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Newsclips for January 20, 2011. 

California Air Resources Board News Clips for January 21, 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
Los Angeles' 'green zone' plan is aimed at low-income,
high-pollution areas
“Under a motion to be introduced Friday by four Los Angeles City
Council members, these communities would be designated as special
"green zone" districts. The aim would be to attract clean
industries through incentives, including help obtaining permits
and tax and utility rebates. Polluters, meanwhile, would be
targeted with tougher inspection and enforcement protocols.”
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-hazards-pacoima-20110121,0,770453.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


EPA Loses in bid to delay air rules
“A federal judge on Thursday rejected the Obama administration's
request to delay by more than a year controversial new
regulations targeting emissions of mercury and other hazardous
air pollutants from industrial boilers.” Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703921504576094410120469054.html

Naval weapons station climate plan draws praise from
environmentalists
“The creation of a climate action plan for the former Concord
Naval Weapons Station site puts Concord at the forefront of
California's efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, city
officials and environmental activists said Wednesday as the plan
was presented.”  Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17149598?nclick_check=1


Activists dismayed by Manchin's plan to curb EPA
“The EPA ruled that destructive and unsustainable mining
practices at what could have been the state's largest mountaintop
removal operation would cause irreparable environmental damage
and threaten the health of communities around the nearly
2,300-acre site.”  Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/20/manchins-1st-bill-will-seek-to-curb-power-of-epa/

Findings on pollution damage to human airways could yield new
therapies
“Researchers from Duke University Medical Center have identified
how nanoparticles from diesel exhaust affect lung airway cells, a
finding that could lead to new therapies for people susceptible
to airway diseases. The scientists also discovered that the
severity of the injury depends on the genetic make-up of the
affected individual.”  Posted.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/clean-green/news-detail.asp?news_id=72744&news_category_id=20



CLIMATE CHANGE


Peabody-Calera Partnership Could Bring U.S. 'Green Cement' to
China
Peabody, the largest privately held coal producer, would operate
the surface mine. Huaneng and Calera plan to deploy Calera
technology that would convert a percentage of the plant's carbon
dioxide emissions into cement and other building … The deal is a
foot in the door in China for Calera, which has backing from
Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla and the U.S. Department of
Energy to further develop and deploy its proprietary technology. 

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/01/21/21climatewire-peabody-calera-partnership-could-bring-us-gr-92498.html

Greenland's Ice Feels the Heat in Record-Setting 2010
“Unusually warm conditions in much of the country helped extend
the annual melting season by up to 50 days longer in 2010 than
the average observed between 1979 and 2009, researchers found.”
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/01/21/21climatewire-greenlands-ice-feels-the-heat-in-record-sett-93789.html?scp=10&sq=green%20energy&st=cse


Naval Weapons Station climate plan draws praise from
environmentalists
... forefront of California's efforts to cut greenhouse gas
emissions, city officials and environmental activists said
Wednesday as the plan was presented. ...
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17149598

New Mexico’s About-Face on GHGs Not Expected to Hinder Regional
Action 
“New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez’s swift actions to stall
progress on greenhouse gas regulations she inherited from her
predecessor will likely hinder the state’s participation in the
Western Climate Initiative’s (WCI) cap-and-trade program,
environmental authorities said, although it will not sideline the
regional initiative itself.” Posted:
http://solveclimatenews.com/news/20110121/new-mexico%E2%80%99s-about-face-ghgs-not-expected-hinder-regional-action


FUELS

AP Sources: EPA Expected to OK More Auto Ethanol
“The EPA s poised to approve higher levels of corn-based ethanol
in gasoline for all cars manufactured in the past decade.  It has
approved 15 percent ethanol for all cars and light-duty trucks
manufactured since 2007.”  Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012103163.html
http://www.modbee.com/2011/01/20/1520776/ap-source-epa-expected-to-ok-more.html

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/21/epa-approves-more-ethanol-in-fuel-for-cars/
http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_0541c079-0f18-5aed-87f8-2cfe45427198.html

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/01/20/2240536/ap-source-epa-expected-to-ok-more.html#storylink=misearch
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012103163.html


  
Clark County buying 1M gallons of alternative fuel
“A northern Nevada refinery has been awarded a contract to supply
Clark County with about 1 million gallons of a cleaner,
alternative fuel to power the county's diesel vehicle fleet.  The
new contract with Clark County is its biggest since environmental
regulators certified GDiesel for the state's alternative fuels
program in August.”  Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/20/clark-county-buying-1m-gallons-of-alternative/

DOE backing biofuels project in Louisiana
“The U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday that it will back a
$241 million loan guarantee to help build a manufacturing plant
for renewable diesel fuel in Louisiana.  Plans call for the use
of animal fats, used cooking oil and other waste grease as
feedstocks for the fuel, which will be produced at Norco, La.,
near New Orleans.”  Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/20/doe-backing-biofuels-project-in-louisiana/


GREEN ENERGY
Bloom Energy unveils plan to make fuel-cell technology more
affordable
“Some experts said power-purchase agreements could help spread
the use of fuel cell technology, much as they have in the solar
industry, by lowering the upfront costs for users.” Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bloom-energy-20110121,0,7833210.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29&utm_content=Google+Reader


Green Jobs In California Grow Despite Recession
“Employers offering jobs in solar-power generation,
electric-vehicle development and environmental consultation added
5,000 jobs in 2008. Overall, about 174,000 Californians were
working in eco-friendly fields by 2009, compared to just 111,000
in 1995, the nonprofit research group Next 10, which conducted
the study, reported.”  Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-green-jobs-20110119,0,356275.story

http://www.citytowninfo.com/career-and-education-news/articles/green-jobs-in-california-grow-despite-recession-11012002

Mayors Scramble to Preserve Block Grant Funding for Energy
Projects
“The block grant program provides funding to states and local
entities for projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce
fossil fuel emissions.”  Posted
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/01/20/20greenwire-mayors-scramble-to-preserve-block-grant-fundin-70540.html


Solar project offers a boon to the Inland region
“Near the California-Nevada border, workers have begun
construction of BrightSource Energy's Ivanpah Solar Electric
Generating System. When completed, this 392-megawatt solar
thermal power plant will produce enough clean, competitively
priced power for about 140,000 Californian homes, displacing
400,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.” Posted.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/localviews/stories/PE_OpEd_Opinion_D_op_20_woolard_loc.8c91d.html


DESERT: Solar energy zones proposed on public land
“Federal officials have scheduled more than a dozen meetings in
the coming months to gather public comments on their proposal to
create solar energy development zones on public land in six
western states.”  Posted.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_solar21.11c5750.html

PG&E Ends Plan to Buy Iberdrola Wind Farm in California
“Iberdrola, the largest owner of wind-energy parks, canceled its
plans to sell its Manzana wind project in Southern California on
Jan. 14, PG&E said today in a filing with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission. The cancellation comes after a state
administrative law judge recommended last month that California
regulators deny PG&E’s request to buy the proposed plant, PG&E
said in its filing.”  Posted
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-20/pg-e-ends-plan-to-buy-iberdrola-wind-farm-in-california.html

Big wind in the county, questions and answers
“Big wind farms are planned on public and private land in eastern
San Diego County, western Imperial County and northern Baja.” 
Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jan/20/big-wind-in-the-county-questions-answers/

Green Energy May Generate More Profit for Farmers
Sacramento lawmakers have given the California Energy Commission
an annual budget of $100 million to support the development of
alternative and renewable.  Posted.
http://westernfarmpress.com/management/green-energy-may-generate-more-profit-farmers

San Diego Utility's Contracts to Buy Solar Electricity Win State
Agency Approval
“The California Public Utilities Commission recently approved two
solar energy contracts for San Diego Gas & Electric Co., whose
parent corporation has been actively pursuing solar power.  The
utility received approval of two 20-year power purchase
agreements with Centinela Solar Energy.”  Posted.
http://solarhbj.com/news/san-diego-utilitys-contracts-to-buy-solar-electricity-win-state-approval-01306


Calif. rule may stunt Oregon clean energy market
“In a bold policy move last week, a California authority limited
the amount of renewable energy credits its utilities can purchase
outside the state, raising questions about the future of
renewable energy development on its borders, including in
Oregon.”  Posted.
http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/01/calif-rule-may-stunt-oregon-clean.html


Endurance Placed on California Approval List
“Endurance Wind Power is a manufacturer of advanced wind turbines
designed specifically for distributed wind power applications.
Their line of modern, induction based wind turbines bring
efficient, reliable, safe and quiet, renewable energy within
reach of homeowners, farmers, businesses and institutions across
North America and an expanding global market.”  Posted.
http://www.altenergymag.com/news_detail.php?pr_id=18993 

Biolamps uses CO2 to light up the streets
“These lamps contain algae mixed with water, which converts the
CO2 into oxygen which it then emits back out into the atmosphere.
In addition to creating Oxygen, the lamp also converts the CO2
into a biomass which can be used to power up the lamps. If the
lamp has more CO2 biomass than it needs, it uses an underground
tube system to push it to the nearest filler station where it can
be converted into a biofuel to power eco cars.”  Posted.
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/01/biolamps-uses-co2-to-light-up-the-streets/


Regents Back Plans for New LBNL Solar Energy Center
“Development of a new solar research center located at the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory advanced Tuesday, as the UC
Board of Regents' Committee on Grounds and Buildings approved
financial and design proposals at the regents' meeting at UC San
Diego.”  Posted.
http://www.dailycal.org/article/111596/regents_back_plans_for_new_lbnl_solar_energy_cente


Department Of Energy Extends Renewable Energy Loan Guarantee
Solicitations
“The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it is
extending the final Part I application deadline for loan
guarantees under its July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable
energy, and advanced transmission and distribution technologies
solicitation.”  Posted.
http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=7cac9444-a659-4fe0-9200-0ed208f0e53b

A Bright Idea: Introducing ESL Light Bulbs from Vu1
“For the most part, the ESL bulbs are made of recyclable
material, namely the plastic and the glass.  But like many
electronic devices today, the semi-conductors and electronic
components are not as easily recyclable.  The good news is that
unlike CFL’s, we do not have to worry about heavy metals such as
mercury with the ESL.”  Posted.
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/01/light-bulbs-beyond-cfl-led-introducing-esl/comment-page-1/


VEHICLES

Chicago cabbies to use Ford natural gas vans 
“A Chicago taxicab company will soon begin using a dozen Ford
Transit Connect vans that run on natural gas instead of
petroleum.”  Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/21/chicago-cabbies-to-use-ford-natural-gas-vans/



Mitsubishi to launch 8 hybrid, electric models by 2015
“As demand for fuel-efficient cars increases, Mitsubishi Motors
Corp. is mapping out plans to introduce eight hybrid and
battery-powered models by 2015.” Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2011/01/21/12 


Commentary UMRTI 100
“The key to a long-term recovery of the American automobile
manufacturing industry is in executing an excellent portfolio of
products. Our research finds that increasing fuel economy
standards will lead to a portfolio of products that is more
likely to raise than to lower the profits of the Detroit 3
automakers. Posted.
http://www.autonewsservice.org/newsletter/ 





MISC

An Open Green Building Schema
“Green Building XML (gbXML) is one of the unsung heroes of this
industry transition. As an open XML schema, it is free for anyone
to use and any software manufacturer to incorporate into their
products. The schema attempts to create a universal language for
all things “green building” to facilitate interoperability
between an ever-expanding number of software tools for the built
environment.”  Posted
http://www.greenbuildingpro.com/articles/57-features/2714-gbxml-an-open-green-building-schema


College lands grant for green careers
“Cerritos College has received the second installment of an
Edison International grant to provide scholarship support for
students pursuing green job programs at the school.”  Posted.
http://thedowneypatriot.com/view/full_story/11077635/article-College-lands-grant-for-green-careers?instance=special_coverage_bullets_right_column


Do Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Really Last 10 Years?
“In California, compact fluorescent lightbulbs aren't lasting as
long as expected. Utilities like PG&E, which has subsidized
consumer purchases of CFLs in the state, originally figured a
bulb would last more than nine years, but based on experience has
lowered that to about six. We've found in our past tests that
some spiral CFLs were still shining brightly after 10,300 hours
of use. That works out to 3 hours a day for 9.4 years.”  Posted.
http://consumerist.com/2011/01/do-compact-flourescent-bulbs-really-last-10-years.html


Want to Learn About Smart Grid? Don’t Call Your Utility
“A recent thesis written by an undergraduate at Purdue University
involved the researcher calling 100 electric companies that were
planning or deploying smart grid technologies. The result was
that far too many of the utilities’ front line employees were not
equipped to answer questions, and at times, gave shockingly
uninformed responses to an eager customer.”  Posted.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/want-to-learn-about-smart-grid-dont-call-your-utility/


The Economics of Superinsulating Windows
“Retrofitting commercial buildings with highly insulating windows
is an investment that can pay off in five years.  Since
commercial spaces vary widely in terms of square footage,
orientation to the sun, local climate, and many other factors,
not all savings will be the same.”  Posted.
http://www.technologyreview.com/business/27012/?p1=BI 

BLOGS

Thailand Closes Diving Sites After Massive Coral Bleaching
“Many of the world’s shallow-water corals are already stressed by
overfishing, pollution and shipping, but some marine biologists
fear that climate change and ocean acidification, caused when
carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans, pose a far more serious
threat and could ultimately lead to the total collapse of many
reefs.” Posted
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/thailand-closes-diving-sites-to-protect-corals/?scp=2&sq=green%20energy&st=cse

A Stubborn Link Between Jobs and Traffic Jams
“The average national unemployment rate reached its lowest point
in the last decade, 4.6 percent, commuters spent 5.25 billion
hours stuck in traffic and wasted 4.19 billion gallons of fuel. 
Higher unemployment also correlates with a slight decline in how
congestion costs are offset by the use of public transportation.”
 Posted
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/a-stubborn-link-between-jobs-and-traffic-jams/?scp=2&sq=air%20pollution&st=cse

Home Wind Turbine a First for San Diego
Driven by his desire to go green, Tim Williams recently became
the first San Diego resident to install a wind turbine at his
home. The 3.4-kW Falcon turbine, a product of WePOWER, has since
gone live, and will hopefully convince other homeowners to follow
suit. This particular model is conducive to residential homes
because it [...]
http://www.greenbuildingpro.com/blogs/featured-blogs/sustainablog/2723-home-wind-turbine-a-first-for-san-diego

The Hill's Congress Blog - Fuel-Efficient Vehicles are the Way to
Go
“Ironically, the Prius, the most successful hybrid electric
vehicle in U.S. history, was introduced by Toyota in 2000 at the
same time that GM introduced the Hummer II.  The different fates
of the two companies in the ensuing decade are stunning.  Last
year the Prius sold 900,000 units worldwide -- while GM was in
bankruptcy and the Hummer II all but disappeared.”  Posted.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-a-environment/139191-fuel-efficient-vehicles-are-the-way-to-go