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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 15, 2012.

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 14:32:39
ARB Newsclips for October 15, 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

APNewsBreak: LA sues over Owens Lake dust control. The powerful
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power sued air regulators
Friday over demands to control dust from Owens Lake nearly a
century after the exploding metropolis siphoned water to quench
its growing thirst. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in
Fresno, marks the latest salvo in a bitter back-and-forth over
water rights in the arid region that was set in motion in 1913,
when Los Angeles began diverting water from the lake 200 miles to
its north. The lake went dry in 1926 and has since been plagued
with massive dust storms and poor air quality. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_WATER_WARS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1013-dwp-dust-20121013,0,57296.story


Pollution issue divides desert town as deadline nears. Residents
of Hinkley, made famous by "Erin Brockovich," weigh an offer by
PG&E to buy homes near chromium-tainted water. Animosity is high
between residents wanting to sell and those opting to stay. The
high desert town of Hinkley is being torn apart, neighbor by
neighbor, as homeowners grapple with a plume of carcinogenic
pollution made famous by a Hollywood movie. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1014-hinkley-buyout-20121014,0,6073012.story


Plan would tighten rules on burning in valley. Cozy wintertime
fires made scarce in recent times by air pollution rules would
become even more rare under a valleywide proposal aimed at easing
respiratory ills. If the San Joaquin Valley falls short of new
federal air quality standards, funding for some big-ticket road
projects — specifically, a remake of Highway 99's interchange
with Kiernan Avenue in Salida and widening Claribel Road
northeast of Modesto — could be in jeopardy. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2012/10/14/2414191/plan-would-tighten-rules-on-burning.html#
  BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Handful of Arvin residents protest composting firm. A handful of
people marched in circles in a dirt lot across from Community
Recycling & Resource Recovery Inc. outside Arvin on Sunday. They
were holding signs reading "Why can't you be a good neighbor and
stop polluting our homes," "Community Recycling stop polluting
our air," and "Shame on you Community Recycling, you lie to
Arvin." Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1526555418/Handful-of-Arvin-residents-protest-composting-firm
 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

LIBERTY QUARRY: Temecula sues to stop fast-tracking. Temecula is
suing to prevent Riverside County from adding surface mines to
the list of projects eligible for a fast-tracked review. That
could help the proposed Liberty Quarry gain a quicker approval.
City officials vigorously oppose the mine, saying it would
destroy the area’s quality of life and cause massive air
pollution. Posted. 
http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/temecula/temecula-headlines-index/20121010-liberty-quarry-temecula-sues-to-stop-fast-tracking.ece


CLIMATE CHANGE

World matched record for hottest September _ again. Something
about September keeps bringing out the record heat in the world.
The globe last month matched a record for the hottest September,
set in 2005. It was the third time since 2000 that the world set
or tied a heat record for September. In addition to 2012 and
2005, previous hot September records were set in 2003. And these
records go back to 1880. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_HOT_SEPTEMBER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-10-15-13-19-36


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/15/climate-heat-idUSL1E8LFC7P20121015
 
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/World-matched-record-for-hottest-September-3949784.php
  
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_21776257/world-matched-record-hottest-september
 

South Korea doubles 2013 emissions reduction target. South Korea
has doubled a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by local
industrial and power sectors in 2013 to enhance competitiveness
prior to a new cap-and-trade scheme starting in 2015, the economy
ministry said on Monday. Asia's fourth-largest economy aims to
cut 17.2 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent or 3 percent of
next year's expected emissions, compared with 8 million metric
tons of CO2 reduction or 1.42 percent of this year's level, it
said in a statement. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/15/us-korea-emissions-idUSBRE89E03Z20121015


China Carbon Debut Defies Emission Doubters. China’s first steps
to build what is destined to be the world’s second-biggest
emissions market are boosting the prospects for fledgling
programs from Australia to California. Four cement makers in
China, the world’s biggest emitter, bought 1.3 million pollution
permits for 60 yuan ($9.55) a metric ton last month in Guangdong.
The province plans the largest of seven pilot programs for a
proposed national market within three years. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-12/china-carbon-debut-defies-emission-doubters-energy-markets.html


A Grand Experiment to Rein In Climate Change. Braced against a
steep slope, Robert Hrubes cinched his measuring tape around the
trunk of one tree after another, barking out diameters like an
auctioneer announcing bids. “Twelve point two!” “Fourteen point
one!”  Mr. Hrubes’s task, a far cry from forestry of the past,
was to calculate how much carbon could be stored within the
tanoak, madrone and redwood trees in that plot. Every year or so,
other foresters will return to make sure the trees are still
standing and doing their job. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/science/earth/in-california-a-grand-experiment-to-rein-in-climate-change.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20121015/WIRE/210151082 

California greenhouse gas rules face major court test. Having
fended off a challenge to groundbreaking emissions standards for
new cars, California now finds itself in a legal tug-of-war to
preserve some of its unprecedented regulations to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions of fuels. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals on Tuesday will hear arguments in a legal challenge to
the 2006 regulations, which a Fresno federal judge last year
struck down as unconstitutional. The judge sided with an array of
gas, trucking and farming industry interests aligned against the
complex effort to curtail the carbon footprint of transportation
fuels. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_21772831/california-greenhouse-gas-rules-face-major-court-test?source=rss
 http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_21772831/california-greenhouse-gas-rules-face-major-court-test
 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oakland-tribune/ci_21772832/california-greenhouse-gas-rules-face-major-court-test


CALIFORNIA GAS PRICES

Gas prices will jump again, critics say. For years, California
has suffered sudden jumps in the price of gasoline. The latest
price spike, which peaked this week, briefly saw some stations
charging $5 for regular. Now critics warn that one of the state's
policies to fight global warming could make the situation worse.
Business groups are taking aim at California's "low carbon fuel
standard," which is designed to cut the greenhouse gas emissions
that come from making and burning fuel. Created in 2007, the
standard forces fuel producers to lower the "carbon intensity" of
their products 10 percent by 2020. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Gas-prices-will-jump-again-critics-say-3944166.php#ixzz29OQWyvku


SPIKE REMINDER OF CALIFORNIA ‘FUEL ISLAND’ State’s more-stringent
environmental laws can separate it from rest of U.S. As gas
prices spiraled out of control over the past few weeks, the
historic run-up reminded residents that California is a “fuel
island” separated from the rest of the nation by environmental
laws that are more stringent and costly. And it’s not just
gasoline. California’s penchant for eco regulations covers
everything from light bulbs and cancer-causing chemicals to
genetically engineered foods and greenhouse gas emissions.
Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/oct/14/tp-spike-reminder-of-california-fuel-island/
  

Governor's leadership needed to prevent future fuel snafus.
Governor Brown demonstrated real leadership in addressing the
recent fuel supply shortage by essentially suspending the
California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) summer boutique gasoline
mandate through the end of October.  This unprecedented action
has the potential to keep California moving and help alleviate
impact to businesses and consumers alike from an energy
cost-driven economic meltdown. If the Governor had not acted
there would have been prolonged the pain at the pump.  Posted.
http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=10xknqgmjgupq9b&xid=10xkn35hgn9lhzh&done=.10xknqgmjguxq9b


Gas prices retreat from record highs. Gasoline prices are
dropping across the Coachella Valley after rising sharply over
the past few weeks. From Saturday to Sunday, the price for a
gallon of regular gas fell eight cents to $4.479 at the ARCO
station at Sunrise Way and Vista Chino in Palm Springs. Gas
prices, which set a record high on Oct. 8 at $4.688 per gallon,
eased Sunday to $4.639 in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro
area, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. One month
ago, the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $4.136 in
the Inland Empire. Posted. 
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20121015/NEWS/310150008/Gas-prices-retreat-from-record-highs?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage
 

O.C. gas prices drop 2 cents. Orange County motorists are finding
a small, albeit welcomed reprieve at the gas pump today as the
average price of gas dropped to $4.64 a gallon Saturday. Today's
AAA fuel gauge report shows a 2-cent drop in average gas prices
for O.C. from Friday's $4.66 average. That's 83 cents pricier
than last year's gas prices. Statewide, the average gas price
also dropped roughly two cents to $4.63, still ranking California
as the priciest state for gas in the nation, according to AAA.
The second-priciest state for gas price averages is Hawaii at
$4.43. Posted. 
http://www.ocregister.com/news/gas-374478-average-price.html  

Southern California Gas Prices Should Get Lower. As Los
Angeles-area gas prices hit another record high on Monday, the
less expensive "winter blend" fuel began flowing from California
refineries, meaning lower prices are expected at the pump soon,
officials said. The fuel switch over began on Sunday when Gov.
Jerry Brown told the California Air Resources Board to authorize
use of the winter fuel to alleviate a shortage of the "summer
blend." That shortage sent wholesale prices soaring last week and
pushed retail prices to record levels. But it's unclear how soon
lower prices will hit the street and how low they'll go. Posted.
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_21774829/southern-california-gas-prices-should-get-lower
 

Why did CA gas prices spike? A mystery remains behind the
history-making October spike in California retail gasoline
prices. The run-up in wholesale and retail prices was touched off
by a power outage at Exxon Mobil’s Torrance refinery. What
happened next was unprecedented even for California’s isolated
and volatile gasoline markets, and comparable only to a natural
disaster like Hurricane Katrina. Posted. 
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/oct/13/gas-price-mystery-endures/
 

FUELS

Corrosion linked to 2011 Chevron refinery fire. Corrosion that
went unchecked - the suspected cause of a fire at Chevron Corp.'s
Richmond refinery in August - has been linked to a fire at the
plant in October 2011, the San Francisco Chronicle reported
Sunday (http://bit.ly/OzFQcu ). According to state inspection
documents obtained by The Chronicle, a state Division of
Occupational Safety and Health inspector who investigated the
smaller 2011 fire documented allegations from two workers of
corrosion at the refinery. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_REFINERY_FIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Industry seeks to weaken EU cap on crop-based fuels. The European
Commission is under strong pressure from industry groups and some
of its own departments to weaken a planned cap on the use of
biofuels made from food crops such as rapeseed and wheat. Last
month, the two EU Commissioners responsible for biofuel policy
said they planned to limit the share of crop-based fuels in the
transport sector to 5 percent up to 2020, which would effectively
halve the bloc's existing target. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/14/eu-biofuels-idUSL5E8LD3RR20121014


Last-Ditch Bid in Texas to Try to Stop Oil Pipeline. Deep within
the oak and pine forests that blanket this stretch of East Texas,
the chug of machinery drones on late into the day, broken only by
the sounds of a band of activists who have vowed to stop it.
Here, among the woods and farmland, what might be one of the last
pitched battles over the Keystone XL oil pipeline has been
unfolding for weeks now, since construction of the controversial
project’s southern leg began in August. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/us/protesters-gather-at-keystone-xl-site-in-texas.html?ref=earth
 

Report on Baldwin Hills fracking raises community ire. Despite
its findings, the environmental impact study has deepened
tensions between an oil field owner and those opposed to the
controversial hydraulic fracturing technique used to extract oil.
The environmental impact report on hydraulic fracturing at the
Inglewood Oil Field was supposed to address key concerns raised
by residents of the Baldwin Hills area. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fracking-study-20121015,0,4459928.story?track=rss


Natural gas eyed as fuel for trains. On a 300-mile stretch of
railroad in the plains of eastern Alberta, a test train chugs
across the landscape burning a fuel that once made sense only to
environmentalists. It runs on natural gas. And today, that makes
sense to business leaders whose top priority is cutting costs.
Over the past two weeks, train industry executives and others
have been talking more about natural gas, as meetings in Houston
and the Chicago area highlighted bubbling interest in a fuel that
could slash one of railways' top costs. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Natural-gas-eyed-as-fuel-for-trains-3948140.php#ixzz29OAxZdnA


VEHICLES

Lincoln's 2013 MKZ Hybrid tops in fuel economy. Lincoln is
several weeks away from introducing its all-new MKZ sedan, which
means you can expect bits of information to begin trickling out
now. Like today. Ford's luxo-nameplate announced Monday morning
that the hybrid version of the 2013 MKZ had been rated by the EPA
at 45 mpg in the city, highway and combined. This should come as
no surprise as the car the MKZ is largely based on, the 2013 Ford
Fusion, was recently rated at 47 mpg across the board. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-mo-autos-lincoln-mkz-hybrid-epa-20121015,0,3673417.story


Tesla receives $10 million from state energy commission for
electric auto manufacturing. The California Energy Commission
voted this week to grant $10 million to Tesla Motors, Inc., to
help produce an electric-powered vehicle at its Fremont plant.
The project is expected to create more than 500 new manufacturing
jobs at the plant, said Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont.
"This is great news for Tesla and great news for the Fremont
community," he said. "Not only will it lead to cleaner vehicles
improving our environment, it also will lead to more
manufacturing jobs here at home." Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_21762001/tesla-receives-10-million-from-state-energy-commission
 

GREEN ENERGY

A Plan to Go Halfway Around the World, Fueled by Plastic Trash. 
Sometime in the next few months, a single-engine Cessna will fly
from Sydney to London. Converted to be able to carry extra
amounts of fuel, the small plane will take 10 days for its
journey, making 10 or so stops along the way. What will make this
journey special is not the route or the identity of the pilot — a
41-year-old British insurance industry executive who lives in
Australia — but the fuel that the aircraft will be using: diesel
processed from discarded plastic trash. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/business/energy-environment/halfway-around-the-world-fueled-by-plastic-trash.html?pagewanted=all


State signs alternative energy deals. Landfill gas and geothermal
energy will soon power a share of the state's massive water
pumping infrastructure. The California Department of Water
Resources announced Wednesday it has signed deals to buy 33
megawatts of energy from the two sources through 2016. The
majority comes from The Geysers geothermal field near Middletown,
operated by the Northern California Power Agency. The rest comes
from a gas-to-energy plant at Ox Mountain Landfill in Half Moon
Bay. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/13/4908119/state-signs-alternative-energy.html#storylink=cpy


Public land set aside for solar plants. Federal officials
approved a plan Friday that sets aside 285,000 acres of public
land for the development of large-scale solar power plants,
cementing a new government approach to renewable energy
development in the West after years of delays and false starts.
At a news conference in Las Vegas, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
called the new plan a "roadmap ... that will lead to faster,
smarter utility-scale solar development on public lands." Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Public-land-set-aside-for-solar-plants-3944807.php#ixzz29OBiTEcR


Solyndra files $1.5 billion lawsuit against Chinese solar firms,
claims conspiracy. Solyndra, the bankrupt Fremont solar-panel
maker that received a $535 million U.S. government loan
guarantee, filed a blockbuster lawsuit this week that accused
Suntech and other Chinese panel makers of driving it out of
business by running an illegal cartel. Solyndra, which filed for
bankruptcy protection in August 2011, is seeking compensation
"for the loss of the $1.5 billion value of its business and more
which defendants destroyed," according to a complaint filed
Thursday in San Francisco federal court. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_21759661/solyndra-files-1-5-billion-lawsuit-against-chinese


Eye on the Environment: Leases, rebates, group purchasing help
homeowners go solar. Sometimes being "environmental" has the
connotation of giving up something or doing without. With solar,
however, the only thing to give up is high electricity bills. In
the past 18 months, the reality of solar electricity has changed,
costs have come down and homeowners can save money immediately on
their electricity bills. More than 125,000 Californians have
found solar energy to be an affordable and reliable alternative,
and they are regularly generating 1.3 megawatts of power. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/oct/13/leases-rebates-group-purchasing-help-homeowners/
 

Germans face hefty bill to end nuclear power. There were cheers
around Germany when Chancellor Angela Merkel announced last year,
in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, a swift end to
nuclear power in favor of renewable energy sources like wind and
solar. But only 18 months into the plan, the cost of the
switchover is beginning to sink in. Some politicians, fearful of
losing popular support for the transition, are demanding an
overhaul of the way it is financed. Posted.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/world/germans-face-hefty-bill-to-end-nuclear-power/article_03d1f98c-2782-5203-b0ec-5c53d5296abc.html
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/germanys-tax-financing-renewable-energies-expansion-skyrockets-by-almost-50-percent-on-year/2012/10/15/1b0ac946-16a3-11e2-a346-f24efc680b8d_story.html
 

REAL ESTATE: Powering up for solar. When Daniel Sullivan,
president of Sullivan Solar Power, turned the key recently to
open the new Riverside branch office of a company posting $16.8
million in revenues in 2011, he couldn’t help but bask in it all.
Standing in the midst of 50 VIPs, the entrepreneur who got his
start in 2004 with $2,500 in the bank, a beat-up Ford Ranger, a
set of tools and space in a garage warmed by a space heater said
solar installation is no pipe dream. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/business/business-headlines/20121010-real-estate-powering-up-for-solar.ece


MISCELLANEOUS

John S. Hoffman, developer of Energy Star efficiency program,
dies at 62. John S. Hoffman, a former federal environmental
official whose innovative program to identify and reward
energy-efficient practices became the Energy Star program, a
voluntary international rating system for “green” products, died
Sept. 24 at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. He was 62 and a
Washington resident. He had complications after surgery for a
perforated peptic ulcer, said his wife, Lucinda McConathy.
Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/2012/10/13/cd06f73a-14b6-11e2-bf18-a8a596df4bee_story.html

What to know about California's consumer programs to combat smog.
In an effort to reduce smog, the state of California will buy
your old clunker car and will pay certain motorists to fix their
polluting vehicles. To fight smog, the state of California is
giving out cash. It will buy your old clunker car and will pay
certain motorists to fix their polluting vehicles. Here's how the
programs work: • The Bureau of Automotive Repair will pay $1,000
for any running car, SUV, van or truck weighing less than 10,000
pounds. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-five-smog-20121014,0,3914910.story


Valley air district to help farmers buy tractors. Valley farmers
can get help replacing older tractors with newer, cleaner-burning
equipment through a grant program starting today, the San Joaquin
Valley Air Pollution Control District announced. The program
operates on a first-come, first-serve basis and applications for
funding will be accepted beginning at 7:30 a.m. today at the
district's office in Fresno. Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/10/14/3029578/valley-air-district-to-help-farmers.html#storylink=misearch


Green Desert: Latino voters opt for green initiatives. With a
little more than three weeks until Election Day, two polls have
been released almost simultaneously, heralding Latino Americans
as the next big voting block to go green. The Natural Resources
Defense Council released a new poll earlier this week, surveying
Latino voters in four key swing states — Florida, Nevada, New
Mexico and Virginia. Posted. 
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012310140025 


As gas price soar, city cycling more attractive. With an autumn
chill in the air on a gray San Francisco morning, the five-member
Ades family rubbed the sleep from their eyes, strapped on their
bike helmets and rode right past their two cars to the kids'
elementary school about a mile away. "It's good exercise, and
there's an environmental aspect to it as well," said Stan Ades,
of his decision to start his kids - ages 6, 8 and 10 - bike
commuting to school. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/oct/13/as-gas-price-soar-city-cycling-more-attractive/
 

OPINIONS

Don't Block the Sun. Picture the good news: a third industrial
revolution, powered by decentralized energy and massive digital
connectivity. Picture the bad news: the residual institutions of
the second industrial revolution, powered by oil and 20th century
transportation habits, threaten to hold this third revolution
back, maybe kill it. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/opinion/dont-block-the-sun-encourage-solar-industry.html


Who's paying for San Onofre? For months, Southern California
Edison's customers have been paying for the San Onofre nuclear
plant even though it is delivering no electricity. The Public
Utilities Commission hasn't been much help. For more than eight
months, ratepayers of Southern California Edison have been paying
$54 million a month — a per-customer average of more than $10 —
for a nuclear power plant that has been delivering no
electricity. This situation should never have been allowed to
drag on for so long. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-ed-san-onofre-20121014,0,588366.story


Editorial: CalRecycle has to limit fraud, collect its debt.
CalRecycle, the state's quarter-century-old beverage container
recycling program, is in big trouble. While the number of bottles
and cans diverted from landfills in California is up
dramatically, rampant fraud and mismanagement is depleting the
state's recycling fund. In recent years the state has paid out
$80 million to $100 million more to consumers and others who turn
in used bottles and cans than it has taken in from beverage
distributors. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/15/4911504/calrecycle-has-to-limit-fraud.html#storylink=cpy


Head to Head: Should the FTC investigate potential manipulation
of the gasoline market? THE ISSUE: California gas prices jumped
49 cents in a week, according to AAA, to an all-time high of
$4.67 per gallon for regular gas. There has been no similar spike
in gas prices nationwide.  Join Ben and Pia as they continue the
debate online at www.sacbee.com/opinion. Pia Lopez: Yes
Californians normally have higher gas prices than the national
average. Our topography – mountains trapping air in valleys –
means we have severe air quality problems. Nine of the nation's
10 smoggiest cities for ozone pollution are in California.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/11/4900727/should-the-ftc-investigate-potential.html#storylink=cpy


Obama vs. Romney: The energy debate. The first televised debate
between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney
showcased their very divergent views of what makes America work.
Yet despite those differences, their respective platforms are
surprisingly similar on an all-important topic – energy. While
health care, abortion and public education spending all affect
each of us on a very personal basis, what happens on the energy
landscape will drive the economy in terms of job creation.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/14/4907715/obama-vs-romney-the-energy-debatewhos.html#storylink=cpy


Climate Law Is Good Business for California. It may be hard for
many Californians -- hell, it's hard for many in my office -- to
follow the ins and outs of AB32, the state's landmark Global
Warming Solutions act, which requires a reduction of our carbon
emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. But here's one thing we all do
know: gas prices in California went up this week. Gas stations
near my house in the East Bay are posting prices around $5 per
gallon, and it's a price spike found throughout the state, as
this L.A. Times editorial makes clear. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-gordon/california-green-energy-_b_1962033.html


Another Tax Proposal by California’s Air Regulators. Not
satisfied with a $60 billion new energy tax, disguised as a
cap-and-trade auction and pegged to increase gasoline prices by
70 cents a gallon. Not satisfied with an untested “low-carbon”
fuels regulation that will likely reduce refinery capacity in
California (and we just saw how well that works out for
California). Now, the Air Resources Board is considering a new
regulation (sub. req’d, posted 10/4/2012) creating a “border
adjustment fee” on California fuels. Posted.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2012/10/another-tax-proposal-by-californias-air-regulators/


BLOGS

Norway Increases Carbon Tax on Domestic Production. Norway will
nearly double the carbon dioxide tax rate for its offshore oil
and gas production in 2013, the country’s environment ministry
announced last week. By raising the tax rate from 210 Norwegian
Krone to 410 Krone (or €28 to more than €55) per ton of CO2, the
Norwegian government is setting one of the highest carbon tax
rates in the world. “The commitment to the environment must be
followed up on in the budget and resolutions,” said Bård Vegar
Solhjell, minister of the environment. Posted.
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/norway-increases-carbon-tax-on-domestic-production/?ref=greenhousegasemissions
 

From dream to reality: Rhonda and Nigel Farrar's journey to an
organic home.  The odyssey of Rhonda and Nigel Farrar to build an
environmentally friendly "green" home is one of those stories
that fascinated me. The Farrars built the dream home on a
two-acre site to the north of Lake Hodges. I learned of their
quest in 2009, when I heard Rhonda Farrar talk about the project.
Posted. 
http://www.nctimes.com/blogsnew/business/morning/business-briefing-from-dream-to-reality-rhonda-and-nigel-farrar/article_ee3be576-5cf8-51e7-8758-253fa8096497.html

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