What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for November 8, 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

Quebec Companies Seen ‘Engaging’ in California Carbon Market.  
Companies regulated by Quebec’s carbon cap-and-trade program are
starting to eye California’s carbon market to hedge their
environmental costs as the two governments plan to link systems
on Jan. 1.  Quebec companies are starting “to engage the
marketplace” as they look to price carbon permits traded as part
of the Canadian province’s cap-and-trade system against those in
California’s market…Posted. 
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-11-07/quebec-companies-seen-engaging-in-california-carbon-market


AIR POLLUTION

First bird poop, now sea lion poop. After grappling with guano,
La Jolla Cove faces new odor problem. A month after the city of
San Diego cleared up foul-smelling bird droppings at La Jolla
Cove, locals have gotten wind of a new odor. This time, it’s from
sea lion poop. The animals have congregated at the cove in
increasing numbers since the city fenced off part of the bluffs,
residents and business owners said. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/07/environment-la-jolla-sea-lion-odor/all/?print


Bay Area company among DOE awards for carbon-capture projects.
The Energy Department said Thursday it has awarded $84 million to
18 projects across the country, including one in the Bay Area, to
help limit carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.
The projects focus on so-called carbon-capture technologies
intended to limit pollution blamed for global warming. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_24477548/bay-area-company-among-doe-awards-carbon-capture


Pollution district bans burning Friday.  If that cool, crisp
autumn air has you contemplating the fireplace, don’t light that
match.  Just more than a week into the “Check Before You Burn”
program, the San Joaquin Valley Pollution Control District issued
its first prohibition Friday.  Poor air quality prompted the
district to issue the curtailment in Stanislaus, San Joaquin and
Kings counties.  Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/08/3018171/pollution-district-bans-burning.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

Poland gives coal a voice during UN climate talks. With
coal-reliant Poland hosting U.N. climate talks, the fossil fuel
industry will get a rare chance to play a more visible role in
the global warming debate. But in a move that has infuriated
climate activists; the Polish government will also preside over a
high-level coal industry event on the sidelines of the two-week
climate conference, which starts Monday. "It's been seen as a
real provocation and a statement from the Polish government that
they have no intention to move away from coal," said Wendel Trio,
director of the Climate Action Network in Europe. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_POLAND_COAL_AND_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Heat waves in Eastern US will become deadlier, study says. Wu J,
Y Zhou, Y Gao, JS Fu, BA Johnson, C Huang, YM Kim, Yang Liu.
2013. Estimation and uncertainty analysis of impacts of future
heat waves on mortality in the Eastern United States. Heat waves
will kill about 10 times more people in the Eastern United States
in 45 years than they did at the turn of this century, according
to a new projection from researchers. The study builds on
previous research that predicts as climate change…Posted.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2013/11/heat-wave-mortality-in-eastern-us/


Does nuclear power have a place in a low-carbon future? Friends
and foes weigh in. The process used to generate electricity from
decaying nuclear fuel creates a laundry list of toxic and
radioactive byproducts along with plutonium, a man-made element
that can be used to make nuclear weapons. What you won't find on
that list, however, are substantial amounts of greenhouse gases,
including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990176/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

More than $8 million available to reduce emissions from small Bay
Area truck fleets.  Money is now available to help Bay Area truck
owners reduce emissions and meet upcoming state air quality
requirements, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has
announced.  Recent program changes prioritize funding for small
fleets of three or fewer trucks, provide for an extended
application period, and allow trucks with older engines to
participate. Grant applications must be submitted by Dec. 12 to
be considered for funding.  Posted. 
http://napavalleyregister.com/business/more-than-million-available-to-reduce-emissions-from-small-bay/article_75be439c-4832-11e3-b5cb-0019bb2963f4.html


VEHICLES

California's struggling 'hydrogen highway' plan gets new life --
and drivers will pay.  In what may be California's last chance to
build a "hydrogen highway" lined with thousands of high-tech
vehicles emitting nothing but water vapor from their tailpipes,
Gov. Jerry Brown has approved a plan to construct 100 hydrogen
fueling stations across the state by 2024.  However, it comes
with a catch. Motorists -- not oil companies -- will pay for it. 
Posted. 
http://www.mercurynews.com/science-environment/ci_24294103/new-life-californias-struggling-hydrogen-highway-plan


HIGH-SPEED RAIL

High-speed rail plans focus of hearings in Sacramento. Kings
County, where sentiments against high-speed rail plans run
strong, will be at the heart of action and arguments over the
state's proposed train system today and Friday in Sacramento. The
California High-Speed Rail Authority's board of directors meets
today to consider a staff recommendation for a preferred
high-speed train route between Fresno and Bakersfield. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/06/3015317/high-speed-rail-plans-focus-of.html#storylink=cpy


GREEN ENERGY

California Seen Beating Renewable Energy Generation Goal. Public
support for rooftop solar and investments by major companies will
push renewable energy generation beyond California’s targets by
2020, a Los Angeles energy lawyer said. Projects by Microsoft
Corp. and other companies are showing an appetite for wind and
solar power that will continue even if the federal government
doesn’t extend tax credits that expire at the end of the
year…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-08/california-seen-beating-renewable-energy-generation-goal.html
 

San Jose launches non-profit to run planned center to promote
'cleantech' inventions. San Jose plans to open a non-profit
center next summer for entrepreneurs and startups to bring in and
test prototypes of new innovations in clean technology, according
to a center spokesman. The San Jose Demonstration Center will be
open for potential inventors of practical ways to make buildings,
vehicles and energy systems more efficient…Posted. 
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24482324/san-jose-launches-non-profit-run-planned-center#


As green energy grows, Calif. agrees to share 'real time' power.
The California grid manager approved sharing electricity
resources yesterday in the immediate or "real time" market with
five Western states. The California Independent System Operator
(ISO) Board of Governors signed off on the design of the Energy
Imbalance Market, or EIM, which pools energy resources in parts
of Oregon, Washington, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Cal ISO, which
already operates in part of Nevada, also is looking at further
links with the Silver State. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990219/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

BLOGS

Bay Area commits to 80 percent greenhouse gas reduction. 
Air-quality officials in the oil-refinery-dotted and
highway-laced San Francisco Bay Area committed Wednesday to
substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the famously
progressive region.  Bay Area Air Quality Management District
leaders directed agency staff [PDF] to begin the work needed to
reduce emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Posted.
 http://grist.org/news/bay-area-commits-to-80-percent-greenhouse-gas-reduction/


Is protecting people’s health from climate change really that
controversial? Last week, the president created a “Task Force on
Climate Preparedness and Resilience.” Like the carbon pollution
standards for coal- and gas-fueled power plants under development
by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the task force is
another step in the rollout of the administration’s Climate
Action Plan, and like the EPA standards, it is a lightning rod
for controversy. Posted.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/189471-is-protecting-people%E2%80%99s-health-from-climate-change-really-that