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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 12, 2014.

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 13:44:13
ARB Newsclips for February 12, 2014. 

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

CO2 Capture Could Raise Wholesale Energy Price 80 Percent.
Requiring the use of carbon capture and sequestration
technologies at coal-fired power plants could increase the
wholesale price of electricity between 70 percent and 80 percent,
an Energy Department official said. Julio Friedmann, deputy
assistant secretary for clean coal at the Energy
Department…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-02-12/co2-capture-could-raise-wholesale-energy-price-80-percent.html


S.Korea risking sky high carbon prices, worry for exports –
analysts. South Korea's refusal to revise estimates of future
greenhouse gas emissions could earn it the world's highest carbon
price, and have a potentially damaging impact on its
export-oriented industry, according to a report released by
Thomson Reuters Point Carbon. The country's environment ministry
last month decided to stick to previous projections on how much
carbon dioxide (CO2)…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/south-korea-carbon-idUSL3N0LG1AE20140212


Chevrolet buying carbon credits from U.S. colleges, universities.
Chevrolet is launching a new greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction
program that will see it buy carbon credits from colleges and
universities in the United States. According to the Detroit
automaker, Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., and Valencia
College in Orlando, Fla., are the first post-secondary
institutions to register for the program that will see Chevrolet
buy carbon credits…Posted.
http://www.canadianmanufacturing.com/cleantech/financing/chevrolet-buying-carbon-credits-from-u-s-colleges-universities-132536


Calif. ARB releases GHG scoping plan update; more ZEVs, “LEV IV”,
MD and HD regulations; ZEV for trucks; more LCFS.  The California
Air Resources Board released the draft proposed first update to
the AB 32 Scoping Plan, which guides development and
implementation of California’s greenhouse gas emission reduction
programs. The Air Resources Board is required to update the
Scoping Plan every five years.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/02/20140211-arb.html 

AIR POLLUTION

China to Fight Air Pollution With $1.65 Billion Fund.  China will
set up a 10 billion yuan ($1.65 billion) fund to reduce air
pollution in the country’s largest cities, according to a release
from a State Council meeting at which Premier Li Keqiang
presided.   Posted. 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-12/china-to-fight-air-pollution-with-1-65-billion-fund.html
  

Big Island power plant pollution permit rejected. The
Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the state's Clean Air
Branch to modify or reissue an air-pollution permit for a
proposed Big Island power plant that would generate electricity
from eucalyptus trees and other plant matter. EPA Administrator
Gina McCarthy ruled Friday the Clean Air Branch failed to take
into consideration pollutants that would be generated by the
startup…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Big-Island-power-plant-pollution-permit-rejected-5225185.php
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/feb/11/big-island-power-plant-pollution-permit-rejected/


CLIMATE CHANGE

White Roofs Could Offset Summer Warming by 2100.  Painting
building roofs white could cool some major cities baking in the
intensifying heat of a changing climate. How much benefits white
roofs could bring depend on the region of the country they’re
installed in and the season, new research shows. Keeping cities
cool in the summer is becoming increasingly important as more
people move to urban areas, which currently house over 80 percent
of the country’s population. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-12/white-roofs-could-offset-summer-warming-by-2100.html
 

Shrinking Stockton's footprint.  Patch up those leaks. Change
those light bulbs. Sort those recyclables. Stockton's draft
"climate action plan," published this month after more than five
years of deliberation, reads almost like a multimillion-dollar
honey-do list. In reality, it is a sweeping set of strategies to
reduce the impact of Stockton's future growth - strategies that
will require a "substantial effort" by the entire community
during a time of economic distress. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140212/A_NEWS/402120325
 

Olympians speak out on climate change as Sochi warms up. Climate
change has made its way to the Olympics. Athletes are banding
together to urge action, saying rising temperatures are putting
winter sports in jeopardy. More than 100 winter Olympians, led by
Americans, have signed a petition urging world leaders to fight
climate change as balmy weather creates slushy conditions at the
Sochi Games. Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/12/olympians-speak-out-climate-change/5395837/


These Maps Show Which Areas Of The Country Have The Biggest
Carbon Footprints. It's no secret that the U.S. is one of the
biggest carbon emitters around. Households in the U.S. alone are
responsible for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, even though they
account for just over 4% of the global population. But which
areas in the U.S. are contributing the most? These interactive
maps from the University of California, Berkeley show where the
U.S. has the biggest carbon footprint. Posted.
http://www.businessinsider.com/carbon-footprint-maps-2014-1#ixzz2t8B7G4Qm


California’s rate of CO2 cuts ‘need to be doubled’ after 2020.
California may have to cut greenhouse gas emissions twice as fast
as current levels after 2020, involving an expansion of the
sectors covered by targets and tougher caps on energy and
transportation, state regulators said on Monday. In an update of
an existing proposal to cut emissions to 80% below 1990 levels
2050, California’s Air Resources Board (Carb) said that more
sectors, such as buildings, waste management and agriculture,
would be required to make emissions cuts. Posted.
http://www.rtcc.org/2014/02/11/californias-rate-of-co2-cuts-needs-to-be-doubled-after-2020/#sthash.whMdtq4U.dpuf


Technology exchange may be key to U.S.-India climate talks.
Technical cooperation rather than political wrangling will move
the needle on energy and climate change between the United States
and India, a top Indian business leader said yesterday. The two
countries have moved further apart in recent years on a range of
energy issues in the political sphere, particularly the effort to
reduce emissions of the powerful greenhouse gases known as
hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059994461/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

Government Money Is No Answer to California Drought.  The drought
in California is one of the state's worst weather-related
disasters in decades, despite some recent rainstorms. The images
are dramatic: Folsom Lake in the north is so dry that receding
waters have revealed a Gold Rush ghost town. Farmland is bare and
parched, which will lead to increases in food prices nationwide.
Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-12/government-money-is-no-answer-to-california-drought.html


Battle Over California Drought Solution. California's drought is
becoming a hot issue on Capitol Hill, where bills from Senate
Democrats and House Republicans offer rival solutions on how to
best aid water-starved farmers. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303874504579377241109393218


Drought blocking passages to sea for California coho salmon. By
now, water would typically be ripping down Scott Creek, and
months ago it should have burst through a berm of sand to provide
fish passage between freshwater and the ocean. Instead, young
coho salmon from this redwood and oak-shaded watershed near Santa
Cruz last week were swirling around idly in a lagoon. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/12/6150275/drought-blocking-passages-to-sea.html#storylink=cpy


Sens. Feinstein, Boxer propose emergency drought legislation.
Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer proposed emergency
drought legislation Tuesday ahead of President Obama's planned
visit to Fresno, as Democrats scrambled to counter GOP charges
that trying to save rivers and fish during California's historic
drought is destroying the nation's chief source of fruits and
vegetables. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Sens-Feinstein-Boxer-propose-emergency-drought-5225957.php
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140212/A_NEWS/402120324&cid=sitesearch
 

DROUGHT: Water wholesaler ups efficiency rebates to $40 million. 
 The region’s main supplier of imported water doubled its
conservation rebate program to $40 million on Tuesday, Feb. 11,
to cover an expected surge in demand as consumers try to cut
water use in the face of severe drought. The Metropolitan Water
District board approved another $20 million through fiscal year
2014-2015 for incentives on such water-saving devices as rain
barrels and soil moisture sensors…Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140211-drought-water-wholesaler-ups-efficiency-rebates-to-40-million.ece


Senate drought bill offers $300 million, no waiving of
environmental laws. California's and Oregon's Democratic senators
offered a drought relief bill Tuesday that stands in stark
contrast to the Republican bill the House approved last week,
setting up a tough battle when lawmakers eventually try to merge
the two. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/portal/news/ci_25116907/senate-drought-bill-offers-300-million-no-waiving


Despite storm, Calif. still faces drought worries. A major winter
storm hit California and left several feet of new snow in the
high Sierras and drenched lower elevations with rain during the
weekend, which slightly mitigated the state's drought conditions,
officials said Monday. The storm doubled how much moisture was in
the snowpack of the Sierra Nevada range, an important measure of
how much the state has in surface water…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059994428/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

House Dems introduce companion bill to Senate effort. Democratic
House members late yesterday introduced a companion bill to a
Senate effort to deal with California's drought. Rep. Jim Costa's
(D-Calif.) "California Emergency Drought Relief Act" mirrors a
bill introduced yesterday by California and Oregon's senators
aimed at providing emergency funding and improving the
flexibility of water infrastructure in drought-stricken
California. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/2014/02/12/stories/1059994452 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Senators introduce bill to ease water crunch in parched Calif.
Senators from California and Oregon introduced legislation today
aimed at providing emergency funding and improving the
flexibility of water infrastructure in drought-stricken
California. The "California Emergency Drought Relief Act" would
direct federal agencies to manage water flows in the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to benefit the Central Valley
Project, the water supplier for millions of Californians. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2014/02/11/stories/1059994420 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

Investor group demands fossil fuel companies disclose carbon
asset risk. A group of investors with combined assets of over
$200 billion filed shareholder resolutions on Wednesday with ten
energy companies, including Exxon Mobil and Southern Co,
demanding they disclose their strategies for competing in a
lower-carbon future. Led by the New York State Comptroller's
office, which alone handles $160 billion in assets, the investors
focused on the companies' "carbon asset risk," …Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/usa-climate-disclosure-idUSL2N0LH0PB20140212


Republicans seek Keystone approval; foes vow to risk arrest.
Dozens of Republican senators on Tuesday called on the White
House to approve the Keystone XL pipeline as foes vowed to risk
arrest at protests against the controversial project. President
Barack Obama will have the final say on whether to allow the
pipeline that could deliver as much as 830,000 barrels per day of
Canadian oil sands crude to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners, a decision
not expected for many months. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/us-usa-keystone-idUSBREA1A23S20140212


Plan issued to replace nuclear power.  State utility regulators
recommended a major expansion to Southern California energy
supplies on Tuesday to compensate for the recent retirement of
the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Investor-owned
electrical utilities San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern
California Edison would each be authorized to contract
construction of new power plants and clean-energy
resources…Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/11/nuclear-replacement-plan-published/


EPA's diesel fracking rules are credibility test for companies
and regulators. The recommendations U.S. EPA issued yesterday for
hydraulic fracturing with diesel ingredients aren't likely to
slow drilling or even increase paperwork. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2014/02/12/stories/1059994434 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Toyota Issues Recall for Hybrids, Over Software Glitch.  Toyota
Motor issued a recall Wednesday of all of the 1.9 million
newest-generation Prius vehicles it has sold worldwide because of
a programming glitch that could cause their gas-electric hybrid
systems to shut down. Roughly half of the recalled Priuses are in
Japan, while 713,000 are in North America and 130,000 are in
Europe…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/business/international/toyota-issues-another-recall-for-hybrids-this-time-over-software-glitch.html


Car Emissions Hurt You More Than Electricity Generating: Here's
Why. As an electric car owner, you're probably used to the
accusatory look people give you when they inquire as to where
your electricity comes from. The answer they're looking for is
power stations, of course--before launching into a tirade about
plug-in vehicles being just as dirty as regular combustion
vehicles. Only they aren't. Even ignoring the fact that EV
efficiency means their carbon emission output is lower…Posted.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1090291_car-emissions-hurt-you-more-than-electricity-generating-heres-why


Audi blazes a trail in biofuel production. Like many automakers,
Audi is adopting a suite of technologies to make its products
less damaging to the climate. The German car company is making
more efficient turbocharged direct injection engines, designing
its cars to be more aerodynamic and adding hybrid and electric
vehicles to its lineup, among other things. But unlike most
automakers, Audi is also expanding an initiative to develop
biofuels. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059994460/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GREEN ENERGY

Power line opponents surge against wind energy transmission
project. Mike Ford shoved the rifle he carries for coyotes onto
the dashboard, and his old Dodge diesel truck took out rumbling
over frozen pasture to carry hay to cattle. It hadn't gone a
hundred feet before Ford started in on the people trying to - his
word - "steal" his land. Too strong? "To me it's not," he said,
the window down and temperature at minus 3. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/12/6150265/power-line-opponents-surge-against.html#storylink=cpy


Study challenges claims that wind power can change the weather.
Several studies in recent years concluded that wind farms may
alter weather patterns, sparking debate about the side effects of
renewable energy. Now, scientists report in a new study that
there is little cause for concern, at least on one continent.
While results from other locations may differ, the findings
conclude that an approximate doubling of wind power by the end of
the decade will have "limited impacts" on temperature and
precipitation in Europe. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059994441/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION

Green energy group sees 'kinks in the armor' of natural gas power
after Calif. Shortages. A grueling cold snap last week stretched
natural gas supplies in California, prompting the state's grid
operator to call on users to cut their electricity use.
Environmentalists have seized on the California Independent
System Operator's Feb. 6 "Flex Alert" as evidence that the state
should switch to renewable power sources…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059994462/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

OPINIONS

COLUMN-Blame Britain's floods on rainfall over Indonesia: Kemp
North America's bitter cold and Britain's intense storms and
flooding are due to heavy rain, caused by higher coastal
temperatures, in Indonesia and tropical western Pacific via
shifts in the jet stream, the UK Meteorological Office says.
("Recent storms and floods in the UK" Feb. 11). A "persistent
pattern of enhanced rainfall" - 50 percent higher than normal in
December and January…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/12/britain-flooding-climate-idUSL5N0LH2KW20140212


COLUMN-Better batteries are key to climate change: Kemp Finding a
better way to store electrical energy is the single biggest
breakthrough needed to tackle climate change. But the goal of
developing batteries that are lighter, as well as more compact,
powerful and affordable remains frustratingly elusive. Virtually
all usable energy on Earth originates from the sun: wind, solar,
wood, even fossil fuels. Oil, gas and coal are simply the
fossilized remains of organisms…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/11/climate-change-batteries-idUSL5N0LG30R20140211


Cut Carbon Pollution.  “E.P.A. Staff Struggling to Create
Pollution Rule” (news article, Feb. 5) highlights coal-state
concerns about a Natural Resources Defense Council plan for
cutting carbon pollution from the nation’s existing power plants,
the biggest source of the pollution driving dangerous climate
change. Our approach takes into account the different mix of
power generation sources in each state, allows each state broad
flexibility…Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/opinion/cut-carbon-pollution.html?_r=0


BLOGS

IHS says global production of EVs, PHEVs will skyrocket 67% this
year.  Electric vehicles are known for their brisk acceleration.
When it comes to projected EV production levels for 2014, there's
going to be some speeding up. According to research firm IHS
Automotive, global plug-in vehicle production will increase to
about 403,000 this year, up from 242,000 in 2013. That 67 percent
growth marks an acceleration rate even higher than the 44 percent
production growth rate the segment saw last year. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/02/12/ihs-global-production-evs-phevs-skyrocket-67-percent/


Exide sues AQMD regulators, not to block rule, it says, but to
ask for more time. Vernon-based Exide, the battery recycler whose
emissions have stirred public concerns about health impacts, has
filed a lawsuit in LA Superior Court to have a recently-passed
air quality rule scrubbed. Posted.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2014/02/11/15815/exide-sues-aqmd-regulators-not-to-block-rule-it-sa/





California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.

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