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newsclips -- Newsclips for October 3, 2011.
Posted: 03 Oct 2011 15:00:06
California Air Resources Board News Clips for October 3, 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 EPA sues MotorScience Inc. over emissions documents. The agency says the City of Industry engine certification company used false or incomplete data to help its clients import recreational vehicles. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a civil lawsuit against an engine certification company in the City of Industry, accusing the firm of using false or incomplete data to get paperwork needed under the Clean Air Act so its customers could import recreational vehicles. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-motorscience-20110930,0,49418.story Air pollution rules may have helped whales. Santa Barbara, Calif. (AP) -- State regulations aimed at reducing air pollution may have inadvertently helped save whales in the Santa Barbara Channel from being killed by cargo ships. The Ventura County Star (http://bit.ly/nYtM4W) says a panel of ship-strike experts speaking at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said Wednesday that before the California Air Resources Board issued regulations in 2009 requiring cargo ships to use low-sulfur fuels, as many as 7,000 cargo ships per year passed through the channel. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/30/state/n145911D90.DTL&type=printable Fairbanks hearing set on Prop 2. A hearing is scheduled to be held on Proposition 2. That is the proposition that aims to improve air quality in Fairbanks by banning hydronic heaters and coal-fired devices, as well as creating emissions standards for all wood burners. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ( http://bit.ly/nWfLhP) says Monday's hearing will focus on a lawsuit filed earlier this month by three owners of hydronic heaters acting through a group called Responsible Wood Burners for Limited Government. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_19029619?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_19029619?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_19029619?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com CLIMATE CHANGE With Deaths of Forests, a Loss of Key Climate Protectors. The trees spanning many of the mountainsides of western Montana glow an earthy red, like a broadleaf forest at the beginning of autumn. But these trees are not supposed to turn red. They are evergreens, falling victim to beetles that used to be controlled in part by bitterly cold winters. As the climate warms, scientists say, that control is no longer happening. Across millions of acres, the pines of the northern and central Rockies are dying, just one among many types of forests that are showing signs of distress these days. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/science/earth/01forest.html Conservative Means Standing With Science on Climate: Bob Inglis. Normally, the country can count on conservatives to deal in facts. We base policies on science, not sentiment, we insist on people being accountable for their actions, and we maintain that markets, not mandates, are the path to prosperity. When it comes to energy and climate, these are not normal times. We’re following sentiment, not science, we’re turning a blind eye to accountability, and we’re failing to use the power of markets. The National Academy of Sciences says, “Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2011-10-03/conservative-means-standing-with-science-on-climate-bob-inglis.html Proposed Keystone XL oil project draws a divisive line. At hearings along the pipeline's route from Montana to Texas, traditional political bases are at each other's throats. Atkinson, Neb. Some might have been surprised to hear that plans to build a 1,700-mile oil pipeline through the Midwest to the Gulf Coast — a source of new oil and thousands of jobs — would drive an emotional fault line down the middle of the conservative heartland. But any skepticism would have quickly evaporated here in the noisy bleachers of the West Holt High School gymnasium. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trans-canada-pipeline-20111003,0,3739018,print.story Climate change threatens W. Africa cocoa industry. Climate scientists say that the booming cocoa industry in Ivory Coast and Ghana will be threatened by climate change. A report released by Colombia-based International Center for Tropical Agriculture says the expected annual temperature rise of more than two degrees Celsius will leave many cocoa-producing areas in West Africa unsuitable for chocolate production by 2050. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/30/international/i065340D25.DTL&type=printable Retired Republicans Quietly Try to Shift GOP Climate-Change Focus. To hear GOP presidential front-runner Rick Perry and some tea party-backed lawmakers tell it, the Republican position on global warming is that it’s a problem that doesn’t even exist. That wasn’t always the case. And if prominent Republican elder statesmen have their way, it won’t continue to be. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/retired-republicans-quietly-try-to-shift-gop-climate-change-focus-20110930 New Zealand considering banning some emissions offsets. New Zealand's government is considering barring certain types of emissions offsets by 2012. Nick Smith, the nation's climate change minister, said New Zealand is looking into banning hydrofluorocarbon-23 (HFC-23) and nitrous oxide credits, since they distort the market. "The high value for destroying these gases creates perverse incentives in developing countries to manufacture more of them, bringing into question the environmental gains," said Smith. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/10/03/10 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY U.N. regulators call for a global review of the Clean Development Mechanism. United Nations -- Administrators of the U.N. Clean Development Mechanism want the world to hold a "dialogue on the future of the CDM" to be launched at Durban, South Africa, at the end of November. Concerned that the Kyoto Protocol's signature greenhouse gas emissions offsetting program is facing an existential threat -- as the protocol itself is -- the CDM Executive Board wants policymakers, industry, nonprofit supporters and critics of the system to come together to determine a future course. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/10/03/3 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Plaintiffs fire warning shot on power plant standards for greenhouse gases. A coalition of states and environmental organizations is warning it might go back to court as soon as this month if a new agreement is not reached with U.S. EPA setting a timeline for new greenhouse gas rules for power plants. The groups have sued to force EPA to propose New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for electric utilities, which contribute more emissions linked to climate change than any other sector in the United States. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/10/03/4 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Climate change could melt chocolate production. Cocoa -- one of West Africa's most important cash crops and one of the Western world's guiltiest pleasures -- will be greatly affected by climate change, a new study says. More than half of the world's chocolate is sourced from Ghana and Ivory Coast, or Côte d'Ivoire, where the cocoa-growing topography will be very different by 2050, according to the study by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/10/03/6 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Flammable landscapes make climate adaptation a challenge. Last year was the hottest year on record, and as the world warms up, the risk of more frequent and intense fires increases. The fires, in turn, can worsen the effects of global warming. Global fires "could lead to a dangerous feedback as more burning releases more carbon into the atmosphere, further driving climate change," said David Bowman, a professor of environmental change biology at the University of Tasmania. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/10/03/8 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Santa Rosa bus fleet gets a green upgrade. Santa Rosa is set to roll out seven sleek new hybrid buses that promise to be quieter, easier to maintain and more fuel efficient than those on the road today. The 40-foot diesel-electric buses built by New Flyer Industries of Winnipeg, Manitoba, come with a hefty price tag — $4.5 million, or about $650,000 each, according to CityBus' Interim Transit Director Jason Parrish. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20111003/ARTICLES/110031009 FUELS TransCanada Pipeline Foes Allege Bias in U.S. E-Mails. With the Obama administration about to decide whether to green-light a controversial pipeline to take crude oil from Canada’s oil sands to the United States Gulf Coast, e-mails released Monday paint a picture of a sometimes warm and collaborative relationship between lobbyists for the company building the billion-dollar pipeline and officials in the State Department, the agency that has final say over the pipeline. Environmental groups said the e-mails were disturbing and evidence of “complicity” between TransCanada, the pipeline company, and American officials tasked with evaluating the pipeline’s environmental impact. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/science/earth/04pipeline.html?pagewanted=1&ref=earth State Department and Keystone XL are BFFs, say emails. Hillary Clinton's former deputy national campaign director is now lobbying Clinton and the Department of State on behalf of TransCanada, the company that wants to lay 7,000 miles of pipe between Canada's tar sands and Texas refineries. Emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show an unusually cozy relationship between TransCanada and the State Department, including multiple meetings between company representatives and department officials. Posted. http://www.grist.org/list/2011-10-03-state-department-and-keystone-xl-are-bffs-say-emails Oil pipeline argument focuses on jobs, environment. Backers of an oil pipeline that would cut across Oklahoma to deliver crude oil from Canada to refineries in Houston want the jobs that would come with the project, but environmental groups say the damage to natural areas isn't worth the benefits the shortcut would bring. Supporters of the 1,700-mile pipeline that would carry oil that's being extracted from Canadian oil sands also said at a Friday hearing by the U.S. State Department that it's better to buy crude from a close ally than from unstable sources from overseas. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/oct/01/oil-pipeline-argument-focuses-on-jobs/ VEHICLES Tesla wannabe owners get a gander at Model S Sedan. Fremont, Calif. (Reuters) - Electric carmaker Tesla Motors threw open its factory doors to customers who have preordered its forthcoming Model S sedan Saturday evening. Customers were given tours of the Fremont, California, factory, rides in a prototype of the Model S, and a plea for support from Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, a co-founder of PayPal. ``We need your help,'' he told hundreds of customers after driving onto a stage in a red Model S, saying many people thought of electric cars as unrealistic ``unicorns.'' Posted. http://www.latimes.com/sns-rt-usa-tesla-corrected-pixn1e79001v-20111002,0,7865490,print.story http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_19023275?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Paris readies electric car-sharing program. Paris is preparing to flip the switch on what aims to be one of the world's largest electric car-sharing programs. Organizers say Autolib', so-named after Paris' Velib' bike sharing system, will begin a two-month testing phase Sunday before full-scale operations begin Dec. 5. At first 250 of the four-seat "Bluecars" will be available for hire, but organizers say they hope to expand that to 3,000 cars at 1,000 parking stations around Paris and neighboring towns by the end of next year. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/30/financial/f071439D84.DTL&type=printable US auto sales up in September on big trucks. Pickups and SUVs helped accelerate U.S. auto sales in September, although carmakers remain concerned that worries about the economy could dampen demand later this fall. General Motor Co.’s sales rose 20 percent compared with last September, led by a 34-percent rise in full-size pickups and SUV sales. Chrysler Group LLC's overall sales rose 27 percent. Posted. http://www.pe.com/business/business-headlines/20111003-us-auto-sales-up-in-september-on-big-trucks.ece http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_4bdddeaa-f587-580a-a455-b5c642bfe4f2.html http://www.modbee.com/2011/10/03/1887578/chrysler-says-us-sales-jump-27.html http://www.dailynews.com/ci_19029021?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com- www.dailynews.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_19029619?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Chrysler says US sales jump 27 pct in September. Chrysler's U.S. sales jumped 27 percent in September, boosted by strong demand for new models of car and trucks. Chrysler was the first automaker to report sales on Monday and others will follow later. Overall industry sales are expected to have risen around 10 percent from last September to more than 1 million cars and trucks. Chrysler sold 127,334 vehicles, including 8,709 of its recently launched Chrysler 200 sedan and 2,773 of its new Fiat 500 small car. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/oct/03/chrysler-says-us-sales-jump-27-pct-in-september/ http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111003/RETAIL01/111009989/1448 An electric car for an electric company. An electric company in central Louisiana is testing its first all-electric vehicle. Cleco Corp. unveiled its first all-electric vehicle, a $60,000 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric, on Thursday. George Bausewine, Cleco Power president, said the Connect is part of Cleco's "Green Smart Program." The Town Talk reports (http://bit.ly/pyXbID ) that Cleco currently plans to use the electric vehicle for mail runs and transporting light materials. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/oct/02/an-electric-car-for-an-electric-company/ GREEN ENERGY Homeowners and Businesses Embracing Small Wind Turbines. Most of the buzz about wind power centers on the enormous turbine farms that dot plains and hilltops around the world. But another segment of the wind business is also gaining traction — small wind turbines, the type that stand alone at homes or businesses. In a report to be released later this month, the American Wind Energy Association says that the market for small wind turbines in the United States grew 26 percent last year — faster than in prior years. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/business/global/homeowners-and-businesses-embracing-small-wind-turbines.html Tevatron particle accelerator shuts down. Physicist Giovanni Punzi discusses the 4-mile-long accelerator and its shutdown after 26 years of smashing atoms. After smashing atoms together for 26 years, the Tevatron particle accelerator powered down on Friday. The 4-mile-long ring-shaped accelerator, located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., was built to hurl tiny bits of matter at each other in the hopes that they would break apart into the basic building blocks of the universe. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-tevatron-closure-20111001,0,3885242,print.story Chevron to unveil solar oil field project. Chevron Corp. on Monday will unveil a solar oil field project that has been hit by cost overruns and delays but serves as a showcase for the technology of Chevron-backed solar thermal company BrightSource Energy. Chevron, the second-largest U.S. oil company, said Friday that three of its executives would attend the launch of the "demonstration project" in Coalinga, which is designed to use solar power to create steam to inject into wells to improve the flow of heavy oil. The 65-acre project consists of 7,600 mirrors focusing sunlight on a 327-foot tower. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-adv-chevron-solar-20110930,0,901463.story LED startup Switch Lighting hopes to light the way in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is known for computer chips, software companies and social networks - but not light bulbs. Switch Lighting, a San Jose, Calif., startup, hopes to change that. Later this fall, the venture capital-backed company plans to release a new line of bulbs aimed at replacing the ones consumers typically use in lamps and other fixtures. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/03/v-print/3956184/led-startup-switch-lighting-hopes.html Obama's energy chief defends clean energy loans. The Obama administration's energy chief, facing increased pressure over the failure of solar panel maker Solyndra, defended on Saturday a loan guarantee program that has provided billions of dollars for solar energy and other renewable energy projects. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said a stimulus law program that expired Friday will help develop the world's largest wind farm in Oregon, several large solar power farms in California and Nevada, and the installation of solar panels on 750 rooftops in 28 states, among other projects. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/oct/01/obama-official-defends-clean-energy-loan-program/ http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_cdb0b965-ccf0-542b-8a23-d0701e1ee118.html http://www.modbee.com/2011/10/01/1885584/obamas-energy-chief-defends-clean.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/10/01/2560730/obamas-energy-chief-defends-clean.html#storylink=misearch WALTERS: Power bill surprisingly sinks. Assembly Bill 724 was one of the odder casualties as the Legislature wound up its 2011 session in the early morning hours of Sept. 10. The measure would have continued a $400 million a year surcharge on the electricity bills of millions of Californians, about $1 to $2 per month. The "public goods" surcharge, which has been collected since 1997, finances programs to improve energy efficiency, encourage energy sources other than fossil fuels and finance energy research. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2011/10/02/1886744/power-bill-surprisingly-sinks.html Loudoun opens first commuter lot with electric vehicle-charging stations. Loudoun County officials and community members gathered Wednesday to celebrate the opening of the first county-owned commuter parking lot in western Loudoun, home to a grant-funded pilot program that features five charging stations for electric vehicles. Under cloudy skies at the Harmony Park and Ride lot in Hamilton, several Loudoun supervisors spoke about the significance of the new clean-energy lot, …Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/loudoun-opens-first-commuter-lot-with-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/2011/09/30/gIQAvbI7HL_story.html’ Regulators reject Hawaiian Electric biofuel plan. The state Public Utilities Commission has rejected a plan by Hawaiian Electric Co. to buy 16 million gallons per year of biofuel produced on the Big Island because of concerns about high costs to ratepayers. Earlier this year, HECO and renewable energy company Aina Koa Pono announced the agreement for crops grown on the Big Island to be converted into liquid fuel. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/sep/30/regulators-reject-hawaiian-electric-biofuel-plan/ When renewable energy soars on Europe's grid, utilities give power away. In windy northern Germany, the nation's 21,600 windmills produced so much power that major utilities EON AG and RWE AG lost money on their electricity by having to pay consumers to take the surplus off the grid. This is the 31st hour this year that power companies have gone in the negative during renewable energy peaks. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/10/03/9 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY China wind turbine installations slowed by grid bottleneck. China, the world's largest wind power producer, will erect 8 percent less wind turbine capacity this year versus 2010, the first decline in recent history, a new report by MAKE Consulting shows. The primary factor driving this reduction is China's new focus on increasing grid-connected capacity rather than installed capacity, which has resulted in tightened project permitting regulations, the report says. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/10/03/5 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Five Awesome Solar Trends - How They will Change the World. Solar innovators are always looking for ways to make the technology more efficient, flexible and affordable. Some advances are already on the market now, while others are still in development. The most promising technologies still face challenges, but if innovations continue at their current speed, it may not be a matter of if, but when these five new solar trends change the world. Posted. http://www.celsias.com/article/five-awesome-solar-trends-how-they-will-change-wor/ MISCELLANEOUS Rideshare Week encourages people to carpool. With gas prices fluctuating and the economy sputtering, Ventura County's Rideshare program is just the ticket for saving money, said Alan Holmes, program manager for the Ventura County Transportation Commission. Rideshare Week, which runs today to Friday, offers first-time carpoolers a chance to try the program while earning a chance to win prizes such as an Apple iPad2 or iTunes gift cards. "This is the 25th year for Rideshare in Southern California. It's a great alternative to save money on the commute. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/oct/02/rideshare-week-encourages-people-to-carpool/ Industrial solvent TCE even more dangerous to people. EPA finds trichloroethylene causes kidney and liver cancer, lymphoma and other health problems. The decision could raise the cost of cleanups nationwide, including in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. One of the most widespread groundwater contaminants in the nation is more dangerous to humans than earlier thought, a federal agency has determined, in a decision that could raise the cost of cleanups nationwide, including large areas of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-toxic-risk-20110930,0,2458309,print.story Justices ask Obama admin to weigh in on 3 environmental cases. The Supreme Court today asked the U.S. solicitor general for his views on three environmental cases, an indication that the justices are interested in reviewing the issues raised. At issue in the three cases: the proposed construction of a coal-fired power plant in Texas, California regulations that restrict emissions from ships, and a dispute over compensation arising from plutonium contamination in Colorado. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/10/03/2 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Shifting the Suburban Paradigm. Is there anything made in America that’s less innovative than the single-family home? While we obsess over the new in terms of what we keep in our houses — the ever-increasing speed and functionality of our Smartphones, entertainment options built into refrigerators, sophisticated devices that monitor, analyze and report on our sleep cycles, even the superior technology of the running shoes we put on before heading out the flimsy fiberboard door — we’re incredibly undemanding of the houses themselves. Posted. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/shifting-the-suburban-paradigm/?scp=9&sq=air%20pollution&st=cse The green-jobs fallacy. Think we could use 5 million new jobs right about now? That's what President Barack Obama promised he'd create by "investing" taxpayer money in so-called green jobs. And not just any jobs, he said on the campaign trail in 2008, but ones that "pay well, and can never be outsourced." Jump ahead three years, and the only "green" you find is the billions being poured into the coffers of renewable-energy companies lucky to even stay in business, let alone create a high number of jobs. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111001/A_OPINION03/110010314&cid=sitesearch Issa disputed, confusion on benefits, Greece’s woes. Please inform Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, that the regulatory environment in America has evolved over the last 40 years, not just the three years since President Obama was elected, as he infers in his essay (“Regulatory tsunami impeding economic growth,” Opinion, Sept. 30). Nor did these regulations cause the economic crash that put millions out of work as is often stated by certain politicians – Wall Street did that. Posted. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/oct/03/issa-disputed-confusion-on-benefits-greeces-woes/ BLOGS Maryland Team Wins Solar House Contest. A team from the University of Maryland has taken top honors at the Solar Decathlon, a competition for small, cost-effective solar-powered houses sponsored by the Department of Energy. The entries have been on view on the National Mall in Washington for over a week. A project manual and a video walk-through for the winning entry are here. Recently Joanna Foster reported in The Times on an entry from the New York area. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/maryland-team-wins-solar-house-contest/?ref=earth Dominion begins EV charging pilot program. Dominion Virginia Power began Monday a pilot program that will allow electric vehicle owners to “fill up” during off-peak periods for lower rates. The pilot was approved this summer by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. “This pilot program provides electric-vehicle users an option to help them manage their vehicle charging costs,” Kenneth D. Barker, vice president of Customer Solutions and Energy Conservation, said in a statement. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/post/dominion-begins-ev-charging-pilot-program/2011/10/03/gIQAtY4tHL_blog.html Wood is the greenest building material, USDA says. A report from the U.S. Forest Service on Thursday found that using wood in building products yielded fewer greenhouse gases than other common building materials, such as concrete and steel. According to the report, which analyzed dozens of peer-reviewed scientific studies, 2.1 tons of greenhouse gases were saved for each ton of carbon in wood products versus non-wood materials. "This study confirms what many environmental scientists have been saying for years," U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/10/wood-green-building-material.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29 Agency overseeing oil, gas exploration gets shakeup. The Obama administration fulfilled a vow made just after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to reorganize and revamp the beleaguered agency that oversees the domestic offshore oil and gas exploration and production. The April 20, 2010, Macondo well blowout killed 11 men and spewed nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the ocean. It also revealed that the Interior Department agency tasked with managing the vast offshore energy sector, the Minerals Management Service, was plagued by conflicts of interest, inadequate resources and weak regulations. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/09/offshore-oil-gas-exploration.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29 Alan Taub: GM pushing on split-cycle engine technology in the lab; looking for low-load efficiency and packaging. Noting that split-cycle engine technology “really looks promising”, GM Vice President of Global Research and Development Dr. Alan Taub said that the company is putting on a “major thrust” in its R&D laboratory to see if it can get split-cycle technology “moving”. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/10/taub-20111003.html Keystone XL Pipeline Hearings Create Questions and Controversy. The last week of September marked the start of a series of public hearings in six U.S. states about the proposed Keystone XL crude oil pipeline . The $7 billion pipeline would move tar-sands derived crude oil from Alberta, Canada through Kansas, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Keystone XL is a project of Calgary-based TransCanada Corporation. Posted. http://www.celsias.com/article/keystone-xl-pipeline-hearings-create-questions-and/