What's New List Serve Post Display

Newsclips for April 24th, 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.
Earth Day

Earth Day Is About Recovering The Environment And The Economy.
Forty years ago, the late Sen. Gaylord Nelson gave birth to Earth
Day when he stood up for the environment, calling upon the
American people to come together for a simple teach-in on the
environment. The first Earth Day was a catalyst for change. It
accelerated passage of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act,
as well as creation that same year of my agency, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Environmental
Protection Agency. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/21/2694967/earth-day-is-about-recovering.html

How Much Environmental Action Has Occurred In 40 Years? Before
1970, when the first Earth Day occurred, no federal laws barred
companies from releasing toxic chemicals into the air and water.
Today, that seems almost difficult to imagine. As people
celebrate Earth Day's 40 anniversary Thursday, a look backward
shows how much environmental progress has occurred. In the
animated video above, Mother Nature Network captures the
highlights. Posted.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/04/how-much-environmental-action-has-occurred-in-40-years/1


Living Green: Time To Take Care Of Our Planet. It was 1970.
Litter was rampant. Rivers had caught fire from pollutants. And
Earth Day was born, 40 years ago tomorrow.  Earth Day brought
national attention to the environment in the same way as
grassroots “sit-ins” brought activism against the Vietnam War.
Earth Day was started not by a beatnik, but instead, a senator
from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, who had tried for years to
attract political attention to the decline of our environment.
Posted.
http://www.tracypress.com/view/full_story/7148046/article-Living-Green--Time-to-take-care-of-our-planet?instance=home_opinion_lead_story


Climate Change

The Coming Tide of Global Climate Lawsuits. The Prunerov power
station is the Czech Republic’s biggest polluter: Its Its
900-foot-high smokestack pushes a plume of white smoke high above
the flat, featureless fields of northern Bohemia. Prunerov
reliably wins a place on lists of Europe’s dirtiest power plants,
emitting 11.1 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. Posted.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/04/climate-desk-exxon-lawsuit/

Lead Economist for State Analysis Linked to Pro-Climate Law
Campaign. The chief economist behind a recent state-sponsored
report that found California's climate law would do little to
upset the state economy is on the board of directors of a
nonprofit group that has transferred money to a political
campaign to defend the measure from those who want it suspended.
Larry Goulder, a professor at Stanford University, was the lead
economist in an analysis released last month by the California
Air Resources Board that said the law, A.B. 32, would barely
affect employment once implemented in 2012. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/04/21/21climatewire-lead-economist-for-state-analysis-linked-to-16115.html


Electric Utilities Have Reasons to Embrace -- and Fight Over --
Senate Climate Bill. The Senate climate bill to be unveiled
Monday is likely to give the electric utility industry a sweeter
deal compared to last June's House-passed bill, even as it sparks
a messy food fight among individual power companies. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/04/21/21climatewire-electric-utilities-have-reasons-to-embrace--59090.html


Senate Republicans Move to Bar NEPA Analysis of Climate Change
Impacts. Republican senators introduced legislation today that
would block White House efforts to require federal agencies to
consider climate change in environmental analyses of proposed
projects. The bill says the National Environmental Policy Act
should not be used to document, predict or mitigate the climate
effects of specific federal actions. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/04/20/20greenwire-senate-republicans-move-to-bar-nepa-analysis-o-53404.html


Capitol Hill Braces for Energy/Climate Change Ideas. Political
leaders in Washington DC are preparing to examine a new climate
change and energy proposal this week that could add dollars to
what truckers pay at the diesel pump. A new energy and climate
change package is expected to emerge this week as Sens. John
Kerry, D-MA, Lindsey Graham, R-SC, and Joe Lieberman, I-CT,
prepare to unveil proposed legislation in the U.S. Senate.
Posted.
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/Apr10/041910/042010-01.htm


California, U.S. Dairies Lead World with Lowest Carbon
Footprint. U.S. dairy farms, including California dairies, have
the world’s lowest emissions of climate-changing “greenhouse
gases,” according to a report released today by the United
Nations. American dairy farms emit about 45 percent fewer
greenhouse gases per unit of milk produced compared to the global
average for dairies, according to “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from
the Dairy Sector – A Life Cycle Analysis,” published by the
U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Note: The report
and FAO news release can be found at
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/41348/icode/  “This is good
news for consumers of California dairy products and California
dairy farmers. Posted.
http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/b234719/california-u-s-dairies-lead-world-with-lowest-carbon-footprint-%E2%80%93-new-united-n

Cap And Trade: Controversy With Potential Revenue. For all
practical purposes, every Cornbelt farmer is in the middle of the
great debate about energy. If you are growing corn and/or
soybeans, your commodities are priced depending on ethanol and
biodiesel demand. If you are using fertilizer, pesticides, and
other chemicals made from petrochemicals, you are a consumer. If
you are just fueling up to head to the field, the parts store, or
sending your family to school, you are participating in the
bioenergy market. You really can’t escape. And that is why
familiarity with the biofuels market, cap and trade, and US
energy policy is important to your economic welfare. Posted. 
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Cap-And-Trade--Controversy-With-Potential-Revenue/2010-04-21/Article.aspx?oid=1049774&fid=VN-HOT_TOPICS&aid=760

Greenpeace not LOL over Facebook footprint. GRANTS PASS,
Ore.—After an emotional breakup with the timber industry,
Prineville, Ore., was thrilled to get friended by Facebook. The
social networking site chose the high-desert timber town of
10,000 to take advantage of its cool nights and dry air in hopes
of making its first-ever data center an energy efficiency
landmark. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14920901

White House: Climate bill 'doable' this year. WASHINGTON—White
House energy adviser Carol Browner said Tuesday she thinks
Congress still has time to approve a climate and energy bill this
year. Browner called action on the long-delayed legislation
"doable," because members of Congress increasingly understand the
need to develop clean energy that does not emit carbon dioxide
and other pollutants blamed for global warming. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_14921840

Air Pollution

Group Protests Rail Yard Pollution. Equipped with breathing
masks, picket signs and megaphones, around 50 people on Tuesday
protested outside of the BNSF rail yard's freight truck gate on
Fourth Street to raise awareness of air quality concerns.
Residents and activists complained diesel emissions from freight
trucks, trains and machinery that travel in and out of the yard
have created a public health risk in the neighborhoods that
surround the expansive rail yard. Posted.
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_14923169#ixzz0lkTjatfX

Dutton Air Board Transparency Measure Advances. A bill authored
by Senate Republican Leader-elect Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga)
designed to bring greater transparency to the California Air
Resources Board (CARB) received broad bi-partisan support today
as it cleared the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Senate
Bill 1402 requires CARB to improve communications with the
businesses it oversees.  Specifically, CARB would be required to
explain how a penalty levied against a business was determined,
explain the reason for the violation and specify the code section
violated. Posted.
http://www.inlandempire.us/rss/article.php?client=redfusion&id=20100420091126

East Bay wildfire management plan approved. The East Regional
Park District on Tuesday approved a plan to remove trees and
brush in 13 parks to reduce the risk of a firestorm sweeping
through the hills from Richmond to Hayward. The vote was 6-0.
Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_14925150

Diesel

Diesel Rule: 'AG' Stickers Mark Qualified Agricultural Trucks.
Black-and-white "AG" stickers are showing up on agricultural
diesel vehicles around the state, as farmers and ranchers take
steps to comply with a new regulation by the California Air
Resources Board to reduce emissions from diesel vehicles
operating on California roadways. Posted.
http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1517&ck=81C8727C62E800BE708DBF37C4695DFF


Green/Energy

Discount Programs This Week Help Save Planet, Your Money.
Coachella Valley residents will be able to help save the Earth
and save money with two green discount programs launching this
week. On Wednesday, the South Coast Air Quality Management
District will kick off its annual Mow Down Air Pollution campaign
to encourage Southern Californians to replace pollutant-spewing
gas lawn mowers with zero-emission electric machines. Posted.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100421/NEWS07/4210320/1006/news01/Discount+programs+this+week+help+save+planet++your+money


Registration For Lawnmower Trade-In Starts Today. Air-quality
officials are hoping to take up to 9,380 carbon-belching gas lawn
mowers out of yards across Southern California and replace them
with zero-emission electric mowers in an exchange program that
begins Wednesday. Through the program sponsored by the Southern
California Air Quality Management District, residents can
exchange any working gas mower for one of four electric models at
deeply discounted prices. Posted. 
http://www.ocregister.com/news/mowers-244957-gas-program.html   
                                     
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_14922150 

Upland High School spotlights solar. UPLAND - Although the sun
couldn't be seen much Tuesday, its power was still strong enough
to demonstrate the use of solar power to Upland High School
students.  Tuesday's solar display was part of Earth Week at the
school. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14922294?nclick_check=1

San Rafael chooses Marin Clean Energy's 'light green' option.
The San Rafael City Council this week elected to go for the
cheaper "light green" option in the Marin Clean Energy program,
but did not rule out an upgrade should the city's finances
improve. In a unanimous vote Monday night, the council OK'd an
energy plan that will cost about $876,000 - equivalent to what
officials expect to pay next year. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14923559

Program will give rebates for buying energy-efficient
appliances. Earth Day features some real green this year, with
$35.2 million in cash rebates available to California residents
who scrap power-gobbling appliances for energy-efficient models.
Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14923388 

Blogs

Low Paid Truckers Bear Cost Of Harbor Pollution Cleanup. Should
low-paid truck drivers shoulder the cost of cleaning up pollution
at Los Angeles harbor? That’s the question before a federal court
this week in a case that is a major test of Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa’s plan to clean up the air in one of L.A.’s most
polluted places, where trucks, trains and ships poison the air at
great risk to the health of thousands of residents. Posted.
http://www.laobserved.com/boyarsky/2010/04/should_low-paid_truck_drivers.php


California Offers Funds to Turn Cargo Boats into Hybrids. Cars
catch a lot of flak for pollution, but they are not the only
source of manmade greenhouse gas emissions by a long shot — cargo
ships, airplanes, trains, even cows and industrial farming make
the list too. Many of the same technologies that are being tried
out to improve auto emissions may also be used on other forms of
transportation. Posted.
http://gas2.org/2010/04/21/california-offers-funds-to-turn-cargo-boats-into-hybrids/


"Green" Company to Pay $15 Million for Polluting. Safety-Kleen
System Inc. is a national distributor of cleaning solvents. Their
products have names like Ecopower motor oil, Icebreaker
windshield washer fluid, Khameleon antifreeze and KleenMist II
wastewater treatment. They're say they are green, well, they
better be made of it, because they owe $15 million green ones.
The settlement is the result of a case brought by Orange County
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, among others, charging the
company with unlawful business practices and violations of air
quality regulations. Suck on that tail pipe! Posted.
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/main/safety-kleen-system-inc-is-a/


Icelandic Scientists Say Climate Change Will Bring More
Eruptions. While no one can say with certainty whether or not the
eruption of Eyjafjallajokull stems from climate change, Icelandic
scientists point to an increase in the likelihood of eruptions as
glaciers melt due to climate change. It works like this: As ice
recedes, the land underneath moves up, freed from the massive
weight. As the ground rises, it creates tectonic instablity,
increasing the likelihood of volcanic eruptions in formerly
glacier-clad regions. Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=61754#ixzz0lkYrPmmW

A Big Bet on Solar Technology. In one of the biggest green
technology deals of the year, a prominent Silicon Valley venture
capital company is leading a $129.4 million investment in a
long-promising solar technology that is starting to gain traction
in the United States. The venture company, Kleiner Perkins
Caufield & Byers, and other investors are making a big bet on
Amonix, a company in southern California that has spent 20 years
developing concentrating photovoltaic power systems that resemble
gigantic solar panels. Posted.
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/investors-bet-big-on-concentrating-solar-technology/