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newsclips -- Newsclips for April 17, 2014
Posted: 17 Apr 2014 13:23:44
ARB Newsclips for April 17, 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 Using Cap and Trade Funds for Housing and Transit. State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is proposing a new plan for cap-and-trade proceeds that are collected from the state's biggest polluters. Steinberg, D-Sacramento, wants the majority of those revenues to go toward providing a permanent source of funding for sustainable affordable housing and mass transit, like high-speed rail. Posted. http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2014-04-16/climate-change-air-quality/using-cap-and-trade-funds-for-housing-and-transit/a38802-1 Can Oregon and Washington Price Carbon Pollution? Sick and tired of waiting for the US and Canadian federal governments to lead on climate issues, the US states of California, Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia decided last year to reinvigorate a regional partnership aimed at tackling the climate challenge. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=10303§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION Beijing's bid to move polluting firms watched warily in nearby regions. China's capital has ordered more than 50 companies to shut down this year in an effort to cut pollution but pushing factories out could raise objections in surrounding areas reluctant to host Beijing's polluters. Smog-shrouded Beijing and the surrounding province of Hebei have become a front in a "war against pollution" declared by Premier Li Keqiang last month. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/17/china-pollution-beijing-idUSL3N0N91RD20140417 Beijing says one third of its pollution comes from outside the city. About a third of the air pollution in China's smog-hit capital comes from outside the city, official media reported on Wednesday, citing a pollution watchdog. Chen Tian, chief of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said that about 28-36 percent of hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 came from surrounding provinces like Hebei…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/16/china-pollution-beijing-idUSL3N0N814420140416 Shanghai Warns Children to Stay Indoors on Heavy Pollution. Shanghai warned children and the elderly to stay indoors as haze covered the city and levels of PM2.5 rose to more than eight times the World Health Organization recommended range. Smog levels started rising around noon today with the air quality index reaching 254 as of 5 p.m., signaling “heavy pollution,” the third worst in a six-tier warning system, according to the website of the city’s environmental monitoring center. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-17/shanghai-warns-children-to-stay-indoors-on-heavy-pollution.html Measuring Africa’s Air Pollution. When Jenny Linden, an air quality scientist, tried to measure the pollution in Burkina Faso’s capital city, one of her instruments clogged up. It was designed for road dust in Arizona, but the dust in Ouagadougou far exceeded the machine’s limit, and it had to be sent to the United States for repair. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/business/energy-environment/measuring-africas-air-pollution.html Sriracha sauce maker considers relocation. Huy Fong Foods owner says he's made no decision to move but faces uncertainty in Irwindale. Texas, other states have made pitches. After a months-long battle with the city of Irwindale over complaints about a spicy odor, Sriracha sauce creator David Tran said Wednesday that he is now seriously considering moving his factory to another location. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-sriracha-20140417,0,6897133.story#ixzz2zAPlmb8u Environmental groups slam Pa. smog proposal as lax. Environmental groups say Pennsylvania's federally mandated plan to reduce smog would allow coal-fired power plants to emit more pollution than they do now. The state has been working on a proposal to curb ground-level ozone in 17 counties where the federal government says smog levels remain too high and pose a health risk to the young, the elderly, people with asthma and others. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/apr/16/environmental-groups-slam-pa-smog-proposal-as/#ixzz2zA5Fc632 Study outlines minorities' dramatically higher exposure to NO2. Americans of color are exposed to 38 percent more nitrogen dioxide (NO2) outdoor air pollution than white people, according to a new study that finds the differences persist even among income levels. Exposure to sustained amounts of NO2 can bring serious health effects, like asthma attacks, and can help cause heart attacks. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998080/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Drunken Trees: Dramatic Signs of Climate Change. As the permafrost melts in the north, forests no longer grow straight. Sarah James, an Alaska Native elder, says global warming is radically changing her homeland. Even the forests no longer grow straight. Melting ground has caused trees to tilt or fall. "Because permafrost melts, it causes a lot of erosion," says James, who lives in Arctic Village, a small Native American village in northeastern Alaska. "A lot of trees can't stand up straight. If the erosion gets worse, everything goes with it." Permafrost is permanently frozen ground. But climate change has caused much of that ground to melt at an unprecedented rate. Posted. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140417-drunken-trees-melting-permafrost-global-warming-science/ Frigid Eastern winters and warm Western ones nothing new -- blame the jet stream. A new study has found that the wavy jet stream pattern that tends to bring warm winter weather to the U.S. West and cold weather to the East was set in place 4,000 years ago. The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, also suggests that climate change may help keep the wavy pattern in place. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998032/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Fossil fuels states band together on existing power plant rule. Fossil fuels states met yesterday and today in Bismarck, N.D., to swap ideas about how to protect their states' economic and energy interests from what they fear could be the harmful effects of U.S. EPA's upcoming existing power plant carbon dioxide rule. The meeting comes six weeks before the federal agency is set to release its proposed guidance for the rule, and regulators have been tight-lipped about what it will look like. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998084/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Industry group says large U.S. reserves can support exports. Natural gas reserves are likely to grow and support the United States' move toward exporting domestic gas, according to a report the American Gas Association released today, as the topic heats up on Capitol Hill and beyond. The industry group's study found domestic reserves will likely increase, based on a sampling of some of the country's 30 largest reserve holders. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998070/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Ethanol plant gets key EPA permit for carbon sequestration. U.S. EPA issued a draft "Class VI" permit for the underground injection of carbon dioxide to the second-ever project this week, marking a milestone in regulations of capture and storage of the greenhouse gas. The draft permit under the Class VI program for the Archer Daniels Midland Co. project in Decatur, Ill. -- which aims to capture 1.1 million metric tons of CO2 annually over five years from an ethanol plant… Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998037/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Clean Slate. Big vehicles need not have a big impact on the environment. Green technology is hotter than ever, and nowhere does that technology make more sense — and have a bigger impact — than beneath the hoods of sport-utilities and pickups. After all, Americans love spacious, versatile rides as well as fuel economy. Some of us even factor in environmental concern. And green technology delivers it all in a big way — literally. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/shopping/la-ss-trucksandsuvs-cleanslate-10122011,0,4354281.story#ixzz2zABTc9d2 Mercedes-Benz’ anticipatory energy management system for hybrids. Mercedes-Benz has developed an intelligent energy management system for hybrid vehicles that assesses the road ahead and takes it into account. The objectives of the “Intelligent HYBRID” system are to maximize the benefit of recuperation energy and to provide driving pleasure through the boost effect of the electric motor. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/04/20140417-mb.html A tiny additive may give durability to a more powerful new electric car battery. Adding tiny particles to lithium-sulfur batteries may extend the range of electric vehicles, overcome range anxiety and unlock the full potential of renewable energy. Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a unique, powdery nanomaterial called a metal organic framework, or MOF…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998042/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Zero-emission engine preparing for its debut. It appears the "zero emission" engine is ready for prime time. Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz's parent corporation, plans to start selling hydrogen-fueled cars to the public by 2017 with assistance from government spending and joint efforts by Nissan Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. If they're successful, wind energy, not the car industry, would be impacted. According to experts, a large commercial market could compel green energy producers to make clean hydrogen instead of storing electricity in expensive batteries. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998034/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Tiny power plants hold promise for nuclear energy. Small underground nuclear power plants that could be cheaper to build than their behemoth counterparts may herald the future for an energy industry under intense scrutiny since the Fukushima disaster, the incoming head of the Nuclear Energy Agency told The Associated Press. Size is relative - the modular plants could be about as big as a couple of semi-trailers - easily fitting on the dimensions of coal plants they're ultimately intended to replace in the U.S. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SMALL_NUCLEAR_REACTORS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Private Sector Driving U.S. Wind Market Forward. Hydropower increasingly important in Scotland. French Utility Reports $13Billion Loss over Solar, Wind Subsidies. The onshore wind energy sector is booming in the United States, where there's enough of the renewable resource on hand to meet the annual demands for 15 million homes. It may take one of the biggest retailers in the world, however, to usher in the necessary change in energy consumption. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Private-Sector-Driving-U-S-Wind-Market-Forward-5409951.php MOJAVE DESERT: Huge solar project questioned. Worries about possible environmental damage from another large-scale solar project proposed for the Southern California desert has prompted the federal government to give people more time to submit comments on the proposal. The Silurian Valley solar project would go on 11-square miles of public land in San Bernardino County, about 10 miles north of Baker, between Death Valley National Park and the Mojave National Preserve. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20140416-mojave-desert-huge-solar-project-questioned.ece Scientists develop a way to see how energy moves in potential solar cell materials. With a new imaging technique, researchers can now watch how energy moves through materials, paving the way for more efficient solar cells and better light-emitting diodes. Understanding how electrons move through substances like silicon is a key to unlocking higher efficiencies in many electronic devices, circumventing some of the engineering limits in clean energy technologies like photovoltaic panels… Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998039/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY White House highlights industry growth, pledges additional assistance. The White House this morning convened a summit designed to tout the dramatic growth in solar energy deployments and reductions in the technology's costs in the United States over the last several years, pledging additional government assistance to further expand the industry. The most substantial policy announcement from this morning's summit was a $15 million pledge from the Energy Department to aid community efforts to expand solar panel installations…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998064/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Scholarship winners rewarded for environmental savvy. A student team from a middle school in Michigan and another student team from a high school in New Jersey each earned $30,000 grand prizes in scholarships and grants for their innovative ideas to improve the environment. The scholarship competition encourages students nationwide to make the world a better place through environmental initiatives. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/17/3296661/scholarship-winners-rewarded-for.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS Political Roadblocks to Action on Climate Change. “Climate Efforts Falling Short, U.N. Panel Says” (front page, April 13) correctly points out the dire nature of the situation that threatens the very future of our planet. The article blamed “congressional opposition” for thwarting President Obama’s effort to adopt “aggressive climate policies.” While many environmentalists have serious concerns about how “aggressive” the president has really been in this area, what is absolutely clear is that it is not “congressional opposition” that is blocking progress. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/opinion/political-roadblocks-to-action-on-climate-change.html?_r=1 Column: Fuel-careful F1 less of a guilty pleasure. As Earth's atmosphere warms alarmingly and fills with heat-trapping gases, and the writing on the wall — "People, we're in trouble!" — looms ever larger, Formula One has steadily become a guilty pleasure, the motorsport equivalent of blue whale burger or wearing panda fur. All that precious fuel going up in smoke, speed, and outrageous noise. Unsustainable and increasingly unjustifiable. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Column-Fuel-careful-F1-less-of-a-guilty-pleasure-5409089.php The real polluters of Barrio Logan. A major argument used by supporters of the controversial community plan for Barrio Logan, just across from San Diego’s downtown shipyards, is that the plan will protect families, particularly children, from the neighborhood businesses that serve the shipyards and that spew “toxic, flammable chemicals, carcinogens” and other pollutants throughout the community. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/apr/17/tp-the-real-polluters-of-barrio-logan/ Berkeley boost for electric-vehicle charging options. Making electric vehicles an everyday sight on Berkeley's streets is a core component of the city's ambitious plan to tackle global warming. As part of the its Climate Action Plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by one-third by 2020, Berkeley is dedicated to promoting the use of vehicles that run on renewable sources or low-carbon fuels. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_25579223/Guest-opinion:-Berkeley-boost-for-electricvehicle http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_25579223/Guest-opinion:-Berkeley-boost-for-electricvehicle BLOGS Here’s what fracking can do to your health. If you know one thing about fracking, it might be that the wells have been linked to explosive tap water. Of course, a tendency toward combustion isn’t the biggest problem with gas-infused water; it’s what could happen to you when you drink it. Posted. http://grist.org/business-technology/heres-what-fracking-can-do-to-your-health/ Toyota Europe boss says 'reasonable number' of fuel cell vehicles on the way. We know that Toyota is gung-ho about delivering its first hydrogen fuel cell sedan to early-adopter markets like southern California and part of Japan next year. The Japanese automaker's European H2 plans have long been part of the mix, but a new press release shows just how committed Toyota is to hydrogen all around the world. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/17/toyota-europe-boss-says-reasonable-number-fuel-cell-vehicles/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.