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California Air Resources Board News Clips for September 29-30,
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/GHGS

Senators Agree with President Obama's Call To Break Up Climate
Bill. Key Senate Democrats and Republicans indicated Wednesday
that they agree with President Barack Obama's call to tackle
energy and climate legislation "in chunks" come 2011. From John
Kerry to Lamar Alexander, the reaction on Capitol Hill to the
president's remarks in a Rolling Stone magazine interview suggest
there's room for compromise on energy and environmental issues
when Congress returns next year. Posted.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42913.html#ixzz111qyZjGi
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/09/29/29climatewire-obama-promises-to-push-climate-policies-in-ch-2269.html?pagewanted=print
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/09/29/1

Climate Change Policy to Be Focus Of Oct. 4 Conference. Leading
economists, analysts, and executives from academia, the state
government and industry will discuss the impacts of climate
change and Assembly Bill 32 on California’s economy and the
environment during an Oct. 4 conference, sponsored by the
University of California Giannini Foundation and UC Davis-based
UC Agricultural Issues Center. "California's Climate Change
Policy: The Economic and Environmental Impacts of AB 32" will be
held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the California Museum, 1020 O
St., in Sacramento. Posted.
http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=9631

How Republicans Managed to Rebrand 'Cap and Trade'. A sliver of
Americans worry that climate change is the invention of plotting
communists, international liberals or U.S. officials engineering
deceitful reasons for more taxes. Supposedly, it's a hoax. That's
a thin stripe of thought held by roughly six people in a crowd of
100, according to Yale polling. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/09/30/30climatewire-how-republicans-managed-to-rebrand-cap-and-t-95204.html

Public Health Groups Say Delay Of EPA Climate Rules Will Increase
Illness. Congress should allow U.S. EPA to proceed with plans to
regulate greenhouse gas emissions, a coalition of public health
groups said yesterday. "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
is responsible for protecting the public's health from climate
change, and we urge you to fully support the EPA in fulfilling
its responsibilities," reads a letter the coalition sent
yesterday to Congress and the White House. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/09/29/6

Facts Behind California Emission Rules Questioned. Criticism of
research methods used to set regulations affecting how much it
costs to ship fresh produce by truck — at least in California —
could delay their implementation. The California Air Resources
Board originally based its regulations on research that supported
a correlation between the particulate matter emitted by
diesel-burning engines, PM 2.5, and more than 20,000 early deaths
per year in California. Posted.
http://thepacker.com/Facts-behind-California-emission-rules-questioned/Article.aspx?oid=1249199&fid=PACKER-TOP-STORIES&aid=351

WALTERS: "Deja Vu All Over Again" California's most enduring
political battle is over whether its relatively high living costs
and taxes and dense regulatory thicket make it uncompetitive in a
global economy ---- or, as one blue-ribbon state commission put
it in the 1990s, whether the state has become a "job-killing
machine." The clash plays itself out in the Capitol each year as
labor, environmental, consumer and other groups sponsor dozens of
bills that business groups label "job killers" and try, usually
successfully, to block. Posted.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/walters/article_f1ea3718-ad1c-5010-9380-2c705680f865.html

Abel Maldonado Goes For Gavin Newsom's Jugular, But Might Have
Cut Himself. If Tuesday's opening debate in the lieutenant
governor's race is a sign of things to come, buckle up. Lt. Gov.
Abel Maldonado may be the incumbent, but he was on the attack
early against Mayor Gavin Newsom, needling the mayor for his
handling of the Cosco Busan oil spill, his wife's investments in
oil companies and San Francisco's sanctuary city policy in a
roughly 50-minute radio debate on KQED's Forum program. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=73392&tsp=1#ixzz10w3DKS7z

AB 32

Calif. Bill Could Generate Billions to Help Cope With Climate
Change. Los Angeles baked in record-shattering heat this week,
leading to power outages across the city and one death. As
residents try to escape the staggering temperatures, most are
unaware that a bill currently on Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk could
give Californians, especially those in low-income communities,
greater respite from heat waves like this one. Posted.
http://newamericamedia.org/2010/09/ab-1405-could-generate-billions-for-california.php#

Battle over Proposition 23 Gets Airborne. The battle over
California's global-warming law took to the air this week with
television spots touting or bashing Proposition 23, a ballot
initiative to suspend regulations aimed at curbing greenhouse gas
emissions. A 30-second TV spot in favor of Prop 23 features a
middle-aged woman in a white-columned home on a tree-lined street
telling viewers "I have enough bills. Now the politicians are
putting a new energy tax on us to pay for California's
global-warming law." It is airing in Sacramento, the Central
Valley and San Diego. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prop-23-tv-20100930,0,7179998.story

'The Governator' Fights Back Against Prop 23. California governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger lashed out yesterday at the well-funded
movement to pass Proposition 23, a ballot referendum that seeks
to block his state's landmark emissions law, which is scheduled
to go into effect next year. Schwarzenegger called the energy
industry-funded Prop 23 campaign "a corruption of the democratic
process" and accused Texas oil companies like Valero Energy and
Tesoro Corp. of attempting to "sabotage this country's economic
future for private gain." Posted.
http://www.hybridcars.com/news/governator-fights-back-against-prop-23-28648.html

http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/09/california-governator-says-prop-23-corrupts-democratic-process/

Memo to Texas, Alabama & Nebraska: Mind Your Own Business. A new
poll in California indicates a dead heat among that state's
voters on Proposition 23, the ballot initiative in which
out-of-state oil companies are trying to cripple the nation's
most progressive law to combat global climate change. That law is
AB 32. Proposition 23 would stall its implementation. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-s-becker/memo-to-texas-alabama-neb_b_743209.html?view=print

Consumers Union Says No on 23; Predicts Higher Costs for
California Families. Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of
Consumer Reports, is urging California voters to reject
California Prop 23.  The consumer group says that Prop 23, which
is sponsored by Texas oil companies and would effectively repeal
California's landmark clean energy and emissions law, is a bad
deal for the state. Posted.
http://www.camajorityreport.com/index.php?module=articles&func=display&aid=4528&ptid=9

What Does California's Global Warming Act Mean for Utilities? As
the November elections inch closer, the debate over California's
Proposition 23 continues to heat up. If enacted, the proposition
would suspend the Global Warming Act of 2006 (aka AB 32), a piece
of clean air legislation that requires greenhouse gas emission
levels in the state to be cut to 1990 levels by 2020. And like it
or not, utilities and other large energy-users are preparing for
the reality that Prop. 23 will fail and AB 32 will remain in
place. Posted.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1692232/what-does-californias-global-warming-act-mean-for-utilities

FORUM: San Diego Ready to Lead Green Economy. The oil industry is
pouring millions into Proposition 23, the "California Jobs
Initiative" on the November ballot, in an attempt to turn back
Assembly Bill 32, the "Global Warming Solutions Act." AB32 is
landmark legislation Gov. Schwarzenegger signed into law in 2006
to address the threat of climate change to Californians' health
and environment. Largely funded by oil and gas corporations from
Texas and from California, Prop. 23 plays on voters' fears of job
losses in a difficult economy. Posted.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/article_16d6a963-21cf-5eb9-aa34-42a9e96601ae.html

Make a Mess, Clean It Up: The Case for AB 1405. If a company
makes a mess, it should be responsible for cleaning it up. And if
that mess has long-term impacts on the economy, the environment
and public health, then the company has a responsibility to
invest in the recovery effort. It's the right -- and fair --
thing to do.  BP has made a big mess -- pollution that has
negatively impacted tens of thousands of people for years to
come. It's only fair that they make a long-term investment to
help fix this problem. Posted.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=node/8212

AIR POLLUTION

State Rejects S.B.’s Air Pollution Plan. California’s Air
Resources Board rejected part of a long-term plan to control
traffic-generated air pollution adopted by the Santa Barbara
County Association of Governments (SBCAG) last week, finding
fault with a provision that gave county officials a de facto
escape clause should their efforts fall short. The state board,
however, accepted the county’s target of maintaining current
emission levels between now and 2020. Posted.
http://www.independent.com/news/2010/sep/30/state-rejects-sbs-air-pollution-plan/

New Law Requires California Air Board to Explain Its Fines. State
air pollution regulators must explain how they issue fines to
businesses under a new law signed Tuesday by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. The California Air Resources Board also must
provide an annual report to the state Legislature and the
governor summarizing fines that it issues to businesses that
violate the state's emissions laws for vehicles. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/30/v-print/3067067/new-law-requires-california-air.html

http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/09/30/2098320/new-law-requires-california-air.html
                     
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=16443 

2010 Air Quality Said 'Best On Record'. More Southern
Californians are breathing easier.  This year is shaping up as
the cleanest on record for air quality.  The AQMD’s Sam Atwood
says less commerce because of the recession was one of three
reasons.  “The second was the relatively cool weather we had this
summer and the final reason is that air pollution controls
continue to reduce emissions and improve air quality.” Posted.
http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=16220

DIESEL

Proposal Pending on Mileage for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. For three
decades, the federal government has calculated the fuel economy
of cars and other “light-duty vehicles” and periodically
tightened mileage standards. For the first time, it is preparing
to do the same with heavy-duty vehicles, which could greatly
reduce their consumption of diesel fuel. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/business/energy-environment/30trucks.html?src=busln

TRANSPORTATION

Los Angeles Times: Empty NUMMI Auto Factory Gets New Life As
Tesla Moves In. When the General Motors-Toyota auto plant in
Fremont, Calif., shut down in April, many pronounced it dead — a
triple victim of the recession, sliding auto sales and GM's
bankruptcy.But the former New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.
facility, or NUMMI, is about to come to life. Electric-car maker
Tesla Motors Inc., which surprised many when it announced plans
to buy the plant in May, officially takes ownership Friday.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tesla-20100929,0,5868129.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

California Watch: Big Oil Funds Study That Supports Electric
Cars? What's The Catch? Texas researchers say that renewable
energy quotas in the United States will not affect oil use very
much in the United States. The Rice University studies were
funded by major oil companies and polluters, including
ConocoPhillips, Koch Supply and Trading, BP and ExxonMobil.
Here’s a key finding from the study: Posted.
http://californiawatch.org/watchblog/big-oil-funds-study-supports-electric-cars-whats-catch-5146
 
Boost Motorcycle Noise And Face Being Fined. Motorcyclists who
tamper with their vehicle's emissions equipment to increase noise
can be cited under legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger, a motorcyclist himself, signed
Senate Bill 435 to authorize state enforcement of a federal
requirement that motorcycles display a label showing they meet
noise limits. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/29/3064073/boost-motorcycle-noise-and-face.html#mi_rss=State%20Politics

ENERGY

USA Today: Major Solar Projects Make Progress In California.
California is on track to approve a wave of solar farms this year
that will more than double the state's ability to generate
electricity from solar power. Since August, four major solar
projects — including one on 7,000-plus acres billed as the
world's largest — have won state approval. The California Energy
Commission is expected to OK two more this week. Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2010-09-29-solarpower29_ST_N.htm


State Energy Commission Approves Blythe Project. The state energy
commission Wednesday approved more large solar fields in the
Southern California desert, putting aside objections from labor
and environmental groups. The 250-megawatt Genesis Solar Energy
Project on 1,800 acres west of Blythe and the 709-megawatt
Imperial Valley Solar Project west of El Centro would produce
enough electricity to power an estimated 719,000 homes. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_solar30.2fcc8c0.html

California Regulators Approve Solar Power Plants. Tessera Solar
won approval from California regulators for a $2.1 billion,
709-megawatt solar plant, and NextEra (NEE.N: Quote) Energy
Inc.'s Next Era Energy Resources LLC won approval for a $1
billion-plus, 250-megawatt solar plant. As the latest in a string
of large-scale projects approved in the nation's most populous
state, they are part of a new generation of solar plants capable
of producing power on the same scale as plants powered by
traditional resources such as coal, although at a higher cost.
Posted.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFN2928381620100929

BLOGS

Obama on Climate Change Strategy. President Obama remains
committed to action on energy and climate change despite the
recent failure of a major cap-and-trade bill to clear the Senate,
he says in a new Rolling Stone interview.  “One of my top
priorities next year is to have an energy policy that begins to
address all facets of our over-reliance on fossil fuels,” Mr.
Obama said in the interview, which will appear in the magazine’s
October issue but was posted online on Wednesday. Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/obama-on-climate-change-strategy/
                      
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/09/obama-us-target-reduce-emissions-17-percent.php


EPA to Set Even Tougher Fuel Economy Standards for 2017-2025.
There's been much speculation about what the EPA's post-2016 fuel
economy standards will be when they're announced this week. As of
now, thanks to an executive order from the Obama administration,
the national fuel economy standard will be 35.5 mpg by 2016.
After that -- well that's where the speculation comes in.
Environmental groups are lobbying hard for a meaningful bump for
the 2017-2025 period, with many setting their sights on topping
out at 60 mpg. Posted.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/09/epa-set-tougher-fuel-economy-standards-2017-2025.php

New Report States US Must Adapt to Climate Change Now. A new
report was released today by a "group of scientists,
policymakers, and regional leaders" in regard to "national and
regional preparations for adapting to a changing climate. “The
reflects the findings of the National Climate Adaptation Summit
held in Washington, D.C. in May of this year. The Summit arose
out of a desire to "examine the needs, knowledge, and roles
required for effective adaptation to climate change."  Posted.
http://blogs.redding.com/dcraig/archives/2010/09/new-report-stat.html