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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 6, 2015 (Updated with broader range of stories)
Posted: 06 Jan 2015 15:16:30
ARB Newsclips for January 6, 2015. **UPDATED WITH BROADER RANGE OF STORIES** 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 Cap and trade expands to cover gasoline, diesel, but slumping pump prices hide impact. California's landmark cap-and-trade program to limit carbon emissions just got bigger. Effective Jan. 1 it expanded to wrap in gasoline and diesel, a move oil companies have warned would trigger higher pump prices. Fuel distributors now must buy and submit permits covering greenhouse gas pollution tied to the fuels they sell. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011157/print AIR POLLUTION Fifth straight Spare the Air alert called as pollutants linger in the Bay Area. Unhealthy air will linger over the Bay Area on Tuesday for a fifth consecutive day -- and possibly longer -- as weather conditions trap smoke and other pollutants near the ground. The latest Spare the Air alert, called for Tuesday, extends a wood-burning ban another day because of predicted concentrations of ultra-fine particles. They form a thick haze in the air. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_27262190/fifth-straight-spare-air-alert-called-pollutants-linger Drop in Winds Restricts Wood Burning in Sacramento County. With a very stagnant air mass over Northern California, wood burning was prohibited in Sacramento County over the weekend, and on again Monday. The “stage two, all burning prohibited” restriction is expected to continue through at least Wednesday. San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties have also placed restrictions on wood burning during this same period, though they have allowed burning in registered clean-burning devices. http://fox40.com/2015/01/05/drop-in-winds-restricts-wood-burning-in-sacramento-county/ Calif. judge orders L.A. to control dust from dried-up lake. A California Superior Court judge has ordered the city of Los Angeles to control additional dust pollution from a dried-up lake that it diverted water from more than a century ago. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shellyanne Chang issued a decision Dec. 30 ordering the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to control dust on a 48.6-square-mile area of Owens Lake… http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060011106/print EPA proposes to keep existing lead standard. U.S. EPA is proposing to retain the national air quality standard for lead after a review of scientific data on the public health effects tied to exposure. In a Federal Register notice published today, the agency said it would keep the existing standard of 0.15 microgram per cubic meter. EPA will accept public comment on the proposal until April 6. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060011084/feed CLIMATE CHANGE California governor toughens climate-change goals. As he was sworn in for a record fourth term, Gov. Jerry Brown charted an ambitious new goal on Monday for California in its fight against climate change, challenging the nation's most populous state to increase renewable energy use to 50 percent in the next 15 years. Brown, a Democrat, specifically called for the state to increase renewable electricity sources… http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_GOVERNOR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/05/us/ap-us-california-governor.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A9%22}&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/us/california-governor-focuses-on-energy-consumption-as-final-term-begins.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A9%22} http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-brown-inauguration-20150106-story.html#page=1 http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-jerry-brown-fourth-inauguration-california-20150105-story.html http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article5448294.html http://www.bna.com/california-gov-brown-n17179921841/ Australia swelters through its third-hottest year in 2014. Australia sweltered through its third-hottest year on record in 2014, following a record hot 2013, weather authorities reported Tuesday. The southern spring from September through November last year was Australia's hottest on record, the government's Bureau of Meteorology said in its annual climate statement. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_HOT_YEAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2015-01-06/australias-wildfires-are-getting-worse-because-of-climate-change Big threat for Obama's climate efforts from GOP-run Congress. President Barack Obama's determined efforts to combat global warming face their biggest trial yet as Republicans take full control of Congress this week. The GOP vows to move fast and forcefully to roll back his environmental rules and force his hand on energy development. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_REPUBLICANS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Green benefactor Tom Steyer gives high marks to Brown's climate push. Climate change crusader Tom Steyer watched Gov. Jerry Brown's swearing-in Monday morning from the gallery of the Assembly chamber -- and he liked what he saw. Brown dedicated a significant portion of his inaugural address to environmental policy, particularly setting new goals to reduce the state's carbon emissions. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-tom-steyer-inaugural-20150105-story.html DROUGHT Citing drought, San Luis Obispo County town rushes desalination plant. California's drought declaration has triggered only local limits such as restrictions on washing cars or watering lawns for most communities, but one Pacific Coast tourist town has seized it as an opportunity to build a long-desired desalination plant. http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27261242/citing-drought-san-luis-obispo-county-town-rushes DIESEL ACTIVITIES CARB offers free classes on California emissions compliance. The New Year brings additional emissions requirements for trucks operating in California. To address the state’s multiple emissions regulations, the California Air Resources Board is hosting multiple free classes to help truck owners and drivers comply, including a class that can be viewed remotely. One course will be offered online by webinar. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=28285#.VKwJ1RamOa8 Placer County Grant Program Targets Air Pollution. The goal of the Clean Air Grant program is to reduce criteria pollutant emissions, nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), from sources not already required by law or regulation to do so. This program is a proactive approach to help incentivize clean technologies and programs which ultimately provide the benefit of measurable and cost effective emission reductions. http://www.rocklintoday.com/news/templates/community_news.asp?articleid=13716&zoneid=4 FUELS US stocks turn lower; price of crude oil extends its decline. Stocks are extending a slump from the day before as the price of crude oil continues to slide. Crude fell sharply in midday trading Tuesday and is now well below $50 a barrel. That has traders worried that the global economy may be slowing and that energy companies could slash their spending and cut jobs as revenue dwindles. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FINANCIAL_MARKETS_US_MIDDAY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Oil’s Fall Continues Into 2015, and Stock Markets Shudder. Oil prices tumbled below $50 a barrel on Monday, spooking global financial markets and signaling that the remarkable 50 percent price drop since June was continuing this year and even quickening. The new drop in American and global benchmarks of more than 5 percent was accompanied by reports of increased Middle Eastern oil exports… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/business/oils-fall-continues-to-below-50-a-barrel.html?_r=0 Natural Gas No Savior for Investors Seeking Oil Refuge. A warm start to winter is disappointing investors who bet U.S. natural gas producers would offer a refuge from falling oil prices. Gas companies including Southwestern Energy Co. (SWN) and Range Resources Corp. (RRC) have fallen by more than 40 percent since June. That’s similar to the decrease experienced in the past six months by companies producing mainly oil... http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-06/natural-gas-no-savior-for-investors-seeking-oil-refuge.html Is the Time Right for a Gas-Tax Hike? As gas prices continue to fall, policy wonks are eyeing a potential increase in the federal gas tax. But will there be a political opening for an increase? Drivers across the U.S. are now filling up their gas tanks for less than $2 a gallon, a trend that has been driven by plummeting prices for crude oil. Low gas prices are prompting calls for an increase in the country's 18.4 cents per gallon tax on gasoline. http://www.nationaljournal.com/policy/insiders/energy/is-the-time-right-for-a-gas-tax-hike-20150105 Gas Prices Continue Dive As Crude Oil Falls Below $50 Per Barrel. Drivers are rejoicing after the price of crude oil dropped again Monday, signaling another fall for gas prices. Crude oil slipped to below $50 per barrel for the first time in five years, and experts predict prices at the pump could remain in the range of $2 per gallon into the spring. The dwindling numbers are tied to a global glut and a sharp decline in crude oil, now priced at nearly half of what it was a year ago. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/01/05/gas-prices-continue-dive-as-crude-oil-falls-below-50-per-barrel/ Clean Energy Sells Majority Stake in Biomethane Facility. Clean Energy Fuels sold a majority interest in the McCommas Bluff biomethane production facility to minority interest owner Cambrian Energy. The interest was sold for $40.6 million to Cambrian Energy, which had partnered with Clean Energy on the Dallas-Texas-based project in 2008. Clean Energy will receive approximately $3 million in additional compensation pending further performance tests of the McCommas Bluff facility… http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2015/01/clean-energy-sells-controlling-interest-in-biomethane-facility.aspx Calif. court strikes down industry-favored referendum language. A California court last week struck down contentious wording in a ballot initiative that would ban new oil and gas wells in La Habra Heights, a city of 5,300 in Los Angeles County. Environmentalists campaigned for the referendum last year, but say city officials bowed to industry in agreeing to change the language of the measure. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1060011139/print Changes afoot for low-carbon fuel standard. California is considering an array of changes to its pioneering carbon standard for transportation fuels. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) released an updated version of its low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) Tuesday that envisions extending the policy through 2030 and would also ease the current annual carbon reduction targets for fuel suppliers. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/01/05/stories/1060011059 EPA tentatively OKs biomass sorghum to be included in RFS. U.S. EPA has given biofuels produced from biomass sorghum -- a high-yield type of grass -- a tentative green light to be included in the renewable fuel standard. In a Federal Register notice Dec. 31, the agency said that its analysis of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from biomass sorghum biofuels shows that they could be eligible for the highest tier in the RFS. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1060011093/print VEHICLES Toyota Fuel Cells, Google, Dotcom: Intellectual Property. Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), maker of the Prius hybrid car, said it will make about 5,680 patents related to fuel cell technology available royalty-free through 2020. In a speech yesterday at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, Senior Vice President Bob Carter of Toyota Motor Sales said the company is making the patents available to “speed the development of new technologies… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-06/toyota-fuel-cells-pabst-google-dotcom-intellectual-property.html Carmakers Finish Strong in 2014; Are Even Better Days Ahead? Confident in the economy and cheered by cheap gas, Americans are likely to push new car sales to their highest level in a decade this year. Analysts expect sales to reach 17 million for the first time since 2005. That's close to the record of 17.3 million set in 2000. Low gas prices are giving buyers more confidence. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/05/us/ap-us-auto-sales.html California to begin work on nation's first bullet train. California's high-speed rail project reaches a milestone Tuesday as officials mark the start of work on the nation's first bullet train, which is designed to whisk travelers at 200 mph between Los Angeles and San Francisco in less than three hours. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article5482341.html#storylink=cpy http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/article/20150106/NEWS/150109716 http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=27486 http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/01/06/california-to-begin-work-on-nations-first-bullet-train Owners of BMW electric cars get paid not to drive. Some Bay Area drivers of the BMW i3 electric hatchback may soon qualify for an odd perk — getting paid to delay recharging their cars. Drivers who participate in the German automaker’s new i ChargeForward program will receive up to $1,540 in return for letting BMW delay the recharging process whenever California’s electricity grid faces a heavy strain. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Owners-of-BMW-electric-cars-get-paid-not-to-drive-5995359.php GREEN ENERGY New Congress Grapples With Energy Issues. Legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline, which lawmakers will take up as soon as this week, will open the first broad debate on energy policy in Congress in eight years and give the new Republican majority a chance to push for significant changes to President Barack Obama’s agenda. http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-congress-grapples-with-energy-issues-1420515420 Gov. Brown revives Manuel Pérez’s renewable energy plan. A locally authored plan to dramatically increase the state’s renewable energy goals is regaining momentum, as part of a series of ambitious goals California Gov. Jerry Brown wants to achieve in the next 15 years. Brown, who delivered his inaugural address on Monday, called on California to increase the amount of electricity derived from renewable sources from one-third to 50 percent. http://www.desertsun.com/story/tech/science/greenenergy/2015/01/05/brown-renewable-energy-goals/21311419/ Texas, Calif. throw their weight around on power plant regulations. The caricatures of the swaggering, independent Texan and the elitist, trend-setting Californian are on full display in the otherwise dry, technical comments the two major economic drivers submitted on U.S. EPA's Clean Power Plan. The states have unapologetically taken starkly different routes in transitioning to a cleaner energy future… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2015/01/05/stories/1060011064 Punitive solar tariffs against China may shrink. Chinese solar manufacturers whose products have been subject to stiff U.S. tariffs for two years could see those penalties reduced by nearly half this spring after the Commerce Department found the degree of illegal dumping by Chinese firms between 2012 and 2013 was lower than previously estimated. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011137/print Tropical forests appear to take in more CO2 as emissions rise. The world's tropical forests -- responding to carbon dioxide as the Incredible Hulk responds to anger -- might be getting bigger, greener and more powerful as the globe adjusts to rising greenhouse gas emissions. Climate scientists have long debated whether tropical rainforests are taking in more CO2 as emissions rise… http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011141/print OPINIONS EPA Has Followed the Law on the Clean Power Plan. our proposal sets up a national framework that gives states the power to chart their own customized path to meet the carbon-dioxide-emissions targets proposed for each state. In regard to Laurence H. Tribe’s Dec. 23 op-ed “The Clean Power Plan Is Unconstitutional”: When Prof. Tribe cites Justice Jackson as saying that “ours is a government of laws,”… http://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-has-followed-the-law-on-the-clean-power-plan-letters-to-the-editor-1420408715 Alaska's warm year is a bad sign for the climate. To the editor: The article reporting the record warm year in Alaska sounds like a weather story. It's not. A good chunk of Alaska is part of the Arctic, global warming's canary in the coal mine. ("Alaska's toasty temperatures in 2014 worry observers," Jan. 2) According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, "Average temperatures in the Arctic region are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere in the world." http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0106-tuesday-alaska-climate-change-20150106-story.html Carbon fee and dividend: a win-win for consumers and the planet. To the editor: In its wishes for 2015, The Times suggested that we should decrease gasoline prices to help consumers or increase them to provide incentives for developing cleaner fuels. The Times wished we could do both. ("Our wishes for 2015," Editorial, Jan. 1) Through fees levied on carbon emitters at the source (oil fields, coal mines and so on, as well as a fee for incoming carbon emitters)… http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-le-0104-newsunday-new-years-20150104-story.html Jerry Brown offers big plan to cut gasoline use, details to come later. In an inaugural speech seemingly calibrated for a national audience, Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday set forth a lofty goal: reduce California petroleum use by 50 percent by 2030, a mere 15 years from now. Brown left unanswered how to achieve the ambitious goal in a state where the car culture still dominates. http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article5472657.html#storylink=cpy EDITORIAL: Brown challenges car culture in inaugural speech. In an inaugural speech Monday seemingly aimed at a national audience, Gov. Jerry Brown set forth a lofty goal: Reduce California’s petroleum use by 50% in 15 years. He left unanswered how to achieve the ambitious goal in a state where the car culture dominates. http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/01/05/4315756_editorial-brown-challenges-car.html?sp=/99/274/&rh=1#storylink=cpy Recycling deal on front burner. The Humboldt Waste Management Authority’s recycling contract, signed in 2011 with Solid Waste of Willits expires in 2016. The HWMA has begun a Request For Proposals (RFP) process which will inform potential contractors about desired operation attributes and be used to score and rank proposals. A final RFP will be released in approximately July 2015 and a contract awarded in the fall 2015. http://www.times-standard.com/article/20141230/LOCAL1/141239996 BLOGS Two Ways Infrared Cameras Have Boosted the Case for E.P.A. Rules Cutting Methane Leaks. I first realized the enormous value of infrared imagery in pollution detection in 2009, when I co-wrote “Curbing Emissions by Sealing Gas Leaks” with Clifford Krauss. In the related Dot Earth post, I included some remarkable video shot for the Environmental Protection Agency showing the difference between… http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/two-ways-infrared-cameras-have-boosted-the-case-for-e-p-a-rules-cutting-methane-leaks/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=pollution&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs®ion=Body Legalize ferrets or fight climate change? Quite a dilemma. Robert Hertzberg, the former speaker and newly elected state senator, has a big idea: extending California’s sales tax to services, generating $10 billion a year, and giving a break to low-income working stiffs. Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, nearing the end of her tenure in the Legislature, hopes to expand AB 32… http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article5284155.html#storylink=cpy California’s cap-and-trade program now covers cars. After a long PR battle between oil industry lobbyists and California’s regulatory agencies, the state’s cap-and-trade program was extended on Jan. 1, on schedule, to cover companies that sell fuel to drivers. That means fuel retailers will have to either provide lower-carbon fuels or buy permits for the pollution their products put into the air. http://grist.org/news/californias-cap-and-trade-program-now-covers-cars/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed&utm_reader=feedly Clean And Dirty: The 30-Under-30 In Energy. It’s always a challenge to find a new set of nominees for Forbes’ 30-Under-30 list in energy. This despite the fact that the “energy industry” is quite likely the biggest in the world. According to the International Energy Agency, keeping the people of the world supplied with energy in all its forms costs about $1.7 trillion a year. (That’s double what we spent in 2000.) http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2015/01/05/clean-and-dirty-the-30-under-30-in-energy/ Larry Summers Calls For A Carbon Tax Now That Oil Prices Have Fallen. There’s rather a joy at being ahead of the crowd and when that following crowd is an economist and public policy maker of the calibre of Larry Summers it’s really very enjoyable indeed. And that’s the position I find myself in today as Larry Summers has come out and said that the recent fall in the oil price makes this a great time to institute a proper carbon tax. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2015/01/05/larry-summers-calls-for-a-carbon-tax-now-that-oil-prices-have-fallen/ California Governor calls for 50% reduction in petroleum use in cars and trucks from today’s levels by 2030. In his inaugural address delivered today in Sacramento, re-elected California Governor Jerry Brown set out three major environmental goals for the next 15 years, to 2030: reducing today’s petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50%; increasing renewable electricity levels from one-third to 50%; and doubling the efficiency of existing buildings and making heating fuels cleaner. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/01/20150105-brown.html Plug-In Electric Car Sales Continue Rise In 2014: 100,000-Plus Last Year: MORE UPDATES. Plug-in electric car sales for calendar year 2014 rose above the 100,000 level, the third annual increase in full-year sales in the U.S. since modern electric cars first went on sale in December 2010. The highest-selling electric car in the world, the Nissan Leaf, set a new U.S. record for plug-in sales of a single vehicle in one year … http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096120_plug-in-electric-car-sales-continue-rise-in-2014-100000-plus-delivered-this-year ChargePoint To Release Home Charging Station For Electric Cars. ChargePoint, which operates a network of public charging stations for plug-in electric cars, announced today that it would offer a home charging station this summer. The ChargePoint Home, as it's logically dubbed, has a sleek modern design--and it's compact, at only about the size of a tablet device, the company says. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096126_chargepoint-to-release-home-charging-station-for-electric-cars California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.