What's New List Serve Post Display

What's New List Serve Post Display

Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 26, 2013.

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 14:25:10
ARB Newsclips for September 26, 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

Abbott May Lack Company Support for Killing Aussie Carbon Price.
Australia’s new prime minister can’t count on big polluters to
support his plan to stop charging for greenhouse-gas emissions,
according to the Carbon Market Institute.  While business groups
such as the Minerals Council of Australia have criticized the
carbon price as a “dead weight on the economy,” few individual
companies have spoken up for Tony Abbott’s plan to scrap what he
calls the carbon tax, said Peter Castellas…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-25/abbott-may-lack-company-support-for-killing-aussie-carbon-price.html


California Air Resources Board Issues First Compliance Offset
Credits. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has issued its
first batch of compliance carbon offset credits eligible for use
in the state's cap-and-trade program for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. Entities can purchase these credits to offset their
carbon emissions and meet their emission reduction obligation
that is required in California's cap-and-trade system. Posted.
http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9967§ion=news_articles&eod=1


AIR POLLUTION

EPA to hold hearings on Arizona Navajo coal plant emissions. U.S.
environmental regulators will hold public hearings in November on
proposals to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions at the giant Navajo
coal-fired plant in Arizona. The 2,250-megawatt Navajo plant is
located on the Navajo Nation, less than 20 miles (32 km) from the
Grand Canyon, near Page, Arizona and the Utah state line. In a
release Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said
the public can comment on plans to reduce emissions…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/utilities-saltriver-navajo-idUSL2N0HM0LW20130926
.

U.S. backs market scheme for aviation emissions from 2020. The
United States supports a proposed market-based system to curb
carbon emissions from the global aviation sector starting in
2020, but warned that concerns over measures to lower emissions
in the interim threaten to undercut the broadly-supported goal, a
U.S. official said. Negotiators from over 190 countries gathered
at the United Nations' International Civil Aviation
Organization's triennial assembly in Montreal will on Thursday to
go over the details from a proposal to curb reduce greenhouse
emissions…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/us-aviation-climate-idUSBRE98P0V320130926


Obama Appeals to Trout Fishermen on Power-Plant Pollution. The
Obama administration is trying to build support for a key element
of its climate-change plan with appeals to everyone from trout
fishermen to fans of Al Roker on the Weather Channel. The push to
promote the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to curb carbon
dioxide from power plants stands in contrast to the low-key
approach of President Barack Obama’s first term, when it
downplayed the hazards and trumpeted an “all of the above” energy
policy. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-25/obama-appeals-to-trout-fishermen-on-power-plant-pollution.html


California’s Success in Reducing PM 2.5 Pollution. California has
made remarkable progress in reducing fine particle pollution in
the nation’s most challenging nonattainment regions, the South
Coast Air Basin and the San Joaquin Valley.  This article
outlines the state’s success. Posted.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/2013/terry.pdf  **Please note**
This article appears in the September 2013 issue of EM Magazine,
a publication of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA;
www.awma.org). To obtain copies and reprints, please contact
A&WMA directly at 1-412-232-3444.


P-U! Mexico City tries to freshen its odor problem. For many, the
first experience of Mexico City is a sprawling airport and an
appalling stink. It wafts from the manholes and leaves the
morning air smelling fresh as a septic tank. On bad days, it hits
travelers as they step off airplanes and follows them through the
terminal. It can overpower a pleasant bike ride along the
cobblestone streets of the capital's downtown, or interrupt an
alfresco meal in the trendy Condesa neighborhood.  Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/25/5769266/p-u-mexico-city-tries-to-freshen.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/P-U-Mexico-City-tries-to-freshen-its-odor-problem-4844738.php
 

Air board re-evaluating its evaluation process.  The San Luis
Obispo County Air Pollution Control District on Wednesday began
the process of changing its rules to allow its entire board of
directors to participate in evaluating the performance of Air
Pollution Control Officer Larry Allen.  Currently, the evaluation
is conducted by a board subcommittee and then the whole board
approves it in a closed session meeting. Posted. 
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/09/25/2702730/air-board-re-evaluating-its-evaluation.html
 

Air Quality Watch issued for SM area.  The Santa Barbara County
Public Health Department and the county Air Pollution Control
District on Tuesday issued an Air Quality Watch for the Santa
Maria area.  Winds are forecast that may produce elevated
particle levels from time to time. This watch is only for the
Santa Maria area, and is in effect until the Friday morning. 
Posted. 
http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/air-quality-watch-issued-for-sm-area/article_bd5ddd5c-25af-11e3-82ea-001a4bcf887a.html


The battle over San Diego's Barrio Logan. Wedged between the port
and the freeway, the San Diego neighborhood of Barrio Logan is a
diverse mish-mash of homes, schools, and heavy industry. Its
largely Latino population is the result of Mexicans brought over
to work the docks during World War II. But the mix of industry
and homes has made the air in Barrio Logan dangerous to breathe;
residents are three times more likely to have asthma than in
other parts of the city. Posted.
http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/09/25/33888/the-battle-over-san-diego-s-barrio-logan/


The Cost of Cleaning China’s Filthy Air? About $817 Billion, One
Official Says. Authorities rush out pledges and promises as
another choking winter looms. China will need to spend nearly 5
trillion yuan, or $817 billion, to fight air pollution, according
to Fang Li, spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of
Environmental Protection. Fang’s startling estimate came on Sept.
23 as he released the Chinese capital’s antipollution blueprint,
which promises significant improvements in air quality by 2017.
Posted.
http://world.time.com/2013/09/25/the-cost-of-cleaning-chinas-filthy-air-about-817-billion-one-official-says/#ixzz2fx50ENaZ


States brace for EPA's emissions rule on existing power plants.
John Lyons is in for a rough road ahead. Lyons, the assistant
secretary for climate policy for Kentucky, must assess how a
state that gets 97 percent of its electricity from coal will
comply with EPA's upcoming rule to control carbon emissions from
existing power plants. "I've got a big job on my hands," said
Lyons, who only recently added "climate" to his title of air
regulator, at an event yesterday hosted by the Bipartisan Policy
Center. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987888/ print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 

Questions arise on Tier 3 timing as automakers cite rule delay.
Questions are rising about when U.S. EPA will release a final
rule slashing the amount of sulfur in gasoline, as two key
automaker groups say the agency has told them the rule will be
delayed until February. The Tier 3 standards -- proposed in March
-- were expected to be finalized before the end of the year,
meaning they would apply to cars in model year 2017. Green groups
say that in recent conversations with EPA, they've been told that
the rule will be set this year as scheduled. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987924/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change stars fade, even if risks rise. Compared to the
heady days in 2007 when U.S. climate campaigner Al Gore and the
U.N.'s panel of climate scientists shared the Nobel Peace Prize,
the risks of global warming may be greater but the stars
preaching the message have faded. With many governments focused
on tackling short-term economic growth, the shift reinforces what
former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has sometimes called a
"shocking lack of leadership" in confronting long-term global
warming. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/us-climate-ipcc-leaders-idUSBRE98P0H820130926


Business looks to UN report for clarity on climate risks.
Companies increasingly factor extreme weather into their
strategic planning and a report from the United Nations due on
Friday is expected to underscore the heightened risks they face.
Extreme temperatures, droughts, and sea level rises will all get
worse unless governments make sharp cuts to greenhouse gas
emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
summary report is expected to conclude. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/climate-ipcc-business-idUSL5N0HF31U20130926


Report ponders: How sensitive is climate to CO2? Scientists are
more confident than ever that pumping carbon dioxide into the air
by burning fossil fuels is warming the planet. The question is,
by how much? It's something that officials and scientists meeting
in Stockholm will try to pin down as precisely possible Friday in
a seminal report on global warming. The values adopted by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are important because
they could affect how hard governments try to rein in CO2
emissions …Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5770897/report-ponders-how-sensitive-is.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Report-ponders-How-sensitive-is-climate-to-CO2-4846126.php


10 things to know about the IPCC climate panel. Here are 10
things to know about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, the U.N.-sponsored scientific group that will present a
landmark report on global warming Friday. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5770601/10-things-to-know-about-the-ipcc.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/10-things-to-know-about-the-IPCC-climate-panel-4845940.php


UN: Better livestock handling curbs greenhouse gas. A U.N. report
says improved livestock breeding and feeding practices could trim
greenhouse gas emissions in the industry by up to 30 percent.
Livestock emissions account for 14.5 percent of all man-made
heat-trapping gasses. Of that, cattle production for milk and
meat is the worst offender, representing 65 percent of all
livestock emissions. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5769891/un-better-livestock-handling-curbs.html#storylink=cpy


Climate forecast to be unveiled.  The world’s most extensive
report on climate change will be released starting Friday, with
its authors expected to highlight aspects of global warming that
have accelerated — such as ice melt and warming of the deep
oceans — along with elements that have defied projections.
Perhaps the most notable challenge for the scientists is the fact
that Earth’s average surface temperature hasn’t risen in more
than 15 years, defying predictions made in the last report.
Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/25/environment-ipcc-climate-scripps/
 

FUELS

Fight Over Energy Finds a New Front in a Corner of Idaho.  In
this remote corner of the Northwest, most people think of gas as
something coming from a pump, not a well. But when it comes to
energy, remote isn’t what it used to be. The Nez Perce Indians,
who have called these empty spaces and rushing rivers home for
thousands of years, were drawn into the national brawl over the
future of energy last month when they tried to stop a giant load
of oil-processing equipment from coming through their lands.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/us/fight-over-energy-finds-a-new-front-in-a-corner-of-idaho.html?pagewanted=al


Californians wary of fracking, poll says. Californians want
stricter regulation of hydraulic fracturing, the controversial
method of oil and natural gas extraction, according to a new poll
from the Public Policy Institute of California. In addition, a
majority of likely voters surveyed opposed the increased use of
fracking, which involves injecting water and chemicals into the
ground to remove the resources locked underneath. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-california-fracking-regulations-20130925,0,7679192.story


Public backs Keystone pipeline, power-plant emissions curbs, poll
says. In the debate over energy and climate change, the public
continues to give support to both sides, according to a new poll.
By more than a 2-1 margin, respondents in a new Pew Research
Center poll said they favor building the Keystone XL pipeline,
which would carry oil from tar sands deposits under Canada’s
western prairies through the Midwest to refineries in Texas.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-keystone-pipeline-power-plants-poll-20130926,0,5472282.story


Shell Oil's Arctic drilling operations in limbo. Six months after
federal officials chastised Shell Oil for its faulty offshore
drilling operations in the Arctic, the company has yet to explain
what safeguards it has put in place or when it plans to resume
exploring for oil in the vulnerable region. Shell's 2012 return
to offshore Arctic exploration after a generation away was marred
by high-profile problems, including hefty fines for polluting the
air and a drilling rig that escaped its moorings. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5769930/shell-oils-arctic-drilling-operations.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-arctic-drilling-20130926,0,4034450.story


NY proposes rules for natural gas fueling, storage. The state
Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed regulations
for new liquefied natural gas storage facilities and truck
fueling stations. Commissioner Joe Martens says Thursday that
lower emissions from burning natural gas as a fuel "will provide
significant benefits to the environment and public health" and
will create jobs. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/NY-proposes-rules-for-natural-gas-fueling-storage-4846139.php


Bay Area culinary professionals join effort to stop fracking in
California. Some of the top culinary minds in San Francisco and
the Bay Area have joined a statewide campaign against fracking in
the name of protecting California's food and wine. On Wednesday,
chefs Alice Waters and Jerome Waag of the famed Berkeley haunt
Chez Panisse kicked off a petition drive to urge food
professionals to join them in opposing hydraulic fracturing,
citing its negative impact on agriculture. Posted.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/bay-area-culinary-professionals-join-effort-to-stop-fracking-in-california/Content?oid=2589617


Utilities burn more coal as natural gas prices edge up. Higher
natural gas prices during the first half of 2013 prompted
electric utilities to curtail their use of gas-fired generators
by 14 percent, according to findings published yesterday by the
Department of Energy. Much of that lost gas generation was made
up with coal, which has witnessed a modest recovery since late
2011 and early 2012, when record-low gas prices prompted many
utilities to ramp down their coal-fired boilers in favor of
gas... Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987864/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Six Bills That Would Ensure California's Electric Car Future.  As
PluginCars.com covered recently in this space, California is
likely to remain the U.S. leader in electric cars for years to
come. The state’s zero emission regulations call for 1.4 million
electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen powered cars on the road by
2025.  Although the early accomplishments are impressive, there’s
always been a gap between the California Air Resources Board’s
tough regulations and consumer willingness to actually buy the
cars. Posted. 
http://www.plugincars.com/six-bills-would-ensure-californias-ev-future-128410.html
 

Get your electric motor runnin'.  Ventura County is revving up —
rather, charging up — for its first annual National Plug In Day
event at Oxnard’s Collection this Saturday. Dealers, speakers and
hobbyists from around the county will join in celebrating all
things electric and hybrid as part of the national celebration
with an electric vehicle showcase.  Posted. 
http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/get_your_electric_motor_runnin/11274/
  

Alliance Urges 'Roaming' Standards For Electric-Car Charging
Payments.  Electric car charging stations are cropping up in many
public places, but accessing them can be difficult.  That's
because most charging stations are operated by proprietary
networks, which often require drivers to set up an account
beforehand, and validate each charging session with a card or
other proof of membership.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1087184_alliance-urges-roaming-standards-for-electric-car-charging-payments


GREEN ENERGY

North Texans learning to live off the grid. Outside Mike Renner's
two-story home in Azle, Texas, a sleek white turbine whirs in the
wind.  The 10,000-watt wind turbine sits atop a 100-foot tower
Renner built himself. Solar panels cover his roof, producing
8,000 watts of power.  In the sticky months of August and
September, Renner's thermostat never budges higher than 72
degrees. Yet he pays only $15 a month for electricity, a utility
service charge, which he uses only as a backup plan. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5770058/north-texans-learning-to-live.html#storylink=cpy


Experts see multiple uses for big batteries on the nation's
electric grid. It may be years before battery storage is widely
integrated into the U.S. electrical grid, but that's no reason
not to find productive uses for technologies available today,
according to a panel of experts and regulators. "Vendors are
going to provide the technology solutions. Our job is to figure
out how to integrate them into the grid," said Zach Kuznar,
senior project manager with Duke Energy's Emerging Technology
Office…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987876/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

California to review toxic substances in consumer products.
California regulators will unveil a sweeping program for
reformulating items with toxic chemicals. Hundreds of items found
on supermarket shelves, such as shampoos, cleaning supplies,
cosmetics and food packaging, could get chemical makeovers under
new rules being put in force by California. On Thursday, state
toxic chemical regulators will unveil what they say is the
nation's most comprehensive program for identifying and
reformulating common consumer products containing hazardous
chemicals. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chemical-safety-regs-20130926,0,3752911.story

 
OPINIONS

Climate Change Has Reached Our Shores.  As the world barrels
toward a climate crisis of its own making, my country stands at
the precipice. In the Marshall Islands, like elsewhere in the
Pacific, climate change is no longer a distant threat, nor at the
doorstep. Climate change is here. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/climate-change-has-reached-our-shores.html?_r=0


LETTER: We can have jobs, clean air.  Economist John Husing has
mischaracterized the South Coast Air Quality Management
District’s (SCAQMD) position on warehouses and logistics centers
(“Quit killing jobs in bid for more pristine air,” Sept. 20). The
agency supports the goals of job creation and a strong economy.
SCAQMD staff has never opposed a logistics center in the Inland
Empire. The agency does recommend sensible steps that warehouse
developers can take to be mindful of public health. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-headlines/20130926-letter-we-can-have-jobs-clean-air.ece
BY SUBSCRIPTION 

How Much Would You Pay For A Car That Captures Its Own Carbon
Emissions? Ask a silly question, get a silly answer. How much
more would you be willing to pay for a car that could capture and
store its own carbon dioxide emissions rather than belching them
into the air? The answer can be found in a new paper by Michael
Sivak, a professor at the University of Michigan and director of
“Sustainable Worldwide Transportation” at the school’s
Transportation Research Institute. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2013/09/23/how-much-would-you-pay-for-a-car-that-captures-its-own-carbon-emissions/


BLOGS

How China’s Positionining Itself as the Global Energy-Technology
Leader. KATE GORDON: China is a bit of an energy conundrum. On
the one hand, it’s the world’s biggest carbon emitter (before you
get too smug about that, remember that we’re #2), and it’s beset
by some of the worst air pollution on the globe. On the other,
Forbes calls the country the “epicenter of clean energy
investments” pointing to the $65 billion China attracted in this
sector in 2012. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2013/09/26/how-chinas-positionining-itself-as-the-global-energy-technology-leader/?KEYWORDS=energy


The Cost of Climate Change.  How much will climate change cost?
Later this week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
will issue its fourth report, aggregating what the latest science
tells us about how man-made greenhouse-gas emissions are warming
the environment. It is likely to present a dire picture. Posted.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/the-cost-of-climate-change/
 

UC RIVERSIDE: Transportation consortium to prepare for climate
change.  UC Riverside and five other universities will
participate in a two-year, $11.2 million research consortium to
help prepare the U.S. Department of Transportation for extreme
weather and climate change. The new National Center for
Sustainable Transportation will help the federal agency reduce
greenhouse gas emissions from passenger and freight
Travel…Posted.
http://blog.pe.com/air-quality/2013/09/25/uc-riverside-transportation-consortium-to-prepare-for-climate-change/
  BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

California truckers not happy with state emission rules.  The
California dream is becoming a bit more of a nightmare, at least
according to some truckers there. With the California Air
Resources Board (CARB) mandating that older trucks be equipped
with a special diesel soot filter in order to reduce pollution,
trucking advocates are arguing that the device is not only
cost-prohibitive but dangerous as well, says Forbes. 	Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/26/california-truckers-not-happy-with-state-emission-rules/


China’s plan to clean up air pollution could be a climate
disaster.  In recent years, there's been a fair bit of optimism
on the topic of China and global warming. Yes, China is the
world's largest emitter of carbon-dioxide. But the country has
also pledged to curtail its coal use in an attempt to wrestle
down its air pollution. So China should get greener as its
citizens demand cleaner air, right?  Not necessarily. Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/26/chinas-efforts-to-clean-up-air-pollution-could-be-a-climate-disaster/
 

Cow farts still stink up the climate — but relief is possible. 
The latest official estimate of the extraordinary role that
livestock-rearing plays in global warming comes with a glimmer of
hope: Switching over to established best practices could slash
the sector’s emissions by a third.  The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations caused an international stir
when it estimated in 2006 that livestock contributed 18 percent
of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/news/cow-farts-still-stink-up-the-climate-but-relief-is-possible/


ARB What's New

preload