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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 27, 2013.
Posted: 27 Feb 2013 14:57:16
ARB Newsclips for February 27, 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 As energy boom nears cities, a backlash grows. Colorado regulators grappling with a historic energy boom that's pushing oil rigs to the very doorsteps of suburban schools and homes were among the first in the nation to require companies to disclose the chemicals they use in their new drilling techniques. Now, the regulators have issued what they tout as the country's toughest energy drilling regulations, requiring rigs to be at least 500 feet away from occupied buildings and take other steps to limit pollution. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_22678246/energy-boom-nears-cities-backlash-grows?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22678246/energy-boom-nears-cities-backlash-grows http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22678246/energy-boom-nears-cities-backlash-grows http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-drilling-boom-approaches-cities-a-backlash-grows-in-colorado-other-states/2013/02/27/4d552dbe-80df-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html Emissions of NOx, SO2 from power plants lowest in 2 decades – EIA. Thanks to pollution control equipment and the rise of natural gas, emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from power plants dropped to their lowest levels in more than two decades, the Energy Information Administration reported today. Levels of SO2 dropped to below 4 million short tons last year, while NOx levels were below 2 million tons, continuing a steady decline since 2010. Both chemicals contribute to acid rain. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/27/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE RPT-FEATURE-Local warming: US cities in front line as sea levels rise. The signs of rising water are everywhere in this seaport city: yellow "Streets May Flood" notices are common at highway underpasses, in low-lying neighborhoods and along the sprawling waterfront. Built at sea level on reclaimed wetland, Norfolk has faced floods throughout its 400-year history. But as the Atlantic Ocean warms and expands, and parts of the city subside, higher tides and fiercer storms seem to hit harder than they used to. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/usa-climate-cities-idUSL1N0BR41M20130227 California starts year with record dry conditions. California is poised to shatter an all-time weather record by notching the driest January-February period in recorded history across the northern Sierra Nevada. The northern Sierra is crucial to statewide water supplies because it is where snowmelt accumulates to fill Shasta and Oroville reservoirs. These are the largest reservoirs in California and the primary storage points for state and federal water supply systems. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/27/5220561/california-starts-year-with-record.html Moving Forward, Looking Back / Simple ways we all can help curb global warming. It's been a half century since our planet's ecologic health became recognized not only as an area of scientific study but a matter of increasing concern. The early focus was on the status of our water, soil, and air -- major issues that now seem almost quaint as we confront the mother of all environmental ordeals: global warming. Here's the situation in a very small nutshell. Posted. http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/opinion/article/Moving-Forward-Looking-Back-Simple-ways-we-all-4313271.php#ixzz2M7nyIArg DIESEL EMISSIONS Big rigs pulled over for inspection on Highway 99. Some truck drivers were pulled over Tuesday on a Valley highway, not for how they drive but for the toxic emissions they may be putting into the air. The Central Valley is no stranger to air pollution. "California's air quality is the worst in the country and diesel trucks are significant contributors not only to smog but increase cancer risks," said Bruce Tuter with the California Air Resources Board. In an effort to curb the high emission rates, state inspectors spent the day conducting tests on heavy-duty trucks traveling on Highway 99. Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9008347#sthash.LD1TtrV1.dpuf FUELS Herdt: Freaking out about 'fracking'. Although it has been used in unregulated obscurity for decades in California, the drilling practice of hydraulic fracturing — you know it as “fracking” — has rather suddenly emerged as one of the top issues in Sacramento this year. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/26/herdt-freaking-out-about-fracking/?print=1 Power producers accelerate switch from coal to gas. Coal remained the No. 1 fuel for electric power generation in the United States last year, but it lost substantial ground to both natural gas and renewables as measured by growth in each of the major generation sectors, according to newly published government data. According to the Energy Information Administration's full-year data for 2012, coal consumption by both utilities and independent power producers declined 12.5 percent over the previous year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/27/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Chinese team signs up to next year’s new Formula E championship, featuring zero-emission cars. Team China Racing is the second team to sign up for next year’s environmentally friendly Formula E championship, which will feature zero-emission cars racing in 10 cities around the world. China Racing was officially proposed to motor sport’s governing body as one of the 10 teams taking part. British-based Drayson Racing was the first team to sign up, while Rio de Janeiro and Rome are the first two cities to commit to hosting a race. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/chinese-team-signs-up-to-next-years-new-formula-e-championship-featuring-zero-emission-cars/2013/02/27/a1d6add8-80f6-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html Land Rover to demonstrate ZF 9-speed automatic transmission; up to 16% fuel savings over standard 6-speed automatic. At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover will announce the first 9-speed automatic transmission for a passenger car; Land Rover is the lead partner on the project, working together with ZF. The ZF 9HP transmission (earlier post) is specifically designed for transverse applications and front or four-wheel drive and can thus be installed in 75% of all cars produced worldwide, ZF notes. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/9hp-20130227.html#sthash.E4ponn9w.dpuf GREEN ENERGY California Girds for Electricity Woes. Increased Reliance on Wind, Solar Power Means Power Production Fluctuates. California is weighing how to avoid a looming electricity crisis that could be brought on by its growing reliance on wind and solar power. Regulators and energy companies met Tuesday, hoping to hash out a solution to the peculiar stresses placed on the state's network by sharp increases in wind and solar energy. Power production from renewable sources fluctuates wildly, depending on wind speeds and weather. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323699704578328581251122150.html?KEYWORDS=california+girds BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Imperial County betting its future on renewable energy. The county, which has the state's highest jobless rate, needs the construction boom to spur its economy. But some farmers and Native Americans are crying foul. Situated in the southeastern corner of California, bordering Arizona and Mexico, Imperial County has long depended on agriculture and cash crops that grew from the good earth. But lately the region — which carries the dubious distinction of having the state's highest unemployment rate at 25.5%...Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-imperial-energy-20130227,0,497876.story Edison: San Onofre woes have cost $402 million. Edison has proposed restarting the unit where the wear is less extensive, at 70 percent power; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said it could decide whether to allow the restart as soon as late April. The cost to inspect and repair faulty steam generators at the San Onofre nuclear plant reached $102 million by the end of 2012, while the cost to replace lost power hit $300 million, Edison International said Tuesday in a report on company costs. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/news/million-497400-edison-generators.html#sthash.29nlvCcD.dpuf http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/02/san-onofre-costs.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Sun to power Silver City sewage treatment plant. Construction of a 4,000-panel solar array to power Silver City's sewage treatment plant is progressing, and city officials are already anticipating savings. Albuquerque-based Affordable Solar and a contractor began work in December on the project, which is expected to be finished this spring. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_22679136/sun-power-silver-city-sewage-treatment-plant?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22679136/sun-power-silver-city-sewage-treatment-plant http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22679136/sun-power-silver-city-sewage-treatment-plant OPINIONS Why green isn't always the new black. In the knowledge that green is apparently the new black, it was highly appropriate that South Korea's Kexim last week tapped hungry SRI funds with its first "green bond". The acronym stands for Socially Responsible Investment, and Kexim will be investing the proceeds from the US$500m foray in the eco-friendly projects it sponsors around the world. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/green-bonds-socially-responsible-investm-idUSL4N0BR35A20130227 Limiting Carbon Dioxide Pollution by Power Plants. ELECTRIC power plants spew about 40 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution in the United States, but, amazingly, there are no federal limits on utility emissions of this potent greenhouse gas. The Obama administration plans to remedy this situation by drafting rules that would curtail these discharges from existing plants. The president should make sure they are tough. Nothing he can do will cut greenhouse gases more. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/opinion/the-right-way-to-curb-power-plant-emissions.html?_r=0 ROBINSON: Obama has power to act on global warming. The test of President Barack Obama's seriousness about addressing climate change is not his pending decision on the much-debated Keystone XL pipeline. It's whether he effectively consigns coal-fired power plants — one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions — to the ashcan of history. Since his re-election, Obama has signaled a new focus on climate change. “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires…Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130226/WIRE/130229661/0/SEARCH Too early to thank Cuomo over fracking. New York missed a Feb. 13 procedural deadline, so it will be unable to issue regulations for high-volume fracking by the end of this month. As a practical matter, this means the Department of Environmental Conservation will have to scrap the work it's done and restart the process. There will have to be another round of public hearings, and another opportunity for citizens to submit hundreds of thousands of comments to the DEC…Posted. http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Too-early-to-thank-Cuomo-over-fracking-4311273.php#ixzz2M7oZlemU BLOGS A Fresh Look at China’s Long March on Energy and Emissions. The Rhodium Group consulting firm has released a “report card” on China’s energy trends and policies that describes the country’s intensifying efforts to increase the proportion of renewable sources like wind and hydroelectric dams and boost the efficiency of coal use (essentially the metric called “greenhouse gas intensity” by President George W. Bush). The blunting upward trajectory in the graph above reflects progress, but a long path ahead. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/a-fresh-look-at-chinas-long-march-on-energy-and-emissions/ Nine reasons China won’t need enough coal to justify coal ports in the Pacific Northwest. U.S. coal companies claim that exporting low-grade coal from the Powder River Basin through ports in the Pacific Northwest to Asia is big business, a sure thing, easily worth the pollution and disruption the new coal infrastructure it would cause. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/nine-reasons-china-wont-need-enough-coal-to-justify-coal-ports-in-the-pacific-northwest/ BP testifies: We knew about ‘big risk’ of explosion. BP knew. BP didn’t care. The company was aware that there was a “big risk” of an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig before that very disaster unfolded, an executive acknowledged Tuesday in court. Posted. http://grist.org/news/bp-knew-of-deepwater-risk/ Inside the military’s clean-energy revolution. I’m strapped into my backward-facing seat on a COD, or “carrier onboard delivery” plane, the U.S. Navy workhorse that ferries people, supplies, and mail to and from its aircraft carriers at sea. I cinch the four-point harness holding me in place. Then I cinch it some more. When it’s as tight as it can go, an aircrewman walks by and yanks it so hard it squeezes the breath out of me. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/inside-the-militarys-clean-energy-revolution/ Senator Boxer to NRC: 'Careful' before restarting San Onofre. Southern California Edison officials will meet with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wednesday to press for permission to restart one of San Onofre’s nuclear reactors at limited power. California’s junior Senator says the NRC has to be “very careful” before allowing San Onofre to start up again. As head of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Barbara Boxer has been meeting every few weeks with the chairman of the NRC. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2013/02/26/12703/senator-boxer-nrc-careful-restarting-san-onofre/ Do light-rail systems help cut down on traffic? Perhaps not. If you’re in charge of a city plagued by snarling traffic and endless congestion, one idea is to build a light-rail system for public transportation. More people will ride the trains, leaving fewer cars on the road. Less congestion, less air pollution. What’s not to like? Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/27/do-light-rail-systems-help-cut-down-on-traffic-perhaps-not/ Los Angeles to end use of coal by 2025, says Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The city of Los Angeles, once mostly dependent on coal-fired power plants, will end its use of coal energy entirely within 12 years, according to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “In a couple of weeks I will be signing agreements to get completely out of coal by 2025,” Villaraigosa said at an event at UCLA. The mayor was speaking at an event sponsored by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability entitled, "What a mayor can do to green a city." Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/02/26/12695/los-angeles-to-end-use-of-coal-by-2025-says-mayor/