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California Air Resources Board News Clips for October 27, 2010. 



This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
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individual websites to view some of the following news articles.

AIR POLLUTION

California Farmers Swap Old Tractors, Boost Air Quality. Fresno
-- California farmers and ranchers are helping lower air
pollution in the San Joaquin Valley and other smog-laden regions
by embracing a federal program that replaces old diesel tractors
with cleaner-running farm equipment. In the last two years, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation
Service has helped farmers replace 814 aging machines with more
modern equipment. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_16446253?nclick_check=1

Developers To Pay Tehama County Air Fees. Developers will face
having to pay a fee or including mitigation projects in future
developments to keep the air clean. Just one week before the Nov.
2 election, when voters will decide on Proposition 26, the Board
of Supervisors approved a fee that will be used to mitigate air
pollution, keeping county levels in line with EPA standards. If
passed, Proposition 26 will require a two-thirds majority for
local governments to pass special taxes. Posted.
http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/news/ci_16446262

Refinery Chemical Linked To Birth Defects. Spina bifida and other
neural tube defects are more common in babies whose mothers live
in neighborhoods with high air levels of benzene – a chemical
released from oil and gasoline refineries as well as traffic
exhaust. That finding was reported this week by scientists who
analyzed data from the Texas Birth Defects Registry and compared
it to federal models of air pollutants. Posted.
http://californiawatch.org/watchblog/refinery-chemical-linked-birth-defects-6121

CLIMATE CHANGE

Global Warming Seen As Threat To State's Parks. Stunted redwoods,
flooded campgrounds and a mighty Yosemite waterfall reduced to a
trickle. Those are a few of the dire consequences facing 10
California parks over the next century because of rapidly
changing climate patterns, according to a new study by an
environmental think tank. "We're trying to illustrate that the
ways we affect the climate affect the places we love," said
Stephen Saunders … Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/26/MN4F1G291R.DTL

As Prop. 23's Prospects Dim, Focus Turns to Lesser Known 26.
Fighting Proposition 23, which would suspend the state’s landmark
global warming law, has been the top priority for California
environmental groups this election season. Yet, with most of the
latest recent polls indicating that Prop. 23 will be defeated,
greens are now turning more of their attention to a lesser-known
measure, Proposition 26. “At first, there was a fear that the oil
companies were going to spend $50 million or more to pass Prop.
23, and now it’s clear that’s not happening," said Bill McGavern,
director of Sierra Club California, "and some of the oil
companies are instead putting their cash into Prop. 26.” Posted.
http://www.baycitizen.org/proposition-23/story/prop-prospects-dim-focus-turns/print/

Air Board Votes To End Smoke Test On Many Vehicles. Rejecting a
recommendation from its staff and agreeing instead with a
proposal from the California Farm Bureau Federation and other
agricultural and business groups, the California Air Resources
Board voted unanimously last week to drop a requirement that
certain on-road diesel vehicles undergo annual smoke testing.
Instead, those vehicles will be required only to have biennial
smog checks. Posted.
http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1622&ck=C7AF0926B294E47E52E46CFEBE173F20

Faith In Bipartisan Climate Options Persists Ahead Of Election.
Joel Kirkland, E&E reporter. Large-scale efforts to pass a broad
U.S. climate policy are off the table for at least a couple of
years, Washington insiders say, but the noxious political
atmosphere shouldn't upend bipartisan energy reforms geared
toward cutting industrial emissions. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/10/27/2

Climate Champion, Behind In Polls, Defends Clean Energy Agenda. A
key test of Democratic climate policies is unfolding in southern
Virginia, where Rep. Tom Perriello (D) is promoting his
controversial vote to reduce carbon emissions in a backyard brawl
that threatens to eject the freshman lawmaker on Tuesday.
Perriello is also touting his support for economic stimulus
funding, which he says provides tax credits and grants to
businesses developing clean energy products. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/10/27/3

Report Sees Hot Future Ahead For Calif. National Parks. Ten
national parks in California could be headed for steep
temperature increases over the next century that could alter
their ecosystems and drive tourism from some of the more iconic
settings in the western United States. This is the conclusion
from a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council and
the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/10/27/4

Chinese Envoy Defends Use Of Clean Technology Subsidies. A top
Chinese Embassy official yesterday defended his country's use of
subsidies to clean energy industries as necessary to combating
climate change. Sun Guoshun, first secretary at the Embassy Of
The People's Republic Of China in Washington, D.C., also called
suggestions that China is trying to avoid international emissions
obligations as part of the U.N. climate change negotiations
"unfair and unacceptable." Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/10/27/5

DIESEL EMISSIONS

On The Money: Air Pollution Fight Gets Dirty. Critics Accuse
State Agency of Using Bad Science. The fight over diesel fuel is
heating up. Public health advocates are battling it out with the
construction industry over new rules that were supposed to start
in 2012, but have now been pushed back another two years. Critics
say those new rules affecting diesel emissions are based on bad
data. California's Air Resources Board now admits it
overestimated the amount of diesel pollution by 340%. 
Posted.
http://cbs13.com/onthemoney/air.pollution.california.2.1982137.html

GREEN ENERGY

Feds Approve Largest-Ever Solar Project In Calif. Washington -The
Obama administration has approved a thousand-megawatt solar
project on federal land in southern California, the largest solar
project ever planned on U.S. public lands. Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar hailed the $6 billion Blythe Solar Power Project, to be
built in the Mojave Desert near Blythe, Calif., as the start of a
boom in solar power on federal lands. "Today is a day that makes
me excited about the nation's future," Salazar said Monday at a
news conference. Posted.
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_16429756?source=most_emailed

New EPA Rules Will Erode Power Grid Reliability, Report Finds.
Energy reserves available to the power grid for peak use could be
cut in half, says an industry report, as power plants are retired
for noncompliance with stiffer clean-air and clean-water rules.
Four federal environmental regulations to improve water and air
quality could by 2018 chop by nearly half the amount of projected
reserve energy available to the US power grid, says a new report.
Posted.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/1026/New-EPA-rules-will-erode-power-grid-reliability-report-finds

Calif. AG Race Has National Energy Implications. The winner of
California's race for attorney general will have a tremendous
amount of influence over state and federal environment and energy
policy, although the race doesn't particularly hinge on
environmental issues. San Francisco District Attorney Kamala
Harris (D) is the environmentalists' clear favorite over Los
Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley (R). Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2010/10/27/3/

VEHICLES

Electric Cars To Get Boost From Bay Area Grants. Envision a time
when 1,000 charging stations for electric cars sprout at parking
garages, shopping centers and other public spots across the Bay
Area. Some taxis, rather than filling up with gas or waiting for
a recharge, will simply swap their battery out at a changing
station. Home chargers will be able to monitor utility rates
while you sleep and recharge your electric car's battery at the
lowest price. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/27/BAD81G284U.DTL

Chevy Volt Won't Qualify for HOV Lane or $5,000 Rebate in
California. When hybrids first hit the streets in numbers a
decade ago, a huge advantage to owning one was getting a pass to
drive on California's coveted high-occupancy vehicles lanes,
which are otherwise reserved for carpools. Hybrids became too
plentiful years ago and lost that right, but Nissan's new Leaf,
an electric car, has been designated a zero-emission vehicle will
qualify for HOV lane access, a $5,000 state tax rebate and
preferential parking. Posted.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/sns-chevy-volt-wont-qualify-for-hov-l20101026,0,2844313.story

OPINION

Editorial: Prop. 26 Could Be Dirty Sleeper On State Ballot.
Unless the polls are dramatically wrong, it appears that voters
are smartly souring on Proposition 23, an initiative that would
indefinitely suspend California's law to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. A poll by the Public Policy Institute of California
released last week showed 48 percent of those surveyed opposing
the initiative, with only 37 percent in favor. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/27/v-print/3135016/prop-26-could-be-dirty-sleeper.html

Prop 23: It's About Our Future. The November 2 election is less
than a week away. At the polls, voters will determine the fate of
California's leadership role in developing a clean energy
economy. Proposition 23, an initiative on the ballot, aims to
suspend landmark environmental laws in California. If Prop 23 is
approved by voters, the implementation of the California Global
Warming Solutions Act (Assembly Bill 32 or AB 32) will be
suspended until the state unemployment rate drops to 5.5% or
below for four consecutive quarters. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hunt-ramsbottom/prop-23-its-about-our-fut_b_774721.html

Brown In Command, Boxer Holding On, A Big Green Victory in the
Making. The great Republican wave is going to crash against the
Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, if indeed it makes it across
the Nevada desert. Despite running against the biggest spending
candidate in American history, Jerry Brown is in command in the
race for governor of California, the former governor and
presidential contender close to completing an amazing comeback.
Senator Barbara Boxer is holding on despite being targeted by
big-spending national Republican groups. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/brown-in-command-boxer-ho_b_774657.html

Dirty Energy Bill May Erase Clean Jobs. If Proposition 23 passes,
it would suspend an air pollution law that oversees the reduction
of greenhouse gas emissions. Suspension of the law would continue
until California's unemployment rate drops drastically. In 2006,
the Global Warming Solutions Act, also known as AB32, passed in
California. The act would set goals for major reductions in
greenhouse gas emissions. Posted.
http://www.thejackonline.org/news/dirty-energy-bill-may-erase-clean-jobs-1.2383566

BLOGS

Sales Of Electric Cars Might Lack Juice. All the hype about the
new generation of electric cars may just be reflecting the
passions of technology geeks and environmentalists. Auto industry
market research Company J.D. Power and Associates said Wednesday
that combined global sales of hybrid electric vehicles and
battery electric vehicles were expected to reach just 5.2 million
vehicles in 2020, or only 7.3% of the 70.9 million autos expected
to be sold that year. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/10/electric-car-sales-might-be-all-hype.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheTechnologyBlog+%28Los+Angeles+Times+Technology+Blog%29

Hybrid, Battery-Electric Cars: Will The Hype Lead To Sales?
Despite the flurry of attention surrounding the Chevy Volt and
Nissan Leaf, hybrid and battery-electric vehicles are likely to
account for just 7.3% of the 70.9 million passenger vehicles sold
globally in 2020, according to a study released Wednesday by J.D.
Power and Associates. According to the Drive Green 2020 Report,
the main reasons U.S. car buyers do not consider buying hybrids
are cost, displeasing designs, performance deficiencies and
maintenance concerns. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/10/chevy-volt-nissan-leaf-hybrid-cars.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

A Cultural Barrier to Action on Climate Change. It may seem
far-fetched to compare the resistance to action on climate change
to the slow progress toward the abolition of slavery or the
recognition of the fatal effects of smoking, but a University of
Michigan researcher says in a new paper that it will take just
such a tectonic shift in public attitudes for society to begin to
accept the reality of global warming and do something about it.
Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/a-cultural-barrier-to-action-on-climate-change/?pagemode=print

Global Warming and the ‘Tyranny of Boredom’. My discussion of the
newsroom “tyrannies” that impede effective media coverage of
human-driven climate change elicited a provocative response from
Randy Olson, the marine biologist turned filmmaker and
communication coach for scientists. I’ve long described what I
call tyrannies in talks to journalists and students — including
the tyrannies of (limited) time and space, balance, the lure of
the “front-page thought” and conflict, the need for a “news peg”
(a reason for a story to run today, not next month, next year or
never).
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/global-warming-and-the-tyranny-of-boredom/?pagemode=print

The Politics of Global Warming. If California were a country, it
would be the world's 19th largest polluter. Recognizing that, a
few years ago lawmakers here passed AB 32, a first in the nation
'cap and trade' type anti-global warming bill. But come Tuesday,
voters here have the opportunity to turn back the clock.
Proposition 23 would stop the state's "Global Warming Solutions
Act' from taking effect in January. Posted.
http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/print/2010/10/27/politics-global-warming