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California Air Resources Board Newsclips for April 17, 2012. 
 
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

As air pollution from fracking rises, EPA to set rules.  The rush
to capture natural gas from hydraulic fracturing has led to giant
compressor stations alongside backyard swing sets, drilling rigs
in sight of front porches, and huge flares at gas wells alongside
country roads.  Air pollution from fracking includes the fumes
breathed in by people nearby, as well as smog spread over a wide
region and emissions of the greenhouse gas methane.  Posted.  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. 
http://www.modbee.com/2012/04/16/2160421/as-air-pollution-from-fracking.html


‘Clean cookstoves’ draw support, but they may not improve indoor
air quality.  One of the most talked-about public-health
initiatives is improving indoor air quality in the rural
developing world. Traditional cookstoves — mud basins in which
villagers burn wood, charcoal or dung — are the main obstacle.
The fire releases particulate matter that contributes to
pneumonia, lung cancer and heart disease, among many other
maladies.  The problems disproportionately affect women, who do
most of the cooking in this population, and the children who are
often nearby. Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/clean-cookstoves-draw-support-but-they-may-not-improve-indoor-air-quality/2012/04/16/gIQAnjCvLT_story.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

Mexico Emulates Neighbor California With 35% Clean Climate Law. 
Joining world leaders in climate laws, Mexico just passed new
legislation that catapults the poor neighbor to the south of the
U.S. to a leadership role on a par with its northern neighbor,
California.  Mexico’s General Law on Climate Change was just
passed by an 128-10 overwhelming vote in its 500 member Chamber
of Deputies, and moves to the Senate. Since that body passed a
preliminary version already, its chances of becoming law look
excellent.  Just as investment in clean energy soared in
California following passage of its clean climate laws starting
in 2006 with the first Renewable Energy Standard and following up
with AB32, its climate law.  Posted. 
http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/15/mexico-emulates-neighbor-california-with-35-clean-climate-law/

Data centers in Va. and elsewhere have major carbon footprint,
report says.  To most consumers, the cloud is an abstract
warehouse in the sky where we store our photos, documents and
other key bits of information with a click of a button. But the
technology that keeps the cloud running — data centers and mobile
telecommunications networks, operating 24 hours a day — requires
electricity, making it a target for environmentalists hoping to
curb greenhouse gas emissions.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/data-centers-in-va-and-elsewhere-have-major-carbon-footprint-report-says/2012/04/17/gIQAd4t3NT_story.html

Palo Alto on track to meet greenhouse gas emission goals.  Palo
Alto is on its way to exceeding self-imposed greenhouse gas
reduction goals, but council members made it clear Monday night
that the city's Climate Protection Plan is in need of
recalibrating.  By the end of the year, emissions from city
operations could fall to 27 percent below 2005 levels, said Debra
van Duynhoven, assistant to the city manager. The plan calls for
a 20 percent reduction by 2012.  Posted. 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_20413520/palo-alto-track-meet-greenhouse-gas-emission-goals?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_20413520/palo-alto-track-meet-greenhouse-gas-emission-goals?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Calif. Bill Would Amend 'Check and Inflate' Law.  A California
Senate Environmental Quality Committee hearing this week could
result in a change in the state's "check and inflate" law to
remove tire age as a reason for auto repairers to refuse to check
the pressure on a vehicle's tires.  The law stems from a 2010
ruling in which California's Air Resources Board (CARB)
established a requirement that all auto repair and service
establishments in the state must check and…Posted. 
http://www.tirereview.com/Article/99471/calif_bill_would_amend_check_and_inflate_law.aspx
 
FUELS

Ethanol Slumps to Two-Week Low as Corn and Gasoline Decline.
Ethanol futures slumped to a two- week low in Chicago as corn and
gasoline declined. Futures sank as the motor fuel declined after
international talks with Iran over its nuclear program led to an
agreement to reconvene in May, easing concern that crude supplies
will be disrupted. Separately, corn, the primary ingredient used
to make the biofuel in the U.S., fell on speculation favorable
weather will boost crops. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-16/ethanol-slumps-to-two-week-low-as-corn-and-gasoline-decline.html

Report to UK government backs fracking.  Exploratory work to
extract gas by hydraulic fracturing in England should be allowed
to resume even though the technique has caused earth tremors, a
report commissioned by the government said Tuesday.  Cuadrilla
Resources is using the technique, commonly called fracking, at a
prospecting site in northwestern England.  The consultants'
report, which reviewed earlier reports by the company, recommends
that fracking should be halted temporarily if there is a tremor
greater than magnitude 0.5 on the Richter scale. Cuadrilla has
said that is acceptable.  Posted.  
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/17/2802919/report-to-uk-government-backs.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_20413733/report-uk-government-backs-fracking?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_20413733/report-uk-government-backs-fracking?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

Oil Scare Turns FedEx On To Energy Efficiency.  The rising cost
of oil isn't just a hit to the family budget. Businesses are
hurt, too. Few are more affected than firms like FedEx. It
deploys nearly 700 planes and tens of thousands of trucks and
vans every day to deliver packages around the world. And few
business leaders are more focused on finding alternatives to
petroleum-based fuels than FedEx CEO Fred Smith.  Shortly after
Smith founded Federal Express, the 1973 Arab oil embargo almost
killed it. The experience imprinted Smith with a keen interest in
the price and availability of oil.  Posted. 
http://www.npr.org/2012/04/02/149703488/oil-scare-turns-fedex-onto-energy-efficiency?sc=emaf


Resin shortage threatens to shut U.S. auto plants. After selling
lots of cars, reveling in higher prices and profits, the U.S.
auto industry faces a real threat this morning: a potential
shortage of resin, a key component used to make fuel lines and
brake lines that could shut down factories. Actually, it's not
just a U.S. problem, but one that could reverberate around the
world. The Associated Press says automakers are meeting today to
discuss the problem in Detroit. As tense meetings go, we expect
this one to be right up there. Posted.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/04/resin-shortage-threatens-to-shut-us-auto-plants-/1

EPA moves closer to approval of 15 pct ethanol gas. EPA allows
ethanol makers to register E15, moving closer to approval of 15
percent ethanol gas. The federal government announced Monday it
has taken a step toward wide distribution of gasoline mixed with
15 percent ethanol by allowing manufacturers to register as
suppliers. While the EPA is moving the process forward by
allowing the registration, E15 still must clear another set of
federal tests and become a registered fuel in individual states.
Ethanol makers then must convince petroleum marketers to sell it
at gas stations. Posted.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/epa-moves-closer-approval-15-211835896.html

BLOGS

U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Headed Up Again.  After dropping
for two years during the recession, emissions of the gases blamed
for global warming rose in 2010 as the economy heated up, the
Environmental Protection Agency reports.  Output of carbon
dioxide and other heat-trapping gasses were up 3.2 percent from
2009 as the nation climbed slowly out of the deepest economic
downturn since the Great Depression, the E.P.A. said.  “The
increase from 2009 to 2010 was primarily due to an increase in
economic output resulting in an increase in energy consumption
across all sectors…Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/u-s-greenhouse-gas-emissions-headed-up-again/
 
UCS: no matter where you live, driving electric can save money,
emissions.  It's easy to understand that, if you power your
vehicle with electricity, you don't need to use as much gasoline.
But, how much do you actually save, in terms of fuel costs and
greenhouse gas emissions if you plug in instead of gas up?  A new
report, released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists,
called "State of Charge: Electric Vehicles' Global Warming
Emissions and Fuel-Cost Savings across the United States," gives
us a set of answers. Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2012/04/16/ucs-no-matter-where-you-live-driving-electric-saves-money-emi/
 
What Is The Cost of Waiting for LED?  There’s no denying Solid
State LED technology for commercial lighting purposes will be
very useful, providing big energy and cost savings as well as
great environmental paybacks. However, this is not the case for
every application. At least, not yet.  If you’re familiar with
Haitz’s law, you know it states that LED lighting will improve in
efficiency and decrease in cost over time. The law predicts that
Solid State Lighting will soon become the most energy-efficient
light source out there. Posted. 
http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/04/cost-waiting-led/