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Newsclips for March 18, 2011. California Air Resources Board News
Clips for March 18, 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

For Radiation, the Alarm Bells Are Boxes. Anaheim, Calif. — The
radiation monitor works unobtrusively here on a tiny strip of
fenced-off land just behind a schoolyard on a dead-end street.
The machine that regularly sniffs the air, measuring whether
radioactive fallout from Japan has reached Southern California,
is a gray box, about three feet high and two feet wide. The most
remarkable thing is how unremarkable it is. A few other machines
are perched atop black metal grates, constantly measuring the air
pollution that is a fact of life here. The black dots on the
filter are a reminder that the Southern California air is never
quite pure. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/us/18california.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

Bakersfield Station Monitors Radiation. As many Americans brace
for the first measurable radiation expected to arrive in U.S. air
space from Japan on Friday, more than 120 radiation measurement
stations across the United States will monitor the strength of
the invisible invasion. One of those stations is located on a
rooftop right here in Bakersfield -- though the exact location
cannot be disclosed in the interest of security. There are a
total of 11 stations in California, including in places such as
Fresno and Anaheim. Posted.
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x233128907/Bakersfield-station-monitors-radiation

Radioactive Particles Arriving In The Bay Area, But Pose No Risk,
Say Scientists And Health Officials. While public health
officials anxiously downplayed fears Thursday that a plume from
Japan's crippled nuclear reactors was descending on California,
scientists at UC Berkeley declared they were already detecting
radioactive particles from 5,000 miles across the ocean. The
differing accounts illustrated the confusion on the fallout from
Japan's crisis as contamination continued to spew from the
damaged power plants, but scientists and public health experts
were united on one front: Whatever radiation may drift to
California and the West Coast will be too minuscule to pose any
health risks here. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_17637607?nclick_check=1

A Pollution Concern from Heating Oils.  Last month’s anti-smoking
legislation may have irritated some Local readers, but
environmentalists say that another pollutant continues to fill
the air.  An interactive map of New York City’s “dirty buildings”
on the Environmental Defense Fund Web site shows over 9,000 red
and yellow dots spanning Manhattan, charting real locations of
the city’s sludge-burning buildings.  Posted. 
http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/a-pollution-concern-from-heating-oils/?scp=3&sq=air%20pollution&st=cse

CLIMATE CHANGE

Crises In Japan, Gulf, Thwart US Energy Accord. Washington (AP) -
On the road to a national energy policy, President Barack Obama
just can't catch a break.  First, worries over coal-burning
plants' role in global warming prompted Obama and other Democrats
to look more favorably on offshore oil and gas exploration. Last
year's BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ended that abruptly. 
Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/mar/18/crises-in-japan-gulf-thwart-us-energy-accord/

http://www.fresnobee.com/search_results?q=climate+change&sort=pubsys_pubobj_publish_dt+desc

IPCC, EPA Overestimate Greenhouse Gas Levels From Septic Tanks,
Says Study. At the bottom of layers of household scum and sludge,
a biological process in septic tanks releases about 0.1 metric
tons of greenhouse gases per year, according to a recent study.
The good news is that this figure is about half the amount
estimated by both the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) and U.S. EPA. This means that septic tanks,
receptacles that collect sewage from households not connected to
a municipal systems -- 20 percent of the households in the United
States -- are responsible for less greenhouse gas emissions than
previously accounted. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/03/18/8

'Mega' Heat Waves To Become More Frequent -- A deadly heat wave
that struck Europe last summer was the most severe scorcher to
hit the region in the past 500 years, according to a new study
that suggests such "mega-heat waves" will become more common by
the end of the century. The heat wave, which began in July 2010
and endured through mid-August, broke longstanding temperature
records across almost half of Europe. Average weekly temperatures
were 18 degrees Fahrenheit above normal in a 772,000-square-mile
swatch of Eastern Europe and western Russia, according to
research published yesterday in the journal Science.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/03/18/10

Cutbacks On Nuclear Could Spike Global Warming Levels. If major
countries with ambitious nuclear development plans abandon them
amid the turmoil in Japan, their efforts may have an unintended
consequence. Global warming will intensify if China, a leading
carbon emitter, drops the world's most ambitious nuclear power
building program and Germany shuts down its nuclear power plants.
Before the tsunami hit Japan last Friday, the country ranked as
world's fifth biggest carbon emitter. Now it does not have much
choice but to burn more gas and coal to replace its low-carbon
reactors. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/03/18/11

A New Kind Of Currency. A professional forester who died 25 years
ago would not recognize the words and concepts that are the new
currency in the woods. In addition to selling timber from their
lands, foresters now can be rewarded for being better stewards of
the land and for adding carbon inventory to their forests. Carbon
credits appear to be the Next Big Thing. For the North American
Temperate Rainforest – which includes the entire Oregon and
Washington coastal forest – carbon credits represent a new income
stream that’s based on plant biology and is prodded by global
warming and climate change. Posted.
http://www.eastoregonian.com/news/northwest/fate_of_our_forest/a-new-kind-of-currency/article_174f3024-50e0-11e0-a9df-001cc4c03286.html?mode=print

FUELS

Google Backs Biofuels, via CoolPlanetBiofuels. Google Ventures
has made its first biofuels investment. On Thursday afternoon,
the venture arm of the search giant announced it has invested in
a startup called CoolPlanetBioFuels, which makes what the company
calls “negative carbon fuels.” CoolPlanetBiofuels has also raised
funding from another group of well-known strategic investors
recently: Energy Technology Ventures, which is made up of GE, NRG
Energy and ConocoPhillips. Out of all Google Venture’s
investments, biofuels seem like the farthest from the company’s
core business. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/17/idUS370391007820110317

Most Japanese Airports Have Fuel Supplies For 10 Days – IATA.
Airlines Friday were urged to use fuel supplies in Japan
efficiently as stocks at some airports fell to 10 days' worth of
supply. The International Air Transport Association said it was
too early to assess the long-term impact of the Japanese
earthquake and tsunami on the global air transport industry, but
it was coordinating actions among airlines to maximize fuel
supplies in Japan and briefing carriers and officials on
rationing if shortages arise. IATA, which represents 93% of
scheduled international traffic and 230 airlines, suggested
planes carry sufficient fuel for both legs of journeys, avoiding
the need to refuel in Japan. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110318-705072.html

Greater Danger Lies in Spent Fuel Than in Reactors. Years of
procrastination in deciding on long-term disposal of highly
radioactive fuel rods from nuclear reactors are now coming back
to haunt Japanese authorities as they try to control fires and
explosions at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Station. Some countries have tried to limit the number of spent
fuel rods that accumulate at nuclear power plants: Germany stores
them in costly casks, for example, while China sends them to a
desert storage compound in the western province of Gansu. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/asia/18spent.html?_r=1&src=twrhp&pagewanted=print

U.S. Nuclear Plants Store More Spent Fuel Than Japan's, Experts
Say.  Washington -- U.S. nuclear plants use the same sort of
pools to cool spent nuclear-fuel rods as the ones now in danger
of spewing radiation at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant, only the
U.S. pools hold much more nuclear material. That's raising the
question of whether more spent fuel should be taken out of the
pools at U.S. power plants to reduce risks.  Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2011/03/17/1603769/us-nuclear-plants-store-more-spent.html


GREEN ENERGY

Report Urges Calif. To Go Slow On New Worker Training Programs
For Green Jobs. California's market for jobs in the energy
efficiency sector will remain tight through 2020 despite
carbon-cutting regulations and a projected $11 billion in
investments, according to a new state-backed report from the
University of California, Berkeley. Rather than funding training
programs for new workers, California should spend its funds on
getting existing workers up to par for installing distributed
generation systems, home energy retrofits and other
demand-reducing technologies. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/03/18/9

First-Ever Major Tidal Power Station To Be Installed Off Scottish
Coast. An array of 10 underwater turbines will be installed in a
channel between two Scottish islands to provide 10 megawatts of
electricity, enough to power 10,000 homes. The two islands, Islay
and Jura, are well-known for their malt whiskey production. The
station will provide electricity for the distilleries, plus more
than enough power for all the homes on the islands. The
installations, which resemble traditional wind turbines, will be
placed in an area with one of the strongest and most reliable
currents in U.K. waters. The flow of the water runs at almost 6.7
mph. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/03/18/13

VEHICLES

Those Yellow Car-Pool Stickers Are Going Bye-Bye. Dear Honk: I am
wondering if the yellow car-pool stickers for hybrid cars are
really going to be useless after July 1? It seems
counterproductive to put 85,000 cars back into the regular lanes
and increase congestion and pollution. Is there any chance of an
extension? – Sandy Flanagan, Huntington Beach. A. About as much
chance as Honk retiring before he hits 80. Not much (kids'
college expenses, Mrs. Honk's "dream house,'' etc). Unless state
Legislators quickly extend the deadline – and Honk sniffed around
and didn't see any signs of that – then, yes, the solo drivers in
those stickered hybrids must move into the regular lanes with the
rest of us. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=292613

OPINION

EDITORIAL: Ending The Global-Warming Argument. Leftist Resort To
The Courts Is Sign Of Desperation. Leftists are rushing to the
judiciary as a refuge against efforts to undermine their
global-warming tax schemes. In the current economic environment,
the idea of massive hikes in the price of gasoline and other
sources of energy has become radioactive. In response, the
attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Iowa, New York,
Rhode Island and Vermont are hoping activist judges will enact
policies that elected, accountable representatives are
increasingly afraid to touch. Posted.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/17/ending-the-global-warming-argument/print/

There's No Such Thing As Truly Safe Nuclear Power.  Nuclear power
was beginning to look like a panacea - a way to lessen our
dependence on oil, make our energy supply more self-sufficient
and significantly mitigate global warming, all at the same time.
Now it looks more like a bargain with the devil.  Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110317/A_OPINION0608/103170315&cid=sitesearch

BLOGS

Delay in Coal Pollution Rules Took Toll in Lives.  A tough new
pollution standard for power plants proposed this week by the
Environmental Protection Agency will cost utilities at least $10
billion, and several companies have already signaled that they
will close aging coal plants rather than upgrade to meet the new
standards.  Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/delay-in-coal-pollution-rules-took-toll-in-lives/
 
Oil Industry to Form Safety Group.  American companies involved
in offshore oil drilling are moving to set up a safety institute
modeled on those established by foreign oil companies and the
nuclear power and chemical industries, the American Petroleum
Institute said on Thursday.  Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/oil-industry-to-form-safety-group/

House Republicans: More Spending On Coal, Oil, Gas.  On what
planet are House Republicans living? The one on which NASA is
telling us that the polar ice caps are melting at a much faster
rate that we thought, or the one on which it makes sense for the
GOP point-man on energy, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), to say this,
as he did Wednesday: Spending, even for laudable goals like
energy efficiency or developing affordable alternative energy
sources and technologies, needs to be scrutinized for
effectiveness....In other areas, I believe the budget is
inappropriately cheap, and this is especially the case with
regard to fossil fuels.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/house-republicans-more-money-for-coal-oil-gas/2011/03/04/AB9D2dm_blog.html

California Gas Prices Stall Below $4, But For How Long? In
California, the seemingly endless rise of the most expensive
gasoline in the U.S. outside of Hawaii finally came to an end
overnight. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in
the state dropped 0.1 cent to $3.96, according to the AAA Fuel
Gauge Report. But some Californians may well be wondering this:
Where isn't it $4 a gallon? In Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and
Lompoc, the state's most expensive gasoline is selling for an
average of $4.02 a gallon, up 0.2 cent overnight and 1.9 cent
higher than a week ago, said the AAA. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/03/california-gas-prices-finally-stall-below-4-but-for-how-long.html

Clean Air Act Phobia. It’s a sad state of affairs when members on
both sides of the aisle in Congress seem to think it is a good
idea to attack the Clean Air Act – the landmark law that Richard
Nixon signed and George H. W. Bush strengthened.  Yet the hits on
the Clean Air Act just keep on coming in this Congress in spite
of the Act’s incredible record of cutting deaths and illness
caused by air pollution – a record that has earned the strong
support of the American people and the admiration of others
around the world. Clean Air Act phobia appears to be a strangely
contagious disease that keeps showing up in members’
pronouncements and draft bills – a disease impervious to
information and common sense.  Posted.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dhawkins/clean_air_act_phobia.html