What's New List Serve Post Display

California Air Resources Board News Clips for April 13, 2010.
 
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.
Calif. Bill Requires Home Carbon Monoxide Monitors. Californians
would be required to install carbon monoxide monitors if their
home has an attached garage or fireplace under legislation the
state Assembly adopted Monday, although one lawmaker said the
bill reached too far into people's private lives. The bill by
Sen. Allen Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, also would mandate the
devices in homes that are heated by oil or other fossil fuels.
The Assembly passed it on a 47-19 vote, sending it to the Senate.
Posted.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gA1wnqxm7Hk-yyzkCTvMjYCQ1SLQD9F1PM501


Energy Commissioner Joins in AB32 Meeting. California Energy
Commissioner Anthony Eggert and four high-ranking business
leaders will discuss the financial effect of AB32 on businesses
during a two-hour meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday at The Sutter Club in
downtown Sacramento. Posted.
http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2010/04/12/daily18.html

White House Rhetoric May Signal Climate-Bill Surge. With the
bruising health care debate over, President Obama's top economic
adviser left little doubt last week that energy and climate has
taken its place atop the administration's agenda. During a
30-minute speech (pdf) at a Washington energy conference, Larry
Summers, the head of the White House's National Economic Council,
used lofty rhetoric to warn of the long-term consequences if
Congress fails to follow through this year on a sweeping overhaul
of how the nation generates and uses energy. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/04/12/12greenwire-some-see-white-house-rhetoric-signaling-climat-88495.html


Senate Leader Reaffirms Plans for Climate Bill Debate as
Sponsors Prepare Bloc-To-Bloc Talks. The Senate's top Democrat
said yesterday he is still dedicated to spending valuable floor
time this year on comprehensive climate and energy legislation,
but the three sponsors of the plan may have to go
member-by-member in order to deliver a package capable of
mustering 60 votes. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/04/13/13climatewire-senate-leader-reaffirms-plans-for-climate-bi-34741.html


Aluminum Foil Or Plastic Wrap: Which Is Better For The
Environment? Judging by conversations the Lantern has had with
her colleagues, most people seem to believe intuitively that
aluminum foil is better for the planet, maybe because plastics
are made from fossil fuels and we've heard so much about how
they're polluting the oceans. Plus, foil can be rinsed and reused
with relative ease, or sometimes even recycled at the curb, while
plastic wrap is usually thrown away. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/12/AR2010041203231.html


Europe Finds Clean Energy in Trash, but U.S. Lags. The lawyers
and engineers who dwell in an elegant enclave here are at peace
with the hulking neighbor just over the back fence: a vast energy
plant that burns thousands of tons of household garbage and
industrial waste, round the clock. Far cleaner than conventional
incinerators, this new type of plant converts local trash into
heat and electricity. Dozens of filters catch pollutants, from
mercury to dioxin, that would have emerged from its smokestack
only a decade ago. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/earth/13trash.html?src=me


TV weathercasters divided on global warming. Before Spencer
Christian, a weather forecaster with KGO-TV Channel 7 in San
Francisco, steps before the camera during the station's 6 p.m.
newscast, he scrutinizes a computer screen to analyze the latest
forecasting data. Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_14869684

Barnidge: For BAAQMD, no measure is too severe for clean air. IF
YOU visit the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's Web
site, you will be impressed by the economy of words in its
mission statement: "To protect and improve public health, air
quality and the global climate." Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_14870034

Calif. bill requires home carbon monoxide monitors. SACRAMENTO,
Calif.—Californians would be required to install carbon monoxide
monitors if their home has an attached garage or fireplace under
legislation the state Assembly adopted Monday, although one
lawmaker said the bill reached too far into people's private
lives. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14869416

The greening of the cut-flower industry. Maybe I can finally
stop pouting about the fact that for 28 years I rarely get cut
flowers from my husband on any occasion. He's a little shall we
say, frugal? Or maybe he had foresight I didn't see. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/bay-area-living/ci_14868954

California Ports Update Clean Air Action Plan. Building on the
San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) adopted in 2006,
the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles CA released a proposed,
updated Clean Air Action Plan that includes new goals for curbing
port-related air pollution over the next decade. Posted.
http://refrigeratedtrans.com/carriers-shippers/california_ports_update_clean_air_action_plan_0413/


Make the Railroad Clean Up Its Act. After hearing reports about
the Colton Crossing, I'm left scratching my head in bewilderment
- $97.3 million in public funds going to a project that doesn't
even meet the minimum public benefits criteria. The California
Transportation Commission was correct in denying the proposal
last month, but it seemed to miss the point when it gave the
railroads and San Bernardino Association of Governments two weeks
to go back and "make up" some public benefit. Posted.
http://www.sbsun.com/pointofview/ci_14871184 

Measured by carbon footprint, travel to Antarctica has tons of
impact. Getting to Antarctica is not easy. Neither is calculating
the carbon footprint created by going to and from the continent.
Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/12/AR2010041203194.html

Climate treaty realities push leaders to trim priority lists. As
prospects for a binding global climate treaty this year have
evaporated, leaders and environmental advocates have focused
their efforts on reaching agreement on a few top priorities,
including preserving tropical forests and helping developing
countries cope with climate change. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/12/AR2010041203822.html

Blogs

Reporter's Notes: Smog Checks Made Easy. One interesting little
sidetrack I got stuck on while I was reporting this story was the
1-800-Exhaust program. Maybe you've seen the billboards along
I-80 near the Bay Bridge? If not, you will soon. The Bay Area Air
Quality Management District (the same people who bring you Spare
the Air days) has kicked off a new campaign to promote the
program. Posted.
http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2010/04/09/reporters-notes-smog-checks-made-easy

Obama Seeks Local Action for Earth Day. President Obama today
urged Americans to honor the upcoming 40th anniversary of Earth
Day by acting to improve the environment around them and launched
a Web site,  Whitehouse.gov/EarthDay, compiling citizens’ success
stories. Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/obama-seeks-local-action-for-earth-day/


Growth and Greenhouse Gases. So I’ve gotten some pushback from
environmentalists on the proposition in my mag piece that we can
afford, at real but modest cost, to limit greenhouse gas
emissions. Oddly, it comes from two directions. On one side,
there are those who insist that greening the economy is win-win:
more jobs, more growth, as well as less carbon. Posted.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/growth-and-greenhouse-gases/