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California Air Resources Board News Clips for September 23, 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

White House threatens veto of House bill to delay EPA pollution
rules. The White House threatened on Wednesday to veto the latest
attempt by House Republicans to thwart pollution regulations,
saying the GOP-backed bill would delay and undermine critical
health protections. The Republican-controlled House is set to
debate and vote on the legislation later this week. The bill
sponsored by Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla., requires the president
to set up a Cabinet-level committee to examine the cumulative
toll of Environmental Protection Agency rules on electricity and
gas prices, electric reliability and jobs. Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/white-house-threatens-veto-of-house-bill-to-delay-epa-pollution-rules/2011/09/21/gIQAk2pNlK_story.html

EPA chief warns GOP moves may risk public health. Washington --
The chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said
Thursday that Republican-sponsored proposals moving in the House
would threaten the agency's ability to regulate toxic air
emissions. Administrator Lisa Jackson told a panel of lawmakers
that the legislation, coupled with two GOP-offered amendments
"would weaken or destroy our ability to address those toxic
pollutants," putting thousands of lives at risk every year.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/23/MNPT1L8BSB.DTL&type=printable

Texas seeks to block enforcement of EPA rules. Texas has asked an
appeals court to halt implementation of new federal air pollution
rules. It's the second court motion filed this week by Texas,
which has sued the Environmental Protection Agency claiming the
rules rely on flawed science and could lead to power outages.
Attorney General Greg Abbott initially asked the U.S. Court of
Appeals in Washington to review regulations, announced in July,
for coal-fired power plants. The state on Thursday filed another
petition to block enforcement. Posted. 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18961085?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18961085?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18961085?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Report says Birmingham on pace for high smog rank. A new report
says Birmingham is on track to rank among the nation's smoggiest
cities in 2011. The Birmingham News reports
(http://bit.ly/p1ZVS2) that Environment America, a coalition of
environmental advocacy organizations, examined smog statistics in
several cities. The group's report looked at the number of days
ozone pollution rose above the official level the Environmental
Protection Agency considers unhealthy for children, the elderly
and people with respiratory disease. Posted. 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18961392?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18961392?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18961392?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Regional plan to combat pollution gets more scrutiny. State
regulators hear criticism of San Diego's first-in-state plan. San
Diego County has the state’s first regional long-range
transportation plan that seeks to reduce pollution over the next
40 years. Being first isn’t always easy. State air regulators in
Sacramento on Thursday heard from nearly two dozen people who,
while offering some praise for the San Diego effort, concluded it
did not go far enough and would fall short in reducing pollution.
Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/22/clearing-air-over-sandags-40-year-pollution-reduct/

Cleaning Up Commercial Shipping. Air Pollution: Researchers test
the impact of new California fuel regulations intended to reduce
air pollution from ocean-going vessels. In an attempt to reduce
air pollution from commercial shipping, the state of California
now requires ships to switch to cleaner burning fuels as they
near the coastline. In a new study, researchers tested the impact
of this regulation by measuring emissions from a single container
vessel and found that the fuel switch may have greater health
benefits than previously expected (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI:
10.1021/es2013424). Posted.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/89/i39/8939scene3.html

House passes 'TRAIN Act' after adding more anti-EPA measures. The
House today passed a Republican-backed bill that would block two
of the Obama administration's signature air pollution rules for
coal-fired power plants while a new Cabinet-level panel studies
the cumulative effect of about a dozen rules on the economy. The
vote on the "TRAIN Act" (H.R. 2401), introduced by Rep. John
Sullivan (R-Okla.), followed a floor debate between Republicans
who argue the struggling economy needs a break from new
regulations that would raise the cost of energy, and Democrats
who say power companies are exaggerating the costs of cleaning up
soot, smog and mercury in the air. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/09/23bn/1 BY PAID
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

California permits up 1.4 pct, offsets trade-Pt Carbon. San
Francisco - California carbon allowances for delivery in 2013
rose to $18.75/t on Thursday, up 25 cents from last week, on the
back of a handful of small-volume trades, market sources said.
The price was pushed up by three over-the-counter deals for the
benchmark December 2013 (v13) allowance contract, which cleared
on the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) on Thursday morning at
$18.75/t. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/22/markets-pointcarbon-california-idUSS1E78L21220110922

UN Carbon Market Will Survive Should Kyoto Goals End, EU Says.
The United Nation’s carbon market will survive if the Kyoto
Protocol greenhouse gas-reduction goals for developed nations
expire in 2012 without being immediately renewed, the European
Union climate chief said. The EU, which gives companies in its
emissions trading system the right to import credits from the
UN’s Clean Development Mechanism, will probably remain that
market’s driving force in coming years, said the bloc’s Climate
Commissioner Connie Hedegaard. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-23/un-carbon-market-will-survive-should-kyoto-goals-end-eu-says.html

Why All Eyes Are on San Diego in Greenhouse Gas Push. Eyes across
the state are watching San Diego as it puts the finishing touches
on a plan to spend $200 billion on transportation projects over
the next 40 years. And not all like what they see. This year, a
new state law requires the agency to show how its plan to build
transit and expand freeways will also reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from cars and trucks over the next 25 years. Posted.
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/survival/article_1f62480c-e599-11e0-b4b8-001cc4c002e0.html

Parking experiment takes national stage. San Francisco's grand
experiment to see whether traffic congestion and greenhouse gas
emissions can be reduced by micromanaging the supply of public
parking through price manipulation took center stage Thursday at
a national transportation conference held in the city. Attending
the meeting were transportation officials from across the country
who one day may want to start a similar project back home.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/23/BAJP1L8AH3.DTL&type=printable

VEHICLES

BHS students, high-speed rail advocates at odds. Bakersfield,
Calif. -Representatives from the California High-Speed Rail
Authority came back to Bakersfield on Thursday to address the new
environmental impact report and take questions from the
community. Supporters of the project held a presentation in front
of the downtown Beale Library. "This project would bring tens of
thousands of jobs," one supporter said. "The California Air
Resources Board is planning on one million metric tons a day of
greenhouse gas emissions reductions (with the implementation) of
high-speed rail," …Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/130396058.html

GREEN ENERGY

Solyndra leaders invoke 5th Amendment at hearing. Top executives
from a bankrupt California solar energy company have declined to
testify before a congressional hearing investigating their
half-billion dollar government loan. Solyndra Inc. CEO Brian
Harrison and the company's chief financial officer, Bill Stover,
both invoked their Fifth Amendment right to decline to testify to
avoid self-incrimination. Harrison told the House Energy and
Commerce Committee Friday: "On advice of counsel, I respectfully
decline to answer any questions." Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/house-panel-continues-inquiry-into-failed-solar-energy-company-despite-executives-silence/2011/09/23/gIQAW5gupK_story.html
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/sep/23/solyndra-hearing-to-go-on-despite-execs-silence/
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18960840?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/09/22/2549067/gop-house-chair-us-solar-industry.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18960840?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
http://www.modbee.com/2011/09/22/1872221/gop-house-chair-us-solar-industry.html

Solyndra stays mum at hearing on failed loan deal. Two months
before solar panel maker Solyndra LLC went bankrupt despite
receiving more than a half billion dollars in federal loan
guarantees, the California-based company’s chief executive
traveled to Washington and met with members of Congress. “He
said, ‘Solyndra’s future was bright with sales and production
booming,’” Rep. Henry Waxman, California Democrat and ranking
member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Friday,
recounting his talk in July with Solyndra’s top executive, Brian
Harrison. Posted. 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/23/solyndra-stays-mum-hearing-failed-loan-deal/

Solyndra failure sparks GOP attack on green jobs. Washington --
California Rep. Darrell Issa opened a new front Thursday in the
GOP attack on renewable energy subsidies following the bankruptcy
of Fremont solar manufacturer Solyndra, accusing the Obama
administration of waging a "war on carbon-based energy" and
exaggerating claims of new "green jobs." Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/22/MN1I1L836E.DTL&type=printable

Solar 'pioneers' host open house. A decade ago, friends
questioned why Daren and Martina Webster would spend tens of
thousands of dollars to put solar panels on the roof of their
Valle Vista home, telling the couple that the money would be
better spent on a boat, a pool or a new car. Now, with the money
they have saved, the couple joke that every time Southern
California Edison raises rates, they open a glass of wine to
celebrate the decision they made 10 years ago. Posted. 
http://www.pe.com/localnews/hemet/stories/PE_News_Local_D_esolar23.409a426.html

Public goods fee for state energy program to end. Sacramento -- A
program that has generated billions of dollars in funding for
energy efficiency and renewable energy research over the past 14
years is set to expire at the end of the year after lawmakers
refused to renew it, and now state leaders are trying to find a
way to replace it. The program is funded by a "public goods" fee
that appears on the utility bills of most Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/22/MN311L79F4.DTL&feed=rss.pageone

In-fill proposal looks to give Stockton a greener image. With the
right kind of development, downtown Stockton could become the
kind of place where people live in apartments or condominiums,
commute by train to Silicon Valley jobs before returning home,
where they can bike or walk to do their shopping or run other
errands. It could be the kind of place where residents don't need
to own a car, said planning consultant David Early. " Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110923/A_NEWS/109230313&cid=sitesearch

OPINIONS

Debunking the Myth that Regulations on Big Business are
"Job-Killers" Experts say that no, regulations do not in fact
destroy jobs--they shift jobs within the economy. So why do even
Democrats repeat the Republican talking point? It’s become a
mantra on Capitol Hill and a rallying cry for industry groups:
Get rid of the job-killing regulations. In recent days, with
nearly every one of the GOP presidential candidates repeating
that refrain, the political echo chamber has grown even louder.
Posted.
http://www.alternet.org/story/152503/debunking_the_myth_that_regulations_on_big_business_are_%22job-killers%22_/

Logistics News: Time for Shippers to get Involved to Battle War
on Trucking, Mike Regan Says. The war on trucking continues, and
it's really time for shippers to get involved, says Mike Regan,
CEO of TranzAct Technologies and long-time figure in the trucking
industry. Regan has been calling out the worrisome signs, mostly
related to government activity and regulations, since late 2010.
Posted.
http://www.scdigest.com/ONTARGET/11-09-21-2_War_on_Trucking.php?cid=4985

BLOGS

With Battery From Texas, E.V. Bus Begins Its Rounds at Heathrow.
Heathrow Airport continues to offer a friendly testing ground for
new electric-vehicle technologies. In April, BAA, the company
that operates the London airport, began a first-of-its-kind
electric pod car service to carry passengers between Terminal 5
and outlying parking lots. And this month, the 25-seat Solo EV,
the first full-size, all-electric bus at a British airport, went
into operation to move British Airways personnel between Terminal
5 and the company’s head office in Waterside, a few miles away.
Posted. 
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/with-battery-from-austin-tx-e-v-bus-begins-its-rounds-at-heathrow/?scp=1&sq=diesel%20emissions&st=cse

NASCAR Goes Green: A Job Well Done or a Lipstick on a Pig?
Earlier this week NASCAR announced race cars had racked up more
than one million miles of driving on Sunoco Green E15 ethanol
blend, the official fuel this season. This choice of fuel is part
of a greater effort NASCAR is making to green up its auto racing
business. Some see it as a great opportunity not just to reduce
NASCAR’s footprint, but also to reach about 75 million fans that
follow the races on TV and at the tracks. Others believe this is
nothing more than greenwashing. Posted. 
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/nascar-green-job-lipstick-pig/

The Military's Clean Energy Mission. Someday, in the
not-too-distant future, our country will be getting more than
half of its power from energy that is safe, secure, and
sustainable. We're not there now, and in fact we have a long way
to go in many sectors of the economy. But it's clear to anyone
who is paying attention that the countries that lead in the race
to implement clean-energy technologies will be more resilient and
more prosperous in the years ahead. Posted. 
http://www.celsias.com/article/militarys-clean-energy-mission/

Lockheed Stratoliner is a hydrogen-fueled jet with
near-around-the-world range. Based on the Bar-tailed Godwit, a
bird that makes the longest known non-stop flight without even
stopping to feed (7,258 miles – imagine that), the Lockheed
Stratoliner is designed to be a go-anywhere jet that's fueled by
hydrogen. Oversized wings generate massive amounts of lift,
allowing the William Brown-designed Stratoliner to fly at high
altitudes in a "low-power state." Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/09/23/lockheed-stratoliner-is-a-hydrogen-fueled-jet-with-near-around-t/

European automakers define recommendations to standardize
charging of plug-in vehicles; 2017 for harmonized application.
The European automobile manufacturers, though ACEA, the
automobile manufacturers’ trade association, have defined a
comprehensive set of recommendations to standardize the charging
of electrically-chargeable vehicles. The joint industry proposal
will enable the use of one type of plug independent of car make,
electricity provider or country. Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/09/european-automakers-define-recommendations-to-standardize-charging-of-plug-in-vehicles-2017-for-harmacea-20110923.html