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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 10, 2012.
Posted: 10 May 2012 11:37:21
ARB Newsclips for May 10, 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. CALIFORNIA-QUEBEC LINKAGE California takes step toward linking CO2 market to Quebec. California on Wednesday released an updated draft of its cap-and-trade regulations that for the first time includes language that would link its carbon market to a similar scheme in the Canadian province of Quebec. The draft language called for the mutual acceptance of compliance instruments like allowances and offset credits between the two jurisdictions. It also called for a common allowance registry and auction, and included provisions for tracking allowances which are designed to enhance market security. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/10/us-california-quebec-idUSBRE8490DP20120510 California and Quebec Near an Agreement for Trading of Carbon Permits. San Francisco — California and Quebec moved to knit together their fledgling carbon markets on Wednesday as California proposed a new regulation allowing cross-border trading of the permits that industries must acquire to cover their emissions of greenhouse gases. It is the first cross-border carbon trading system created since 2005, when the European Union introduced such a trading network to help it meet emissions limits set by the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that went into effect that year. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/business/energy-environment/california-and-quebec-to-allow-cross-border-trading-of-emissions-permits.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=print Quebec joins California in cap and trade market. California may not have to go it alone on cap-and-trade after all. Under rules proposed Wednesday by state regulators, the Canadian province of Quebec will link its cap-and-trade system to California's in November. The joint market will allow businesses in both California and Quebec to trade permits to emit the greenhouse gases behind global warming. California officials who have spent years developing a carbon market have always hoped to include other states and provinces. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/10/MNEE1OFVRL.DTL&type=printable Quebec Joins California Cap-and-Trade Program. California finally has some company in its bid to cap greenhouse gas emissions. Climate Watch Senior Editor Craig Miller says it’s been a long haul. CRAIG MILLER: For years, California regulators have been shopping for partners for the state’s fledgling cap-and-trade program, and now they have one: Quebec. It’s the first of four Canadian provinces that could eventually combine their carbon-trading markets with California’s. MARY NICHOLS: It's a demonstration that you can work out all the technical details and difficulties of linking two very different economies with each other. Posted. http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2012/05/09/93541/quebec_joins_california_capandtrade_program?category=science California's air board releases rules linking carbon market with Quebec. California's air-quality regulator released draft regulations Wednesday to link its cap-and-trade program with Quebec, bringing them a step closer to a joint carbon dioxide allowance trading market. The draft regulations would make CO2 allowances interchangeable, according to a California Air Resources Board statement. A California CO2 allowance could be used for compliance in Quebec, and vice versa. The first linked auction is scheduled for November 14, CARB said. Posted. http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/6285920 Calif. prepares to link its market with Quebec's. California is proposing next month to cement its link to Quebec as the first North American jurisdictions to cap greenhouse gas emissions economywide, a move that the Golden State hopes will send a "strong message" to both Canada and the United States. With the release yesterday of documents to formally merge markets with Quebec, the chief architect of California's system reiterated the importance of having another trading partner in the landmark venture. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/05/10/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY California eyes cap-and-trade link with Quebec. An update on California's carbon trading plans includes the possibility of linking the cap-and-trade scheme with a similar mechanism in Quebec. The draft proposals, released yesterday, outline the US state and Canadian province could share allowances and offset credits, while also establishing a common allowance registry and auction mechanism, as well as provisions for tracking allowances to ensure the security of the market. Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2173748/california-eyes-cap-trade-link-quebec California Air Resources Board releases draft regulations for cap-and-trade program linkage with Québec. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) released proposed regulations to link its cap-and-trade program to Québec’s to form a joint carbon market to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Earlier post.) The draft linkage regulations provide guidelines to ensure that California and Québec carbon allowances are interchangeable at auction and can be used for compliance purposes in one another’s programs. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/05/arb-20120510.html AIR POLLUTION Revised hydrogen plant would emit less pollution. A fertilizer factory and part-time hydrogen power plant proposed outside Tupman would produce less air pollution than had been anticipated under an earlier, electricity-only version of the project, according to paperwork filed this month with the state. Although it still does not sit well with farmers and other neighbors, the $4 billion Hydrogen Energy California project is expected to produce 164 tons a year of nitrogen oxide -- 16 percent less of the smog contributing gas than state officials said would have been produced under the project's earlier plans. Posted. http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x796275637/Revised-hydrogen-plant-would-emit-less-pollution Smog, smog, go away. California’s cities among the most ozone-polluted nationwide. Nine of the 10 most ozone-polluted cities in the nation are in California, an American Lung Association report finds. The top-five worst regions for ozone pollution are Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Visalia-Porterville, Bakersfield-Delano, Fresno-Madera and Hanford-Corcoran, according to California Healthline. According to the report, 90 percent of Californians live in counties that received a failing grade for ozone or particle pollution, and no city in California was among the 25 cleanest cities in the nation. Posted. http://www.newsreview.com/chico/smog-smog-go-away/content?oid=5955286 CLIMATE CHANGE Argentina slows climate action amid energy supply crisis. While its Latin American neighbors move forward with national climate laws, Argentina is backsliding on actions to tackle its greenhouse gas emissions as the country struggles to meet energy demand from a fast-growing middle class. Argentina's GDP grew 7.3 percent last year, driving demand for energy that is overwhelmingly derived from fossil fuels. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/10/us-argentina-climate-idUSBRE8490DN20120510 Oil-Sands Emissions Low Enough for Europe, Alberta Says. Carbon-dioxide emissions from Canada’s oil sands are low enough to allow the crude to be sold in Europe, the government of Alberta said, challenging a European Union study on the issue. Emissions from oil-sands output are as much as 12 percent higher than conventional methods of production and refining used in Europe, according to a report paid for by the government of Alberta, where most of Canada’s oil-sands deposits are located. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-09/oil-sands-emissions-low-enough-for-europe-alberta-says.html Alberta study claims E.U. has 'overstated' carbon intensity of Canadian oil. In a challenge to Europe, the Albertan government is arguing via a new report that the Canadian oil sands are not as bad for climate change as they have been portrayed to be. The analysis is aimed squarely at Europe's fuel quality directive, which would label the Canadian oil sands as 22 percent more carbon-intensive than conventional fuels. Instead, the number is closer to 12 percent, states the report, commissioned by the Albertan government and released by the Jacob Consultancy, an arm of a California-based engineering firm. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/05/10/7 Giant SoCal water agency says global warming law will cost it $10 million to $50 million a year. Southern California's biggest water wholesaler says it faces an extra $10 million to $50 million in annual expenses to comply with California's global warming law. Those costs will flow down to ratepayers already stressed by steeply rising bills, said the giant Metropolitan Water District, importer of most of the water used in Southern California. To forestall this increase, Metropolitan is asking for an exemption from the "cap-and-trade" greenhouse emissions requirements of Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, said Jeff Kightlinger, Metropolitan's general manager. Posted. http://www.nctimes.com/business/giant-socal-water-agency-says-global-warming-law-will-cost/article_0c8d24ff-15ef-5b55-b641-a1ab2bb03f60.html DIESEL EMISSIONS Study Warns of $7 A Gallon Diesel in California By 2020. State's Cap-and-Trade Plan, Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Concern Trucking Industry. A study commissioned by the California Trucking Association claims the combined effect of a proposed cap-and-trade carbon emissions program and a pending 2020 low-carbon fuel standard by the California Air Resources Board could potentially drive diesel fuel prices up to $6.69 a gallon. Posted. http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2012/163_news120508_study_warns_7_dollar_gallon_diesel_in_california_by_2020/index.html Tractor-trailer owners urged to register early to take advantage of CARB rule options. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is encouraging small fleet owners of 2010 and older model year 53-foot or longer box-type trailers that operate on California highways to report vehicle information now to gain additional time to comply with the Tractor-Trailer Greenhouse Gas regulation. Small fleets consist of 20 or fewer box-type trailers and can include both dry- and refrigerated-van trailers. Posted. http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2012/5/10/Tractor-trailerownersurgedtoregisterearlytotakeadvantageofCARBruleoptions.aspx FUELS Sugar Cane Grows on Oil as $71 Billion Bet Outspends D.C.. BP Plc (BP/) has invested $7 billion in alternative energy since 2005. Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) is spending $600 million on a 10-year effort to turn algae into oil. And Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) has been buying up sugar cane mills, plantations and refineries to make ethanol in Brazil. In the U.S., Shell already produces small lots of so-called drop-in biofuels--engine-ready products that can replace gasoline from a plant in Houston that uses sugar beets and crop waste. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-10/sugar-cane-grows-on-big-oil-as-71-billion-bet-outspends-d-c-.html California Energy Commission adopts $100M investment plan update for 2012-2013 to increase use of green vehicles and alt fuels. The California Energy Commission unanimously adopted a 2012-2013 Investment Plan Update to increase the use of green vehicles and alternative fuels. The update sets funding priorities for the approximately $100 million in annual state funds under the Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (AB 118 program). The investment plan update was developed with the input of the ARFVT Program Advisory Committee, stakeholders and the public. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/05/cec-20120510.html USDA predicts record corn production. Corn farmers will produce a record 14.79 billion bushels in the 2012-2013 season, the Agriculture Department predicted today in its first forecasts for the coming year's crop production. The amount is 11 percent higher than the previous record of 13.09 billion bushels in 2009, and 65 percent higher than what corn farmers were producing a decade ago. The prediction by USDA drew cheers from the ethanol industry, which said it showed that the department was confident in the ability of corn farmers to provide enough corn for both food and renewable fuel. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/05/10/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Solar beats wind and gas combined as Europe's top new electricity source. Solar power was the top source of new electricity generation capacity in Europe last year, beating natural gas and wind combined, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association said yesterday in a new report. Europe connected 21.9 gigawatts of solar power to the grid in 2011, up from 13.4 GW in 2010 and compared with just below 10 GW each for wind and gas. Europe remained the main market for photovoltaic technology, as 75 percent of the new global capacity was installed there. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/05/10/9 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Tyler Environmental Prize Winners: Pollution's Effects Far-Reaching. Two California scientists have been honored for their research into air pollution, outdoor and indoor. This year’s winners of the $200,000 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, John Seinfeld and Kirk Smith, have shown the far-reaching nature of the problem. Nearly half of the world’s people use biomass fuels such as wood or dried dung to cook their food, and many cook indoors. Posted. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/environment/Tyler-Environmental-Prize-Winners-Pollutions-Effects-Far-Reaching-150840835.html OPINIONS Parlez-vous Francais? California joins Quebec in new climate change initiative. Changement climatique, pac et commerce, huh? Industrial and commercial polluters in Bakersfield and Kern County may want to invest in some French/Engish dictionaries soon with the announcement yesterday that California and Québec will be forming a joint carbon market as part of their efforts to address climate change. The announcement coincided with the release by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) of proposed regulations to link its cap-and-trade program to Québec’s. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/parlez-vous-francais-california-joins-quebec-new-climate-change-initiative Bay Area’s air is cleaner, but we can still do more. The Bay Area may not be the first place in California that comes to mind when talking about smog. Certainly Los Angeles and the Central Valley evoke pictures of hazy skylines laden with particulate matter. Fighting traffic congestion, and its attendant smog and emissions problems, however, has long been one of the Bay Area’s most intractable problems. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2012/05/bay-area-s-air-cleaner-we-can-still-do-more ‘Green energy’s dirty little secret. Just when you think that things could not get worse, they usually do. We all witnessed the criminal misappropriation of over a half-billion taxpayer dollars by the Obama administration to the solar company Solyndra, an expensive offering to the cause of radical environmentalism. The company went bankrupt last August and over 1,000 workers lost their jobs. Then I read this week that Solyndra appears to have abandoned toxic and hazardous waste at its facilities, mainly heavy metals and contaminated machinery used to make solar panels. Posted. http://www.wpcva.com/opinion/article_fecd663a-9ab5-11e1-8a31-001a4bcf887a.html Green Energy Won't be Soiled. Public backing of green energy in some corners has a red mark on its back. But the White House has no problem putting those projects right in the bull’s eye, noting that its policies have untangled important wind and solar ventures. It’s been a multi-tiered strategy that includes streamlining the permitting processes and placing green facilities on land that is now contaminated. And while the administration’s critics will say that renewable energy is not viable without lucrative tax breaks, the president’s team is plowing forth. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2012/05/10/green-energy-wont-be-soiled/ BLOGS Assessing Whether Solar Panels Make Sense for You. As I report in The Times, legions of companies will offer to install a system at no upfront cost and promise customers cheaper, cleaner electricity over the course of 20 years. Some are small and local, while others, including SolarCity, Sunrun, Sungevity and SunEdison, are larger, with national or even international reach. Some large manufacturers, like SolarWorld, even offer financing plans for home installations. For residential customers, the deals can seem attractive. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/how-to-assess-whether-solar-panels-make-sense-for-you/?ref=science First Real Partner for California’s Cap & Trade Program. Quebec has emerged as California’s first full-blown partner in the carbon trading program that ramps up later this year. That means that, pending final approval next month, when the two governments issue their first round of greenhouse gas pollution permits in November, industrial buyers will be able to use them both interchangeably. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/05/09/first-real-partner-for-californias-cap-trade-program/ LA and Long Beach Ports adopt Clean Ship Programs in Hopes to Reduce Air Pollution. Last week the Port of Los Angeles and the neighboring Port of Long Beach each adopted programs to provide financial incentives to shipping companies to reduce their air pollution. The gargantuan cargo ships that dock at the ports emit similarly gargantuan amounts of air pollution, including diesel particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (“NOx”). The new clean ship programs are a welcome step in the right direction to clean up this mess. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mwyenn/la_and_long_beach_ports_adopt.html