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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 24, 2013.

Posted: 24 Sep 2013 14:55:09
ARB Newsclips for September 24, 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

Cap-and-trade on back burner. Manitoba takes wait-and-see
approach. Six years ago, then-Manitoba premier Gary Doer escorted
Arizona governor Janet Napolitano and British Columbia premier
Gordon Campbell to Churchill to witness the effects of climate
change first-hand, and the three pledged to work on a regional
cap-and-trade system to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Only B.C.,
which created a carbon tax a year later, has come close to
fulfilling that promise. Posted.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/cap-and-trade-on-back-burner-224979592.html


AIR POLLUTION

Border's Mexicali tops Mexico City in pollution. Move over,
Mexico City, a think tank study says the country's most damaging
air pollution is in the border city of Mexicali. The nation's
capital has long had a reputation for smog, but in small particle
pollution it registered in about the middle of large Mexican
cities studied. But Mexicali, across from Calexico, California,
has excessive dust that gave it the highest per-capita rate of
pollution-related premature deaths, hospital and doctor visits.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Border-s-Mexicali-tops-Mexico-City-in-pollution-4839465.php


EPA begins to gather comments on reducing CO2 emissions from
existing power plants. With the first major hurdle of regulation
under Obama's Climate Action Plan done, EPA is now reaching out
to states in preparation of the next step -- a proposal to cut
carbon from the nation's existing power plants. EPA plans to host
public sessions around the country this fall to gather community
comments, according to the agency's website. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987733/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Global study makes economic case on climate change. A new global
initiative is seeking to present a more persuasive argument for
action on climate change by focusing on the economic benefits of
doing so. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate is
launching a year-long study to analyze the economic benefits and
costs of acting against climate change. The results of the study,
which will be undertaken by research institutes on five
continents, will be released in September 2014…Posted.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/global-study-makes-economic-case-climate-change

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/24/5764154/global-study-makes-economic-case.html


What 95% certainty of warming means to scientists. Top scientists
from a variety of fields say they are about as certain that
global warming is a real, man-made threat as they are that
cigarettes kill. They are as sure about climate change as they
are about the age of the universe. They say they are more certain
about climate change than they are that vitamins make you healthy
or that dioxin in Superfund sites is dangerous. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_WARMING_CERTAINTY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/24/5763939/what-95-certainty-of-warming-means.html

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/24/3515918/what-95-certainty-of-warming-means.html
 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24163728/what-95-certainty-warming-means-scientists
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/how-sure-is-sure-scientists-liken-certainty-of-global-warming-to-deadliness-of-smoking/2013/09/24/bd5a4758-252f-11e3-9372-92606241ae9c_story.html


Opponents ramp up fight against Obama climate plan. Republican
lawmakers and industry groups are vowing to fight President
Barack Obama's climate change plan and its first-ever emission
limits on new power plants. But they're finding their options are
limited - at least in the short term. Although the emission rules
are just one component of Obama's plan, critics are looking for
an early win to show they have the fortitude to fend off other
sweeping actions Obama plans to take, like pollution standards
for existing plants. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/24/5762864/opponents-ramp-up-fight-against.html

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Opponents-ramp-up-fight-against-Obama-climate-plan-4838132.php

http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/24/2938098/opponents-ramp-up-fight-against.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24162136/opponents-ramp-up-fight-against-obama-climate-plan?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
  
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24162136/opponents-ramp-up-fight-against-obama-climate-plan


Climate Report Puts Doubts to Rest, World Bank President Says. A
draft working group report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change due Sept. 27 will reinforce the case for urgent
action to address global warming, World Bank President Jim Yong
Kim said Sept. 23. Kim was among several speakers at the opening
session of the annual Climate Week NYC event in New York City
suggesting that the IPCC draft should put to rest the scientific
questions about the role of human activity and present a
challenge to action. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-24/climate-report-puts-doubts-to-rest-world-bank-president-says.html


Climate-Friendly Companies Have More in Common Than Carbon Cuts.
If your facilities need water, and projections call for drought,
here’s some advice: Use less water. If some companies are
following this advice, and others aren't, the former might
deserve more investor consideration. These statements are
possible takeaways from two studies released yesterday, an
analysis of S&P 500 companies' climate strategies by CDP and a
study of corporate climate leaders' financial performance, by CDP
and Sustainable Insight Capital Management.  Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-24/climate-friendly-companies-have-more-in-common-than-carbon-cuts.html


A Climate Change Showdown as Global Officials Meet. 
Transportation ministers from governments around the world will
gather on Tuesday to tackle the growing problem of greenhouse
gases emitted by airliners. As they assemble, many will be
bracing for the political tumult that has wrecked previous
international efforts to address climate change. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/business/international/a-climate-change-showdown-as-global-officials-meet.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
 

E.P.A. Rules on Emissions at Existing Coal Plants Might Give
States Leeway.  Four years ago, Congress rejected the idea of a
cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by
putting a price on them. But the plan announced by the
Environmental Protection Agency on Friday to regulate emissions
from existing coal-fired power plants could foster creation of
such a system, at least on a regional basis, and a push for
renewable energy and energy efficiency in states that so far have
embraced neither. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/business/energy-environment/epa-rules-on-emissions-at-existing-coal-plants-might-give-states-leeway.html
 

Study Sees a Higher Risk of Storms on the Horizon. The eastern
and central United States likely will see a greater risk of
severe weather by the middle of this century as rising
temperatures trigger atmospheric changes that favor storms, a new
study by climate scientists from Stanford and Purdue universities
concludes. The results were consistent across 10 different models
that scientists worldwide use to estimate the impact of climate
change, Dr. Diffenbaugh said in an interview. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/us/study-sees-a-higher-risk-of-storms-on-the-horizon.html?ref=earth


UN climate experts stress solidity of new report.  U.N. climate
experts say their latest report is an unbiased and reliable
assessment of global warming as they present it to officials from
110 governments for a final review. By the end of the week, the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is scheduled to adopt a
final version of its landmark report on the state of Earth's
climate system. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/sep/23/un-climate-experts-stress-solidity-of-new-report/#ixzz2fpHfMq2b
 

Emissions, fuel-cost cuts outweigh 'wear and tear' to backup
plants – study. High levels of wind and solar power in the West
would reduce fossil fuel costs by $7 billion and up to 34 percent
of carbon emissions from power plants, while raising operation
and maintenance costs by up to $157 million, according to a study
released today by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Wind
and solar are intermittent sources of power and need a backup
source of energy to cover times when the wind doesn't blow and
the sun doesn't shine. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987762/print  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Scientists deploy underwater observatory to track warming, acidic
buildup. Equipped with scuba-diving gear off the coast of Motobu
Peninsula in Okinawa, Japan, scientists from the United States
and Japan carried parts of a machine that is one of the first to
serve as an underwater observatory that monitors temperature,
salinity, and other chemical, physical and biological data in the
Pacific Ocean. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987715/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

Riverdale farmer taps propane for cost savings.  Farmer and
dairyman Steve Maddox Jr. has found a way to relieve his wallet
from some of the pitfalls of the petroleum market while making
the air a little cleaner on his Riverdale spread.  Maddox has
invested $25,000 each for two systems that allow him to run a mix
of propane and diesel on his irrigation pumps.  Developed by
California Clean Air Technologies of Menifee, in Riverside
County, over the last few years…Posted. 
http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/energy-and-environment/8847-riverdale-farmer-taps-propane-for-cost-savings


Bus rapid transit gives U.S. cities an economic boost, lowers
their emissions.  As many American cities continue to recover
from the 2008 financial collapse, a new report by the Institute
for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) finds bus rapid
transit to be an economical way to revitalize a city while also
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "A lot of city leaders are
looking to revitalize their cities, especially the cities that
are in decline, and attract new residents, bring in new
employers, etc…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987732/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

Oil Firms Seek to Unlock Big California Field. California's
Monterey Shale formation is estimated to hold as much as
two-thirds of the recoverable onshore shale-oil reserves in the
U.S.'s lower 48 states, but there's a catch: It is proving very
hard to get. Formed by upheaval of the earth, the Monterey holds
an estimated 15.4 billion barrels of recoverable shale oil, or as
much as five times the amount in North Dakota's booming Bakken
Field, according to 2011 estimates by the Department of Energy.
Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323932604579052933974060844.html#printMode


Sen. Stabenow calls for ethanol credit market probe. The Senate's
top Democrat on agricultural issues is calling on federal
regulators to investigate claims that speculators are
manipulating the market for Renewable Identification Numbers, or
the credits associated with gallons of ethanol. In a letter today
to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Senate Agriculture
Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said she was "concerned"
that a lack of transparency has opened the door for manipulation
in the market. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987757/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Greens say Canadian emissions cuts can't justify pipeline
approval. A coalition of environmental groups today wrote to
President Obama urging him to not be swayed by a reported pledge
from Canada's government to impose greenhouse gas emission cuts
in exchange for approving the Keystone XL pipeline. In their
letter, more than two dozen organizations say increased
regulation of Canada's oil and natural gas producers is long
overdue…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987749/print
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Palo Alto looks to require electric vehicle chargers in new
homes. Hoping to play a bigger role in the electric vehicle
revolution, the Palo Alto City Council embraced a proposal Monday
night that would require new homes to come pre-wired for
chargers. Council members were unanimous in their support for the
building code change, which was floated in a colleagues' memo by
Mayor Greg Scharff, Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd and Council Member
Gail Price. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24162107/palo-alto-looks-require-electric-vehicle-chargers-new?source=rss

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_24162107/palo-alto-looks-require-electric-vehicle-chargers-new?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com


Future of natural gas vehicles on display at fair.  While you
shouldn't hook up your own natural gas tank to your car, BMW,
Chrysler, Honda and Hyundai have collaborated to create an array
of six dual-fuel natural gas vehicles that can take both gasoline
and natural gas. NGVs are fueled with compressed natural gas,
which is stored in cylinders aboard a vehicle. They get about the
same fuel economy as conventional gasoline vehicles. Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x558590386/Future-of-natural-gas-vehicles-on-display-at-fair


Car charger financing could imitate solar model. The same idea
that sparked growth in the solar industry may do the same for
electric car charging stations, ChargePoint indicated yesterday
as it revealed a new financing option. The Silicon Valley company
plans to use the financing model to let electric vehicle drivers
get a new charging station without paying upfront costs for
equipment or installation, said Richard Lowenthal, founder and
chief technology officer at ChargePoint. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987741/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Report: Environmental chemicals a pregnancy risk. From mercury to
pesticides, Americans are exposed daily to environmental
chemicals that could harm reproductive health, the nation's
largest groups of obstetricians and fertility specialists said
Monday. The report urges doctors to push for stricter
environmental policies to better identify and reduce exposure to
chemicals that prove truly risky. But it's likely to scare
pregnant women in the meantime. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_PREGNANCY_CHEMICALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Speedy Trains Transform China.  The cavernous rail station here
for China’s new high-speed trains was nearly deserted when it
opened less than four years ago. Not anymore. Practically every
train is sold out, although they leave for cities all over the
country every several minutes. Long lines snake back from ticket
windows under the 50-foot ceiling of white, gently undulating
steel that floats cloudlike over the departure hall. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/business/global/high-speed-train-system-is-huge-success-for-china.html?pagewanted=all


Smashing and Recycling Old Tractors Helps Assure Air Quality
Benefits for the San Joaquin Valley. Farmers are well known for
their ability to tinker and innovate to keep farm equipment
running for years and years.  But sometimes you've got to let the
old equipment go. Jason Weller, Chief of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), with
help from machinery operators at Bruno's Iron and Metal in
Fresno, today demonstrated the process that the local
agricultural and regulatory leaders have agreed upon for
destroying old, higher-polluting agricultural equipment. Posted.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1486385#ixzz2fq92wcNo 

OPINIONS

Climate Uncertainty Is a Sign of Good Science. Scientists can’t
say for sure that humans are the cause of global climate change.
They’re still a little uncertain, and that’s a good thing. It
means the science is working the way it should.  A well-educated
friend of mine, a climate-change skeptic, once told me that he
didn’t believe anything coming out of the big computer models
that scientists use to reason about the complex nonlinear
feedbacks driving the Earth’s climate system. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-24/climate-uncertainty-is-a-sign-of-good-science.html


Reform of CEQA is incremental, but thoughtful. In the 40-plus
years since its enactment, the California Environmental Quality
Act (better known as "CEQA") has provided an almost endless
source of litigation, controversy and confusion. Along with the
Byzantine and voluminous regulations and case law it has spawned,
CEQA has understandably frustrated courts, practitioners and
developers throughout the state. Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/ci_24133682/reform-ceqa-is-incremental-but-thoughtful


BLOGS

Incentives can Ensure Electric Cars are Affordable for All.  By
signing AB8 (Perea) and SB359 (Corbett), Governor Brown has a
critical opportunity to make electric cars affordable for all,
cut air pollution, and boost the economy.  These bills will
extend California’s existing, highly successful rebate program
for clean cars and trucks. Accelerating the transition from oil
to electricity benefits all Californians through cleaner air,
lower fuel bills and more jobs.  Posted. 
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rhwang/incentives_can_ensure_electric.html
 

Message from the EPA: It’s about protecting people, not polar
bears.  Last Friday, new EPA chief Gina McCarthy faced the nation
to announce new carbon emission limits for power plants. Her
first stop that morning was the National Press Club in
Washington, D.C., to explain the proposed limits to the
mainstream press. Her second stop might surprise you: It was less
than a mile away at the Washington Convention Center, where the
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation was holding its 43rd annual
legislative conference.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/message-from-the-epa-its-about-protecting-people-not-polar-bears/



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