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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 13, 2015
Posted: 13 Jan 2015 12:38:39
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. FUELS UNDER CAP AND TRADE California gas tax begins largely unnoticed Motorists have been paying an additional fuel charge that kicked in last week at gas stations across California, but the extra cost has been offset by the recent drop in prices. Drivers on Thursday weren’t aware they were paying an extra 10 cents per gallon as part of the 2006 California Global Warming Solution Act. The extra revenue funds alternate modes of transportation and programs that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. http://www.desertsun.com/story/money/business/2015/01/12/gas-tax-global-warming/21652105/ California Democrats push for gas price monitoring Democratic California state senators have asked the state attorney general to monitor retail gasoline prices for possible manipulation after the state's cap-and-trade program expanded to include fuel distributors. http://www.argusmedia.com/News/Article?id=975675 Sacramento-area gas prices fall below $2.50 a gallon Despite concerns that gas prices would rise when the oil industry was included in California’s cap-and-trade program on Jan. 1, at-the-pump costs in the Sacramento area continue to fall – dropping below the $2.50-a-gallon threshold over the past week. http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article6091773.html CAP AND TRADE Carbon pricing coming to Ontario, strategy to be unveiled this year The Ontario government is closing in on a plan to put a price on carbon emissions after nearly seven years of delays. The Liberals have promised to make corporations and consumers pay for burning carbon – an effective way to battle global warming – since 2008, but have put off making a decision. However, Environment Minister Glen Murray is now working on a comprehensive plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions, and he pledges carbon pricing will be part of it. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/carbon-pricing-coming-to-ontario-strategy-to-be-unveiled-this-year/article22422031/ Yale report suggests Republican voters are split on greenhouse gas reductions Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and other top Washington Republicans have made opposition to President Obama's new climate change efforts a top priority now that the GOP controls both chambers of Congress. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011543/search?keyword=climate+change Climate change will displace millions globally, experts project Natural disasters displace three to 10 times more people globally than all conflicts including war combined, and governments need to plan better for increased relocations as natural disasters and extreme weather events linked to climate change continue, experts said Thursday. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011453/search?keyword=climate+change+will+displace Cap-and-trade fund grows to $1B; groups say it could reach $2B California will spend $1 billion to combat climate change under a new budget proposal from Gov. Jerry Brown. But some argue it will reach $2 billion. The money in the Democrat's draft fiscal 2015-16 budget comes from the state's cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions, which requires some businesses to account for their greenhouse gas pollution. They buy allowances at auction, with the funds going into California's coffers. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1060011472/search?keyword=cap-and-trade AIR POLLUTION California's New Fracking Rules: Too Little, Too Early? On Dec. 30, 2014, California regulators released new state rules for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. State regulators and members of industry have repeatedly hailed the rigorous rules, which go into effect July 1. Dr. Steven Bohlen, California's state oil-and-gas supervisor, called them "as strict or stricter than any other state's." http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20150113/californias-new-fracking-rules-too-little-too-early?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=8a40f5f49d-InsideClimate_News12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-8a40f5f49d-327749509 Carbon monoxide may have killed 3 in Long Beach; propane heater nearby Three people were found dead Monday night inside a Long Beach apartment and may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning. A large portable propane space heater was found near the bodies inside the home in the 1100 block of Gardenia Avenue, said Ed Winter, spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-3-dead-long-beach-carbon-monoxide-20150113-story.html Is Burning A Fire At Home Really Contributing To Bad Air Quality? The Bay Area TIED a record (11) for the number of consecutive days with today’s Winter Spare The Air Alert. The old record was set in December 2013. When wood and other solid fuels are burned, the smoke contains fine particulate air pollution can pass deep into the lungs and cause serious health effects to the public. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/01/12/is-burning-a-fire-at-home-really-contributing-to-bad-air-quality/ Pacific Ethanol plans cogeneration upgrade in Stockton Pacific Ethanol Inc. announced Monday it would install a $12 million cogeneration system at its Stockton ethanol plant, providing electrical power and steam heat, while at the same time burning waste gases and reducing smog-producing emissions from the facility. http://www.recordnet.com/article/20150112/NEWS/150119908/-1/A_BIZ Record spell of Spare the Air days as dirty Bay Area skies linger The rainless start to the new year is not only intensifying California’s drought but giving rise to some of the worst wintertime air pollution the Bay Area has seen in almost a decade. Dry, static skies prompted regional air quality regulators to issue their 11th straight Spare the Air alert for Monday, tying last year’s record for the number of consecutive days that residents have been warned of the potential for unhealthful levels of pollutants. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Record-spell-of-Spare-the-Air-days-as-dirty-Bay-6010707.php Related articles: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/13/dirty-air-in-san-francisco-bay-area-continues/ CLIMATE CHANGE Estimated social cost of climate change not accurate, Stanford scientists say The economic damage caused by a ton of carbon dioxide emissions – often referred to as the "social cost" of carbon – could actually be six times higher than the value that the United States now uses to guide current energy regulations, and possibly future mitigation policies, Stanford scientists say. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/january/emissions-social-costs-011215.html NASA’s year of climate change research kicks off, with a little help from Washington companies NASA has its head in the clouds this year. Literally. The space agency is kicking off five global projects designed to study how the earth’s atmosphere influences climate change. One of those projects is a study of greenhouse gases over the eastern part of the United States, with a little help from Washington-area contractors. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/nasas-year-of-climate-change-research-kicks-off-with-a-little-help-from-washington-companies/2015/01/09/a31d54b0-95c3-11e4-8005-1924ede3e54a_story.html FUELS Senate Democrats look to tweak bill on Keystone XL pipeline Democrats plan to use Senate consideration of the Keystone XL oil pipeline to get Republicans on the record about climate change and to resurrect parts of a bipartisan energy efficiency bill doomed by pipeline politics last year. But Republicans readied additions of their own, such as lifting a ban on crude oil exports. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Senate-Democrats-look-to-tweak-bill-on-Keystone-6011307.php VEHICLES G.M. Reboots Chevrolet Volt as Automakers Push Electric Cars While sales of new cars and trucks are soaring, demand for electric vehicles is still sputtering along in the slow lane. But that’s not stopping automakers from continuing to make huge investments in green vehicles, introducing one model after another. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/business/automakers-keep-rolling-out-electric-vehicles.html ROUSH's Ford Propane Retrofits Make the Grade in California The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has certified ROUSH CleanTech's propane retrofit system for all Ford 6.8-liter vehicles with model years 2012 to 2015. ROUSH, a Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier, claims it is the first company to receive this CARB certification for propane autogas. http://www.ngtnews.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.10355#.VLVrMRamOa8 GREEN ENERGY Environment, not cash, encourages L.A. residents to save electricity What does it take to get the average Angeleno to shut off the lights, or unplug a few power-swilling appliances and e-gadgets? According to UCLA researchers, the least effective way to get a Los Angeles family to save electricity is by telling them how much they'll save in the process -- mostly because it's not a whole lot. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-power-conservation-20150112-story.html California Takes Lead In Developing Energy Storage The city of Tehachapi, near the crest of a mountain pass in southern California, is a bridge between the Mojave Desert and the San Joaquin Valley — a blustery area serving as an ideal site for a wind farm. It’s also the site of the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project, an experiment in storing wind power in giant lithium-ion batteries, so far the largest energy storage project of its kind in North America. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/california-developing-energy-storage-18529 MISCELLANEOUS Effectiveness of state's 'parking cash-out' program is unclear To reduce air pollution and traffic congestion, California legislators passed an innovative law in 1992 to encourage solo commuters to get out of their cars and bike, carpool or take public transit to work. The measure, by then-Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Panorama City) required certain companies, government agencies and other employers to offer their workers cash to cover commuting costs in lieu of giving them free parking, one of the main incentives to drive to work alone. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-commute-20150113-story.html OPINION Big Oil plays Chicken Little on gas prices and AB 32 For months, the warnings were endless: Come January, gas prices would jump as much as 76 cents a gallon. “Put the brakes on the Hidden Gas Tax!” implored countless Facebook ads. Anyone seeing pump prices skyrocketing? http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/bruce-maiman/article6132519.html BLOGS The greenest governor in the country tells Grist about his big climate plan When he took office two years ago, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) was hailed as the nation’s greenest state leader. He ran on climate change and clean energy — even wrote a book about it — and pledged to make Washington California’s equal in green progress. http://grist.org/climate-energy/washington-governor-jay-inslee-cap-and-trade-carbon-tax/ California is in a drought emergency. Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.