What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for August 25, 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 push to avert higher gas prices stalls.  Lawmakers
from both parties are pushing to halt an increase in the price of
gasoline and other fuels expected to hit consumers in January,
but their efforts appear to be dead with just a week to go in the
legislative session. A pair of bills — one sponsored by
Democrats, the other by Republicans — seek to delay or exempt
gasoline, diesel fuel, natural gas and other consumer fuels from
California's 2006 greenhouse gas emissions law. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/24/california-push-to-avert-higher-gas-prices-stalls/?#article-copy
 
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/breakingnews/ci_26401514/california-push-avert-higher-gas-prices-stalls
 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/24/4085295/california-push-to-avert-higher.html
  
http://www.wral.com/california-push-to-avert-higher-gas-prices-stalls/13920248/
 
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/08/24/4306649/california-push-to-avert-higher.html

http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/clock-ticking-on-gas-tax-backtrack-efforts/article_fa95074b-a657-5735-bd6f-8cdd58fc7ccd.html
 

Cap-and-trade carbon plans slash health costs: MIT study.
Reducing pollution could save millions of lives. Massive savings
to health-care spending can be had with if governments implement
a cap-and-trade carbon reduction program, say researchers at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In their study, the
MIT researchers examined three types of carbon reduction policies
in the U.S. and their effect on health-care spending…Posted.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cap-and-trade-carbon-plans-slash-health-costs-mit-study-1.2746035
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/08/20140825-mit.html    
http://www.universityherald.com/articles/11056/20140825/cutting-emissions-may-make-up-for-some-of-the-cost-of-carbon-reduction-policies.htm
 

California Republicans Call on Governor and Dem Leaders to Stop
Higher Gas Prices.  Senate Republicans sent a letter today to
Governor Jerry Brown, Senate President pro Tempore Darrell
Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San
Diego) urging their support for any of three options to prevent
or delay a significant cost increase on gasoline in California by
as much as 76 cents a gallon in the coming months.  Posted. 
http://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/451-california-republicans-call-on-governor-and-dem-leaders-to-stop-higher-gas-prices
 

  

AIR POLLUTION

Valley rules could get much tougher on fireplace use.  In the
heat of August, Valley air authorities are planning for
Thanksgiving and Christmas -- and your holiday fires are in
jeopardy unless you own the cleanest wood-burning heater
available. Burning in fireplaces and older heaters could be
stopped on most winter days if the San Joaquin Valley Air
Pollution Control District approves a rule change next month.
Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2014/08/23/3500612/valley-rules-could-get-much-tougher.html#storylink=cpy

CLIMATE CHANGE

Farmers' Almanac predicts another nasty winter. The folks at the
Farmers' Almanac can be forgiven for feeling smug: The
198-year-old publication correctly predicted the past nasty
winter while federal forecasters blew it. Memories of the polar
vortex and relentless snowstorms won't soon be forgotten. And the
editors of the publication are predicting more of the same for
the coming season. "Shivery and shovelry are back. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/24/6650453/farmers-almanac-predicts-another.html#storylink=cpy


DOE launches major 10-year project to use high performance
computing for climate change research; ACME.  Eight national
laboratories—Lawrence Livermore, Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence
Berkeley, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest and Sandia—are
combining forces with the National Center for Atmospheric
Research, four academic institutions and one private-sector
company in a 10-year project to use high performance computing
(HPC) to develop and to apply the most complete climate and Earth
system model.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/08/20140824-acme.html 

DROUGHT

Brazil's drought-hit coffee belt turns to machines to lower
costs. Years of low coffee prices followed by the worst drought
in decades in Brazil have pushed even the smallest family farmers
to buy modern machinery rather than rely on increasingly scarce
and expensive labor. Brazil's crop supply agency Conab noted an
"intense trade in machinery, mainly harvesters," in the main
coffee-growing states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais this
season…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/25/us-brazil-coffee-machinery-idUSKBN0GP1CS20140825


Californians tear out lawns to cope with drought. Rick
Blankenship was tired of an insatiable lawn he couldn't keep
green, no matter how he watered it, so he decided to tear it out.
Three years later, he brims with pride at his new front yard in
Long Beach, California, carpeted with natural sage- and emerald
green-colored ground covers and shaded by flowering magnolia and
peppermint willow trees. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/24/6650513/californians-tear-out-lawns-to.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/24/6650535/turf-removal-in-parched-california.html#storylink=cpy


Lawn painters bring the green in California drought. Brown lawns,
begone. Thanks to California’s chronic drought and watering
restrictions, there’s no shortage of dry, dusty-brown lawns. And
that’s led to a growth in business for a remedy that doesn’t
involve wasting water or risking fines: lawn painting. Using
nontoxic, emerald-hued paints, lawn painters can transform even
completely dead lawns to look about as lush as a golf green.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/22/6648397/lawn-painters-bring-the-green.html#storylink=cpy


California drought: Water witches in demand as wells run dry. The
calls started in October, when the rain was supposed to come. Rob
Thompson's phone kept ringing - a farmer in Fresno, a winemaker
in Napa Valley, a rancher in Yreka. All were looking for water.
And they had heard Thompson could find it using an ancient method
most call unorthodox, if not ridiculous. Thompson is a dowser, a
person who believes they have the ability to locate water or
precious metals deep underground using rods, sticks or a pendulum
to guide them. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-drought-Water-witches-in-demand-as-5708344.php


Volunteers deliver bottled water to drought-stricken community.
Nearly 1,000 people whose wells have gone dry due to drought
received an emergency allotment of bottled water Friday. The
door-to-door giveaway of 12 gallons of water per person was the
latest development in a summer of water woes in the central San
Joaquin Valley. Tulare County officials said they have received
an avalanche of calls from homeowners whose wells have run dry.
Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/22/4083201_volunteers-deliver-bottled-water.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy


Drought fears in Wine Country. To get a sense of how the state’s
three-year drought has created a new normal in the wine industry,
consider the truck that Rued Vineyards purchased this year.
Almost daily, Tom Rued would drive the stainless-steel tanker,
with a capacity of 6,400 gallons, about 15 miles to a city of
Healdsburg filling station to load up on recycled wastewater.
Posted.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/2562360-181/drought-fears-in-wine-country


Lifestyles of the Rich and Parched. How the Golden State’s 1
percenters are avoiding the drought.  Many mornings, just before
7 a.m., a large tanker truck pulls up to the grand gates of Oprah
Winfrey’s 40-acre estate in Montecito, California. Inside is
neither merchandise nor produce – just water. A year ago, Oprah’s
annual bill from the Montecito Water District was just shy of
$125,000. Posted.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/08/california-drought-lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-parched-110305.html#ixzz3BQeosDJM


FUELS

Sacramento-area gas prices fall for a seventh consecutive week. 
Sacramento-area gas prices, which stubbornly refused to dip below
$4 a gallon in the weeks leading up to Independence Day, continue
to fall toward the $3.75 mark with the approach of Labor Day.
National price tracker GasBuddy.com, which surveys more than 700
regional gas outlets daily, said the average retail price of gas
in the Sacramento region fell another 2.8 cents over the past
week to about $3.79 a gallon. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/25/6652729/sacramento-area-gas-prices-fall.html#storylink=cpy


VEHICLES

Audi moving ahead with 48V system in vehicles; mild hybrids. 
Audi will upgrade part of its vehicle electrical system from 12
to 48 volts. The move represents another technical building block
for facilitating the integration of new automotive technologies
while increasing the power and efficiency of its cars.  Audi
recently showcased the scope of the 48-volt electrical system
with the two technology demonstrators Audi A6 TDI concept and RS
5 TDI concept.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/08/audi-moving-ahead-with-48v-system-in-vehicles-mild-hybrids.html
  

Volkswagen E-Golf Release Date: VW Announces US Price For Its
Electric Car Due Out In November. Volkswagen AG’s (FRA:VOW)
American subsidiary announced Monday the price of the next
electric car to hit the U.S. market. With a basic cost of
$36,265, the 2015 e-Golf due in some U.S. dealer showrooms in
November  will bring to the country’s electric vehicle, or EV,
market a new price point between the less-than-$30,000 Nissan
Leaf and the more-than-$40,000 BMW i3. Posted.
http://www.ibtimes.com/volkswagen-e-golf-release-date-vw-announces-us-price-its-electric-car-due-out-november-1668654

 
HIGH-SPEED RAIL

L.A. County supervisor's alternate bullet-train route gaining
traction. To get high-speed rail from Palmdale to Burbank,
planners have focused for years on two potential routes that
parallel the 14 Freeway and course through the rural and growing
communities of Acton, Agua Dulce and Santa Clarita — hostile
territory for the bullet train project. Los Angeles County
Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich thinks there's a better way to
go. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-bullet-train-route-20140824-story.html


California High-Speed Rail—More Questions and Concerns.  "Bad,
bad, bad," and other critiques. If David Letterman can put out a
Top Ten list night after night for decades, we can certainly make
it all the way to 10 in our chronicles of the California
High-Speed Rail debates. As a reminder, this is No. 8 in a series
on the most ambitious and consequential infrastructure project
now under consideration in our infrastructure-degraded land.
Posted.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/08/high-speed-rail-more-questions/379046/


GREEN ENERGY

Huge solar farm proposed south of Silicon Valley wins power
contract, but loses major investor.  A proposal to build one of
the world's largest solar farms in a rural area south of Silicon
Valley has cleared one of its final hurdles after five years of
planning and environmental debate. But whether the 247-megawatt
facility proposed for Panoche Valley, a vast expanse of rangeland
50 miles south of Hollister…Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_26398651/huge-solar-farm-proposed-near-silicon-valley-wins


Nicaragua's latest revolution: Becoming a green energy
powerhouse.  How quickly can a nation wean itself from fossil
fuels and move toward reliance on renewable energy? In the case
of Nicaragua, very, very fast. So fast, in fact, that Nicaragua
is drawing a parade of distinguished admirers coming to examine
how the nation is radically changing its energy footprint with an
aggressive goal of becoming a green-energy powerhouse. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/world/nicaraguas-latest-revolution-becoming-a-green-energy-powerhouse_09372081
 

Peru wants Municipal Power Agency's 4th solar farm.  A northern
Indiana county wants to become the site of Indiana Municipal
Power Agency's fourth solar farm. The utility plans to construct
a 1-megawatt solar farm in a community where it provides
electricity, said Jim Tidd, executive director of the Miami
County Economic Development Authority. Peru is among the 59
communities that Indiana Municipal serves, the Kokomo Tribune
reported Sunday. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/peru-wants-municipal-power-agencys-4th-solar-farm_25616246
 

California moves to quicken solar permits. A bill designed to
speed up the permit process for home rooftop solar installations
in California is headed to the governor's desk for signing. The
State Assembly approved Assembly Bill 2188 in a 66-1 vote
Thursday. The measure would require every city and county to
adopt an ordinance that creates an expedited permitting process
for small, residential rooftop solar energy. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/25/bill-speeds-solar-permits/
 

Big solar, big problems.  Just before Interstate 15 exits
California for Nevada, drivers catch an astonishing sight: A
five-mile swath of desert covered by mirrors and spiked with
towers reflecting dazzling beams of light. This place’s official
name is as dry as a typical Mojave day: The Ivanpah Solar
Project. Motorists’ descriptions are more vivid. “Like something
out of science fiction,” said Julie Billington, 54, a
microbiologist from Berkeley. “Like something out of a James Bond
movie,” said Steve Kosnik Jr., 48, a salesman from Phoenix.
Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/24/tp-big-solar-big-problems/
 

Green on the upswing as eco-friendly home building goes
mainstream.  At first, Baldwin Homes didn't build green. Then it
dipped its corporate toe in - one home here, another there. Now
the Gambrills company is constructing an entire green
neighborhood. It's the story of U.S. home building writ small.
Green accounted for 2 percent of the new-home market in 2005,
according to a report by industry data provider McGraw Hill
Construction. By last year it had ballooned to 23 percent -
nearly a quarter. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2014/08/25/3503083/green-on-the-upswing-as-eco-friendly.html#storylink=cpy

Geothermal Power Steaming Over Wind And Solar Energies. All the
talk about the government subsidies given to the various energy
forms has one fuel source steaming: geothermal power, which ranks
fourth among all renewable energies in terms of total capacity —
after wind, solar and hydro. Geothermal stands in the shadows of
the higher profile green energies, both literally and
figuratively. In actuality, energy is captured and then extracted
from deep underground with the steam used to generate
electricity. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2014/08/25/geothermal-power-steaming-over-wind-and-solar-energies/


OPINIONS

The country’s sinking climate debate. THE NATIONAL debate on
climate change has devolved. By the late 1990s, big U.S.
businesses were beginning to accept that greenhouse gases must be
wrung out of the economy. In the 2000s, prominent Republicans
such as Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.)
proposed aggressive anti-emissions policies. By 2008, the
presidential candidates of both major parties favored strong
national climate strategies. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-countrys-sinking-climate-debate/2014/08/24/d4d4aeca-29ff-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html

The Climate Swerve.  Americans appear to be undergoing a
significant psychological shift in our relation to global
warming. I call this shift a climate “swerve,” borrowing the term
used recently by the Harvard humanities professor Stephen
Greenblatt to describe a major historical change in consciousness
that is neither predictable nor orderly. The first thing to say
about this swerve is that we are far from clear about just what
it is and how it might work. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/opinion/sunday/the-climate-swerve.html?_r=0


Another View: Consumers can’t afford a delay in cap-and-trade. 
There’s no harm in “honest discussion” about fuels, as The
Sacramento Bee says in its editorial, “Pump prices will rise, and
Senate should air details” (Aug. 17). But honesty involves
getting the premise right – and honesty isn’t what the oil
industry is offering. The question isn’t one of how much gas
prices are going to go up. In fact, Assembly Bill 32 is written
so that oil companies need not increase prices at all. If they
do, that is something they are choosing to do. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/24/6643336/another-view-consumers-cant-afford.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/24/6640292/we-cant-afford-dirty-air.html#storylink=cpy


Viewpoints: California should strengthen economic ties with
Mexico. As Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto visits California
this week, it’s time for Californians, indeed for all Americans,
to take a fresh look at Mexico. Almost 21 months into an
administration characterized by dramatic economic and political
reform, U.S. perceptions of Mexico continue to reflect an echo of
Mexico’s past rather than the reality of Mexico’s present.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/24/6645615/viewpoints-california-should-strengthen.html#storylink=cpy

Dan Walters: Drought leads California to rethink water
management. On average, rain and snow storms drop about 200
million acre-feet of water on California each year – 65 trillion
gallons of the life-giving liquid. Nearly two-thirds of it either
evaporates, sinks into the ground or is absorbed by trees and
other plants while the remainder, 70-plus million acre-feet,
finds its way into rivers flowing either to the Pacific Ocean or
several inland “sinks.” Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/23/6648571/dan-walters-drought-leads-california.html#storylink=cpy


California water bond funding for conservancies. Descriptions of
the state land conservancies that will split $297.5 million if
voters approve the Proposition 1 water measure on the November
ballot: — Baldwin Hills Conservancy, $10 million: Manages urban
parkland west of downtown Los Angeles and the Ballona Creek
watershed, including a scenic overlook, a sports complex and
hiking trails. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/23/6648963/california-water-bond-funding.html#storylink=cpy


Duraflame responds to doubling of no burn days in Valley.  The
San Joaquin Valley is no stranger to air pollution issues, and
has long struggled to find solutions for high particle emission
levels in the air. On July 31, the San Joaquin Valley Air
Pollution Control District held a public workshop to discuss the
proposed regulation changes related to wood-burning fireplaces
and wood-burning heaters (District Rule 4901). Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/article/20140822/OPINION/140829612/101127/A_OPINION


More study needed before cap-and-trade hits gas prices: Isadore
Hall. Starting in January, California’s drivers will be asked to
pay billions of dollars in added fuel costs as part of the
state’s “cap and trade” program to limit greenhouse gases. As
this starting date approaches, I have joined other lawmakers in
Sacramento to voice concerns over this coming program. Posted.
http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20140825/more-study-needed-before-cap-and-trade-hits-gas-prices-isadore-hall


Editorial: Regressive cap-and-trade tax to hit motorists. Human
beings have an undeniable need to control. In these modern times,
when it is possible to build and interpret massive data sets,
micromanage your personal calendar with phone apps and run entire
businesses across oceans, we are especially prone to thinking
ourselves more powerful than we really are. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/articles/bill-748705-fuel-state.html 

BLOGS

The Best Reporting on California’s Drought. This year may be the
driest in California in half a millennium. These reports explore
how the drought is affecting agriculture, business and living
conditions in the nation’s most populous state. After a decade of
relatively little rain, California is facing its third year of
debilitating drought, and 2014 may be the driest in 500 years.
The drought has placed a $44.7-billion-a-year agriculture
industry, drinking water for millions of people, and some 204
cities located in high-risk fire zones in jeopardy. Posted.
http://www.propublica.org/article/the-best-reporting-on-californias-drought


Should we "green up" dirty energy technologies? The world of
environmentalism is complex, to say the least, for both companies
and their stakeholders. Despite the propensity of pundits,
activists, investors and others to identify “good” and “bad”
products and companies, it’s never that easy. “Bad” companies can
be “good” in many ways, and “good” companies can do “bad” things.
That flies in the face of those who want to boil things down to a
few well-honed sound bites and certifications. Posted.
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/08/25/should-we-green-dirty-energy-technologies
 

Climate Change-Related Risks and Costs Exist Today. The Carbon
Disclosure Project (CDP) states on its homepage that it “provides
the only global system for companies and cities to measure,
disclose, manage and share vital environmental information –
holding the largest collection globally of primary climate
change, water and forest risk commodities information.” Posted.
http://theenergycollective.com/jared-anderson/471991/infographic-climate-change-related-risks-and-costs-exist-today
 

California Drought Leaves Homes Without Water. Hundreds of rural
San Joaquin Valley residents no longer can get drinking water
from their home faucets because California's extreme drought has
dried up their individual wells, government officials and
community groups said. The situation has become so dire that the
Tulare County Office of Emergency Services had 12-gallon-per
person rations of bottled water delivered on Friday in East
Porterville…Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/23/california-drought-water_n_5703273.html


Researchers Develop Transparent Solar Concentrator That Could
Cover Windows, Electronics. Scientists at Michigan State
University announced this week the creation of a “transparent
luminescent solar concentrator” that could turn windows and even
cellphone screens into solar-power generators. This technology
could mean that one day entire skyscrapers might be able to
generate solar power without blocking out light or ruining
tenants' views. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/24/transparent-solar-concentrator_n_5700544.html


EU getting serious about on-road emissions tests.  Testing
vehicle emissions in the laboratory is a way to guarantee
identical procedures, but it doesn't exactly mimic the results
from an on-the-road drive. Ford, for example, famously had a
problem with dynamometer testing in the Total Road Load
Horsepower (TRLHP) calculations for the C-Max Hybrid. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/08/24/eu-getting-serious-about-on-road-emissions-tests/


Visualize: Comparing California’s Three Cap-and-Trade Spending
Proposals.  In the midst of California’s state budget
negotiations, the legislature must separately decide how to spend
the state’s cap-and-trade revenue, be it on public transit,
high-speed rail, affordable housing near transit, or other
emissions-reducing programs.  Posted. 
http://www.longbeachize.com/visualize-comparing-californias-three-cap-and-trade-spending-proposals-2
 

The climate movement is way too focused on market-based
solutions.  There was a time when we met overarching challenges
with bold public purpose and concerted action as “we the people.”
 When the Depression hit, we created large public works projects,
building roads, airports, and power dams.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/the-climate-movement-is-way-too-focused-on-market-based-solutions/
  

Why ignoring global warming is like driving across a rickety
bridge.  Like the excellent medical analogy (which compares
ignoring global warming to ignoring the risk of smoking; or not
listening to your doctor when you’re told to eat healthier and
exercise), this image makes perfectly clear just how
irresponsible it is to ignore the overwhelming consensus of
experts.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/why-ignoring-global-warming-is-like-driving-across-a-rickety-bridge/


Harmful Air Pollution In The US Is Declining, Though The Number
Of Cars Isn't.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
released a report recently that shows progress in lowering toxic
urban air across America.  Since the Clean Air Act Amendments
were passed in 1990, the EPA reported that “substantial progress”
has been made throughout the country to reduce air toxics, such
as a 66 percent reduction in benzene, which is a natural
byproduct of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke — it's also
found in volcanoes and forest fires.  Posted. 
http://www.medicaldaily.com/harmful-air-pollution-us-declining-though-number-cars-isnt-299478
  

Cutting emissions pays for itself, research shows.  Lower rates
of asthma and other health problems are frequently cited as
benefits of policies aimed at cutting carbon emissions from
sources like power plants and vehicles, because these policies
also lead to reductions in other harmful types of air pollution. 
But just how large are the health benefits of cleaner air in
comparison to the costs of reducing carbon emissions? Posted. 
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-emissions.html   

In Search Of Alien Life? Seek Out The Smog.  One of the worst
byproducts of our industrial society is air pollution. It's a
global problem that humans have yet to get under control. One
scientist thinks we might not be alone, though. Alien
civilizations may be polluting their worlds, and that pollution
might be one way to detect them.  Posted. 
http://www.npr.org/2014/08/22/342494196/in-search-of-alien-life-seek-out-the-smog



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