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California Air Resources Board News Clips for January 4, 2011.  

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

Smog Contributes to Dangerous Heart Rhythm Disorders. Study found
detectable changes in heart's electrical system after exposure to
polluted air. The role that air pollution plays in heart rhythm
disorders (arrhythmias) that can cause sudden death may be
underestimated, according to researchers. A small study of 25
healthy people without heart disease found detectable changes in
the heart's electrical system when the participants were exposed
to polluted air. Posted.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/heart/articles/2011/01/04/smog-contributes-to-dangerous-heart-rhythm-disorders_print.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

Finding the Fingerprints of Climate Change in Storm Damage -- a
Very Long Detective Story. Hurricanes could become more prevalent
with climate change, but the economic pain they deliver might not
be recognized as man-made for 260 years. That means smashed homes
and ruined roads may not be attributable to greenhouse gases for
centuries, according to new research that suggests climate
policies like adaptation should be designed without financial
evidence of climate-enhanced windstorms. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/01/04/04climatewire-finding-the-fingerprints-of-climate-change-i-22773.html?pagewanted=print

GREEN ENERGY

California First State To Adopt New National Efficiency Standard
For Light Bulbs. Californians will see the light – and a
resulting energy cost savings – earlier than the rest of the
United States. The California Energy Commission says Golden State
consumers will be the first in the nation to save money under a
federal law improving the energy-efficiency standard of light
bulbs. The standard outlined in the Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007 says that a 100-watt bulb manufactured on or
after a set date must use 28 percent less energy than a
traditional 100-watt incandescent light bulb. In effect, the bulb
cannot use more than 72 watts. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/04/v-print/3297072/california-first-state-to-adopt.html

EPA To Enforce New Emission Rules On Power Plants. The
Environmental Protection Agency this week starts regulating
greenhouse gases from power plants and other big polluters for
the first time. The rules only apply to new construction and
major expansions, but they've become hugely controversial.
Critics say they will drag down the economic recovery. Old
Dominion Electric Cooperative was trying to get permits for a
massive new coal-fired power plant in Virginia. But last fall, it
delayed the project. David Smith, the utility's director of
environment, says there were two main factors: the recession,
which was cutting demand for electricity, and uncertainty about
EPA's greenhouse gas rules. Posted.
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/03/132612887/epa-to-enforce-new-emission-rules-on-power-plants

In California and Arizona, Governors Emphasize Renewable Energy
Goals. In his inaugural address, California Gov. Edmund G. Brown
Jr. reiterated a campaign pledge to seek development of 20,000
megawatts of renewable energy capacity in the state by 2020. In
Arizona, Gov. Janice Brewer, elected to her first full term in
November, said the state will develop a robust solar industry
that is “the envy of the world.” In New Mexico, meanwhile, new
Gov. Susana Martinez, after being sworn in Jan. 1, created a
small-business task force to identify rules that it concludes
would harm business growth and job creation. Posted.
http://solarhbj.com/news/in-california-and-arizona-governors-emphasize-renewable-energy-goals-01270

Green Skeletons Lurk In GOP Closets. It may be heresy to
conservatives, but a trip down memory lane shows nearly all of
the top-tier Republican presidential contenders want to save the
planet from global warming. On the campaign stump, in books,
speeches and nationally-televised commercials, aspiring GOP White
House candidates such as Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee and Mitt
Romney have warned in recent years about the threats from climate
change and pledged to limit greenhouse gases. Posted.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46699.html

OPINION

Brown’s Speech: Blunt, Sober And Necessary. Gov. Jerry Brown
sounded very much a grown-up in his inaugural speech Monday, and
in the best sense of the term. His bluntness about the severity
of upcoming budget cuts – few if any programs are likely to be
spared – appeared to be a message both for the public (expect
pain) and the Sacramento establishment (expect change). Coupled
with Brown’s repeat of his promises to only raise taxes with
voter approval and to shun accounting gimmicks, his overriding
goal is to finally have California adopt an honest budget that is
sustainable going forward, ending what he called years of “denial
and delay.” Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jan/04/browns-speech-blunt-sober-and-necessary/

BLOGS

Did Climate Change Cause Haiti Quake? At the American Geophysical
Union meeting late last month, University of Miami geologist
Shimon Wdowinski argued that the devastating earthquake a year
ago may have been caused by a combination of deforestation and
hurricanes (H/T Treehugger). Climate change is spurring more,
stronger hurricanes, which are fueled by warm ocean waters.
Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=80278#ixzz1A6incTqs

Duraflame Loses, Courts Says They Must Obey The BAAQMD's Wood
Burning Rule. The following is a press release from the Bay Area
Air Quality Management District, it's in regards to Duraflame's
attempt to exclude themselves from the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District's wood burning rule....The California courts
have unanimously affirmed the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District's authority to make manufactured logs sold and used in
the Bay Area subject to the Air District's wood burning rule.
Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/incontracosta/detail?entry_id=80272#ixzz1A6kddXTa