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ARB Newsclips for April 9, 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.


AIR POLLUTION
 
EASTVALE: Business park with warehouses set for hearing.  A
proposed warehouse/business park that could put hundreds of big
rigs on Limonite Avenue -- already rejected by the Planning
Commission -- will come before the City Council Wednesday, April
9. Eastvale Mayor Ike Bootsma said he shared the Commission’s
misgivings about the truck traffic the project could generate.
Big rigs are noisy, can cause air pollution and damage city
streets, he said. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/corona/corona-headlines-index/20140408-eastvale-business-park-with-warehouses-set-for-hearing.ece


Exide denied more time to reduce arsenic pollution.  A hearing
board for the South Coast Air Quality Management District denied
a request on Tuesday to allow the battery recycling company Exide
Technologies more time to install pollution control devices at
its facility in Vernon.  Posted. 
http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/04/08/43387/exide-denied-more-time-to-reduce-arsenic-pollution/


OTHER RELATED ARTICLES
http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_1121e340-bf8c-11e3-9506-0019bb2963f4.html
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20140409,0,7358038.story#axzz2yP8HewSa

Architect firm proposes building park domes in Beijing to protect
from air pollution.  An architectural firm has a solution for the
smog problem in Beijing - placing large domes over its parks so
people can have a place to go away from the pollution.  Posted. 
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/proposed-air-pollution-solution-beijing-domed-parks-article-1.1749575


Clean air measures of Olympics to be used for APEC.  A
comprehensive pollution-control plan similar to that applied
during the 2008 Olympics will be launched for the 2014
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting to be held in
Beijing’s Huairou district this autumn, the Beijing News reported
on Tuesday.  Posted. 
http://www.eco-business.com/news/clean-air-measures-olympics-be-used-apec/
 

CLIMATE CHANGE

How to Think Like the Dutch in a Post-Sandy World.  In December
2012, Shaun Donovan, the secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, was on vacation in Berlin when he decided to detour
to the Netherlands. He wanted to get a firsthand sense of the
famed Dutch approach to water management. Hurricane Sandy struck
six weeks before, and in the aftermath, President Obama asked him
to lead a task force, whose objective was not just to rebuild but
also to radically rethink the region’s infrastructure in light of
climate change. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/magazine/how-to-think-like-the-dutch-in-a-post-sandy-world.html?hpw&rref=magazine


Are CEOs Ready for Climate Change?  Fred Krupp goes about his
business as head of the Environmental Defense Fund by applying
leverage where the interests of business and the environment
intersect. He sat down with The Wall Street Journal's John Bussey
to discuss climate change. Edited excerpts of their conversation
follow. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304432604579473483863311234?KEYWORDS=air+pollution&mg=reno64-wsj


FUELS

Port of Hueneme awarded $500,000 EPA grant for power system. The
Port of Hueneme will receive a $500,000 grant to help with the
second phase of its shore-side power project, allowing for more
vessels to simultaneously connect to the power system. The
Environmental Protection Agency informed the port Tuesday that it
would receive the grant. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/apr/08/port-of-hueneme-awarded-500000-epa-grant-for/#ixzz2yPAtAZ6S


FRACKING

New book on fracking illuminates pros, cons. "The Boom: How
Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the
World" (Simon & Schuster), by Russell Gold. The once-obscure oil
and gas drilling process known as fracking has generated hundreds
of billions of dollars and considerable dissent, as communities
and experts argue over how to balance the vast amounts of money
at stake with environmental and health risks. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BOOK_REVIEW_THE_BOOM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


VEHICLES

Cars Become Biggest Driver of Greenhouse-Gas Increases. The
greatest emerging threat to the global climate may rest in the
side pocket of your trousers -- or wherever you keep the car
keys. Emissions from transportation may rise at the fastest rate
of all major sources through 2050, the United Nations will say in
a report due April 13. Heat-trapping gases from vehicles may
surge 71 percent from 2010 levels, mainly from emerging
economies, according to a leaked draft of the most comprehensive
UN study to date on the causes of climate change. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-08/cars-become-biggest-driver-of-greenhouse-gas-increases.html


GREEN ENERGY

Germany Moves Forward on Renewable Energy Plan. Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s government approved legislation on Tuesday revamping
Germany’s sweeping plan to generate more than 40 percent of its
energy needs through renewable resources by 2025 by slowing the
rapid expansion of solar and wind parks in an effort to hold down
spiraling prices. Already, 25 percent of German energy comes from
renewable resources, but that advance has come at a cost to
consumers, who have borne the brunt of the surcharges that funded
the expansion. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/business/international/germany-moves-forward-on-renewable-energy-plan.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/08/us-germany-energy-idUSBREA3716I20140408

SOLAR: Ivanpah project described as deadly trap for wildlife. 
When hundreds of thousands of mirrors focus solar energy on the
460-foot towers at Ivanpah solar plant in northeastern San
Bernardino County, butterflies, dragonflies and other winged
insects are attracted to the intense white glow — like moths to a
porch light. Insect-eating birds pursue the bugs, and then come
the falcons and other raptors to snag the smaller birds.
And when they fly into the heat zone — as hot as 800 degrees —
around the towers, they are maimed and die. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20140408-solar-ivanpah-project-described-as-deadly-trap-for-wildlife.ece


Energy Investors Are an Uncertain Kitten.  Global investment in
renewable energy last year declined for the second year in a row.
Even worse: For the first time since renewables became plausible,
growth in new capacity slowed. "Is this the clean-tech crash?"
asked Michael Liebreich, chairman of Bloomberg New Energy
Finance, to start his keynote at the group's annual summit in New
York. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-09/energy-investors-are-an-uncertain-kitten.html


EU Industries to Pay Less Into Funds to Finance Renewable Energy.
 Europe's energy-intensive industries scored a victory Wednesday
in being largely let off the hook for footing the bill for
decarbonizing the economy. The European Commission watered down
some key parts of new rules on government aid aimed at
encouraging production of energy from renewable sources,
lessening the financial burden on heavy industries and reducing
the scale of government subsidies for providers of renewable
energy. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303873604579491102502305242?KEYWORDS=climate+change&mg=reno64-wsj

http://www.contracostatimes.com/AP%20Content/ci_25528808/EU-seeks-cheaper-power-curbs-renewable

Wal-Mart's Green Initiative: Status Report.  What happens when
the world's largest retailer decides to go green? For years,
Wal-Mart Stores has been carrying out an ambitious program to
make its operations more environmentally sound—an effort that has
an impact upon employees and supply chains around the globe.
Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304432604579473453226974252?KEYWORDS=green+energy&mg=reno64-wsj


The U.S. Military Goes Green.  The military is a huge consumer of
energy and other resources. Roger M. Natsuhara is one of the
people charged with helping it get greener. The principal deputy
assistant secretary of the Navy spoke with Wall Street Journal
editorial-board member Kimberley A. Strassel about the Navy's
efforts to run a cleaner fleet and other initiatives. Here are
edited excerpts of the discussion. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304432604579473493950223048?KEYWORDS=green+energy&mg=reno64-wsj


City OK's solar loans for homes.  San Diego homeowners got a much
easier and more affordable way Tuesday to install solar power and
make other upgrades that improve energy efficiency and shrink
utility bills.  The City Council unanimously approved allowing
owners of residential properties to pay for such projects without
any up-front costs as part of the state’s “property assessed
clean energy” program.  Posted. 
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/apr/08/san-diego-solar-energy-loan-program-approved/

OPINIONS

Global Warming Scare Tactics.  If you were looking for ways to
increase public skepticism about global warming, you could hardly
do better than the forthcoming nine-part series on climate change
and natural disasters, starting this Sunday on Showtime. A
trailer for “Years of Living Dangerously” is terrifying, replete
with images of melting glaciers, raging wildfires and rampaging
floods. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/opinion/global-warming-scare-tactics.html?hpw&rref=opinion&_r=0


MISCELLANEOUS

Ceres police roll out electric motorcycles.  The Ceres Police
Department on Tuesday rolled out the three electric Zero DS
police motorcycles just added to its Traffic Unit fleet.  The
purchase of the three bikes was covered by a grant from the San
Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.  Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/08/3282625/police-get-charges.html?sp=/99/1623/


Bike sharing program plans to roll into the East Bay.  A Bay Area
bike share program that began last summer in San Jose and San
Francisco is planning its first expansion into the East Bay
communities of Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville.  The East Bay
debut could be as early as late 2015 for the bright blue
bicycles, which can be checked out for free rides of up to 30
minutes at a time, reports the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission.  Posted. 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_25515659/Bike-sharing-program-plans-to-roll
http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_25515659/Bike-sharing-program-plans-to-roll
  

BLOGS

Tesla's ZEV credit allotment changing under new CARB rules. Could
the California Air Resources Board (CARB) be taking a $55-million
bite out of Tesla Motors' profits? The state regulator, which
grants zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) credits for automakers making
plug-in vehicles, is planning to reduce the number of credits
generated by each Model S battery-electric sedan from seven to
four, Bloomberg News reports. That means the California-based
automaker will have fewer credits to sell to big buyers such as
General Motors and Chrysler, who don't make enough ZEVs on their
own to comply with state mandates. Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/08/teslas-zev-credit-allotment-changing-under-new-carb-rules/


TripAdvisor Expands Environmental Rating Program.  International
travelers looking for a certain amount of “green” in their
accommodations can now turn to TripAdvisor for help. The hotel
review and booking website recently expanded its GreenLeaders
program, which evaluates a property’s ecological and
environmental friendliness (or “green” practices), to include
properties Canada, Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and
Spain, in addition to those in the United States. Posted.
http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/08/tripadvisor-expands-environmental-rating-program/?partner=rss&emc=rss


Bentley shows plug-in hybrid concept ahead of Beijing, will power
SUV in 2017.  From its more mainstream, popular origins in the
original Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, the hybrid powertrain
has worked its way up to the the corner office, the big chair,
the top slot in the corporation. Bentley has announced that it
will introduce a plug-in hybrid option on its SUV due in 2017.
Posted.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/09/bentley-plug-in-hybrid-concept-beijing-official/


This Ingenious iPhone App Lets You Un-Smog The World's Most
Polluted Cities.  The pollution in Beijing is bad right now.
“Nuclear winter” bad. Crops can’t breathe, and neither can
people, so much so that this February, the Chinese government --
normally not the source for unflattering readings of the
country's air quality -- told residents to definitely wear masks.
 Posted. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/china-pollution-iphone-app_n_5107778.html


As if the ozone hole weren’t enough, now there’s a hole in the
troposphere.  Everyone knows men shouldn’t wear white dress
shirts without undershirts, because then you can see their furry
chests and tantalizing man-nipples and sensual sweat stains. But
the Earth’s been shopping at the Hanes Outlet again, because ITS
white v-neck — a.k.a. the troposphere, the innermost part of the
atmosphere — has a hole.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/list/as-if-the-ozone-hole-werent-enough-now-theres-a-hole-in-the-troposphere/
 




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