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newsclips -- Newsclips for August 22, 2014

Posted: 22 Aug 2014 14:09:37
ARB Newsclips for August 22, 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

California Carbon Permits Sell Out at $11.50 in Auction.
California, which releases more greenhouse-gas emissions than any
other U.S. state except Texas, sold 22.5 million carbon
allowances at auction for $11.50 each, just above analysts’
expectations. Units of BP Plc (BP/), Chevron Corp. (CVX), Edison
International (EIX), PG&E Corp. (PCG), Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
(GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) were among the companies that
qualified to purchase the permits put up for sale Aug. 18, a
report posted today on the state Air Resources Board’s website
shows. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-21/california-carbon-permits-sell-out-at-11-50-in-auction.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/21/usa-california-carbonauction-idUSL2N0QR2JW20140821

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/21/6645911/californias-latest-carbon-auction.html#mi_rss=Business#storylink=cpy

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2014/08/22/carbon-auction-raises-331-8m/

http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004812/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

Coal gas boom in China holds climate change risks. Deep in the
hilly grasslands of remote Inner Mongolia, twin smoke stacks rise
more than 200 feet into the sky, their steam and sulfur billowing
over herds of sheep and cattle. Both day and night, the rumble of
this power plant echoes across the ancient steppe, and its acrid
stench travels dozens of miles away. This is the first of more
than 60 coal-to-gas plants China wants to build…Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_COAL_GAS_BOOM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Coal-gas-boom-in-China-holds-climate-change-risks-5705029.php


State to ask for lower air permit fee increase. The Missouri
Department of Natural Resources Air Pollution Control Program,
which enforces the federal Clean Air Act in the state, could be
insolvent by late 2016 after a proposal to raise permit and
emission fees fell apart, state officials said. A proposed permit
and emission fee schedule received support from industry leaders
earlier this year but late objections prompted the DNR to offer a
new schedule that would make it more difficult for the already
cash-strapped program to operate…Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MO_AIR_PROGRAM_PERMITS_MOOL-?SITE=MOKEN&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/State-to-ask-for-lower-air-permit-fee-increase-5705514.php


U.S. EPA makes strides in air toxics but work remains in cities:
report.  The United States has made progress in reducing
dangerous air pollution since 1990 but work remains to reduce
risks for the country's most overburdened urban areas, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's top official said on Thursday. 
The EPA released to Congress its second report on integrated air
toxics, citing "substantial progress" toward reducing levels of
contaminants such as arsenic…Posted. 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/21/us-usa-epa-airtoxins-idUSKBN0GL1QJ20140821
  
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/08/20140822-epa.html  

Natural Gas Production Falls Short in China.  Jin Peisheng, a
drilling rig foreman, knows the challenges of trying to extract
natural gas from a coal seam under the cornfields here in
north-central China.  Cracks in the subterranean coal are flooded
with water that needs to be pumped out before the gas will
emerge. The coal seams are so cold that gels injected into the
well, which are meant to help release the gas, sometimes become
gummy and block the flow instead.  Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/business/energy-environment/chinas-effort-to-produce-natural-gas-falls-far-short.html?_r=0


Irwindale Sriracha factory opens its doors: Owner hopes tourism
will quell criticism. Beginning this week, hundreds of truckloads
of fresh-picked red jalapeño chili peppers are making their way
to the city of Irwindale to be ground into Sriracha hot sauce. At
the height of the August to November chili harvest,  30 to 40
trucks travel each day from a Ventura County farm to the Huy Fong
Foods plant on Azusa Canyon Road, just south of the Santa Fe Dam.
Posted.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/08/22/46143/irwindale-sriracha-factory-opens-its-doors-owner-h/


Big polluter reduces coal use for first time in 100 years. China
reduced its coal consumption for the first time in about a
century during the first half of 2014. In previous years, coal
imports grew by double digits. This year growth was just .9
percent in China. At the same time, domestic coal production
decreased by 1.8 percent. The declines are happening after China
doubled its coal use to power rapid economic growth over the past
decade. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004806/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GDP calculations that factor in air pollution show higher levels
of economic growth. Calculations of market performance that are
adjusted to account for the cost of pollution and greenhouse gas
emissions don't necessarily produce a dismal outlook for economic
growth, according to a new research paper. In fact, they would
show a higher economic growth in the U.S. economy since 1999. "It
is widely recognized that indices that focus exclusively on
market production, such as gross domestic product (GDP), are
incomplete," wrote Nicholas Muller in the study. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060004840/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE 

How the U.S. and Korea Could Work Together to Reduce Carbon
Emissions. Even as the shale-gas boom has dramatically changed
America’s energy mix and pricing, the U.S. still burns a lot of
coal. Because the fleet of domestic coal-fired power plants
includes many aging facilities, it isn’t burned efficiently. A
study by researchers at Duke University and the University of
Calgary has compared coal burning in the U.S. and Korea and
proposed a novel way to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions.
Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-22/how-the-u-s-and-korea-could-work-together-to-reduce-carbon-emissions.html


Australian Premier Tony Abbott under fire as 'environmental
vandal'.  In less than a year as Australian government leader,
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has drawn more ire from
environmentalists than most anti-regulation crusaders manage in a
full term in office. He delivered last month on his chief
campaign promise to make the land Down Under the first to repeal
a functioning carbon tax on the biggest emitters of greenhouse
gases. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-australia-abbott-environment-20140819-story.html


Bay Area billionaire's climate-change ads leave fact-checkers
cold. Bay Area billionaire Tom Steyer's blitz against candidates
who are soft on climate change is underway in seven states, but
some prominent fact-checking groups say he's emitting enough hot
air to melt a few glaciers. Negative reviews from watchdogs like
PolitiFact, FactCheck.org and the Washington Post are dogging one
of the nation's biggest political donors…Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_26382278/billionaires-climate-change-ads-leave-fact-checkers-cold?source=rss

http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_26382517/Bay-Area-billionaires-climatechange-ads-leave-factcheckers-cold
 
http://www.insidebayarea.com/News/ci_26382517/Bay-Area-billionaires-climatechange-ads-leave-factcheckers-cold


Pause in global warming caused by Atlantic and Southern ocean
heat sinks – study. Newly published data suggest that a hiatus in
rising global air temperatures in the 21st century is the result
of heat sinks deep in the Atlantic and Southern oceans. The trend
is likely connected to roughly 30-year global warming and cooling
cycles, according to researchers. The study could put to rest a
long-standing debate among scientists about why air temperature
rise had halted after a period of rapid increases at the end of
the 20th century. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004801/print BY
SUBCRIPTION ONLY

Record year for simultaneous temperature highs and lows in U.S.
To date, 2014 has had the largest number of record warm and
record low-temperature days to occur simultaneously in the United
States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). "This is the most unusual year we've seen
in terms of bipolar temperatures," said Deke Arndt, a climate
scientist with NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. "We've seen
twice as much record cold and twice as much record hot days."
Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004805/print BY
SUBSRIPTION ONLY

Sun's activity influences regional climate change and skeptics –
study. Almost every scientist agrees that the Earth is warming.
But how important is the sun? According to a study released this
week, the star that heats and lights our planet year-round plays
a notable -- and poorly understood -- role in natural climate
change on Earth. This influence on natural climate change pales
in comparison with the changes human activity is inflicting on
the climate, according to the researchers. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004808/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Big turbine maker feels the breeze of growing U.S. markets.
Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world's largest wind turbine maker,
said the U.S. market continues to show high activity, but the
industry is starting to focus on whether the production tax
credit (PTC) will be renewed before the end of the year. The
Danish manufacturer announced turbine orders of 800 megawatts in
the United States in the second quarter, which accounted for most
of the 18 percent increase in total orders for the company versus
last year. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004799/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

Ban on filling swimming pools hits communities in parched
California. The California dream of owning a house with a
sparkling swimming pool is drying up for would-be swimmers in
communities across the state as some local water districts have
banned homeowners from filling empty pools in drought-stricken
areas. The restrictions come as California struggles through its
third year of a catastrophic drought that has threatened a
half-million acres of farmland…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/21/us-usa-california-pools-idUSKBN0GL2D120140821?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews


63 trillion gallons of groundwater lost in drought, study finds.
The ongoing drought in the western United States has caused so
much loss of groundwater that the Earth, on average, has lifted
up about 0.16 inches over the last 18 months, according to a new
study. The situation was even worse in the snow-starved mountains
of California, where the Earth rose up to 0.6 inches. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-63-trillion-gallons-of-groundwater-lost-in-drought-study-finds-20140821-story.html
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-groundwater-20140822-story.html


190 drought maps reveal just how thirsty California has become.
It doesn't take much to understand why California is so worried
about drought. Reservoirs are ever-dwindling. Rainfall is
sporadic at best. And let's not forget about the millions of
gallons of precious water recently flooding the streets of
Brentwood. More than 80% of California is in extreme drought,
according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the state's condition
isn't expected to improve in the near future. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-g-california-drought-map-htmlstory.html


Fewer plants crimp foraging by bees. California’s record drought
hasn’t been sweet to honeybees, and it’s creating a sticky
situation for beekeepers and honey buyers. The state is
traditionally one of the country’s largest honey producers, with
abundant crops and wildflowers that provide the nectar that bees
turn into honey. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/21/6646223/fewer-plants-crimpforaging-by.html#mi_rss=Business#storylink=cpy


‘Life After Lawns’ gives insight into drought-tolerant yards.
“Life After Lawns: 8 Steps From Grass to a Waterwise Garden”
(CreateSpace, 2014) is a simple guide to transforming your lawn
into a breathtaking drought-tolerant oasis. “Drought-tolerant
oasis” may sound like an oxymoron. An oasis is lush and green,
you are thinking, so how could such a place be drought tolerant,
too? An oasis is also a respite from the storm, a place where you
find relief from the desert all around. Posted.
http://www.dailynews.com/lifestyle/20140821/life-after-lawns-gives-insight-into-drought-tolerant-yards


California drought has wild salmon competing with almonds for
water. The ongoing California drought has pitted wild salmon
against farmers in a fight for water. While growers of almonds,
one of the state's biggest and most lucrative crops, enjoy
booming production and skyrocketing sales to China, the fish, it
seems, might be left high and dry this summer—and maybe even
dead. Posted.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/08/21/46157/california-drought-has-wild-salmon-competing-with/


American West is so dry that the land is rising. If you live out
West, you've likely noticed that things have been pretty dry
lately. What you probably haven't noticed is that the ground
beneath your feet is also a little bit higher in elevation -- an
average of 4 millimeters higher, to be exact. It may be hard to
believe, but new research using data from hundreds of different
GPS stations shows it to be true: The current drought in the
American West is so bad that the loss of water weight has
actually caused the land to rise. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004809/print BY 

FUELS

Pipeline giant sidesteps KXL-style permitting fight. Enbridge
Inc. is poised to carry out a novel new strategy for avoiding the
presidential permitting process that Keystone XL has been mired
in for years, shifting extra volumes of Canadian oil between
pipelines on its sprawling continental network with the State
Department's blessing. The pipeline titan's plan involves
building four interconnections between its Alberta Clipper and
Line 3 projects, both of which run from the oil sands region of
Alberta to Wisconsin. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060004824/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

EU regulators seek to close car emissions testing loopholes. EU
regulators are preparing draft legislation that will require
vehicle fuel use to be tested on roads rather than in
laboratories, looking to close loopholes that allow car makers to
exaggerate fuel-saving and emissions credentials. Already from
Sept. 1, slightly tougher EU testing standards will be enforced,
in line with a global push for accuracy. More-stringent standards
are likely to be opposed by automakers. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/21/us-eu-autos-idUSKBN0GK0WP20140821?feedType=RSS
http://www.autonews.com/article/20140820/COPY01/308219999/eu-regulators-aim-to-close-car-emissions-testing-loopholes
 

Advances in battery chemistry and hydrogen production may bring
affordable zero-emissions vehicles closer to reality. Batteries
and hydrogen fuel cells are vying to become the cheapest,
cleanest way to power vehicles, in hopes of one day unseating the
gasoline engine as the propulsion system of choice. Recent
breakthroughs have brought both technologies closer to that goal.
With fuel economy standards ratcheting up under President Obama's
climate action agenda, automakers are under pressure to put more
zero-emission vehicles on the market. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004813/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Fresno City Council again rejects train station master plan
money. The Fresno City Council has decided the best way to plan
for high-speed rail is to assume the train will never get here.
The council on Thursday rejected $1 million in grants that would
have paid for a master plan showing how downtown can get the
biggest boost from the bullet train. The vote was 3-3, with
Council Members Lee Brand, Paul Caprioglio and Clint Olivier
voting no. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/21/4081580_city-council-again-rejects-train.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


GREEN ENERGY

DWP is still slow to turn on home solar energy systems. When
Gerry Hans remodeled his Hollywood Hills home, he chose green
options such as landscaping with native plants, a system to
recycle gray water and a $40,000 rooftop solar installation to
provide electricity to the home. The solar panels were installed
in January, but they haven't pushed a single electron into the
house: Hans is still waiting for the Los Angeles Department of
Water and Power to install a meter and turn it on. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solar-powerless-20140822-story.html

Clean energy bill: AB 2145 would stifle program Santa Clara
County cities hope to adopt.  Community Choice energy programs
allow local governments to provide cleaner and greener energy as
an alternative to PG&E, often at less cost to residents and
businesses. But Assembly Bill 2145 would insert a number of
roadblocks in the way of consumers and businesses from accessing
cleaner electricity.   Posted. 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/News/ci_26374183/Clean-energy-bill:-AB-2145-would-stifle-program-Santa-Clara-County-cities-hope-to-adopt
 

Calif. lawmakers pass bill forcing cities to cut rooftop solar
red tape. California cities and counties must adopt a streamlined
process for permitting residential solar under a bill that passed
the state Legislature yesterday and was headed to Gov. Jerry
Brown's (D) desk. A.B. 2188, from state Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi
(D), targets the "red tape" permitting procedures that can differ
across 500 cities and counties statewide. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060004818/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

GE backs startup incubator aimed at boosting renewables. General
Electric Co. yesterday announced plans to sponsor a California
startup incubator aimed at nurturing new solar companies.
Oakland-based SfunCube will receive funding and expertise from
GE, which touted its experience working with startups and
alternative energy. "We are impressed with SfunCube's unique
incubator and accelerator and their explicit focus on
solar…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060004843/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Anderson man gets 3 years for asbestos pollution. An Anderson man
will spend more than three years in prison for demolishing a mill
full of asbestos without properly protecting his workers or the
people living in the area. U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said in a
press release that state health officials repeatedly told
37-year-old Scott Farmer that he had to stop the demolition work
in the spring of 2013 and he ignored the orders. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Anderson-man-gets-3-years-for-asbestos-pollution-5703794.php


OPINIONS

Could shale revive China's flagging oil fields? Kemp. "I believe
and will prove that our country is not deficient in oil reserves.
If I can use my 20-year lifetime in exchange for a large oil
field, I will." Those comments, recorded in an illustrated
history of the Songliao Basin published by China National
Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), are attributed to Wang Jinxi, an
oil field worker who became a hero of Communist China during the
1960s and 1970s. Posted. 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/22/china-shale-kemp-idUSL5N0QS1IN20140822


California drought continues to take heavy toll on reservoirs. he
severe drought gripping nearly all of California eased ever so
slightly this past week, but the state's reservoirs remain
"seriously low," according to the latest figures released
Thursday. The amount of the state that now falls under the
"severe" drought category — the third-harshest on a five-level
scale — was down to 97.5%, a slight improvement from the 99.8%
share during the same period last week…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-drought-reservoir-levels-20140821-story.html


Save water now, or face the consequences later. To the editor:
You would think that a serious drought would require serious
action. But it seems that water use actually has gone up. The
trouble is, as with global warming, too many people either deny
the drought's existence or just think it needs to be waited out.
("L.A. takes gentle approach to conserving water during drought,"
Aug. 18). The threat of fines only makes it an obvious money grab
and is irrelevant to the issue (no amount of money can replace
water once it's gone for good). Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0820-wednesday-drought-fines-20140820-story.html


Are we taking the drought seriously enough? To the editor: I got
a postcard from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
last week informing me how to conserve electricity during hot
summer months. Good to know, despite the absence of an
electricity shortage. ("L.A's water ruler, DWP chief Marcie
Edwards, on keeping the city hydrated," Op-Ed, Aug. 19). But for
months there's been a barrage of news stories about the severity
of the drought statewide…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0822-friday-dwp-water-20140822-story.html


Livable communities at stake if fuels aren’t in cap and trade. 
An important environmental debate right now centers on whether
transportation fuels should remain part of the cap-and-trade
program under California’s climate change law.  At stake is our
future: Will it be one where we build sustainable neighborhoods,
with access to transit, bike and pedestrian paths, and local
services?  Posted. 
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/22/6645635/viewpoints-livable-communities.html


Michelle Steel: Regulators blindside taxpayers with hidden tax.
Just when California’s economy appears to be moving forward
again, our state regulators have found yet another way to extract
more dollars from consumers’ pockets and send them to Sacramento.
Starting Jan. 1, 2015, the California Air Resources Board will
greatly expand the state’s cap-and-trade program to include
gasoline and diesel fuels, creating a “hidden gas tax” that will
cost Californians billions of dollars. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gas-632467-tax-californians.html


Saving Lives with Fossil Fuels. What is the biggest global
environment problem? Many believe it is global warming, after
all, the issue gets the lion’s share of headlines and accounts
for much of the hell-in-a-hand-basket environmental news we come
across. But, as I previously wrote on this blog, 2.9 billion
people living in energy poverty people face a more immediate
problem: indoor air pollution. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bjornlomborg/2014/08/22/saving-lives-with-fossil-fuels/

Carbon fees are our payback to ourselves [Letter] Regarding Bob
Bruninga's recent letter, "Carbon fees are a payback to Mother
Nature (Aug. 19), carbon fees can also be payback to us, which
would make them much more realistic politically. Rather than
having the government tax fossil fuel corporations, which then
pass the cost on to consumers, let's have a carbon pollution fee
paid by fossil fuel companies and rebated monthly to every
American. Posted.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-carbon-20140821,0,4201328.story#ixzz3B9Amjt9H


BLOGS

Feds to Be Sued Over Solar Projects' Harm to Endangered Bird.  A
national wildlife protection group announced today that it
intends to sue two federal agencies for failing to protect the
federally Endangered Yuma clapper rail from being harmed at
industrial-scale solar power projects in the California desert.
The Yuma clapper rail, Rallus longirostris yumanensis, was listed
as Endangered in 1967. Posted.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/feds-to-be-sued-over-solar-project-harm-to-endangered-bird.html


Don't even think about it: Why we are wired to ignore climate
change. Climate change is a scientific fact. Scientists have
become so bruised by their political battles that they have come
to use much weaker language, declaring that climate change is
"very likely" or "unequivocal." Let's just call it a fact,
because that is what it is. There is plenty of uncertainty around
how the climate is responding to these enormous changes, but
being uncertain is not the same as being unsure. Posted.
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/08/22/why-we-wired-ignore-climate-change


To Fight Climate Change we Have to Save the Rainforest. Most of
us are concerned about how climate change will affect our corners
of the world, but we need to be thinking about our most vital
natural resources: tropical forests. Tropical and subtropical
forests are the most biodiverse areas on the planet, and they
even give us most of the oxygen we breathe.  These forests
provide us with wood for fuel, paper, and building materials, and
the plant life provides the world with a critical carbon sink.
Posted.
http://theenergycollective.com/ecsjessica/469291/fight-climate-change-we-have-save-rainforest







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

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