What's New List Serve Post Display

California Air Resources Board News Clips for August 17, 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

Wider Bad-Air Alert System Beginning In Valley. A blitz of
bad-air alerts will fill Twitter, Facebook and maybe even
flashing freeway signs on a half-dozen summer days when ozone
peaks dangerously in the San Joaquin Valley. The local air board
Thursday is expected to approve the alerts, which amount to a
plea for you to drive less and shave those ozone peaks. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2011/08/16/1818985/wider-bad-air-alert-system-beginning.html
(paid subscription)
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/08/16/2501873/new-alert-methods-of-bad-air-quality.html#storylink=misearch

Dutton disputes implementation of his 2010 pollution law.
Sacramento -   After years of butting heads, state Senate
Minority Leader Bob Dutton and officials at the California Air
Resources Board finally seemed to be on the same page last summer
when it came to Senate Bill 1402. The measure, authored by
Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, was meant to improve communication
between the air board and the businesses it regulates. It passed
the Legislature unanimously. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/politics/stories/PE_News_Local_D_airboard17.3f92416.html

Valley Locales Striving For Pollution Reduction. An old,
gas-powered lawnmower causes as much air pollution as 40 modern
vehicles - because it has no emission controls. That was one of
the revelations an official of the San Joaquin Valley Air
Pollution Control District made on Aug. 8 to the Riverbank City
Council. The Valley's main pollution problem is geography, said
John Cadrett. It lies in a basin surrounded by mountains and in
summer is "like a bowl with the lid pressed down tight," giving
no escape for the heat and pollution. Posted.
http://www.theriverbanknews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=37036

EPA's planned phaseout of harmful refrigerant hits snag. Eighteen
months after the Obama administration came out with new rules to
stop refrigerants in air conditioners from thinning the Earth's
protective ozone layer, an unexpected quirk has divided the
industry and could have implications for the atmosphere. Much of
the equipment being installed in American homes is still getting
its cooling power from an ozone-depleting gas that was supposed
to be phased out, says a group of disgruntled appliance makers,
including the makers of Carrier and Trane air conditioners.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/08/17/2 BY
PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Perry and Romney split on global warming.  A sharp divide has
emerged between two leading Republican presidential candidates on
the issue of climate change. While apparent front-runner Mitt
Romney believes the world is getting warmer and that humans are
contributing to that pattern, Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday
called that “a scientific theory that has not been proven.” 
Taking questions at the storied Politics and Eggs breakfast in
Bedford, N.H., Perry was asked about a passage in his book, “Fed
Up!,” in which he expresses skepticism of the science behind
global warming.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/perry-and-romney-split-on-climate-change/2011/08/17/gIQAgawNLJ_story.html

Perry says he doesn't believe in global warming. Bedford, N.H. --
GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry told New Hampshire voters
Wednesday that he does not believe in manmade global warming,
calling it a scientific theory that has not been proven. "I think
we're seeing almost weekly, or even daily, scientists that are
coming forward and questioning the original idea that manmade
global warming is what is causing the climate to change," the
Texas governor said on the first stop of a two-day trip to the
first-in-the-nation primary state. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/17/3843843/perry-says-he-doesnt-believe-in.html

Council OKs Climate Action Plan that regulates future energy
uses. Plan expected to meet tougher state-required greenhouse-gas
emissions rules. The City Council approved a broad-based Climate
Action Plan (CAP) last night that could make Pleasanton "one of
the greenest cities in California" in the coming years. Nearly
three years in the planning stage, the new plan is aimed at
creating a structure of regulations and goals on environmental
issues to conform to a new state law, called AB 32, which
requires that cities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to
1990 levels by the year 2020. Posted.
http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/show_story.php?id=7558

U.S. cities are leading the way in climate change adaptation.
Cities across the United States are taking action to go beyond
mitigating the effects of climate change. With Americans already
struggling with extreme weather events such as heat waves and
flooding, cities are at the forefront of a new trend: adaptation.
“We're already seeing consequences of climate change," said Brian
Holland, director of climate programs at ICLEI-Local Governments
for Sustainability USA, "and those will only intensify." Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/08/17/11 BY PAID
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

US Government to invest $510M in advanced, drop-in biofuels.  US
announces historic investment to jump-start “drop-in” biofuels at
commercial scale.  Jet fuel, diesel in focus — USDA, DOE, USN to
share tab, and leverage private investment.  The US seeks to
definitively break its addiction on imported oil.  In Washington,
President Obama today announced that the U.S. Departments of
Agriculture, Energy and Navy …Posted. 
http://biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/08/16/usda-doe-usn-to-invest-510m-in-advanced-drop-in-biofuels/

VEHICLES

Electric cars get a charge out of Portland street.  Electric car
drivers will get a charge out of a block-long stretch of a
downtown Portland street that's been dubbed "Electric Avenue,"
and it may also help the automotive industry and others make
important decisions as the use of electric cars evolves.  Seven
electric charging stations from six different manufacturers have
been installed at Portland State University as part of a two-year
study that will examine which chargers get the most use, who's
plugging in, and what they do while their car drinks up a charge.
 Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ELECTRIC_AVENUE?SITE=WIMAR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

AP Newsbreak:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/16/electric-cars-get-a-charge-out-of-portland-street//
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/portland-unveils-electric-avenue-a-block-long-bank-of-electric-car-charging-stations/2011/08/16/gIQAWbhqJJ_story.html
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18693505

A fuel-cell system first: hydrogen, electricity and heat energy.
California has seen the commissioning of the world’s first
tri-generation fuel cell and hydrogen energy station, which will
provide transportation fuel to the public and electric power to
the Orange County Sanitation District’s wastewater treatment
plant in Fountain Valley. The fuel cell is called a
tri-generation system because it produces hydrogen, electricity
and heat. Posted.
http://www.greenbang.com/a-fuel-cell-system-first-hydrogen-electricity-and-heat-energy_19648.html

GREEN ENERGY

DWP restores solar program for homeowners. The Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power will once Again offer financial
incentives for city homeowners to generate solar power starting
Sept. 1, officials decided Tuesday. The City Council voted 13-0
to resume the Solar Incentive Plan, which had been halted in
April when demand exceeded the program's budget. Now, $60 million
will be made available for the program for at least each of the
next two years. Posted.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_18695985?source=rss

MISCELLANEOUS

Judge Rejects Groups’ Effort to Remove Bike Lane. A judge on
Tuesday dismissed an effort by Brooklyn residents to remove a
hotly contested bicycle lane installed by the city on Prospect
Park West, in one of the most closely watched controversies over
a signature policy of the Bloomberg administration. The decision
represented a significant victory for the city and its
transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, whose campaign
to create streets more oriented to pedestrians and bicyclists has
divided New Yorkers and prompted a fierce political debate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/nyregion/effort-to-remove-prospect-park-west-bike-lane-is-rejected.html?_r=1&ref=earth

American chemistry council spent $1.65m to lobby. The American
Chemistry Council spent $1.65 million in the second quarter to
lobby the government on issues ranging from greenhouse gas
emissions to anti-terrorism security for chemical facilities,
according to a recent disclosure report. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2011/08/16/1818380/american-chemistry-council-spent.html
(paid subscription only)

Transportation commission reaches out to South County:
Watsonville Civic Plaza gets two tenants. Watsonville -- Two
tenants have moved into a long-vacant office in the Civic Plaza
on Main Street. The Monterey Bay Air Pollution Control District
and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission
celebrated the opening of their shared office with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday. "People wanted us to be more
accessible to this part of the county," said George Dondero,
executive director of the Santa Cruz-based transportation
commission. The air quality agency, which has stationed
inspectors in the city for several years, led the way. Posted.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_18697219

City to further study leaf blower ban. Burlingame officials
aren’t ready to ban leaf blowers but want more time to research
the issue. On Monday, the City Council met to discuss a possible
ban of gas-powered leaf blowers. After about three hours of
discussion, the council voted to further explore the issue
through a subcommittee of Mayor Terry Nagel and Councilwoman Ann
Keighran. The Burlingame Citizen’s Environmental Council
recommended the ban to maintain clean air and water while cutting
down on air and noise pollution. Posted.
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=165342&title=City%20to%20further%20study%20leaf%20blower%20ban

OPINIONS

SCHNARE: Campaign advice for ‘all of the abovers’ Wind power can
be more expensive and dirty than we think. As most of the
Republican presiden- tial hopefuls stake their posi- tions to win
the hearts of the party’s base, the Tea Party has made it safe
for honest conservatives to stand up and demand more than spin.
If we can demand fiscal responsibility, however, we also should
demand fiscal honesty. And, if there is a subject where
Republicans should be willing to be honest, it is on
environmental and energy policy - in particular, climate change.
Posted.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/16/campaign-advice-for-all-of-the-abovers/

New study doesn't hit the mark for air pollution deaths. Don't be
surprised if you see some coverage soon about a new study
claiming that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) could be killing
thousands of Californians every year. The study will likely be
touted as "confirmation" of previous work that first made PM2.5 a
health scare in the early 1990s. Don't be further surprised if
this new study is then used by the California Air Resources Board
(CARB) to gin up more regulations that will make it harder to
drive a diesel truck or run most businesses in this state.
Posted.
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x560461816/New-study-doesnt-hit-the-mark-for-air-pollution-deaths

New Auto Fuel Economy Standards Will Regulate Us To Death. Do you
happen to like having a car that you feel safe driving under
heavy traffic and freeway-speed conditions; that accommodates
big-box shopping forays, fledgling soccer teams, golfing gaffers
and tuba players; and that affords Texas-sized range capabilities
without overnight power recharging delays? Well tough. Get over
it! Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2011/08/16/new-auto-fuel-economy-standards-will-regulate-us-to-death/

BLOGS

Trout Fishing in a Climate-Changed America. As difficult as it is
to predict precisely how the planet will warm over the next
century or so, it is even harder to refine predictions of how
those changes will affect specific species. That’s because warmer
temperatures alone are not the only driver of what happens to,
say, four varieties of trout. Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/trout-fishing-in-a-climate-changed-america/?ref=earth

Light-Bulbs, Responsibility and the Demise of the Common Good. In
a move truly reflective of how bizarre American political life
has become, there really was a bill sponsored by House
Republicans, considered by Congress last week, that would have
essentially rolled back the clock on energy saving technology, in
the name of “personal freedom”. And it almost passed. The bill,
introduced by Joe Barton (R-TX), was intended to overturn a 2007
law (passed under the Bush administration) that would begin
phasing out production of energy-guzzling incandescent light
bulbs in 2012. Posted. 
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/08/light-bulbs-responsibility-demise-common-good/

China's Feed in tariff for Solar Power. China’s government has
introduced a unified grid solar power tariff, which analysts
believe may produce a quickened pace for introducing solar power
to private residences, along with boosting the stock of companies
involved in solar development. According to the National
Development and Reform Commission, Beijing has set the solar
power price charged by power plants to grid operators at 18 US
cents per kilowatt-hour …Posted. 
http://www.celsias.com/article/chinas-feed-in-tariff-solar-power/

President of Ferarri Announces They’ll Never Make an Electric
Vehicle. Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo just announced,
quite plainly, to Engadget that he doesn’t believe in electric
vehicles and therefore the world shouldn’t hold its breath for a
Ferrari EV. Posted.
http://inhabitat.com/president-of-ferarri-announces-theyll-never-make-an-electric-vehicle/