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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 23, 2013.

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 16:13:37
ARB Newsclips for July 23, 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.

CAP AND TRADE

Chiapas State Government Says REDD. Is Alive And Well And Far
From 'Cancelled'| Amigos de la Tierra México, the Mexican
affiliate of Friends of the Earth, sent a ripple of confusion
through the environmental community on Thursday when its Chiapas
office posted an error-riddled story that implied the Mexican
state had “cancelled” its plans to develop a statewide regulatory
regime for generating carbon credits by saving endangered
rainforest. Posted.
http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9848§ion=news_articles&eod=1


Mexican state cancels forest offset project as Calif. mulls
linkage. A controversial model for forest protection is raising
concerns among environmentalists about its potential inclusion in
California's cap-and-trade program. Carbon offsets, which
businesses can use in place of state-issued allowances under
California's economywide, first-in-the-nation trading system for
greenhouse gases, are seen as a way to lower the cost of
compliance by expanding the pool of potential emissions
reductions. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984871/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
 
AIR POLLUTION

Federal court upholds Bush-era smog standard.  A federal court
has upheld a 2008 air pollution standard the Obama administration
vowed to strengthen, but later reversed itself and kept in place.
 The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington on Tuesday rejected
arguments that the ozone standard for public health set by former
President George W. Bush was either too weak or too strong. 
Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EPA_SMOG_STANDARD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/us-usa-courts-environment-idUSBRE96M0LF20130723


Battles won, but war on smog is far from over. Most everyone who
lived here in the 1950s and 1960s has teary-eyed smog stories. Ed
Camarena remembers how upset his 5-year-old daughter was when she
ran inside one smoggy day in 1964. They had just moved to Orange
several weeks before. "She yelled, 'Who put those hills there?'
pointing to some hills, only 1½ miles away," he said. They had
been hidden in a veil of smog for all the time they had lived
there. Posted.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ourpast/ci_23709874/battles-won-but-war-smog-is-far-from?source=rss


CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change could mean extinction for Iberian lynx in 50
years. The world’s most endangered feline species may become
extinct in the wild within 50 years, researchers say, a victim of
climate change. A new report projects that Iberian lynx could
become the first cat species in at least 2,000 years to become
extinct, researchers found, largely because of the decline of the
European rabbit, which makes up 80% of the cat’s diet. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-lynx-extinction-climate-change-20130722,0,7785805.story


Alaska Looks for Answers in Glacier’s Summer Flood Surges. The
idea that glaciers change at a glacial speed is increasingly
false. They are melting and retreating rapidly all over the
world. But the unpredictable flood surges at the Mendenhall
Glacier, about 14 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska’s capital,
are turning a jog into a sprint as global temperatures and
climate variability increase.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/us/alaska-looks-for-answers-in-glaciers-summer-flood-surges.html?_r=0


Alaska's boreal forests burning more with climate change. The
largest U.S. wildfires in the last decade of record-breaking
blazes have been in the wilds of Alaska, where fires have
blackened more than a half-million acres at a time. A new study
predicts more of the same for North America’s boreal forests, the
Far North belt of spruce and fir trees that extends from interior
Alaska across Canada.  Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-alaska-boreal-forests-wildfire-20130722,0,383693.story


Analysis shows heat lingering into nighttime more common in US
Northwest. Most Northwest heat waves are bearable, thanks to the
cool breezes that blow in at night. But according to a new
analysis from the University of Washington, hot spells that
linger after dark are becoming more common across the region.
According to more than a century's worth of data from 39 stations
across western Washington and Oregon…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/20/5582566/analysis-shows-heat-lingering.html#storylink=cpy


Climate change 10,000 times faster than evolution rate. A new
study finds that many vertebrate species will have to speed up
their ability to evolve by 10,000 times to adapt to global
warming. The scientists observed when species split into new
species based on genetic data, which is a measure of their rate
of evolution. John Wiens, an ecology and evolutionary biology
professor at the University of Arizona, and Ignacio
Quintero…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984845/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Poison ivy growing bigger and faster due to climate change.
Higher temperatures and greater carbon dioxide levels in the
atmosphere are causing poison ivy to grow faster and bigger. The
plant's shiny green leaves, a staple food source for deer, bears
and other animals, are becoming increasingly threatening to
humans. The leaves' lacquerlike oil, called urushiol, can cause
scratching and agony at the slightest contact.
Poison ivy's potency has doubled since the 1960s. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984842/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

Port Power Project to Reduce Greenhouse Emissions. The Port of
Hueneme reached a milestone in its Shoreside Power Project when
the Board of Harbor Commissioners approved a key funding
agreement to help vessels plug into electrical power at berth and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “This is a model of strong
public policy working for the betterment of our community and
region. The execution of the contract ensures the success of the
project and will keep commerce moving while improving our air and
quality of life…Posted.
http://www.marinelink.com/news/greenhouse-project-reduce356872.aspx


FUELS

John Swire Buys U.K. Maker of Diesel from Used Cooking Oil. John
Swire & Sons Ltd., a company that provides storage to industries
including aviation and agribusiness, bought Argent Energy Group
Ltd., a Scottish producer of clean diesel from used cooking oil
and waste. The deal will enable Argent to replicate its business
in other parts of the world, according to an e-mailed statement
today from Motherwell-based Argent. The company declined to
disclose the value of the purchase. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-23/john-swire-buys-u-k-maker-of-diesel-from-used-cooking-oil.html


Ethanol Plummets Versus Gasoline as Returns Boost Production.
Ethanol declined versus gasoline on speculation higher returns to
make the fuel from a bushel of corn in the U.S. will boost
production. The spread, or price difference, expanded 3.39 cents
to 65.9 cents a gallon as the December corn contract on the
Chicago Board of Trade touched the lowest level for a most-active
contract since October 2010. One bushel of the grain makes at
least 2.75 gallons of ethanol. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-23/ethanol-plummets-versus-gasoline-as-returns-boost-production.html


Chevron to Spend $844 Million on Remote Projects. Chevron said on
Tuesday that it had awarded contracts worth more than £550
million, or more than $844 million, on its planned Rosebank and
Alder oil and gas development projects in British waters. If the
company decides to proceed with the projects to produce oil and
gas from the fields, it would wind up spending billions of pounds
on platforms, drilling equipment and undersea systems. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/business/energy-environment/chevron-to-spend-770-million-on-remote-projects.html?pagewanted=print


Mike Collins was raised in oil country but dreamed of living at
the beach. As a young boy in Bakersfield, he accompanied his
father to dusty fields dotted with derricks where he repaired the
motors on oil rigs. On his bedroom wall hung a poster of a house
perched atop a cliff, overlooking the ocean waves. "Justification
for higher education," his mother called it. Now a psychologist,
Collins bought his dream house four blocks from the seashore in
tiny Hermosa Beach nearly five years ago. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hermosa-beach-oil-20130722,0,812909.story


Calif. coal project has 'significant' environmental impacts –
report. A proposed project in California that would capture up to
90 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions from a coal generator
has "significant" and "unresolved" issues with water use, waste
management, protected species and other environmental issues,
according to a document announced yesterday from the Department
of Energy. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984869/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Burning all fossil fuels spells doom for humans -- Hansen report.
Burning all available deposits of fossil fuels, including coal
and unconventional oil and gas, will make the world unsuitable
for humans, according to a new study released by James Hansen,
formerly with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and
Columbia University Earth Institute, New York. "Burning all
fossil fuels, we conclude, would make much of the planet
uninhabitable by humans…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984827/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Costa Rica slashes tax rate on hybrid vehicles. Costa Rican
President Laura Chinchilla signed a bill on Monday to slash taxes
on hybrid cars by 20 percentage points, in a bid to cut fuel
emissions in the Central American nation. The 2006 tax will be
cut to 10 percent, well below the 30 to 53 percent tax rates
levied on vehicles fueled exclusively by gasoline and diesel but
still higher than the zero-tax status enjoyed by electric
vehicles. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/costarica-autos-idUSL1N0FT01X20130723


Renault-Nissan sells its 100,000th electric car.  The
Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 100,000th electric car
globally. Renault-Nissan has sold more zero-emission cars than
all other major automakers combined, the automakers noted.  More
than 71,000 people worldwide have bought Nissan LEAF, which made
its debut in 2010; LEAF makes up more than half of all global
sales of pure electric cars.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/ennissan-20130723.html 

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Calif. seeks firms to scout high-speed rail route.  The
California High-Speed Rail Authority has put out a call for firms
to handle engineering and surveying for its prospective route
from Fresno to Bakersfield.  The Fresno Bee reports
(http://bit.ly/15EKPxr ) the agency issued a request last week
for companies to submit their qualifications in anticipation of
awarding a contract of up to $1.5 million.  Posted. 
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588196/calif-seeks-firms-to-scout-high.html

 
RAILYARD

Sacramento's downtown railyard nears sale to local developer.
Sacramento's dormant downtown railyard is on the verge of
changing hands again – this time to a local developer who said he
intends to finally realize the city's longtime vision of turning
the former industrial hub into a major extension of downtown. The
investment company that owns the yard revealed Monday it is in
final talks to sell the property to a group led by Larry
Kelley…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/v-print/5587390/sacramentos-downtown-railyard.html


GREEN ENERGY

US announces September auction date for 8 energy companies to bid
on offshore wind farms. Eight energy companies will bid Sept. 4
on a lease for a vast expanse of ocean off Virginia’s coast set
aside for the development of wind farms.The Bureau of Ocean
Management on Monday announced the scheduled auction of 112,800
acres on the Outer Continental Shelf, 23.5 miles east of Virginia
Beach. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/us-announces-september-auction-date-for-8-energy-companies-to-bid-on-offshore-va-wind-farms/2013/07/22/369fa590-f2db-11e2-8464-57e57af86290_story.html


2 wind farm projects announced in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is adding
two new wind farms that will provide a combined 250 megawatts of
wind energy to utilities in Arkansas and Nebraska, developers
said. Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. said it's reached an
agreement to sell 150 megawatts of wind energy to Arkansas
Electric Cooperative Corp., which is part of a cooperative that
provides electricity for more than 500,000 customers. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588181/2-wind-farm-projects-announced.html#storylink=cpy


EDC board OKs grant for hydropower project study. Rhode Island's
economic development agency has approved a $200,000 grant for a
North Kingstown company developing a hydropower project. The
board of directors of the Economic Development Corp. on Monday
approved the grant for JAL Hydro LLC through the agency's
Renewable Energy Fund. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588473/edc-board-oks-grant-for-hydropower.html#storylink=cpy


Board approves Port land acquisition. The board of commissioners
of the Port of Lake Charles has approved the acquisition of
nearly 19 acres of land near the Industrial Canal and west of the
proposed G2X Energy lease site. The American Press reports
(http://bit.ly/cseYHv ) the acreage was purchased from St. Luke
Simpson Methodist Church for $300,000. The property is close
enough to the ship channel for possible expansions by
Houston-based G2X. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588180/board-approves-port-land-acquisition.html#storylink=cpy


Researchers propose harvesting CO2 mixing energy to generate
electricity.  Researchers in The Netherlands are proposing a new
method for harvesting electricity from CO2 emissions. In a paper
in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS’) newly launched journal
Environmental Science & Technology Letters, they describe an
approach to harvesting the mixing energy from combining the CO2
in combustion gases with air in contact with an aqueous
electrolyte.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/haemlers-20130723.html 

Biofuels could draw $69B in investment over decade. Production of
biofuels around the world is growing more slowly than
anticipated, due to delays in development of some types of fuels
and a fossil fuel boom in key markets, according to a new report
from Navigant Research. Still, Navigant sees major growth ahead
for biofuels, projecting that they will attract $69 billion in
capital investment over the next 10 years. Posted.
http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/blog/morning-edition/2013/07/biofuels-could-draw-69b-in-investment.html


MISCELLANEOUS

Shuttle diplomacy under way on global aviation emissions deal.
Diplomatic talks on a deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions from
the global aviation industry have intensified recently as EU and
U.S. officials try to stave off the threat of a trade war,
lawmakers and observers said. Peter Liese, a member of the
European Parliament from the conservative German
Christian-Democratic Union, led a delegation to meet with Obama
administration officials in Washington last week to discuss the
issue. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/22/eu-aviation-emissions-idUSL1N0FS11620130722


FDA: Menthol cigarettes likely pose health risk. A Food and Drug
Administration review concludes that menthol cigarettes likely
pose a greater public health risk than regular cigarettes but
does not make a recommendation on whether to limit or ban the
minty smokes — one of the few growth sectors of the shrinking
cigarette business. The federal agency released the independent
review on Tuesday and is seeking input from the health
community…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588641/fda-menthol-cigarettes-likely.html#storylink=cpy


OPINIONS

RPT-COLUMN-Technology vanquishes the peak-oilers, again. The
decision to shutter "The Oil Drum", the leading website devoted
to peak oil, has come to symbolise the end of an era - and
sparked a furious debate about whether the theory was all along
based on a fundamental mistake. The site's authors and editors
blamed the decision to archive it on the "scarcity of new content
caused by a dwindling number of contributors," according to a
statement on July 3. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/column-kemp-peak-oil-idUSL4N0FS39120130723


Putting more wind power on the grid.  The following editorial
appeared in the Los Angeles Times on Monday, July 22: Wind
turbines tend to be overshadowed by solar power projects, which
get most of the attention from the public and policymakers.
That's the case again in a new government plan for renewable
energy projects in the California desert. Though the wind
industry shouldn't get all the land it wants, the desert master
plan should provide more and better space for wind farms. 
Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/23/3401056/putting-more-wind-power-on-the.html

Obama's Climate Change Math Doesn't Add Up. The president's plan
is about wealth distribution from red to blue states, not about
carbon dioxide. All we need to know about the president's speech
on climate change is revealed by what's missing: Nowhere did he
tell us what effects on future temperatures or climate can be
expected from his policy proposals on greenhouse gases (GHG). So
let's do that math. U.S. GHG emissions are about 17 percent of
global emissions. Posted.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/07/22/obamas-climate-change-plan-doesnt-add-up


A Necessary Plan for Climate Action. The president understands
the country can't afford to delay. Like thick smog hanging
stubbornly overhead, many of the arguments against President
Obama's climate change policy are stagnant, potentially dangerous
and pose a serious, long-term threat to America's future. The
naysayers have called the president's plan everything from "sheer
fantasy" to "massive sacrifice," but they are tethered to
antiquated, 20th century mindsets. Posted.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/07/22/president-obamas-climate-change-plan-is-necessary-and-timely


Fireworks Causing Pollution and Bad Air.  If you found yourself
coughing and wheezing your way through this month, there's good
reason.  Our state sees some of its worst air days during the
month of July and even though air managers know exactly what's
causing the bad air spikes, there is no effort to stop it.  Air
quality managers say fireworks take a big toll on our air
quality, but everything they dump into the air is protected by
law.  Posted. 
http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_5950.shtml 

BLOGS

Jim Hansen Presses the Climate Case for Nuclear Energy. I
encourage you to watch this short video interview with climate
scientist and campaigner James E. Hansen, posted by the folks who
brought you “Pandora’s Promise,” the flawed but valuable film
arguing for a substantial role for nuclear energy in sustaining
human progress without disrupting the climate. Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/jim-hansen-presses-the-climate-case-for-nuclear-energy/


The Kitchen as a Pollution Hazard. By midmorning, the smell of
hot peanut oil dissipated and inside the tightly sealed
laboratory known as Building 51F, a pink hamburger sizzled in a
pan over a raging gas flame. Overhead, fans whirred, whisking
caustic smoke up through a metallic esophagus of ductwork. Woody
Delp, 49, a longhaired engineer in glasses — the Willie Nelson of
HVAC — supervised the green bean and hamburger experiments.
Posted.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/the-kitchen-as-a-pollution-hazard/


Australian Carbon Tax to Go – What Lessons Can Be Learned? There
are three things governments can do in order to address carbon
emissions. Firstly, they can do nothing, which is the position
the U.S. Federal government has taken, since the U.S. Congress
has no appetite for pricing carbon. Secondly, governments can
create a carbon marketplace, such as the European Emissions
Trading Scheme (ETS), and California’s cap and trade
program…Posted.
http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/07/australian-carbon-tax-abandoned/


Solar and wind surge, but dirty energy still dominates, as this
nifty chart shows.  Solar energy production in the U.S. jumped by
49 percent last year, and wind energy by 16 percent.  But these
clean sources of energy are still just thin lines on this cool
flowchart that shows how America’s energy was produced in 2012,
reminding us how much work lies ahead in shifting to a renewable
and clean economy…Posted. 
http://grist.org/news/solar-and-wind-surge-but-dirty-energy-still-dominates-as-this-nifty-chart-shows/

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