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newsclips -- Newsclips for August 31, 2012
Posted: 31 Aug 2012 11:42:30
ARB Newsclips for August 31, 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. CARB TRIAL AUCTION California’s Simulated Carbon Auction Seen as ‘Slam Dunk’. California, the world’s ninth-largest economy, said a trial auction of carbon allowances appears to have gone well today. Participants found the online system easy to use, the state Air Resources Board, which performed the simulation in preparation for the first real auction of permits on Nov. 14, said in a statement. More than 430 companies regulated under the state’s cap-and-trade program were invited to log into the auction platform and submit bids as part of the trial. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-30/california-s-simulated-carbon-auction-seen-as-slam-dunk California Tests Cap and Trade System. The main goal of the test run is to make sure the software works smoothly and prevents attempts to game the bidding system. Stanley Young is with the California Air Resources Board, which ran the practice auction for 150 participants. YOUNG: "We learned from what happened and what was successful in other auction platforms, such as in the European market and in the Northeast with the regional greenhouse gas initiative, and we've taken those lessons to heart." Part of the challenge with cap and trade markets is how prices are set for the carbon credits. Too low, and it's inexpensive for companies to pollute. Too high, and companies face too heavy a burden. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2012/08/30/california-tests-cap-and-trade-system California gives carbon auction a trial run. The state ran a test of its controversial greenhouse-gas market Thursday, even as it wrestles with ongoing complaints that the price of carbon could prove too costly for businesses. A three-hour practice auction, in which tons of fake greenhouse gases were sold online, was declared a success by the California Air Resources Board. The mock auction was a run-up to the first real sale, set for November. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/31/4774395/california-gives-carbon-auction.html State holds practice auction to test GHG market. California's first-in-the-nation, economywide greenhouse gas market took its first fledgling steps yesterday with a practice auction designed to test the online platform prior to November's inaugural sale of carbon credits. About 150 of the Golden State's largest emitters took part in yesterday's dry run, during which they got the opportunity to "kick the tires" on a state-run system that will be used four times per year through 2020 to dispense allowances to those responsible for about 80 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions. BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2012/08/31/18 California's cap-and-trade program to cut emissions starts trial run. The eyes of the world are on California as it prepares to roll out the nation's first comprehensive cap-and-trade program, a cornerstone of the state's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift to an environmentally sustainable economy. So on Thursday, the state will stage a trial run of the online auction of emissions permits for roughly 150 major emitters of greenhouse gases to give the state time to work out any glitches before the official Nov. 14 launch of the program. Posted. http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_21428079/trial-run-california-cap-trade-program-thursday-cut-emissions?source=most_viewed 'Cap and trade' auction to get trial run. Come November, California will open North America's first full-scale carbon market, in which companies buy and sell the right to emit greenhouse gases from their factories, power plants and oil refineries. It's a major undertaking involving hundreds of companies and - potentially - billions of dollars. So on Thursday, California officials plan to stage a dress rehearsal. Posted. http://www.chron.com/business/article/Cap-and-trade-auction-to-get-trial-run-3825622.php CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon Cap-and-Trade Explained in One Simple Diagram. Every year at the Pacific Coast Producers processing plant in Woodland, Calif., half a million tons of tomatoes are sliced, diced, canned, boiled, and shipped to grocery stores nationwide. The operation is driven by steam, lots of it, which comes from a suite of massive natural-gas-powered boilers. Together, these boilers emit over 25,000 metric tonnes (~27,557 US tons) of greenhouse gases annually, which means PCP will be forced to join California's cap-and-trade carbon market, set to kick off in November. Posted. http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/08/california-carbon-trading-diagram Curtain rises on California’s planned carbon market. Every year at the Pacific Coast Producers (PCP) processing plant in Woodland, Calif., half a million tons of tomatoes are sliced, diced, canned, boiled, and shipped to grocery stores nationwide. The operation is driven by steam, lots of it, which comes from a suite of massive natural-gas-powered boilers. Together, these boilers emit over 25,000 metric tonnes (about 27,557 U.S. tons) of greenhouse gases annually, which means PCP will be forced to join California’s cap-and-trade carbon market, set to kick off in November. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/curtain-rises-on-californias-planned-carbon-market/ Researchers: California Heat Waves To Become More Humid, Stronger Along Coast. Using a “non-stationary” model that factors in the recent warming trends of the past few years, researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have determined that California heat waves will become more humid and stronger in populous coastal areas. Traditionally, California heat waves primarily affect the interior desert and valley areas that become hot during the day and both cooler and drier at night. According to study researchers Alexander Gershunov and Kristen Guirguis, their analysis and computer model data indicate that the future Golden State heat waves will be marked by greater humidity, increased nighttime temperatures, and with larger swaths of land, which include the coastal areas, being affected. Posted. http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112684883/heat-waves-california-083012/ DIESEL EMISSIONS Toyota developing external power supply system and V2H for fuel cell buses. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has developed an external power supply system that uses electricity generated within a fuel cell bus (FC bus) to supply electrical power to devices such as home electrical appliances. An FC bus—based on the FCHV-BUS (Fuel cell hybrid vehicle-bus)—equipped with the new power supply system has two electrical outlets (AC 100 V, 1.5 kW) inside the cabin that can supply a maximum output of 3 kW and potentially power home appliances continuously for more than 100 hours. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/08/tmcfcb-20120831.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Train seeks taxpayer money in hopes of private profits. San Diegans are being asked to pay for a couple of costly trains they likely won’t ride very often. State and federal taxpayers are picking up the bill for California’s high-speed rail line from Bakersfield to Madera in the Central Valley. With no funding source identified and ridership between two Central Valley locations likely to disappoint, the train’s chances of ever extending all the way to San Diego seem iffy at best. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/aug/30/train-seeks-taxpayer-money-in-hopes-of-private/?page=1#article Hanford farmer says high-speed rail plans flawed. A Hanford farmer challenged Federal Railroad Administration officials in Fresno Wednesday to reject plans for high-speed train routes in Kings County and the San Joaquin Valley. Frank Oliveira, whose property would be affected by one of two route options running through Kings County, complained that the California High-Speed Rail Authority has excluded the county from planning and design decisions for the proposed train system. He and other members of the Citizens for High-Speed Rail Accountability say the alleged exclusion, dating back to 2005, violates the National Environmental Policy Act. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/08/29/2970475/hanford-farmer-calls-rail-planning.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is all smiles, happy that so far his city has avoided widespread confrontations and arrests that have marred other conventions. But that doesn't mean he's pleased with everything. Buckhorn, a Democrat, used his daily press briefing to argue Tampa needs more mass transit options to build from the "worldwide" exposure it got during the convention. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/HIGH-SPEED-RAIL-3828885.php GREEN ENERGY These are basically treasure maps for renewable energy. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory sounds like one of those things that could go either way. Maybe it’s cool: “energy laboratory” sounds neat. Maybe it’s boring: “national” anything tends to be a snooze. (For example.) Funded by the Department of Energy (boring), NREL explores how the country can better use renewable power (also kind of boring). (You know, in the objective sense. Kids find it boring, for example. Like, little kids. Toddlers. I assume.) NREL alsos provide detailed maps of where in the United States a developer can reap the most benefit from various types of renewable energy. That is cool. Posted. http://grist.org/news/these-are-basically-treasure-maps-for-renewable-energy/ Second company accused of California electricity shenanigans. Once again, a power supplier has been accused of gaming California's electricity market. The company, which state officials wouldn't identify, has allegedly reaped $10.5 million in "excessive gains" since April, according to the California Independent System Operator. The ISO, which runs California's transmission grid, has blocked the company from continuing the behavior, said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. She said the ISO this week asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate the matter. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/31/4774398/second-company-accused-of-california.html MISCELLANEOUS GOP platform highlights the party’s abrupt shift on energy, climate. Over the past four years, the Republican Party has undergone a fairly dramatic shift in its approach to energy and environmental issues. Global warming has disappeared entirely from the party’s list of concerns. Clean energy has become an afterthought. Fossil fuels loom larger than ever. And one way to see this shift clearly is to compare the party’s 2008 and 2012 platforms. It may seem difficult to believe now, but back in 2008, the Republican Party’s platform (pdf) had a long and detailed section on “Addressing Climate Change Responsibly.” Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/30/gop-platform-highlights-the-partys-drastic-shift-on-energy-climate-issues/ OPINION Flawed cap-and-trade plan can still be fixed before Legislature leaves. After years of bureaucratic fog, there’s a ray of sunshine illuminating and hopefully repairing the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) seriously flawed cap-and-trade auction program. A group of legislators, armed with an opinion by the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), is calling for common sense and moderation in a policy that is on the brink of costing California businesses and consumers billions of dollars, workers their jobs, and the state and local governments reduced revenues. The business community has long supported a well-designed cap and trade program to help meet the goals of AB 32, the 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act. AB 32 instructs CARB to implement AB 32 in the most cost-effective technologically feasible manner. Posted. http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=10tlr10uaur5ud2&xid=10tlq6pgy855iei&done=.10tlr10uaurgud2 Could Pension Savings Fund High-Speed Rail? Before this week, California had a $60 billion-or-so problem. It was called the high-speed rail, Phase 1. That’s a rough estimate of the money California would need to complete the project that it now wants to start – and doesn’t currently have. Where would it come from? The feds don’t have it. Private investors aren’t interested. But Jerry Brown was on the case. He and the Democrats made a deal on pension legislation. And lo and behold, projections show it would save state and local governments up to $60 billion over 30 years. Posted. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2012/08/could-pension-savings-fund-high-speed-rail/ BLOGS East Coast National Parks at Risk From Sea Level’s Rise. Labor Day is summer’s last hurrah, and families from across the country will be flocking to the beach this weekend to soak in some final rays. Beachgoers on the East Coast making their way to Cape Cod or one of six other National Seashores, however, might want to pause and take an extra look around at the wind-tossed dunes and sloping sands. Not just because summer is coming to an end, but because these areas are some of the most susceptible to the effects of climate change and may look very different, very soon. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/east-coast-national-parks-at-risk-from-sea-levels-rise/ PolitiFact Repeals the Laws of Supply and Demand. If you restrict the supply of something, the price will go up. It’s one of the laws of supply and demand. Thus, cap-and-trade energy rationing schemes drive the price of energy up, by capping the supply. President Obama has conceded that in his unguarded moments. In a January 17, 2008 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Obama said that “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket” under his cap-and-trade plan to fight global warming. He also said that under his plan, “if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them.” Posted. http://www.globalwarming.org/2012/08/31/politifact-repeals-the-laws-of-supply-and-demand/