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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 7, 2014.
Posted: 07 Nov 2014 14:51:29
ARB Newsclips for November 7, 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 Pollution Exide ordered to clean up homes tainted by battery plant. ...numerous residential yards in nearby Boyle Heights and Maywood. Under the directive, Exide must set up a $9-million trust fund to remove the contaminated soil and rid home interiors of lead-tainted dust. Incomplete test results from 104 homes sampled for lead pollution have determined that 62 require some level of cleanup. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20141107-story.html State regulators make tough demands of Vernon battery recycler Vernon-based battery manufacturer Exide Technologies is facing tough new orders from environmental regulators. It must immediately clean up soil and air pollution, pay penalties and costs and triple the amount of money it set aside to pay for cleanup in the event of its closure. http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/11/06/47912/state-regulators-make-tough-demands-of-vernon-batt/ Air district: Don't burn, please limit driving. The valley air district urged people not to burn and to curtail their driving because of "abnormally high" levels of air pollution here. The high pollution levels are "dangerous to public health," Seyed Sadredin, executive director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, said in a news release. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1143262460/Air-district-Dont-burn-please-limit-driving Health groups use White House meeting to promote tighter ozone standard. Four public health groups met today with the White House to argue for a tighter ozone standard. Led by the American Lung Association, the advocates cited recent research showing high levels of ground-level ozone, a component of smog, harm respiratory systems and lead to increased mortality. http://news.vocus.com/?a=19483991403&p=19f&v=1&x=v9NnjhIfVKcTZ6OwTp8FnA Govt. reaches settlement with operator of fertilizer plants over emissions. Three subsidiaries of the world's largest fertilizer plant have agreed to take steps to reduce harmful emissions of air pollutants, U.S. EPA and the Department of Justice said today. http://news.vocus.com/?a=19483991372&p=19f&v=1&x=ojSJU3CuIBgyTWNs9U6C2A CLIMATE CHANGE Election Puts Obama Climate Pledge at Risk. President Barack Obama’s pledge to lead a global effort raising $100 billion a year to help poor nations combat climate change may be an early casualty of the Republican takeover of Congress. Lawmakers set to gain roles in setting policy, such as Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, have questioned spending U.S. dollars on the effort, a linchpin of efforts to win a global pact fight global warming. http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-11-07/election-puts-obama-climate-pledge-at-risk-on-summit-eve Why climate advocates fail to attract conservative support � and what they can do about it. Reading the political tealeaves, environmental groups ramped up multimillion dollar campaigns before the midterm elections to support environmentally friendly Republicans, yet, as the election results show, the effort was met with questionable success. Green groups' GOP outreach often focuses on a Teddy Roosevelt-esque conservation ethic, or an appeal to support candidates for growing green jobs in solar and wind. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article3616602.html#storylink=cpy Younger voters may make climate an issue in 2016. The millions of dollars spent in Iowa and other states for candidates who support action on climate change had little effect on voters' decisions Tuesday, experts say. "It's not a huge priority for a lot of voters," said Tim Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa. The question is whether environmental activists can make it a pivotal issue in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses in 2016. http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/politics/elections/2014/11/07/younger-voters-may-make-climate-an-issue/18633173/ Paris climate deal needs key pact: UNFCCC. A coalition of major emitters needs to establish a global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting system, an official with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said. "I don't think a consensus decision-making process will deliver that. So that has to be done initially... http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=943993&menu=yes China's planners aim to cap carbon emissions from steel, cement producers by 2020. The Chinese government for the first time has said publicly that it will cap carbon dioxide emissions from two major polluting industries, but its impact on the nation's overall climate change mitigation remains unclear. http://news.vocus.com/?a=19479516565&p=19f&v=1&x=8JCgyAo8JZNZnEMkZ6BvPw Norway leads global climate change adaptation; U.S. falls back in readiness. Norway is the country most equipped to adapt to climate change for the 18th year in a row, according to the 2013 Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index. http://news.vocus.com/?a=19479516114&p=19f&v=1&x=O-z5bPNknlExa7EysHoWzg Conservatives tie PTC to Obama agenda in bid to sink lame-duck deals. Fearing a potential lame-duck compromise that would extend a key renewable energy tax credit, dozens of conservative groups are warning newly empowered Republicans that extending the credit would amount to an endorsement of President Obama's broader climate change agenda. http://news.vocus.com/?a=19482613174&p=19f&v=1&x=x8lhr5ELYx1F4aPK0YI33g DOE bid to overhaul Reagan-era furnace standards sparks industry protest. The Department of Energy's rewrite of a 1987 energy efficiency standard for residential furnaces has drawn opposition from the gas industry, which says the effort would spur a shift to electric heaters and drive up U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. http://news.vocus.com/?a=19482613211&p=19f&v=1&x=Ngf0yQd4i_ST8ktYsjLqbA DROUGHT Rain only slightly improves drought conditions. Recent rain throughout California made only a slight dent on a drought that has chugged along relentlessly for more than three years, according to federal scientists. And dry conditions are expected to return for the next two weeks. Rainfall drenched large portions... http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-drought-monitor-report-20141106-story.html $14 million to fund 19 drought relief projects for Sacramento area water agencies. The California Department of Water Resources on Thursday announced it will fund $14million worth of water infrastructure projects throughout the Sacramento region. The department announced the awards to pay for construction of 19 projects during a news conference at the Sacramento River intake facility near Discovery Park. http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article3607806.html#storylink=cpy California drought: Northern counties get soaked. It's amazing what a lot of rain can do. The low pressure system that swept through California last weekend brought much needed moisture to the state. It's amazing what a lot of rain can do. The low pressure system that swept through California last weekend brought much needed moisture to the state. http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2014/11/06/california-drought-monitor-northern/15998620/ Drought Forces Dredging In Lake Tahoe. ... numerous problems for water managers. One of the biggest challenges is assuring boats can get into marinas. Because of low Tahoe water levels, the Lahontan Water Board has issued permits for moving buoys, extending piers and dredging at every marina on the California side of the lake. The work can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars at each of the four marinas. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/11/06/drought-forces-dredging-in-lake-tahoe/ Drought: Sacramento Region Receives Millions In Grants. The California Department of Water Resources has awarded more than 14-million dollars in grants for drought-related and water-related projects in the Sacramento region. The announcement was made at the Sacramento River intake facility on Jibboom Street. Gary Bardini with the Department of Water Resources says the grants will help the state achieve goals set in the California Water action plan. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/11/06/drought-sacramento-region-receives-millions-in-grants/ No Recovery, But a Sliver of Drought Gain for Calif. The phrase “abnormally dry” might conjure up a skin condition or your preferred type of martini. But it might just be the most positive words uttered in months about California's relentless drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday, a tiny sliver of the Golden State is no longer in drought, the first time that's happened since late April. “Abnormally dry” is what the... http://www.climatecentral.org/news/drought-improvement-california-18288 FUELS Pump prices still falling? a penny or more a day. For the first time in four years, this week the average U.S. gasoline price for regular dipped below $3 per gallon. And by Friday, Nov. 7, it had dropped to $2.947 according to price surveys. And that can mean a few more discretionary bucks to spend during the holidays. Last year, with U.S. gasoline... http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=27096 Will Cheap Gas Undermine Climate Change Efforts? ...unexpectedly cut its export prices to the United States, and follows a global trend that has seen oil prices drop 25 percent since June, according to Reuters. The price drop comes just days after the UN declared that fossil fuel emissions must drop to zero by the end of the century in order to keep global temperatures in check. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/11/climate-change-oil-crude-United-Nations-panel-report-gas-prices-fossil-fuel/382425/ VEHICLES BMW develops street lights with electric car-charging sockets. BMW has developed street lights equipped with sockets to charge electric cars, it said on Friday, and will run a pilot project in Munich next year that uses existing local authority lighting networks. BMW said it has made two prototype "Light and Charge" street lights which combine efficient Light Emitting... http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/07/us-bmw-lighting-sockets-idUSKBN0IR14Q20141107 Caltrain electrification delayed, price rises. A much-touted project to modernize the Caltrain line with more efficient electrified trains is being delayed up to 18 months and the price is rising from $1.45 billion to a projected $1.7 billion to $1.76 billion, the transit agency announced Thursday. The cost for electrification now is projected to be between $1.47 billion and $1.5 billion. http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2014-11-07/caltrain-electrification-delayed-price-rises/1776425132945.html GREEN ENERGY Professor fuels trip on chicken fat, vegetable oil. A Middle Tennessee State University professor is driving from Key West, Florida, to Seattle in a vehicle fueled by waste chicken fat and waste vegetable oil from school dining facilities. Alternatives fuels researcher Cliff Ricketts will begin his journey on Thursday, stopping at MTSU along the way and arriving in Seattle next week. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article3595348.html#storylink=cpy USC hosts event on fuel cell technology. The University of South Carolina's solid oxide fuel cell center is hosting an open house at the Hollings Library. The event scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. features presentations from both students and faculty. Solid oxide fuel cells are a component of advanced clean energy systems, are considered high efficiency and emit no toxic by-products. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/technology/article3616064.html#storylink=cpy USC hosts event on fuel cell technology. The University of South Carolina's solid oxide fuel cell center is hosting an open house at the Hollings Library. The event scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. features presentations from both students and faculty. Solid oxide fuel cells are a component of advanced clean energy systems, are considered high efficiency and emit no toxic by-products. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/technology/article3616064.html China's Solar Power Push. As the world's largest emitter of carbon, China has decided that one of the best ways to clean up its polluted air is through solar power. The country has led the world in solar installations for the last two years and will likely do so again in 2015. It's on pace to reach 33 gigawatts of solar power capacity by the end of 2014, 42 times more than it had in... http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-06/chinas-solar-power-push Here Comes the Sun: America's Solar Boom, in Charts. Last week, an energy analyst at Deutsche Bank came to a startling conclusion: By 2016, solar power will be as cheap or cheaper than electricity from the conventional grid in every state except three. That's without any changes to existing policy. In other words, we're only a few years away from the point where, in most of the United... http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/11/solar-energy-power-boom-charts Republican districts lead clean energy job growth in Q3 – report. A majority of the 18,000 jobs the clean energy industry added in the third quarter of 2014 materialized in Republican districts, and both parties would be hurt if Congress fails to renew expiring tax incentives for renewable energy, according to a report released today by an environmentally oriented business group. http://news.vocus.com/?a=19482613327&p=19f&v=1&x=7kPhLNe5_airKXt9YOMsgA Md. governor sees Chesapeake Bay work setting him apart from potential White House rivals. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley knows how to talk to environmentalists. In speeches to green groups, the Democrat decries what he calls a false dichotomy between jobs and the environment. He regularly name-checks the latest congressional battles over light bulb standards or water regulations. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060008548 OPINIONS Shipping oil by rail lowers energy costs. Chalk up a hollow victory for EarthJustice and the Sierra Club. The two environmental groups sued over InterState Oil Co.’s permit to unload oil trains at the former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento County. The company plans to end operations there on Friday, after the regional air quality district said it issued the permit in error without doing a full environmental review. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article3605093.html#storylink=cpy Call the water police. Drain Lake Las Vegas. Re “A new day yawns” (California Traveler, Nov.2): The article about Lake Las Vegas is infuriating. Lake Las Vegas. What an oxymoron. A 380-acre lake in the middle of the desert in the middle of a drought. The article goes on to state that the lake is surrounded by 3,600 acres of luxury condos, hotels and golf courses using more precious water. Who benefits? http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article3608964.html#storylink=cpy Must do a better job on conserving water. It still is a puzzle to me why so many people are still abusing the use of water. We all know the state of California is deep trouble because of the lack of rain. Yet, I still see shopping malls keeping the shrubs and lawns green while so many of us have turned our water off. What is it going to take for all of us to understand to turn off such water supplies? http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_26884691/nov-7-letters-editor BLOGS China & US Making Progress on Climate Change, Now It's Time for More. When President Obama travels to China in two weeks to talk with President Xi Jinping, climate change is certain to be on the agenda. Both nations top the ranks of climate change polluters, and both nations are grappling with the consequences. California is in the grip of a prolonged and costly drought that scientists have linked to climate change. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/fbeinecke/china_us_making_progress_on_climate_change.html DOE Announces $16 Million for Cleaner Coal Tech. The Energy Department Thursday selected four projects to develop gasification systems to turn coal into syngas to produce power, chemicals and transportation fuel in processes that produce lower carbon dioxide emissions. “By partnering with industry on promising pathways for high-efficiency, low-pollution power generation and syngas production… http://blogs.rollcall.com/energy-xtra/doe-announces-16-million-for-cleaner-coal-tech/?dcz Carbon task force opens floor on carbon tax. The newly convened Presidential Carbon Charge Task Force held its first forum yesterday evening to engage students and faculty on the prospecting of implementing a carbon tax at Yale. The task force was held by University President Peter Salovey as part of a series of alternative initiatives aimed at tackling Yale’s greenhouse gas emissions, after the University released its decision not to divest from fossil fuel companies in August. http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/11/07/carbon-task-force-opens-floor-on-carbon-tax/ Poland rejects IPCC target of zero emissions by 2100. IPCC recommendation to phase out fossil fuels by end of century to avoid dangerous global warming is categorically rejected by Poland and other eastern European countries. Poland and other Eastern Europe countries have categorically rejected the target put forward by the world’s top climate scientists to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2100 to avoid dangerous global warming, leaked documents show. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/07/poland-rejects-ipcc-target-of-zero-emissions-by-2100 Solar Investment Tax Credit: Does Republican Win Increase Uncertainty On Extension? ... taking control of the Senate, which was previously controlled by the Democratic Party, while strengthening its control of the House of Representatives. Many Republicans have largely been against using incentives and taxpayer funds to aid the development of renewable energy sources, instead favoring an approach that is market-based and cost-effective. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/11/06/solar-investment-tax-credit-does-republican-win-increase-uncertainty-on-extension/ The Climate Post: Climate Change Risks, Impacts Focus of Reports. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Fifth Assessment Synthesis Report warning that greenhouse gas levels are at the highest they have been in 800,000 years. "We have little time before the window of opportunity to stay within the 2C... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-profeta/the-climate-post-climate_b_6117286.html?utm_hp_ref=climate-change McConnell: Priority is to ‘get the EPA reined in’ Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says a top priority of his is “to try to do whatever I can to get the [Environmental Protection Agency] reined in.” In an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader, McConnell said it wouldn’t be easy to block the carbon pollution regulations for existing power plants…http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/223298-mcconnell-priority-is-to-get-the-epa-reined-in Nissan Murano production fires up in America for first time [w/video] ... including the V-motion front end, LED boomerang lights and the unique floating roof. The breakthrough exterior design carries into the interior, which offers an engaging social lounge feel with a refined instrument panel, wide center console, NASA-inspired Zero Gravity front and outboard rear seating and the airy atmosphere created by the large windows and available oversized Power Panoramic Moonroof. http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/nissan-murano-production-canton-official-video/?icid=autoblog%7ccheck-these-out Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Volt's new, improved powertrain; Inabikari wants to build Tesla Model X fighter. We knew the 2016 Chevrolet Volt's new powertrain would provide more range, but we didn't know how much. According to GM's Executive Director Larry Nitz, it is about 12 percent more, overall.... http://green.autoblog.com/2014/11/06/2016-chevy-volt-improved-range-inabikari-ev-crowdfunding/ Car Emissions vs. Car Crashes: Which One's Deadlier? The ever-thought-provoking David Levinson posed a question at his Transportationist blog earlier this week that's worth a longer look: Are you more likely to die from being in a car crash or from breathing in car emissions? If your gut reaction is like mine, then you've already answered in favor of crashes. http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/11/car-emissions-vs-car-crashes-which-ones-deadlier/382461/ Your gym might have toxic air. Go the gym to stay healthy? Well, watch out, the air might be poisoning you. Researchers in Portugal and Holland found the air in the gyms they studied was really polluted. To find this, they put air-quality monitoring equipment in gyms throughout Lisbon. They covered weight rooms and aerobic areas, as well as smaller studio spaces. http://www.aol.com/article/2014/11/06/your-gym-might-have-toxic-air/20990007/ Here’s how one green group got its investments out of dirty energy. The Oregon Environmental Council had a problem. It was late last year, and the nonprofit’s board finance committee was reviewing the performance of its endowment fund, which was invested in various stocks and bonds and mutual funds. http://grist.org/business-technology/heres-how-one-green-group-got-its-investments-out-of-dirty-energy/ Here are the worst places to live in the U.S., and climate change isn’t helping. From wildfires and drought in the Southwest to hurricanes and floods on the Eastern seaboard, sometimes it seems like there’s nowhere left to hide from climate change. Well, we can’t (read: don’t want to) tell you where you should go, but at least now we can name the 50 places to live in the U.S. where you are MOST at risk for natural disaster — including the sorts of disasters climate change is expected to throw at us in the coming years. http://grist.org/news/here-are-the-worst-places-to-live-in-the-u-s-and-climate-change-isnt-helping/ Opinion: Debunking the myths Why fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are viable for the mass market. 2014 has been a year of rapid growth for the fuel cell market with positive progress being made globally, especially in markets such as US, UK, Germany, France and Japan. Public-private investment initiatives, government funding for infrastructure and consumer subsidies, falling production... http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/11/20141107-winand.html Hybrid Sales: Searching For A Silver Lining In Flat Figures. Recent news articles have noted that sales of hybrid-electric vehicle are in a bit of a funk. Some analysts have started to speculate that sales of hybrids may have already reached a peak, and certainly falling gas prices are a disincentive to pay more for a higher-efficiency vehicle. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095243_hybrid-sales-searching-for-a-silver-lining-in-flat-figures Which Electric-Car Makers Are Serious? U.S. Sales Show Top Three. Two years ago, we pointed out that several electric cars now on sale were purely "compliance cars," built in minimal numbers purely to comply with California rules that require sales of zero-emission vehicles. But almost four years after the first Nissan Leaf went on sale in December 2010, it's become pretty clear which carmakers are serious about plug-in electric cars--and which aren't. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095314_which-electric-car-makers-are-serious-u-s-sales-show-top-four Could Gasoline Below $3 A Gallon Doom Rising Gas-Mileage Rules? By most accounts, the world is pretty much awash in oil these days. Increases in North American shale-oil production have boosted supply to the point where there's now discussion of the U.S. becoming a net oil exporter sometime in the next decade. Meanwhile, the vehicle fleet is slowly getting more efficient--and U.S. gasoline consumption peaked in 2006 and has fallen steadily since then. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095338_could-gasoline-below-3-a-gallon-doom-rising-gas-mileage-rules The End of the Big Oil and Gas Game Has Come. ...other countries around the world. Stansberry, whom Clark knows very well due to their working together on shared issues such as: the need for a "national energy plan"; the move off of "coal and oil dependency"; and therefore the "control and [reduction of] carbon and greenhouse gases." However, Stansberry, like his mentor, Robert Hefner III, saw natural gas as the "Major Bridge" as the energy source before wind, solar and a new "hydrogen-based economy." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/woodrow-clark/oil-and-ga-game-ends_b_6061194.html?ir=Business&utm_hp_ref=business California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.