What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for November 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Study: US spewing 50% more methane than EPA says.  The United
States is spewing 50 percent more methane - a potent
heat-trapping gas - than the federal government estimates, a new
comprehensive scientific study says. Much of it is coming from
just three states: Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.  That means
methane may be a bigger global warming issue than thought,
scientists say. Methane is 21 times more potent at trapping heat
than carbon dioxide, the most abundant global warming gas,
although it doesn't stay in the air as long.  Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_MORE_METHANE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Related articles:
http://www.sciencecodex.com/studies_find_methane_emissions_in_california_and_us_15_times_greater_than_expected-123731

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Study-US-spewing-50-more-methane-than-EPA-says-5010487.php


Spare the Air alert called for Tuesday.  Wood fires are banned in
Bay Area fireplaces and stoves Tuesday because a Spare the Air
alert has been issued for a second day in a row.  The Bay Area
Air Quality Management District said a pattern of cold, stagnant
air is trapping smoke and fine particles near the ground, causing
predictions of unhealthy air.  Another no-burn alert may be
issued for Wednesday as well.  During alerts, it's illegal for
Bay Area residents and businesses to burn in their fireplaces,
wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other
wood-burning devices. An exemption is made for homes without
permanently installed heating in areas where wood stoves or
fireplaces are the only source of heat.  Posted. 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_24598894/spare-air-alert-called-tuesday?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_24598894/spare-air-alert-called-tuesday?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24598894/spare-air-alert-called-tuesday?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com


Season’s first Spare the Air Alert issued for Monday; wood fires
banned.  The first Spare the Air alert of the winter season for
Napa and eight other counties has been issued for Monday by the
Bay Area Air Quality Management District.  A cold weather pattern
and lack of wind has allowed air pollution to rise to a level
that is considered unhealthy, according to the air quality
district.  The alert bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire
logs or other solid fuel, both inside and outdoors, for 24 hours.
Homes without permanently installed heating systems are exempt. 
Posted. 
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/season-s-first-spare-the-air-alert-issued-for-monday/article_13ebb9e6-5562-11e3-b236-001a4bcf887a.html


Voluntary restriction this morning on wood burning in the Truckee
Meadows.  Air pollution in the Truckee Meadows is moderate and
the Washoe District Health Department asks people to do voluntary
restriction on wood burning.  This morning's wood burning code is
yellow due to elevated levels of fine particulates, the health
department reports.  People with health concerns should consider
reducing prolonged or health exertion, the health department
said.  Posted. 
http://www.rgj.com/article/20131126/NEWS/131126006/Voluntary-restriction-morning-wood-burning-Truckee-Meadows?nclick_check=1


Low-cost sensors gather air pollution data.  Epidemiologists'
understanding of the relationship between exposure to airborne
pollutants and a range of health conditions, such as
cardiovascular disease and asthma, has grown increasingly precise
in recent years.  What's less well known is precisely where the
air is most polluted.  Toronto, for example, has only four
air-quality measurement stations providing real-time data, even
though research shows that the concentration of pollutants such
as nitric oxides, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide
can vary by orders of magnitude within an area spanning just a
few city blocks.  Posted. 
http://phys.org/news/2013-11-low-cost-sensors-air-pollution.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

EU climate chief says UN talks hinge on 2015 deal.  After another
U.N. climate conference gave only modest results, European
Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says the process needs to
provide a "substantial answer" to global warming in two years to
remain relevant.  Even if it succeeds, it's worth reconsidering
whether the international confabs need to be held every year, and
whether the scope of each session should be narrower, Hedegaard
told The Associated Press on Sunday.  Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_CHANGE_?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Rio de Janeiro mayor to lead cities climate group.  Rio de
Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes (payz) will succeed New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg as head of the C40 Cities Climate
Leadership Group.  Bloomberg made the announcement Tuesday at New
York City Hall. The group is a network of the world's megacities
aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MAYORS_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Related articles:
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP58e17d047b7843f2a80639370fe67334.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change

DIESEL EMISSSION

CARB delaying retrofit deadline, sued over alleged DPF
misleading.  The California Air Resources Board is delaying the
particulate matter filter retrofit enforcement deadline to July 1
for truck owners who report by Jan. 31 they made a efforts toward
trying to comply with the retrofit law.  CARB released Nov. 13 an
advisory that said it would recognize truck owners’ “good faith”
actions toward compliance by Jan. 1, the deadline for
retrofitting a particulate matter filter. The state says it will
delay enforcement through July 1 for those who’ve mad efforts and
then reported the efforts by Jan. 31 to CARB’s Truck Regulations
Upload and Compliance Reporting System.  Posted. 
http://www.ccjdigital.com/carb-delaying-retrofit-deadline-sued-over-alleged-dpf-misleading/


FUELS

GM and U.S. Army expand fuel-cell collaboration.  Expanding on a
demonstration project in Hawaii, General Motors Co. and the U.S.
Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center
(TARDEC) will again collaborate on fuel-cell technology under a
new cooperative research and development agreement. The new
collaboration will focus on the testing of new hydrogen fuel-cell
materials and designs to evaluate their performance and
durability before assembling them into full-scale fuel-cell
propulsion systems.  Posted.  http://articles.sae.org/12508/ 

BLOGS

New Study Finds U.S. Has Greatly Underestimated Methane
Emissions.  A comprehensive new study of atmospheric levels of
methane, an important greenhouse gas released by leaky oil and
gas operations and livestock, has found much higher levels over
the United States than those estimated by the Environmental
Protection Agency and an international greenhouse gas monitoring
effort. The paper, “Anthropogenic emissions of methane in the
United States,” is being published in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences.  The study, combining ground and
aerial sampling of the gas with computer modeling, is the most
comprehensive “top down” look so far at methane levels over the
United States, providing a vital check on “bottom up” approaches,
which have tallied estimates for releases from a host of sources
— ranging from livestock operations to gas wells.  Posted. 
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/new-study-finds-u-s-has-underestimated-methane-levels-in-the-atmosphere/?_r=0


23 Stories That Show Solar Power Can Be Successful Anywhere in
L.A.  The stereotype of affluent California rooftop solar owners
persists enough that it's being used effectively in anti-solar
campaigns. And there certainly are a lot of wealthy Californian
individuals and businesses taking advantage of solar. But though
there's certainly room for improvement in the way we make rooftop
solar's benefits available to people without a lot of cash to
throw around, the field isn't just limited to the rich -- even in
stylish Los Angeles.  That's according to "Solar in the
Spotlight: Stories of Angelenos Investing in a Clean Energy
Future" -- a report released today by Environment California
offering 23 human-interest-style case studies of solar
installations throughout Los Angeles and environs. The stories
range from modest homes, to local businesses and community
churches, to the titans of L.A.'s flagship industry.  Posted. 
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/new-report-details-las-diverse-rooftop-solar-scene.html


EPA Faces Challenges To Air Pollution Authority In Supreme Court
Cases.  The U.S. government's authority to regulate air pollution
nationwide, often against the wishes of Republican-leaning
states, could face new curbs when the U.S. Supreme Court takes on
two high-stakes cases in coming months.  The cases focus on the
broad-ranging power wielded by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) under the landmark Clean Air Act, first enacted in
1970.  The law was envisioned as a cooperative effort between the
federal government and states in which the EPA sets standards but
states have to set plans to comply.  Posted. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/24/epa-air-pollution-supreme-court_n_4333602.html