forward to defend residents, especially the low income, from
climate change and rising utility costs. The initiatives not only
provide economic opportunities for families, both through cost
savings and new jobs…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/opinion/de-blasios-green-housing.html
 

Jack McBride: High-speed rail will stop here.  The most recent
mailer from our absentee congressman, Jeff Denham, attacked the
Republicans’ favorite target, the high-speed rail project, saying
there would be “no stops in Stanislaus or San Joaquin counties.”
That’s a lie: The rail line would have stops in both Stockton and
Modesto. Why don’t the Republicans have the faith to invest in
the future? Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2014/09/30/3567579_nancy-haydock-if-almond-disease.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
  

BLOGS

Climate-Change Skeptics: What if You’re Wrong? What is the most
important question in the climate debate that supporters and
opponents are overlooking? The answer to this question is
different for supporters and opponents. For opponents, the most
overlooked question is whether they have attempted to quantify
the possibility that they are wrong about the impacts of climate
change…Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2014/10/01/climate-change-skeptics-what-if-youre-wrong/


The Realistic Way to Tax Carbon. No one energy policy will change
the world. So the goal in picking one energy policy is to pick
one that’s likely to spur lots of additional moves. A good place
to start is a tax on carbon—but one that’s rational politically,
economically and environmentally. Those are big, and
often-ignored, “buts.”  A smart carbon tax would be
revenue-neutral, returning its proceeds to consumers rather to
national treasuries. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2014/10/01/the-realistic-way-to-tax-carbon/


Amid Climate Change Backlash, Even Oil Companies Are Dumping ALEC
Now. The fourth-largest U.S. oil and gas company revealed Friday
that it is leaving the American Legislative Exchange Council
(ALEC) amid widespread backlash over the free-market lobbying
group’s efforts to undermine clean energy and promote climate
change denial. Posted.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/09/30/3573662/occidental-leaves-alec/


Nissan Leaf makes it 19 in a row for record sales; Chevy Volt
drops 21 percent.  The Nissan Leaf continues its streak of "best
month ever" sales with 2,881 EVs sold in September. Compared to
the 1,953 sold in September 2013, that represents an increase of
47.5 percent and, as Nissan itself must be tired of saying by
now, it marks yet another best month ever, same as last month and
now the 19th in a row. Okay, sure, we know…Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/10/01/nissan-leaf-chevy-volt-september-2014-sales/




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