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California Air Resources Board News Clips for June 28, 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.

AB 32

Our View: Voters Can Chill State Global Warming Legislation. A
November ballot measure will give voters the chance to suspend
California's harmful global warming regulations, perhaps saving 1
million jobs and avoiding billions of dollars in economic damage.
The California Jobs Initiative would suspend mandated
restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions set to begin next year.
The law would remain suspended until unemployment in California
drops to 5.5 percent. It is now 12.4 percent. Posted.
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/common/printer/view.php?db=marysville&id=96507

OPINION: Richard Mazzucchi - Positive Point: The California Jobs
Initiative - A Great Step Backwards. Last week Secretary of State
Debra Bowen announced that a measure to delay Assembly Bill 32,
the 2006 law mandating the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions
to 1990 levels by 2020, has qualified for the November ballot.
Proponents, who needed to submit at least 435,000 valid voter
signatures to make the cut, reached the threshold for qualifying
through the random sample process. 
Posted. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/opinion/ci_15393557

EMISSIONS

EPA Behind On Setting Emissions Guidelines. Washington - The
Environmental Protection Agency is 10 years behind schedule in
setting guidelines for a host of toxic air pollutants, according
to a report from the agency's inspector general. The report,
which was released last week, found that the agency had failed to
develop emissions standards, due in 2000, for some sources of
hazardous air pollutants. These included smaller sites often
located in urban areas, like dry cleaners and gas stations, but
also some chemical manufacturers. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/27/MNTJ1E5J9A.DTL&type=printable

CLIMATE CHANGE/GHG’S

Govs Consider Alternative Energy, Climate Change. Whitefish,
Mont.—Governors from Western states say new transmission lines
are critical to developing alternative energy that will be needed
in the coming years. The governors are meeting to recognize that
climate change poses real threats and that the development of
more renewable energy will require more transmission lines.
Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15393881?nclick_check=1

Stanford Study: Few Experts Support Global Warming Skepticism.
Study says skeptics are not well-informed on the topic. Stanford
University recently conducted a study that shows a minimal number
of scientists who do not accept that human beings have
contributed to the Earth's climate change have "far less
expertise and prominence in climate research" than scientists who
do believe climate change has been affected by humans. Posted.
http://www.dailytech.com/Stanford+Study+Few+Experts+Support+Global+Warming+Skepticism/article18863.htm

Arctic Overreacts to Climate Change. Geological research shows
that whenever Earth heats up a few degrees, the Arctic gets three
times as warm. Whether it's 5 million years ago or June 2010,
it's becoming very clear that whenever the Earth's climate warms
up a few degrees -- for whatever reason -- the Arctic multiples
that warming by a factor of about three. Two new studies of past
warming and cooling periods going back millions of years have
found that the Arctic reliably amplifies whatever global climate
is doing. Posted.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/arctic-warming-amplification.html?print=true

Polar Bear Overseer: Few Tools To Stop Melting Ice. Anchorage,
Alaska—Polar bear policy in America can be summed up succinctly:
The iconic bears are threatened with extinction, and so far
nothing much is being done. Two years after they were listed
under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service has taken no major action in response to their principal
threat, the loss of sea ice habitat due to climate change.
Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_15384968

California Offers Divisive Cost-Control Options For
Cap-And-Trade. California officials are floating new proposals to
minimize costs on companies and consumers under the state’s
proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade scheme, including a
plan to expand the use of offsets that most environmentalists
strongly oppose. State regulators may also allow companies to
borrow future emission allowances to comply with current
regulatory obligations -- another controversial measure that is
likely to draw criticism in the weeks to come. Posted.
http://carboncontrolnews.com/

DIESELS

California Funds Go to Reducing Diesel Emissions in Busy
Corridors. The California Air Resources Board has allocated $200
million in Proposition 1B funds to go towards reducing diesel
emissions from trucks, locomotives and harborcraft in the Los
Angeles/Inland Empire, Central Valley, Bay Area and San
Diego/Border regions. These are the state's four busiest trade
corridors. Previous Proposition 1B funds in 2008 provided $246
million to local agencies putting more than 5,000 cleaner trucks
on the state's roads. Posted.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-print.asp?news_id=70845

Diesel Technology Forum Commends California Air Resources Board.
California Effort to Reduce Emissions by Over 29,000 Tons of
Nitrogen Oxides.  Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the
Diesel Technology Forum, issued the following statement today
regarding the California Air Resources Board’s decision to award
$200 million for new technologies to curb nitrogen oxide (NOx)
and particulate matter (PM) emissions and in four major trade
corridors. Posted.
http://www.dieselforum.org/news-center/press-releases/diesel-technology-forum-commends-california-air-resources-board

VEHICLES

Silicon Valley Aiming To Be The New Detroit. Silicon Valley is
positioning itself as a hub for the electric vehicle industry,
with companies like Better Place and Coulomb Technologies taking
up shop in the California region known for its technology base.
With Tuesday's stock market debut of California-based Tesla
Motors, the first new debut since Ford Motor Co.'s in 1956,
companies in the region are excited about the promise that
electric vehicles hold. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/06/28/10
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tesla-20100628,0,5212765.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Luxury Plug-In Hybrid Car To Make Area Debut Tuesday In Elk
Grove. Area auto enthusiasts who have only seen photos of the
sleek Fisker Karma luxury plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will
have an opportunity to see the real thing Tuesday in Elk Grove.
The $88,000 environmentally friendly, four-passenger sedan
capable of hitting 60 mph in less than six seconds will be on
display from 5 to 8 p.m. at Infiniti of Elk Grove, 8586 Laguna
Grove Drive, in the Elk Grove Automall. The vehicle unveiling,
which is open to the public, is part of a two-month, 42-city
North American tour conducted by Irvine-based Fisker Automotive.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/26/v-print/2850350/luxury-plug-in-hybrid-car-to-make.html

Electric Car Maker Tesla Motors To Begin Offering Stock. New
York - Tesla Motors Inc. begins selling stock to the public on
Tuesday. The sale's success depends on how much investors are
willing to bet on a car company that has never made a profit,
sells a single vehicle and expects to lose money until at least
2012. As for the car, it's electric - a kind of vehicle Americans
have shown almost no appetite for - and it's very pricey. But the
Palo Alto startup believes Americans' taste in cars is changing.
Posted. http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_15391562?source=rss

ENERGY

Senate Rejects Bill Extending Biodiesel Credit. The Senate has
voted down a bill that would have reinstated the $1 per gallon
biodiesel tax credit through the end of 2010, among other tax
extenders, according to the Oil Price Information Service.
Earlier this month, the House passed the bill, H.R. 4213, but
Republicans in the Senate were concerned about deficits, as the
legislation also included an extension of unemployment benefits.
Posted.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-print.asp?news_id=70847

Senate Democrats Poised To Start Energy Bill. Legislation could
include a carbon cap on utility companies. Many Democrats hope a
summer discussion on energy will establish a strong contrast with
Republicans before this fall's election. With the gulf oil spill
creating political opportunity, Senate Democrats will begin
crafting a sweeping energy bill this week that could include a
first-ever, though more modest, cap on global-warming pollution,
believing they must act now despite differences within their
ranks and political jitters in an election year. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-energy-congress-20100627,0,5701774,print.story

Valley Club Makes Solar Cooking Sizzle. Carl Peters happened
upon his first solar cooker at a yard sale. Intrigued, he bought
it, tried it and became a fan. A short time later, the retired
machinist started building his own sun-powered ovens and
spreading the word about cooking without leaving a carbon
footprint. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/06/27/1986985/solar-cooking-sizzles.html

AIR QUALITY

Federal Money Available To Cut California Agricultural Air
Pollution. 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources
Conservation Service in California said today that it is making
an additional $10 million available for Golden State farmers and
ranchers interested in reducing air-polluting emissions. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/06/25/1984376/federal-money-available-to-cut.html

Hong Kong Air Pollution Blamed On Political System. Hong Kong --
Democracy activists are not the only ones unhappy with a slow
pace of electoral reform in Hong Kong. Environmentalists blame
the city's political setup - which guarantees a strong voice for
business - for stymieing efforts to clean up Hong Kong's
increasingly dirty air. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/26/AR2010062600838.html

RAILYARDS

California Air Agency Seeks Fewer Emissions At Four Rail Yards.
Last week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced
plans to further reduce air emissions at the four
“highest-polluting” rail yards in the state during the next 10
years. The southern California yards include BNSF Railway Co.’s
San Bernardino and Hobart facilities, and Union Pacific
Railroad’s Commerce yard and intermodal container transfer
facility near Long Beach. During the past five years, agreements
between CARB, federal regulators and the Class Is have resulted
in halving emissions at the yards. Posted.
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article.asp?id=23688

BLOGS

Talking Points To Get Energy Policy And Climate Change Ball
Rolling In Congress. An executive summary was recently published.
The study was done by The National Energy Policy Institute and
Resources For The Future entitled "Toward A New National Energy
Policy". It contains some interesting findings on where the
United States should be headed in terms of energy policy. As
Congress is getting ready to debate climate change and green
house gas emissions I thought it would be beneficial to take a
look at some of their findings in the study. Posted.
http://www.examiner.com/x-43343-Energy-Policy-Examiner~y2010m6d28-Talking-points-to-get-energy-policy-and-climate-change-ball-rolling-in-Congress

What Role Will Senator Murkowski Play in Climate and Energy
Negotiations? Speaking at a sparsely-attended luncheon in
Fairbanks, AK on Friday, Senator Murkowski (R-AL) touted her
failed effort to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas
emissions as a 'badge of honor.' She went on to explain why she
considered the maneuver, which went down by a 53-47 margin on
June 10th, a qualified success. "We made our point. Forty-seven
members of the Senate said they do not want to allow the agency
to set climate change policy," she said. As luck would have it,
another institution has plans to 'set climate change policy' in
the weeks ahead -- the United States Senate. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-nelson/what-role-will-senator-mu_b_627552.html?view=print

A Nobelist’s Energy Pitch for Obama. President Obama is
preparing to take another stab at seeking consensus in the Senate
on energy legislation with components that could rein in
emissions of greenhouse gases. He had tried to round up lawmakers
for a White House meeting on the question last week but  the
blowup over Afghanistan policy pushed the long-simmering energy
issue to this week, with a meeting  now planned for Tuesday.
Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/a-nobelists-energy-pitch-for-obama/