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newsclips -- Newsclips for February 8, 2011.
Posted: 08 Feb 2011 12:37:40
California Air Resources Board News Clips for February 8, 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. VEHICLES MARY NICHOLS LETTERS TO AUTOMOBILE CEO’S California Air Chief Blasts Auto Trade Group Over Clean Cars. California Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols on Monday wrote to seven major automobile manufacturers, accusing their trade group, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, of misrepresenting the state's efforts to cooperate with federal officials on rules to curb greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. She asked the companies to "distance" themselves from the Washington-based group's efforts to "undermine ... standards that will provide American consumers with cleaner and more efficient vehicles." Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/02/global-warming-california-vehicle-fuel-efficiency-.html Calif. Hits Back At Auto Industry Over Complaints. The head of California's greenhouse gas regulatory agency lambasted auto manufacturers today over their support of Republican efforts to roll back regulations. Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, sent a letter to the CEOs of BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen arguing that California has worked very closely with the federal government to regulate vehicular emissions."[W]e are alarmed and disappointed that your trade association, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, has misrepresented that cooperative spirit in recent letters to Congress," she wrote. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/print/2011/02/07/2 CA Air Official Rebukes Auto Trade Group. In a strongly-worded letter [PDF] to the CEOs of seven major auto manufacturers, California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols defended California's efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks and accused the trade group, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, of misrepresenting California's cooperation with federal agencies in letters to Congress. At issue, wrote Nichols, are letters the Alliance sent to Congressmen Darryl Issa (R-Vista) and Fred Upton (R-MI) in January, calling "our commitment to a national program into question." Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2011/02/07/ca-air-official-rebukes-auto-trade-group/ California Air Board, Auto Industry Group at Odds on Vehicle Standards. The chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board is asking seven automakers to disavow claims made by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to two congressmen “or risk returning to the environmental battles of the Bush era.” Mary D. Nichols sent letters to the heads of General Motors Corp., Chrysler Group, Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., BMW Group, Volkswagen AG and Mercedes-Benz saying that California air regulators are “alarmed and disappointed” at communications sent by the automobile alliance to U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Fred Upton, R-Mich. Posted. http://solarhbj.com/news/california-air-board-auto-industry-group-at-odds-on-vehicle-standards-01352 Calif., Auto Association In Emissions Tiff. Los Angeles -- The head of California's air quality agency says a trade group representing automobile manufacturers misrepresents the state's efforts to curb greenhouse gases. California Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols wrote to seven major automobile manufacturers Monday, accusing their trade group, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, of attempting to "undermine ... standards that will provide American consumers with cleaner and more efficient vehicles," the Los Angeles Times reported. Posted. http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/02/07/Calif-auto-association-in-emissions-tiff/UPI-88201297135463/print/#ixzz1DO12SYN2 CLIMATE CHANGE January In America: Surprise, Drier Than Normal; No Surprise, Cold Too. Washington (AP) — January was colder than normal for the United States and, in a finding that will surprise many, also drier than usual. The average temperature for the month, across the country, was 30 degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 Celsius), which is 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit (0.4 C) colder than usual for the month, the National Climatic Data Center reported Tuesday. And, despite several large winter storms, it was also the ninth driest January on record going back to 1895, the center reported. Rain and snowfall across the country averaged 1.48 inches (38 millimeters) for the month, 0.74 inch (19 mm) below normal. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/wire/sns-ap-us-sci-cold-and-dry,0,236161,print.story http://www.modbee.com/2011/02/08/1547504/report-january-us-climate-cold.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/08/2264173/report-january-us-climate-cold.html#storylink=misearch http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/08/AR2011020802864.html http://www.nctimes.com/news/science/article_adfcada2-2d72-50a1-b66a-c55b88821b86.html GREEN ENERGY Search For Wind-Related Grid Problems Finds A Bigger Concern. A national laboratory report targeted at wind power integration has found unexpected evidence of the electricity grid's vulnerability to potential blackouts due to the current operations of conventional -- not renewable -- generation. The study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, issued last month, reports that frequency levels are dropping further than realized on the nation's two largest grid systems, particularly at the start of the day when electricity demand ramps up and when it ramps down in the evening. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/02/08/08climatewire-search-for-wind-related-grid-problems-finds-88348.html?scp=10&sq=green%20energy&st=cse MISCELLANEOUS Sierra Club Wants To Join U.S. Suit In BP Spill. The Sierra Club asked to join the U.S. lawsuit seeking billions of dollars in fines and restoration costs from BP over damages from the worst offshore oil spill in the nation's history. "For too long, American taxpayers have footed the bill for polluters who destroy our water and air," Michael Brune, the Sierra Club executive director, said in a statement Monday. "We can't let that happen here. The oil industry must learn a lesson from this tragedy." The United States sued BP and units of four other companies in December, alleging violations of federal environmental law. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/08/BU6O1HK009.DTL&type=printable OPINION Editorial: Greens Sue Over Green Law. California government's appointed, unaccountable environmental stewards got a taste of their own medicine recently when a San Francisco Superior Court judge tentatively ruled that they failed to follow legally required environmental procedures in 2008 by adopting a plan to reduce greenhouse gases and last year when passing cap-and-trade regulations. The state, and plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit, have until today to submit further arguments, after which Judge Ernest Goldsmith will issue a final ruling. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=287354 Cleaning Our Air. I urge our elected officials to oppose any "dirty air act" proposals that would roll back the Clean Air Act's safeguards, allowing corporate polluters to fill our skies with dangerous toxics. For four decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has used the Clean Air Act to protect the health of millions of Americans including our children, our seniors, and the most vulnerable among us from dozens of dangerous air pollutants. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/02/08/2263454/cleaning-our-air.html#storylink=misearch Not To Worry - The Mall Can Absorb The Solar Decathlon. I respectfully disagree with the decision of the Interior and Energy departments to remove the Solar Decathlon from the Mall. The monument renovations are a good thing, but I disagree with the premise that the Mall is "overused." The multitude of sports leagues that play on the Mall - let alone the rallies and festivals there - help to enable a healthy democracy. Spotty grass is a sign of engagement, not shame. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020705380.html CARB Before Horse. States: A court has tentatively reled against California’s cap-and-trade law because alternatives were not considered. But then, neither were climate facts or the economic impact. There’s a delicious irony in the ruling by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith barring the California Air Resources Board (CARB) from implementing AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Posted. http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/ArticlePrint.aspx?id=562348&p=1 Global Warming A Hard Sell. Former Vice President Al Gore said on his website recently that the reason for the particularly harsh and snowy winter we've been experiencing this season was because of "man-made global warming" ("Snow job," Comment & Analysis, Jan. 28). According to Mr. Gore, "scientists have been warning for at least two decades that global warming could make snowstorms more severe." So just to recap, whether there's a week-long heat wave or the exact opposite - a frigid winter - the cause is always the same: global warming. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/7/global-warming-a-hard-sell/print/ Is Severe Winter Weather Related To Global Warming? You may not remember exactly what you were doing one year ago, but odds are good you spent part of the day shoveling, buying an extra pair of gloves or replenishing your emergency stash of batteries. Odds are even better that you remember what happened just before and just after the anniversary we celebrate today. The first of a pair of major blizzards struck Washington on Feb. 5 and 6. The reprise landed on Feb. 9 and 10. Our region experienced record snowfall last winter, topping the charts dating at least as far back as the late 1800s. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020704717_pf.html BLOGS Keep Courts Out of Climate Policy, G.O.P. Lawmakers Say. Three leading Republicans in Congress filed a brief with the Supreme Court late Monday asking the justices to overturn a lower court ruling that allowed several states and environmental groups to sue electric utilities over their global warming emissions. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/keep-courts-out-of-climate-policy-g-o-p-lawmakers-say/?scp=2&sq=air%20pollution&st=cse Climate Scientist Sues Skeptic for Libel. A prominent Canadian climate scientist is suing a leading climate skeptic for libel, arguing that an article published online in January contained false and malicious claims. Andrew Weaver, a climate modeler at the University of Victoria, filed the lawsuit against Tim Ball, a former professor of climatology at the University of Winnipeg and a vocal critic of the science linking man-made emissions to global warming, over an article published by the Canada Free Press, a conservative Web site. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/climate-scientist-sues-skeptic-for-libel/ Washington Invests in Making Wind Pay. Associated Press Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, left, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu scanned a map of potential areas for offshore wind farms in mid-Atlantic states at a news conference in Norfolk, Va. The energy from ocean breezes is temptingly near, but the effort will require a lot of work, the energy and interior secretaries said Monday in announcing up to $50.5 million in federal spending over the next five years to try to make offshore wind farms viable. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/washington-invests-in-making-wind-pay/?pagemode=print Federal Offshore Wind Plan: $50.5 Million In Research Funding. The yachts and gulls might need to make some room off the mid-Atlantic coast for the offshore wind turbines that the government is hoping to soon install. Federal agencies are jumping on the goal that President Obama set in his State of the Union address last month, aiming to derive 80% of all electricity generation across the country from clean energy sources by 2035. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/02/offshore-wind-plan-from-energy-and-interior-departments-includes-505-million.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29 Saving Money Vs. Helping The Environment: It's About The Money. Americans are more inclined to make energy-efficient improvements when their actions help save money. They are less motivated by environmental concerns, according to a national poll released Monday by the Tennessee-based research firm Shelton Group. About a quarter of Americans polled said that they received a rebate or other financial incentive for making an energy-efficient improvement. Most rebates came from a utility or federal tax incentive. Of those who made improvements, 25% said they would not have acted without the incentive. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/02/saving-money-v-saving-the-environment.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29