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ARB Newsclips for August 5, 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

Australian opposition pledges carbon tax will go.  Australia's
conservative opposition party is casting the looming election as
a referendum over a contentious carbon tax, pledging on Monday
that scrapping the tax would be its first priority if it regains
power. The major political parties as well as the public are
bitterly divided over whether Australian industrial polluters
should be forced to pay for the carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases they produce. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_ELECTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/03/2844561/ap-news-alert.html#storylink=cpy


Judge denies national business group's bid to intervene in Calif.
Lawsuit. A business group trying to participate in a lawsuit
against California's cap-and-trade program was rebuffed by a
state judge. The National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB) had tried to intervene in Morning Star v. California Air
Resources Board, a suit seeking to invalidate the state's
quarterly auctions on the grounds that they amount to an illegal
tax. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985598/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

House Republicans pass ban on carbon tax with help from some
Democrats. The House delivered a message of caution to lawmakers
interested in pursuing climate change legislation by adopting a
measure Friday that prevents U.S. EPA from taxing carbon
emissions. The amendment's supporters described the measure as a
clear statement that Congress is not interested in curbing
greenhouse gases if it raises energy prices and threatens
blue-collar jobs in coal mines and factories. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985597/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

Wildfire smoke fouls Valley air. Smoke from distant wildfires
could remain a problem in the north San Joaquin Valley through
the weekend, air quality officials said Friday. The Aspen Fire
near Huntington Lake is spewing smoke primarily into the south
Valley, but fires in far Northern California and Oregon have the
potential to send smoke to San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced
counties, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
said. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130803/A_NEWS/130809966/-1/NEWSMAP


Motorcycle parts suppliers Tucker Rocky and Biker's Choice fined
$500,000 by ARB.  The California Air Resources Board (ARB)
announced Friday that it has fined Ed Tucker Distributor, Inc.,
$500,000 for violating California air pollution control laws. The
fines involved the sale of illegal aftermarket "emissions
critical" parts in California.  The fines arose after ARB
investigators learned that two Tucker companies, Tucker Rocky
Distributing and Biker's Choice, were selling parts that replaced
original emissions-critical components, such as catalytic
converters, on highway motorcycles.  Posted.
http://www.examiner.com/article/motorcycle-parts-suppliers-tucker-rocky-and-biker-s-choice-fined-500-000-by-arb
 

Fee won’t be applied to all dust monitors.  A $4,080 fee for
oversight of two permanent air pollution monitors will not be
applied to 22 temporary monitors that track dust from the Oceano
Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.  An article about the San
Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District’s proposed Rule
302 published recently incorrectly indicated the $4,080 fee would
be assessed on the temporary monitors.  Posted. 
http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/fee-won-t-be-applied-to-all-dust-monitors/article_d22f55e6-fb3c-11e2-afb9-001a4bcf887a.html?comment_form=true


How a company found a business in measuring leaking methane. A
few weeks ago, a strange-looking vehicle could be seen meandering
through the natural gas wells and compressor stations in
Bakersfield, Calif. The car, a Toyota SUV outfitted with
instruments by the Santa Clara, Calif., company Picarro Inc.,
looked a bit odd. It had a 12-foot rod attached to its front that
stuck straight into the air and another smaller rod mounted on
its top. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985507/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Californians want more done about global warming, fail to do
things themselves.  A new survey from the Public Policy Institute
of California is encouraging. It points out that state residents
are concerned about global warming and want the government to do
more to cut air pollution.  But the same survey is discouraging
when it comes to residents' actions that could lead to change. 
Posted. 
http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/californians-want-more-done-about-global-warming-fail-to-do-things-themselves/Content?oid=2535196


Australia's Climate Change Authority to raise emissions reduction
target to 15% A leaked report from Australia's Climate Change
Authority calls for the nation to slash greenhouse gas emissions
by 15 percent from 2000 levels by 2020. The advisory board said
the target should escalate to a 40 percent reduction by 2030 and
90 percent by 2050. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985583/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Arctic ice close to record lows, with major ripple effects. The
dramatic retreat of Arctic sea ice in recent years is changing
disease patterns, altering the local food web and lowering the
region's ability to reflect sunlight, according to two new
studies. The research in Science and Nature Climate Change,
although on two different topics, fits into a growing body of
knowledge about the side effects of ice loss. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985599/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CHEVRON REFINERY

210 arrested at Chevron refinery protest.  More than 200 people
were arrested Saturday outside Chevron's Richmond refinery during
a protest over safety issues at the plant and the company's
global environmental practices. The arrests came hours into a
protest that began with a rally Saturday morning outside the
Richmond BART Station and a march west to Chevron's gates.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/210-arrested-at-Chevron-refinery-protest-4705509.php

http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23790772/big-protest-at-chevron-richmond-refinery-is-latest

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Richmond-sues-Chevron-over-refinery-fire-4703370.php

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23790772/big-protest-at-chevron-richmond-refinery-is-latest?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com


FUELS

Analysis: TransCanada's East Coast oil pipeline to change trade
dynamics. TransCanada Corp's (TRP.TO: Quote, Profile, Research,
Stock Buzz) plan to build one of the world's longest oil
pipelines has reverberations far beyond Canadian shores. The
planned 2,700 mile pipeline, which will bring crude from Canada's
energy capital of Alberta to refineries and ports on the East
Coast, has the potential to upturn the dynamics of the North
Atlantic oil trade squeezing out some imported crude to North
America and revitalizing once-ailing refineries. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/05/us-transcanada-pipeline-east-analysis-idUSBRE97403H20130805


Natural Gas Fluctuates Near Five-Month Low on Mild U.S. Weather. 
Natural gas fluctuated in New York after dropping to a five-month
low as the outlook for unusually mild weather signaled reduced
demand for the power-plant fuel. The swung between gains and
losses on forecasts that the Northeast and Midwest will see
below-normal temperatures from Aug. 10 through Aug. 19, according
to Commodity Weather Group LLC in Bethesda, Maryland. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-05/natural-gas-drops-for-third-day-as-mild-weather-cuts-demand.html


Violence will rise as climate changes, scientists predict. UC
Berkeley researchers pull together data on ancient wars, road
rage and more, and conclude that violence may increase between
now and 2050 because of higher temperatures and extreme rainfall
patterns. Long before scientists began to study global warming,
author Raymond Chandler described the violent effects of dry,
"oven-hot" Santa Ana winds gusting through the city of Los
Angeles. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-climate-change-conflict-20130802,0,3466600.story


Oil companies frack in coastal waters off Calif. Companies
prospecting for oil off California's coast have used hydraulic
fracturing on at least a dozen occasions to force open cracks
beneath the seabed, and now regulators are investigating whether
the practice should require a separate permit and be subject to
stricter environmental review. While debate has raged over
fracking on land, prompting efforts to ban or severely restrict
it…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Oil-companies-frack-in-coastal-waters-off-Calif-4704820.php
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/BLM-launches-assessment-of-Calif-oil-gas-leasing-4703487.php

http://www.bna.com/workers-silica-exposure-n17179875594/ 

Sacramento gas prices take a mid-August dip. Sacramento-area
gasoline prices, which have been declining ever-so-slowly of
late, fell another 3.1 cents over the past week. The average
retail price of gas in the Sacramento area is $3.79 a gallon,
according to today's weekly report by national price tracker
GasBuddy.com, which surveys 720 stations in the area. Area prices
are now 5.3 cents higher than one year ago but 0.7 cents per
gallon lower than a month ago. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/05/5624714/sacramento-gas-prices-take-a-mid.html#storylink=cpy


The Buzz: Californians narrowly oppose fracking, support Keystone
XL pipeline, poll finds.  Climate change represents a concrete
threat for a majority of Californians, according to a recent
poll, but those surveyed were less certain about issues at the
intersection of energy and the environment. Residents narrowly
oppose hydraulic fracturing, and they narrowly support
construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, according
to the Public Policy Institute of California. Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/05/2845749/the-buzz-californians-narrowly.html#storylink=cpy
 

VEHICLES

Buffett-Backed BYD Seeks to Boost U.S. Electric-Bus Sales.  BYD
Co. , the Warren Buffett-backed Chinese auto-and-battery maker,
is seeking to increase overseas sales of its electric bus as
billionaire founder Wang Chuanfu predicts a “second takeoff” for
the company this year. Shenzhen-based BYD has signed contracts
this year to supply a total of 35 K9 electric buses to Long Beach
and Los Angeles for use in public transportation. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-04/buffett-backed-byd-seeks-u-s-electric-bus-sales-as-shares-surge.html


Number of hybrid vehicles in California triples in five years.
With gas prices hovering near $4 a gallon for the past several
years, the appetite for hybrid vehicles in California has grown.
About 585,000 hybrid vehicles were registered in the state on the
first day of 2013, according to the latest figures from the
California Department of Motor Vehicles. That's up from 218,000
hybrid vehicles registered on the first day of 2008. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/02/5619882/number-of-hybrid-vehicles-in-california.html#storylink=cpy


Convention on electric cars set in Cape Girardeau.  A convention
designed to help people convert cars to run on electricity is
scheduled this week in Cape Girardeau. About 150 people are
expected to attend the Electric Vehicle Conversion Convention,
which runs Tuesday through Sunday. Organizers say educational
sessions and hands-on work will be held at the Cape Girardeau
Regional Airport. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/05/2846048/convention-on-electric-cars-set.html#storylink=cpy


Tesla profits could be challenged by Calif. credit-rule change. A
pending rule change by the California Air Resources Board could
limit Tesla Motors' ability to earn money by selling
zero-emissions credits -- a key factor in the company's
first-quarter profit. The agency is evaluating whether to
eliminate the "fast-refueling" rule that allows electric vehicles
with quick-swap batteries to gain bonus credits under CARB's
regulations. Posted.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20130805/OEM11/308059945#ixzz2b8DuxY2k


HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Economist: In the Appalachia of the West, the same old problems. 
Away from the California of the popular imagination, far from the
beaches and glamour of Los Angeles and the technological
innovations of Silicon Valley, sits the Central Valley, a
450-mile stretch of mainly agricultural flatlands enclosed by
mountains to the east and west.  The valley's geographical
seclusion has bred other forms of disconnect. Here you encounter
habits, such as listening to country music and voting Republican,
that are virtually extinct in the rest of the state.  Posted. 
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130804/wire/130809882?title=Economist:-In-the-Appalachia-of-the-West,-the-same-old-problems#page=0

 
GREEN ENERGY

Review: Texas leads the way in wind energy.  Millions of people
are asking how or if the country can transition from fossil fuels
to renewable energy—and ironically Texas is leading the way in
actually doing it.  In "The Great Texas Wind Rush," Kate
Galbraith and Asher Price tell the strange, inspiring and at
times funny story of how a culture known for Big Oil came to
embrace Big Wind.  Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BOOK_REVIEW_WIND_RUSH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
 

Other related articles:
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23797030/review-texas-leads-way-wind-energy?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/review-ironically-texas-embraces-renewable-energy-in-the-great-texas-wind-rush/2013/08/05/e5499c72-fdcb-11e2-8294-0ee5075b840d_story.html


European Commission Approves Chinese Solar-Panel Pact. The
European Commission approved trade chief Karel De Gucht’s plan
for curbs on Chinese solar panels, allowing import tariffs to be
removed in three days in Europe’s largest dumping dispute. The
commission, the European Union’s executive arm, yesterday
endorsed a negotiated settlement with China that sets a minimum
price and a volume limit on EU imports of Chinese solar panels
until the end of 2015. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-02/eu-solar-panel-accord-with-china-approved-by-european-commission.html


Newly available wind power often has no place to go. The
windswept prairies of the Midwest are undergoing an energy
transformation the electric grid can’t handle. Wind turbines
tower over rural vistas in the heartland, where the clean energy
source is becoming increasingly popular with utility companies
that face state-mandated renewable energy standards.
Unfortunately, the nation’s aging power grid is hampering those
efforts. Posted.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/08/05/v-print/198428/newly-available-wind-power-often.html


MISCELLANEOUS

Scientists serve up lab-made burger from cow cells. For a
hamburger that cost more than $300,000, you might expect it to
come with fries and a shake. But this is no ordinary burger. At a
public tasting in London on Monday, scientists will serve up the
first-ever hamburger grown in a laboratory from stem cells of
cattle. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/05/scientists-serve-up-lab-made-burger-from-cow-cells/


OPINIONS

Life in a Toxic Country.  I RECENTLY found myself hauling a bag
filled with 12 boxes of milk powder and a cardboard container
with two sets of air filters through San Francisco International
Airport. I was heading to my home in Beijing at the end of a work
trip, bringing back what have become two of the most sought-after
items among parents here, and which were desperately needed in my
own household. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/sunday-review/life-in-a-toxic-country.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


A Republican Case for Climate Action. EACH of us took turns over
the past 43 years running the Environmental Protection Agency. We
served Republican presidents, but we have a message that
transcends political affiliation: the United States must move now
on substantive steps to curb climate change, at home and
internationally. There is no longer any credible scientific
debate about the basic facts: our world continues to warm, with
the last decade the hottest in modern records…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/02/opinion/a-republican-case-for-climate-action.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=1&&pagewanted=print


Letters: Raymond Chandler and climate change Re "Violence linked
to climate change," Aug. 2 Who needs data when we have the
truthiness of Raymond Chandler's beautiful writing from his novel
"Red Wind":  "There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was
one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the
mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and
your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a
fight. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0804-sunday-climate-change-violence-20130804,0,602112.story


Editorial: Senate should leave California's laws as they are. We
Californians should overhaul our initiative system. We should
update and perhaps scrap some initiatives California voters
approved years ago. Additionally, we Californians should take
second looks at some of the environmental laws approved by past
legislatures to make certain they make sense in 2013. The
operative words are "we Californians" – definitely not some
United States senator from, of all places, Louisiana. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/05/5624029/senate-should-leave-californias.html#storylink=cpy


Scientists assert there is less weather variability, globally,
than most people believe. Climate change is a broad and
complicated topic, often too complicated for the average person.
Instead, most of us get our grasp of climate change by looking
out the window or stepping out the front door. It explains why
many people in North America and Europe -- recent victims of
sweltering heat waves, droughts, floods and other extreme weather
events -- believe climate change is causing ever more drastic
weather extremes (ClimateWire, July 24). Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985592/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

BLOGS

CLIMATE CHANGE: Timeline highlights extreme weather events. 
Weather extremes go far beyond last month’s record temperature in
Death Valley of 129 degrees. The folks at World Resources
Institute, an environmental think tank based in Washington, D.C.,
have laid out the year’s extreme events that the group says
points to climate change. Extreme Weather & Climate Events 2013.
http://blog.pe.com/2013/08/03/climate-change-timeline-highlights-extreme-weather-events/


Greenhouse gas emissions explained, in seven balloons.  In 2010,
human activity caused 50 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent in
emissions.  The emissions were 76 percent carbon dioxide, 16
percent methane, 8 percent nitrous oxide, and 2 percent F-gases. 
The biggest emitters were China (23 percent), the U.S. (14
percent), Europe (10 percent), India (5 percent), and Russia (5
percent).  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/greenhouse-gas-emissions-explained-in-seven-balloons/