What's New List Serve Post Display
Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- Newsclips for December 9, 2010.
Posted: 09 Dec 2010 11:53:17
California Air Resources Board News Clips for December 9, 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. NEXT 10 – ANALYSIS OF GHG CAP-AND-TRADE Report Minimizes Fears On California Climate Cap-And-Trade System. California's effort to cap carbon emissions by gasoline refiners, utilities and other large polluters will have little impact on consumers and businesses in the state while creating up to 623,000 new jobs over the next decade, according to a new report. Next 10, a San Francisco nonprofit group that supports green technology, estimated the state's cap-and-trade program will increase electricity costs by an average of 2.3 percent to 4.1 percent per household by the year 2020. The forecast – which comes a week before the California Air Resources Board's will vote on whether to approve the new rules for its cap-and-trade program –Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/09/v-print/3244417/report-minimizes-fears-on-california.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/12/09/2191341/report-minimizes-fears-on-california.html http://www.kentucky.com/2010/12/09/1559031/report-californias-climate-cap.html Most In State Found To Support Carbon-Trading Plan. A majority of Californians support creating a carbon-trading market to cut greenhouse gas emissions and using the money to help address the state's widening budget deficit, according to a poll released Wednesday. The poll from the Field Research Corp. comes a week before California regulators are expected to approve the creation of a "cap and trade" system, which would set an annual limit on the state's greenhouse gas emissions and force companies to buy permits to release those gases. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/09/BUNB1GNPUA.DTL Poll Finds Strong Backing For Proposed Emissions Trading Program. California voters are supporting (64 percent) implementing the state’s proposed emissions trading or cap-and-trade program, a recent poll says. The California Air Resources Board is expected to vote on the greenhouse gas emissions trading program at its Dec. 16 meeting. Next 10, which describes itself as a nonprofit nonpartisan research organization, commissioned the poll from the Field Research Corporation as well as five research papers from academic experts to address the multibillion dollar issue of how California should distribute greenhouse gas allowances and the resulting revenue. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=17061 Voters Favor Cap-And-Trade Program. New research commissioned by the nonprofit research organization Next 10 shows that the state’s proposed cap-and-trade program will have a minimal economic impact and the state’s voters are solidly behind implementing the program. In anticipation of an upcoming decision on the trading program by the California Air Resources Board, Next 10 commissioned a poll from the Field Research Corp., and five research papers from leading academic experts, to address how California should distribute greenhouse gas allowances and the resulting revenue. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2010/12/08/voters-favor-capi-in-trade.html New Reports Debate What To Do With California's Cap-And-Trade Revenues. On the eve of a historic vote to establish California's greenhouse gas trading scheme, officials are studying five new reports predicting the plan's positive economic effect. The papers are aimed at analyzing the effect of distributing greenhouse gas permits to emitters mostly free of charge, as California has outlined and is preparing to enact next week as part of its final cap-and-trade regulation. The trading program goes into effect in January 2012 and will cover 85 percent of the state's industrial emissions by the time it ends in 2020 (ClimateWire, Nov. 1Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/12/09/6 Poll: Californians Still Support Cap-and-Trade. A new poll shows Californians holding firm to their support of California's climate strategy, including cap-and-trade provisions likely to be approved next week. The poll accompanies a sheaf of new studies commissioned by the pro-clean-tech think tank known as Next 10.The Field poll of about 500 Californians, taken right before Thanksgiving, shows two-thirds (66%) of respondents still favor (either "strongly" or "somewhat") the 2006 climate law known as AB 32, including the cap-and-trade provisions (64%). About one in four oppose both. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2010/12/08/poll-californians-still-support-cap-and-trade/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Climate+Watch+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader Allowance Allocation Under California's Greenhouse Gas Cap-and-Trade Proposal. One of the most notable features of California's recently-proposed cap and trade program for greenhouse gases (GHGs) is a commitment to free allocation of tradeable allowances to all covered entities. But how, exactly, will the California Air Resources Board ("CARB") determine the number of allowances to which each entity is entitled? Industrial Facilities. CARB's allocation of allowances to covered industrial facilities will be based on two main factors: (1) efficiency-adjusted output and (2) transition assistance and leakage prevention. Posted. http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/article.asp?articleid=117734&print=1 CLIMATE CHANGE Bolivian Says Climate Talks May Commit 'Ecocide' Bolivia's President Evo Morales says the Cancun climate conference will be committing "ecocide" if it fails to take decisive action to halt global warming. The Bolivian leader spoke Thursday on the next-to-last day of an annual two-week U.N. negotiating session that will fail once again to achieve a sweeping, mandatory pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In a passionate, 20-minute speech, Morales cited families deprived of water because of warming and drought, and islanders facing the loss of homes from seas rising from global warming. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/news/2010/12/bolivian-says-climate-talks-may-commit-ecocide http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h1DwzHImwkv_R7-YfAsPz6srGomg?docId=864ffa6a26ff487ba00295e7989f9b8d http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/12/08/1400244/climate-talks-host-says-its-time.html AIR POLLUTION San Joaquin Air Regulations Upheld By Court. A federal appeals court has upheld San Joaquin Valley air-quality rules limiting harmful emissions from housing developments and other construction projects, a decision that could boost similar plans in the Bay Area. The National Association of Home Builders challenged regulations passed in 2005 by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for eight counties, from San Joaquin to Kern, that have some of the nation's dirtiest air. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/09/BA571GNVAN.DTL http://www.forconstructionpros.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=25&id=18752 http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2010/12/08/court-homebuilders-must-mitigate-for.html EPA Again Delays Tighter Ozone Restrictions. Washington—The Obama administration is delaying a decision on whether to tighten limits on ground-level ozone, the third time in less than a year that it has put off the potentially costly environmental rule in the face of congressional and industry pressure. The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it won't be prepared to decide until next July whether to tighten a national air-quality standard for ozone. That would be nearly a year after the agency's original self-imposed deadline for settling the matter. Ground-level ozone is a primary ingredient in smog linked to respiratory illnesses Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703493504576007622632878748.html State Posts Low Smoking Rate, But Also the Most Polluted Air. Californians may breathe easier because so few of us smoke tobacco, but our health still may suffer because our air remains the most polluted in the United States, according to a report released Tuesday. The 21st annual “America’s Health Rankings” report puts California 26th among states in overall health, based on 22 measures. Posted. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/dec/08/state-posts-low-smoking-rate-but-also-the-most/ Escondido: Smoke From 'Bomb House' Burn Won't Be Any Worse Than Typical Fire, Air Expert Says. There's no such thing as "safe smoke." But local air pollution authorities say the toxic spiral that's expected to billow and then dissipate over Escondido on Thursday morning ---- during the torching of an explosives-filled home ---- won't be any more harmful than a typical fire. Still, to be on the safe side, if you smell smoke anywhere near the northwest Escondido-area home, which is just west of Interstate 15 and north of El Norte Parkway, head inside, officials say. Posted. http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/escondido/article_b1d590af-20a9-5b44-904a-2af6d120368f.html Report Links Trucking Labor Dispute To Dirty Diesel Emissions. Worker misclassification in the trucking industry has contributed to the rampant air pollution around America's ports, according to a new report from labor rights groups. The report details the plight of truck drivers who are classified as "independent contractors" rather than being directly employed by operators. That status allows large trucking companies to not only pay the drivers less, but also deny them benefits and the ability to form a union. Industry regulations also require independent contractors to own and operate their own trucks, a measure that the report says creates a ripple effect in air quality. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/12/09/16 FUELS Popping the Hood on California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard: A Digest special series. LCFS? Sounds like alphabet soup to most people, and a yawner to wide sections of the biofuels industry. And catching up on emissions regulations is, at the best of times, like a visit to the dentist. But here’s our warning: if you don’t master California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and its implications on your business, as it takes hold in the Golden State and is adopted or adapted around the world, as a biofuels investment you won’t raise a dime, your investors will be stranded, and you won’t distribute much fuel, if any, in the long term. Posted. http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2010/12/09/popping-the-hood-on-californias-low-carbon-fuel-standard-a-digest-special-series/ GREEN ENERGY Can Politicians Act Quickly for $342B in Clean Power Investments? A lot of numbers have been floating around on the benefits of renewable energy, particularly given the U.N. climate change talks going on this week in Mexico. The latest set of data comes from the Pew Charitable Trust, which issued a report Wednesday saying $2.3 trillion in clean power project investments could materialize in next 10 years if G-20 countries adopt aggressive policies. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS108215967720101208 Solano Economic Development Corp. Learns About 'Going Green'. In his book "The Lorax," Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, wrote, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,/Nothing is going to get better./It's not." What's getting better in California -- because state residents care and most recently indicated their wishes in last month's midterm elections -- is energy efficiency, helped in part by state "government policies in place and building standards and codes that are leading the nation," a University of California, Davis, leader in energy efficiency said Wednesday. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16814700?nclick_check=1 Tax Package Includes Ethanol; Democrats Working On Renewable Energy Credits. A tax package currently being negotiated by Senate Democrats is likely to include an extension of an ethanol tax credit at 45 cents per gallon and may include a renewable energy tax grant program, although perhaps in a different form than the way it currently exists, senators said today. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), an opponent of the ethanol tax credit, said her "understanding" is that the ethanol blending tax credit would be extended at the current 45-cent-per-gallon level. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/12/09/1 FERC Chief Urges Renewables Industry To 'Embrace' Gas. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman said the renewable energy industry should partner with the natural gas industry to provide reliable electricity at lower prices. "I think there is much to gain in a partnership between renewable energy and natural gas," FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff said at a forum sponsored by the American Council on Renewable Energy in Washington, D.C. A U.S. influx of unconventional natural gas -- mostly shale gas -- and an expansion of pipeline infrastructure has lowered gas prices to about $4 per million British thermal units from the $6 to $10 per million Btu several years ago. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/12/09/7 Sunpower Completes 1.1MW Solar Array For California College. Solar developer and manufacturer SunPower Corporation has completed a 1.1 megawatt solar power system for a community college in Southern California. Bakersfield College, one of the oldest continually operating community colleges in the country, will be able to generate about a third of its electricity from the solar panels. The 3.1-acre parking lot canopy structure contains nearly 3,700 SunPower solar panels with a single-axis tracking system that can track the sun through the day. Posted. http://www.brighterenergy.org/20555/news/solar/sunpower-completes-1-1mw-solar-array-for-california-college/ San Francisco Eyes 100% Renewable Electricity Target. As it celebrated completion of the largest municipal solar array in California, San Francisco has pledged to draw up plans generate all its power from renewable sources. Mayor Gavin Newsom opened the five megawatt Sunset Reservoir solar array yesterday, and used the occasion to announce a $250,000 project to devise a strategy to switch the city to 100% renewable electricity by 2020. Posted. http://www.brighterenergy.org/20486/news/solar/san-francisco-eyes-100-renewable-electricity-target/ VEHICLES Lawmakers Urge EPA To Ditch Fuel-Economy Letter Grades. A bipartisan group of 53 lawmakers is urging the Obama administration to scrap plans for assigning letter grades to fuel-economy ratings on new vehicles and instead display miles-per-gallon information. At issue are designs by U.S. EPA and the Department of Transportation for designs for fuel-economy labels. One proposal is a vertical label showing grades from A for the most fuel-efficient cars to D for gas guzzlers, the other displays mpg ratings and fuel-savings information. EPA has said the letter grades provide "simple, straightforward energy and environmental comparisons. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/12/09/13 MISCELLANEOUS Minority Groups Demand Feds Pull California High-Speed Rail Funds. The latest hurdle thrown in the path of California's high-speed rail project arrived Wednesday when a statewide group of minority-owned companies and small businesses demanded the federal government pull $3 billion from the initiative. The complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday alleges that the California High-Speed Rail Authority "utterly failed" to attract a diverse group of businesses while handing out more than $500 million in contracts. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_16810219?source=rss&nclick_check=1 http://www.modbee.com/2010/12/08/1464092/high-speed-rail-panel-raises-concerns.html http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-rail-complaint-20101209,0,1463775.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fscience%2Fenvironment+%28L.A.+Times+-+Environment%29&utm_content=Google+Reader http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/12/09/14 OPINION California Board Shouldn't Retreat On Diesel Pollution Reductions. California has succeeded in environmental protection where few other states dared go by clamping down on pollution while building a mighty economy over the past 50 years. In choreographed synchronicity, air quality improved, jobs multiplied and technology flourished. California not only allowed people to breathe better, but it also enabled innovations such as hybrid cars, low-emitting power plants, and clean paints and solvents. The brilliance of California's environmental leadership is that regulation has created new markets, which in turn created jobs and saved lives. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_16809656?nclick_check=1 BLOGS Climate Battle Takes to the Streets. Chanting the Spanish equivalent of "The fight continues!", hundreds of protesters made their way through the streets of downtown Cancun Tuesday, to call for dramatic action on climate change. Located about an hour by bus away from the Moon Palace where the UN talks are being held, the procession brought together climate activists from around the world, members of Mexico's indigenous communities, and dozens of journalists eager to report on one of the few major protests at COP16. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2010/12/08/climate-battle-takes-to-the-streets/