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This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
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individual websites to view some of the following news articles.


FUELS UNDER CAP AND TRADE

State carbon charge has drivers fuming
It’s called a “hidden gas tax,” but it’s neither hidden nor a
tax, nor is it a “carbon” tax-terms used casually by the oil
industry lobby, politicians and media headlines. “It’s an
additional cost of doing business that took effect Jan. 1,” said
Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price
Information Service in Maryland.
http://www.folsomtelegraph.com/article/2/04/15/state-carbon-charge-has-drivers-fuming


AIR POLLUTION

Only Eight of China's 74 Major Cities Passed Government Air
Quality Tests
The shroud of smoke and soot that has made Beijing an
environmental basket case isn't limited to China's capital. Of
the 74 cities where Chinese authorities regularly monitor air
quality, only eight met the country's standards in 2014,
according to figures released by the country's Ministry of
Environmental Protection.
https://news.vice.com/article/only-eight-of-chinas-74-major-cities-passed-government-air-quality-tests


Scientists say ozone from Asia contributes to the West's
pollution 
High above the Big Sur coast, Ian Faloona is finding pollution on
the edge of the continent, a place that should have some of the
country's cleanest air. From an astronomical observatory on Chews
Ridge in the Santa Lucia Mountains, the University of California,
Davis atmospheric scientist has for the last three years measured
ozone, the lung-damaging gas in smog, as it arrives to
California. 
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article9342212.html


The cost of clean air
A DESOLATE scene surrounds Little Zhang’s Tyre Repair in the
dusty rock-mining township of Shijing, in the northern province
of Hebei. Zhang Minsheng, the owner, still gets some business
from passing traffic. But the recent closure of nearby rock
quarries, because of air-pollution restrictions, has taken its
toll. 
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21642214-measures-combat-air-pollution-are-biting-hard-industrial-areas-already-hit-economic


EPA compromises on new wood stove rules
Wood stoves and other wood burners will be getting cleaner. And
probably more expensive. The US Environmental Protection Agency
Wednesday completed its first new wood heater regulations since
the 1980s, promising to reduce soot and other types of air
pollution from them by up to 70 percent.
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/watchdog-earth/2015/02/04/epa-finishes-its-new-wood-heater-regulations/22869797/


California Residents Voice Concern Over Dangerous Pollution
Rates
California sits right on the Pacific Coastline of North America.
The southern part of the state is near the equator and, overall,
the conditions of the state should encourage some of the best air
quality in the entire country. But it doesn’t.
http://www.piercepioneer.com/california-residents-voice-concern-dangerous-pollution-rates/37572


Carmel will give fire rings a try
Fire rings will be coming to Carmel Beach this spring in a pilot
program that will ban fires directly on the sand. The Carmel City
Council on Tuesday night unanimously agreed to proceed with the
program as recommended by the city planning and forest and beach
commissions.
http://www.montereyherald.com/government-and-politics/20150204/carmel-will-give-fire-rings-a-try


ENVIRONMENT: Wood burning ban extended
Unhealthful levels of soot and other fine particle pollution have
prompted a fireplace wood-burning to be extended through the end
of Thursday, Feb. 5. The ban, like several imposed last month,
prohibits all home wood burning, as well as the use of
manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper.
Fires fueled by natural gas or propane are still allowed,
according to South Coast Air Quality Management District
officials.
http://www.pe.com/articles/air-759607-pollution-particle.html 

CLIMATE CHANGE

E.U. close to reaching carbon market reform agreement, energy
chief says 
The European Union is close to achieving an agreement to reform
its struggling carbon market, according to E.U. energy chief
Maros Sefcovic. To cope with low carbon prices and bolster an
energy transition toward more green energy, the European
Commission proposed a plan that will remove hundreds of millions
of carbon permits from the E.U. Emissions Trading System starting
in 2021.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/02/05/stories/1060012901 

With climate change on the California Legislature’s agenda,
utilities ‘making the rounds’ 
Soon after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed expanding greenhouse gas
reduction policies in his State of the State address,
California’s influential utilities praised Brown’s agenda but
moved quietly to craft a version that could be easier for them to
meet.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/gov-jerry-brown/article9321191.html

2015 California Policy and Regulatory Preview
The California Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) workload
skyrocketed in the fall of 2006 with the passage of AB 32. By any
definition, that was a BIG year in the world of climate change
and carbon markets. Year after year since that pivotal moment
when Governor Schwarzenegger signed a relatively short,
all-encompassing, economy-shifting, and authority-granting piece
of legislation, ARB has been running at full speed.
http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/2015-california-policy-and-regulatory-pr-60951/


Norway to cut climate pollution 40 percent by 2030
Norway will cut its emissions of global warming gases by at least
40 percent by 2030, aligning itself with the target set by the
European Union, the government said Wednesday. The 40 percent
reduction, compared with 1990 levels, will be Norway’s pledge to
the U.N. climate agreement that’s supposed to be adopted in
December in Paris, government officials said.
http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Norway-to-cut-climate-pollution-40-percent-by-2030-6062538.php


CEOs call for zero emissions goal in Paris climate deal
A group of high-profile CEOs on Thursday called on world leaders
to agree to bring the balance of greenhouse gas emissions to zero
by mid-century in a global climate change deal to be finalized in
Paris in December.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/05/us-climatechange-business-un-idUSKBN0L90CL20150205

DIESEL ACTIVITIES

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Arrives for Medium-Duty Trucks
As automakers begin to launch hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles,
Hydrogenics' new Celerity system promises medium- and heavy-duty
truck fleets the opportunity to join the fuel-cell fray. Built on
the low-pressure, non-humidified stack technology Hydrogenics has
been developing for the past 15 years and used in its other
systems, Celerity is an all-inclusive hydrogen fuel-cell system
designed for the medium- and heavy-duty truck and bus markets.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/article/story/2015/02/hydrogen-fuel-cell-power-made-simple.aspx


Orange EV offering on-road electric terminal truck
In this retrofit solution, Orange EV converts existing diesel
terminal trucks to pure electric. Starting with the customer’s
own diesel truck, Orange EV replaces the power train and control
systems while refurbishing the rest of the truck to like-new
condition. This conversion approach recycles and reuses the
chassis and other durable components, eliminating waste and
extending the life of the truck. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/02/20150205-orange.html 

DROUGHT

Can scientists engineer drought-tolerant plants?
As the California drought enters its fourth year, scientists are
trying to genetically engineer plants that survive on less water.
After adding a new piece of genetic code to their DNA, tomatoes
and other plants were able to hold on to more water and survive
for as many as 12 days without irrigation.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-drought-tolerant-plant-20150203-story.html


FUELS

Washingtonians get first look at proposed clean fuels standard
The government of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) offered an early
glimpse of a proposed rule to curb carbon in state transportation
fuels yesterday, readying the way for public debate on what has
already become a divisive issue. The discussion document
published by the state's Department of Ecology is not a draft
rule but offers the first concrete details of what a low-carbon
fuel standard might look like in the state.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/02/05/stories/1060012919 

VEHICLES

Europe's green transport set for protection from oil price fall
Europe's green transport sector, still in its fledgling stages,
is set to receive more regulatory support as the slump in oil
prices tempts drivers back to gas guzzlers. Renewable power, such
as wind and solar, is an increasingly established technology,
competitive with conventional fuel and no longer affected by
movements in the oil market, analysts say.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/04/us-oil-price-renewables-idUSKBN0L81UC20150204


White House Budget Asks For $10K Electric-Car Credit, Natural-Gas
Cars Added
It appears the recently-unveiled White House budget includes a
few measures to boost the adoption of green cars.  President
Barack Obama is once again attempting to spur sales of electric
cars and alternative-fuel vehicles through increased incentives.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096601_white-house-budget-asks-for-10k-electric-car-credit-natural-gas-cars-added


Calif. Energy Commission to award nearly $1.3M to support efforts
for plug-ins and fuel cell vehicles
The California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel
and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) announced the
availability of up to $1,297,816 in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV)
Readiness funding to support new and existing planning efforts
for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and fuel cell electric
vehicles (FCEVs). (PON-14-607) Grant funds will be awarded on a
“first-come, first-served basis.”
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/02/20150304-cec.html 

Washington lawmakers pushing electric car ownership
Even with gas prices hovering around $2 per gallon, Washington
state lawmakers are considering a raft of bills to encourage more
drivers to turn to electric cars in the name of reducing
pollution. Plug-in-and-charge automobiles are gaining popularity
in the state. Washington records show there were nearly 12,000
registered electric cars by the end of last year.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/02/04/4364040_washington-lawmakers-pushing-electric.html?rh=1


GREEN ENERGY

Report: Wind and solar energy have tripled since 2008
We worry a lot about the problem of climate change. And we try to
fix it — again, again and again — by changing how the country
uses energy. What we don’t stop and ponder enough, though, is
that the country is changing how it uses energy. It’s certainly
not enough to silence all environmental concerns. But
nonetheless, the progress, when you sample it, is really
impressive.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/02/04/report-wind-and-solar-energy-have-tripled-since-2008/


Shining some light on the science of solar power 
Twenty teachers eager to bring hands-on energy experiments into
their classrooms spent a day trying them out and jotting down
lecture notes for when they fly solo. The daylong training came
about with nonprofit groups’ expertise, county office
coordination and community cash. 
http://www.modbee.com/news/local/education/article9320582.html 

BLOGS

Lawmakers push bill to reform renewable fuel mandate
A bipartisan group of lawmakers pushed legislation to scale back
parts of the renewable fuel mandate on Wednesday. Reps. Bob
Goodlatte (R-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Steve Womack (R-Ariz.),
Jim Costa (D-Calif.) re-introduced a bill aimed at eliminating
the corn-based ethanol requirement in the Renewable Fuel
Standard, which is proposed every year by the Environmental
Protection Agency.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231761-lawmakers-push-bill-to-reform-renewable-fuel-mandate


250,000 Could Die Early From Breathing in China’s Cities, Study
Finds
Improved data has made it possible to better calculate how many
people could die early deaths in China as a result of air
pollution, researchers say. The results are grim. According to a
fresh analysis conducted by Peking University and the activist
group Greenpeace, more than 250,000 people living in the
country’s major cities could die prematurely as the result of the
Middle Kingdom’s smog-ridden skies.
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/02/04/250000-could-die-early-from-breathing-in-chinas-cities-study-finds/?KEYWORDS=air+pollution


The Green Car Guide of 2015
The mission of GreenCars.org, a website sponsored by the American
Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), is to help
consumers learn whether the car they’re thinking of buying is
environmentally friendly. One way they do that is through their
annual “greenest” and “meanest” ratings, which was released today
for the model year 2015.
http://ecowatch.com/2015/02/05/green-car-guide-2015/ 

7 Genius Kids Who Are Creating Change In Their Own Backyards
Too often we hear the phrase wunderkind applied to
just-out-of-college startup CEOs in Silicon Valley. Here’s a vote
for using the term in the intended way: to convey that there’s a
certain degree of novelty, and yes, wonder, in the ideas that
spring from the minds of our youngest generation.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/04/genius-kids-creating-change_n_6526486.html





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