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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 30, 2013.

Posted: 30 Jan 2013 15:54:45
ARB Newsclips for January 30, 2013. 

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

Ten years after toxic plume, Morgan Hill and surrounding
communities work to find normalcy. Ten years ago this month,
community leaders were shocked by the discovery that a company
that manufactured road flares here had disposed of toxic
chemicals improperly, creating a 10-mile-long underground plume
of perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel. The perchlorate
tainted hundreds of drinking water wells in southern Santa Clara
County.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22454526/ten-years-after-toxic-plume-morgan-hill-and


Valley Residents, Health Advocates Call For Better Protection
From Particle Pollution. The San Joaquin Valley’s polluted air is
a daily concern for Mario Talavera. “When I go to the pharmacy,
they ask why I need medicine," said Talavera, of Fresno. "For
Mario, Angelica, Tomas, Jose. And for me too, Mario. I have
asthma. The only person who doesn’t have asthma is my wife.” It’s
a constant stress for Fresno resident Teresa Vidales, too. Her
husband, a construction worker and the family breadwinner, has
asthma. One of her four kids does, too. Posted.
http://www.kvpr.org/post/valley-residents-health-advocates-call-better-protection-particle-pollution

 
CLIMATE CHANGE

Growing palm oil could speed up climate change, study says.
Growing palm oil trees to make biofuels could be accelerating the
effects of climate change, new research showed on Wednesday,
adding further weight to claims the crop is not environmentally
sustainable. In a paper published in the journal Nature, an
international team of scientists examined how the deforestation
of peat swamps in Malaysia to make way for palm oil trees is
releasing carbon which has been locked away for thousands of
years. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/30/palmoil-climate-idUSL5N0AYH1720130130


In Energy Taxes, Tools to Help Tackle Climate Change. To
understand the complicated politics of climate change in the
United States, you may want to talk to Pamela Johnson, president
of the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Board. She is
concerned about the weather. The drought that parched the lower
48 states cut the harvest at her northern Iowa farm by about 40
bushels an acre. For the first time in memory, she says, she had
to rely on the federally subsidized crop insurance program to
stay afloat. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/business/energy-tax-is-underused-tool-in-climate-change-fight.html?_r=0


Sky-high bacteria could affect climate, scientists say.
Scientists are surprised to discover bacteria and fungi floating
30,000 feet above Earth with the potential to affect weather. A
team of storm-chasing scientists sampling rarefied air has found
a world of bacteria and fungi floating about 30,000 feet above
Earth. The findings, detailed Monday in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, suggest that microbes have the
potential to affect the weather. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-bacteria-in-the-atmosphere-20130129,0,1961581.story
 

Dry January shrinks snowpack.  A dry January has shrunken the
snowpack across the Sierra Nevada, a vital water resource for
many California farms and cities. The state Department of Water
Resources conducted field measurements of the snowpack at various
locations on Tuesday and found it to be 93 percent of average for
the date. This comes after heavy snows in December had the
snowpack at above average conditions. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/29/5148611/second-snow-survey-of-the-season.html#mi_rss=Top%20Stories#storylink=cpy
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/January-3rd-driest-in-S-F-history-4234265.php#ixzz2JUa1hlP8

http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22474639/sierra-nevada-snowpack-at-93-percent-normal


DIESEL EMISSIONS

CARB gives more time to Cleaire owners.  An estimate thousands of
trucks and off road vehicles in California have Cleaire diesel
particulate filters, many of which are subject of a recall
ordered by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued in
September, 2012. So, when CARB learned that Cleaire Advanced
Emission Controls ceased operations on Friday, January 18, 2013,
the regulators went into damage control mode, releasing an
announcement saying: Posted.
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=jc84hvcab&v=001rq5EDIUvnj479qNPZyU_OzGfXjT5yyRMxgCGcC8fzg-jWGt-a0PJCRfyfgP62ggQkngXLlYFtORGONHANTF1ybbBT6hj10cYHU7hKOuMC5Pr1W7VQmtqzhzUgXbbJyH1PX8928UjNwQdHVDDKDbH5w%3D%3D

  
After two fires and multiple recalls, DPF maker Cleaire folds. A
major manufacturer of diesel particulate filters has shut down
after its filters were blamed for starting two brush fires –
including a major forest fire. Cleaire Advanced Emission
Controls, based in San Leandro, CA, closed up shop permanently
Jan. 18. The manufacturer’s closing is expected to cause
headaches for truck owners who have installed Cleaire filters in
order to meet emissions mandates by the California Air Resources
Board. CARB directed questions to an announcement on its website.
Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=24704 

FUELS

EU executive thwarts Canada lobby on tar sand oil. Canada's
urgent hunt for buyers for its oil is being thwarted as the
European Commission sticks to a plan to label fuel from tar sands
deposits as highly polluting, deterring refiners bound by
environmental rules. Intense pressure from Canada, seeking new
markets to compensate for dwindling U.S. buying and discounted
sales, has not convinced the EU executive to abandon its proposal
to brand tar sands oil as more carbon-intensive than conventional
crude. "The Commission stands by its proposal," said an EU
official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/30/eu-canada-tarsands-idUSL5N0AYFFA20130130


Pipeline company Kinder Morgan Energy buying Copano Energy for
about $3.2 billion.  Kinder Morgan Energy Partners will acquire
the natural gas company Copano Energy LLC for about $3.2 billion
in stock, giving the energy transportation and storage company
more access to oil and gas-rich territory in Texas, Wyoming and
Oklahoma.  Including the assumption of debt, the deal is valued
at around $5 billion.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/pipeline-company-kinder-morgan-energy-buying-copano-energy-for-about-372-billion/2013/01/30/cec95aec-6ad1-11e2-9a0b-db931670f35d_story.html


Ionic liquids effective for pre-treating mixed blends of biofuel
feedstocks.  A collaborative study by researchers with the US
Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a
bioenergy research center led by Berkeley Lab, and the Idaho
National Laboratory (INL) has shown that an ionic liquid proven
to be effective for pre-treating individual biofuel feedstocks is
also effective at pre-treating multiple different feedstocks that
have been mixed and densified into a blend.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/inoic-20130130.html 

CRC study finds that fuel systems in some modern vehicles fail
with E15 use.  A newly completed study (CRC Project No. AVFL-15a)
by the Coordinating Research Council, a non-profit organization
created and supported by the petroleum and auto industries, has
found that some fuel systems in modern vehicles survive testing
in mid-blend ethanol fuels, while others will experience complete
failures that would prevent operation.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/crc-20130130.html 

VEHICLES

Auto industry’s latest green technology making its way to
Washington.  A luxury sports car that runs on electricity, a
sedan that monitors tire pressure, and a computer system that
adjusts an engine’s air flow — all designed by different
companies, but all designed with the same two goals in mind. 
Saving gas and helping the environment.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/auto-industrys-latest-green-technology-making-its-way-to-washington/2013/01/25/ac40c9d8-666c-11e2-9e1b-07db1d2ccd5b_story.html


EVs to represent 90% of total sales in Nordic region by 2050. 
The first regional technology study by the International Energy
Agency, ‘Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives’, outlines the
opportunities and challenges for the five Nordic countries of
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in reaching their
ambitious goals towards decarbonising their energy systems by
2050. In order to become carbon-neutral by 2050, the Nordic
region will have to go through big changes in the energy…Posted. 
http://cars21.com/news/view/5182 

GREEN ENERGY

Ohio regulator tied to group opposing renewables. A top state
utility regulator who opposed plans for an Ohio solar farm and
openly questioned global warming maintained ties with an
influential conservative group that supports repealing states'
renewable energy requirements. Todd Snitchler, chairman of the
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, was a keynote speaker at the
American Legislative Exchange Council's task force meeting in
April 2011. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/29/ohio-regulator-tied-to-group-opposing-renewables/#ixzz2JTo0fNqI


Audit: Energy upgrades could save city $30K. National City could
save up to $30,000 a year by replacing lights and other fixtures
in many of its buildings and parks, according to a new report
from SANDAG. The Energy Roadmap, a collaborative effort between
SANDAG and San Diego Gas & Electric, states that pool covers at
Camacho Pool would have the biggest payoff for the city, saving
it $18,989 per year. It also estimates the city could save almost
$1,900 annually by using alternative fuels, and between $1,000
and $1,400 annually by replacing fleet vehicles with hybrid cars.
Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/29/energy-upgrades-national-city-environment/


OPINIONS

Solar charger a must-have on the trail.  It's inevitable: the
battery on your electronic device will die at the most
inopportune time. Whether you need your GPS to get back on the
right trail or have to make a call in a pinch, expect to need a
charge when you're miles from the nearest outlet. That's why a
solar-powered charger such as the Solio Bolt is a must-have for
any adventure or emergency kit.  Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/30/3153239/solar-charger-a-must-have-on-the.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy


LETTER: Protect Moreno Valley's air quality. I thank the South
Coast Air Quality Management District for its ongoing effort on
warehouse projects to protect the health of Moreno Valley
residents as well as that of others in the region. I also thank
your newspaper for the editorial on AQMD’s concerns (“Restrict
air pollution from Moreno Valley warehouses,” Our Views, Jan.
6).Moreno Valley’s leadership only gives excuses for not
implementing more of AQMD’s recommendations. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-headlines/20130129-letter-protect-moreno-valley-s-air-quality.ece


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