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newsclips -- Newsclips for December 7, 2010.

Posted: 07 Dec 2010 12:38:15
California Air Resources Board News Clips for December 7, 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Emissions Rules: Challenging for Local Interests. The
Environmental Protection Agency's stringent new emission and
performance standards are presenting a challenge to the nation's
cement plants, including Lehigh Cement Co. in Tehachapi and
CalPortland in Mojave. The EPA final rule, published Sept. 9,
2010 in the Federal Register, requires Portland cement facilities
to meet lower emission standards for mercury, total hydrocarbons,
hydrochloric acid and particulate matter. Posted.
http://www.tehachapinews.com/content/emissions-rules-challenging-local-interests/32744

EPA Seeks To Delay Controversial Boiler Rules. In the face of
heavy criticism from industry groups and members of Congress,
U.S. EPA is asking to go back to the drawing board with a set of
regulations that would limit toxic air pollution from industrial
boilers. The final regulations are due next month, but EPA today
asked a federal judge to push back the deadline by more than a
year so the agency can issue a new proposal and take more
comments. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/12/07/1

CLIMATE CHANGE

China and U.S. Narrow Gap in Climate Talks. Cancûn, Mexico — The
United States and China have significantly narrowed their
differences on the verification of reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions, officials say, providing hope that a United Nations
conference here on climate change here can achieve some modest
success. The verification issue, which cuts deeply on matters of
national sovereignty and international trust, was a major factor
in the torpedoing of last year’s climate negotiations in
Copenhagen. But in the intervening year, China has significantly
softened its position and the United States has moderated its
insistence on the issue. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/science/earth/08climate.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101206-716423.html

Britain Aims for Radical Power Market Reform in Push for
Low-Carbon Energy. London -- The U.K. power market is about to
face the most radical reform in decades as it becomes
increasingly clear that progress toward decarbonizing its energy
system in the face of climate change is moving at a snail's pace
when it really needs to move like the wind, experts say. While
the Obama administration struggles in Washington to find a way to
convince Congress to set targets for more low-carbon power,
politicians in London are peering at the next question: Once you
do that, how do you phase in the changes and keep the lights
burning at the same time? Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/12/07/07climatewire-britain-aims-for-radical-power-market-reform-30071.html?pagewanted=print

Supreme Court Set To Review CO2 Suits. Washington—The Supreme
Court agreed Monday to decide whether eight states and other
plaintiffs can proceed with lawsuits that seek to reduce
carbon-dioxide emissions by utilities. The lawsuit is part of a
push by some states for "greenhouse gas" regulations that go
further than efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The agency started to develop greenhouse-gas standards after the
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in 2007 that the EPA has the authority to
regulate greenhouse gases. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704156304576003323338816658.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/science/earth/07emissions.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Compromise Spirit at Climate Talks In Last Days. It may not last,
but a spirit of compromise seems to have settled over the annual
U.N. climate conference as negotiators enter its final days
looking for agreements on secondary tools for coping with global
warming. The open sniping between the U.S. and China that marked
periodic talks earlier this year was not in evidence Monday as
the second week of the two-week meeting got under way. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2010/12/07/1460818/compromise-spirit-at-climate-talks.html#ixzz17Rhp0dgr

DOE's Chu Eschews Talk of Emission Curbs, Focuses on Science
During U.N. Climate Meeting. During a brief appearance at the
U.N. climate discussions today, Energy Secretary Steven Chu
sounded more like a visiting professor than a senior
administration official from a world power. The Nobel physicist
treated a packed conference room at the 16th Conference of the
U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change to a lecture on why
the ratios of two different kinds of atmospheric carbon dioxide
indicate that human activities, not natural processes, are
responsible for rising global temperatures. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/12/06/06greenwire-does-chu-eschews-talk-of-emission-curbs-focuse-30412.html

Air Regulators Weigh Penalties For 'False Statements'. California
air regulators are considering a rule that would seek to ban
"false statements" or fake statistics during a regulatory
proceeding, despite criticism from some in the state who view the
idea as subjective and unenforceable. The California Air
Resources Board floated the rule recently only to set it aside
temporarily following a minor outcry and public confusion as to
its intent. A spokesman yesterday said the agency plans to resume
work on a draft next year with a public workshop. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2010/12/07/27

Branson's Carbon War Room Puts New Focus On Shipping Emissions.
Sir Richard Branson's Carbon War Room has opened a new front in
the battle against carbon emissions. International shipping,
which is not covered by the Kyoto Protocol, accounts for about
2.7 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. And, without new
policies, emissions from the shipping industry will increase by
150 to 250 percent compared with 2007 figures, according to a
study released last year by the U.N.'s International Maritime
Organization (IMO). Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/12/07/6

Can RED Hot California Heat Up A Sedated Cancun? In his
concession speech after the 2010 mid-term elections, President
Obama said that prospects for meaningful US climate change
legislation are doubtful for years. With the US and the
international community unable to take even modest steps to
combat global warming, the State of California has stepped up in
a big, big way. Despite record unemployment rates, deficits and
unemployment, California voters trounced a measure that would
have suspended AB 32, California's landmark climate change law.
Posted.
http://news.mongabay.com/2010/1207-niles_california_forests_cop16.html

California Awards to Recognize Small Businesses for 'Climate
Leadership'. The California Air Resources Board is accepting
nominations through Jan. 24 for its CoolCalifornia Small Business
Awards, which will recognize small businesses from across the
state that demonstrate climate leadership. The awards will honor
California businesses with fewer than 100 employees that reduced
their greenhouse gas emissions, promoted climate-friendly
practices and integrated the use of information from the website
CoolCalifornia.org into their business operations in 2010.
Posted.
http://solarhbj.com/news/california-awards-to-recognize-small-businesses-for-climate-leadership-01181

Facing Its Own Potential Losses From Climate Change, Mexico
Pushes Emissions Targets. Cancun, Mexico -- Clumps of black,
straw-like seaweed dot the beach at Boca Paila on the Yucatan
Peninsula. Gnats swarm the deposits. Clumps of grass add to the
difficulty of sunbathing in comfort. Marie Claire Paiz loves it.
"At one point, Cancun was like this," Paiz, a Guatemalan
biologist who directs the Nature Conservancy's Southern Mexico
program said, her arms spread wide. Where tourists see nuisance,
Paiz and local scientists see unspoiled nature doing its job.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/12/07/2

Environmental Groups Try To Sell Climate Action As A National
Security Measure.  United Nations -- Having failed to win over
Republicans through a sense of urgency, groups say they will now
try to convince lawmakers to pay for action against climate
change by selling it as a national security imperative. In a
report issued on the sides of ongoing climate negotiations in
Cancun, Mexico, proponents are arguing that the United States can
and should take a leadership role in global efforts, regardless
of what large developing nations do. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/12/07/3

Supreme Court Will Hear Challenge To States' Power To Restrict
Greenhouse Gases. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed yesterday to hear
a high-stakes case examining if states can hold individual power
plants accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions. The high
court's decision will have no bearing on federal climate
regulations set to go into effect next month. But the converse
may not be true, some court watchers say. Plaintiffs in American
Electric Power v. Connecticut seek to force individual utilities
to cap and then rein in their greenhouse gas emissions under
federal "public nuisance" common law. Posted. 
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/12/07/4

N.M. Passes Backstop Cap-And-Trade Plan. New Mexico environmental
regulators cemented their commitment to curbing greenhouse gases
yesterday with a plan to cap in-state emissions even if the rest
of the Western region balks. The state Environmental Improvement
Board voted 4-1 to approve a petition from the environmental
group New Energy Economy (NEE) that would establish an in-state
emissions cap starting in 2012. The board amended the plan to
start in 2013, but kept the baseline emissions level at 2010.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/12/07/5

Investing in the Resilience of Poor People on the Frontlines of
Climate Change. If we've learned anything from this summer's
destructive floods in Pakistan, unrelenting drought in the
African Sahel, or the killer heat wave in Russia, is that we
better get ready. Because the "future" of climate change is
already here. While scientists cannot conclude that any of this
summer's dramatic whether events are definitively caused by
climate change, they are consistent with scientific predictions
of global warming and a sign of what's to come. We need to take
action quickly to prevent the worst case scenarios, but we must
also invest in the resiliency of those communities already
affected by our changing climate. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-adams/investing-in-the-resilien_b_792426.html?view=print

DIESEL EMISSIONS

Truckers Say L.A.'S 'Green' Port Costs Them Money. The dispute
over who should pay for leasing and maintaining 'clean' rigs
could go to the Supreme Court. Alex Mejia said he often sleeps in
his truck, grabbing some fitful rest before a new dawn breaks and
he is once again hauling cargo at the Port of Los Angeles. The
routine marks another working day that, he says, could last 18
hours, much of it spent waiting — for a job order, a load, an
operational trailer chassis — before getting back on the road.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-port-truckers-20101207,0,2645612.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Flocal+%28L.A.+Times+-+California+|+Local+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

GREEN ENERGY

Altamont Wind Energy Company To Pay $2.5 Million And Replace
Turbines To Reduce Raptor Deaths. The largest wind energy
producer in the Altamont Pass area of eastern Alameda and Contra
Costa counties has agreed to replace 2,400 wind turbines within
four years and pay $2.5 million in a legal settlement to reduce
deaths of eagles, hawks and other raptors hacked by turbine
blades. The settlement between NextEra Energy Resources, the
state, and several environmental groups was announced Monday by
the state Attorney General Jerry Brown. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16790686?source=rss

E-Waste Goes Overseas As Recyclers Comply With California Ban.
Five years after California launched an ambitious effort to
control pollution from electronic waste, much of the waste is
flowing to developing nations, where it is picked apart by
workers exposed to a high-tech cocktail of contamination.
Reporting from Sacramento — In the soft morning light, the
silver-gray mountain of electronic trash did not look especially
hazardous. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ewaste-20101206,0,4526320.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Schwarzenegger Receives EPA Climate Change Champion Award.
Recognizing his groundbreaking work in green energy and
clean-technology, and his efforts to fight global climate change,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has honored Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger with EPA’s Climate Change Champion Award. “Because
of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s leadership, the world looks to
California as an example of climate change policies that make
sense,” Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s regional administrator for the
Pacific Southwest, said in a news release. Posted.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2010/12/06/schwarzenegger-wins-epa-climate-change.html

Wood Waste Power Catches On In Tree-Covered East Texas. Wind may
be more robust in West Texas, but energy companies in the eastern
half of the state are banking on another plentiful source of
renewable energy: trees. Planners are increasingly looking at
biomass plants that run on pine tree waste as an option to meet
the state's high power demands. Aspen Power will open the state's
first wood waste plant, a $128 million venture in Lufkin, in the
spring. Another biomass plant is being planned by Southern Co.
just 45 miles away, and two more were approved for permits by
state air pollution regulators. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/12/07/7

VEHICLES

Toyota Adopts Tesla’s Laptop Battery Strategy for Electric Cars.
Toyota Motor Corp., Daimler AG and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
are turning to laptops for a cheaper way to power their electric
cars -- and their sales. Automakers are testing packs of
lithium-ion batteries assembled by Silicon Valley startup Tesla
Motors Inc. costing less than bigger, car-only batteries favored
by General Motors Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors
Corp. A pack of 6,831 cylinder-shaped cells made by Panasonic
Corp. powers Tesla’s $109,000 Roadster sports car for up to 245
miles per charge. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2010-12-07/toyota-adopts-tesla-s-laptop-battery-strategy-for-electric-cars.html

MISCELLANEOUS

Bomb House Suspect Pleads Not Guilty In Federal Court. San Diego
— The North County man accused of manufacturing explosives in his
home near Escondido pleaded not guilty Monday during his first
federal court appearance and was ordered held in custody without
bail. George Djura Jakubec, 54, appeared alert as he answered
basic questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruben Brooks about his
identity and whether he understood what was happening. Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/06/bomb-house-defendant-pleads-not-guilty/

High-Speed Rail Agency Urged To Rethink Planning. California's
nascent high-speed rail program "needs a thorough reassessment"
of how it is being planned and managed, a peer review group has
concluded. The eight-person group, created after voters approved
the $10 billion high-speed rail bond measure in 2008, includes
experts in high-speed rail, transportation, finance and planning.
It is headed by former Caltrans Director Will Kempton, now
executive director of the Orange County Transportation Authority.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/06/BAJ61GMN0B.DTL#ixzz17RnMBAjo

OPINION

The Myth of the Jolly Green Giant Exposed. Political leaders, NGO
representatives and the corporate media have incessantly
greenwashed the deplorable environmental legacy of Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger in a series of photo opportunities, press
releases, news conferences and awards ceremonies over the past
several months. This disgusting campaign by the Governor and his
collaborators to portray Schwarzenegger as the "Jolly Green
Giant" is bound to get even worse as Schwarzenegger prepares to
leave office. On December 2, Schwarzenegger accepted an award
from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Region 9
Administrator Jared Blumenfeld for his "environmental
leadership." Posted.
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=8731

Congress Should Let the EPA Do Its Job. The following editorial
appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday, Dec. 5: Forty
years ago last week, a Republican president created the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Today, buoyed by last month's
electoral tidal wave, Republicans seem poised to undermine some
of the most important initiatives that agency ever has
undertaken. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2010/12/07/1460960/congress-should-let-the-epa-do.html#ixzz17RgQAzVo

BLOGS

Ford Begins Shipping Electric Vans. Ford Motor Co. says it began
shipping electric-powered versions of its Ford Transit Connect
vans to certain customers in North America. The company is also
delivering the vans to the United Kingdom for a demonstration
project. The car maker earlier this year said it was working with
partner Azure Dynamics to convert the vans, which are normally
powered by gasoline or diesel engines, to electric power. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2010/12/07/ford-begins-shipping-electric-vans/

Santa Susana Nuclear Facility To Be Cleaned Up By 2017, Agencies
Agree. State and federal agencies agreed Monday to clean up a
former nuclear research facility in eastern Ventura County by
2017. For decades, community activists and the state
Environmental Protection Agency have urged officials to clean up
the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a 2,850-acre facility once
used to test and develop rocket engines and nuclear reactors.  In
1959, a reactor at the facility suffered a partial nuclear
meltdown, and some area residents have since complained of health
problems. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/12/agencies-agree-to-clean-up-former-nuclear-research-facility.html

Boxer Won't Pursue Comprehensive Climate Bill Without Votes. Sen.
Barbara Boxer will not attempt passage of controversial
legislation meant to curb global warming in the next Congress,
unless the political landscape shifts in her favor, the
California Democrat said Monday. "We do not have the votes for a
comprehensive climate bill," said Boxer, who serves as chairman
of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. "We
would bring it back on dime as soon as we see a change." The
so-called "cap and trade" proposal involves new limits or caps on
greenhouse gas emissions from energy-refiniries or power plants.
Posted.
http://blogs.pe.com/politics/2010/12/boxer-wont-pursue-comprehensiv.html

California Auto Insurance Goes Green. California motorists who
spend little time on the road could pay significantly lower
insurance premiums with new "pay-as-you-drive" auto policies
starting in February. To be offered first by California insurance
giants State Farm Mutual and the Automobile Club of Southern
California, the new policies are designed to reward drivers who
drive less. Other insurers are expected to follow.  Under current
law, drivers are only required to provide insurers with estimates
of their projected mileage. This creates an inaccurate system
that may not reward those who are truly driving less.  Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/12/california-auto-insurance-low-mileage.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

How The Gas Tax Is Under Threat From Green Vehicles. Can
Governments Afford To Incentivise Electric Cars? Live in the
right part of California and work for the right company and you
might be able to buy the new Nissan Leaf for as little as
$12,500, as Autoblog has reported, due to the raft of incentives
that are available for buyers of the little battery car and other
high-mileage, low-emission products. In recent years, lawmakers
have been racing to come up with incentives designed to encourage
motorists to migrate to clean, efficient vehicles. Posted.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/12/06/how-the-gas-tax-is-under-threat-from-green-vehicles/#continued

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