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California Air Resources Board News Clips for May 3, 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.


Suspension Of AB321 Headed To State Ballot. California voters
will decide the fate of the state's landmark global-warming bill
in the November election after a big-bucks battle that may break
records for political spending on an initiative. Today, a group
heavily backed by Texas oil giants Tesoro Corp. and Valero Energy
Corp. plans to submit signatures for an initiative seeking to
suspend AB32 until California's unemployment rate improves
dramatically. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/03/BA3P1D8EP8.DTL&type=printable
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2010/05/03/12

Climate Law Debate Centers On Economy. Opponents of AB 32 argue
it is a job-killer. When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed his
administration’s signature environmental law in 2006, he spoke of
it as a jobs measure. “Unquestionably, it is good for
businesses,” he said then. “Not only large, well-established
businesses, but small businesses that will harness their
entrepreneurial spirit to help us achieve our climate goals.”
Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/03/climate-law-debate-centers-on-economy/

Panel Debates Business Cost Of Calif. Global Warming Law. San
Diego — Panelists debated the economic merits of California's
greenhouse gas emissions reduction law at a forum Friday in San
Diego. California's Global Warming Solutions Act, or AB 32, is
designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to
climate change. The law mandates a variety of measures ranging
from capping industrial pollution to requiring use of more
renewable energy. But some groups question whether now is the
time to roll out regulations that will increase costs when the
economy is struggling. Posted.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/apr/30/panel-debates-business-cost-calif-global-warming-l/

4.7 Questions With Char Miller. 1. What is AB 32? AB 32 is
clean-tech, clean energy legislation that California enacted in
September 2006. It was and remains a landmark bill; no other
state or nation has passed such a comprehensive measure to reduce
greenhouse gases (GHG) by incentivizing technological and
entrepreneurial innovation. Moreover, it requires the California
Air Resources Board to develop regulations and market mechanisms
to reduce the state’s GHG emissions below 1990 levels—15 percent
below by 2020; 80 percent below by 2050. This is hugely ambitious
but also quite possible. Posted.
http://tsl.pomona.edu/new/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1131:47-questions-with-char-miller&catid=55:inside-the-bubble&Itemid=97

New Challenges Require New Thinking. Ventura County has a
laudable track record reckoning with urban sprawl, but a new
challenge lies ahead that will put its reputation for smart
growth to the test. Two recent state laws, SB375 and AB32, for
the first time link local land-use decisions to reductions in
emissions linked to global warming. The goal is to not only
reduce greenhouse gases, but drive innovative solutions to build
cities that meet our needs without ruining natural resources for
future generations. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/may/01/new-challenges-require-new-thinking/?print=1

UN Climate Chief Says He Does Not Expect A Comprehensive Deal On
Global Warming In 2010. Koenigswinter, Germany (AP) — Outgoing
U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer shot down expectations of a
climate treaty this year, saying Monday that a major U.N.
conference in December would yield only a "first answer" on
curbing greenhouse gases. His comments came just five months
after the hyped Copenhagen climate conference failed to yield
much progress despite efforts by world leaders, including
President Barack Obama. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-climate,0,661669,print.story
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/03/un-no-comprehensive-climate-deal-this-year/

Top scientist named to review UN climate panel. The Associated
Press. Amsterdam—A former Princeton University president will
head a 12-member committee to review the work of the U.N.
scientific panel on climate change, whose mistakes have
undermined public confidence that global warming is happening.
The InterAcademy Council, an association of national science
academies, said economist Harold T. Shapiro will chair the
prestigious committee of scientists from around the world.
Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_15007250?nclick_check=1

Opinion: Drilling, Disaster, Denial. It took futuristic
technology to achieve one of the worst ecological disasters on
record. Without such technology, after all, BP couldn’t have
drilled the Deepwater Horizon well in the first place. Yet for
those who remember their environmental history, the catastrophe
in the gulf has a strangely old-fashioned feel, reminiscent of
the events that led to the first Earth Day, four decades ago. And
maybe, just maybe, the disaster will help reverse
environmentalism’s long political slide — a slide largely caused
by our very success in alleviating highly visible pollution. If
so, there may be a small silver lining to a very dark cloud.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/opinion/03krugman.html?sq=environmental
issues&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=print

EPA Proposes Rules To Cut Mercury Emissions 50%. The Obama
administration says 5,000 deaths will be prevented each year
under new rules announced Friday to limit the amount of mercury
and other harmful pollutants released by industrial boilers and
solid waste incinerators. The planned rules would reduce mercury
emissions more than 50 percent by requiring steep and costly cuts
from companies operating about 200,000 industrial boilers,
heaters and incinerators. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/01/MNO31D7KCF.DTL&type=printable
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-epa-mercury-20100501,0,4093234.story
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/30/new-federal-rule-targets-harmful-mercury-emissions/

New Entrant In The Race For Cheaper Electric Car Batteries. The
Department of Energy is hunting for ways to dramatically cut the
cost of electric-car batteries, and one of its freshest
candidates takes a page from the computer industry. The heads of
Planar Energy, a company that spun off from the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory, have their roots in semiconductors
-- the tiny, simple devices without which microchips and
computers could not exist. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/05/03/4

U.S., Canada And Mexico Bid To Reduce Potent Refrigerant
Emissions. The United States is joining Canada and Mexico in a
second attempt to use the global treaty that protects the ozone
layer to reduce emissions of a potent group of greenhouse gases,
the State Department announced on Friday. Hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs) are up to 12,000 times stronger than carbon dioxide as
warming agents, and their use is expected to skyrocket as they
replace other refrigerants that harm the ozone layer and as
developing countries use more refrigeration and air conditioning.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/05/03/5