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California Air Resources Board News Clips for August 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.

CLIMATE CHANGE/GHG’S

Extreme Weather May Be Signs Of Climate Change. New York -
Floods, fires, melting ice and feverish heat: From smoke-choked
Moscow to water-soaked Iowa and the High Arctic, the planet seems
to be having a midsummer breakdown. It's not just a portent of
things to come, scientists say, but a sign of troubling climate
change already under way. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/13/MNLL1ET3B7.DTL&type=printable

BC Premier Praises California On Climate Change. Sacramento,
Calif. The premier of British Columbia stressed the link between
environmental legislation and economic opportunity in an address
to California lawmakers on Thursday. Premier Gordon Campbell said
California has played an important role in creating policies to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He addressed the state Assembly
and Senate separately. Posted.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9HIKUO80.htm
http://www.modbee.com/2010/08/12/1291838/bc-premier-praises-california.html#ixzz0wVPtzeST
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9HIKUO80.htm
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_15761817

Cypress CEO Not Green For Green's Sake. If you think cap and
trade, and therefore California's AB32, is a bad idea, a carbon
tax is probably worse, and man-made global warming is unproven,
can you still be considered a good eco-citizen? Yes, if you're
T.J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. and chairman of
SunPower Corp., both headquartered in San Jose. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/13/BUDP1ET3FJ.DTL&type=printable

Long, Hot Summer Of Fire, Floods Fits Predictions. New York-
Floods, fires, melting ice and feverish heat: From smoke-choked
Moscow to water-soaked Iowa and the High Arctic, the planet seems
to be having a midsummer breakdown. It's not just a portent of
things to come, scientists say, but a sign of troubling climate
change already under way. The weather-related cataclysms of July
and August fit patterns predicted by climate scientists, the
Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization says — although
those scientists always shy from tying individual disasters
directly to global warming. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/08/12/national/a023114D30.DTL&type=printable
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/13/AR2010081300582.html
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_15759356

Editorial: No Solitary Suicide Pact. In a monumental concession
to common sense – or maybe a cynical political ploy – the
chairwoman of the state Air Resources Board said this week that
California won't go it alone to implement cap-and-trade to combat
global warming. If we give Mary Nichols the benefit of the doubt,
we can applaud her recognition of reality. Of seven U.S. states
and four Canadian provinces in the so-called Western Climate
Initiative, only California, New Mexico and Quebec are prepared
to develop such a carbon trading market, reports San
Francisco-area public broadcasting station KQED. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/cap-261911-trade-nichols.html

Chilly West, scorching East: There's a link. While the East Coast
swelters under scorching temperatures, Bay Area residents are
reaching for sweaters during one of the coldest summers in
memory. As Washington, D.C., prepared today to endure a 53rd
consecutive daily high temperature of 90 degrees or higher, some
Bay Area cities were expecting low temperatures similar to those
that, for example, gave Redwood City a record-cold July. Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_15761096

Scientist: Huge Greenland Iceberg A Sign Of Warming. When a
massive ice island broke off Greenland last week, it looked quite
familiar to UC Irvine climate researcher Eric Rignot. Rignot, who
has attracted global attention for research showing rapid melting
of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica in response to global
warming, was heading to Greenland from Europe this week for more
climate research. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=261971

EPA Proposes Rules Pushing The States To Prepare For Greenhouse
Gas Limits. U.S. EPA took steps yesterday designed to ensure that
when Jan. 2, 2011, rolls around, the system will be in place for
the country's largest greenhouse gas emitters to proceed with
planned construction projects without being held up waiting for
newly required air permits. The agency proposed two rules aimed
at smoothing the way for new emissions restrictions to take
effect next year, filling the gap for any state that can't -- or
won't -- ….Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/08/13/6
http://www.examiner.com/ecopolitics-in-los-angeles/epa-requires-greenhouse-gas-permits-next-year-1

The Pulse: A Cooling Trend on Cap and Trade. Like much of the
Northern Hemisphere, Chicago is suffering through one of the
hottest summers in recent memory, raising more discussion about
global warming. One might think that business would then be good
at the Chicago Climate Exchange, the nation’s only bourse
dedicated to trading companies’ emission-related carbon credits. 
Instead, things have cooled significantly at the exchange, where
volume has fallen off. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/us/13cncpulse.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

AIR POLLUTION

Judge Orders Trial Over Chicken Waste Pollution. Sacramento -- A
federal judge says a lawsuit filed seeking penalties against one
of the state's largest egg-producing facilities over pollution
from its manure lagoon should go to trial. U.S. District Judge
John Mendez in Sacramento rejected a motion to dismiss the case
by Olivera Egg Farm. The egg farm, located outside of Stockton,
has more than 700,000 chickens in cages at its facility. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/13/BA4M1ETC5U.DTL&type=printable
http://www.modbee.com/2010/08/12/1291818/judge-orders-trial-in-case-over.html#ixzz0wVMBODAE
 http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=15987
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/aug/12/judge-orders-trial-in-case-over-chicken-waste/
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_15761630

What Business Owners Hate About California. In 2009, managers of
FMI Products LLC in Santa Ana bought the company through the
bankruptcy courts to save more than 150 jobs. But California
restrictions on wood-burning fireplaces in homes that go into
effect next year could kill a big chunk of the fireplace
manufacturer's business, said Chief Executive Mark Klein.
Fireplace manufacturers, including FMI, and trade associations
have worked with federal, state and regional air quality agencies
trying to meet stricter standards and still stay in business, he
said. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=261691

Walk To School — Air Officials Ask Parents To Help Cut Ozone.
Hoping to head off a spike in lung-corroding ozone, air officials
are asking parents to have their children walk, bicycle, take the
bus or ride in a car pool as schools open throughout the San
Joaquin Valley. Reducing the annual surge in traffic not only
would be healthier for the children, it might help the region's
economy, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2010/08/12/1292294/walk-to-school-air-officials-ask.html#ixzz0wVJVFUuS

Businesses Face $29M Penalty for Ozone Violation. The local air
district is asking residents to try and reduce car trips at the
start of the school year, or else Valley businesses may face a
$29 million penalty. The penalty would be imposed by the federal
government for failing to meet the 1-hour ozone standard by 2010.
So far this year, there have been no violations of the 1-hour
standard, while there were four last year that occurred after the
start of the school year. In 1990, there were 50 violations.
Posted.
http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/environment/5908-businesses-face-29m-penalty-for-ozone-violation

Smoke-Shrouded Moscow Gets Welcome Break From Smog. Moscow—The
skies were clear over Moscow Thursday, giving residents a
desperately needed break from air pollution thanks to favorable
winds and some success in fighting wildfires that have choked the
capital with clouds of acrid smog. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_15753400?nclick_check=1

Rain Refreshes Moscow, But Wildfires Still Burning. Moscow -
Heavy downpours cooled the Russian capital after weeks of no rain
and unprecedented heat, but dozens of wildfires still raged
around Moscow on Friday and a new blaze was spotted near the
country's top nuclear research center. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_15766651

ENERGY

Report Offers Liability Options for CO2 Storage.  An
administration task force is proposing several options aimed at
overcoming liability obstacles that could hinder the development
of "clean coal" technology. The experimental technique involves
storing carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants and other
sources underground, in an attempt to reduce pollution blamed for
contributing to global warming. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2010/08/12/1291209/apnewsbreak-carbon-pricing-called.html#ixzz0wVNkgpmD

Federal Task Force Reasserts the Need for a Price on Carbon. Last
February, when President Obama asked federal agencies for a plan
to commercialize carbon capture and storage (CCS) within a
decade, the chessboard looked very different. An economywide
climate bill had emerged from the House. Energy and climate
proposals were still circulating in the Senate. Health care
reform had yet to pass, and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill had not
yet occurred. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/08/13/13climatewire-federal-task-force-reasserts-the-need-for-a-95489.html

Carbon Traders And Asset Managers Struggle After U.S. Policy
Disappointments. For investors with clean energy and
carbon-trading assets, a sobering splash in the face accompanied
the Senate's decision to forgo climate legislation until sometime
after this year's midterm elections. And as a result, the biggest
financiers and carbon trading houses are reassessing their U.S.
business, and the Chicago Climate Exchange is cutting staff.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/08/13/4

Low-Carbon Power Creates New Foreign Dependencies And Other
Problems – Study. The movement to develop domestic wind, solar
and biomass energy resources as a way to lessen U.S. reliance on
imported oil risks exchanging one kind of foreign dependency with
another, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Staff Scientist
David Fridley warns. In a paper, "Nine Challenges of Alternative
Energy," Fridley describes a range of major obstacles confronting
the "greening" of the American economy. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/08/13/5

EMISSION

Can 'Green Cement' Make Carbon Capture And Storage Obsolete? The
conventional wisdom among utilities, the Obama administration,
many scientists and some major environmental groups is that the
future of coal-fired electricity under an eventual cap on carbon
dioxide emissions will require an overhaul that will be
technologically complicated, politically difficult and
financially expensive. Policy experts say that to "decarbonize"
the future power system, we will need a new generation of power
plants that can separate CO2 from their emissions. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/08/13/1

VEHICLES

No Deal. Local Auto Dealers Feeling Used By ‘Cash For Clunkers’
Program. Mike Macaulay has been in the automobile industry for 42
years. As a used-car dealer, he has a unique perspective on the
economy, its volatility and its effect on his customers. “I break
people’s hearts every day, unfortunately,” said Macaulay, owner
of Car Systems in Roseville, specializing in trucks and sport
utility vehicles. He’s referring, of course, to the economy, and
the fact that so many would-be car buyers have seen their credit
take a nose dive. That makes them ineligible for cars that don’t
involve “sub-prime” financing, which Macaulay doesn’t offer
because of the risk. Posted.
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/PrintFriendly?oid=1485455

POWER PLANT

PG&E Won't Back Lifting Calif. Moratorium. San Francisco --
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Chairman and CEO Peter Darbee
yesterday stopped short of saying he would support reversing
California's moratorium on nuclear power plant construction, even
as he urged federal regulators to relicense its only operating
nuclear power station in the state. Darbee, during a speech at
the Public Utilities Commission here, said PG&E -- the largest
utility in California -- does believe in pushing for nuclear
power expansion in other parts of the United States but not in
CaliforniaPosted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/08/13/3

BLOGS

How Calif. Mid-Terms Will Decide the Future of Federal Climate
Laws. History is in the making in California with one of the
biggest political battles over climate set for the state's
mid-term elections this fall. The November ballot represents the
Normandy Invasion equivalent for national climate legislation --
a historic battle whose outcome will likely have major impact on
the future of efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Posted.
http://www.greenbiz.com/print/37612

“Ground Control To Major CARB …” “We can be a valuable resource
to CARB [California Air Resources Board] in providing real world
data on the impact of regulations.” –Patrick O’Connor, U.S.
legislative counsel for the NAFA Fleet Management Association, on
the formation of the group’s new CARB Advisory Council. There’s
certainly no dearth of opinions out there about the many federal,
state, and local regulations governing daily life in the trucking
industry. Posted.
http://blog.fleetowner.com/trucks_at_work/2010/08/13/ground-control-to-major-carb/

Book Explores Use of Technology to Reverse Global Warming. There
are efforts worldwide to control the release of harmful
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to stop global warming. 
Some experts are now considering the idea of saving the planet
through so-called "geoengineering."  The controversial idea is
the subject of a new book called How to Cool the Planet. Jeff
Goodell thinks geoengineering is a somewhat crazy idea.  Posted.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/environment/Book-Explores-Use-of-Technology-to-Reverse-Global-Warming-100630014.html

Prop. 23 Funders Are Big Polluters. Last week, supporters of
Prop. 23 – an initiative that would suspend the state’s global
warming law -- scored a small victory when a judge ordered a
title change for the proposition. The original title written by
California Attorney General Jerry Brown, who is also the
Democratic candidate for governor, was as follows: “Suspends Air
Pollution Control Laws Requiring Major Polluters to Report and
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions that Cause Global Warming Until
Unemployment Drops Below Specified Levels.” Posted.
http://ethnoblog.newamericamedia.org/2010/08/prop-23-funders-are-big-polluters.php