What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for September 26, 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

Court won't reconsider ruling that upheld NO2 rule. A federal
appeals court has rejected industry petitions seeking
reconsideration of a July decision that upheld U.S. EPA's most
recent nitrogen dioxide air quality standards. The American
Petroleum Institute and Interstate Natural Gas Association asked
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to
rehear the case. The February 2010 rule set new one-hour maximum
National Ambient Air Quality Standards at 100 parts per billion,
a move aimed at tackling short-term elevated levels near roads.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/09/26/15  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Lawsuit seeks full implementation of EPA lead standard.
Environmentalists this week filed a lawsuit seeking to force U.S.
EPA to fully implement its air standards for lead. The Center for
Biological Diversity (CBD) and Center for Environmental Health
say EPA was supposed to make sure that all states were in
compliance with the 2008 lead National Ambient Air Quality
Standard earlier this year by reviewing state plans. But 12
states have yet to comply, the groups say in a complaint filed in
the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/09/26/16 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

100 million to die by 2030 if world fails to act on climate. More
than 100 million people will die and global economic growth will
be cut by 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 if
the world fails to tackle climate change, a report commissioned
by 20 governments said on Wednesday. As global average
temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, the effects on
the planet, such as melting ice caps, extreme weather, drought
and rising sea levels, will threaten populations and livelihoods,
said the report conducted by humanitarian organization DARA.
Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/us-climate-inaction-idINBRE88O1HG20120926

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/climate-change-deaths_n_1915365.html


Factbox: Carbon trading schemes around the world. Carbon trading
schemes are emerging all over the world as governments try to
meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in the fight
against climate change. Thailand and Vietnam this week announced
plans to launch emissions trading schemes. The European Union has
agreed to link its own carbon market with Australia's scheme in
2018 and has struck a deal with China to help with the design and
implementation of its emissions trading schemes. Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/us-carbon-trading-idINBRE88P0ZN20120926


California Carbon Auction May Trigger Price Drop, BNEF Says.
Companies may be particularly reluctant to buy permits that
aren’t valid until 2015 if they can hold off and buy them later,
William Nelson, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance analyst in New
York, said in an e-mailed statement. The state Air Resources
Board on Nov. 14 will sell at least 21.8 million allowances to be
used during the first compliance phase of the cap-and-trade
program, designed to help curb California’s greenhouse-gas
emissions by 2020 to 1990 levels. Posted.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-25/california-carbon-auction-may-trigger-price-drop-bnef-says


Climate Change Reducing Global GDP by 1.6% a Year, Report Finds.
Climate change and pollution related to carbon-dioxide emissions
are reducing the world’s gross domestic product by 1.6 percent a
year, about $1.2 trillion, according to a report. If unchecked,
rising temperatures may cut global GDP by 3.2 percent a year by
2030, according to the Climate Vulnerability Monitor, released
today by the Madrid-based humanitarian group DARA and the Climate
Vulnerable Forum. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-26/climate-change-reducing-global-gdp-by-1-6-a-year-report-finds.html


FUELS

Qatar natural gas firm to send more fuel to Japan.  Qatari
state-backed natural gas producer Qatargas says it has signed a
long-term supply deal with a Japanese power company as the Asian
nation increasingly relies on fossil fuels after a nuclear
meltdown last year.  Qatargas said Wednesday the deal with Kansai
Electric Power Company covers shipments of half a million tons of
liquefied natural gas annually for 15 years, beginning next year.
Financial details were not disclosed.  Posted. 
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_21634583/qatar-natural-gas-firm-send-more-fuel-japan?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
 http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21634583/qatar-natural-gas-firm-send-more-fuel-japan?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
 http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21634583/qatar-natural-gas-firm-send-more-fuel-japan?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
 http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/26/3007338/qatar-natural-gas-firm-to-send.html#storylink=misearch
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/state-backed-qatargas-to-supply-more-gas-to-japanese-power-company-under-long-term-deal/2012/09/26/268a31a2-07e5-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story.html


VEHICLES

Gov. Brown gives green light to driverless cars in California.
California took the fast lane to the future on Tuesday when Gov.
Jerry Brown signed a law that lets self-driving cars onto public
roads. Brown rode to the signing ceremony at Google Inc
headquarters in the passenger seat of a vehicle that steered
itself, a Prius modified by Google. Google co-founder Sergey Brin
and State Sen. Alex Padilla, who sponsored the bill, were along
for the ride. An engineer for the technology company, Chris
Urmson, sat in the driver's seat, but the car drove itself.
Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/us-google-robotcars-law-idINBRE88O1FJ20120925

http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_21627191/google-driverless-robot-car-law-jerry-brown-signs-law-sergey-brin


Chinese ministries test-drive China-made electric cars –Xinhua.
Eleven Chinese ministries and government agencies are
test-driving China-made electric cars and more will follow suit,
state news agency Xinhua said, in the latest show of state
support for the country's fledging green vehicle industry. Staff
at the ministries will drive a fleet of 23 electric cars from
Warren Buffett-backed BYD Co Ltd and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile
Co, or JAC Motors, as their official vehicles in a one-year
trial, Xinhua said on Wednesday. Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/china-automobiles-idINL4E8KQ73A20120926


Hyundai to introduce world's first production fuel-cell electric
vehicle. Hyundai, which has lagged its rivals in battery-powered
electric cars, aims to leapfrog that technology and roll out what
it calls the world's first production fuel-cell electric vehicles
at this week's Paris auto show. The South Korean automaker is
betting that fuel-cell electric vehicles will be a more realistic
future auto technology than pure battery electric cars such as
Nissan Motor's Leaf. Those models have struggled to win over
drivers as the batteries are expensive, take hours to recharge
and can only drive short distances. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_21628374/hyundai-introduce-worlds-first-production-fuel-cell-electric


Tesla's Model S production behind schedule; company cuts revenue
forecast and stock slides. Hours after unveiling plans for a
nationwide network of "Superchargers," Tesla Motors (TSLA) on
Tuesday quietly cut its revenue forecast for 2012 and admitted
that production of its all-electric Model S sedan is "slower than
we had earlier anticipated." Tesla also revealed plans to shore
up its balance sheet and raise at least $128 million through the
sale of an additional 4.3 million shares of stock, and to make
changes to the terms of its $465 million loan from the U.S.
Department of Energy. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/cars/ci_21625792/tesla-cuts-revenue-forecast-due-slow-model-s-sales-supercharger


Tesla Motors unveils 'Superchargers' at event near Los Angeles.
Addressing a key concern consumers have about electric cars --
their range between charges -- Tesla Motors (TSLA) on Monday
unveiled an aggressive plan to build a nationwide network of
high-speed "Superchargers" to make it possible for drivers of its
all-electric Model S sedan to go on long road trips without
having to make long stops to recharge their batteries. Posted.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/green-energy/ci_21622079/tesla-motors-unveils-superchargers-at-event-los-angeles

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_21633276/tesla-motors-unveils-superchargers-at-event-near-los?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21630298/cassidy-teslas-model-s-supercharger-puts-buzz-gilroy?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com


Fisker Karma 'plagued with flaws,' says Consumer Reports. An
influential consumer magazine said Fisker Automotive's Karma
plug-in hybrid has a variety of flaws, from limited visibility to
a poorly designed touch-screen system that amounts to an
"ergonomic disaster." The less-than-glowing report from Consumer
Reports magazine is the latest blow for Fisker, which is looking
to raise funds after being denied access to more than half of a
$529 million government loan that was the cornerstone of its
business plan. Posted.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/green-energy/ci_21626072/fisker-karma-plagued-flaws-says-consumer-reports


Do 'game-changing' fuel cell cars have a powerful ally in natural
gas? Only movie stars and select consumers have been able to get
their hands on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the United States
over the past few years, but now these zero-emissions cars are
poised to bust onto the scene in a big way around 2015 to 2017. A
limited number of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are
available for lease today, and nearly all of them in California,
where refueling stations are slowly cropping up. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/09/26/1  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GREEN ENERGY

Yingli Green Energy Denies Allegations of Receiving Illegal
Subsidies. Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. (YGE) said it
"strongly rejects" accusations contained in an anti-subsidy
complaint that was submitted at the European Commission Tuesday.
The complaint was filed by EuProsun, an initiative of European
solar companies led by SolarWorld AG(SWW.XE). Yingli Green Energy
Holding Co. (YGE) said it "strongly rejects" accusations
contained in an anti-subsidy complaint filed by EuProsun, an
initiative of European solar companies led by SolarWorld
AG(SWW.XE), which was submitted at the European Commission
Tuesday. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120926-703558.html BY
SUBSCRIPTION

Upstate NY residents voice opposition to pipeline.  Residents of
two rural upstate New York counties have voiced their opposition
to a plan to build a natural gas pipeline through their
hometowns.  Several hundred people turned out for public hearings
held this week in Chenango and Schoharie (skoh-HAYR'-ee)
counties, part of the upstate region a 120-mile pipeline from
northeastern Pennsylvania would traverse.  Posted. 
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_21633773/upstate-ny-residents-voice-opposition-pipeline?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
 http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21633773/upstate-ny-residents-voice-opposition-pipeline?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
 http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21633773/upstate-ny-residents-voice-opposition-pipeline?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com


MISCELLANEOUS

U.S. carbon tax could halve deficit in 10 years: report. Imposing
a $20 per metric ton carbon tax in the U.S. could reduce the
country's budget deficit by 50 percent over the next 10 years, a
report by the Congressional Research Service said on Tuesday.
Such a tax would generate approximately $88 billion in 2012,
rising to $144 billion by 2020, the report said, slashing U.S.
debt by between 12 and 50 percent within a decade, depending on
how high the deficit climbs. Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/us-carbon-idINBRE88P0DV20120926

S.F. startup offers scooter rentals. Michael Keating loves
cities. But getting around them can be a pain. All the usual
options - cars, buses, bikes, taxis and walking - have their
drawbacks, especially in dense urban areas such as San Francisco.
So Keating and a small group of like-minded entrepreneurs have
created one possible solution: a company that lets people rent
electric scooters on the fly. Scoot Networks launches Wednesday
in San Francisco, with 60 scooters available at four stations in
the city's SoMa neighborhood. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/S-F-startup-offers-scooter-rentals-3895387.php#ixzz27ap635Sh


Jaco Oil to pay out $400,000. Company did not properly monitor
facilities throughout state including in SLO County. A
Bakersfield-based gasoline marketer has agreed to pay $400,000
for monitoring and testing violations at 14 underground storage
tank facilities, including in San Luis Obispo County. The
violations involved facilities in Kern and Merced counties also.
According to the state Water Resources Control Board, the
company, Jaco Oil, did not properly monitor, test and construct
underground tanks at its facilities for the past several years.
Posted.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/09/25/2242042/jaco-oil-to-pay-out-400000.html#storylink=cpy


OPINIONS

Cap-and-trade auction is yet another government money grab. Re
"State's carbon auction assailed" (Page A1, Sept. 21): Satellite
imaging has been capable of measuring the volume of ice that
exists at our poles for 33 years. It was recently announced that,
contrary to the claims of government power mongers of near spa
conditions, the amount of ice in the Antarctic is the highest
ever recorded in those 33 years. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/25/4850794/ice.html#storylink=cpy 

Earth Log: No study of diesel traffic for large warehouse in
Visalia. A 500,000-square-foot distribution center is supposed to
open this fall in Visalia, and I do not know how much diesel
pollution will be created by the truck traffic. There was no
environmental review for the center, according to a Fresno Bee
story written last week by reporter Pablo Lopez. How could a
warehouse of this size escape the California Environmental
Quality Act? Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/25/3006914/earth-log-no-study-of-diesel-traffic.html#storylink=cpy


Using Carbon Credits To Pay For Energy Retrofits. One of the
signal achievements of the Obama administration is a success
hidden in plain view. Scorned by Republicans and rarely mentioned
by Democrats, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA),
or simply “the stimulus,” was many things at once – tax cut,
lifeline for cash-strapped states and local governments, and, as
noted by Michael Grunwald in his important new book The New New
Deal, “the biggest and most transformative energy bill in U.S.
history.” Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/justingerdes/2012/09/25/using-carbon-credits-to-pay-for-energy-retrofits/


Republicans have a medieval mindset about climate change. On an
early morning flight coming out of the clouds above the North
Sea, the first objects that come into view as the coast of the
Netherlands approaches are the windmills. No, not the quaint,
creaking, wooden windmills that, along with wooden shoes and the
little boy with his finger in the dike, are the cliches of Dutch
culture; these windmills are sleek and modern and so huge they
dwarf the container ships passing by. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/lat-na-tt-medieval-mindset-20120925,0,6709952.story?track=rss


BLOGS

Imagining a Warmer Arctic. What Will Ice-Free Arctic Summers
Bring? On Sunday, September 16, the sun did not rise above the
horizon in the Arctic. Nevertheless enough of the sun's heat had
poured over the North Pole during the summer months to cause the
largest loss of Arctic sea ice cover since satellite records
began in the 1970s. The record low 3.41 million square kilometers
of ice shattered the previous low—4.17 million square
kilometers—set in 2007. All told, since 1979, the Arctic sea ice
minimum extent has shrunk by more than 50 percent—Posted.
http://news.yahoo.com/ice-free-arctic-summers-bring-100100621.html

 
Charbroiling Burgers: An Air-Quality Scourge That May Be Worse
Than Diesel Trucks. In Freakonomics-like fashion, researchers at
the University of California, Riverside, have concluded that
producing a charbroiled hamburger emits the same mass particulate
matter as a heavy-duty diesel truck traveling 143 miles. It may
seem counterintuitive, but Bill Welch, the school’s principal
investigator for a study financed by two air-quality districts in
California, said the hamburger’s role in air pollution stands out
as other sources of particulate emissions, like cars and trucks,
have undertaken heavy regulatory diets. Posted.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/charbroiling-burgers-an-air-quality-scourge-that-may-be-worse-than-diesel-trucks/


How certain can we be about climate change?  The question that
headlines this post has caused great confusion and strife ever
since climate change first entered the public consciousness. 
From the very beginning, climate deniers set about to exaggerate
the degree of uncertainty.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/how-certain-can-we-be-about-climate-change/