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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 1, 2014.

Posted: 01 May 2014 14:58:25
ARB Newsclips for May 1, 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

Bill advances to add cost of cap and trade to gas pump
disclosures. Information about how much California's
cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions increases gasoline
prices would be posted at fuel pumps throughout the state under
legislation that has cleared its first committee hurdle. With an
8-5 vote, the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and
Consumer Protection on Tuesday approved A.B. 2656 and sent it to
the Appropriations Committee. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998805/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

Court orders EPA to adopt new air pollution rule. A federal court
has given the Obama administration a deadline for updating
federal standards for smog that are more than a year overdue.
U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in San Francisco
on Tuesday ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to
issue ground-level ozone standards by Dec. 1 and a final rule by
Oct. 1, 2015. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EPA_SMOG_STANDARD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/court-orders-epa-to-adopt-new-air-pollution-rule/2014/04/30/9119657a-d097-11e3-a714-be7e7f142085_story.html


Air quality gains could be eroded by drought, climate change. 
Almost 15 years of steady improvement to the air breathed by
Southern Californians is being threatened by a statewide drought
causing the release of lung-damaging particles from dry
riverbeds, home fireplace chimneys and local wildfires, according
to a national health organization. Posted.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20140430/NEWS/140439999 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Russia Says 2C Climate Goal Shouldn’t Dictate Carbon Pledges.
Russia said the United Nations-endorsed goal of keeping global
temperatures from rising 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit)
shouldn’t dictate countries’ emission limits in a new climate
treaty. The “only reasonable” method is for countries to make
emissions pledges according to economic development, natural and
geographic characteristics…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-01/russia-says-2c-climate-goal-shouldn-t-dictate-emission-pledges.html


High carbon dioxide levels set a record. There's striking new
evidence that Earth's atmosphere is increasingly saturated with
carbon dioxide, the major gas from fossil fuel emissions that
trigger climate change. Measurements of the climate-changing gas
by instruments high on a mountain in Hawaii and around the world
show that global emissions from burning fossil fuels rose last
month to levels higher…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/High-CO-2-levels-set-a-record-5443592.php


Climate change: Pacific Ocean acidity dissolving shells of key
species. In a troubling new discovery, scientists studying ocean
waters off California, Oregon and Washington have found the first
evidence that increasing acidity in the ocean is dissolving the
shells of a key species of tiny sea creature at the base of the
food chain.
Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_25664175/climate-change-pacific-ocean-acidity-dissolving-shells-key?source=email


NASA carbon-counting satellite arrives at launch site. A NASA
spacecraft designed to make precise measurements of carbon
dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere is at Vandenberg Air Force Base,
Calif., to begin final preparations for launch. The Orbiting
Carbon Observatory-2 arrived Wednesday at its launch site on
California's central coast after traveling from Orbital Sciences
Corp.'s Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Gilbert, Ariz. 
Posted.
http://phys.org/news/2014-05-nasa-carbon-counting-satellite-site.html#jCp


DROUGHT

Water cutbacks looming for California farmers, water agencies.
California water officials are on the verge of making an
unusually drastic pronouncement in response to the ongoing
drought: Ordering hundreds of water agencies, farmers and other
property owners to stop diverting water from rivers in which they
have longstanding water rights.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/30/6368291/water-cutbacks-looming-for-california.html#storylink=cpy


EBMUD's new emergency water supply arrives from Sacramento River.
 An emergency supply of Sacramento River water arrived at the
East Bay's largest water district Wednesday, culminating a
mission sidetracked for decades by a regional water war. East Bay
Municipal Utility District leaders welcomed the water gushing
into San Pablo Reservoir as drought insurance for 1.3 million
people in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_25670232/ebmuds-new-emergency-water-supply-arrives-from-sacramento?source=rss


Farmers Forecasting Less Rice, Higher Prices Because of Drought.
California supplies virtually all of the nation’s sushi rice and
half of it is exported. But of all the food crops in the state,
rice is likely to be affected by the drought the most. The mere
speculation of losses is already driving up prices. At Montna
Farms near Yuba City, huge drag scrapers level a rice field in
preparation for planting. Posted.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/04/30/farmers-forecasting-less-rice,-higher-prices-because-of-drought/


South Australians warned they may have to carry cost of losing
their homes to rising sea levels. Around 60,000 homes in South
Australia are considered at risk of a predicted sea level rise of
half a metre over the next 50 years. Eyre Peninsula homeowners
have been warned to accept that their properties may have an
“expiry date” if relocation or the construction of sea walls is
too expensive in the face of sea levels raised by melting ice
caps. Posted.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/south-australians-warned-they-may-have-to-carry-cost-of-losing-their-homes-to-rising-sea-levels/story-fnii5yv5-1226901369729


DIESEL EMISSIONS

CARB meeting to tackle efficiency in freight movement.  Have
ideas to make goods movement more efficient? The California Air
Resources Board wants you to share your opinion.  CARB is hosting
a public forum “for the development of the Sustainable Freight
Strategy,” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, May 5 at the Cal/EPA
Headquarters Building in Sacramento, Calif. For those unable to
attend in person, the meeting will be webcast here.  Posted.
http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=26953#.U2J0rYUvDfk


EPA offers new round of grants for clean diesel projects. U.S.
EPA announced the offer today of $9 million in grants for clean
diesel projects aimed at cutting emissions from diesel engines,
such as those found in trucks, locomotives and buses. The Diesel
Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Program targets projects
considered cost-effective ways to improve fleets in areas with
dirty air. EPA expects to provide cash for 10 to 20 projects
under this funding round. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998824/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

Enterprise Products Profit Rises on Winter Fuel Demand.
Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD), the biggest U.S. pipeline
operator by market value, said first-quarter profit rose 6
percent as a frigid winter and surging energy supplies boosted
demand for transporting fuel. Net income climbed to $798.8
million, or 85 cents a share, in the first quarter, from $753.5
million, or 83 cents, a year earlier…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-01/enterprise-products-profit-rises-on-winter-fuel-demand.html


The bad side of the biofuel boom. There's biofuel in them thar
prairies! You've got it, Yosemite Sam. A biofuel rush has
officially swept the U.S., with farmers planting corn, soy,
sugarcane and other plants for use in fuel. Their crops help meet
the EPA requirement that almost all gasoline sold in the U.S.
contain at least 10 percent corn ethanol, the most common
biofuel. As early as the 1970s, scientists touted biofuels as a
clean, renewable energy source. Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/01/ozy-bad-side-biofuel/8558385/


Switch from gasoline to ethanol linked to higher ozone levels.
Scientists have made a surprising discovery about ethanol: The
more it was used by drivers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the more ozone
they measured in the local environment. The finding, reported
this week in Nature Geoscience, is contrary to other studies
predicting that increased use of ethanol would cut levels of
ground-level ozone, or smog. Posted.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/la-sci-sn-ethanol-ozone-levels-brazil-20140501,0,6484730.story


Oil sands heavyweights see new path to profit in rising carbon
emissions. It’s a bold proposition: Don’t just capture carbon and
bury it deep underground, but use it as feedstock to spur
large-scale production of chemicals, ski boots and fishing rods,
concrete products and pavements, among other applications. Raw
oil exports offer big bang-for-the-buck for Canada’s economy,
report says. Posted.
http://business.financialpost.com/2014/05/01/carbon-emissions-assets/?__lsa=9016-68da


Green group accuses Calif. of 'blatant violations of fracking
disclosure rules' California has repeatedly failed to disclose
information on unconventional oil drilling as required by state
law, an environmental group said yesterday in a letter to Gov.
Jerry Brown (D). The state's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal
Resources, known as DOGGR, hasn't posted legally mandated reports
for 47 fracking operations…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059998808/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLE

Green Batteries’ Graphite Adds to China Pollution.  As more
environmentally conscious Americans do their bit to help clear
the air by paying up for an eco-friendly Prius or a sporty Tesla,
a damaging form of polluted rain is falling in China. The link is
graphite, a vital component in batteries used in Tesla’s Model S,
Toyota’s plug-in Prius and other electric cars, as well as in
electronic gadgets including iPhones. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-14/teslas-in-california-help-bring-dirty-rain-to-china.html


California Fines Ford $3 Million Over Defective Pollution Control
Equipment. Ford is being fined $2.96 million because the
pollution control system on 2011-12 Fiestas sold in California
are not working properly, the state’s Air Resources Board said
late Wednesday. “It is one of our larger fines,” Stanley Young, a
spokesman for the agency, said in an interview. The board
enforces California’s particularly strict air pollution
standards. The problem affects almost 16,500 vehicles, he said.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/02/automobiles/california-fines-ford-3-million-over-defective-pollution-control-equipment.html?_r=0


Success puts pressure on clean-car rebates. The state rebate for
low- or zero-emission vehicles has been extended into the summer
months, after funding for the popular payout became nearly
exhausted, the California Air Resources Board has announced. The
rebates offset the price of a new vehicle by as much as $2,500,
encouraging consumers to buy into new technologies that can
reduce smog…Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/apr/29/clean-car-rebates-reconsidered/


Tesla Motors To Open Operations In San Joaquin County. Tesla
Motors has started work on building modifications at a plant in
Lathrop in San Joaquin County. The electric automaker is already
seeking job applicants for the new facility. Tesla says it is
expanding its infrastructure and has signed leases for more than
625,000 square feet of California real estate. The Lathrop plant
is located along Interstate 5. Posted.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/04/30/tesla-motors-to-open-operations-in-san-joaquin-county/


GREEN ENERGY

Offshore Wind to Grow 6-Fold, Aiding Suzlon, Vestas: HSBC.
Offshore wind power is set to grow six-fold by 2020, benefiting
turbine makers Suzlon Energy Ltd. (SUEL), Vestas Wind Systems A/S
and Gamesa Corp. Tecnologica SA, HSBC Holdings Plc said. Total
global installed capacity of wind turbines at sea is forecast to
rise to 43 gigawatts by 2020 from 6.5 gigawatts at the end of
2013, the bank said today in an e-mailed report. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-01/offshore-wind-to-grow-6-fold-aiding-suzlon-vestas-hsbc.html


A Ghost Town, Going Green. Gerald Freeman leaned on a walking
stick on a dusty hill near the four rows of his solar arrays,
talking about it like an apostle on a mission. Down the road are
the eucalyptus trees he planted as a potential source of biomass.
And not far away, he said, he hopes to install a hydrogen system,
another source of renewable fuel. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/business/energy-environment/a-ghost-town-going-green.html


Mayor Lee proposes gutting CleanPowerSF energy program. Mayor Ed
Lee on Wednesday proposed raiding $19.5 million that the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors set aside to fund a renewable
energy program, his administration saying the money could be
better spent on additional streetlights and subsidies for solar
panels on homes and businesses. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Mayor-Lee-proposes-gutting-CleanPowerSF-energy-5443302.php


Wind-powered S.F. Bay ferry commute tests promising. It's a twist
on last year's America's Cup that may bring a breakthrough in
commuting. Take a sleek, carbon-fiber sail that can propel a
racing yacht to speeds of 55 mph, combine it with the winds of
San Francisco Bay, and make a hefty ferryboat perform like Team
Oracle. That's the thinking behind a $355,000 grant awarded by
pollution regulators to a group…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Wind-powered-S-F-Bay-ferry-commute-tests-5443767.php


Cleantech Sector Is Growing Fast, Yet Cost Drops Lead To
Renewable Energy Investment Decline. Investors worldwide spent
less on renewable energy and related technologies—such as smart
meters, electric vehicles, and storage—last year than in previous
years. Global investments in renewable energy fell to $214
billion, down 14 percent from 2012. Posted.
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/30/renewable-energy-investments-decline-reality-clean-tech-sector-growing/#WjvtlDTDz7UV8lMY.99


Amendment to energy bill aims to boost tribal renewable energy
ventures. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee met yesterday to
hear testimony from tribal members and federal officials on
potential amendments to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that would
boost alternative energy development on reservations and revamp
Tribal Energy Resource Agreements (TERAs), which have been a
resounding failure since they became available in 2008. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998800/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

U.S. has potential to double its capacity -- DOE report. A new
report from the Department of Energy concludes that the United
States has the potential to almost double its hydropower
generation capacity and replace hundreds of millions of metric
tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The assessment of
U.S. hydropower capability was prepared earlier this week and
demonstrates how the country can continue to diversify its energy
supply…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059998798/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Democrats offer green bank bills. House Democrats are attempting
to revive an approach to mobilizing private financing for clean
energy projects by establishing a national green bank. Rep. Chris
Van Hollen (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Ways and Means
Committee, led seven colleagues in introducing the bill, H.R.
4522. A similar idea was included in the greenhouse gas
cap-and-trade bill…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059998843/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Scalia gets his facts wrong in EPA dissent. Supreme Court
opinions are rarely susceptible to the kind of fact-checking that
reporters usually employ on politics. But Justice Antonin
Scalia's hearty dissent in an environmental case this week
contained such a glaring error of fact — misreporting an earlier
case in which Scalia himself wrote the majority opinion — that
the justice changed the opinion. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Scalia-gets-his-facts-wrong-in-EPA-dissent-5444217.php
 http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/scalia-gets-his-facts-wrong-in-epa-dissent-106226.html


Etiwanda fire drives 1,600 from their Southern California homes. 
Driven by fierce winds, a wildfire continued to burn into the
mountains above Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday night after
scorching more than 1,000 acres, forcing more than 1,600 from
their homes.  By evening, the Etiwanda Fire was zero-percent
contained, and investigators still had not determined the cause
of the blaze…Posted. 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_25672888/Etiwanda-fire-drives-1600-from-their


OPINIONS

The Supreme Court makes the right call on a Clean Air Act
provision. THE SUPREME Court considered two cases this term in
which somewhat unclear wording in the federal Clean Air Act left
sensible environmental rules open to challenge. On Tuesday, in
the first case, the justices rightly sided with the sensible
rules. In Environmental Protection Agency v. EME Homer City
Generation L.P., a 6-to-2 majority upheld EPA rules designed to
stop groups of states from contributing harmful ozone…Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-supreme-court-makes-the-right-call-on-a-clean-air-act-challenge/2014/04/30/25eab558-cfe1-11e3-b812-0c92213941f4_story.html


Mercury News editorial: Court ruling provides EPA with legal
backing to fight climate change.  The Supreme Court decision
handing the Environmental Protection Agency an important clean
air victory Tuesday was refreshing in every sense of the word. 
The court's 6-2 ruling upheld the EPA's authority to limit
power-plant emissions that blow across state lines. It's a
crucial step forward for President Barack Obama's effort to
improve the air quality of states downwind from polluting
coal-fired plants.  Posted. 
http://www.mercurynews.com/News/ci_25669076/Mercury-News-editorial:-Court-ruling-provides


Why Doesn't Anyone Know How to Talk About Global Warming? The gap
between science and public understanding prevents action on
climate change—but social scientists think they can fix that.
When Vox.com launched last month, the site's editor-in-chief,
Ezra Klein, had a sobering message for us all: more information
doesn't lead to better understanding. Posted.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/talking-about-climate-change-how-weve-failed-and-how-we-can-fix-it-180951070/#i5TDm973ivBiABms.99


BLOGS

Climate Change and Children: A Call for Action. The UN recently
issued their latest report on climate change, and the findings
are grim, suggesting that "climate change risks destabilizing
human society". US Secretary of State John Kerry commented:
"Unless we act dramatically and quickly, science tells us our
climate and our way of life are literally in jeopardy. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtenay-cabot-venton/climate-change-and-childr_b_5226952.html


What Are The 10 Most Polluted U.S. Cities?  California may be a
haven for plug-in electric cars, but it's also home to many of
the most-polluted cities in the U.S.  Of the 10 most polluted
U.S. cities in the American Lung Association's State of the Air
report (via Mashable), seven are in the Golden State.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1091816_what-are-the-10-most-polluted-u-s-cities
 

Arizona’s enormous solar plant is up and running.  The Agua
Caliente Solar Photovoltaic Facility might just be the happiest
farm in the world. Instead of pigs and cows enjoying a free-range
frolic before their inevitable demise, it’s sunbeams being
harvested after skittering across 2,400 acres of solar panels. 
Posted. 
http://grist.org/list/arizonas-enormous-solar-plant-is-up-and-running/


Jerry Brown is his own man. Jerry Brown is his own man. “There
are some people making fun of everything,” the California
governor told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview that
aired Wednesday. “So that's just the way life is.” In this case,
he was responding to a question about his struggle to get a
high-speed rail plan off the ground. Posted.
http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/01/california-governor-jerry-brown-standing-up-to-the-critics/




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

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