What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for November 7, 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

Air Pollution	Exide ordered to clean up homes tainted by battery
plant. ...numerous residential yards in nearby Boyle Heights and
Maywood.  Under the directive, Exide must set up a $9-million
trust fund to remove the contaminated soil and rid home interiors
of lead-tainted dust. Incomplete test results from 104 homes
sampled for lead pollution have determined that 62 require some
level of cleanup.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20141107-story.html 

State regulators make tough demands of Vernon battery recycler
Vernon-based battery manufacturer Exide Technologies is facing
tough new orders from environmental regulators. It must
immediately clean up soil and air pollution, pay penalties and
costs and triple the amount of money it set aside to pay for
cleanup in the event of its closure.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/11/06/47912/state-regulators-make-tough-demands-of-vernon-batt/
 

Air district: Don't burn, please limit driving.  The valley air
district urged people not to burn and to curtail their driving
because of "abnormally high" levels of air pollution here.  The
high pollution levels are "dangerous to public health," Seyed
Sadredin, executive director of the San Joaquin Valley Air
Pollution Control District, said in a news release.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1143262460/Air-district-Dont-burn-please-limit-driving
 

Health groups use White House meeting to promote tighter ozone
standard. Four public health groups met today with the White
House to argue for a tighter ozone standard.  Led by the American
Lung Association, the advocates cited recent research showing
high levels of ground-level ozone, a component of smog, harm
respiratory systems and lead to increased mortality.
http://news.vocus.com/?a=19483991403&p=19f&v=1&x=v9NnjhIfVKcTZ6OwTp8FnA


Govt. reaches settlement with operator of fertilizer plants over
emissions. Three subsidiaries of the world's largest fertilizer
plant have agreed to take steps to reduce harmful emissions of
air pollutants, U.S. EPA and the Department of Justice said
today.
http://news.vocus.com/?a=19483991372&p=19f&v=1&x=ojSJU3CuIBgyTWNs9U6C2A


CLIMATE CHANGE

Election Puts Obama Climate Pledge at Risk.  President Barack
Obama’s pledge to lead a global effort raising $100 billion a
year to help poor nations combat climate change may be an early
casualty of the Republican takeover of Congress. Lawmakers set to
gain roles in setting policy, such as Oklahoma Senator James
Inhofe, have questioned spending U.S. dollars on the effort, a
linchpin of efforts to win a global pact fight global warming.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-11-07/election-puts-obama-climate-pledge-at-risk-on-summit-eve
 

Why climate advocates fail to attract conservative support �
and what they can do about it. Reading the political tealeaves,
environmental groups ramped up multimillion dollar campaigns
before the midterm elections to support environmentally friendly
Republicans, yet, as the election results show, the effort was
met with questionable success. Green groups' GOP outreach often
focuses on a Teddy Roosevelt-esque conservation ethic, or an
appeal to support candidates for growing green jobs in solar and
wind.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article3616602.html#storylink=cpy


Younger voters may make climate an issue in 2016. The millions of
dollars spent in Iowa and other states for candidates who support
action on climate change had little effect on voters' decisions
Tuesday, experts say. "It's not a huge priority for a lot of
voters," said Tim Hagle, a political science professor at the
University of Iowa. The question is whether environmental
activists can make it a pivotal issue in Iowa's
first-in-the-nation caucuses in 2016.
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/politics/elections/2014/11/07/younger-voters-may-make-climate-an-issue/18633173/


Paris climate deal needs key pact: UNFCCC. A coalition of major
emitters needs to establish a global greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions accounting system, an official with the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said.  "I don't think a
consensus decision-making process will deliver that. So that has
to be done initially...
http://www.argusmedia.com/pages/NewsBody.aspx?id=943993&menu=yes


China's planners aim to cap carbon emissions from steel, cement
producers by 2020.  The Chinese government for the first time has
said publicly that it will cap carbon dioxide emissions from two
major polluting industries, but its impact on the nation's
overall climate change mitigation remains unclear.
http://news.vocus.com/?a=19479516565&p=19f&v=1&x=8JCgyAo8JZNZnEMkZ6BvPw


Norway leads global climate change adaptation; U.S. falls back in
readiness. Norway is the country most equipped to adapt to
climate change for the 18th year in a row, according to the 2013
Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index.
http://news.vocus.com/?a=19479516114&p=19f&v=1&x=O-z5bPNknlExa7EysHoWzg


Conservatives tie PTC to Obama agenda in bid to sink lame-duck
deals. Fearing a potential lame-duck compromise that would extend
a key renewable energy tax credit, dozens of conservative groups
are warning newly empowered Republicans that extending the credit
would amount to an endorsement of President Obama's broader
climate change agenda.
http://news.vocus.com/?a=19482613174&p=19f&v=1&x=x8lhr5ELYx1F4aPK0YI33g


DOE bid to overhaul Reagan-era furnace standards sparks industry
protest. The Department of Energy's rewrite of a 1987 energy
efficiency standard for residential furnaces has drawn opposition
from the gas industry, which says the effort would spur a shift
to electric heaters and drive up U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
http://news.vocus.com/?a=19482613211&p=19f&v=1&x=Ngf0yQd4i_ST8ktYsjLqbA


DROUGHT

Rain only slightly improves drought conditions.  Recent rain
throughout California made only a slight dent on a drought that
has chugged along relentlessly for more than three years,
according to federal scientists.  And dry conditions are expected
to return for the next two weeks.  Rainfall drenched large
portions...
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-drought-monitor-report-20141106-story.html


$14 million to fund 19 drought relief projects for Sacramento
area water agencies. The California Department of Water Resources
on Thursday announced it will fund $14million worth of water
infrastructure projects throughout the Sacramento region. The
department announced the awards to pay for construction of 19
projects during a news conference at the Sacramento River intake
facility near Discovery Park.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article3607806.html#storylink=cpy


California drought: Northern counties get soaked. 	It's amazing
what a lot of rain can do. The low pressure system that swept
through California last weekend brought much needed moisture to
the state. It's amazing what a lot of rain can do. The low
pressure system that swept through California last weekend
brought much needed moisture to the state.
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2014/11/06/california-drought-monitor-northern/15998620/


Drought Forces Dredging In Lake Tahoe.  ... numerous problems for
water managers. One of the biggest challenges is assuring boats
can get into marinas.    Because of low Tahoe water levels, the
Lahontan Water Board has issued permits for moving buoys,
extending piers and dredging at every marina on the California
side of the lake. The work can cost hundreds of thousands of
dollars at each of the four marinas. 
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/11/06/drought-forces-dredging-in-lake-tahoe/


Drought: Sacramento Region Receives Millions In Grants. The
California Department of Water Resources has awarded more than
14-million dollars in grants for drought-related and
water-related projects in the Sacramento region. The announcement
was made at the Sacramento River intake facility on Jibboom
Street. Gary Bardini with the Department of Water Resources says
the grants will help the state achieve goals set in the
California Water action plan.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/11/06/drought-sacramento-region-receives-millions-in-grants/


No Recovery, But a Sliver of Drought Gain for Calif. The phrase
“abnormally dry” might conjure up a skin condition or your
preferred type of martini. But it might just be the most positive
words uttered in months about California's relentless drought.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday, a tiny
sliver of the Golden State is no longer in drought, the first
time that's happened since late April.  “Abnormally dry” is what
the...
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/drought-improvement-california-18288


FUELS

Pump prices still falling? a penny or more a day.  For the first
time in four years, this week the average U.S. gasoline price for
regular dipped below $3 per gallon. And by Friday, Nov. 7, it had
dropped to $2.947 according to price surveys.  And that can mean
a few more discretionary bucks to spend during the holidays. 
Last year, with U.S. gasoline...
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=27096

Will Cheap Gas Undermine Climate Change Efforts? ...unexpectedly
cut its export prices to the United States, and follows a global
trend that has seen oil prices drop 25 percent since June,
according to Reuters. The price drop comes just days after the UN
declared that fossil fuel emissions must drop to zero by the end
of the century in order to keep global temperatures in check.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/11/climate-change-oil-crude-United-Nations-panel-report-gas-prices-fossil-fuel/382425/


VEHICLES

BMW develops street lights with electric car-charging sockets.
BMW has developed street lights equipped with sockets to charge
electric cars, it said on Friday, and will run a pilot project in
Munich next year that uses existing local authority lighting
networks.    BMW said it has made two prototype "Light and
Charge" street lights which combine efficient Light Emitting...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/07/us-bmw-lighting-sockets-idUSKBN0IR14Q20141107


Caltrain electrification delayed, price rises. A much-touted
project to modernize the Caltrain line with more efficient
electrified trains is being delayed up to 18 months and the price
is rising from $1.45 billion to a projected $1.7 billion to $1.76
billion, the transit agency announced Thursday. The cost for
electrification now is projected to be between $1.47 billion and
$1.5 billion.
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2014-11-07/caltrain-electrification-delayed-price-rises/1776425132945.html


GREEN ENERGY

Professor fuels trip on chicken fat, vegetable oil. A Middle
Tennessee State University professor is driving from Key West,
Florida, to Seattle in a vehicle fueled by waste chicken fat and
waste vegetable oil from school dining facilities. Alternatives
fuels researcher Cliff Ricketts will begin his journey on
Thursday, stopping at MTSU along the way and arriving in Seattle
next week.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article3595348.html#storylink=cpy


USC hosts event on fuel cell technology. The University of South
Carolina's solid oxide fuel cell center is hosting an open house
at the Hollings Library. The event scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m.
features presentations from both students and faculty. Solid
oxide fuel cells are a component of advanced clean energy
systems, are considered high efficiency and emit no toxic
by-products.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/technology/article3616064.html#storylink=cpy


USC hosts event on fuel cell technology. The University of South
Carolina's solid oxide fuel cell center is hosting an open house
at the Hollings Library. The event scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m.
features presentations from both students and faculty. Solid
oxide fuel cells are a component of advanced clean energy
systems, are considered high efficiency and emit no toxic
by-products.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/technology/article3616064.html


China's Solar Power Push.  As the world's largest emitter of
carbon, China has decided that one of the best ways to clean up
its polluted air is through solar power. The country has led the
world in solar installations for the last two years and will
likely do so again in 2015. It's on pace to reach 33 gigawatts of
solar power capacity by the end of 2014, 42 times more than it
had in...
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-06/chinas-solar-power-push


Here Comes the Sun: America's Solar Boom, in Charts.  Last week,
an energy analyst at Deutsche Bank came to a startling
conclusion: By 2016, solar power will be as cheap or cheaper than
electricity from the conventional grid in every state except
three. That's without any changes to existing policy. In other
words, we're only a few years away from the point where, in most
of the United... 
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/11/solar-energy-power-boom-charts


Republican districts lead clean energy job growth in Q3 – report.
 A majority of the 18,000 jobs the clean energy industry added in
the third quarter of 2014 materialized in Republican districts,
and both parties would be hurt if Congress fails to renew
expiring tax incentives for renewable energy, according to a
report released today by an environmentally oriented business
group.
http://news.vocus.com/?a=19482613327&p=19f&v=1&x=7kPhLNe5_airKXt9YOMsgA


Md. governor sees Chesapeake Bay work setting him apart from
potential White House rivals. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley knows
how to talk to environmentalists. In speeches to green groups,
the Democrat decries what he calls a false dichotomy between jobs
and the environment. He regularly name-checks the latest
congressional battles over light bulb standards or water
regulations. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1060008548 

OPINIONS

Shipping oil by rail lowers energy costs. Chalk up a hollow
victory for EarthJustice and the Sierra Club. The two
environmental groups sued over InterState Oil Co.’s permit to
unload oil trains at the former McClellan Air Force Base in
Sacramento County. The company plans to end operations there on
Friday, after the regional air quality district said it issued
the permit in error without doing a full environmental review.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article3605093.html#storylink=cpy


Call the water police. Drain Lake Las Vegas. Re “A new day yawns”
(California Traveler, Nov.2): The article about Lake Las Vegas is
infuriating. Lake Las Vegas. What an oxymoron. A 380-acre lake in
the middle of the desert in the middle of a drought. The article
goes on to state that the lake is surrounded by 3,600 acres of
luxury condos, hotels and golf courses using more precious water.
Who benefits?
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article3608964.html#storylink=cpy


Must do a better job on conserving water.  It still is a puzzle
to me why so many people are still abusing the use of water. We
all know the state of California is deep trouble because of the
lack of rain. Yet, I still see shopping malls keeping the shrubs
and lawns green while so many of us have turned our water off.
What is it going to take for all of us to understand to turn off
such water supplies?
http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_26884691/nov-7-letters-editor


BLOGS

China & US Making Progress on Climate Change, Now It's Time for
More. When President Obama travels to China in two weeks to talk
with President Xi Jinping, climate change is certain to be on the
agenda. Both nations top the ranks of climate change polluters,
and both nations are grappling with the consequences. California
is in the grip of a prolonged and costly drought that scientists
have linked to climate change.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/fbeinecke/china_us_making_progress_on_climate_change.html


DOE Announces $16 Million for Cleaner Coal Tech. The Energy
Department Thursday selected four projects to develop
gasification systems to turn coal into syngas to produce power,
chemicals and transportation fuel in processes that produce lower
carbon dioxide emissions.  “By partnering with industry on
promising pathways for high-efficiency, low-pollution power
generation and syngas production…
http://blogs.rollcall.com/energy-xtra/doe-announces-16-million-for-cleaner-coal-tech/?dcz


Carbon task force opens floor on carbon tax. The newly convened
Presidential Carbon Charge Task Force held its first forum
yesterday evening to engage students and faculty on the
prospecting of implementing a carbon tax at Yale. The task force
was held by University President Peter Salovey as part of a
series of alternative initiatives aimed at tackling Yale’s
greenhouse gas emissions, after the University released its
decision not to divest from fossil fuel companies in August.
http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/11/07/carbon-task-force-opens-floor-on-carbon-tax/


Poland rejects IPCC target of zero emissions by 2100. IPCC
recommendation to phase out fossil fuels by end of century to
avoid dangerous global warming is categorically rejected by
Poland and other eastern European countries.  Poland and other
Eastern Europe countries have categorically rejected the target
put forward by the world’s top climate scientists to reduce
carbon emissions to zero by 2100 to avoid dangerous global
warming, leaked documents show.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/07/poland-rejects-ipcc-target-of-zero-emissions-by-2100


Solar Investment Tax Credit: Does Republican Win Increase
Uncertainty On Extension? ... taking control of the Senate, which
was previously controlled by the Democratic Party, while
strengthening its control of the House of Representatives. Many
Republicans have largely been against using incentives and
taxpayer funds to aid the development of renewable energy
sources, instead favoring an approach that is market-based and
cost-effective.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/11/06/solar-investment-tax-credit-does-republican-win-increase-uncertainty-on-extension/


The Climate Post: Climate Change Risks, Impacts Focus of Reports.
 The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) released its Fifth Assessment Synthesis Report warning
that greenhouse gas levels are at the highest they have been in
800,000 years. "We have little time before the window of
opportunity to stay within the 2C...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-profeta/the-climate-post-climate_b_6117286.html?utm_hp_ref=climate-change


McConnell: Priority is to ‘get the EPA reined in’ Incoming Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says a top priority of
his is “to try to do whatever I can to get the [Environmental
Protection Agency] reined in.” In an interview with the Lexington
Herald-Leader, McConnell said it wouldn’t be easy to block the
carbon pollution regulations for existing power
plants…http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/223298-mcconnell-priority-is-to-get-the-epa-reined-in


Nissan Murano production fires up in America for first time
[w/video]	... including the V-motion front end, LED boomerang
lights and the unique floating roof.    The breakthrough exterior
design carries into the interior, which offers an engaging social
lounge feel with a refined instrument panel, wide center console,
NASA-inspired Zero Gravity front and outboard rear seating and
the airy atmosphere created by the large windows and available
oversized Power Panoramic Moonroof.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/nissan-murano-production-canton-official-video/?icid=autoblog%7ccheck-these-out


Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Volt's new, improved powertrain;
Inabikari wants to build Tesla Model X fighter.  We knew the 2016
Chevrolet Volt's new powertrain would provide more range, but we
didn't know how much. According to GM's Executive Director Larry
Nitz, it is about 12 percent more, overall....
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/11/06/2016-chevy-volt-improved-range-inabikari-ev-crowdfunding/


Car Emissions vs. Car Crashes: Which One's Deadlier? The
ever-thought-provoking David Levinson posed a question at his
Transportationist blog earlier this week that's worth a longer
look: Are you more likely to die from being in a car crash or
from breathing in car emissions? If your gut reaction is like
mine, then you've already answered in favor of crashes.
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/11/car-emissions-vs-car-crashes-which-ones-deadlier/382461/
   

Your gym might have toxic air. Go the gym to stay healthy? Well,
watch out, the air might be poisoning you.  Researchers in
Portugal and Holland found the air in the gyms they studied was
really polluted.  To find this, they put air-quality monitoring
equipment in gyms throughout Lisbon. They covered weight rooms
and aerobic areas, as well as smaller studio spaces.
http://www.aol.com/article/2014/11/06/your-gym-might-have-toxic-air/20990007/


Here’s how one green group got its investments out of dirty
energy. The Oregon Environmental Council had a problem. It was
late last year, and the nonprofit’s board finance committee was
reviewing the performance of its endowment fund, which was
invested in various stocks and bonds and mutual funds.
http://grist.org/business-technology/heres-how-one-green-group-got-its-investments-out-of-dirty-energy/


Here are the worst places to live in the U.S., and climate change
isn’t helping. From wildfires and drought in the Southwest to
hurricanes and floods on the Eastern seaboard, sometimes it seems
like there’s nowhere left to hide from climate change. Well, we
can’t (read: don’t want to) tell you where you should go, but at
least now we can name the 50 places to live in the U.S. where you
are MOST at risk for natural disaster — including the sorts of
disasters climate change is expected to throw at us in the coming
years.
http://grist.org/news/here-are-the-worst-places-to-live-in-the-u-s-and-climate-change-isnt-helping/


Opinion: Debunking the myths Why fuel cell electric vehicles
(FCEVs) are viable for the mass market. 2014 has been a year of
rapid growth for the fuel cell market with positive progress
being made globally, especially in markets such as US, UK,
Germany, France and Japan. Public-private investment initiatives,
government funding for infrastructure and consumer subsidies,
falling production...
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/11/20141107-winand.html

Hybrid Sales: Searching For A Silver Lining In Flat Figures. 
Recent news articles have noted that sales of hybrid-electric
vehicle are in a bit of a funk. Some analysts have started to
speculate that sales of hybrids may have already reached a peak,
and certainly falling gas prices are a disincentive to pay more
for a higher-efficiency vehicle.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095243_hybrid-sales-searching-for-a-silver-lining-in-flat-figures

Which Electric-Car Makers Are Serious? U.S. Sales Show Top Three.
Two years ago, we pointed out that several electric cars now on
sale were purely "compliance cars," built in minimal numbers
purely to comply with California rules that require sales of
zero-emission vehicles. But almost four years after the first
Nissan Leaf went on sale in December 2010, it's become pretty
clear which carmakers are serious about plug-in electric
cars--and which aren't.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095314_which-electric-car-makers-are-serious-u-s-sales-show-top-four

Could Gasoline Below $3 A Gallon Doom Rising Gas-Mileage Rules?
By most accounts, the world is pretty much awash in oil these
days. Increases in North American shale-oil production have
boosted supply to the point where there's now discussion of the
U.S. becoming a net oil exporter sometime in the next decade.
Meanwhile, the vehicle fleet is slowly getting more
efficient--and U.S. gasoline consumption peaked in 2006 and has
fallen steadily since then.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1095338_could-gasoline-below-3-a-gallon-doom-rising-gas-mileage-rules

The End of the Big Oil and Gas Game Has Come.  ...other countries
around the world. Stansberry, whom Clark knows very well due to
their working together on shared issues such as: the need for a
"national energy plan"; the move off of "coal and oil
dependency"; and therefore the "control and [reduction of] carbon
and greenhouse gases." However, Stansberry, like his mentor,
Robert Hefner III, saw natural gas as the "Major Bridge" as the
energy source before wind, solar and a new "hydrogen-based
economy."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/woodrow-clark/oil-and-ga-game-ends_b_6061194.html?ir=Business&utm_hp_ref=business



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