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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 3, 2014.
Posted: 03 Apr 2014 14:35:34
ARB Newsclips for April 3, 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 Hubei Province Starts China’s Second-Biggest Carbon Exchange. China’s central province of Hubei began trading permits on the nation’s second-largest emission exchange at some of the country’s lowest prices. The province sold 510,000 metric tons of carbon allowances at 21 yuan ($3.4) each on the first day of trading on the China Hubei Emission Exchange, according to an e-mailed statement today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-04-02/hubei-province-starts-china-s-second-biggest-carbon-exchange.html AIR POLLUTION Pollution and Dust in Britain Bring Health Warnings. A combination of air pollution and dust from the Sahara on Wednesday prompted British authorities to issue a smog alert and a health warning for the elderly and for people with heart or lung problems. High levels of air pollution were reported in several parts of England, with the worst conditions in the eastern part of the country, where light easterly winds trapped domestic pollution…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/world/europe/britain-pollution.html?_r=0 Residents wheeze as England hit by 2nd day of smog. Schools have closed their playgrounds and ambulance staff are reporting a surge in breathing problems as smog blankets parts of England for a second day. Environmentalists criticized Prime Minister David Cameron after he said the haze — a mix of local pollution, European emissions and Sahara sand — was "a naturally occurring weather phenomenon. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/03/3273635/residents-wheeze-as-england-hit.html#storylink=cpy Americans used more energy, and polluted more, in 2013. Americans used more energy from all sources -- renewable, fossil and nuclear -- in 2013, and also polluted the air with more carbon dioxide, the first increase in CO2 emissions since 2010. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said Americans used 2.3 quadrillion thermal units, or "quads," more energy in 2013 than in 2012. And American's carbon dioxide emissions went up to 5.39 billion metric tons. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2014/04/02/americans-used-more-energy-and-polluted-more-2013.html State wants firm to reduce toxic emissions. Southern California regulators want an Orange County metal finishing firm to move more quickly to reduce toxic and potentially cancer-causing emissions. The South Coast Air Quality Management District said Tuesday it would seek an order from its hearing board requiring Hixson Metal Finishing to install pollution controls on an expedited schedule. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/apr/02/state-wants-firm-to-reduce-toxic-emissions/#ixzz2xq7G8RYN Competition aims to build a better methane detector. A competition to develop sensors that can detect methane leaks from the oil and gas industry has been announced by the Environmental Defense Fund and five energy industry partners. The goal of the competition, called the Methane Detectors Challenge, is to lower the cost of detecting leaks of the potent greenhouse gas enough to deploy the technology deployed throughout the oil and gas industry. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059997260/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EPA air chief touts progress on rule writing, efforts to clear 'backlogged' state plans. A variety of rules to protect public health by cutting air pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter are steadily grinding through the cogs of the federal government. That was the message today from Janet McCabe, the acting assistant administrator for U.S. EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, at a meeting of the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee here. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059997289/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Bay Area Air Quality Management District adopts plan to control greenhouse gases. It has fought to rein in smog and smoke for years, but now the Bay Area's air pollution board is tackling a new challenge: reducing greenhouse gases. A plan to speed up work on reducing global warming gases from the region's businesses, industries and residents was adopted Wednesday by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_25479280/bay-area-air-quality-management-district-adopts-plan-to-control-greenhouse-gases http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_25479280/bay-area-air-quality-management-district-adopts-plan-to-control-greenhouse-gases Arctic warming theory so 'cutting edge,' it's hard to prove. Last September, a group of scientists gathered to review the evidence on a new hypothesis: that the rapid warming of the Arctic was causing the jet stream to meander, leading weather systems to become "stuck" in places farther south, like over the United States and Europe. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059997255/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Documentary series seeks to bring warming into America's living rooms. Washington, D.C., environmentalists got a sneak peak last night of the documentary series they hope will finally bring the realities of climate change home for average Americans. The Center for American Progress hosted the viewing of the first episode of "Years of Living Dangerously" at a downtown cinema ahead of its Sunday, April 13, premiere on Showtime. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059997290/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DROUGHT Meager snowpack bad news for drought-plagued Calif. Drought-weary California got more bad news Tuesday. Though late-season storms slightly boosted the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, it's still far below normal as the spring melt fast approaches. "This is dismal news for farms and cities that normally depend on the snowpack – often called California's largest reservoir – for a third of their water”…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/04/01/california-sierra-snow-survey-drought/7169631/ FUELS DSM to Make Biofuel by July as EPA Considers Mandate Cut. Royal DSM NV (DSM), the world’s largest vitamin manufacturer, expects to begin producing cellulosic ethanol in the U.S. by July as the government considers reducing the amount of renewable fuel that oil companies will be required to buy. The $250 million plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa, is a joint venture with ethanol maker Poet LLC and will produce about 12 million gallons (45 million liters) this year…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-04-02/dsm-to-make-biofuel-by-july-as-epa-considers-mandate-cut.html Clean fuel's the story at the L.A. Auto Show. Automakers said Wednesday that in the next few years they will put more vehicles on American roads that burn less gasoline, or don't use it at all. At the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, General Motors pledged it would make plug-in hybrids, ultra-efficient gas-electric cars that can be filled at gas stations or charged at home. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/Business/ci_4748833/Clean-fuels-the-story-at-the http://www.insidebayarea.com/Business/ci_4748833/Clean-fuels-the-story-at-the Partners launch $51M hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and infrastructure project in Europe. Automakers, hydrogen fuel suppliers, the Mayor of London’s Office and energy consultancies launched the £31-million (US$51-million) European HyFive project at City Hall in London. Five different manufacturers will deploy a total of 110 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at several European locations (Bolzano, Copenhagen, Innsbruck, London, Munich, Stuttgart) and develop new clusters of hydrogen refueling stations. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/04/20140403-hyfive.html Clean Energy Fuels Expanding Natural Gas Fueling Operations. Clean Energy Fuels continues to grow its natural-gas fueling network, with expansions in Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, and more fleets signing on to fuel at the nationwide network. It has begun fueling at its Amarillo, Texas, and Oklahoma City facilities to serve UPS' growing heavy-duty liquefied natural gas truck fleet. UPS has deployed six heavy-duty LNG trucks that are fueling at Clean Energy's newly-opened Oklahoma City station. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fuel-smarts/news/story/2014/04/clean-energy-fuels-expanding-natural-gas-fueling-operations.aspx U.N. report explores bioenergy's potential for pulling CO2 out of the air. Pushing the needle back on billowing carbon dioxide emissions may be necessary to avoid catastrophic warming. But for those who are squeamish about drastically engineering the climate by seeding algae blooms or spraying aerosols to form clouds, scientists are exploring the concept of negative emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059997251/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Calif. proposes shrinking EV rebates, making priciest cars ineligible. Rebates available for purchases of electric vehicles in California could shrink next year for many cars and disappear for the priciest models under a proposal up for discussion today. Aides to the state's Air Resources Board are recommending reducing amounts available under the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) to $2,000 from $2,500 for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and to $1,000 from $1,500 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059997285/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DOE jump-starts sluggish clean vehicle manufacturing program. The Department of Energy announced plans yesterday to revive its languishing loan program dedicated to supporting the development of fuel-efficient vehicles. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz acknowledged that the automotive industry had raised concerns about the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program, particularly over the last six months. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059997256/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Apple, Facebook, Google Web data centers getting greener: report. Apple Inc., Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. have made significant progress in adopting renewable energy sources to power their Web services, the environmental group Greenpeace said in a report on Wednesday. But energy-hungry data centers operated by some of the Internet industry's top companies remain overly reliant on carbon-emitting coal and gas, the report said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/02/us-datacenters-greenpeace-idUSBREA3117F20140402 Robots find a job in the emerging world of solar energy. Every night once the sun sets on a solar field in south Israel, robots go to work cleaning panels. They awaken at the same time each evening and work without human intervention. For the emerging solar power industry, keeping panels clean is incredibly important and will be a significant business. Research has found a solar panel can lose 40 percent of its ability to collect energy if covered in dust. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/04/03/robots-find-a-job-in-the-emerging-world-of-solar-energy/ BLOGS Teaching About Climate Change With The New York Times. This week, an intergovernmental panel of scientists reported that climate change is already having sweeping effects on every continent and throughout the world’s oceans — and that the problem is likely to grow substantially worse unless greenhouse emissions are brought under control. Over the years on The Learning Network, we’ve published scores of lesson plans and other resources related to the topic of climate change, and in 2010 we collected them all on one page. Posted. http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/teaching-about-climate-change-with-the-new-york-times/?_php=true&_type=blogs&action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry461%23%2Fair%2Bpollution%2F24hours%2F&_r=0 Why US roads aren't smothered in BYD electric vehicles. Remember back in 2008 when BYD (Build Your Dreams) first displayed its fuel saving hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show and later announced plans to begin selling in the US in 2010? A quick glance at any street in the country will provide ample evidence that the Chinese automaker has failed to smother our roadways with low-cost electric and hybrid vehicles. Ditto its buses. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/03/why-us-roads-arent-smothered-in-byd-electric-vehicles/ Obama Doesn't Pass Gas: New Methane Regulations. The role of methane in global climate change is important but often overlooked. Possibly this is because methane burning emits less CO2 than coal and oil, and many environmentalists consider fuel-switching to lower GHG emissions, rather than eliminate them with renewables, morally unacceptable. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2014/04/03/obama-doesnt-pass-gas-new-methane-regulations/ Climate Change Threatens Economic Growth - UN Report. How Should Investors React? The latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) could not be clearer – climate change is a threat to economic growth. The report’s thousands of pages are not an easy read in any sense. Thoroughness is favoured over accessibility, which is unsurprising given that the amount of scientific evidence on the impacts of climate change…Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2014/04/03/climate-change-threatens-economic-growth-un-report-how-should-investors-react/ PG&E Ratepayers Will See $30-40 Climate Credit on April Bill. Next month you should see a $30-40 credit on your PG&E bill — thanks to California’s new greenhouse gas regulations. Under the cap-and-trade program, the state’s biggest power companies will be paying $750 million in credits on consumers’ April and October bills. The April rebate is the first climate credit being handed down to users as part of the state’s new cap-and-trade program. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/04/02/pge-climate-credit One Third Of Planet May See Drier Conditions Because Of Warming Temperatures. Warming temperatures, scientists say, can tip places into drought conditions by increasing evaporation and sapping soil of its moisture. A new study suggests up to a third of the Earth's land area could be subject to drier conditions because of warmer temperatures, not just changing precipitation patterns, by the end of the century. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/03/drier-conditions-warming-temperatures_n_5083506.html Recent Reports Show Need for Congress to Act on Climate Change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations task force, released a report last week that was seven years in the making. The report drew upon unequivocal evidence of substantial climate related impacts that are extremely likely to be perpetuated by human activity. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-mark-pocan/recent-reports-show-need_b_5083591.html?view=print&comm_ref=false A Tale of Two Air Quality Programs: China vs. the U.S. Air quality benefits can come in baby steps or huge leaps. Anywhere you go, air pollution is big business. Big business in its production a la factories, power plants and automobiles. Big business in the expenditures on ameliorating controls and prevention measures. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/a-tale-of-two-air-quality_b_5079589.html Biking the Iditarod? Climate change makes for faster times. It takes a special kind of person to want to bike 1,000 miles through the dead of winter in Alaska (being hard as nails, or Iceman, helps). But if you’re going to do it, at least now you’ll get a little boost from global warming. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/biking-the-iditarod-climate-change-makes-for-faster-times/ Advocates Push for Bike/Ped Funding From CA’s Cap-and-Trade Funds. A coalition of bike and pedestrian advocates are inviting organizations to sign on to a letter [PDF] asking the state legislature to recommend allocating $50 million of the state’s cap-and-trade revenue towards the Active Transportation Program. Currently, none of the $850 million in cap-and-trade funds are allocated specifically for walking and bicycling in this year’s budget. Posted. http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/04/02/active-transportation-advocates-ask-for-cap-and-trade-funds/ Harnessing Innovation to Cut Methane Emissions. I believe that Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is at its best when we are leveraging the power of market leaders to drive innovation and solve environmental challenges. Over the years we have worked with McDonalds, Walmart, FedEx, KKR and many others to kick start market transformations in sectors including fast food, shipping, retail, private equity and commercial building energy efficiency. Posted. http://blogs.edf.org/innovation/2014/04/03/harnessing-innovation-to-cut-methane-emissions/#sthash.cWpUFzkz.dpuf Air pollution: youngsters, elderly and vulnerable urged to stay indoors. Schools are being urged to stop pupils from using playgrounds at lunchtime and employees to avoid cycling, running or walking to work during rush hour in the areas of England worst affected by the ongoing rise in pollution. Posted. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/02/air-pollution-youngsters-elderly-vulnerable-urged-to-stay-indoors California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.