Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2013 12:55:08 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 2, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 2, 2013. 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 Local groups among those who sue EPA over rules on pesticide emissions. A group of community organizations has sued the Environmental Protection Agency about new rules on pesticide emissions, saying the regulations do too little to protect public health. The suit, filed under the Clean Air Act, challenges the EPA's approval of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation's measures to reduce certain emissions from pesticides. Attorneys for the San Francisco-based Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment filed the suit in federal court recently. The local Wishtoyo Foundation and Ventura Coastkeeper are on the list of petitioners. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/dec/31/local-groups-among-those-who-sue-epa-over-rules/#ixzz2Gq0YU8F4 Officials declare Wednesday Spare the Air day. Bay Area air quality officials have declared Wednesday a winter Spare the Air day, meaning burning of wood and wood products is prohibited. It's the second Spare the Air day in a row, and the second of the season, which runs from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. The air forecast for Thursday is also poor. The 24-hour burn ban is intended to limit the introduction of soot and particulates from wood smoke into the air, where they can contribute to respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis and lung disease. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130102/ARTICLES/130109957 CLIMATE CHANGE STUDY: Climate change is having significant impact on biodiversity. Plants and animals are shifting their ranges and life cycles in response to climate change, creating clashes between unfamiliar creatures or mismatches between animals and their food sources, according to a new national biodiversity report. The analysis could expand the scope of conservation efforts, which for 40 years has focused predominantly on habitat changes, local wildlife experts said. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/02/tp-study-climate-change-is-having-significant/ FUELS Location looms large in pump prices at California gas stations. Record gasoline prices in 2012 and calls for investigation of California's fuel markets have brought into focus a persistent peculiarity of the state's service station world: the wild swings in price any brand has from one location to the next. Known in the industry as zone pricing, the controversial practice was apparent one afternoon when Culver City resident Michael Denis, on a jaunt to downtown Los Angeles, stopped at a Chevron station to feed his Fiat 500 some gasoline at $4.69 a gallon. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-zone-pricing-20130102,0,7824014.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29 Hollywood faces fracking in 'Promised Land.' The new movie "Promised Land" digs into the fierce national debate over fracking, the technique that's generated a boom in U.S. natural gas production while also stoking controversy over its possible impact on the environment and human health. Written by and starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski, the film comes at an opportune time for a big-screen exploration of the issues surrounding the shale gas revolution, with cheap natural gas transforming the nation's energy landscape and "fracking" now a household word. Posted. http://www.nctimes.com/entertainment/movies/hollywood-faces-fracking-in-promised-land/article_e6daebff-4f81-5833-9dc5-90b6daa20ad7.html No fuel sheen, no sign that hull is breached. Crews aboard two aircraft flew over an oil drilling ship Tuesday that went aground in a severe Alaska storm and saw no sign that the vessel was leaking fuel or that its hull had been breached. The Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig used this summer in the Arctic was aground off a small island near Kodiak Island, where the ship, the Kulluk, appeared stable, said federal on-scene response coordinator Capt. Paul Mehler. "There is no sign of a release of any product," Mehler said during a news conference at unified command center at an Anchorage hotel. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_22294741/no-fuel-sheen-no-sign-that-hull-is VEHICLES Avis to Buy Zipcar for $500 Million. The Avis Budget Group said on Wednesday that it had agreed to acquire the car-sharing pioneer Zipcar for $500 million in cash. The deal represents a new direction for Avis in the fiercely competitive car rental market. Rivals Hertz Global and Enterprise each have hourly rental operations that compete with Zipcar. These rentals tend to have younger, more urban customers than traditional business or leisure travelers. Posted. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/avis-to-buy-zipcar-for-500-million/ GREEN ENERGY Why greener schools can make a difference in kids' lives. As awareness about the environment continues to grow, it’s becoming more apparent that “going green” not only benefits the planet – it benefits the entire population, especially its youngest segment. When children learn in safe, comfortable, toxin-free school environments, their futures are that much brighter. "Green schools improve student test scores, lower energy bills, and promote a more ecologically sound atmosphere,” explains Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA. “We call it the three R's of green schools: Rise in student performance levels and teacher retention; Reduction in carbon emissions and toxins; and Renewed hope in education and the future." Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Why-greener-schools-can-make-a-difference-in-4161364.php#ixzz2GqBWkN4Q Paving a fast lane for desert solar. Hundreds of square miles of Southern California desert, both public and privately owned, could be targeted for renewable energy development under a comprehensive plan balancing state clean-power mandates with efforts to conserve wild habitat. State and federal officials are currently providing a sneak preview of the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan that's designed to speed the development of large-scale solar, wind and geothermal plants with the least possible environmental impact. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/01/comments-sought-desert-development-plan/ Rancho Cucamonga to permit residential wind energy turbines. The city will now allow some residents to apply for a wind turbine. For now, only owners of larger properties will be allowed to get permits. The city will require towers to be placed in "large backyards" and not in front of homes, according to officials. The new systems are meant to be supplemental energy sources for households. The policy change is part of a development-code update for the city and is part of the Healthy RC initiative, which includes more sustainable energy, Mayor Dennis Michael said. Posted. http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_22289036/rancho-cucamonga-permit-residential-wind-energy-turbines?source=rss#ixzz2Gq8W1TxG 'Fiscal cliff' deal includes extension to tax credit for wind industry. A one-year extension of a key tax credit for the wind industry made it into the fiscal cliff deal the U.S. Senate and House passed on Tuesday. The tax credit, which has been a major driver for wind development across the U.S. over the past two decades, is worth 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy produced by new wind installations for their first 10 years of operation. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130101/BUSINESS01/301010039/-Fiscal-cliff-deal-includes-extension-tax-credit-wind-industry?nclick_check=1 BLOGS Fixing Our Food Problem. We must figure out a way to un-invent this food system. It’s been a major contributor to climate change, spawned the obesity crisis, poisoned countless volumes of land and water, wasted energy, tortured billions of animals… I could go on. The point is that “sustainability” is not only possible but essential: only by saving the earth can we save ourselves, and vice versa. Posted. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/01/fixing-our-food-problem/?smid=tw-bittman&seid=auto Carbon Trading on 2013 Energy-Law Agenda. In Monday’s Wall Street Journal, we wrote about the big greenhouse-gas debate coming up in 2013 over Environmental Protection Agency plans to restrict emissions from coal-fired power plants.Some market-oriented environmentalists say the most logical solution is to let the plants emit as much CO2 as they like, so long as they pay extra for doing so or find offsets for the emissions. And that’s where the legal angle comes in: Washington’s lawyers disagree whether the EPA could engineer such a system on its own. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/01/02/carbon-trading-on-2013-energy-law-agenda/?KEYWORDS=air+pollution BY SUBSCIPTION ONLY Fiscal fiasco bright spot: 2013 will be a huge year for wind. You have probably heard by now that Congress has voted through a bill that will avert the absurdly named “fiscal cliff.” I’ll leave it to other blogs to get into the details. (Suzy Khimm has a nice rundown.) I’ll also leave it to others to lament the absurd way in which this country is governed. I just want to focus on one bright spot that hasn’t gotten much coverage. Part of the bill was a one-year extension of several stimulus tax credits. Among them was the production tax credit (PTC) that is so crucial to the wind industry and for which it has been fighting over the past year. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/fiscal-fiasco-bright-spot-2013-will-be-a-huge-year-for-wind/ Chilling effect: How warmer winters could ruin fruit. Think of your favorite fruits and you might think of the warm climates they tend to thrive in. Florida oranges, Texas grapefruit, California strawberries — and grapes, figs, pears, and apricots. But here’s the funny thing: Most fruit trees have to chill. Literally. Unless they’re tropical, trees have what are called “chilling requirements”: They need winter temperatures to drop to within a certain range — usually just above freezing — and remain there for a set period of time. Posted. http://grist.org/food/chilling-effect-how-warmer-winters-will-ruin-fruit/ Fuel cell company ClearEdge Power to acquire UTC Power. ClearEdge Power, a manufacturer of scalable, continuous onsite power systems, recently reached agreement to acquire the UTC Power fuel cells unit from United Technologies Corp. Divesting UTC Power is another step forward in UTC’s ongoing portfolio transformation to focus on its core of aerospace and building systems. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Closing is expected early in 2013. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/utc-20130102.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2013 11:58:49 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for January 3, 2012 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 3, 2013. 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 WILDOMAR: Air district tests homes. Technicians collected air samples Wednesday from three abandoned homes in a Wildomar tract, the first official action in the neighborhood since several residents told authorities that something in the houses might have contributed to ailments that had stricken their families. Tests ordered by the South Coast Air Quality Management District will screen for about 50 types of chemicals, including hydrocarbons associated with industrial sites, district spokesman Sam Atwood said during a visit to the Autumnwood tract on Wednesday, Jan. 2. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130102-wildomar-air-district-tests-homes.ece Utah adopting Calif.-style rules for air pollution. Utah could lose federal highway funds if it doesn't start reducing pollution along the urban corridor by December 2014. The new regulations will force California-style changes in consumer products, with spray pumps replacing aerosols or aerosols switching to environmentally friendly propellants. Likewise, regulators are tightening limits on volatile organic compounds in paints, coatings and solvents - local factories and car-repair shops will have to buy reformulated products or install special emissions controls. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/02/utah-adopting-calif-style-rules-for-air/#ixzz2GvtkhqKV Secrecy and San Onofre. Nuclear safety regulators have dismissed objections to a nondisclosure agreement that would seal from public view some documents related to faulty steam generators at the San Onofre nuclear plant and an application to restart the facility.Open government activist Ray Lutz of El Cajon filed the objections to an agreement made in early December between San Onofre operator Southern California Edison and Friends of the Earth, an international environmental and nuclear watchdog group. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/03/san-onofre-records-request-denied/ Air Pollution Levels Incite Environmental Quality Experts. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is recommending that residents do not burn wood in their fireplaces or woodstoves on Thursday, Jan. 3, to prevent air quality from becoming unhealthy. A Winter Spare the Air Alert is NOT in effect on Thursday and wood burning is not illegal, but strongly discouraged. Winter Spare the Air Alerts were issued on Tuesday and Wednesday. Posted. http://menlopark-atherton.patch.com/articles/air-quality-experts-burning-wood-is-strongly-discouraged-8e4fe920 EIP "Toxic 10" Report: Power Plants Emitting Most Mercury Account For Nearly a Fifth of All Such Pollution. Even though mercury and other hazardous air pollution from U.S. power plants are declining, the progress at the coal-fired power plants are uneven, leaving in place a significant remaining risk to the health of the public and environment, according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP). Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/03/5089948/eip-toxic-10-report-power-plants.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Air quality officials ask Bay Area residents not to burn wood on Thursday. Despite those frigid nights, now is not the time to burn wood in fireplaces. Officials with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District are asking residents not burn wood in their fireplaces or woodstoves on Thursday to prevent air quality from becoming unhealthy. A winter Spare the Air alert is not in effect on Thursday and wood burning is not illegal, but strongly discouraged. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22300512/air-quality-officials-ask-bay-area-residents-not?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22300512/air-quality-officials-ask-bay-area-residents-not CLIMATE CHANGE Cost of combating climate change surges as world delays –study. An agreement by almost 200 nations to curb rising greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 will be far more costly than taking action now to tackle climate change, according to research published on Wednesday. Quick measures to cut emissions would give a far better chance of keeping global warming within an agreed U.N. limit of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6F) above pre-industrial times to avert more floods, heatwaves, droughts and rising sea levels. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/03/climate-costs-idUSL5E9C295520130103 California implements cap and trade system to reduce carbon emissions. California is on the verge of implementing a new cap and trade system that will require some 350 companies to begin paying for the carbon dioxide they emit. Companies will receive allowances for their emissions, but those allowances will decrease over the years — in hopes companies will feel pushed to reduce their emissions to stay off buying more emission credits. Posted. http://www.pri.org/stories/science/environment/california-implements-cap-and-trade-system-to-reduce-carbon-emissions-12526.html Calif., Quebec begin joint effort to enforce cap-and-trade rules. In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Quebec and California on Tuesday became the first North American jurisdictions to enforce compulsory cap-and-trade regulations. By setting limits on companies' greenhouse gas emissions, California's goal is to return to its 1990 emissions levels by 2020. By that same year, Quebec's government hopes to reduce its emissions by even more -- 25 percent below the province's 1990 levels. In 2015, Quebec will extend the plan to include vehicle fuel distributors. BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/01/03/6 Environmental cap-and-trade regulations in force. On Tuesday, Jan. 1, Quebec and California became the first jurisdictions in North America to enforce compulsory cap-and-trade regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The idea was pushed by former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Quebec premier Jean Charest, within the Western Climate Initiative, which includes seven states and four provinces — Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia. Posted. http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Environmental+trade+regulations+come+into+force/7762705/story.html Climate change may drastically alter region. Lake Tahoe is "the fairest picture the whole earth affords," Mark Twain once wrote. Its crystal blue waters, surrounded by stunning snowy mountains, define one of California's crown jewels as an American landmark. It attracts 3 million skiers, boaters, campers, hikers and other visitors each year. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_22269700/climate-change-may-drastically-alter-region?source=rss FUELS Elias: Hydrogen fuel plan still tilts toward corporations. Six months after pulling back about $12 million worth of grants to help build refueling stations for the hydrogen fuel cell cars due to debut by 2017, the California Energy Commission is ready to take applications for new grants.The problem: Revised rules issued by the commission appear at first glance to cut out the favoritism that sullied last spring's stymied grants, but the new rules still seem likely to place all or almost all the money in the same hands that would have received the canceled grants. They also encourage a modicum of pollution over completely clean air. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/03/elias-hydrogen-fuel-plan-still-tilts-toward/#ixzz2Gvu7z1fg Greuel faults DWP for bypassing bids on lobbying contracts. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power repeatedly bypassed its competitive bidding process when it awarded $480,000 in contracts to lobby Sacramento decision-makers, according to a report issued by City Controller Wendy Greuel. DWP executives issued four no-bid contracts for state lobbying over the last two years, two of them to Mercury Public Affairs, a firm that includes former state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez as one of its partners. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-adv-dwp-no-bid-20130103,0,2707590.story Buffett Like Icahn Reaping Tank Car Boom From Shale Oil: Freight. Warren Buffett and Carl Icahn are reaping the benefits of surging demand for railroad tank cars to haul shale oil from beyond the reach of existing pipelines. Buffett’s Union Tank Car Co. is working at full capacity and Icahn’s American Railcar Industries Inc. has a backlog through 2014. Trinity Industries Inc., the biggest railcar producer, began converting wind-tower factories last year to help meet demand for train cars that can transport the petroleum product. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Buffett-Like-Icahn-Reaping-Tank-Car-Boom-From-4164328.php#ixzz2GvoTQShj Will Asset Sales Drive This Energy Giant Higher in 2013? Plains All American (NYSE: PAA) recently announced that it will acquire Chesapeake's (NYSE: CHK) crude oil and condensate gathering assets in the Eagle Ford shale; the acquired assets comprise throughput capacity of 50,000 barrels per day and 450,000 barrels of storage capacity in a deal worth $125 million. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/Will-Asset-Sales-Drive-This-Energy-Giant-Higher-4164377.php#ixzz2Gvpiwuj8 GREEN ENERGY Warren Buffett to build world's largest solar energy project. MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Mr Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway investment company, has struck a deal with SunPower to acquire and build two projects in California’s Antelope Valley. The deal, which will see MidAmerican pay between $2bn to $2.5bn, marks the third time in little over a year that Mr Buffett has ploughed cash into solar energy. He last year created a unit within Mid American to support an increasing number of solar and wind investments. Posted. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/9777016/Warren-Buffett-to-build-worlds-largest-solar-energy-project.html Other related stories: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22297621/sunpower-sells-two-socal-solar-projects-company-owned http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Buffett-firm-bets-big-on-solar-4163046.php Tax break extension breathes new life into U.S. wind power. The U.S. wind industry is powering up once again after Congress extended a critical tax credit that wind companies say will save tens of thousands of domestic jobs and allow more clean energy projects to ramp up this year. About half of the sector's 75,000 jobs in the United States had been expected to disappear if the wind production tax credit had been allowed to expire at the end of last year, according to trade group the American Wind Energy Association. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1E9C2AW720130103 Congress renews wind energy credit. Kern's wind energy industry got the tax credit renewal it was looking for -- and with a welcome twist. Congress voted late Tuesday to extend the credit through Dec. 31 as part of a wide-ranging measure that avoids the tax increases and spending cuts that had been dubbed the "fiscal cliff." Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/x1055275694/Congress-renews-wind-energy-credit BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Rebecca Tarbotton, Environmental Activist, Dies at 39. Rebecca Tarbotton, an environmental activist who helped persuade big banks to stop financing mountaintop removal mining and who helped persuade Disney to reduce its use of paper made from trees cut down in rain forests, died on Dec. 26 in a swimming accident in Mexico. She was 39 and lived in Oakland, Calif. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/us/rebecca-tarbotton-environmental-activist-dies-at-39.html?_r=0 BLOGS The Wind Industry Gets To Draw Another Breath. In the last-minute tax maneuvering in Congress this week, wind power came out well.Wind not only got an extension of its tax credit in the federal budget compromise, but the rules were also restructured: while the extension runs for only one year, the nature of the deadline has changed. Projects do not need to be finished and feeding electricity to the grid by next New Year’s Eve; construction only needs to be started. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/the-wind-industry-gets-to-draw-another-breath/ Climate Change Made Some Noise in 2012. While Bebbo is unconvinced that the pop culture prowess of "Gangnam Style" can make us forget our climate is in crisis, that doesn't mean 2012 provided no hope for our fight against global warming. It appears the U.S. -- Earth's second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter -- has treated this year's extreme weather (most notably Hurricane Sandy) as a wake-up call. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-wagner/2012-climate-change-noise_b_2386833.html Gov. Jerry Brown wants to "calibrate" environmental rules. An early environmental leader as California's governor nearly four decades ago, Jerry Brown is now easing restrictions for oil companies and talking about overhauling the state's landmark environmental law to boost the economy. As detailed in The Times, that strain of pragmatism has run throughout Brown's current governorship — and flummoxed many allies — and nowhere is it more apparent than on the issue of the environment. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2013/01/gov-jerry-brown-wants-to-calibrate-environmental-rules.html California’s Cap-and-Trade Debut. Cap-and-trade? Cap-and-dividend? CARB? AB32? Carbon tax? Confused? Cap-and-trade legislation began as a simple idea – setting limits on pollution and having companies buy or trade offsets. A greenhouse cap-and-trade bill was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009. But the Senate bill, which ballooned into an incomprehensible 1,400 pages, was ultimately abandoned. Soon after, a cap-and-dividend bill was proposed in the Senate, requiring companies to pay a “dividend” to consumers, funded by a purchase of carbon shares by the polluting companies. This bill has not progressed through the Senate. Posted. http://www.energyviewpoints.com/californias-cap-and-trade-debut/ 2012 was the hottest year in history in New York, D.C., Louisville, Philadelphia … It’s not yet official, but 2012 was the hottest year in American history. Recorded history, that is; we’ll allow climate change deniers the possibility that the United States was hotter when it was a still-forming Pangeal mass of semi-solid lava. Beyond that, though: hottest ever. This led to a bumper crop of “hottest year ever!” stories in local media last week. Here’s a Google News search for “hottest year.” Among the areas noting that accomplishment: Lexington, Richmond, Topeka, New Jersey, Cleveland and Columbus, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Burlington, Louisville, and New York City. Posted. http://grist.org/news/2012-was-the-hottest-year-in-history-in-new-york-d-c-louisville-philadelphia/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 12:49:19 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for January 4, 2012 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 4, 2013. 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 Court orders EPA to try again on soot standards implementation. A federal appeals court ruled today that U.S. EPA must re-examine how it implements standards for fine particulates emitted by power plants, boilers and motor vehicles. The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected EPA's argument that it is required under the Clean Air Act to use a less stringent implementation regime for fine particulates than it is for more coarse -- and less dangerous -- particles. BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2013/01/04/2 Keeping a nose on the Salton Sea's smell. The region’s air quality board is poised to approve spending $200,000 Friday to track the smell of dead fish and rotten eggs that often emanates from the Salton Sea. It would be the first time the South Coast Air Quality Management District would have year-round sensors to study the stink. The system would be installed at the shore and in Mecca. “The purpose is to monitor the levels of hydrogen sulfide in the area on a continuous basis so that we have a better idea of what these levels are,” said Sam Atwood, the district’s spokesman. “Down the line, once we have a good sense of the typical levels of sulfur coming from the lake, we can work to establish an action plan, such that if these levels are high, we can notify the public.” Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301030050&nclick_check=1 Stage 2 ban means no burning – indoors or out. It may be tempting to start a fire in the fireplace with temperatures lately dipping below freezing, but don't do it tonight. The Sacramento Air Quality Management District's "check before you burn" program notes that weather conditions mandate that the Sacramento region must be under a Stage 2 ban today. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/04/2518652/stage-2-ban-means-no-burning-indoors.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Calif. carbon trading takes off. California's official carbon market kicked off this week with an uptick in trading, as businesses began accounting for their greenhouse gas emissions in earnest. No lawsuit against the program accompanied the official start date of Jan. 1, as many had anticipated. Instead, appetite for California's carbon allowances grew, reflecting confidence in the burgeoning, first-in-the-nation economywide greenhouse gas market, traders said. BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/01/04/6 Climate change may drastically alter region. Lake Tahoe is "the fairest picture the whole earth affords," Mark Twain once wrote. Its crystal blue waters, surrounded by stunning snowy mountains, define one of California's crown jewels as an American landmark. It attracts 3 million skiers, boaters, campers, hikers and other visitors each year. But it could look very different in 100 years. Climate change could profoundly affect the Tahoe area, scientists say, taking the snow out of the mountains and the blue out of the water. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_22269700/climate-change-may-drastically-alter-region Climate change threatens Tahoe's snow levels, lake clarity. Lake Tahoe is "the fairest picture the whole earth affords," Mark Twain once wrote. Its crystal blue waters, surrounded by stunning snowy mountains, define one of California's crown jewels as an American landmark. It attracts 3 million skiers, boaters, campers, hikers and other visitors each year. But it could look very different in 100 years. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22307260/climate-change-threatens-tahoes-snow-levels-lake-clarity FUELS U.S. natgas futures edge higher before EIA releases storage data. U.S. natural gas futures edged higher early on Friday, as expectations for a large drawdown from winter inventories boosted prices for the first time in four sessions. Prices remained above Wednesday's three-month spot chart low, but most traders expect the upside to be limited, with long-term weather outlooks still calling for milder weather for consuming regions in the eastern half of the United States. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/04/markets-nymex-natgas-idUSL1E9C3A5520130104 Other related articles: http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/04/2519060/us-natural-gas-supplies-shrank.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy DOE awards $10 million to 5 projects for advanced biofuels and bio-based products. The US Department of Energy announced more than $10 million in funding to five new projects that will develop new synthetic biological and chemical techniques to convert biomass into advanced biofuels and bioproducts such as plastics and chemical intermediates. Two of these projects will develop cost-effective ways to produce intermediates from the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass, while three projects will propose new conversion techniques to transform biomass intermediates into advanced biofuels and bioproducts. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/doe-20130103.html 5 Biofuels Trends for 2013. Despite a relatively down year with respect to investment and production capacity expansion, the biofuels industry grew modestly in 2012, continuing a shift from first generation facilities to next generation, advanced biorefineries. Although it was a year of challenges for corn starch ethanol production in particular, the industry proved its mettle against persistent drought across the U.S. Midwest that led the UN to call for a scale back of biofuel production mandates. Posted. http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2013/01/04/5-biofuels-trends-for-2013/ VEHICLES Grant powers new electric charging station in Sunnyvale. Thanks to a Green Innovations Challenge Grant awarded by the state, the city of Sunnyvale and the Foothill-De Anza Community College District are now equipped with electric vehicle charging stations. The stations were awarded as a part of the Solar Electric Vehicle Charging Corridor Project, aimed at developing skills of unemployed electricians and to build more green energy infrastructure for the public. One of the solar-powered stations was awarded to NOVA, a Sunnyvale-based job training consortium, to benefit the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for demonstration and training purposes. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22308260/grant-powers-new-electric-charging-station-sunnyvale?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com GREEN ENERGY Budget Deal Provides Tax Breaks For Green Energy. Whether you're a homeowner who bought an energy-saving refrigerator last year or a company hoping to build a wind farm, the tax package Congress just approved may give you a reason to cheer. "It's got something in there, a Christmas gift if you will, for almost everyone — American homeowners, workers who commute via transit, and manufacturers of efficient equipment like clothes washers, dryers, refrigerators," says Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/01/04/168590135/budget-deal-provides-tax-brakes-for-green-energy MISCELLANEOUS Students' energy savings ideas can earn classes green cash. West Sacramento students are being challenged to think of energy conservation projects that would benefit their community and earn their classes cash prizes, thanks to a partnership between a Sacramento heating and air conditioning company and the West Sacramento Educational Foundation. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/04/2518643/students-energy-savings-ideas.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy OPINION The best solution for climate change is a carbon tax. With Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, stepping down, President Barack Obama is losing one of the few people left in Washington who was willing to speak up about global warming and to push for significant measures to curb its impact. During her tenure, Ms. Jackson was frequently denounced by GOP members of Congress and all too often reined in by Obama. Despite his and Congress’ failure to pass legislation addressing global warming, Ms. Jackson advanced a regulatory agenda to pick up some of the slack. Posted. http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/01/04/the-best-solution-for-climate-change-is-a-carbon-tax/ Editorial: California’s Experiment; Golden State Tries Cap and Trade. On the first of the year, California began the nation’s most ambitious experiment yet in fighting climate change, and it will do it more or less alone. For environmentalists depressed by years of the United States’ unproductive “debate” on global warming, this moment is heady — and perilous. The nation’s largest state, the ninth-largest economy in the world, has put a price on the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming. California has established a cap-and-trade program, a design similar to what Congress considered but failed to pass in 2010. Posted. http://www.vnews.com/opinion/3634955-95/california-state-carbon-cap BLOGS An Antidote for Climate Contrarianism. I would guess a few Green readers had the experience, over the holidays, of arguing yet again about global warming with a parent or brother-in-law who thinks it’s all a big hoax. Maybe there’s some undiscovered substance in roast turkey that makes people want to pick fights around the dinner table. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/04/an-antidote-for-climate-contrarianism/ Global Temperature Goals Could Become Impossible With Climate Inaction, Study Finds. Delaying global action on climate change by 20 more years will put the goal of keeping the world relatively cool out of reach forever, no matter how much money humanity later spends to try to solve the problem, a new study finds. Since the 1990s, scientists and international negotiators have aimed to keep global temperatures from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), but little progress has been made so far in concrete steps toward that goal. The most recent climate talks, in Qatar in December, ended with only modest steps that fail to address growing greenhouse gas emissions, climate scientists said. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/global-temperature-goals_n_2404322.html?utm_hp_ref=green Avis-Zipcar Acquisition: Good for Smaller Car-Share Players? Avis said Monday that it agreed to buy car-sharing service Zipcar for $500 million. That might worry many of the startups also vying for users seeking cars on demand, but not exactly, says Jessica Scorpio, co-founder of Getaround. There is a slight difference between Getaround and Zipcar: Instead of controlling the fleet of cars, Getaround gives car owners a way to rent their cars to Getaround users for an hourly rate. The renters get paid for doing so. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2013/01/03/avis-zipcar-acquisition-good-for-smaller-car-share-players/ Fun times at Avis, after the Zipcar purchase. In a week of strange bedfellows announcing mergers, the news that Avis was purchasing Zipcar hardly seemed out of place. Many cried that this was the equivalent of the Empire purchasing the Rebel Alliance, and Steven Pearlstein said that this was exactly the sort of anti-competitive merger that courts ought to discourage. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2013/01/04/fun-times-at-avis-after-the-zipcar-purchase/ Richmond, Calif., fights back against Chevron’s choke hold. Chevron has dominated the town of Richmond, Calif., for 110 years, but that dominance is finally being called into question. Tensions have been escalating for decades, but came to a head after a fire in August 2012 at the oil giant’s Richmond refinery belched toxic smoke all over the Bay Area. Posted. http://grist.org/news/richmond-calif-fights-back-against-chevrons-choke-hold/ Stop Winter Indoor Air Pollution at Its Source. You’ve got the sniffles. Your eyes are watery and you have a sore throat, too. But, hey, it’s winter; what else can you expect in the thick of cold and flu season, right? Maybe. But while you’re downing lozenges and soup broth, consider this: Eye, nose and throat irritations, wheezing, coughing, skin rashes and severe allergic reactions can result from extensive exposure to indoor air pollution, which has also been linked to headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Posted. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/stop-winter-indoor-air-pollution.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2013 12:57:50 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 7, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 7, 2013. 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 Annual Buildup of Air Pollution Chokes Tehran. Already battered by international threats against their nation’s nuclear program, sanctions and a broken economy, Iranians living here in the capital are now trying to cope with what has become an annual pollution peril: a yellowish haze that engulfs Tehran this time of year. For nearly a week, officials here and in other large cities have been calling on residents to remain indoors or avoid downtown areas, saying that with air pollution at such high levels, venturing outside could be tantamount to “suicide,” state radio reported Saturday. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/world/middleeast/tehran-is-choked-by-annual-buildup-of-air-pollution.html?_r=0 A solution to La Jolla's smell problem proves elusive. Excrement from seabirds and marine mammals creates a stench that officials would like to effectively combat. But many obstacles stand in the way. There's a political stink rising in this seaside community, blown ashore from the rocks of La Jolla Cove, where myriad seabirds and marine mammals roost, rest and leave behind what animals leave behind. The offal accumulation is offending noses at trendy restaurants, tourist haunts, and expensive condos perched on some of the most pricey real estate in the country. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-la-jolla-stink-20130106,0,3547171,print.story Judge sides with EPA on deadline for toxics rule. A federal court today rejected an industry request to set a deadline for U.S. EPA to finalize reconsideration of its landmark mercury and air toxics limits. In one of industry's three legal challenges to the rules, known as MATS, petitioners in White Stallion v. EPA said last October that EPA was not moving quickly enough to finalize the rule. Consequently, EPA might not meet an April 2013 construction deadline for new power plants. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/07/14 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Agencies issue joint statement on controversial coal plant's future. The heads of U.S. EPA, the Interior Department and the Department of Energy released a joint statement Friday promising closer cooperation to reduce pollution from the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona while also protecting economic development. Supporters of the 2,250-megawatt coal-fired power plant within the Navajo Nation near the Grand Canyon say EPA-mandated controls could force it to shut down. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/07/16 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Pulling Carbon Dioxide Out of Thin Air. WHETHER streaming from the tailpipes of cars or the smokestacks of so many power plants and factories, carbon dioxide emissions keep growing around the globe. Now a Canadian company has developed a cleansing technology that may one day capture and remove some of this heat-trapping gas directly from the sky. And it is even possible that the gas could then be sold for industrial use. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/business/pilot-plant-in-the-works-for-carbon-dioxide-cleansing.html?src=twr Study: Alaska got colder from 2000-2010. The overwhelming majority of Alaska is getting colder and has been since 2000, according to a study by researchers with the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. But the authors stop short of saying the lower temperatures contradict that idea that the earth, and Alaska in particular, is warming. Instead, they conclude that the findings show a temporary variation. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/07/3124329/study-alaska-got-colders-from.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Sewage plant by the sea? Calif city rethinks plans. When this quaint fishing city looked at places for a new sewage treatment plant to replace the aging one next to the beach, it proposed to stay put and rebuild by the water. The location did not sit well with state coastal regulators, who were concerned about the threats of erosion and rising sea levels fueled by global warming. Days before the California Coastal Commission was set to hear the case, the city turned into an unlikely ally. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/05/3122932/sewage-plant-by-the-sea-calif.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Cap-and-trade complicates Shasta Lake electricity dealings; effect on rates unclear. What effect, if any, state laws aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions will have on the city's electric ratepayers remains unclear as officials are in the early stages of navigating a complex set of rules associated with cap-and-trade. Tom Miller, assistant city manager and electric utility director, updated the council this week on the city's dealings with the state program. The city hasn't yet entered any auctions to sell pollution permits issued by the state. Posted. http://www.redding.com/news/2013/jan/04/cap-and-trade-complicates-shasta-lake-dealings/?print=1 As planet warms, more lava could find its way to the surface. The effect of volcanic eruptions on climate has been one of the more hotly contested topics in the global warming debate. Seized upon briefly by climate skeptics as an alternative to human-caused warming, eruptions are now understood by mainstream science to result most often in net cooling for a period of up to several years. Few researchers, however, have considered that an inverse relationship might also exist -- that over time, climate might have an effect on the planet's igneous activity. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/07/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Hawaii may feel stronger climate change impacts. Anticipating beach erosion, sea level rise, decreased rainfall and the depletion of fisheries, scientists say Hawaii will feel the impact of climate change earlier and more acutely than other states. In response, Hawaii's government pushed forward an act to prepare for the coming problems. In 2007, the Hawaii Legislature adopted Act 234, which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 in a cost-effective manner. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/07/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Approval of truck stop is appealed. A proposed 12-acre truck stop off Interstate 5 at Flag City near Lodi remains on an environmental review merry-go-round. A court-ordered environmental impact report of the proposed Love's Travel Stop found that air pollution from the truck stop could be adequately reduced but that it would generate "significant and unavoidable traffic impacts." Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130105/A_BIZ/301050314&cid=sitesearch California CU Helps Trucker Stay Green on the Road. Mid Cities Credit Union recently helped walk a small business owner through the steps to get financing for a new truck and become compliant with a California greenhouse gas emission measure. Julio Contreras, a member of the $24 million credit union in Compton, Calif., was able to obtain a State Treasury California Capital Access Program, or CalCAP, Air Resources Board loan. Posted. http://www.cutimes.com/2013/01/02/california-cu-helps-trucker-stay-green-on-the-road?t=lending FUELS As Biofuel Demand Grows, So Do Guatemala’s Hunger Pangs. In the tiny tortillerias of this city, people complain ceaselessly about the high price of corn. Just three years ago, one quetzal — about 15 cents — bought eight tortillas; today it buys only four. And eggs have tripled in price because chickens eat corn feed. Meanwhile, in rural areas, subsistence farmers struggle to find a place to sow their seeds. On a recent morning, José Antonio Alvarado was harvesting his corn crop on the narrow median of Highway 2 as trucks zoomed by. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/science/earth/in-fields-and-markets-guatemalans-feel-squeeze-of-biofuel-demand.html?ref=earth EPA fracking study may dodge some tough questions. An ongoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study on natural gas drilling and its potential for groundwater contamination has gotten tentative praise so far from both industry and environmental groups. Glenn Paulson, the EPA’s science adviser, describes the project as “one of the most aggressive public outreach programs in EPA history.” The final report won’t come out until late 2014. Posted. http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130106/NEWS03/130109738/epa-fracking-study-may-dodge-some-tough-questions China starts building new nuclear power plant. A utility company says it has started building China's first new nuclear power plant since Beijing lifted a construction moratorium imposed on the industry to review safety following Japan's Fukushima disaster. China's decision to press ahead with nuclear development runs counter to moves in other countries such as Japan and Germany, which plan to scale back or shut down their nuclear power industries. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/06/china-starts-building-new-nuclear-power-plant/#ixzz2HJUgDsHg California Energy Commission to award up to $2.45M for renewable natural gas for transportation fuels. The California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) has released a Program Opportunity Notice (PON-12-506) for the award of up to $2.45 million to accelerate research, development and demonstration (RD&D) of advanced technologies to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) transportation fuels. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/cec-20130105.html Greenhouse gas levels from unconventional oil production vary widely – study. When it comes to carbon emissions, crude oil sources are not created equal. The watery tight oil pumped from the Bakken Shale has a different emissions footprint than the gooey sludge from Canada's oil sands. A new report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace concludes that policymakers should acknowledge these differences to develop guidelines that keep the dirtiest fuel sources underground to mitigate global climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/07/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Study finds that aluminum reduces electric vehicle cost against steel counterpart for same targeted range. A recent study found that an aluminum electric vehicle can cost up to €635 (US$829) less than that its steel counterpart despite the higher cost of aluminum, given equivalent range targets. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/fka-20130107.html GREEN ENERGY Wind turbines wearing down faster than expected, study asserts. Wind turbines installed in Denmark and the United Kingdom are wearing down faster than manufacturers expected, a new study claims. The study is billed as the largest of its kind and looked at 3,000 onshore and offshore turbines in operation between 2000 and 2011. But it was published by the U.K.-based Renewable Energy Foundation (REF), a think tank that has campaigned against wind farms, which prompted the wind industry to accuse it of bias. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/07/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS Solar Mosaic: Kind of a big deal for clean energy. You know what’s fun? What’s fun is watching young people figure out how to change the world they've inherited. Case in point: Billy Parish. When I first met him, he’d just dropped out of Yale. Not because he couldn't hack it. Because he didn't think it was as important as fighting climate change. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/solar-mosaic-kind-of-a-big-deal-for-clean-energy/ Could Chuck Hagel, likely defense secretary nominee, turn out to be a climate hawk? Chuck Hagel, who's expected to be nominated as secretary of defense this week, has long been confused about climate change ... and yet concerned about it too. He has a history of obstructing climate action, but also a record of elevating climate as a national security issue. If he's confirmed to head the Department of Defense, he might ultimately show himself to be a climate hawk -- though not one who hews to green orthodoxy or any party line. Posted. http://grist.org/politics/could-chuck-hagel-likely-defense-secretary-nominee-turn-out-to-be-a-climate-hawk/ Climate change is here, it is real and it is bad. Climate change is here. Climate change is real. There is no use denying it is made worse by greenhouse gas emissions. The real questions to ask are: why should we care? 1. Disasters cost too much money. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the biggest threat to our economy, both long term and short term, is climate change. Posted. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/communities-health-and-science-today/2013/jan/5/climate-change-here-it-real-and-it-bad/#ixzz2HJhvfb57 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2013 12:03:54 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 8, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 8, 2013. 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 Spare the Air alert called for Tuesday. Citing cold, still conditions conducive to a buildup of wood smoke pollution, air regulators declared the season's third "Spare the Air" alert for Tuesday. That means it's illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to burn wood, fire logs or pellets for 24 hours, and violators face remedial classes for a first offense followed by fines of $500 and more, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The winter Spare the Air season runs from November to the end of February, but there were no alerts until Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 because of heavy rain and winds that dominated weather patterns in the last several weeks of 2012. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-area-news/ci_22328635/spare-air-alert-called-tuesday?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/bay-area-news/ci_22328635/spare-air-alert-called-tuesday?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130107/ARTICLES/130109664 CLIMATE CHANGE Some corals are 'always prepared' to take the heat. As the tide drops, seawater in Ofu Lagoon gets cut off from the ocean swirling around American Samoa. Under the intense South Pacific sun, these shallow waters can reach 93 degrees -- temperatures that typically would make corals overheated, cause them to bleach bone white and die. Yet the corals in these hot waters seem to be thriving. A team of researchers at Stanford University has figured out why: These corals leave a set of 60 genes in the “on” position to help them resist heat shock and then recover and repair. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-some-corals-are-always-prepared-to-take-the-heat-20130107,0,2216409.story?track=rss Cap and trade may draw individual investors. The participants in California's new program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the buying and selling of pollution permits have so far been large industrial interests, but there's another large group that can join in: any resident of the United States. The program, known as cap and trade, was created as part of the state's landmark greenhouse gas reduction law, AB32 that was passed in 2006. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Cap-and-trade-may-draw-individual-investors-4171615.php#ixzz2HP47xTbp Greenhouse gas emissions to keep rising amid slow policy responses – study. Global greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise this year, putting the world on track for long-term warming approaching 4 degrees Celsius, far above the 2-degree target, analysts at British bank HSBC said in a new report. "The year ahead will be dominated by growing tension between ever-stronger evidence of climate change and the inadequate policy response," …Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/08/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Internet Truckstop Helps Members Navigate New CARB Regulation. Internet Truckstop has rolled out a new decision support tool to help Truckstop.com members transition into new regulations, now in effect, from the California Air Resources Board. The new CARB regulation just went into effect on Jan. 1, and requires every carrier driving on California roads to comply with the rules, or face hefty fines. While the weight of the regulations primarily fall on carriers, brokers and shippers will face penalties if they fail to ensure they are contracting with compliant carriers. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=78965 Transit district penalized $35K. Bus emissions not properly tested, recorded. The San Joaquin Regional Transit District will pay a $35,250 penalty for failing to adequately monitor emissions from its diesel buses, according to a settlement agreement. That agreement, announced recently by the California Air Resources Board, is the result of confidential negotiations that will allow the district and the state to avoid costly litigation, the air board said. According to the agreement, the district failed to test and keep records of smoke emissions from its fleet in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130107/A_NEWS/301070308/-1/rss01 FUELS Biofuels cause pollution, not as green as thought – study. Green schemes to fight climate change by producing more bio-fuels could actually worsen a little-known type of air pollution and cause almost 1,400 premature deaths a year in Europe by 2020, a study showed on Sunday. The report said trees grown to produce wood fuel - seen as a cleaner alternative to oil and coal - released a chemical into the air that, when mixed with other pollutants, could also reduce farmers' crop yields. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/07/us-climate-biofuels-idUSBRE90601A20130107 Methane leaking from fracking wells in Colorado and Utah raising concerns. A new study of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) wells in Colorado and Utah confirms an earlier study that methane is leaking from the wells at alarming rates. The study indicates as much as 9% of the methane gas is leaking into the air at those wells. The study raises concerns about the environmental benefits of natural gas. A boom in gas production is transforming the US energy system and the economies of many communities. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/methane-leaking-from-fracking-wells-colorado-and-utah-raising-concerns Major coal-burning utility retires more plants, converts others. Georgia Power, one of the nation's largest coal-fired electric utilities, said yesterday it would seek permission to close more than 2,000 megawatts of coal- and oil-fired generation as part of its revised integrated resource plan to be submitted to the state Public Service Commission later this month. The planned closures, including 10 coal-fired units at three large power plants, come as utilities such as Georgia Power and its parent…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/08/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Proposal for Noisier Electric Cars at Low Speed. A government safety agency wants electric and hybrid vehicles to make more noise when traveling at low speeds, so pedestrians can hear them coming. The cars and trucks, which are much quieter than conventional gasoline or diesel vehicles, do not make enough noise at low speeds to warn walkers, bicyclists and the visually impaired, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Monday in a statement. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/business/make-electric-vehicles-noisier-at-low-speeds-for-safety-us-says.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/federal-safety-agency-wants-electric-cars-to-make-noise-to-warn-pedestrians/2013/01/07/c9305986-5902-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html http://cars21.com/news/view/5113 Study finds that aluminum reduces electric vehicle cost against steel counterpart for same targeted range. A recent study found that an aluminum electric vehicle can cost up to €635 (US$829) less than that its steel counterpart despite the higher cost of aluminum, given equivalent range targets. The study, conducted by Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen mbH Aachen (fka) for the European Aluminium Association (EAA) and the International Aluminum Institute (IAI), found that any additional cost of building a car with aluminum is more than offset by the cost savings that can be made on the battery pack, since a lighter car needs less battery capacity to drive the same distance. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/fka-20130107.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL $135 million federal grant keeps Sacramento region's rail expansion rolling. One hundred and fifty years ago, Sacramento launched the transcontinental railroad. Today, city leaders are seeking to become rail pioneers once again. They're tapping the transit-friendly Obama administration for hundreds of millions of dollars to help them build what they say will be a seamless, 21st-century regional rail network, on which passengers will move easily from streetcars to light-rail trains to Amtrak and – someday – to high-speed rail. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/08/v-print/5098682/135-million-federal-grant-keeps.html OPINIONS Climate change won't wait. Obama appears unwilling or unable to take the tough steps to deal with global warming. In Washington over Presidents Day weekend, the largest environmental demonstration in years will try to prod him. Societal change usually happens slowly, even once it's clear there's a problem. That's because, in a country as big as the United States, public opinion moves in leisurely currents. Change often requires going up against powerful, established interests, and it can take decades for those currents to erode the foundations of our special-interest fortresses. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mckibben-climate-20130106,0,7334383,print.story Smog testing changes are step in right direction. Two changes are coming to how drivers need to get their vehicles smog checked in 2013 and one should be a very welcomed change. Officials with the Bureau of Automotive Repair said by early fall a significant change will be put into effect that will hopefully make it much easier for owners of newer vehicles to not only get their vehicle smog tested, but hopefully will reduce the cost involved. The new program will no longer require the more extensive tailpipe emissions testing…Posted. http://www.recorderonline.com/articles/smog-55399-vehicles-change.html Avoiding a climate-change apocalypse. As you may have noticed, the end of the year was all about the end of the world. Mayan doomsday prophesies. Rogue planets on a collision course with Earth. Fear-mongering about an artificial “fiscal cliff.” House Republicans doing, well, what they usually do. Fortunately, for now, life as we know it continues. And scary as all of this sounds, the real horror show, the true existential threat, is yet another crisis of our own making: the catastrophic effects of climate change. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/katrina-vanden-heuvel-a-climate-change-apocalypse/2013/01/07/f440d704-58e4-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html Restrict air pollution from Moreno Valley warehouses. Moreno Valley needs to take a more stringent approach to air pollution from warehouse traffic than the city now proposes. A city contemplating a vast expansion of warehouse space should take every possible step to curb diesel emissions — for the good of city residents and the region. The South Coast Air Quality Management District says that Moreno Valley is pushing ahead with warehouse projects without doing enough to protect air quality. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20130106-editorial-restrict-air-pollution-from-moreno-valley-warehouses.ece Natural gas: It’s a hedge, not a bridge. Boosters of natural gas frequently argue that it can serve as a “bridge fuel,” spanning the chasm between our current global electricity systems, dominated by coal, and systems mostly or completely comprised of low-carbon sources like wind and solar. The idea is, we ramp up natural gas, the least dirty of the fossil fuels, to displace coal, thereby giving ourselves a few more decades to develop renewable energy, which will then replace natural gas. Natgas gets us from here to there. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/natural-gas-its-a-hedge-not-a-bridge/ Opinion: A green energy loss in perspective. As Congress resumes work on the budget, energy subsidies – and the Solyndra fiasco – will again play a part in the debate. Let's put the failed solar tech company’s losses in context with other energy investments. How do you measure whether an energy investment is wise or unwise? Honest or scandalous? With budget work consuming our new Congress, the only policy discussion on climate change likely from the Capitol near term will consist of debate over energy tax breaks and subsidies. Posted. http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2013/01/opinion-solyndra-perspective A look at the future of biofuels. Jan Koninckx, global director of biofuels for DuPont Industrial Biosciences, discusses 2nd generation biofuels with Robert Rapier of Consumer Energy Report. During the recent Total Energy USA Conference in Houston, I had a chance to interview Mr. Jan Koninckx. Mr. Koninckx is the global director of biofuels for DuPont Industrial Biosciences – an arm of DuPont that has a strong focus on biofuels. Also present was Wendy Rosen, DuPont’s PR director. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0108/A-look-at-the-future-of-biofuels BLOGS The best solution for climate change is a carbon tax. With Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, stepping down, President Barack Obama is losing one of the few people left in Washington who was willing to speak up about global warming and to push for significant measures to curb its impact. During her tenure, Ms. Jackson was frequently denounced by GOP members of Congress and all too often reined in by Obama. Posted. http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/01/04/the-best-solution-for-climate-change-is-a-carbon-tax/ Will 2013 Be the Year of the Electric Car? The Hague —Last year was a good one for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, according to 2012 sales figures and experts. For example, sales of the Chevrolet Volt, one of North America’s most popular plug-in hybrid cars, tripled in the United States, according to year-end figures. The 23,461 Volts sold last year represented only about a third of a percent of all new passenger cars sold in the United States, but such sales might be the harbingers of an automobile market shift toward green vehicles. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/will-2013-be-the-year-of-the-electric-car-finally/ Ideas to Watch in 2013: Traceable Gas-Drilling Fluids. For several years now, I’ve been assessing policies and technologies that might allow the United States and other countries with vast shale deposits of natural gas to harvest this resource with the fewest regrets. Below you can learn about one nascent technology to watch in 2013: harmless chemical I.D. tags that could make the fluids used in drilling every single gas well individually identifiable, potentially ending fights over the source of any subsequent contamination of water supplies in a drilling area. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/ideas-to-watch-in-2013-traceable-frackin-fluids/ Brown's budget expected to aid schools' energy efficiency. When Gov. Jerry Brown releases his budget proposal Thursday, he will include his plans for $500 million in new spending on energy efficiency and related programs. Much of that money is expected to be earmarked for retrofitting schools to help lower utility bills, according to Capitol staffers. They say Brown's plan will largely mirror a proposal put forward by Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) to improve schools' energy efficiency with better insulation, lighting and ventilation systems. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2013/01/california-school-energy.html A Kickstarter for green energy. By Internet standards, crowdfunding has been around forever. The idea to tap into online communities to raise money first became popular in 1997, when fans of the British rock group Marillion raised $60,000 to fund a U.S. tour for the band. Since then crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter have been used to raise money for everything from blogs to clothing design companies and independent films. Now investment firms are getting into the act. Posted. http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/07/a-kickstarter-for-green-energy/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2013 14:47:09 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 9, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 9, 2013. ARB Newsclips for January 9, 2013 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 Iran denies home-produced fuel contributing to pollution crisis. Iran's state-owned oil refining company denied on Wednesday that poor quality, domestically-produced fuel is contributing to Tehran's worsening pollution crisis, saying that its gasoline met refining standards. Thick yellow smog has shrouded the Iranian capital for most of the past week, prompting the closure of government offices, banks and schools for several days and official calls for residents to leave the city or remain indoors. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/09/iran-pollution-idUSL5E9C91LR20130109 No wood burning Tuesday in Reno's polluted air. Washoe County health officials have temporarily banned wood burning throughout the Reno-Sparks area due to worsening air quality caused by a temperature inversion. The county health district raised the burn code to "red" on Tuesday morning. It had been at "yellow" where wood burning is discouraged but not prohibited. Forecasters say hazy skies and air pollution problems are expected to continue across the area until a coming storm is expected to blow them away on Wednesday. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/08/no-wood-burning-tuesday-in-renos-polluted-air/#ixzz2HV9ysSqR CLIMATE CHANGE UN climate experts deny secrecy after new leak. The U.N. panel of climate scientists has rejected criticism that it is too secretive after a blogger skeptical about global warming published a leaked draft on Tuesday of one of its massive reports. The panel, whose work is a guide for governments deciding whether to make billion-dollar shifts away from fossil fuels, said it welcomed comments from all to fine-tune the report whose final version is due to be published in 2014. "Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/08/climate-report-idUSL5E9C8BRA20130108 Not Even Close: 2012 Was Hottest Ever in U.S. The numbers are in: 2012, the year of a surreal March heat wave, a severe drought in the Corn Belt and a huge storm that caused broad devastation in the Middle Atlantic States, turns out to have been the hottest year ever recorded in the contiguous United States. How hot was it? The temperature differences between years are usually measured in fractions of a degree, but last year’s 55.3 degree average demolished the previous record, set in 1998, by a full degree Fahrenheit. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/science/earth/2012-was-hottest-year-ever-in-us.html?_r=1& http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/US-seared-during-hottest-year-on-record-by-far-4174878.php#ixzz2HUzdvR8Z http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130108/A_NEWS/130109894&cid=sitesearch EPA head calls climate-change shift a proud milestone. As she prepares to step down from her position as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson said she is proudest of presiding over the landmark finding that climate-changing greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. "Americans are back to believing that something is happening with our climate and that mankind has a role to play in that. These are not natural phenomena," said Jackson in her first newspaper interview since announcing on Dec. 27 that she would leave the EPA. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/09/epa-head-jackson-leaving-global-warming/1818857/ Study: Fixing climate change will take new energy tools. The task is more difficult now than just a few years ago, a new study says, citing the recent surge in global greenhouse-gas emissions. Its co-author proposes eliminating emissions altogether by 2060. What will it take to fix climate change? The world will need new technologies that produce energy without emitting greenhouse gases, scientists argue in a study to be published Wednesday. The research looks at a popular 2004 approach put forward by two Princeton scientists who said the increase in carbon dioxide emissions…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/08/climate-change-energy-technologies/1818225/ California Ratepayers to Receive Cap-and-Trade Dividend. California regulators will direct the state's largest utilities to return 85% of cap-and-trade proceeds to ratepayers. The move, which comes about a month after the successful completion of California's first carbon allowance auction, aims at offsetting higher electricity costs resulting from the cap-and-trade program, by providing a "climate dividend" on utility bills. Posted. http://energy.aol.com/2013/01/09/california-ratepayers-to-receive-cap-and-trade-dividend/ DIESEL EMISSIONS European Union has to crack down on diesel –officials. The European Union must cut emissions from diesel vehicles as part of its efforts to reduce air pollution, which is causing close to half a million premature deaths per year, EU officials said on Tuesday. The European Commission says it will publish legislative proposals to improve air quality in the second half of this year. As well as a law on air quality, it has already put forward tougher vehicle emissions standards and is introducing stricter vehicle testing standards. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/08/eu-air-diesel-idUSL5E9C85A920130108 FUELS NY assemblymen seek more comment time on fracking. Three state Assembly committee chairmen asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday to suspend the comment period on new gas drilling regulations until a health review is completed. The 30-day comment period for revised regulations for shale gas drilling using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, ends Friday. Numerous environmental groups and elected officials from around the state have called on Cuomo to suspend the comment period until regulations are revised to reflect the health impact review findings. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/08/ny-assemblymen-seek-more-comment-time-on/#ixzz2HV9TWnIr VEHICLES New study concludes oil sands development has significantly increased PAH and DBT loadings in regional lakes; combined with effects of climate change, a “new ecological state” for the lakes. A new study by a team from Environment Canada and Queen’s University (Canada) has shown that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within the sediments of lakes in the Athabasca oil sands region in Canada—particularly C1-C4–alkylated PAHs, increased significantly after development of the oil sands resource began some 50 years ago—followed by significant increases in dibenzothiophenes (DBTs). Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/kurek-20130109.html Almost 16,000 electric or plug-in hybrids sold in California since March 2010. California's Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) is an additional purchase incentives for zero emission (all electric or fuel cell) vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and zero emission motorcycles. The project recently released data for uptake of these vehicles between March 2010 and December 2012. The data shows that over half of qualifying clean vehicle purchases were for all electric vehicles. Posted. http://cars21.com/news/view/5117 GREEN ENERGY COLUMN-LEDs set to dominate lighting technology: Wynn. The LED lighting industry is set to dominate the global market more than a century after its discovery, benefitting from a widespread ban of conventional incandescent bulbs and as the market share of competing green replacements fade. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have a vital edge in that they have superior energy efficiency and longer lifespans compared with rivals, while a global glut in LED chips means they are becoming more competitive. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/09/column-wynn-efficiency-lighting-idUSL5E9C892A20130109 NRC staff recommends costly filtered vents at some U.S. reactors. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff on Wednesday will brief the commission on its recommendation to require nuclear operators to spend tens of millions of dollars to install filtered vents at more than two dozen reactors. Energy analysts have said the filtered vents recommendation, which were in response to the staff's review of lessons learned from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, was just one of several factors that could increase costs of nuclear power and possibly lead to the shutdown of some older reactors. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/09/utilities-nuclear-nrc-idUSL1E9C913S20130109 U.S. Gives a Late Reprieve to Wind Power Developers. Last week, global wind turbine manufacturers heaved a sigh of relief after the U.S. government extended a tax credit considered crucial to the industry. But 2013 will still bring challenges to wind developers around the world. In the United States, long-term uncertainty about the tax credit — which was extended for only one year, after considerable political tension — will continue. Growth in China is expected to slow, a casualty of constraints on the electric grid. And Spain, an important market in Europe, has stalled. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/business/energy-environment/10iht-green10.html?_r=0 Chinese buyer says solar firm MiaSole will expand. The Chinese company that bought MiaSole, a California producer of thin-film solar panels, says it can make the emerging technology successful where others have suffered huge losses. Hanergy Group's strong finances will help MiaSole invest in research and ride out a downturn in the global solar market, while its links to customers in China and abroad will help build sales, Chairman Li Hejun said Wednesday. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22337768/chinese-buyer-says-solar-firm-miasole-will-expand http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22337768/chinese-buyer-says-solar-firm-miasole-will-expand http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/chinese-buyer-of-us-solar-firm-miasole-says-it-can-make-thin-film-technology-a-success/2013/01/09/3c439d38-5a7b-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html MISCELLANEOUS Repairs on Chevron refinery nearly done. Refinery nearly back online. Chevron Corp. expects to finish repairs this month on the only crude unit at its Richmond refinery and start the equipment by February, two people familiar with the work said. Work on the No. 4 crude unit, shut since a fire Aug. 6, should be finished by the end of January, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn't public. Barring any regulatory hurdles, the unit will be back in service by sometime next month, they said. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Repairs-on-Chevron-refinery-nearly-done-4177826.php#ixzz2HV7kKhx9 Quebec's Olivier discusses expectations for first joint auction with California. Where do efforts behind linking California's and Quebec's carbon markets stand? During today's OnPoint, Alain Olivier, director of the Quebec Government Office in Washington, D.C., discusses the latest progress on Quebec's carbon trading system and his expectations for linking systems with California as early as August of this year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/tv/transcript/1620 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS We all deserve better air to breathe. Fireplace wood smoke is a genuine problem in the Valley. Unfortunately, California no longer has a population of 15 million people; it's more like 38 million people. With an increase in the population, the potential for air pollution has reached a health concern level. I'm glad that the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has taken action on this fireplace wood-burning air pollution problem. In my neighborhood here in Lodi, the smoke from fireplaces can get thick. Posted. http://www.lodinews.com/opinion/letters/article_13c46cb9-ed48-59e5-93b1-ba953bac4598.html BLOGS Solyndra stunk. The green stimulus didn’t. The federal clean-energy loan guarantee program that gave you Solyndra wasn’t just a multibillion-dollar political debacle – it also didn’t create jobs, didn’t reduce carbon emissions and ran up financial risk for taxpayers. And yet, the program wasn’t enough of a bust to outweigh the job-creation and emissions-reducing successes of the complete $90 billion “green stimulus” the Obama administration built into the $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act four years ago, as the country was plunging deeper into recession. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/09/solyndra-stunk-the-green-stimulus-didnt/?print=1 Customers have paid more than $1 billion for idle San Onofre plant. The California Public Utilities Commission held an initial meeting Tuesday in an investigative process that could eventually result in ratepayers getting a refund for a portion of the bills they have paid during the San Onofre nuclear plant's year-long outage. The plant has been out of service since last January, when a steam generator tube leaked a small amount of radioactive steam, leading to the discovery of unusual wear on many more tubes in the newly replaced steam generators. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/san-onofre-puc-meeting.html EPA Gives Green Light for California’s Costly Car Program. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a waiver to the state of California to move forward with its Advanced Clean Cars Program. The EPA waiver allows California to implement even tougher fuel efficiency standards than the White House announced last summer in an attempt to integrate more zero-emission vehicles into the market. The promises of California’s program are similar to those touted by proponents of the federal fuel-economy standards: Clean up the environment by reducing emissions and save consumers money on fuel costs. Posted. http://blog.heritage.org/2013/01/08/epa-gives-green-light-for-californias-costly-car-program/ America’s oil imports to hit 25-year low by 2014. The US Energy Information Administration predicted that net imports of liquid fuels, including crude oil and petroleum products, would fall to about 6m barrels per day in 2014, their lowest level since 1987 and only about half their peak levels of more than 12m during 2004-07. The figures reflect the spectacular growth of US production thanks to the unlocking of “tight oil” reserves using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in states led by North Dakota and Texas. Posted. http://grist.org/news/americas-oil-imports-to-hit-25-year-low-by-2014/ It’s official: 2012 was the warmest year on record for the U.S. Congratulations, America. You set a few records last year. To wit, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: It was the warmest year in the recorded history of the U.S., dating back to 1895. The average temperature was a degree warmer than the previous high, in 1998. The average temperature in the contiguous U.S. was 55.3 degrees, 3.3 degrees above the average in the 20th century. Precipitation averaged 26.57 inches, 2.57 inches below the 20th century average. Posted. http://grist.org/news/its-official-2012-was-the-warmest-year-on-record-for-the-u-s/ Interior pledges ‘high-level review’ of Shell’s Arctic farce. "Unified Command confirms Kulluk is safely anchored," trumpets the most recent update from the Shell-led team responsible for towing the company's errant drilling rig back to safe harbor. One can imagine the movie scene running through the mind of the Shell VP in charge on-scene: He steps up to a cluster of microphones in a hushed room packed with cameras; a pause for effect; "The Kulluk is safe"; pandemonium. Posted. http://grist.org/news/interior-pledges-high-level-review-of-shells-arctic-farce/ Solar snowboard charges your phone with power collected on the slopes. In case there was still any doubt that solar is rad, the dudes at Signal Snowboard have made a snowboard equipped with solar panels that can actually charge your phone. Wait, should I be talking more like a snowboarder? I meant to say it can, actually, like, charge, like, your phone. Posted. http://grist.org/list/solar-snowboard-charges-your-phone-with-power-collected-on-the-slopes/ Who will serve on Obama’s second-term green team? Much of President Obama's green team is moving on to greener pastures. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced last month that she'll be retiring soon, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu is expected to follow suit. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is said to be mulling over his future. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood appears to be undecided as well, and there's a chance that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack could leave. Posted. http://grist.org/politics/who-will-serve-on-obamas-second-term-green-team/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:15:46 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for January 10, 2012 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 10, 2013. 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 UN finds rising mercury emissions, need for treaty. Mercury pollution in the top layer of the world's oceans has doubled in the past century, part of a man-made problem that will require international cooperation to fix, the U.N.'s environment agency said Thursday. The report by the U.N. Environment Program showed for the first time that hundreds of tons of mercury have leaked from the soil into rivers and lakes around the world. As a result of rising emissions, communities in developing countries face increasing health and environmental risks linked to exposure to mercury, the U.N. agency says. Posted. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g6PnOu6owlw7WPptjaX_WCCQyejA?docId=1fb8735f115d4176835fcb24ec4c7943 Other related articles: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/un-finds-rising-mercury-emissions-poses-health-threat-need-for-global-accord/2013/01/10/aee30f02-5b18-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/10/3128143/un-finds-rising-mercury-emissions.html#storylink=misearch http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22345681/un-finds-rising-mercury-emissions-need-treaty?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22345681/un-finds-rising-mercury-emissions-need-treaty?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/10/un-finds-rising-mercury-emissions-need-for/#ixzz2Hb2RAk6I CLIMATE CHANGE Cuomo Proposes Lower Carbon Cap for Northeast Cap-and-Trade Plan. New York Governor Andrew Cuomoproposed lowering the total amount of carbon dioxide that companies may emit under a regional cap-and-trade program to regulate air pollution. The nine states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative must “make a real difference on climate change by reducing the CO2 cap,” Cuomo said during his State of the State address in Albany today. The cap is currently 165 million tons a year and he didn’t say by how much it should be cut. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-09/cuomo-proposes-lower-carbon-cap-for-northeast-cap-and-trade-plan.html http://grist.org/news/n-y-gov-cuomo-lays-out-a-plan-to-fight-climate-change-increase-clean-energy/ Risk experts see climate change as one of the world's biggest business threats. Risk experts are concerned that the twin threats of economic upheaval and accelerating climate change could collide over the next decade, delaying crucial adaptation efforts while exposing nations to unpredictable financial loss from disasters. The World Economic Forum describes this "super storm" of risks as a top hazard to the global economy through 2022 as world and corporate leaders prepare for an annual summit in Switzerland later this month. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/10/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Confirmation hearing centers on oil fracking. In a legislative hearing that focused almost exclusively on fears about hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a former scientist rode the support of industry and environmental groups Wednesday to move a big step closer to becoming confirmed as the state's senior oil regulator. Mark A. Nechodom, a Gov. Jerry Brown appointee who took the oath of office almost a year ago but still requires confirmation by the state Senate, won a 5-0 vote of the Senate Rules Committee -- but not before being given a special homework assignment by the committee's chairman, Sen. Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/x2088955317/Confirmation-hearing-centers-on-oil-fracking?utm_source=widget_63&utm_medium=latest_entries_widget&utm_campaign=synapse VEHICLES Honda will build hybrid Accord in Ohio. Honda will add about 50 new jobs at its central Ohio assembly plant as it starts building a new hybrid Accord sedan there this year, the company announced Thursday. The Japanese automaker said it will invest about $23 million in outfitting the plant in Marysville, near Columbus, to build the 2014 hybrid Accord. The third Honda hybrid to be built in the United States, the car will go on sale nationwide in the fall. Pricing has yet to be announced. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Honda-will-build-hybrid-Accord-in-Ohio-4182649.php#ixzz2HbCNQ4H4 Chevy Spark looks electric but runs on gasoline. Don't be surprised if some people assume the 2013 Chevrolet Spark is another newfangled electric car. Just 12 feet long and with an aerodynamic front end and abruptly chopped-off rear, the South Korean-built Spark could pass for an electric car. But there's no plug and no problem with fueling the 2013 version of this Chevrolet, because it comes with a gasoline-sipping, internal combustion, four-cylinder engine. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/09/chevy-spark-looks-electric-but-runs-on-gasoline/ California Energy Commission awards more than $1.8M additional funding to further UCSD microgrid project; energy storage, EV charging and V2G services are components. The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved funding to advance further the development of its pioneering 42 MWpeak microgrid and expand electric vehicle charging at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The Commission approved a $1.6-million award to increase its previously awarded funding of $1,394,298 for the university’s microgrid. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/cec-20130110.html Mercedes-Benz adds two more fuel-efficient models to new A-Class range; 5% improvement in both diesel and gasoline models. Just a few months after the launch of the new A-Class, Mercedes-Benz is now adding two BlueEFFICIENCY Edition models to the range. The new A 180 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Edition features a fuel consumption figure of 3.6 l/100 km (65 mpg US) according to the MVEG cycle and CO2 emissions of 92 g/km—making the new A 180 the most fuel-efficient combustion-engined Mercedes-Benz yet, according to the company. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/aclass-20130110.html GREEN ENERGY What Obama's Reelection Means For Green Energy. When Barack Obama was elected to the presidency in 2008, many assumed he had a mandate to pursue various alternative energy solutions against which previous administrations had hedged. Four years and a re-election later, the Obama administration’s aims remain very much the same, and its clean energy mandate is every bit as ambitious. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/bmoharrisbank/2013/01/09/what-obamas-reelection-means-for-green-energy/ OPINIONS The Market and Mother Nature. Whenever I hear the word “cliff,” I am reminded of something that President Obama’s science adviser, John Holdren, used to say about how we need to respond to climate change because no one can predict when it might take a disruptive, nonlinear turn. “We are driving toward a cliff in a fog,” said Holdren about the climate, and that’s always a good time “to start tapping on the brakes.” Indeed, when you think about how much financial debt we’ve built up in the market and how much carbon debt we’ve built up in the atmosphere…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/opinion/friedman-the-market-and-mother-nature.html http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22339862/thomas-l-friedman-market-and-mother-nature Letters: Climate danger. Re "Climate change won't wait," Opinion, Jan. 6 It is hard to understand President Obama's stand on climate change. His Energy secretary, Nobel laureate Steven Chu, said four years ago that, if we don't dramatically slow global warming, "we're looking at a scenario where there's no more agriculture in California." He went on to question the viability of California cities. Obama is not showing the type of resolve that Chu's statement would seem to demand. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0110-thursday-climate-change-20130110,0,956365,print.story Jim Harrington: New pollution rules mean less soot, healthier breathing. Following the advice of his scientific advisers, President Barack Obama has tightened the standard for particle pollution, which will soon prompt the cleanup of this deadly, widespread pollutant. This decision was badly needed. The nation's 15-year-old National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Particle Pollution has become misleading at best -- luring those who need accurate air quality forecasts most to believe the air is safe to breathe even when, in fact, it is not. Posted. http://www.freep.com/article/20130110/OPINION05/301100128/Jim-Harrington-New-pollution-rules-mean-less-soot-healthier-breathing Auditor: Congress could pay for road repairs via vehicle mileage-based tax. The government's auditor says Congress should institute a pilot program to test raising money for road repairs through a tax on vehicle miles traveled. Congress and the Obama administration have struggled to find new revenue to pay for maintaining the nation's roads, as gas tax revenue fails to keep up with repairs. Over the coming decade, the federal government faces a $110 billion shortfall for road repairs without new revenue, something that will get worse as government fuel efficiency mandates rise and reduce fuel use. Posted. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130110/AUTO01/301100344#ixzz2HbXyMpWW The beauty of a carbon tax – and its exemption for the poor. Taxing greenhouse gas pollution through a carbon tax lets the market, not government, pick the winners. Big polluters like electrical power plants would be encouraged to use cleaner energy. And a simple tax exemption could lower the costs passed on to poor Americans. A carbon tax is, remarkably, back in the political debate. Three years after President Obama in effect abandoned a “cap and trade” proposal after opponents effectively mocked it as “cap and tax,” his re-election has made it politically safe again to utter the word “tax.” Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/0110/The-beauty-of-a-carbon-tax-and-its-exemption-for-the-poor U.S. should put a price on carbon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Let's get one thing out of the way: No president, and no country, can stop global warming single-handedly. Even slowing it is tough. President Barack Obama isn't going to halt the rise of the oceans in his second term. And with Congress hostile to cap and trade and most other ideas for slowing, let alone rolling back, global warming, it will be difficult for him to do what's necessary. Posted. http://www.thehour.com/contributed_opinion/u-s-should-put-a-price-on-carbon-to-reduce/article_b17e816b-3fff-5a52-b006-ba35672c01da.html?mode=print Obama administration cuts hybrid, electric buys. Administration gets mostly Asian brands. President Barack Obama's administration, which set a goal of buying only alternative- technology vehicles for its fleet by 2015, cut purchases of hybrid and electric models by one-third last year and bought mostly Asian brands. About 54% of the 1,801 alternative-fuel vehicles purchased by U.S. government agencies last year were built by Hyundai, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Honda…Posted. http://www.freep.com/article/20130110/BUSINESS01/301100142/U-S-cuts-hybrid-electric-buys BLOGS A Closer Look at a Shift in Britain’s Near-Term Global Warming Forecast. Quite a few professional climate skeptics have been crowing in the last few days about a 20-percent downward shift in the short-term forecast for global temperature (through 2017) from Britain’s weather and climate agency, best know as the Met Office. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/shift-in-british-climate-analysis-blunts-governments-short-term-warming-forecast/ In India, Solar Ambitions Are Suddenly Outsize. After years of lagging behind China and the West in the adoption of solar power, some states in India are proposing to build solar farms at a galloping pace that leaves them at risk of falling short of electricity (a familiar problem here) or of paying higher prices for it. In just the last five months, five Indian states have announced plans to bring giant amounts of solar power online within five years…Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/in-india-solar-ambitions-are-suddenly-outsize/?ref=earth California conservation chief faces grilling over fracking. Mark Nechodom, Gov. Jerry Brown's nominee for state conservation chief, won the support of a key Senate committee on Wednesday after a grilling from lawmakers over hydraulic fracturing -- and demands for more safeguards on the controversial drilling process before the upper house considers his final approval next week. Nechodom, a research scientist by training and former senior adviser on climate change in the U.S. Department of Agriculture…Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2013/01/california-conservation-chief-faces-grilling-over-fracking.html GE Adds Natural-Gas Vehicles To Its Electric And Alternate-Fuels Fleet. Back in 2010, General Electric promised it would replace over half its fleet with electric and plug-in vehicles. With planned orders for 25,000 plug-ins, it was quite some commitment--particularly at a time when only a handful of cars was available, and selling in very small numbers. Three years on, and it appears that GE has started to include natural gas and propane-powered vehicles to its green tally. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1081557_ge-adds-natural-gas-vehicles-to-its-electric-and-alternate-fuels-fleet ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:09:33 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 11, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 11, 2013. 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 NASA Working to Improve Air Quality Knowledge. Residents in California's San Joaquin Valley will see some unusual air traffic over their region in January and February of 2013 that is designed to someday help improve the air all of us breathe. Two NASA research planes will fly between Bakersfield and Fresno - one as close as 1,000 feet to the ground – to measure air pollution with a number of onboard science instruments. Posted. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/discover-aq/news/DAQ-20130110.html CLIMATE CHANGE UN Developed-Country Carbon Drops to Record on EU Ban Proposal. United Nations carbon credits for December slumped to their lowest ever after the European Union proposed to ban some offsets imported from countries including Russia unless they undergo additional checks. UN Emission Reduction Units issued after 2012 from countries without new emission goals under the Kyoto Protocol may be held in the EU registry as long as it is certain they represent carbon cuts taking place before the end of last year, according to a draft regulation presented by the European Commission yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-11/un-developed-country-carbon-drops-to-record-on-eu-ban-proposal.html EU Seeks Vote on Carbon Registry on Jan. 23, Document Shows. The European Union scheduled a vote on Jan. 23 on draft carbon-registry regulation that may include limits on some imported emission credits and is seeking further talks on a permit-supply fix, according to an EU document. The European Commission, the bloc’s regulatory arm, wants to restrict the use of some Emission Reduction Units, or ERUs, from countries that fail to adopt new carbon goals under the United Nations Kyoto Protocol as of this year. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-10/eu-seeks-vote-on-carbon-registry-on-jan-23-document-shows-1-.html California Estimates Cap-and-Trade Earnings At Just $200M. California Gov. Jerry Brown's new budget plan estimates the state will take in $200 million this year from the sale of greenhouse gas permits sold in the state’s cap-and-trade program, which puts a price on carbon emitted from power plants, cement factories and other industries. Earlier estimates put that number as high as $1 billion. http://insideclimatenews.org/content/california-estimates-cap-and-trade-earnings-just-200m What Effect Will California's Cap-And-Trade Law Have? Beginning this month, 350 California businesses will start paying for some of the carbon they emit. Businesses that participated in an auction in November paid $10.09 to offset every ton of CO2 they produce beyond a cap set by the state. Over the next few years, the cap on how much CO2 a company can produce will decrease, as the price of carbon credits increases. Lawmakers hope that pinch will spur innovation in carbon-efficient technology, but there is some concern that it may instead cause businesses to leave the state. Posted. http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/will-californias-cap-and-trade-law-inspire-others/ Gov. Brown's budget suggests how to spend cap-and-trade cash. Revenue from California's cap-and-trade auctions should be spent to help shrink carbon pollution in areas like transportation and electricity generation, the state's governor said yesterday. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in his proposed budget for 2013-2014 set out categories for spending an estimated $600 million from the Golden State's sale of carbon allowances. The funds are a tiny part of the state's proposed $97.7 billion budget, Brown said, but come from a crucial program. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/11/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Groups want White House, not Congress, to guide climate policy. As the White House mulls over whom to nominate as the next administrator of U.S. EPA, business and environmental groups are sending their lists of climate change priorities to the Obama administration. The Clean Air Task Force released yesterday a list of recommendations it says would help the administration achieve an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which Obama promised in the beginning of his first term. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/11/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Study Examines Heavy-Duty Trucks, Alternative Fuels to 2050. On Feb. 4, leaders from the National Petroleum Councils study on Future Transportation Fuels will provide an overview of the study's findings and present publicly, for the first time, an in-depth review of the findings on the future of the heavy-duty industry. This two-year study, entitled Advancing Technology for Americas Transportation Future, developed a comprehensive viewpoint on the future of alternative fuels, including natural gas, plug-in electric power, hydrogen, biodiesel, and gasoline and ethanol blends. Posted. http://truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=79014 FUELS Ontario phases out entire coal fleet. By the end of the year, Ontario will become the first jurisdiction in North America to shut down almost its entire coal fleet. Yesterday, the province announced that its last two large coal units will close before 2014, making more than 99 percent of the province's electricity generated from non-coal sources. It is a major shift for Ontario, which fired 25 percent of its grid from coal a decade ago. "Today, all Ontarians can breathe a little easier," said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty in a statement. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/11/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Californian EV Market Shows Frst Signs of Maturity. This is a website about electric cars, and ever day there is more news about EVs on the market today or coming soon. That's amazing, considering that barely six years ago, there wasn't a single new electric car available in the United States. The first customers of the Tesla Roadster got their car in 2007, but it was a $100,000 car very few could afford. The Nissan LEAF, the first EV with mass-market appeal, followed three years later. It was the only one of its kind, but in 2013, there will be EVs in nearly every segment of the market. Posted. http://www.plugincars.com/californian-ev-market-shows-first-signs-maturity-126008.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-Speed Rail on track to start construction in July. A representative of California High-Speed Rail was in San Francisco today to talk about the rail system's near- and long-term plans in the Bay Area. Regional director of CHSR in Northern California Ben Tripousis joined San Francisco Director of Transportation Policy Gillian Gillett for a high-speed rail forum at the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association. Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=8949867 GREEN ENERGY California solar energy systems top 1 gigawatt. California's rebate program for businesses and homeowners who install solar panels has now funded enough systems to generate 1 gigawatt of electricity - a level few countries and no other states have ever reached. California officials reported Thursday that state residents have installed 1,066 megawatts of solar systems using rebates from the $2.4 billion California Solar Initiative, launched in 2007 as a way to jump-start the industry. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/California-solar-energy-systems-top-1-gigawatt-4184825.php#ixzz2Hh3PhO1O Technology helps wind industry overcome 'start-stop' hurdles. According to Bill Noto, a software engineer for GE Renewable Energy, the wind energy highway is rife with speed traps. When there's sufficient demand and room for electricity to flow, utilities and grid overseers want wind farms to run full throttle. But during periods of congestion, or when market conditions call for less power on the grid, wind energy operators have to apply the brakes to keep their power from overwhelming the system. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/11/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Hinkley's pollution plume being questioned by water agency again. The water regulatory agency charged with the clean up of contaminated groundwater here has ordered San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to better define its plume of chromium 6. "It is important that we have a clear and up-to-date understanding of the chromium plume boundaries," Patty Kouyoumdjian, executive officer of the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, wrote in a letter to Kirk Howard, PG&E's vice president of gas transmissions and distribution. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_22351446?source=rss#ixzz2HhFMNNGi OPINIONS Hot enough for you? All right, now can we talk about climate change? After a year when the lower 48 states suffered the warmest temperatures, and the second-craziest weather, since record-keeping began? Apparently not. The climate-change denialists — especially those who manipulate the data in transparently bogus ways to claim that warming has halted or even reversed course — have been silent, as one might expect. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-climate-change-evidence-before-our-eyes/2013/01/10/c3ff3448-5b6c-11e2-88d0-c4cf65c3ad15_story.html http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130110/WIRE/130119951 BLOGS More On a Quest for Common Ground on Climate Change. In 2011, I wrote about efforts by two scientists with different political orientations to identify common ground in weighing risks posed by global warming driven by greenhouse gases. The scientists were Peter C. Frumhoff, an ecologist who directs science and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Kerry Emanuel, a veteran climate and hurricane researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (Emanuel has a new edition of his short everyman’s guide to global warming, by the way.) Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/more-on-a-quest-for-common-ground-on-climate-change/ Carbon Taxes Provoke Debate on Economic Impact. Since the beginning of the year, California, the most populous of the United States, has a price on carbon emissions. The cap-and-trade system known as AB 23 ultimately puts a dollar price on industry carbon emissions (according to our colleague Felicity Barringer, the precise price of $10.09 per metric ton of emissions in the first free-market bidding in November). “By putting a price on carbon, we can break our unhealthy dependence on fossil fuels,” said Mary D. Nichols, the chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, according to Felicity’s report. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/carbon-taxes-provoke-debate-on-economic-impact/ Federal green car fleet buys more Hyundai hybrids as overall number goes down. The Obama administration made a big deal about how it had a long-term plan to green up the federal vehicle fleet back in early 2011. Even with that big target, the overall number of hybrids is going down. And, after spending time buying fuel-efficient US cars, the Obama administration has been turning more to hybrids from foreign automakers – just like the general public –…Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/01/10/federal-green-car-fleet-buys-more-hyundai-hybrids-as-overall-num/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:04:33 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 14, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 14, 2013. 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 Chinese media urges action on air pollution. Chinese media said on Monday the government had to take urgent action to tackle air pollution, which has blanketed parts of the country at dangerous levels in recent days, and one newspaper called for a re-think of a "fixation" on economic growth. China's media are under tight Communist Party control and usually steer clear of controversy, but news organizations are more free to report on pollution, partly because it can't be hidden from the public. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/14/us-china-air-pollution-idUSBRE90D0CL20130114 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/13/us-china-pollution-idUSBRE90C01Q20130113 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/air-pollution-in-beijing-reaches-dangerous-levels-and-is-expected-to-linger/2013/01/12/9a0cd9c4-5c9d-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.htm l http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/world/asia/china-allows-media-to-report-alarming-air-pollution-crisis.html?_r=0 http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Beijing-warns-residents-after-off-the-charts-smog-4189788.php#ixzz2HyBTtPlv http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/China-a-Twitter-over-air-quality-reports-4189887.php#ixzz2HyCKZ6In CLIMATE CHANGE Report says warming is changing US daily life. Global warming is already changing America from sea to rising sea and is affecting how Americans live, a massive new federally commissioned report says. A special panel of scientists convened by the government issued Friday a 1,146-page draft report that details in dozens of ways how climate change is already disrupting the health, homes and other facets of daily American life. It warns that those disruptions will increase in the future. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_WARMING_REPORT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/13/emissions-climate-idUSL5E9C9C9320130113 http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/climate-change-underway-in-us-report-says/2013/01/11/b5ec843e-5c23-11e2-88d0-c4cf65c3ad15_story.html http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-climate-assessment-20130112,0,1331482.story http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Report-says-warming-is-changing-US-daily-life-4187326.php#ixzz2Hy81vGUB Turning over new leaf in climate change. In a tidy white lab on the southern edge of Berkeley, scientists are trying to duplicate one of nature's greatest tricks, pulling energy out of thin air. They're designing artificial leaves that can convert sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into chemical fuel, much like the photosynthesis of flowers and trees. The team has already built a crude prototype from silicon, polymers and platinum that can create a simple and clean hydrogen fuel. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Turning-over-new-leaf-in-climate-change-4189890.php#ixzz2Hy7lZiIF UC Irvine fires latest salvo in war on emissions. It's a popular recipe for reversing global warming: Break the problem into manageable chunks, known as "wedges," and use technology we already have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the decades ahead. But a new study out of UC Irvine says that comforting recipe is wrong. The original prescription of seven wedges – each involving changes in our sources of energy, or the capturing and storing of carbon dioxide, the most troublesome greenhouse gas – must grow to at least 19, and perhaps as many as 31, the study says. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/emissions-383297-wedges-davis.html GHG emissions fell in 2011 for third straight year. California's greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2011 for the third straight year, coming in below the cap that regulators have set for the first year of emissions trading in 2013. Industrial emissions have fallen steadily since businesses began reporting them to the state in 2008, data released by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) last week show. In-state emissions from electricity generation, oil and gas refining and production…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/14/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS High court to hear case on Port of L.A.'s Clean Truck Program. The trucking industry is challenging rules that Los Angeles adopted five years ago to reduce air pollution from trucks at the nation's busiest port. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the trucking industry's challenge to the Clean Truck Program at the Port of Los Angeles in a case testing whether cities and states have any authority to limit pollution from trucks that help move long-haul cargo. The industry is fighting regulations that Los Angeles adopted five years ago to reduce air pollution for trucks that move in and out of the nation's busiest port. Similar rules apply to the neighboring Port of Long Beach. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-court-la-trucks-20130112,0,6353552.story FUELS Biofuel created by explosive technology. Chemical engineers at UC Berkeley have created a new, cleaner fuel out of an old concoction that was once used to make explosives. The fuel, which uses a century-old fermentation process to transform plant material into a propellant, could eventually replace gasoline and drastically cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, according to the team of Berkeley scientists. "It's a much more efficient way of (creating renewable fuel) than many of the other products being considered…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Biofuel-created-by-explosive-technology-4191168.php#ixzz2Hy7HhAwH Drive seeks to ease gasoline price spikes. Jamie Court has what he says is a simple way to prevent the gasoline price spikes that have cursed California drivers for years: Require refineries to keep at least three weeks' worth of gas in stock at all times. If a refinery breaks down, the market will still have plenty of fuel. "That's the one thing that's going to cushion the market from price spikes of 25 cents overnight," said Court, president of the Public Watchdog consumer group. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Drive-seeks-to-ease-gasoline-price-spikes-4190744.php#ixzz2HyDNbm6E Stockton plant upgrade to increase yields. Pacific Ethanol Inc. announced Friday it has contracted with Edeniq, a Visalia-based sustainable fuels technology company, to install systems at its Stockton plant designed to boost ethanol yields. Edeniq's Cellunator technology grinds corn and other feedstocks to a certain particle size, maximizing the amount of starch available for conversion to ethanol. The Stockton plant was built in 2008 and can produce 60 million gallons of ethanol per year. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130112/A_BIZ/301120314&cid=sitesearch California could be next oil boom state. California is sitting on a massive amount of shale oil and could become the next oil boom state. But only if the industry can get the stuff out of the ground without upsetting the state's powerful environmental lobby. Running from Los Angeles to San Francisco, California's Monterey Shale is thought to contain more oil than North Dakota's Bakken and Texas's Eagle Ford -- both scenes of an oil boom that's created thousands of jobs and boosted U.S. oil production to the highest rate in over a decade. Posted. http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/14/news/economy/california-oil-boom/ VEHICLES Toyota keeps its sales momentum. The day after Christmas, Toyota announced it would pay more than $1 billion, an all-time record in the auto industry, to settle hundreds of lawsuits filed by people saying the value of their vehicles plunged after recalls involving unintended acceleration. That would seem to be more bad news for the beleaguered automaker. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/13/5108865/toyota-keeps-its-sales-momentum.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Toyota-retakes-global-auto-sales-crown-from-GM-4191853.php GREEN ENERGY DWP will allow customers to sell back excess solar energy. The so-called feed-in-tariff program would pay customers 17 cents per kilowatt hour for energy produced on their own equipment. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers for the first time will be able to sell back excess solar energy created on rooftops and parking lots under a new program approved Friday by the city utility's board of commissioners. Described as the largest urban rooftop solar program of its kind in the nation, the so-called feed-in-tariff program would pay customers 17 cents per kilowatt hour for energy produced on their own equipment. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar-rooftop-20130112,0,2589261.story Scientist sees the light on solar energy. One day in the summer of 1980, Heinz Frei was working on his postdoctoral project at UC Berkeley, when his mentor walked up to his desk in Hildebrand Hall. George Pimentel, the late scientist whose name now adorns the chemistry lab, had just returned from a Department of Energy solar research conference. He said he was surprised that one presentation after another had focused on ultraviolet light, which represents just a tiny fraction of the energy in sunlight. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Scientist-sees-the-light-on-solar-energy-4189889.php#ixzz2Hy8jMa2d The Public Eye: Environmental group opposes Placer biomass power plant. An Arizona-based environmental group is challenging Placer County's plans to build a small power plant near Truckee that would burn forest waste wood, questioning whether such biomass facilities warrant their reputation as producers of green energy. As government regulators have mandated that more renewable energy sources be used to help combat global warming, the biomass power industry has pitched its power plants to communities as a cleaner, reliable alternative to coal. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/13/5110577/environmental-group-opposes-placer.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS Should California make changes to landmark 1970 law? Gov. Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act in 1970, a monumental year for the nation's environmental movement. That was the year the nation first celebrated Earth Day and that President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. NEPA and the CEQA have some similarities, but California's law is far broader and more powerful. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/13/5108985/should-california-make-changes.html#storylink=cpy Green Desert: Balance of nature and energy are plan's goal. I spent a good chunk of my Wednesday this week listening in to a daylong meeting on the “Description and Comparative Evaluation of Draft DRECP Alternatives.” That’s the 2,000-page “informal document” released in December outlining seven possible alternatives for balancing renewable-energy development and conservation on public and private land in six counties across Southern California, aka, the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, or DRECP. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130112/BUSINESS0302/301120044/Green-Desert-Balance-nature-energy-plan-s-goal BLOGS Breathing in Beijing: Coping With China’s Smog. With Beijing’s air pollution soaring to seemingly new, awful records this weekend, the classic parenting dilemma of “What shall we do with the kids?” had a grimly obvious answer: Slap on the antipollution face masks and go shopping for another air purifier. That’s what we did on Saturday, as the Air Quality Index run by the United States Embassy in Beijing, which uses standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, hit a “jaw-dropping” 755 at 8 p.m., as my colleague Edward Wong wrote. “All of Beijing looked like an airport smokers’ lounge,” Ed wrote. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/breathing-in-beijing-coping-with-chinas-smog/ 2012: The Year of Extreme Weather. The weather reports are in. 2012 was the hottest and the most extreme year on record in many places. While parts of China are enduring the harshest winter in 30 years, the Antarctic is warming at an alarming rate. In Australia, out of control bushfires are partially the result of record-breaking weather (new colors were added to weather forecast maps, to account for the new kind of heat). Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/2012-the-year-of-extreme-weather/ Climate change set to make America hotter, drier, and more disaster-prone. Future generations of Americans can expect to spend 25 days a year sweltering in temperatures above 100 degrees F (38 degrees C), with climate change on course to turn the country into a hotter, drier, and more disaster-prone place. The National Climate Assessment, released in draft form on Friday, provided the fullest picture to date of the real-time effects of climate change on U.S. life, and the most likely consequences for the future. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/climate-change-set-to-make-america-hotter-drier-and-more-disaster-prone/ Shell’s Arctic drilling flunks even the lax air pollution standards it weakened. In its semi-inexplicable eagerness to get Shell the permits it needed to try to drill in the Arctic last year, the government made an important and ironic concession: The company would be allowed relaxed air pollution standards. The quote the company gave in its effort to be allowed to exceed pollution limits was pretty classic, pointing out that it “demonstrated compliance with a vast majority of limits.” Posted. http://grist.org/politics/shell-arctic-drilling-cant-meet-air-pollution-standards-it-demanded-be-lowered/ Volkswagen unveils mid-size SUV plug-in diesel-electric hybrid concept at Detroit Show. Volkswagen unveiled the CrossBlue SUV concept at the North American International Auto Show. Developed specifically for US and Canada, the six- to seven-seat midsize crossover CrossBlue is targeted at the rapidly growing mid-size SUV segment, and would sit in the Volkswagen SUV lineup above the Tiguan and below the premium Touareg. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/crossblue-20130114.html Brussels Auto Show 2013: Light-duty vehicles go electric too. Held in the 100,000m2 of the Heysel exhibition hall, the Brussels Auto Show is displaying diverse solutions for businesses to efficiently renew their fleet, and alternative powertrains such as electric vehicles are very well represented. Easy to understand when a lot of businesses exactly know how much mileage they need every day and therefore see if and which electrically powered vehicle will fit to their needs. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5135 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:50:15 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 15, 2013. 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 China pledges to curb auto emissions, reduce air pollution. Few have experienced more rapid success in China than the auto industry, which has doubled its volume sales in just the last four years. But as anger simmers over the country's air pollution, fingers are increasingly pointing at the millions of new cars clogging Chinese roads. Following a weekend in which the country experienced some of its worst smog on record, the Ministry of Environmental Protection pledged Monday to reduce vehicle emissions, the source of about a quarter of China's air pollution. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-china-smog-20130115,0,2246673.story China Says Beijing Pollution Lifts as Party Answers Critics. China reported that pollution eased in Beijing after reaching record high levels in the past three days, as state media said the capital was becoming more famous for its smog than its culture or food. Official measures of PM2.5, fine airborne particulates that pose the largest health risk, fell in the morning after the government expanded efforts to fight the pollution and light wind that had blown the smog against mountains to Beijing’s north shifted south. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/China-Says-Beijing-Pollution-Lifts-as-Party-4194514.php#ixzz2I43PcBGt Black carbon's climate role larger than previously thought – study. Black carbon from diesel engines, kilns, inefficient stoves and other sources accounts for nearly twice the amount of man-made warming than previously believed, according to a report published today in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Formed through incomplete fuel combustion, black carbon is a major short-term forcer of climate change, having a much larger heat-trapping effect than similar quantities of carbon dioxide but leaving the atmosphere much more quickly. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/15/17 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE New Cap And Trade Legislation Could Be Watershed Moment For These Stocks. An increase in government regulation is most often considered a burden to corporate America and industries subject to a high amount of regulation trade at discounts due to the risk. There is one industry where the growth of policy and programs adds to topline sales, and public sentiment is actually turning in favor of more regulation. Posted. http://seekingalpha.com/article/1111531-new-cap-and-trade-legislation-could-be-watershed-moment-for-these-stocks FUELS NH $700M case against 2 oil companies begins. Day one of what is expected to be a marathon pollution trial over the gasoline additive MTBE ended Monday with lawyers for the state of New Hampshire and two big oil companies heatedly accusing each other of misleading jurors. The judge denied demands for a mistrial made by Citgo's lawyer, Nathan Eimer, but may give jurors a special instruction when the trial resumes Tuesday with more opening statements from the lawyers. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/14/nh-700m-case-against-2-oil-companies-begins/ Judges deny request for full court rehearing of E15 case. A federal court today denied petitions by groups representing oil refiners, food producers and automakers to rehear their cases challenging U.S. EPA's approval of expanded ethanol use in the market. The groups had asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for the full court to reconsider a summer ruling that they did not have legal standing to pursue a challenge to EPA's decision on E15, or gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/15/18 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES First take on 2013 Detroit auto show: Sportscars trump EVs. The message from automotive CEOs at the opening of this year's Detroit auto show is deceptively simple: Sportscars are hot, electrics are not. As General Motors Corp CEO Dan Akerson unveiled a new 450-horsepower Chevrolet Corvette and Fiat SpA CEO Sergio Marchionne extolled the Italian automaker's $130,000 Maserati Quattroporte luxury sedan, their counterpart, Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Japan's Nissan Motor Co, announced a stunning $6,000-plus price cut on the slow-selling Nissan Leaf electric vehicle. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/15/us-autoshow-wrap-idUSBRE90E03L20130115 Chevy Volt goes upscale in new electric Cadillac. General Motors is trying to take the Chevrolet Volt's electric technology upscale with a new Cadillac. The company on Tuesday introduced the ELR, which has the same battery and gas-powered generator as the Chevy version. The new car has angular lights and fenders like other new Cadillacs, but it also has a more sloped, forward-leaning aerodynamic look. It also has a plush new interior that differentiates it from the Volt and sets the tone for future Cadillacs. Posted. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Chevy-Volt-goes-upscale-in-new-electric-Cadillac-4195070.php#ixzz2I44qp1pV http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/15/chevy-volt-goes-upscale-in-new-electric-cadillac/#ixzz2I4LvUu31 GREEN ENERGY NRC chief says San Onofre plant won't reopen until it is safe. NRC Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane travels to California for the first time since taking office in July to visit the plant and meet with elected officials, environmentalists and union representatives. The chief of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission made her first visit Monday to the troubled San Onofre nuclear plant, offering assurance that the facility will remain closed until its safety is certain but giving few hints about its ultimate fate. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0115-san-onofre-20130115,0,713862.story?track=rss Tax credits for energy efficiency are back. Federal tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements are back. Reinstatement of the popular credits was a little-noticed part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act, the last-minute legislation that kept America from tumbling over the fiscal cliff at the start of the year. The law allows homeowners to claim tax credits of varying amounts on improvements such as insulation, energy-smart windows and highly efficient furnaces. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/15/5115416/tax-credits-for-energy-efficiency.html#storylink=cpy Los Angeles launches feed-in tariff to help switch to solar power. Los Angeles' abundant sunlight will soon be converted into energy and cash for millions of everyday Angelinos under a new solar feed-in tariff (FiT) program that allows electricity ratepayers, solar companies and even third parties to generate and sell solar energy back to the city's public utility. Phase 1 of the FiT program, approved last week by the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioner…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/15/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Calif.'s renewable energy rules created a boom, and now also a bust. California's renewable energy mandate has fueled growth of green power so swiftly that utilities here won't need to buy much more for several years, officials said yesterday. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. (SDG&E) all are on track to hit the state's 33 percent renewable portfolio standard (RPS) by 2020. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/15/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Gun control? Illegal immigration? No, climate change should be No. 1. Gun control? Illegal immigration? Sorry, our country has a more important issue to deal with: climate change. As I read Neela Banerjee’s story on the latest report -- a draft of the Third National Climate Assessment -- that adds to the stack of scientific findings pointing out that climate change is here and is wreaking havoc on our planet, I could only shake my head. Climate change, also known as global warming, is by far the most pressing issue to the country and, in fact, the world. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-climate-change-policy-20130114,0,6672034,print.story Letters: Diesel do-gooders. Re "Joining the EPA's war on soot," Editorial, Jan. 2 The Times notes that "coal plants and diesel engines have begun the work of reducing soot" but left out how much has been accomplished. According to the California Air Resources Board, particulate-matter emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks declined from 7.5% of all such emissions in the entire state in 1990 to 3.8% in 2008 and will be just 1.6% in 2020. The diesel truck share of particulate-matter emissions in the South Coast Air Basin decreased from 7% in 2005 to 3% in 2011. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0112-saturday-diesel-soot-20130112,0,5537110.story More warming scaremongering based on small sample. Re "How hot? 2012 in record books" (Page A1, Jan. 9): Imagine my relief. Global warming is back as a scare topic supplanting fiscal, gun, and healthcare cliffs. Kudos to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for telling me 2012 was warmer. Well, at least for the lower 48 states, about 1.5 percent of the world's surface. See, I was still worried over 2008 being two full degrees cooler than 2006. And 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 all being cooler than 1998. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/14/5109831/global-warming.html#storylink=cpy California high-speed rail plan is simply a Field of Dreams. A Dec. 14 editorial in The Sacramento Bee called our expressed concerns regarding the viability and cost of California's high-speed rail project "baffling." While we welcome a public debate over the merits of high-speed rail, our position is hardly "baffling" -- it reflects the concerns of our local communities and constituents. Over the past few years, as the business plan has inflated and funding estimates have swollen, the most recent plan by the California High-Speed Rail Authority has been panned across the board by economic and transportation experts alike. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x2088955699/California-high-speed-rail-planis-simply-a-Field-of-Dreams BLOGS Climate Scientist Backs Bill to Curb Emissions. Michael E. Mann, a prominent climatologist at Penn State, has thrown his support behind an effort to get Pennsylvania to do more to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions. Dr. Mann appeared Monday at news conference organized by a state representative, Greg Vitali, to promote two bills that would provide subsidies for solar installations and increase the amount of electricity that the state’s electric power utilities must generate from renewable sources of energy. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/climate-scientist-backs-bill-to-curb-emissions/ Charting a Post-Pollution Path for Cities – From London, 1952, through Beijing, 2013. On Sunday I posted a 140-character Twitter item containing four links that sketch humanity’s urban pollution challenges and opportunities over the last 60 years. (Link shortening is one of many reasons 140 characters can matter). It’s worth expanding on this haiku a bit to be sure the meaning is clear. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/charting-a-post-pollution-path-for-cities-from-london-1952-through-beijing-2013/?ref=earth Beijing's Smog Prompts Chinese Government To Be Unusually Transparent About Air Pollution. One of Beijing's worst rounds of air pollution kept schoolchildren indoors and sent coughing residents to hospitals, but this time something was different about the murky haze: the government's transparency in talking about it. While welcomed by residents and environmentalists, Beijing's new openness about smog also put more pressure on the government to address underlying causes, including a lag in efforts to expand Western-style emissions limits to all of the vehicles in Beijing's notoriously thick traffic. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/14/beijing-china-smog-air-pollution-2013_n_2470589.html EU: European countries must reduce diesel emissions. Europeans drive a lot of diesel-powered vehicles. This is intentional. Since diesel is inherently more efficient than gasoline, many European countries give tax advantages to diesel fuel. In response, automakers in Europe offer several small diesel vehicles with high-torque engines, offering high mileage and practicality. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/01/14/eu-european-countries-must-reduce-diesel-emissions/ Oil group's ad campaign to push for biofuel rule repeal. The American Petroleum Institute (API) announced a new advertising campaign Tuesday that aims to coax Congress into repealing a biofuel mandate. The lobby shop’s ad blitz will be an “all hands on deck” effort across TV, print, radio and online, Cindy Schild, refining senior manager with API, said Tuesday in a call with reporters. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/277243-api-ad-campaign-to-push-for-biofuel-rule-repeal Why the environmental movement couldn’t get cap-and-trade passed. The 2010 failure of the Senate to pass cap-and-trade legislation is a scar the environmental movement tries to ignore but can’t stop examining. It sits there, barely healed, still painful — a reminder of the lost promise of a new president and a brief House majority. Harvard University political scientist Theda Skocpol has released a long, robust assessment of what went wrong in the political fight. It’s a detailed document that analyzes the politics of environmental policy leading up to the fight and in the years following, drawing direct contrast with the push for healthcare reform. Posted. http://grist.org/news/why-the-environmental-movement-couldnt-get-cap-and-trade-passed-2/ Blue-Green Algae Biofuel Research Continues. Researchers at UC-Davis and one at Sandia National Labs are exploring the use of cyanobacteria for making biofuels. At UC-Davis their cyanobacteria produced 2.4 grams of 2.3 butanediol for each liter of material used. This rate was the highest reported so far for such chemicals intended for commercial development. 2,3 butanediol is an alcohol which is suitable for use as a biofuel, like ethanol. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/15/blue-green-algae-biofuel-research-continues/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:07:09 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 16, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 16, 2013. ARB Newsclips for January 16, 2013 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 Wednesday declared 'Spare the Air' day. Wednesday’s predicted cold temperatures and lack of wind prompted Bay Area air quality officials to declare it a “Spare the Air” day, banning wood or solid fuel fires. It is the fourth Spare the Air day since Jan. 1. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District designates such days as a way to reduce air pollution. The 24-hour fire ban encompasses the greater Bay Area, including south of Windsor in Sonoma County. The ban was imposed due to ongoing stagnant weather conditions, which can trap air pollution close to the ground. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130115/ARTICLES/130119660 Fight over power plants has parallels to fuel-economy push in Obama's first term. When he entered the Oval Office four years ago, President Obama gave environmentalists something they had long sought: a presidential commitment to much stronger fuel economy standards. The same advocates now hope Obama's second term will bring a similar fervor for reining in carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's current fleet of power plants, which contribute 40 percent of America's carbon output. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2013/01/16/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE 2012 was among the 10 hottest years on record globally. The average global temperature in 2012 was among the 10 hottest since official record keeping began in 1880, with most of the world — from North America to far northeastern Asia — experiencing higher-than-usual temperatures, according to related reports issued Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Last year’s average global temperature was about 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-higher-global-temperatures-nasa-noaa-20120115,0,2352695,print.story http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22383457/earth-was-warmer-last-year-but-not-like?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22383457/earth-was-warmer-last-year-but-not-like Calif., Australia discuss linking emissions trading in the future. California and Australia have both thrown their weight behind carbon trading, but a joint collaboration will be some time off, regulators said at a forum put on yesterday by the two governments. Linking greenhouse gas markets could lower costs for businesses that have to reduce their emissions, as well as gather momentum for wider acceptance of a cost on carbon, participants said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/16/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Burning Fuel Particles Do More Damage to Climate Than Thought, Study Says. The tiny black particles released into the atmosphere by burning fuels are far more powerful agents of global warming than had previously been estimated, some of the world’s most prominent atmospheric scientists reported in a study issued on Tuesday. These particles, which are known as black carbon and are the major component of soot, are the second most important contributor to global warming…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/science/earth/burning-fuel-particles-do-more-damage-to-climate-than-thought-study-says.html?_r=0 EPA changed course after gas company protested. When a man in a Fort Worth suburb reported his family's drinking water had begun bubbling like champagne, the federal government sounded an alarm: A company may have tainted their wells while drilling for natural gas. At first, the Environmental Protection Agency believed the situation was so serious that it issued a rare emergency order in late 2010 that said at least two homeowners were in immediate danger from a well saturated with flammable methane. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/EPA-changed-course-after-gas-company-protested-4197588.php#ixzz2IALinXYl http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22383607/epa-changed-course-after-oil-company-protested?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22383607/epa-changed-course-after-oil-company-protested http://fresnobee.com/2013/01/16/3135077/epa-changed-course-after-oil-company.html#storylink=misearch http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ap-exclusive-epa-reversed-course-on-tainted-texas-water-wells-after-gas-company-protested/2013/01/16/197a363c-5fb6-11e2-9dc9-bca76dd777b8_story.html Militants occupy BP gas complex in Algeria. Islamist militants attacked and occupied on Wednesday a natural gas field partly operated by BP in southern Algeria early Wednesday, killing two people and holding foreigners hostage while surrounded by Algerian forces. A militant group claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was in revenge for Algeria's support of France's operation against al-Qaida-linked Malian rebels groups far to the southeast. It said it was holding dozens of foreigners hostage. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22384159/algeria-8-foreigners-kidnapped-at-gas-plant http://fresnobee.com/2013/01/16/3135202/algeria-8-foreigners-kidnapped.html#storylink=misearch http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22384159/algeria-8-foreigners-kidnapped-at-gas-plant VEHICLES 2 Makers Press the Case for Electric Cars. The greenest cars on the market — electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids — have attracted very few buyers so far. But instead of scaling back, major automakers are eager to bring more battery-powered models to their showrooms. Two of the biggest producers, General Motors and Nissan, served notice at the annual Detroit auto show that they are in the electric-car business for the long haul. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/16/business/cadillac-elr-and-cheaper-nissan-leaf-extend-push-into-electric-cars.html?ref=science HIGH-SPEED RAIL California high-speed rail cost figures coming in, but no one will see them yet. More than four years after California voters approved a bullet train, the biggest project in state history, sealed envelopes containing the actual cost for the first leg of the high-speed rail line will finally be hand-delivered to state offices this week. But you won't see the bid prices yet -- and neither will the officials planning the project. They'll be filed away in sealed containers, with the supporting documents locked up in fireproof cabinets. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_22380751/california-high-speed-rail-cost-figures-coming-but?source=rss GREEN ENERGY Clean energy group begins to define and measure industry's global economic clout. A new report from a business group promoting energy security and innovation estimates that "advanced energy" products and services generated $1.1 trillion in global economic activity in 2011, making it larger than the pharmaceutical industry. The report, released yesterday by the Washington, D.C.-based Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), found that in the United States, companies working to build cleaner and more efficient energy systems drove a $132 billion marketplace in 2011, with an estimated 19 percent growth rate for 2012. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/16/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Edison Wants San Onofre Documents From State Investigation Kept Secret. Southern California Edison wants most of its testimony kept secret in a state investigation into what went wrong with the San Onofre nuclear plant. In calling for the secret testimony, Edison and SDG&E said they may be required to submit confidential and proprietary information for the state investigation. Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/jan/15/edison-wants-documents-state-investigation-san-ono/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kpbs%2Flocal+%28KPBS+News%3A+Local+Headlines%29 MISCELLANEOUS COLTON: Diesel business moves in. Diesel Injection Service will commemorate its relocation to Colton within the San Bernardino Valley Enterprise Zone with a grand opening celebration Saturday, Jan. 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Colton Mayor Sarah Zamora, Councilmember Isaac Suchil, the Colton Chamber of Commerce and company officials are scheduled to christen the new facility, at 1690 Ashley Way, Colton, with a ribbon cutting. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-headlines-index/20130116-colton-diesel-business-moves-in.ece BLOGS Why has climate legislation failed? An interview with Theda Skocpol. On the campaign trail in 2008, Barack Obama often said his top two priorities were climate change and health care. By the end of his first term, however, only health care legislation had been signed into law. The effort to pass a climate bill was a total bust. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/16/why-has-climate-legislation-failed-an-interview-with-theda-skocpol/ At a Climate Protest, Science and Religion. Science and religion went hand-in-hand on Tuesday as leaders from both worlds gathered in front of the White House to protest what they cast as government inaction on climate change. “This gathering today is to affirm that God has gifted us in many ways, one of which is a good mind to figure out how things are going,” said Bob Coleman, the chief programming minister of the Riverside Church in New York City. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/at-a-protest-science-and-religion-team-up/ Johnson Controls Offers Start-Stop Battery System. Forget high-voltage hybrids and instead look to the practicality of 48-volt systems, says Johnson Controls. Alex Molinaroli, president of the company’s power systems business, said on Monday that a combination 12- and 48-volt system will power efficient start-stop vehicles first in Europe and eventually in North America. The company has named the battery system Micro Hybrid, a term that has generally been used for minimalist hybrid systems. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/johnson-controls-offers-start-stop-battery-system/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:09:43 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 17, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 17, 2013. ARB Newsclips for January 17, 2013 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 Beijing's toxic smog was years in the making, had many sources. Chinese leaders dazzled the world by clearing the skies as if by edict before the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008. Fast forward to January 2013, and the government seems powerless against those same skies, tarnished by an opaque, toxic cloud that has smothered the city for nearly a week. The number-two leader in the country's Communist Party hierarchy, Li Keqiang, appealed this week for Beijing's 20 million residents to show patience during what he said would be a "long-term" clean-up. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/17/us-china-pollution-sources-idUSBRE90G00V20130117 EPA: Mid-Atlantic air pollution down in 2011. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says releases of toxic air pollutants were down in 2011 in the Mid-Atlantic. And the federal agency says cleaner power plants are part of the reason. The EPA says releases were down 13.8 percent in 2011 in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia compared to 2010. Nationwide, total toxic air releases dropped 8 percent from 2010. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/EPA-Mid-Atlantic-air-pollution-down-in-2011-4199616.php Season's sixth Spare the Air alert issued for Thursday. Wood-burning fires will be banned in the Bay Area for the second consecutive day Thursday, marking the sixth Spare the Air alert of the winter season, officials said. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District forecasts unhealthy levels of smoke and other fine particulates on Thursday because stagnant air will trap pollutants near the ground. While an alert is in progress, it is illegal for residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, woodstoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits, or any other wood-burning devices. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22387358/seasons-sixth-spare-air-alert-issued-thursday?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22387358/seasons-sixth-spare-air-alert-issued-thursday?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Mexico City bike riders protest air quality. Two men and two women rode topless down Mexico City's main boulevard Wednesday to protest the health effects of the city's ongoing pollution problem and encourage residents to use bicycles instead of cars.The cyclists had painted their bodies with the outlines of diseased lungs and other internal organs they say are affected by car-caused pollution. The protest was sponsored by children's and bicycle rights groups. The city has made progress since the mid-1990s, when air quality was unacceptable almost every day of the year. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/16/mexico-city-bike-riders-protest-air-quality/ County Air Pollution Officials Host Meeting on Air Quality in the Nipomo Mesa. San Luis Obispo County Air officials held a public meeting on Wednesday night to talk about air quality levels in the Nipomo Mesa. The Air Pollution Control District released the results of an air quality study at Mesa Middle School in Arroyo Grande, to show how far dust can travel from the Oceano Dunes to the Nipomo Mesa. Posted. http://www.kcoy.com/story/20609297/county-air-pollution-officials-host-meeting-on-air-quality-in-the-nipomo-mesa Soot is the second-most dangerous global warming pollutant. When the EPA announced stricter limits on soot emissions last year, the health benefits were immediately apparent. Less soot — that is, tiny particles that result from burning fossil fuels — means fewer heart attacks, less asthma, longer lifespans. On this basis alone, the new standard is a beneficial move. As it turns out, the move could also play a significant role in countering global warming. Posted. http://grist.org/news/soot-is-the-second-most-dangerous-global-warming-pollutant/ CLIMATE CHANGE COLUMN-EU carbon capture needs emissions limit: Wynn. The European Union will have to introduce mandatory standards to limit power plant emissions, given a failure to introduce carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology plus rising coal consumption and the construction of new coal power plants. A market-based approach to limit coal emissions through CCS has failed. The Commission had hoped to motivate the building of CCS pilot plants mostly through its emissions trading scheme. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/17/column-wynn-coal-ccs-idUSL6N0AL3NY20130117 Disaster response must be quicker, more flexible to handle growing climate uncertainty. In a world marked by increasingly irregular weather systems, the United States will need to adopt a more flexible approach to disaster management, according to panelists at the 13th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment. "Our uncertainty about what the future holds is increasing," said Amy Luers, director of climate change at the Skoll Global Threats Fund. "That's a really hard message to communicate to the public." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/01/17/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Inspection of Diesel Trucks For Pollution. In the parking lot of the Sears building at 12th and Soto St., representatives from the California Air Resources Board and Highway Patrol carry out inspections of diesel trucks to ensure compliance with state laws regarding air pollution while in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Posted. www.laopinion.com (pdf. Attachment) FUELS Lawsuit could force costly delay in new gas furnace standards. The wait for more fuel-efficient gas furnaces just got longer. The Department of Energy has moved to withdraw a new rule that would require consumers in 30 northern states to buy 90-percent-efficient furnaces starting May 1. The rule would have saved 81 million to 130 million metric tons of carbon dioxide between 2013 and 2045, according to DOE estimates, as consumers upgraded their furnaces from 80 percent efficiency to 90 percent efficiency systems. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/17/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail critic Jeff Denham to chair House railroad panel. High-speed rail skeptics gained new traction Wednesday with the promotion of Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, to chairmanship of the House panel that oversees railroads. A sharp critic of California's ambitious high-speed rail plan, Denham can use his post to challenge one of the Obama administration's top public works priorities. Future rail legislation must pass through Denham's subcommittee, which can also hold hearings to shed potentially unflattering light on specific projects like California's. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/16/3135965/high-speed-rail-critic-jeff-denham.html#storylink=cpy Amtrak, Calif. officials team up in search for fast trains. In a move likely to draw opposition from key House Republicans, Amtrak and California transportation officials today announced plans to jointly look for high-speed train systems currently in production that are capable of traveling up to 220 miles per hour. Joseph Boardman, Amtrak's top executive, and Jeff Morales, chief executive of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, said their partnership would ensure high-speed systems eventually become a reality on the West Coast and along Amtrak's busy Northeast corridor. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/17/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Army's largest solar array dedicated in New Mexico. The U.S. Army dedicated its largest solar energy-producing system on Wednesday at White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.The $16.8 million array includes nearly 15,500 sun-tracking solar panels spread across 42 acres. It will be capable of producing 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year - enough to meet about 10 percent of the need of the missile range.With abundant sunshine, New Mexico made an ideal site for the project, said Garrison Commander Col. Leo Pullar, one of the officials who attended the ceremony. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/16/2535271/militarys-largest-solar-array.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Living Smart: Mold testing and remediation. Few states have enacted guidelines that prohibit companies from performing both mold testing and mold remediation. In fact, in most states, the same company that inspects and tests for mold can also be the same company that does the remediation. That poses the potential for a huge conflict of interest. "The more stuff a (mold remediation) contractor finds wrong, the more he gets paid," said Tom Alford, a Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant and certified Mold Remediation Supervisor with Enviropro in St. Louis who only does inspection and testing for mold, not remediation. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/17/v-print/5121054/living-smart-mold-testing-and.html Debate over pivotal environmental law heats up as lawmakers plan overhaul. Battle lines are being drawn in California over a legislative push to overhaul a key state environmental law. At issue is the 1970 California Environmental Quality Act's required "environmental impact reports" for any development project that needs state or local approval -- reviews blamed by the law's critics for permitting delays and increased building costs. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/17/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Kevin O'Leary: Warming not a partisan issue – it's physics. As Southern California shivers in record low temperatures, extreme weather ravages the globe. Australia melts in another summer of blistering heat and fires, Britain endures near-biblical rains and floods, China freezes in its bitterest winter in 30 years and snow blankets Jerusalem. Climate change is not just about heat; it's about more frequent and intense weather gyrations. In the United States, 2012 was the hottest year in recorded history with the farm belt drought, killer tornados and Superstorm Sandy costing tens of billions of dollars. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/climate-383666-fuels-fossil.html BLOGS On the Non-equivalence of Greenhouse Gases and Entitlement Spending. One fairly common trope in budget discussions – I’m pretty sure I’ve done it myself, somewhere along the line – is to compare attitudes toward fiscal issues and those toward environmental issues. The usual version, which I must have used, is to compare attitudes toward the long run: pointing out how strange it is that many people profess to be deeply concerned about the state of the Social Security trust fund in the year 2037, while being apparently indifferent to the state of the climate around the same time, which is all too likely to involve things like a permanent drought in the southwest and so on. Posted. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/17/on-the-non-equivalence-of-greenhouse-gases-and-entitlement-spending/ Environmental group pushes for hearing on San Onofre restart. The environmental group Friends of the Earth made its case to federal regulators Wednesday that Southern California Edison should be barred from restarting the San Onofre nuclear plant unless it goes through a trial-like hearing process. The meeting Wednesday between Friends of the Earth and a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission review board was the latest step in a dispute that has been going on for more than six months. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/san-onofre-design-changes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 CA Congressman's new post another roadblock for high speed rail? U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was on Capitol Hill today to reassure Californians that high speed rail is one of President Obama's highest priorities. It's not necessarily the top priority on Capitol Hill. Republican Congressman Jeff Denham of Fresno has been one of the most vocal critics of California's high speed rail project. In 2012, he introduced an amendment to the transportation bill that would have forbidden a dime to be spent on the project. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2013/01/16/12046/denhams-new-post-another-roadblock-high-speed-rail/ Air Pollution in China Should be a Catalyst for Air Pollution Action. While many Beijing residents have long voiced concern and discontent over air pollution levels, it took possibly the worst air pollution in recent history to get the government to acknowledge the problem. On Saturday, January 12, air pollution levels in Beijing broke records: PM 2.5 – the fine particles that gets lodged in the lungs — spiked to 886 while the Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 755. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bfinamore/air_pollution_in_china_should.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:23:35 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 18-22, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 18-22, 2013. 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 Mercury-Emissions Treaty Is Adopted After Years of Negotiations. More than 140 nations adopted the first legally binding international treaty on Saturday aimed at reducing mercury emissions, after four years of negotiations on ways to set limits on the use of a highly toxic metal. The treaty was adopted after all-night negotiations that followed a week of talks in Geneva, United Nations environmental officials and diplomats said. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/science/earth/mercury-emissions-treaty-adopted.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Beijing to Scrap Old Cars and Swap Coal-Burners in Clean Air Bid. Beijing’s acting mayor said the city will take 180,000 old vehicles off the road and replace coal- burning heaters in 44,000 homes in a bid to cut air pollutants by 2 percent this year. The capital will also promote clean-energy vehicles among government departments, the public, street cleaners and trash collectors, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing top city official Wang Anshun. He spoke at the opening of the municipality’s legislative session. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-22/beijing-to-scrap-old-cars-and-swap-coal-burners-in-clean-air-bid.html Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to EPA rulemaking on sulfur dioxide. The Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to a tough new clean air requirement limiting sulfur dioxide emissions. The high court on Tuesday refused to hear an appeal from businesses and industrial interests involving an Environmental Protection Agency regulation setting emission levels of sulfur dioxide, a colorless gas with the smell of rotting eggs. Sulfur dioxide from power plant smokestacks can be carried long distances by wind and weather and has been linked to various illnesses including asthma. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/supreme-court-wont-hear-challenge-to-epa-rulemaking-on-sulfur-dioxide/2013/01/22/03610256-64aa-11e2-889b-f23c246aa446_story.html http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-01-22/court-wont-hear-challenge-to-clean-air-act-rule http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22424580/court-wont-hear-challenge-clean-air-act-rule?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22424580/court-wont-hear-challenge-clean-air-act-rule?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/22/2543297/court-wont-hear-challenge-to-clean.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Despite a Whiff of Unpleasant Exaggeration, a City’s Pollution Is Real. It has long been a given that the air pollution in this city gets horrific: on average even worse than Beijing’s infamous haze, by one measure. For nearly as long, there has been the widespread belief by foreign troops and officials here that — let’s be blunt here — feces are a part of the problem. Canadian soldiers were even warned about it in predeployment briefings, which cited reports that one test had found that as many as 30 percent of air samples contained fecal particles. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/world/asia/kabuls-pollution-is-real-despite-unpleasant-exaggeration.html In China, Widening Discontent Among the Communist Party Faithful. A widening discontent was evident this month in the anticensorship street protests in the southern city of Guangzhou and in the online outrage that exploded over an extraordinary surge in air pollution in the north. Anger has also reached a boil over fears concerning hazardous tap water and over a factory spill of 39 tons of a toxic chemical in Shanxi Province that has led to panic in nearby cities. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/world/asia/in-china-discontent-among-the-normally-faithful.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 EPA proposes compromise on Navajo Generating Station's emissions. Haze from the Arizona power plant can be seen at many Southwest parks and wilderness areas. The EPA proposes giving it five extra years to lower emissions, which could save tribal members' jobs. The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing regulations to reduce emissions from the massive Navajo Generating Station by as much as 84%...Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-epa-power-plant-20130118,0,5080890,print.story Spare the Air alert called for Friday for third day in a row. Wood fires will be banned in the Bay Area on Friday, the third day in a row that a Spare the Air alert has been called due to forecasts for unhealthy air quality. Spare the Air alerts also are possible for Saturday and Sunday, which would give the region a record five consecutive winter days in a row with health alerts, said officials at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22395266/spare-air-alert-called-friday-third-day-row?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22395266/spare-air-alert-called-friday-third-day-row?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com How China's air pollution disaster is coming to America. China's air pollution disaster is coming to America. The pollution comes from unprecedented levels of coal burning that has turned Beijing into a crisis zone. The news stories have focused on China with little attention to other areas, especially California. Particulate matter can arrive within days because the western U.S.is downwind of China. According to a Jan. 17 China Dialogue article, researchers now realize that more than a few air pollution violations in U.S. cities actually originated in Asia. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/how-china-s-air-pollution-disaster-is-coming-to-america Manganese plume in Hinkley draws new focus. Mention the community of Hinkley and one might think of a chromium plume in the area. That association might only be about half right. Get ready to add a new one: Manganese plume. Since November, San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has been remediating a small manganese plume north of the ground zero point of its internationally known chromium 6 plume. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_22398468/manganese-plume-hinkley-draws-new-focus#ixzz2IjU50HBp >From activist to EPA: Tejada ready to "speak truth" about environmental justice. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is turning to a Houston activist to lead the fight against environmental injustices around the country. Tejada will bring to the job what he's learned battling severe pollution problems in low-income communities near the Ship Channel, where air pollutants spewed by oil refineries, chemical plants and the shipping industry are linked to cancer and asthma. "We have the largest challenges, the most diverse challenges, the largest number of people that are suffering negative health impacts…Posted. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2013/tejada States, EPA Try to Tackle Interstate Air Pollution. Interstate air pollution has posed significant challenges for environmental regulators for decades. Although some air pollutants only affect air quality locally in the states where they are emitted, some emissions cross state lines and affect downwind states. EPA's latest effort to address interstate air pollution, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR, often pronounced "Casper"), was invalidated Aug. 21, 2012, by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Posted. http://eponline.com/articles/2013/01/21/states-epa-try-to-tackle-interstate-air-pollution.aspx BREAKING NEWS: Governor responds to La Jolla Cove stench issue; city plans to vacuum offending bird waste. The La Jolla Town Council (LJTC) and La Jolla Village Merchants Association (LJVMA) both began the year reviving discussion of the unsavory aroma wafting from La Jolla Cove. Posted. http://www.lajollalight.com/2013/01/17/breaking-news-governor-responds-on-la-jolla-cove-stench-city-plans-to-vacuum-offending-bird-waste/ CLIMATE CHANGE Obama wins praise abroad for climate change goals. U.S. President Barack Obama won praise abroad on Tuesday for his pledge to lead the fight against climate change, which has faltered as nations argue over who should foot the bill to lower carbon emissions. Two decades of summits and resolutions have not stopped mankind pumping growing quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, despite a wealth of evidence that it is causing more frequent and devastating droughts, storms and floods. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/22/us-climate-obama-reaction-idUSBRE90L0NC20130122 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/us/politics/climate-change-prominent-in-obamas-inaugural-address.html?_r=0 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/22/5131130/environmentalists-hail-obama-climate.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22423237/environmentalists-hail-obama-climate-change-focus?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22423237/environmentalists-hail-obama-climate-change-focus?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/22/3142634/environmentalists-hail-obama-climate.html#storylink=misearch http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/22/2542972/environmentalists-hail-obama-climate.html#storylink=misearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/01/22/1 BY SUBSRIPTION ONLY Every Tree Counts In Fighting Climate Change, Says Ecologist. Arborists, local governments and volunteers have spent the last year mapping San Diego County’s urban trees to calculate their environmental and financial benefit. So far, the map shows 331,632 trees that have reduced an estimated 24.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Kelaine Ravdin, the urban ecologist managing the “unofficial” tree counting effort… Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/jan/22/every-tree-counts-fighting-climate-change-says-eco/ White House fixed on 17 percent greenhouse gas emission reductions. President Obama may have entered a new term, but his climate change control plans are all first-term goals. As late as Monday, administration energy officials still were touting a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions nationwide by 17 percent of 2005 levels by 2020. What that 17 percent reduction level means, in layman’s terms: Electricity costs will rise, in order that plants can make the necessary technological advances in production processes to comply with the limits. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/22/white-house-still-touts-17-percent-magic-number-em/#ixzz2IjgU0u5N AP Interview: UN chief wants action on climate. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says his top hopes for 2013 are to reach a new agreement on climate change and to urgently end the increasingly deadly and divisive war in Syria. The U.N. chief told The Associated Press that he's also hoping for progress in getting the global economy humming again, restarting Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, promoting political solutions in Mali, Congo and the Central African Republic, and providing energy, food and water to all people. Posted. http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2013/01/22/ap-interview-un-chief-wants-action-on-climate http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22423033/ap-interview-un-chief-wants-action-climate?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/21/3142600/ap-interview-un-chief-wants-action.html#storylink=misearch DIESEL EMISSIONS Emissions standards chill truckers hauling cooled goods. Arthur Parrino has spent half a century crisscrossing the United States behind the wheel of a semi-trailer truck. His logbooks speak of millions of miles of interstate hauls and short-distance work at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. But the 68-year-old Parrino fears he might be reaching the end of the road. In 2008, his three-rig operation shrank by two-thirds when the ports' Clean Truck Program went into effect, barring older, heavy polluting engines. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/health/x1055276862/Emissions-standards-chill-truckers-hauling-cooled-goods BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CARB Issues First Fine Under 2004 TRU Regs. The San Bernardino County Superior Court has fined Foster Enterprises, an Ontario-based refrigerated transportation and cold storage business, $300,000 after a California Air Resources Board investigation revealed that the company failed to upgrade older diesel engines in its refrigerated trailer fleet as required to meet current emissions standards. The case resulted in the first court-imposed fine issued under CARB's 2004 Transport Refrigeration Unit regulation. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=79091 http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=24676 FUELS Diesel Output Increase May Boost Europe Gasoline Crack, JBC Says. Diesel-making capacity in Europe has increased by 360,000 barrels a day in the past five years even as crude refineries are halted, a trend that may boost gasoline processing margins, according to JBC Energy GmbH. The growth in hydrocrackers, a unit that mostly produces middle distillates such as diesel and gasoil, coincided with a 1 million barrel-a-day drop in European crude refining capacity in the same period, the Vienna-based researcher said today in a research note. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-22/diesel-output-increase-may-boost-europe-gasoline-crack-jbc-says.html . RFA urges CARB to revise carbon intensity values under the LCFS. The Renewable Fuels Association is urging the California Air Resources Board to revise indirect land use change (ILUC) penalties assigned to certain biofuels under the state’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). In a letter RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen sent to CARB Chairwoman Mary Nichols on Jan. 17, he notes that more than two years have passed since CARB adopted a resolution directing its staff to prepare amendments to revise the carbon intensity values of several biofuels, including corn ethanol, sugarcane ethanol and soy biodiesel. Posted. http://ethanolproducer.com/articles/9484/rfa-urges-carb-to-revise-carbon-intensity-values-under-the-lcfs VEHICLES Boeing's battery woes could short-circuit e-cars. The ongoing investigation of faulty lithium-ion power packs on the new 787 Dreamliner could have implications far beyond the aerospace industry, some observers worrying that Boeing’s battery problems could short-circuit the nascent market for plug-ins, hybrids and other electrified automobiles. Investigators in the U.S. and Japan have put a spotlight on the lithium backup power systems used on the new Boeing jet…Posted. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/boeings-battery-woes-could-short-circuit-e-cars-1B8039399 HIGH-SPEED RAIL Amtrak, California team up on high-speed rail. The two biggest players in the nation's pursuit of high-speed rail said Thursday they'll work together to search for trains that will operate at up to 220 miles per hour along both coasts of the United States. Officials with Amtrak and the California High-Speed Rail Authority said they envision that the two systems will purchase about 60 trains over the next decade. The first order could take place next year. Posted. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ia2M3yAMmBYl0LjqS3-0a56RRlng?docId=4777cf9e70e043939dcac45212780a86 Other related articles: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57564547/california-works-with-amtrak-to-make-high-speed-rail/ http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=8959811 California engineers question high-speed rail oversight. As California prepares to embark on its largest public works project in decades, a union that represents state engineers is questioning whether all the construction work will be thoroughly scrutinized. Contractors submitted bids this week to design and build the first 30-mile stretch of track for the $68 billion high-speed rail system, which eventually is designed to link Northern and Southern California by trains traveling up to 220 mph. The contract they sign is expected to be for up to $1.8 billion to build the initial segment in the Central Valley. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_22418650?source=rss http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_22409731/state-engineers-question-high-speed-rail-oversight GREEN ENERGY LEDs Emerge as a Popular ‘Green’ Lighting. The lighting industry has finally come up with an energy-efficient replacement for the standard incandescent bulb that people actually seem to like: the LED bulb. Although priced at around 20 times more than the old-fashioned incandescent, bulbs based on LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, last much longer and use far less electricity, a saving that homeowners are beginning to recognize. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/business/leds-emerge-as-a-popular-green-lighting.html Sunrise line delivering renewable energy. The Sunrise Powerlink has begun delivering significant amounts of renewable energy to San Diego from the first in a string of wind and solar plants stretching into the Imperial Valley desert, San Diego Gas & Electric announced. SDG&E completed construction of the 117-mile, $1.8 billion transmission line in July. The first major jolts of electricity arrived this month after a major wind power plant at Ocotillo tied into the line. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/21/Sunrise-delivers-renewables/ MISCELLANEOUS San Diego report measures quality of life. San Diego County’s air quality, economy and renewable energy use showed improvement, but there are shortfalls in the region’s water quality and transportation systems, according to a new report. The Equinox Center, a small nonpartisan think tank in Encinitas, on Thursday released its fourth annual “Dashboard” report, which analyzed 14 benchmarks to compare San Diego County’s quality of life in 2011 with those of other communities, and with its own performance in previous years. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/17/san-diego-dashboard-report-measures-quality-of/?st OPINIONS MILLOY: China’s bad air puts the lie to EPA scare tactics. China’s notoriously bad air has recently been especially hard to breathe. It also shows that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) science is especially hard to believe. A January temperature inversion over China has caused the air to stagnate and emissions of air pollutants to concentrate, especially over urban areas like Beijing. The air is so bad that it has forced the Chinese government to allow its media to agitate for pollution controls. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/22/chinas-bad-air-puts-the-lie-to-epa-scare-tactics/ The Climate Change Endgame. WHETHER in Davos or almost anywhere else that leaders are discussing the world’s problems, they are missing by far the biggest issue: the rapidly deteriorating global environment and its ability to support civilization. The situation is pretty much an endgame. Unless pressing issues of the biology of the planet and of climate change generated by greenhouse gas emissions are addressed with immediacy and at appropriate scale, the matters that occupy Davos discussions will be seen in retrospect as largely irrelevant. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/opinion/global/the-climate-change-endgame.html Lowering emissions, raising red flags. The Low Carbon Fuel Standard was intended to reduce California carbon emissions, but it may come with some terrible unintended consequences. We've all seen the movie: Some small, seemingly unrelated actions lead to dire and unintended consequences. It happens in real life too, especially in government. The Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a regulatory program established under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, was intended to reduce California carbon emissions, but it may come with some terrible unintended consequences. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-gatto-california-carbon-standard-20130118,0,3381157.story Letters: Go solar, DWP. Re "DWP will buy excess solar energy," Jan. 12. Well it's about time. But why should the L.A. Department of Water and Power limit the amount of solar energy it will buy from customers through 2016 to 100 megawatts? Why not buy all the solar power available? Why can't residential customers sell all the power they generate? Residential customers' meters should simply run backward when they generate more power than they are using, essentially selling it back at the same rate they pay. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0118-friday-dwp-solar-20130118,0,7266419.story Climate Change Is Here. How Companies Are Preparing For It. Climate change has arrived. 2012 is in the books as the warmest year on record, and extreme costly weather events are becoming the norm rather than the exception. Against this backdrop, the debate is slowly migrating from partisan wrangling over the existence of climate change to more productive efforts to think creatively about how to prepare for it. My interest here is not to make the case for climate change – many far more knowledgeable than I have already done so…Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/01/22/climate-change-is-here-how-companies-are-preparing-for-it/ Air Quality In China. The ink on the paper with my predictions for China was barely dry when what may become “the” story of 2013 came onto the scene—air quality. If I knew then what I know now, I would have had to have included a discussion about air quality. In the run-up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, particularly in the three or four months before August, Beijing’s air quality was in the news on a daily basis. While air pollution has remained a nagging problem since then…Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jackperkowski/2013/01/21/air-quality-in-china/ Patrick Michael: Dialing back global warming apocalypse. My greener friends are increasingly troubled by the lack of a rise in recent global surface temperatures. Using monthly data measured as the departure from long-term averages, there's been no significant warming trend since the fall of 1996. In other words, we are now in our 17th year of flat temperatures. Since 1900, the world has seen one other period of similar temperature stagnation (actually a slight cooling) that lasted for 30 years and ended around 1976. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/warming-408715-climate-century.html BLOGS E.P.A. Extends Deadline for Navajo Plant’s Pollution Controls. In a bid to clean up one of the nation’s dirtiest coal-fired power plants without causing economic harm to the Navajo Nation that surrounds it, the Environmental Protection Agency indicated on Friday that it would give the plant’s owners five extra years, until 2023, to install expensive state-of-the art emissions reduction equipment. The agency expressed its willingness to extend the deadline by releasing a proposed rule. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/18/e-p-a-extends-deadline-for-navajo-plants-pollution-controls/?hpw Taking a Harder Look at Fracking and Health. A coalition of academic researchers in the United States is preparing to shine a rigorous scientific light on the polarized and often emotional debate over whether using hydraulic fracturing to drill for natural gas is hazardous to human health. Some five years after the controversial combination of fracking and horizontal drilling in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and surrounding states got under way…Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/taking-a-harder-look-at-fracking-and-health/?pagewanted=print Beijing's Air Pollution Steps Get Poor Reception Among Some In China's Capital. New plans to reduce air pollution in Beijing fell flat on Tuesday, judging by initial online reaction, as the capital's mayor unveiled measures to ease the chronic problem that has triggered growing public anger. The smoggy metropolis' already notorious air pollution hit a record earlier this month, with pollution 30-45 times above recommended safety levels, blanketing Beijing in a thick, noxious cloud that grounded flights and forced people indoors. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/beijings-new-air-pollution-china_n_2523742.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:03:50 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 23, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 23, 2013. 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 Sickening fog settles over Salt Lake City area. A group of Utah doctors is declaring a health emergency over the Salt Lake City area's lingering air pollution problem. Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment planned to deliver a petition Wednesday demanding immediate action by elected officials. The group wants Gov. Gary Herbert and mayors of northern Utah cities to cut the pollution. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TOXIC_FOG_UTAH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Analysis: Obama's next climate steps apt to be temperate. The Obama administration is likely to rely mostly on existing rules and on flexing executive power to execute its second-term environmental agenda, sidestepping Congress as it sets about radically reducing greenhouse gases generated by major polluters. Just a day after President Barack Obama said in his inaugural address that for the United States not to respond to the threat of climate change would "betray our children and future generations," White House spokesman Jay Carney tamped down expectations for bold new moves. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/23/us-climate-change-obama-idUSBRE90M05520130123 Air officials call season's first valleywide wood-burning ban. Bad air quality in eight counties, including the valley portion of Kern County, has prompted the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to implement the season's first valleywide wood-burning ban. The ban is in effect beginning at midnight Tuesday and continuing through midnight Wednesday, according to an air district news release. It covers the counties of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the valley portion of Kern (excluding Frazier Park). Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x2088956342/Air-officials-call-seasons-first-valleywide-wood-burning-ban BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/22/2544548/wood-burning-ban-now-in-effect.html#storylink=misearch Spare the Air alert called for Wednesday. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the season’s eighth Winter Spare the Air Alert for Wednesday. The order bans burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors for 24 hours. A persistent high pressure system dominated the region and led to a succession of the Spare the Air Days last week. Although the system weakened, particulate levels increased Tuesday and threatened to reach unhealthy levels Wednesday. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130123/COMMUNITY/130129847 http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22427884/another-wood-burning-ban-issued-wednesday http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22427884/another-wood-burning-ban-issued-wednesday MidAmerican settles lawsuit, will curtail coal use. MidAmerican Energy Co. said Tuesday it agreed to stop burning coal in seven power plant boilers in Iowa and limit emissions from two others as part of a settlement with an environmental group.The Sierra Club filed a notice last July informing MidAmerican it was violating the federal Clean Air Act and Iowa environmental regulations by emitting more pollution than permits allowed at power plants in Sergeant Bluff, Bettendorf and Council Bluffs. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/22/midamerican-settles-lawsuit-will-curtail-coal/#ixzz2IooglAc8 Obama admin offers defense of EPA mercury rule. The Obama administration has filed court papers outlining its legal argument in defense of U.S. EPA's mercury and air toxics rule, which is under attack from various states and industry groups. The case, White Stallion v. EPA, concerns the so-called MATS rule, which will require the nation's coal- and oil-burning power plants to cut releases of mercury and other toxic chemicals over the next several years. In a brief filed last night in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit…. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/23/16 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Governors, state regulators urge Obama to finalize gasoline regs. Several governors and local air agencies this week called on the Obama administration to finalize regulations to slash the amount of sulfur in gasoline this year, arguing that the resulting reductions in air pollution are crucial for public health. In two letters, the officials joined a growing chorus of public health advocates who want the White House to propose…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/23/23 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Obama climate pledge faces test on oil pipeline. Environmental groups say President Barack Obama's warning about climate change will soon be tested as he decides whether to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Obama pledged in his inaugural speech Monday to respond to what he called the threat of climate change, saying: "Failure to do so would betray our children and future generations." By singling out climate change, Obama indicated a willingness to take on an issue that he acknowledges was often overlooked during his first term. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT California Industry's Greenhouse Pollution Dropped Again in 2011. California's industrial emissions of greenhouse gases dropped for the third straight year in 2011, according to figures released this month by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The decline adds to a so-far unbroken trend since CARB started tracking the emissions in 2008. The figures include emissions from power plants, oil and gas production and refining, cement manufacture and a few other industrial processes. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/climate-change/california-industrys-greenhouse-pollution-dropped-again-in-2011.html 'Rising star' leads push to overhaul landmark Calif. environmental law. A California state senator elected just two years ago is becoming one of the biggest names in environmental law and clean energy expansion. Michael Rubio, 35, this month took over as chairman of the state Senate's Environmental Quality Committee, which controls legislation tied to air, water and land protections. A Democrat from a conservative, rural district in the Central Valley, he supports some green causes but also takes positions that make environmental groups anxious. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2013/01/23/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Plant used in pilot program for fuel made in Stockton. A seed producer is recruiting area farmers to produce sorghum, a grain crop also known as milo, for use in ethanol production, including at the Pacific Ethanol Inc. plant in Stockton. Chromatin Inc. will host a meeting Feb. 5 in Modesto, hoping to convince growers to plant thousands of acres of grain sorghum this spring to supply Aemetis in Keyes and Calgren in Pixley, as well as Pacific Ethanol. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130123/A_BIZ/301230314&cid=sitesearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Final Keystone pipeline decision still months away. Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman's approval of a revised route for the Keystone XL oil pipeline puts the long-delayed project back in the hands of the federal government. But don't look for a quick decision on the $7 billion project, which would carry oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast if allowed to move forward. State Department officials said they do not expect to complete a review of the project before the end of March. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/23/3144044/final-keystone-pipeline-decision.html#storylink=misearch UDRI and Air Force researchers ramping up production of new renewable fuel formula for aviation. University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) and Air Force researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base have ramped up production of a new research fuel formula and a fuel derived from seed oils, and now have enough fuel to move from lab testing to testing in engines and auxiliary power systems. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/udri-20130123.html VEHICLES Beijing to slap tougher emission standards on vehicles –Xinhua. Beijing plans to implement harsher emission standards for vehicles starting next month, one of its latest emergency measures to curb the city's air pollution, official Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday. The new Beijing V emission standard, similar to the Euro V standard in Europe, will be adopted as of Feb. 1, Xinhua cited Fang Li, spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, as saying. The new rule applies to vehicles that have yet to receive license plates and not those already in use. Sales and plate registrations for diesel-powered vehicles that fail to meet the new standards will be halted, and sales of gasoline cars that cannot meet the standards will be banned from March. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/23/beijing-emission-idUSL4N0AS6AT20130123 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid rated at 45 mpg. Volkswagen’s newest Jetta has the highest mileage rating ever — a combined 45 miles per gallon in city and highway travel. But, it doesn’t use diesel fuel, as previous high-mileage Jettas have. The 2013 Jetta Hybrid’s four-cylinder engine sips gasoline and is mated to an electric motor. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/2013-volkswagen-jetta-hybrid-rated-at-45-mpg/2013/01/23/3ca08f4c-6576-11e2-889b-f23c246aa446_story.html PSA Peugeot Citroën developing 48V mild hybrid solution for 2017. At its Innovation Day in Paris—at which the company described its Air Hybrid technology and rollout plans (earlier post)—PSA Peugeot Citroën aso showcased a next-generation mild-hybrid technology that significantly reduces fuel consumption, by 10% to 15% for an equivalent engine, and CO2, by 15 g/km, compared with its e-HDi technology. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/psa-20130123.html Electric vehicle battery market to reach $22bn by 2020. The market for lithium ion batteries used in electric cars is set to expand to almost $22bn by the end of the decade, according to new analysis by Pike Research. The predicted growth to around 14 times the size of the $1.6bn market recorded in 2012 is likely to be driven by technology improvements, advanced production techniques, and greater investment in research and development by auto manufacturers. Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2238212/electric-vehicle-battery-market-to-reach-usd22bn-by-2020 What do extreme cold temperatures mean for drivers of electric cars like Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf? We’re all used to warming up our cars in the winter, but what can drivers of newer electric cars expect as temperatures drop? It’s all about the battery. And batteries don’t exactly love extreme temperatures - cold or hot. If you work outside in the winter, you will notice that your cell phone’s battery doesn’t always hold a charge as long as it does in better weather. The same is true for electric vehicles and hybrids. Posted. http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/money/auto_news/what-do-extreme-cold-temperatures-mean-for-drivers-of-electric-cars-like-chevy-volt-and-nissan-leaf New selection of large vehicles goes electric. Passenger cars have been generating much of the buzz around electrified transportation, but automakers are changing that with a suite of new electrified trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles that could soon hit the market. "Whether it's an advanced drive vehicle of any sort -- a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid or an electric vehicle (EV) -- the manufacturers are taking it seriously, and they understand it as a growing market," said Jeremy Acevedo, analyst at the automotive research website Edmunds.com. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/23/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Natural gas cars could soon make up 20% of U.S. vehicles – analysts. The United States could increase the number of natural gas vehicles in use to 10 percent or 20 percent by the end of the decade if it makes a concerted effort, partners at the McKinsey and Co. consulting firm said. "The low-hanging fruit are no longer there," firm partner Tom Inglesby said, referencing the immediate benefits that came from the recent boom in domestic natural gas production, while speaking yesterday at the World LNG Fuels conference in Houston. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/23/21 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Tenn. Volkswagen plant powers up solar park. German automaker Volkswagen on Wednesday flipped the on switch for a new solar park at its Tennessee assembly plant. The 33-acre installation next to the Chattanooga plant has a capacity to produce more than 13 gigawatt hours of electricity per year. That's the equivalent of the amount of energy used by 1,200 area homes each year, according to Volkswagen. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Tenn-Volkswagen-plant-powers-up-solar-park-4217308.php#ixzz2IpJK3R9q MISCELLANEOUS Governor of Nebraska Backs Route for Pipeline. The governor of Nebraska on Tuesday approved a revised route through the state for the Keystone XL pipeline, setting up a decision for President Obama that pipeline opponents say will be a crucial test of his intentions on climate change. Gov. Dave Heineman, reversing an earlier position and brushing aside vocal opposition from some citizen groups, said the pipeline could be built and operated safely and would bring thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue to Nebraska. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/science/earth/keystone-pipeline-route-approved-by-nebraska-governor.html?ref=earth Washington, D.C., tops LEED rankings. Washington, D.C., leads the nation in green building certifications, according to rankings released this week by the U.S. Green Building Council. The city easily bested other states in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifications through 2012. LEED is a voluntary points-based system for certifying green buildings. With a total of 22 million square feet of LEED-certified building space, Washington, D.C., had 36.97 certified square feet per resident through 2012. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/23/19 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS Universities Team Up to Assess Health Impacts of Gas Drilling. A coalition of academic researchers in the United States is preparing to shine a rigorous scientific light on the polarized and often emotional debate over whether using hydraulic fracturing to drill for natural gas is hazardous to human health. Some five years after the controversial combination of fracking and horizontal drilling in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and surrounding states got under way, a team of toxicologists from the University of Pennsylvania is leading a national effort to study the health effects of fracking. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/universities-teaming-up-to-assess-health-impacts-of-fracking/?ref=earth Sierra Club to engage in civil disobedience for first time. How hot is the controversial Keystone Pipeline controversy getting? The Sierra Club is — for the first time in its history — going to engage in civil disobedience on Feb. 17 in Washington, D.C., which is also a day that greenies predict will be “the largest climate rally in history.” Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2013/01/22/sierra-club-to-engage-in-civil-disobedience-for-first-time/ How to respond to people who say the cold weather disproves global warming. Those of you on the East Coast or who have access to the internet are likely aware that a severe cold snap has hit the region. It is affecting me personally, both because it is cold in my apartment and because my Twitter stream is now doubling as a real-time thermometer (with cursing). Posted. http://grist.org/news/how-to-respond-to-people-who-say-the-cold-weather-disproves-global-warming/ Will Germany banish fossil fuels before the U.S.? What would it take to transform the whole country’s electric grid -- to shut down all of its old power plants, and move to a system that generates electricity exclusively from renewable resources? Well, that’s exactly what Germany’s trying to do -- not decades from now ... but now. Correspondent Rick Karr reports on how German political parties of every stripe are now backing a plan that is expected to nearly end that country’s use of fossil fuels by 2050. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/will-germany-banish-fossil-fuels-before-the-u-s/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:51:42 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 24, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 24, 2013. 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 China says major pollutant levels dropping, but hard task ahead. China's environment minister said on Thursday that emissions of four major pollutants dropped last year and should fall by a similar level this year, but admitted the country faced a tough task in trying to end chronic air pollution. This winter's pollution, especially in northern China, has been so severe that even usually pliant state media has criticized government inaction, partly because it can't be hidden from the public unlike other sensitive subjects such as high-level corruption. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/24/us-china-pollution-idUSBRE90N0CF20130124 MORENO VALLEY: Sierra Club rebuked for delaying development. Council members also said the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s demand for the city to exceed air quality standards is unfair and unreasonable. In a Dec. 14 letter, the district asked city officials to look at the cumulative consequences of several planned warehouse projects and how they affect the risk of cancer and other health problems. The district, citing correspondence in which city officials contend they have no ability to reduce emissions from trucks, accuses Moreno Valley of not adopting strategies other Southern California communities use to cut pollution from trucks. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/moreno-valley/moreno-valley-headlines-index/20130123-moreno-valley-sierra-club-rebuked-for-delaying-development.ece Former plant site, area wells tested. Officials have been conducting testing at and near the former Hercules plant to determine whether contaminants have spread into surrounding neighborhoods. Testing is being conducted by officials with the state Department of Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency and Ashland Inc., Hercules' parent company at wells within a half-mile radius of the former chemical plant as well as onsite. Willie McKercher, with MDEQ's Groundwater Assessment and Remediation Division, said samples were being taken from test wells to understand where contaminants are present. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/24/former-plant-site-area-wells-tested/#ixzz2Iuo3YJK2 SD Supreme Court upholds refinery permit. The South Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the approval of an air quality permit that would allow a Texas company to begin constructing a proposed $10 billion oil refinery. Opponents sued the Board of Minerals and Environment, saying the board erred when it approved the Hyperion Energy Center permit because its study did not include a full-scale environmental impact statement. Attorneys for Dallas-based Hyperion and the board contend that an environmental impact statement was not required and that board members took into account all relevant environmental issues. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22440237/sd-supreme-court-upholds-refinery-permit?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22440237/sd-supreme-court-upholds-refinery-permit?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Supervisor Adam Hill passed over on air-quality board chairmanship. Brushing aside complaints that they were politicizing a panel that was created to protect public health, the county’s air pollution control board on Wednesday declined to move Supervisor Adam Hill from the vice chairmanship to the chairmanship — a normally routine advancement that some characterized as almost ceremonial. The move to make Hill chairman of the Air Pollution Control District board failed on a 6-6 vote. In a subsequent vote…Posted. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/01/23/2367685/supervisor-adam-hill-passed-over.html CLIMATE CHANGE Greenland ice less vulnerable than feared to thaw: study. Greenland is less vulnerable than expected to a runaway melt that would drive up world sea levels, according to scientists who found that only a quarter of the ice sheet thawed in a warm period more than 100,000 years ago. The study, involving 300 experts from 14 nations, implied that Antarctica at the other end of the planet would contribute at least as much or more to the kind of sea level rise that threatens coasts and cities from Mumbai to Miami. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/23/us-climate-greenland-idUSBRE90M1BY20130123 COLUMN-Zero carbon prices beckon, no disaster: Gerard Wynn. The European Commission can win significant gains from defeat on its carbon market reform if it can extract concessions for a more ambitious scheme from 2020. The European Parliament energy and industry committee on Thursday rejected the Commission's planned, modest boost to carbon prices, spotlighting the mountain it has to climb. The vote saw carbon prices tumble as much as 40 percent on the day before they recovered a little. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/24/column-wynn-carbon-cap-idUSL6N0AT30H20130124 Kerry says global climate change is threat to U.S. Sen. John Kerry pointed to climate change as among the top international threats facing the United States at his nomination hearing Thursday, cheering environmentalists and dismaying oil industry officials, who have been watching how his confirmation could affect the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline. In his opening statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Massachusetts Democrat said that American foreign policy “is defined by life-threatening issues like climate change,” along with political unrest in Africa and human trafficking across the globe. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/kerry-says-global-climate-change-is-threat-to-us/2013/01/24/45cb9d94-6645-11e2-85f5-a8a9228e55e7_story.html With climate change bill unlikely, lawmakers want Obama action. Conceding that any climate change legislative efforts would face overwhelming opposition in Congress, the authors of one of the most high-profile climate change bills are now pinning their hopes on administrative action from President Barack Obama. "Congress has not been interested in acting, particularly in the House, in the last two years, so we're calling on the president to develop a plan for the administration to take action without Congress and he has an enormous amount of authority to do that," Representative Henry Waxman…Posted. http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/6070335 DIESEL EMISSIONS California trucking group will keep challenging CARB reg. A California trucking organization will continue its legal fight against one of California’s toughest emissions regulations. The California Construction Trucking Association, or CCTA, appealed a recent ruling made in its nearly two-year lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board over its Truck and Bus Regulation. The California association filed a notice of appeal on Jan. 16 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=24689 FUELS Gas at the gates of oil's transport fuel citadel. Crude oil's supremacy in motor fuels is pricing it out of power and industry, leaving it stuck in low-growth transport and vulnerable to a revolution that could favour natural gas. International oil company BP predicts worldwide oil demand growth of just 0.8 percent a year up to 2030 - slower than for any other energy type and only half the projected total energy demand growth rate over the same period. With cheaper fuels already pushing it out of industrial and power generation use, any extra oil demand now has to come from vehicles, shipping and aircraft. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/24/energy-transportfuel-idUSL6E8IB1XK20130124 UPDATE 2-U.S. 'disappointed' with proposed EU duties on ethanol. The United States on Wednesday objected to proposed European Union import duties on U.S. ethanol that EU officials said are intended to offset subsidies given to American producers. "We are disappointed in this outcome," said Nkenge Harmon, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office. "I will add that we have serious concerns about certain procedural and methodological aspects of the investigation." Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/23/usa-eu-ethanol-idUSL1N0ASBCQ20130123 VEHICLES Toyota, BMW to research lithium-air battery. Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and BMW AG (BMWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) will jointly research a lithium-air battery expected to be more powerful than the lithium-ion batteries used in many hybrid and electric vehicles, the two firms said. The two companies will also work on a fuel cell vehicle system, which includes a hydrogen tank and motor, by 2020, they said on Thursday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/24/us-toyota-bmw-fuelcell-idUSBRE90N0L020130124 http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/24/2546363/toyota-bmw-working-on-new-battery.html#storylink=misearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Can personal vehicles use electric-vehicle charging stations on base? Question: What is the base policy on charging personal vehicles at electric-vehicle charging stations? I’ve seen some available on base, but they’re locked. Answer: At this time, charging personally owned vehicles at charging stations installed using appropriated funds is not allowed by law. Essentially, it would be similar to allowing you to gas your car at the government vehicle fuel station. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/23/can-personal-vehicles-use-electric-vehicle-on/#ixzz2IupY9isg The buzz on the newest electric cars from Consumer Reports. More and more car companies are coming out with cars that are all-electric, no gas needed. Several claim the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon or more. The government tax credit of up to $7500 could have you thinking about getting an electric vehicle. Ford calls the Ford Focus Electric the most fuel-efficient compact car in America. Consumer Reports finds it can get the equivalent of 107 miles per gallon. The engineers compared it with other all-electric cars, including the smaller sub-compact Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/consumer&id=8965127 HIGH-SPEED RAIL California rail: We don't need cash – yet. California’s landmark high-speed rail line won’t require cash from Congress for at least two years. But at some point, it will. That’s the message the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s leadership team is sending to Washington about the massive $68 billion project set to break ground this year. The planned statewide system is short about $60 billion, some of which will undoubtedly need to come from Congress. Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/california-rail-need-for-federal-aid-years-off-86579.html GREEN ENERGY Ikea to double its spending on renewable energy to $4 billion. The investment boost is part of Ikea's plan to get all the energy used at its stores and by subcontractors from renewable sources by 2020. Ikea Group, the world's biggest furniture retailer, will double its investment in renewable energy to $4 billion by 2020 as part of a drive to reduce costs as cash-strapped consumers become more price sensitive. The additional spending on projects such as wind farms and solar parks…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ikea-energy-20130123,0,4468981.story MISCELLANEOUS The battle for CEQA. California’s core environmental protection law, a 43-year-old statute frequently denounced by developers and business interests as a tangle of red tape, is on a Capitol hit list once again. But the political dynamic this year is unusual: Those pushing hard for change are Democrats, including Gov. Brown, the Senate and Assembly leaders and a farm-belt lawmaker. At issue is the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, which requires builders and others to detail their projects’ potential impacts over time on the environment and offer ways to fix them…Posted. http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=116395uhwgjhsts# Green groups oppose easing NY dairy pollution regs. Environmental groups are pushing back against the Cuomo administration's plan to support a growing yogurt industry by easing regulations on large-scale dairy operations. The Greek yogurt industry is growing so fast in New York that the state doesn't have enough cows to meet the demand for milk. At a "yogurt summit" in Albany last August, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Greek yogurt one of the best entrepreneurial opportunities in a generation. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Green-groups-oppose-easing-NY-dairy-pollution-regs-4220378.php#ixzz2IunzeJiZ OPINIONS Funding the Climate Change Battle. Thomas Lovejoy’s alarm call (“The climate change endgame,” Views, Jan. 22) points to two critical dangers confronting the whole human population. He is right to highlight the “massive and accelerating” biodiversity and ecosystem loss, as well as climate change. A pity then that there was not space to explore in more detail the threat to remedial efforts from “inadequate funding.” Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/opinion/global/funding-the-climate-change-battle.html?_r=0 Viewpoints: Sacramento must resolve to kick its unhealthy addiction to sprawl. What is commonly called "sprawl" reduces the availability of affordable farmland, open space and habitat. Its associated lifestyle increases greenhouse gas emissions, reduces air quality, lessens needed physical activity, and usually gives the municipal governments a negative return on investment, adding to the strain on local government budgets. When we stop sprawling, we free up huge amounts of capital to invest in our existing neighborhoods. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/08/5039764/sacramento-must-resolve-to-kick.html#storylink=cpy Letter: Benefit to following clean air laws. While reading a news article ("'Don't Light Tonight' extended," Jan. 18, 2013), I recalled that when I headed the Environmental Health Division of the U.S. Air Force hospital in Ankara, Turkey, 35 years ago, I had the opportunity to visit with a renowned Turkish doctor who was heavily involved in trying to correct the air pollution problem in the city. We talked at length about the seriousness of the problem and its causes, the types of pollutants and what effects it had on the population. Believe me, it was and continues to be a serious problem. Posted. http://www.thereporter.com/letters/ci_22439657/letter-benefit-following-clean-air-laws?source=rss BLOGS Why India’s Waste-to-Energy Industry Won’t Catch Fire. The unfortunate part is that the plant is in Malaysia, not India, where the process was invented. Mr. Sivaprasad, an energetic 80-year-old, went abroad after repeatedly trying to build his project in India but finding that the system was stacked against him, he says. India tosses more than 188 million tons of garbage each day, but is falling behind other Asian nations in early efforts to turn it into electricity. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/why-indias-waste-to-energy-industry-wont-catch-fire/?ref=earth President unlikely to get support from Congress on climate change. In his second inaugural address, President Obama promised to “respond” to the threat of climate change, saying the failure to do so would betray future generations. "Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science," said the president, "but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms." But President Obama shouldn’t expect any comprehensive legislation from Capitol Hill. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/tagged/cap-and-trade America's High Speed Rail Quest Limps Along As Amtrak, Other Carriers Consider Train Options. High speed rail development here in the United States, particularly California, continues to limp along. Even as China recently opened its longest high-speed rail line as part of a growing industry there which is both helping that nation’s economy as well as looking overseas for possible projects, we continue to move in the slow lane. Outside of China other places such as Spain are also leaving us behind in this green technology focus. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/america-high-speed-rail-us-train_n_2535815.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:19:30 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for January 25, 2012 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 25, 2013. 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 State Air Resources Board passes pollution plan, environmentalists voice opposition. A plan for cleaner air. That's what the State Air Resources Board passed Thursday at their meeting in Bakersfield. But, there was quite a bit of opposition, not just from those against regulations, but from some environmentalists. They said the plan doesn't do enough. Opponents of the plan said 600 people die in the San Joaquin Valley every year because of our air pollution. While the plan that passed Thursday strengthens restrictions, environmental activists say it's too little too late. Posted. http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/State-Air-Resources-Board-passes-pollution-plan/u3A6Lswk4km7WYqC2f3cNg.cspx Appeals court rejects EPA bid on pollution case. A federal appeals court will not reconsider a decision blocking an Obama administration effort to tighten restrictions on power plant pollution. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied the administration's request for a new hearing on Thursday. The court said a majority of its eight active judges opposed rehearing the case. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22443997/appeals-court-rejects-epa-bid-pollution-case?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22443997/appeals-court-rejects-epa-bid-pollution-case?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com New clean-air plan likely to increase no-burn days. State air regulators on Thursday, unanimously approved a plan to meet federal standards for particulate matter in the San Joaquin Valley's air that could double the number of no-burn days called. Also notably, said San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Executive Director Seyed Sadredin, the rules require trucking fleets to install filters on their equipment and, by 2020, replace all vehicles constructed before 2010 in an effort to remove high-pollution diesel engines from the road. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x2088956459/State-board-OKs-valley-air-plan-over-environmental-objections http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/plan-to-improve-air-pollution-in-kern-county NASA flights help measure Valley air pollution. A pair of NASA airplanes crisscrossing the skies and doing stomach-turning loops are giving scientists a 3-D look at winter air pollution in a way they've never had before. The flights are part of a five-year, $30 million mission called DISCOVER-AQ, an effort to help researchers develop the next generation of satellites to measure air pollution from space. Jim Crawford, the mission's lead investigator from NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, explains how the airplanes work with monitoring stations on the ground to provide a better understanding of how air pollution forms and mixes. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/25/3147203/nasa-flights-measure-valley-air.html Another wood burning ban issued for Friday. Another Spare the Air alert banning wood fires has been called for Friday in the Bay Area as a light rainstorm failed to clear the air as much as hoped. The no-burn alert for Friday is the second this week and the ninth issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District since Nov. 1. Alerts are issued when unhealthy air is predicted due to stagnant weather conditions that trap smoke and fine particles near the ground. On those days, the air district bans wood fires in fireplaces, fire inserts, stoves or outdoor fire pits. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22443815/another-wood-burning-ban-issued-friday http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22443815/another-wood-burning-ban-issued-friday?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com CLIMATE CHANGE Kerry: Climate change a 'life-threatening issue'. Calling global climate change a "life-threatening issue," Secretary of State nominee John Kerry said Thursday that the United States must play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said at his confirmation hearing that the U.S. should pursue policies to boost clean energy and energy efficiency. In his state and others, such as California, "the fastest growing sector of our economy is clean energy," Kerry said. "It's a job creator." Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22442856/kerry-climate-change-life-threatening-issue?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com FUELS Fuels producers take aim at Calif.'s low-carbon standard. Energy companies are mounting new opposition to California's plans to lower the carbon content of fuel sold in-state. A group of oil companies and other fuel providers, including BP PLC, Chevron Technology Ventures, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Pacific Gas and Electric Corp., held a closed-door meeting yesterday in Burbank, Calif., where they discussed the state's low-carbon fuel standard, which aims to lower fuels' average carbon content by 10 percent by 2020. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/25/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Nothing to fear but inaction on climate change – Kerry. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) pledged yesterday to make climate change a top priority as secretary of State as he sailed through a mostly genial confirmation hearing before the committee he still chairs. Testifying before his Senate Foreign Relations panel, Kerry sidestepped a question about his views on the controversial $7 billion Keystone XL oil pipeline project. But he jumped at a chance to swat down a Republican senator who declared carbon constraints a threat to the U.S. economy, and he defended the need to abate climate change as a jobs and security imperative. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/25/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES How, why and when companies should add EVs in their fleets. Transport for London (TfL) and the UK Department for Transport (DfT) have provided funding to support twenty organisations with the analysis of their real life fleet data. According to the analysis report, EVs can play a role for the majority of the twenty fleets, reducing fleet fuel costs by up to 75%. Until now, very little information has been available on the process fleets need to follow to successfully acquire and integrate plug-in vehicles. Posted. www.cars21.com/news/view/5170 HIGH SPEED RAIL Brown Will Open Calif. Trade Office in China, Touts High-Speed Rail. Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday called for stronger ties between California and China, announcing he will lead a trade and investment trip to that country in April and the state will open a trade office in Shanghai. The announcement came during Brown's State of the State Address. He touted the strength of California's rebounding economy, promised fiscal discipline with Proposition 30 funding and compared high-speed rail to "The Little Engine That Could." Posted. http://lamorinda.patch.com/articles/brown-will-open-calif-trade-office-in-china-touts-high-speed-rail OPINIONS Northeast Faces Stark Choice on Climate Pollution. EIGHT years ago, a bipartisan coalition of Northeast and mid-Atlantic governors joined forces to reduce pollution from electric power plants. They agreed to cap overall emissions of carbon dioxide, the major pollutant driving global warming, and require the more than 200 power plants in the region to buy permits to emit the greenhouse gas. The governors reasoned that plant operators would have an incentive to clean up their emissions if they had to pay for the carbon dioxide they discharged. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/opinion/northeast-faces-stark-choice-on-climate-pollution.html?ref=opinion&_r=0&pagewanted=print The effects of climate change have arrived ahead of schedule. A year ago, I went to Antarctica with a group of climate scientists and leaders, many of whom have visited and worked at that continent's research stations for several decades. Many of the scientists were surprisingly reticent about drawing systemic conclusions about the role of global warming, but their rigorous adherence to just the facts they know from years of study on an individual aspect of climate change made their conclusions all the more credible and devastating. Some studied individual regions of Antarctica; some studied krill, a crustacean that is the foundation of the food chain for the Southern Ocean. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-insiders/post/the-effects-of-climate-change-have-arrived-ahead-of-schedule/2013/01/25/a8a2ccf8-6703-11e2-889b-f23c246aa446_blog.html Make climate change a priority. The weather in Washington has been like a roller coaster this January. Yes, there has been a deep freeze this week, but it was the sudden warmth earlier in the month that was truly alarming. Flocks of birds — robins, wrens, cardinals and even blue jays – swarmed bushes with berries, eating as much as they could. Runners and bikers wore shorts and T-shirts. People worked in their gardens as if it were spring. The signs of global warming are becoming more obvious and more frequent. A glut of extreme weather conditions is appearing globally. And the average temperature in the United States last year was the highest ever recorded. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/make-climate-change-a-priority/2013/01/24/6c5c2b66-65b1-11e2-9e1b-07db1d2ccd5b_story.html BLOGS Court delivers blow to biofuel industry in ruling against EPA. A federal court delivered a blow to the biofuel industry Friday when it ruled the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must lower certain targets in a key biofuel-blending rule. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the American Petroleum Institute (API), saying the EPA cannot set forward-leaning blending projections for cellulosic biofuel when supplies aren't available to meet the requirements. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/279329-court-decision-on-key-rule-delivers-setback-to-biofuel-industry ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:41:09 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 28, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 28, 2013. ARB Newsclips for January 28, 2013 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 Valley air district $500 million fund targets diesel pollution. As the economy shrunk government budgets over the past five years, a special air district fund quietly has grown tenfold -- beyond $100 million annually. But it's no slush fund, and it isn't the target of activist lawsuits. This obscure pot of money is a key to curbing diesel pollution, the biggest California air-quality problem of this era. It's the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District's incentive fund, bankrolled by government agencies, businesses and your vehicle registration fees. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/27/3150359/valley-air-districts-500m-fund.html#storylink=cpy NASA flights measure quality of San Joaquin Valley's air. ABOVE THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY -- A pair of NASA airplanes crisscrossing the sky and doing stomach-turning loops are giving scientists a 3-D look at winter air pollution in a way they've never seen before. The flights are part of a five-year, $30 million mission called DISCOVER-AQ, an effort to help researchers develop the next generation of satellites to measure air pollution from space. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/26/2550510/nasa-flights-measure-quality-of.html#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION CLIMATE CHANGE Norway Data Shows Earth’s Global Warming Less Severe Than Feared. New estimates from a Norwegian research project show meeting targets for minimizing global warming may be more achievable than previously thought. After the planet’s average surface temperature rose through the 1990s, the increase has almost leveled off at the level of 2000, while ocean water temperature has also stabilized, the Research Council of Norway said in a statement on its website. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-27/norway-data-shows-earth-s-global-warming-less-severe-than-feared.html ‘Bipartisan’ task force on climate change one party short. Two Democrats on Capitol Hill are seconding President Obama’s call for real political muscle to address climate change and vowed to form a bipartisan task force — but they haven’t found any Republican takers yet. The administration found itself under growing pressure on another front, as a bipartisan majority of senators has signed on to a letter seeking approval of a massive new oil pipeline project staunchly opposed by leading environmental groups. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/24/bipartisan-task-force-on-climate-change-one-party-/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS#ixzz2JHuok2zA Big cities' heat can change temperatures a continent away -U.S. study. The energy big cities burn - mostly coal and oil to power buildings, cars and other devices - produces excess heat that can get into atmospheric currents and influence temperatures thousands of miles (km) away, a new study found. The so-called waste heat that leaks out of buildings, vehicles and other sources in major Northern Hemisphere cities makes winters warmer across huge swaths of northern Asia and northern North America…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/27/environment-cities-heat-idUSL1N0AV1HW20130127 http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-energy-consumption-heating-20130125,0,3163938.story?track=rss http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/28/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Major climate changes looming. In his inaugural address last Monday, President Obama made climate change a priority of his second term. It might be too late. Within the lifetimes of today's children, scientists say, the climate could reach a state unknown in civilization. In that time, global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are on track to exceed the limits that scientists believe could prevent catastrophic warming. CO{-2} levels are higher than they have been in 15 million years. The Arctic, melting rapidly and probably irreversibly, has reached a state that the Vikings would not recognize. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Major-climate-changes-looming-4227943.php#ixzz2JIfLwCYm A new water fight — over global warming. The perpetual and sometimes bitter disputes between the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District have taken another twist, this time over recouping the cost of buying state permits to release greenhouse gasses linked to global warming. The county water authority is proposing legislation that would guarantee it a share of any state Air Resources Board rebate issued to Metropolitan in the future. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/25/water-dispute-global-warming/?print&page=all On battered Jersey shore, Sandy victims struggle with costs of climate change. Before Sandy hit, FEMA was redrawing its flood-risk maps to account for rising sea levels connected to climate change. The result: rebuilding in some places has become much costlier. Nearly three months after hurricane Sandy inundated their house with five feet of water, retirees Brian and Dorothy Beebe went to the town hall here, clutching a survey of their home stuffed into a brown envelope, eager to repair their split-level home along New Jersey's shore. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2013/0128/On-battered-Jersey-shore-Sandy-victims-struggle-with-costs-of-climate-change FUELS Canadian carbon project aims to prove 'clean coal' works. A technology that holds the hope for cleaner use of coal will be tested on a commercial scale for the first time in Canada next year, aiming to resolve big uncertainties about the vast amount of power it will need. Saskatchewan Power Corp. (SaskPower) hopes that a $1.24 billion refit of its 45-year-old Boundary Dam power plant to capture carbon dioxide emissions will make investors think twice about shifting to gas-fired plants from dirtier coal. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/28/climate-carbon-canada-idUSL5N0AX5X220130128 California Sued for Allegedly Failing to Regulate Fracking. California was sued for allegedly failing to regulate and supervise hydraulic fracturing by oil and gas companies under the state’s underground injection control program. The Center For Biological Diversity, a Tucson, Arizona- based environmental group, said in a complaint filed in state court in Oakland today that the program requires the state to obtain detailed studies, conduct inspections and supervise testing before any subsurface injection or disposal project can begin. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-24/california-sued-for-allegedly-failing-to-regulate-fracking-1-.html Court Overturns E.P.A.’s Biofuels Mandate. A federal appeals court threw out a federal rule on renewable fuels on Friday, saying that a quota set by the Environmental Protection Agency for incorporating liquids made from woody crops and wastes into car and truck fuels was based on wishful thinking rather than realistic estimates of what could be achieved. The ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia involved a case brought by the American Petroleum Institute, whose members were bound by the 2012 cellulosic biofuels quota being challenged. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/business/energy-environment/court-overturns-epas-biofuels-mandate.html?ref=earth DART rolls out new compressed natural gas bus. Dallas Area Rapid Transit has rolled out the first of hundreds of new buses meant to be more friendly to the environment. DART's first bus fueled by compressed natural gas began service Monday. Several of the updated buses will be introduced each week as the 459 vehicles become available from the manufacturer. DART has a $210 million contract with North American Bus Industries Inc. of Anniston, Ala. The 30- and 40-foot buses are part of the latest phase of DART's clean transit fuels program. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22465119/dart-rolls-out-new-compressed-natural-gas-bus Rising use of corn ethanol stresses Midwestern groundwater. Biofuel production is often touted as a boon to rural development, but a University of Iowa engineering professor is worried about the effect of corn ethanol plants on his and other states' water supplies. At a biofuels energy symposium hosted by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies last week in Washington, D.C., Professor Jerald Schnoor said corn ethanol production facilities require large quantities of high-purity water during the fermentation process. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/28/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Daimler, Ford and Nissan ink deal on fuel cell cars. Three global carmakers joined forces on Monday to develop a line of affordable fuel cell cars for sale starting in 2017 in what could be the first major advance for the promising zero-emission technology. Daimler (DAIGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Ford (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Nissan (7201.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said the new alliance sends a clear signal to suppliers, policymakers and the industry to encourage the further development of hydrogen infrastructure worldwide. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/28/us-daimer-ford-nissan-idUSBRE90R0CO20130128 http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/28/ford-daimler-nissan-to-research-hydrogen-02/#ixzz2JIDPk7pP HIGH-SPEED RAIL California still hasn't bought land for bullet train route. Construction is supposed to start in July. High-speed rail officials say they can do it. But they face resistance from landowners, and if the schedule slips, costs could grow too high. Construction of California's high-speed rail network is supposed to start in just six months, but the state hasn't acquired a single acre along the route and faces what officials are calling a challenging schedule to assemble hundreds of parcels needed in the Central Valley. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bullet-land-20130127,0,6688039.story?track=rss GREEN ENERGY ENERGY: Riverside businessman’s plan riles Utah town. A Riverside company with ties to Inland political and business leaders has filed plans to build an experimental energy plant in scenic southeastern Utah, raising dissension among residents who say it will be a polluting eyesore and those who welcome the new jobs. The plant would be based on technology developed at UC Riverside’s engineering school to break down coal, green waste, trash, sewage sludge or other carbon-based materials into what the company’s president described as “building block” hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide gases. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130125-energy-riverside-businessmans-plan-riles-utah-town.ece What holds energy tech back? The infernal battery. As 21st century technology strains to become ever faster, cleaner and cheaper, an invention from more than 200 years ago keeps holding it back. It's why electric cars aren't clogging the roads and why Boeing's new ultra-efficient 787 Dreamliners aren't flying high. And chances are you have this little invention next to you right now and probably have cursed it recently: the infernal battery. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_22445989/what-holds-energy-tech-back-infernal-battery?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Researchers develop safer, lighter and more efficient lithium battery. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a component for rechargeable batteries that can increase energy densities while improving safety. The component is a nanostructured electrolyte engineered from bulk lithium thiophosphate to conduct ions 1,000 times faster. "This is a solid electrolyte," explained Chengdu Liang, a co-author and a research staff member in the chemical functionality group at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/28/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Moderate Michael Rubio takes on California's environmental law. State Sen. Michael Rubio says he first wondered if something were wrong with California's environmental review law during his days as a Kern County supervisor, when he saw it used to slow wind and solar projects he considered green by their very nature. Now, just more than two years into his Senate term representing a large swath of the southern Central Valley, he is taking on fellow Democrats on the issue…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/28/5144984/moderate-michael-rubio-takes-on.html#mi_rss=Top%20Stories OPINIONS A Powerful Way to Galvanize Protest. Well-intentioned critics of fossil fuel divestment have called for students to lobby their senators and representatives as a more direct path to federal action on climate change. These critics underestimate the fossil fuel industry’s stranglehold over our political system, and their suggested path would only repeat past failures of the climate movement. They also ignore the networks of institutions, influence and capital that can be moved to support an end to extraction and fight climate change. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/01/27/is-divestment-an-effective-means-of-protest/a-powerful-way-to-galvanize-protest-over-climate-change Your Biggest Carbon Sin May Be Air Travel. LAST fall, when Democrats and Republicans seemed unable to agree on anything, one bill glided through Congress with broad bipartisan support and won a quick signature from President Obama: the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011. This odd law essentially forbids United States airlines from participating in the European Union Emissions Trading System, Europe’s somewhat lonely attempt to rein in planet-warming emissions. Under that eight-year-old program…Posted http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/sunday-review/the-biggest-carbon-sin-air-travel.html?src=twr&_r=1& BLOGS Europe’s Big Bet on EVs and Hybrids. If you build it, they will come. That’s the bet behind an ambitious plan to boost the number of electric vehicles and hybrids plying European roads by making electric charging stations nearly as common as gas stations. The European Union wants to build a half million charging stations by 2020. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/europes-big-bet-on-evs-and-hybrids/ An Ecolabel for McDonald’s Fish Fare. McDonald’s has signed on with the Marine Stewardship Council to show that the fish it serves is caught in an environmentally responsible manner. While the fish is not changing, the deal will make the council’s distinctive blue logo familiar to tens of millions of Americans for the first time. The world’s biggest fast-food company announced last week that its sourcing of fish for the United States market, which is entirely wild-caught Alaska pollock, had been certified by the council, perhaps the best-known organization promoting sustainable fishing around the world. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/an-ecolabel-for-mcdonalds-fish-fare/?ref=earth Is There a Green Side to the Super Bowl? Opower, an energy consulting firm, compared the electricity use of 145,000 American households during last year’s Super Bowl with consumption on other winter Sundays when the weather was similar. Power use was down by as much as 7.7 percent, depending on the region of the country. And in the West, where the game ended early in the evening, electricity consumption was depressed until bedtime. The precise reasons are hard to identify, but apparently the increased sources of use – running a big-screen TV…Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/is-there-a-green-side-to-the-super-bowl/?ref=earth Weaker Global Warming Seen in Study Promoted by Norway’s Research Council. | Updates below | Purveyors of climate doubt have seized on a news release from the Research Council of Norway with this provocative title: “Global warming less extreme than feared?” The release describes new research finding that global warming from the buildup of greenhouse gases will be on the low end of the persistently wide spread of projections by other research groups. (There’s a presentation describing the work below.) Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/weaker-global-warming-seen-in-study-promoted-by-norways-research-council/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:55:46 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 29, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 29, 2013. 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 Smog thick enough to cancel flights hits Beijing. Thick, off-the-scale smog shrouded eastern China for the second time in about two weeks Tuesday, forcing airlines to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting Beijing to temporarily shut factories and curtail fleets of government cars. The capital was a colorless scene. Street lamps and the outlines of buildings receded into a white haze as pedestrians donned face masks to guard against the caustic air. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-01-29/smog-thick-enough-to-cancel-flights-hits-beijing Other: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/28/3151440/pollution-off-the-index-again.html#storylink=misearch http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22471005/smog-thick-enough-cancel-flights-hits-beijing?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22471005/smog-thick-enough-cancel-flights-hits-beijing?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/29/smog-thick-enough-to-cancel-flights-hits-02/#ixzz2JNvrORaj Pollution off the index again in China's capital. Beijing's pollution has reached especially high levels again as smog blankets much of China's central and eastern areas. After days of worsening visibility on the capital's streets, the U.S. Embassy reported early Tuesday morning that the level of pollution was "beyond index." Since Saturday, it has reported hourly pollution levels as hazardous to human health. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/28/pollution-off-the-index-again-in-chinas-capital/ Valley Residents, Health Advocates Call For Better Protection >From Particle Pollution. The San Joaquin Valley’s polluted air is a daily concern for Mario Talavera. “When I go to the pharmacy, they ask why I need medicine," said Talavera, of Fresno. "For Mario, Angelica, Tomas, Jose. And for me too, Mario. I have asthma. The only person who doesn’t have asthma is my wife.” It’s a constant stress for Fresno resident Teresa Vidales, too. Her husband, a construction worker and the family breadwinner, has asthma. One of her four kids does, too. Posted. http://www.kvpr.org/post/valley-residents-health-advocates-call-better-protection-particle-pollution CLIMATE CHANGE California Defeats Lawsuit Against Cap-and-Trade Program. California environmental regulators running the nation’s first economy-wide carbon cap-and-trade program defeated a lawsuit that claims the system contains a loophole so companies can avoid reducing carbon emissions. State court Judge Ernest Goldsmith in San Francisco rejected claims by two environmental groups challenging the way the program allows polluters to buy greenhouse gas emission credits from entities that aren’t part of the program. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-28/california-defeats-lawsuit-against-cap-and-trade-program-1-.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/29/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Obama Talks Climate Change. California Is Acting On It. It’s not the happiest time to be an environmentalist. Climate change hit home last year with brutal force: 2012’s historic drought singed much of the Midwest, turning farms to dust and withering the corn crop. Other parts of the U.S. suffered through storms like Sandy and massive wildfires. Average annual temperatures in the continental U.S. beat the previous recorded high by a full 1°F (1.8°C). And the future is uglier still: over the weekend, the British economist Nicholas Stern warned that climate change could be even worse than he predicted in his sobering 2006 report…Posted. http://science.time.com/2013/01/29/obama-talks-climate-change-california-is-acting-on-it/#ixzz2JOcm9Nff Climate Change Action Now Helps Win Elections: Poll. Politicians who oppose taking action on climate change or discount the whole matter could be risking their careers. Public opinion in the United States has shifted in favor of doing something about climate change, and politicians who want to get elected need to take note of it, according to a new study by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. A nationwide survey conducted before the November election found that concern about the effects of global warming is high across political groups…Posted. http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/climate-change-action-political-advantage-130128.htm FUELS Conversion to natural gas fuels may ease U.S. energy crisis, some experts say. Geopolitical issues are driving up the cost of oil and eroding U.S. energy security and could trigger another recession, according to energy experts. But fuels derived from natural gas could help avoid a future oil crisis if they're poised to effectively compete in the oil-dominated transportation sector, members of the U.S. Energy Security Council said yesterday at a meeting of energy industry leaders. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/29/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Chowchilla, high-speed rail settle lawsuit over route. The California High-Speed Rail Authority announced Monday it has settled a lawsuit filed by the city of Chowchilla over the rail agency's approval of a bullet-train route between Merced and Fresno. The settlement removes one hurdle from the rail authority's plans to begin construction this year in Madera and Fresno counties on the first segment of its proposed statewide system. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/28/3151224/chowchilla-high-speed-rail-settle.html http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22470193/california-high-speed-rail-authority-settles-suit OPINIONS Missing the point of the cap-and-trade defeat. It’s a baffle. While reanalyzing the cap-and-trade fight and responding to Theda Skocpol’s controversial paper on it, my esteemed colleagues Bill McKibben, David Roberts, Joe Romm, and Eric Pooley have evidenced some sharp, and sharply worded, differences with one another. But all appear to agree that one big reason cap-and-trade “crashed and burned” on Capitol Hill, as Pooley phrased it, was the lack of public support: If only there had been a vibrant popular movement out in the country demanding serious action on climate change, things might have ended differently. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/missing-the-point-of-the-cap-and-trade-defeat/ BLOGS European carbon market doesn’t need a supply fix. Policymakers racing to prop up the European Union’s carbon market should focus on the long term instead. Proposals to boost record-low carbon prices show a confusion about what cap-and-trade systems such as the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme can achieve. Even if the carbon price fell to zero, greenhouse gas emissions would stay within an agreed 2020 limit. To ensure the scheme’s future, authorities should focus on the cap, not juggle permit supplies. In theory, “cap-and-trade” schemes are an elegant way to meet emissions targets at the lowest possible cost. Posted. http://blogs.reuters.com/breakingviews/2013/01/29/european-carbon-market-doesnt-need-a-supply-fix/ How did Davos do on climate change? One sometimes hears that the World Economic Forum is all talk and no action. I don’t buy it — talk matters. Social currency is a powerful driver of change, even at the highest reaches of business and government. And last week climate change was on center stage at the famous Davos summit. So as I moved through the WEF Annual Meeting, the question on my mind was simple: How many of the conversations here will lead to real-world outcomes? Posted. http://blogs.reuters.com/davos/2013/01/29/how-did-davos-do-on-climate-change/ California cap-and-trade offsets challenge rejected. Breaking: California has successfully weathered (at least in the lower court) another challenge to its cap-and-trade program. A state court has affirmed ARB’s significant discretion to design offsets protocols that rely on standardized additionality mechanisms, denying a petition that had sought to invalidate those protocols. Argus has the first story on this that I’ve seen. Court opinion here. Posted. http://legalplanet.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/california-cap-and-trade-offsets-challenge-rejected/ San Francisco judge protects offset protocols in California's cap-and-trade market. Power plant operators can purchase offsets in California in order to minimize their climate impact. A court ruling has upheld offset rules. Under the state’s plan to combat climate change, polluters must permanently cut carbon emissions. That’ll be expensive, so regulators designed ways to buffer the financial pressure. Power plant owners may purchase offsets - a kind of credit for carbon reductions that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/01/28/12235/san-francisco-judge-protects-offset-protocols-cali/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:54:43 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 30, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 30, 2013. 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 Ten years after toxic plume, Morgan Hill and surrounding communities work to find normalcy. Ten years ago this month, community leaders were shocked by the discovery that a company that manufactured road flares here had disposed of toxic chemicals improperly, creating a 10-mile-long underground plume of perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel. The perchlorate tainted hundreds of drinking water wells in southern Santa Clara County. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22454526/ten-years-after-toxic-plume-morgan-hill-and Valley Residents, Health Advocates Call For Better Protection >From Particle Pollution. The San Joaquin Valley’s polluted air is a daily concern for Mario Talavera. “When I go to the pharmacy, they ask why I need medicine," said Talavera, of Fresno. "For Mario, Angelica, Tomas, Jose. And for me too, Mario. I have asthma. The only person who doesn’t have asthma is my wife.” It’s a constant stress for Fresno resident Teresa Vidales, too. Her husband, a construction worker and the family breadwinner, has asthma. One of her four kids does, too. Posted. http://www.kvpr.org/post/valley-residents-health-advocates-call-better-protection-particle-pollution CLIMATE CHANGE Growing palm oil could speed up climate change, study says. Growing palm oil trees to make biofuels could be accelerating the effects of climate change, new research showed on Wednesday, adding further weight to claims the crop is not environmentally sustainable. In a paper published in the journal Nature, an international team of scientists examined how the deforestation of peat swamps in Malaysia to make way for palm oil trees is releasing carbon which has been locked away for thousands of years. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/30/palmoil-climate-idUSL5N0AYH1720130130 In Energy Taxes, Tools to Help Tackle Climate Change. To understand the complicated politics of climate change in the United States, you may want to talk to Pamela Johnson, president of the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Board. She is concerned about the weather. The drought that parched the lower 48 states cut the harvest at her northern Iowa farm by about 40 bushels an acre. For the first time in memory, she says, she had to rely on the federally subsidized crop insurance program to stay afloat. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/business/energy-tax-is-underused-tool-in-climate-change-fight.html?_r=0 Sky-high bacteria could affect climate, scientists say. Scientists are surprised to discover bacteria and fungi floating 30,000 feet above Earth with the potential to affect weather. A team of storm-chasing scientists sampling rarefied air has found a world of bacteria and fungi floating about 30,000 feet above Earth. The findings, detailed Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that microbes have the potential to affect the weather. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-bacteria-in-the-atmosphere-20130129,0,1961581.story Dry January shrinks snowpack. A dry January has shrunken the snowpack across the Sierra Nevada, a vital water resource for many California farms and cities. The state Department of Water Resources conducted field measurements of the snowpack at various locations on Tuesday and found it to be 93 percent of average for the date. This comes after heavy snows in December had the snowpack at above average conditions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/29/5148611/second-snow-survey-of-the-season.html#mi_rss=Top%20Stories#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/January-3rd-driest-in-S-F-history-4234265.php#ixzz2JUa1hlP8 http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22474639/sierra-nevada-snowpack-at-93-percent-normal DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB gives more time to Cleaire owners. An estimate thousands of trucks and off road vehicles in California have Cleaire diesel particulate filters, many of which are subject of a recall ordered by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued in September, 2012. So, when CARB learned that Cleaire Advanced Emission Controls ceased operations on Friday, January 18, 2013, the regulators went into damage control mode, releasing an announcement saying: Posted. http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=jc84hvcab&v=001rq5EDIUvnj479qNPZyU_OzGfXjT5yyRMxgCGcC8fzg-jWGt-a0PJCRfyfgP62ggQkngXLlYFtORGONHANTF1ybbBT6hj10cYHU7hKOuMC5Pr1W7VQmtqzhzUgXbbJyH1PX8928UjNwQdHVDDKDbH5w%3D%3D After two fires and multiple recalls, DPF maker Cleaire folds. A major manufacturer of diesel particulate filters has shut down after its filters were blamed for starting two brush fires – including a major forest fire. Cleaire Advanced Emission Controls, based in San Leandro, CA, closed up shop permanently Jan. 18. The manufacturer’s closing is expected to cause headaches for truck owners who have installed Cleaire filters in order to meet emissions mandates by the California Air Resources Board. CARB directed questions to an announcement on its website. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=24704 FUELS EU executive thwarts Canada lobby on tar sand oil. Canada's urgent hunt for buyers for its oil is being thwarted as the European Commission sticks to a plan to label fuel from tar sands deposits as highly polluting, deterring refiners bound by environmental rules. Intense pressure from Canada, seeking new markets to compensate for dwindling U.S. buying and discounted sales, has not convinced the EU executive to abandon its proposal to brand tar sands oil as more carbon-intensive than conventional crude. "The Commission stands by its proposal," said an EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/30/eu-canada-tarsands-idUSL5N0AYFFA20130130 Pipeline company Kinder Morgan Energy buying Copano Energy for about $3.2 billion. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners will acquire the natural gas company Copano Energy LLC for about $3.2 billion in stock, giving the energy transportation and storage company more access to oil and gas-rich territory in Texas, Wyoming and Oklahoma. Including the assumption of debt, the deal is valued at around $5 billion. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/pipeline-company-kinder-morgan-energy-buying-copano-energy-for-about-372-billion/2013/01/30/cec95aec-6ad1-11e2-9a0b-db931670f35d_story.html Ionic liquids effective for pre-treating mixed blends of biofuel feedstocks. A collaborative study by researchers with the US Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a bioenergy research center led by Berkeley Lab, and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has shown that an ionic liquid proven to be effective for pre-treating individual biofuel feedstocks is also effective at pre-treating multiple different feedstocks that have been mixed and densified into a blend. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/inoic-20130130.html CRC study finds that fuel systems in some modern vehicles fail with E15 use. A newly completed study (CRC Project No. AVFL-15a) by the Coordinating Research Council, a non-profit organization created and supported by the petroleum and auto industries, has found that some fuel systems in modern vehicles survive testing in mid-blend ethanol fuels, while others will experience complete failures that would prevent operation. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/crc-20130130.html VEHICLES Auto industry’s latest green technology making its way to Washington. A luxury sports car that runs on electricity, a sedan that monitors tire pressure, and a computer system that adjusts an engine’s air flow — all designed by different companies, but all designed with the same two goals in mind. Saving gas and helping the environment. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/auto-industrys-latest-green-technology-making-its-way-to-washington/2013/01/25/ac40c9d8-666c-11e2-9e1b-07db1d2ccd5b_story.html EVs to represent 90% of total sales in Nordic region by 2050. The first regional technology study by the International Energy Agency, ‘Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives’, outlines the opportunities and challenges for the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in reaching their ambitious goals towards decarbonising their energy systems by 2050. In order to become carbon-neutral by 2050, the Nordic region will have to go through big changes in the energy…Posted. http://cars21.com/news/view/5182 GREEN ENERGY Ohio regulator tied to group opposing renewables. A top state utility regulator who opposed plans for an Ohio solar farm and openly questioned global warming maintained ties with an influential conservative group that supports repealing states' renewable energy requirements. Todd Snitchler, chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, was a keynote speaker at the American Legislative Exchange Council's task force meeting in April 2011. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/29/ohio-regulator-tied-to-group-opposing-renewables/#ixzz2JTo0fNqI Audit: Energy upgrades could save city $30K. National City could save up to $30,000 a year by replacing lights and other fixtures in many of its buildings and parks, according to a new report from SANDAG. The Energy Roadmap, a collaborative effort between SANDAG and San Diego Gas & Electric, states that pool covers at Camacho Pool would have the biggest payoff for the city, saving it $18,989 per year. It also estimates the city could save almost $1,900 annually by using alternative fuels, and between $1,000 and $1,400 annually by replacing fleet vehicles with hybrid cars. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/29/energy-upgrades-national-city-environment/ OPINIONS Solar charger a must-have on the trail. It's inevitable: the battery on your electronic device will die at the most inopportune time. Whether you need your GPS to get back on the right trail or have to make a call in a pinch, expect to need a charge when you're miles from the nearest outlet. That's why a solar-powered charger such as the Solio Bolt is a must-have for any adventure or emergency kit. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/30/3153239/solar-charger-a-must-have-on-the.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy LETTER: Protect Moreno Valley's air quality. I thank the South Coast Air Quality Management District for its ongoing effort on warehouse projects to protect the health of Moreno Valley residents as well as that of others in the region. I also thank your newspaper for the editorial on AQMD’s concerns (“Restrict air pollution from Moreno Valley warehouses,” Our Views, Jan. 6).Moreno Valley’s leadership only gives excuses for not implementing more of AQMD’s recommendations. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-headlines/20130129-letter-protect-moreno-valley-s-air-quality.ece ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:57:50 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for January 31, 2013 From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for January 31, 2013. 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 NASA pollution monitoring aircraft to fly over Bay Area on Thursday. Specially equipped NASA aircraft will be hovering over Bay Area skies Thursday and Friday collecting air quality data to better understand our region's air pollution. A partnership with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, NASA will fly its aircraft over the Interstate Highway 680 as well as other portions of the region to gain air quality data as part of a Central California study to better understand how air pollution moves and flows in the atmosphere, according to BAAQMD spokesman Ralph Borrmann. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22488898/nasa-pollution-monitoring-aircraft-fly-over-bay-area http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22488901/nasa-pollution-monitoring-aircraft-fly-over-bay-area http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22488901/nasa-pollution-monitoring-aircraft-fly-over-bay-area?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=8974888 China's love affair with cars chokes air in cities. Endless lines of slow-moving cars emerge like apparitions and then disappear again into the gloom of the thick smog that has shrouded Beijing this week and reduced its skyline to blurry gray shapes. With more than 13 million cars sold in China last year, motor vehicles have emerged as the chief culprit for the throat-choking air pollution in big cities especially Beijing, which has suffered even more than usual these past few days. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/31/chinas-love-affair-with-cars-is-choking-city-air/#ixzz2JZi43OgA 6 Tips To Improve Indoor Air Quality. Just outside my window the ground is covered with a light dusting of fresh snow. Last check, the outdoor thermometer read a chilly two degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping the doors and windows tightly closed is a necessity as the winter months settle in. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) people spend 90 percent or more of their time indoors. Newer homes are designed to be well insulated and energy efficient. Posted. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/6-tips-to-improve-indoor-air-quality.html CLIMATE CHANGE Research: ‘Cap and trade’ negates individual’s emission reduction efforts (Video). In a discussion paper published Jan. 29, 2013, by the University of East Anglia Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Science, Dr. Grischa Perino indicates that the present carbon emission cap and trade schemes practiced in Europe, Australia, and the United States all but negate an individual’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/research-cap-and-trade-negates-individual-s-emission-reduction-efforts?cid=rss Rethinking the Cap and Trade Offsets. Despite losing a court case earlier this week, environmental groups are determined to seek improvements to California’s cap-and-trade program, which they say may lead only to a change on paper. Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32), enacting the Global Warming Solutions Act, was signed in 2006 to allow the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to plan for a 2020 greenhouse gas emission limit with programs like cap-and-trade. Posted. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/rethinking-the-cap-and-trade-offsets-342168.html FUELS Ethanol industry turns to plant residue, scraps. Ethanol producers have talked for decades about using plant residue, wood scraps and even garbage to produce the fuel additive, but now companies finally are building full-scale refineries. About 70 cellulosic ethanol projects are under way, reflecting billions of dollars of private investment. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/31/ethanol-industry-turns-to-plant-residue-scraps/#ixzz2JZilWzNX VEHICLES Automakers go green off the road at their manufacturing facilities. New vehicles will increasingly feature better gas mileage as automakers look to meet federal fuel economy and greenhouse gas reduction targets, but fuel consumption isn't the only thing driving automakers' environmental performance. Just as automakers have been striving to put less-polluting vehicles on the road, they have been taking steps to reduce their pollution off the road, too, by targeting their waste streams, manufacturing operations and energy supplies. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/31/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Worrying About the EU Cap And Trade System. This concerns me deeply: the way that various people are worrying about the carbon price in Europe being too low. We’ve even got this sort of silliness in the Financial Times for goodness sake. The EU carbon market has been miserable for most of the past few years, with prices staggering downwards from their c.€30 levels on the scheme’s launch in 2005. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/01/31/worrying-about-the-eu-cap-and-trade-system/ The cost of not using renewable energy. A clever new study [PDF] from the World Future Council attempts to do something I haven’t seen before: quantify the cost of not using renewables. The idea is pretty simple. When we use finite fossil fuels to generate energy, rather than the inexhaustible, renewable alternatives, we make those fossil fuels unavailable for non-energetic uses (think petrochemicals) in the future. In other words, when we burn fossil fuels for energy, we are needlessly destroying valuable industrial capital stock. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/the-cost-of-not-using-renewable-energy/ BLOGS Lawmakers to hold hearing on fracking. State lawmakers will hold a hearing next month to examine the regulation of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," in California. Unlike other major oil-producing states, California does not require energy firms to disclose where they use the controversial procedure or what chemicals they inject into the ground. Regulators released draft rules for fracking last month that would mandate such disclosure but allow oil companies to keep secret the names of certain chemicals they claim to be proprietary. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2013/01/california-lawmakers-to-hold-hearing-on-fracking.html Sacramento's Phil Serna to serve on CA Air Resources Board. Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna has been named a member of the California Air Resources Board by Gov. Jerry Brown. Serna, who was elected to the board of supervisors in 2010, is also currently the chair of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. He previously ran his own consulting firm and served as vice president of governmental affairs at the Home Builders Association of Northern California. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/01/sacramento-supervisor-phil-serna-appointed-to-air-resources-board.html Another Victory for California's AB 32 Clean Energy and Climate Law. A process adopted by the California Air Resources Board to help the state’s largest polluters meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets under the AB 32 Global Warming Solutions Act has surpassed a legal challenge. In a 34-page ruling released on Friday, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith rejected the demand by Citizens Climate Lobby and Our Children’s Earth Foundation to change the “offset methodology”…Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/pmiller/another_victory_for_california.html Five takeaways from the Washington Auto Show’s energy efficiency policy summit. As the District prepares to kick off the 2013 Washington Auto Show, organizers hosted a policy summit this week to discuss industry prospects and consumers’ response to the automakers’ latest green technology. The two-part conference began with a panel discussion from auto industry experts about consumer, policy and economic pressures on the auto industry. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-small-business/post/five-takeaways-from-the-washington-auto-shows-energy-efficiency-policy-summit/2013/01/31/e548496a-6b01-11e2-ada3-d86a4806d5ee_blog.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2013 14:30:37 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 1, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 1, 2013. 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 California Adopts Plans on Fine Particles For San Joaquin Valley, Los Angeles Area. California air quality officials approved new plans Jan. 24-25 to bring San Joaquin Valley and the Los Angeles area into compliance with federal 24-hour standard for fine particulates (PM-2.5). At a Jan. 24 meeting in Bakersfield, Calif., the California Air Resources Board signed off on a strategy it said demonstrates attainment with 35 micrograms per cubic meter standard throughout the entire eight-county San Joaquin Valley air basin by the end of 2019. Posted. http://www.bna.com/california-adopts-plans-n17179872084/ Shanghai Air Worsens as Beijing Sees ‘Long-Lost’ Blue Skies. Air quality in Shanghai, China’s financial center, deteriorated as Beijing residents saw a return of “long-lost” blue skies following 20 days of hazardous pollution last month. The concentration of PM2.5, fine air particulates that pose the greatest human health risk, rose to 120.7 micrograms per cubic meter at 4 p.m. in Shanghai from an average of 66 in the past 24 hours, the city’s environmental monitoring center said. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-01/beijing-sees-long-lost-blue-skies-as-smog-clears-over-capital.html Canned air for sale to combat smog in China. If there's a need, a Chinese entrepreneur will find a way. The foul smog swallowing much of China has inspired one such man to launch a humorous campaign to focus on environmental issues -- by selling canned fresh air. Known for his showman flair, millionaire Chen Guangbiao stood on a Beijing sidewalk on Wednesday handing out cans filled with what he said was air procured from remote areas of the country untainted by air pollution, according to Reuters. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-china-canned-air-smog-20130131,0,7420550.story Report: No evidence of harmful particulate levels in Wildomar neighborhood. A regional agency's report released Wednesday concludes air and soil sampling in a Wildomar neighborhood found no harmful levels of contaminants, despite residents' concerns that their families suffered health consequences from breathing poisonous air in and around their homes. The South Coast Air Quality Management District performed the sampling in January in response to complaints from residents in the city's Autumnwood subdivision, particularly from households on the Amaryllis Court cul de sac. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/31/wildomar-autumnwood-air-quality-study/ CLIMATE CHANGE Why Canada Oil-Sands Industry Wants CO2 Tax Harper Hates: Energy. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has vilified political opponents who support a tax on carbon-dioxide emissions. The oil-sands industry, Canada’s fastest growing CO2 polluter, says he’s out of step. The contradiction of an industry seeking a new tax on itself has emerged in energy-rich Canada because producers are concerned the crude they process from tar-like sands will be barred from foreign markets for releasing more carbon in its production than competing fossil fuels. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-02-01/why-canada-oil-sands-industry-wants-co2-tax-harper-hates-energy.html Obama's Climate Vow Elevates EPA Role in Keystone XL Review. InsideClimateNews.org -- One of the biggest unknowns in the unfolding Keystone XL debate is the role the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency might play. Because the Canada-to-Nebraska oil pipeline crosses an international border, the State Department, not the EPA, will decide whether to give the project the federal permit it needs. But the EPA will weigh in during the review, and its opinion will carry new weight now that the Obama administration has vowed to make climate change a national priority. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-31/obama-s-climate-vow-elevates-epa-role-in-keystone-xl-review.html Populated U.S. Coasts Found Most Vulnerable to Climate Change. U.S. coasts are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as sea-level rise, erosion, storms, and flooding, especially in the populated, low-lying areas along the Gulf of Mexico and the mid-Atlantic, according to a report released Jan. 28 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey. Sea-level rise and storm surge flooding pose significant threats to energy, water…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-29/populated-u-s-coasts-found-most-vulnerable-to-climate-change.html Obama faces angry liberals over pipeline. As he begins his second term, President Obama is barreling toward what one Bay Area activist predicts could be "all out warfare" with environmentalists who want him to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, the transcontinental conduit for tar sands fuel from Canada that many scientists say could expedite climate change. Obama's political dilemma lies in the pipeline's potential upside: …Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/politics/joegarofoli/article/Obama-faces-angry-liberals-over-pipeline-4241843.php#ixzz2JfsiVW9C Rethinking the Cap and Trade Offsets. Environmental groups seek changes to California’s cap-and-trade program. Despite losing a court case earlier this week, environmental groups are determined to seek improvements to California’s cap-and-trade program, which they say may lead only to a change on paper. Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32), enacting the Global Warming Solutions Act, was signed in 2006 to allow the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to plan for a 2020 greenhouse gas emission limit with programs like cap-and-trade. Posted. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/rethinking-the-cap-and-trade-offsets-342168.html Political insiders start firm targeting cap-and-trade cash. Lobbying on California's cap-and-trade money has begun. A group of people with ties to California Gov. Jerry Brown (D), the state Legislature and several key agencies yesterday announced that they have launched a new advocacy firm that will be focused in large part on helping businesses, tech firms and investors access bounty from the state's carbon reduction program. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/01/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Is the ozone hole making climate change worse? The ozone hole over Antarctica may be lowering the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by southern ocean waters, with major repercussions for climate change, according to a new study. The findings are important, the authors say, because carbon dioxide that doesn't seep into the ocean will remain in the atmosphere, creating an additional feedback for further warming. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/01/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS DPF Maker Cleaire Shuts Down Following Fires and Recalls. Brush fires caused by spark from its diesel particulate filters and expensive recalls have apparently caused Cleaire, Inc., a California specialty manufacturer, to suddenly shut down. Without a public announcement, the company, based in San Leandro with a manufacturing operation in San Diego, ceased operations and pulled down its website last Friday. Cleaire is owned by NewWorld Capital Group, a private equity firm that invests in firms engaged in environmental mitigation. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/print/story/2013/01/dpf-maker-cleaire-shuts-down-following-fires-and-recalls.aspx http://www.dieselnet.com/news/2013/01cleaire.php FUELS Chevron and its allies take aim at California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. San Ramon-based Chevron is leading an aggressive campaign to delay implementation of California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a cornerstone of the state's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The fuel standard requires the oil industry to gradually reduce the "carbon intensity" of transportation fuels like diesel and gasoline by at least 10 percent by 2020. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_22492404/chevron-and-its-allies-take-aim-at-californias?source=rss EPA proposes 2013 standards for RFS; cellulosic biofuel at 14 million gallons. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the 2013 percentage standards for four fuel categories that are part of the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program (RFS2). The proposal comes shortly after the DC Circuit Court vacated the EPA’s 2012 cellulosic biofuels standard for the RFS. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/eparfs-20130131.html VEHICLES More Electric Car Loans ‘Remains to Be Seen,’ Chu Says. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said it “remains to be seen in the future” whether about $16 billion in available U.S. government loans to develop alternative- technology vehicles will be disbursed. Providing money for electric-vehicle development was a component of President Barack Obama’s goal of having 1 million plug-in vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015, a number well above current forecasts. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-31/future-of-u-s-electric-car-loans-remains-to-be-seen-chu-says.html Cleaner, more efficient diesels power their way into U.S. showrooms. More than 20 new diesel vehicle models are on track to hit U.S. showrooms this year in what industry experts are calling the most exciting year for clean diesel cars in U.S. history. "Consumers have a choice of 23 models of diesel cars and pickup trucks they can buy today," said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. "We expect that to grow to as many as 54 in two years -- almost doubling of the number of diesel choices for consumers in the U.S." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/01/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Energy Secretary Chu to step down. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who won a Nobel Prize in physics but came under questioning for his handling of a solar energy loan, is stepping down. Chu offered his resignation to President Barack Obama in a letter Friday. He said he will stay on at least until the end of February and may stay until a successor is confirmed. Posted. http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENERGY_SECRETARY?SITE=NDBIS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-02-01-13-04-09 OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/energy-secretary-steven-chu-resigns/2013/02/01/9809fd8a-6c8f-11e2-8f4f-2abd96162ba8_print.html http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/steven-chu-steps-obama-energy-secretary-article-1.1253105?print http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-energy-secretary-steven-chu-step-down-20130201,0,3894054.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/01/5158285/energy-secretary-chu-to-step-down.html#storylink=misearch http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Energy-Secretary-Chu-to-step-down-4243044.php http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22498612/energy-secretary-steven-chu-stepping-down http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50667748 Norway May Boost Hydro Output 12% by 2020, Survey Shows. Norway, Europe’s biggest producer of hydropower, may increase annual production by 12 percent through 2020 as the country strives to meet EU targets for higher renewable energy output, an investor survey showed. Hydropower investors are ready to build new plants and upgrade existing stations, adding at least 15 terawatt-hours of annual output to Norway’s average 130 terawatt-hours over the next eight years…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-02-01/norway-may-boost-hydro-output-12-by-2020-survey-shows.html Scam-Ridden U.S. Biofuel Program Targeted for Fix by EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing rules to expand the use of renewable fuels and thwart scams in a program hit by fraud and facing increasing criticisms from U.S. refiners. The EPA yesterday called for a mandate of 16.55 billion gallons for renewable fuels such as ethanol for this year, up 8.9 percent from 2012 and in line with a target set by Congress. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-31/epa-seeks-to-increase-renewable-fuel-mandate-by-8-9-for-2013.html U.S. Renewable-Energy Capacity Doubled From 2009-2012, BNEF Says. Renewable-energy capacity in the U.S. almost doubled from 2009 to 2012, helping reduce the nation’s carbon-dioxide emissions last year to the lowest since 1994, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report. The cumulative installed solar, wind, geothermal and biomass-based energy sources in the U.S. climbed to 85.7 gigawatts in 2012, compared with 43.5 gigawatts in 2008, the London-based research company said in a report today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-31/u-s-renewable-energy-capacity-doubled-from-2009-2012-bnef-says.html First Solar May Sell Cheapest Solar Power, Less Than Coal. First Solar Inc. (FSLR), the world’s largest thin-film solar manufacturer, may receive the lowest rates ever for selling U.S. solar power, less than electricity from new coal plants, for a project it purchased in New Mexico, according to a regulatory filing. First Solar bought the 50-megawatt Macho Springs project from Element Power Solar, according to a statement yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-02-01/first-solar-may-sell-cheapest-solar-power-less-than-coal.html Polysilicon Seen Rebounding as China Plans Import Duties: Energy. Polysilicon used in solar panels is set to extend its rebound from a decade low as China moves to impose duties on importers such as Germany’s Wacker Chemie AG. (WCH) Spot prices will jump as much as 39 percent this year to $22 a kilogram ($9.98 a pound), according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of seven analysts. The commodity hit a low $15.83 in December, the cheapest price since at least 2000, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-31/polysilicon-seen-rebounding-as-china-plans-import-duties-energy.html . S. Korea Approves Private Coal Power Plants to Spread Investment. South Korea granted approval for Samsung C&T Corp. (000830) and three other private companies to build eight coal-fired power plants as part of an energy plan that spreads investment among state and private power generators. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-01-31/s-korea-approves-private-coal-power-plants-to-spread-investment.html France Will Dim Its Lights to Conserve Energy. As of July, all shops and offices in France will have to shut off their lights at night, under a government decree issued on Wednesday. The decree, from the Environment Ministry, is intended to save energy and “reduce the print of artificial lighting on the nocturnal environment.” France is proud of its lights. Tourists cherish the Christmas illuminations on the Champs-Élysées, the 20,000 flashing bulbs on the Eiffel Tower and the bright, imaginative shop windows of large department stores like Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Major attractions like the Eiffel Tower will remain lighted, and local authorities can make exceptions for Christmas lighting and other celebrations. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/world/europe/paris-lights-to-be-dimmed-to-save-energy.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Delays in energy-saving standards could cost $3.7B -- advocacy group report. Delays in updating energy efficiency standards for certain appliances and devices could cost consumers and businesses $3.7 billion in lost savings -- and lead to an extra 40 million metric tons of excess carbon dioxide emissions, according to a report from two energy efficiency advocacy groups. The report, from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, looked at the potential impact of delaying new standards for eight devices. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2013/02/01/13 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Maker of Tide agrees to reduce levels of suspected carcinogen in its detergents. The Procter & Gamble Co., the maker of Tide and other name brands, will significantly reduce the levels of a chemical in its laundry products that California designates as a carcinogen, according to an agreement made last week in a California court. The agreement comes in the wake of a study from the group Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE), "Dirty Secrets: What's Hiding in your Cleaning Products?" on the potential dangers surrounding 20 household cleaning products. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/01/21 BY SUBSCRIPTIO ONLY OPINIONS Mixed Results in New EPA Report on Toxins and Children. We’ve come a long way since the days when kids played in clouds of DDT, gas stations sold leaded gasoline, and smoking near youngsters was commonplace. America has made great strides since the 1970s in reducing toxins in the environment that cause health issues in children, according to a new edition of the EPA report, “America’s Children and The Environment.” The EPA is obliged, by executive order, to examine toxins’ effects on children. Posted. http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/01/30/mixed-results-in-new-epa-report-on-toxins-and-children/ We Don’t Want High-Speed Rail Here. California's High-Speed Rail Authority is still selling their so-called bullet train, by saying they're going to get from Madera to Fresno to Bakersfield. There's a problem though: Bakersfield city officials don't think the train is going to make it there, because the rail authority doesn't have enough money and they've admitted as much in meetings. Posted. http://www.myfoxla.com/story/20929029/time-to-pull-the-plug-on-high-speed-rail ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2013 14:46:38 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 4, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 4, 2013. ARB Newsclips for February 4, 2013 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 Politics of pollution: China's oil giants take a choke-hold on power. The search for culprits behind the rancid haze enveloping China's capital has turned a spotlight on the country's two largest oil companies and their resistance to tougher fuel standards. Bureaucratic fighting between the environment ministry on the one hand and China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and Sinopec Group on the other has thwarted stricter emission standards for diesel trucks and buses -- a main cause of air pollution blanketing dozens of China's cities. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/02/us-china-pollution-oilcompanies-idUSBRE9110F620130202 CLIMATE CHANGE Coal-burning utilities seek a role in EPA rule-making on greenhouse gas emissions. Lobbyists for coal-burning utilities such as Southern Co. and Duke Energy are consulting environmental advocates and holding strategy sessions as they seek a role in shaping President Obama’s plan to combat climate change. Obama’s emphasis on global warming in his inaugural address last month has led power and coal producers, which have fought regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, to begin crafting their own proposed rules. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/coal-burning-utilities-seek-a-role-in-epa-rule-making-on-greenhouse-gas-emissions/2013/02/03/a0095c8a-6b39-11e2-95b3-272d604a10a3_story.html Republican energy plan calls for more drilling, nothing to rein in greenhouse gases. The Senate’s top Republican on energy issues, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, has crafted a blueprint for U.S. energy policy that calls for increased drilling while opposing laws to cap greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming. "Energy 20/20" is a signal of how the Republicans want to proceed on energy policy in the coming years as the nation wrestles with contentious debates over oil drilling, fracking and climate change. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/03/3159503/republican-energy-plan-calls-for.html#storylink=misearch http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/03/2562175/republican-energy-plan-calls-for.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy FEDS: Climate change imperils snow-loving wolverines. The tenacious wolverine, a snow-loving carnivore sometimes called the “mountain devil,” could soon join the list of species threatened by climate change — a dubious distinction putting it in the ranks of the polar bear and several other animals that could see their habitats shrink drastically due to warming temperatures. Federal wildlife officials on Friday proposed Endangered Species Act protections for the wolverine in the Lower 48 states. That’s a step twice denied under the Bush administration. The Associated Press obtained details of the government’s long-awaited ruling in advance of Friday’s announcement. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/03/tp-feds-climate-change-imperils-snow-loving/ Experts say human impacts of climate change need prompt attention. When they picture the adverse effects of climate change, public health scientists hope the American public won't think of them as something that happens to glaciers or polar bears, but turn the focus more on themselves. "The face of climate change ought to be people," epidemiologist George Luber, associate director for global climate change at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview last week. "We ought to kind of internalize it." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/04/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Vast Oil Reserve May Now Be Within Reach, and Battle Heats Up. Secure in this state’s history and mythology, the venerable Midway-Sunset oil field near here keeps producing crude more than a century after Southern California’s oil boom. Many of its bobbing pump jacks are relatively short, a telltale sign of the shallowness of the wells and the ease of extracting their prize. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/us/vast-oil-reserve-may-now-be-within-reach-and-battle-heats-up.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1&&pagewanted=print Sacramento gas prices soar. Gasoline prices have taken flight over the past week. In its weekly report released today, national gas price tracker GasBuddy.com put the average price of gas in the area at $3.74 a gallon, up 21 cents from the previous week. That's on top of a 6-cent rise the previous week. GasBuddy data are based on a survey of 720 stations in the area. The current at-the-pump price is 6.2 cents per gallon higher than a year ago and 26.8 cents higher than last month. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/04/5164625/sacramento-gas-prices-soar.html#storylink=cpy Energy industry develops nontoxic fracking fluids. The oil and gas industry is trying to ease environmental concerns by developing nontoxic fluids for the drilling process known as fracking, but it's not clear whether the new product will be widely embraced by drilling companies. Houston-based energy giant Halliburton Inc. has developed a product called CleanStim, which uses only food-industry ingredients. Other companies have developed nontoxic fluids as well. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Energy-industry-develops-nontoxic-fracking-fluids-4247137.php#ixzz2JxkMWhVW http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/03/energy-industry-develops-nontoxic-fracking/#ixzz2Jx1YfNst Americans spent 4 percent of household income on gas in 2012. In 2012, Chevron made $26.2 billion in profits. Exxon, $44.9 billion. Shell, $26.59 billion. At today's prices, that's enough to buy almost 25 billion gallons of gas in California. Last year, Americans paid record-high average gas prices, a fact that is certainly linked to the oil companies' massive profits. Posted. http://grist.org/news/americans-spent-4-percent-of-household-income-on-gas-in-2012/ VEHICLES Insight: Electric cars head toward another dead end. Are electric cars running out of juice again? Recent moves by Japan's two largest automakers suggest that the electric car, after more than 100 years of development and several brief revivals, still is not ready for prime time - and may never be. In the meantime, the attention of automotive executives in Asia, Europe and North America is beginning to swing toward an unusual but promising new alternate power source: hydrogen. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/04/us-autos-electric-hydrogen-idUSBRE91304Z20130204 Five take-aways from the Washington Auto Show’s energy efficiency policy summit. Automakers debut new car models at Detroit’s North American International Auto Show, but they come to the Washington Auto Show to talk green technology and energy policy. Last week, Energy Secretary Steven Chu delivered the show’s keynote, highlighting the Energy Department’s “EV Everywhere Grand Challenge” — an initiative aiming to make electric vehicles more affordable by 2022. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/five-take-aways-from-the-washington-auto-shows-energy-efficiency-policy-summit/2013/02/01/f8c49dcc-6c8c-11e2-8740-9b58f43c191a_story.html DOE seeking input on proposed automotive fuel cell cost and durability targets. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) (DE-FOA-0000855) seeking input from stakeholders on proposed cost targets for fuel cells designed for automotive applications. The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from developers, manufacturers, end users, and other stakeholders on proposed cost and durability targets for automotive fuel cell systems. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/doe-20130203.html Nissan plans to triple number of EV quick-chargers. To fuel consumer interest in plug-in vehicles, Nissan Motor Co. and NRG Energy Inc. plan to build at least 500 quick-charging stations across the country in the next 18 months, tripling the number of quick-chargers available today. Research shows that the vast majority of electric vehicle (EV) owners charge up at home, but knowing there's a network of charging stations out on the road helps alleviate range anxiety and boost consumer interest. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/04/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL Losing rail bidders will get $2M each. Only one out of five bidders to design and build the first phase of California’s high-speed rail project will win the $1.8 billion contract — but they will all get paid. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has agreed to issue a $2 million “stipend” to all four of the losing bidders, an obscure practice used for some large-scale construction projects. Bullet train officials say the incentive was designed to attract bidders and therefore spur better, more competitive proposals. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/03/high-speed-rail-millions-for-losing-bidders/ GREEN ENERGY Beer will help power Alaska brewery. The Alaskan Brewing Co. is going green, but instead of looking to solar and wind energy, it has turned to a very familiar source: beer. The Juneau-based beer maker has installed a unique boiler system in order to cut its fuel costs. It purchased a $1.8 million furnace that burns the company's spent grain - the waste accumulated from the brewing process - into steam which powers the majority of the brewery's operations. Company officials now joke they are now serving "beer-powered beer." Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/04/2562595/beer-will-help-power-alaska-brewery.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Nuclear-plant foes celebrate anniversary of its shutdown. Environmental group San Clemente Green and other opponents of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station gathered Saturday night at the San Clemente Community Center to celebrate the first anniversary of the closure of the plant, which they hope will be permanent. A small leak of radioactive gas in a steam-generator tube in one of San Onofre's two reactors led to the plant's shutdown Jan. 31, 2012. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/news/san-414335-clemente-steam.html Are Mini-Reactors The Future Of Nuclear Power? The U.S. government is investing millions of dollars in what it considers a promising new industry for American manufacturing: nuclear reactors. The plan is to build hundreds of mini-reactors, dot them around the U.S. and export them overseas. Development of these reactors are already in the works, and at one office park in Lynchburg, Va., where one of these reactors is being assembled, the traditional signs of nuclear reactors are nowhere to be found. Posted. http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2013/02/04/115635/are_minireactors_the_future_of_nuclear_power?source=npr&category=science Energy secretary to step down, after creating a large suite of clean energy policies. Trading his suit and tie for a lab coat and goggles, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced his decision to step down last week and return to academia. In his wake, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist will leave a gulf of technical expertise, a volatile energy market and an administration in flux on how to address climate change. Chu pushed aggressively for new science and technologies to solve America's energy issues, at times palpably excited by new findings, while making politically and financially risky bets on new technologies. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/04/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY China's wind and solar programs expand at world-beating pace, but grid connection remains a problem. Despite a slowdown in growth and investments, China still installed more wind turbines than any other nation last year, according to a report issued today by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. China installed 15.9 gigawatts of onshore wind turbines in 2012 -- equal to more than one-third of all new capacity worldwide, the report says. This was the fourth successive year China has led the field since overtaking the United States in 2009. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/04/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 2 big utilities accelerate shutdowns of older, coal-fired power plants. The Southeast's two largest investor-owned utilities last week shifted their generation plans away from coal, reflecting what many believe to be a regional sea change that moves them away from carbon-intensive fossil fuels toward more climate-friendly energy sources. The sweeping changes were reflected in Georgia Power Co.'s latest 20-year ásource plan (IRP), which among other things calls for the retirement of nearly 2,100 megawatts of coal- and oil-fired generating units across the utility's 2.5-million-customer service territory. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/04/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS AQMD votes to increase environmental oversight of Los Angeles, Long Beach ports. Over the objections of officials at Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors, a regional air quality board moved Friday to increase its environmental oversight at the nation's largest port complex. By a vote of 8-3, the South Coast Air Quality Management District board advanced a so-called "backstop measure" that would kick in only if the ports don't meet their own emission-reduction goals. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22502389/aqmd-votes-increase-environmental-oversight-los-angeles-long?source=rss Flame retardants may leach from your walls. Couches throughout the nation have become notorious for containing flame-retardant chemicals that may do more harm than good. Now, it turns out, those chemicals may also be leaching from the walls that surround you. Because of laws passed in the 1970s, many homes and workplaces built in the United States since then contain foam insulation doused with flame retardants. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Flame-retardants-now-seen-as-health-risk-4248112.php#ixzz2JxBc5hbN OPINIONS Phil Serna will do much good on state Air Resources Board. Congratulations to Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna, who was appointed this week to serve on the California Air Resources Board. Serna's unique blend of public and private sector experience give him a great perspective on how local land-use decisions can affect regional air quality and quality of life. He also serves as chairman of the California State Association of Counties' Housing, Land Use and Transportation Policy Committee. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/03/5156152/phil-serna.html BLOGS A Cry of Frustration at Delhi’s Sustainable Summit. Once more, frustration with stymied efforts on climate change has emerged as a major theme at an international conference on the planet’s health. Opening the 13th annual Delhi Sustainable Development Summit conference this week, India’s prime minister noted that similar sentiments surfaced last year at the United Nations Rio+20 meeting, which marked the two-decade anniversary of a landmark Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/a-cry-of-frustration-at-delhis-sustainable-summit/ Cap And Trade Schemes Hurt Green Consumerism. There is a reason for the disparity between charitable giving among people who advocate smaller government and larger government; people who advocate larger government already feel like they are doing their part by paying more in taxes, so they give less to charity. That same mindset limits green consumerism, says economist Dr. Grischa Perino from the University of East Anglia (UEA). Posted. http://www.science20.com/news_articles/cap_and_trade_schemes_hurt_green_consumerism-102217 Solar Development Absorbing California Farmland. There's a land rush of sorts going on across the nation's most productive farming region, but these buyers don't want to grow crops. They want to plant solar farms. With California mandating that 33 percent of electricity be generated from renewables by the end of the decade, there are 227 proposed solar projects in the pipeline statewide. Coupled with wind and other renewables they would generate enough electricity to meet 100 percent of California's power needs on an average summer day, the California Independent System Operator says. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/02/solar-development-california_n_2607891.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2013 11:57:27 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 6, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 6, 2013. ARB Newsclips for February 6, 2013 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 linked to low birth weight. Mothers who breathe the kind of pollution emitted by vehicles, coal power plants and factories are significantly likelier to give birth to underweight children than mothers living in less polluted areas, according to international findings published Wednesday. The study is believed to be the largest to examine how newborns' bodies are affected by air quality, an issue that has raised particular concern in China and other developing nations. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Air-pollution-linked-to-low-birth-weight-4254514.php#ixzz2K8eQMTlT WILDOMAR: Residents express frustration with air officials. Several Wildomar residents who blame their housing tract for several illnesses expressed frustration Tuesday night, Feb. 5, when regional air quality officials shared the result of air and soil tests on three homes that found nothing unusual. Several questioned the thoroughness of last month's investigation by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and said more comprehensive testing should be done. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/southwest/southwest-government-headlines/20130205-wildomar-residents-express-frustration-with-air-officials.ece CLIMATE CHANGE Greenhouse gas emissions from US power plants down 4.6 pct. Greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants fell 4.6 percent in 2011, as more generators were switched to cleaner-burning natural gas and renewable sources from coal, according to new data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The agency's second inventory of greenhouse gas emissions reported by the country's largest industrial polluters showed that power plants …Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/usa-climate-emissions-idUSL1N0B5ESY20130205 Obama Urged to Be ‘Go-Getter’ on Climate Change. President Barack Obama can only deliver on a pledge to curb greenhouse-gas emissions by adopting a “go-getter” strategy to push rules on power plants, appliances and gas drilling, according to a new report. The World Resources Institute said that by 2020, federal and state regulation may cut carbon-dioxide pollution by 17 percent from 2005, though it said reductions won’t happen without a determined effort for strong rules by regulators. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-02-06/obama-urged-to-be-go-getter-on-climate-change.html U.S. could fall short of 2020 climate goal, new study says, but target remains in reach. The United States is not on track to meet its international commitment to cut its greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent compared with 2005 levels by 2020, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the World Resources Institute. The new findings, which examine the impact of the country’s energy and transportation sectors as well as sources such as methane releases from landfills, provide the clearest picture yet of the challenges the United States faces in curbing its carbon footprint. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-could-fall-short-of-2020-climate-goal-new-study-says-but-target-remains-in-reach/2013/02/06/128f8f82-6f08-11e2-ac36-3d8d9dcaa2e2_story.html British researchers say their new Antarctic base can slide across ice on hydraulic stilts. British researchers have unveiled a futuristic Antarctic research base that can move, sliding across the frozen surface to beat the shifting ice and pounding snow that doomed its predecessors. The British Antarctic Survey said Wednesday that the Halley VI Research Station is the sixth facility to occupy the site on the Brunt Ice Shelf — a floating sheet of ice about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the edge of the South Atlantic. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/british-researchers-say-their-new-antarctic-base-can-slide-across-ice-on-hydraulic-skis/2013/02/06/0ac6cb30-7061-11e2-b3f3-b263d708ca37_story.html Report: Warming bringing big changes to forests. Big changes are in store for the nation's forests as global warming increases wildfires and insect infestations, and generates more frequent floods and droughts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns in a report released Tuesday. The compilation of more than 1,000 scientific studies is part of the National Climate Assessment and will serve as a roadmap for managing national forests across the country in coming years. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/05/report-warming-bringing-big-changes-to-forests/ Global warming vs. time: why some problems can't wait. Global warming appears to be speeding up as ice melts faster and faster on Greenland and at the poles, Cobb writes. Problems such as global warming and resource depletion will not wait for a long-term schedule. America believed it could put off the question of slavery. It did for 73 years from the drafting of the U.S. Constitution to the beginning of the Civil War. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0204/Global-warming-vs.-time-why-some-problems-can-t-wait Climate talks cool off in Australia. Despite record-breaking heat waves, flood and drought, climate change politics in Australia seem to be cooling down. Tony Abbott, leader of the country's conservative coalition and front-runner for the upcoming 2013 election, called the election a "referendum on the carbon tax." The pricing mechanism was introduced last year by the minority Labor government. According to the coalition, the carbon tax is to blame for the hikes in energy prices. What's more, Abbott's approach seems to be working, with many voters pointing at the carbon pricing for high energy bills. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/06/10 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS China to roll out cleaner fuel standards- government. China will introduce national V standards for automotive diesel fuel by June and similar specifications for gasoline by end-2013, the government said on Wednesday, as it moves to clear up the smoggy air of many Chinese cities. Ahead of these moves, Beijing will soon launch national IV fuel standards for automotive diesel, similar to Europe's IV quality with a sulphur content of 50 parts per million (ppm)…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/china-fuel-standards-idUSL4N0B65WX20130206 Cyprus to grant new gas drilling license. Cyprus will give France's Total SA a license to drill for offshore oil and gas deposits, a move the cash-strapped country hopes will yield much-needed revenue. Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said Tuesday the licensing deal, which will be signed Wednesday, covers drilling in two of 13 blocks on the southern coast that make up the country's 19,700 square mile (51,000 square kilometer) exclusive economic zone. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/05/3161448/cyprus-to-grant-gas-drilling-license.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy First-time reports from industry reveal massive methane emissions. U.S. EPA's addition of oil, gas and coal methane emissions to its online greenhouse gas tracking tool revealed an 82.6-million-metric-ton increase in carbon dioxide equivalents over numbers from the previous year, when those figures were not available. EPA published data yesterday for 2011, adding 12 new sources from the reporting program since last year's 2010 figures. Although carbon dioxide is a much more abundant greenhouse gas than methane, the latter makes a far bigger impact on climate change with more than 20 times the global warming potential of carbon. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/06/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES New UPS electric fleet touted as clean-air boost. Big Brown is going green. United Postal Service's trademark brown vans will be joined by 100 fully electric vehicles in what is being touted as the largest rollout of zero-emissions, all-electric delivery vehicles in California. UPS debuted its electric fleet in a Tuesday morning ceremony at its Shore Street distribution center in West Sacramento. Built in Stockton, the trucks will cover routes in Sacramento, Ceres, Fresno, Bakersfield and San Bernardino. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/06/5168748/new-ups-electric-fleet-touted.html#mi_rss=Business#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/06/2565491/new-ups-electric-fleet-touted.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Turbocharged cars' gas mileage may be lackluster after all. As the technology makes a comeback, Consumer Reports finds that most turbos don't deliver on advertised fuel economy or outperform non-turbo rivals with bigger engines. GM and Ford disagree. While electric vehicles continue to grab the green-car spotlight, an older technology has quietly emerged as a player in the fuel economy wars: turbocharging. Once the province of performance cars, turbochargers now power economy cars, family sedans and even full-sized trucks. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-turbo-20130205,0,2222557.story Ford increasing EV-certified dealerships in US to 900; 3,405 plug-in vehicles sold in total so far. Ford will have one-third of its US dealers in all 50 states—more than 900—certified to sell the Focus Electric battery electric vehicle (BEV) and C-MAX Energi and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) by spring. The 900 dealers represent about one-third of all Ford dealers in the US—triple Ford projections for the time frame—and are an increase up from 200 in November 2012, the second full month the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrids were available. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/ford-20130206.html GREEN ENERGY COLUMN-Murkowski's energy report shows scope for compromise: Kemp. Abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure energy is in the U.S. national interest. So finds a report on the future of the country's energy system published on Monday by Senator Lisa Murkowski, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "Energy 20/20: A Vision for America's Energy Future" is a thoughtful attempt to discuss some of the energy choices and opportunities the United States will face by the end of the decade. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/06/column-kemp-us-energyreport-idUSL5N0B67QI20130206 OPINIONS Saudi Arabia focuses on renewable energy. President Obama warned in his inaugural address that America can't resist the "long and sometimes difficult" transition to renewable energy. "We must lead it," he urged the nation. "We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries." But it already could be too late. While the United States still searches for a coherent national energy policy, countries you wouldn't expect are at the forefront of a green transformation. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Saudi-Arabia-focuses-on-renewable-energy-4244307.php#ixzz2K8g5yakm BLOGS A New Path on Emissions. In his second inaugural address, President Obama promised to take on climate change as a priority in his second term. “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that failure to do so would betray our children and future generations,” he said at the start of one of the longest passages devoted to a single subject in the speech. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/a-new-path-on-emissions/ ‘Plug-In Ecosystem’ Available at Indiana Mall. Electric car owners who visit the Clay Terrace mall in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel can connect to a charging station that taps into energy from the sun. On Jan. 30, the mall cut the ribbon on a “Plug-In Ecosystem” that combines solar power, a large storage battery and both Level II and Level III chargers. For the time being, the electricity is free. There should be no shortage of electric vehicles to charge at the station, which is close to Whole Foods and Starbucks outlets. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/plug-in-ecosystem-available-at-indiana-mall/ Chevron VP: forget cellulosic biofuel, build better cars. The oil industry is mounting a concerted push to roll back biofuel mandates, both in Washington and Sacramento. At the federal level, oil lobbyists have joined with environmentalists and ranchers — a Coalition of the Unlikely — to block new rules increasing the amount of ethanol that can be blended into gasoline. They’ve attacked federal mandates for the production of cellulosic ethanol (derived from grasses and woody plants) as nothing more than wishful thinking, since very little of the stuff has been made to date. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/02/05/chevron-vp-forget-cellulosic-biofuel-build-efficient-cars/ Climate Change: The Case for Heat. Could the heat coming from your refrigerator be contributing to global warming? Anyone who has given a public lecture on climate change has almost certainly gotten this question: Whenever you operate a motor or turn on a light, you generate heat. How do you know that that heat is not a significant source of global warming? It's a good question. To answer it, let's start with a review of one of my favorite topics. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/climate-change-the-case-f_b_2625524.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2013 12:31:21 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 7, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 7, 2013. ARB Newsclips for February 7, 2013 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 MORENO VALLEY: Mega warehouse would have wide impact. The draft environmental impact report released this week for the 41.6 million-square-foot warehouse center that Moreno Valley officials want to develop on the city’s east side states what critics have suspected – that the project probably will create more traffic, affect air quality and pose long-term health care risks. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/moreno-valley/moreno-valley-headlines-index/20130205-moreno-valley-mega-warehouse-would-have-wide-impact.ece Utah regulators target hamburger-grill emissions. A powerful state board charged with cleaning Utah's air approved new emissions controls Wednesday that will affect Burger King and other hamburger joints that use conveyor-driven flame broilers to cook their beef. The regulation is among dozens the Utah Air Quality Board is adopting to curb smog across the greater Salt Lake region, which is experiencing another severe pollution episode. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/06/utah-regulators-target-hamburger-grill-emissions/#ixzz2KENmJ2z4 CLIMATE CHANGE U.S. Northeast Cap-and-Trade Program Said to Lower Cap. The U.S. Northeast’s cap-and-trade program, which was been hampered by pollution limits that exceed carbon emissions, is expected to reduce its cap by as much as 45 percent tomorrow, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Companies in the nine states that participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative will be permitted to emit a total of about 91 million tons of carbon dioxide a year under the new policies, Dale Bryk, a director and attorney at the New York-based environmental group, said today in an interview. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-06/u-s-northeast-cap-and-trade-program-said-to-lower-carbon-limit.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Utilities prepare for carbon rules on operating power plants. Imposing greenhouse gas regulations on the nation's existing power plants is the main climate priority sought by environmental groups as President Obama begins a second term. But that move has been anticipated in the utility sector, and many of its members are prepared for it, according to industry officials. The present fleet of coal-fired generating plants is getting smaller as cheap natural gas replaces coal and as older facilities close because of age and the high costs of installing new equipment to meet earlier regulations, including limits on mercury and sulfur emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY U.S. may not meet its pledge to cut CO2 by 17% without more action – study. The United States is not on track to meet its Copenhagen climate change target, according to a new major study that could undermine the Obama administration's claims to the international community that it is headed in the right direction. The findings from the World Resources Institute show the United States could still achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by the end of this decade even if Congress won't pass legislation. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY New analytic methods reduce uncertainty in forest-carbon relationship. Tropical forests are less vulnerable to climate change than scientists had previously thought, a new study concludes. The study, published this week in Nature, placed the amount of carbon released naturally from tropical ecosystems at about 53 billion metric tons per degree Celsius of warming. This is about one-quarter of some previous estimates, which reached up to 200 billion metric tons of CO2. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Ariz. senator challenges global warming with new bill. Arizona Sen. Judy Burges (R) has set out to "free" teachers to share their doubts about global warming with their students. Burges submitted a bill saying state schools cannot prohibit teachers from discussing the "strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories" about "controversial" topics such as global warming and climate change. Furthermore, the bill opens the door for teachers to argue for scientific validity of "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolution. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/13 BU SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Debate resolved -- earthworms do contribute to global warming. Earthworms increase the global warming potential of soils by 16 percent, a new study shows. In the study, published in Nature, scientists from the Netherlands, the United States and Colombia looked into 237 experiments from other studies on earthworms' role in global warming and deduced their net contribution to the greenhouse effect. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/14 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FULES Advocates gear up to defend renewable fuel standard. Advocates for the biofuel industry are sharpening their swords and ginning up support for the federal mandate on biofuel blending in anticipation of a new round of attacks from the oil and gas industry. Under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), refiners are required to mix 36 billion gallons of biofuel with traditional transportation fuel by 2022. Of that amount, 21 billion gallons is to come from advanced biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Automakers hope to rev up sales of diesel vehicles. Diesel-powered vehicles account for only 3% of U.S. auto sales, but GM, Volkswagen, Mazda and other brands are rolling out new models in a bid to raise that figure. Drivers in the U.S. are discovering what Europeans have known for years: Diesel engines are powerful and still get eye-popping fuel economy, especially at highway speeds. Automakers are rolling out new diesels in the U.S. market, including a diesel version of General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Cruze, which debuts Thursday at the Chicago Auto Show. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-diesel-20130207,0,20780.story http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/06/hot-wheels-chevrolet-cruze-diesel/#ixzz2KENSWk00 California Governor’s Office releases 2013 ZEV action plan; 1.5M ZEVs on CA roadways by 2025. California Governor Jerry Brown’s Office and state agencies issued a 2013 Zero-emission Vehicle (ZEV) Action Plan. The Action Plan follows on Governor Brown’s Executive Order (B-16-2012) released March 2012, which set required milestones for state government to enable 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on California roadways by 2025. (Earlier post.) The Action Plan details concrete actions that state agencies are taking to help accelerate the market for plug-in electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/zev-20130207.html HIGH SPEED RAIL REGION: Contractor chosen for Metrolink project. Transportation officials have accepted a $132 million build to build a Metrolink line to Perris that is the target of a lawsuit from an environmental group. The Riverside County Transportation Commission on Friday, Feb. 1, chose to award the $132,202,749 contract to Ames Construction, Inc. – contingent on if a judge’s ruling lets the Perris Valley Line project move forward. Friends of Riverside’s Hills is suing the commission for approving the project…Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/perris/perris-headlines-index/20130206-region-contractor-chosen-for-metrolink-project.ece New high-speed rail map stirs debate. A conceptual map from a California artist has lots of people talking about the future of high-speed rail in the United States. Artist Alfred Twu created this map showing high-speed rail plans right through Denver. Yet, the concept is just that, right now. Government officials, planners, and think tanks have created dozens of maps in the past few years on the feasibility and usefulness on the future of high-speed rail. Posted. http://www.9news.com/news/article/315275/222/New-high-speed-rail-map-stirs-debate GREEN ENERGY Edison ignored safety risks at San Onofre, Sen. Boxer says. Southern California Edison and the maker of steam generators at San Onofre nuclear plant knew about problems with the generators even before they were installed, Boxer and a congressman assert. Southern California Edison was aware of problems with replacement steam generators at its San Onofre nuclear power plant but chose not to make fixes, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer charged Wednesday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0207-san-onofre-20130207,0,3728522.story It looks as though California has broken another solar power record, and it's done so in one of the least-sunny times of year possible. According to preliminary figures provided by the California Independent System Operator, the state's grid received more than 1,300 megawatts of power from solar arrays for a few hours on Wednesday, likely an all-time record -- in a month when the sun shines with less intensity than at most other times of year. Keep in mind that California only passed the 1,000-megawatt mark in its solar generating output on August 20, 2012…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/a-new-california-solar-record-in-february.html New York Times' new building cuts net energy by 24% -- study. California researchers this week called The New York Times' new high-tech building on the West Side of Manhattan one of the best examples around of how well-designed building components can save energy. In a study supported by the Energy Department and the California Energy Commission, researchers found that buildings like the newspapers can keep occupants cool or warm and save money by employing time-triggered window shades and better airflow, among other measures. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Wind projects dominated new power production last year – study. Electric utilities and independent power producers completed 430 new power plants accounting for 29,335 megawatts of new generation projects in 2012, a whopping 43 percent increase over the previous year, according to figures released yesterday by SNL Financial. Six of the 10 largest projects were natural gas- and coal-fired generators in the Southeast and Midwest, while wind power accounted for the lion's share of new generation nationally, with 12,953 MW of added capacity, or 44 percent of the total. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/07/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS Environmentalists and unions band together to fight CEQA changes. Environmentalists and labor unions are banding together to fight efforts to overhaul California's landmark environmental law. Organizers said the new coalition, made up of dozens of advocacy groups and dubbed "CEQA Works," was formed to counter an aggressive campaign by business groups to make changes to the California Environmental Quality Act. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2013/02/environmentalists-and-unions-band-together-to-fight-ceqa-changes.html Northeast pact to dramatically lower greenhouse emissions for power plants. Massachusetts and eight other Northeast states are nearly halving the amount of carbon dioxide power plants are allowed to emit –- a dramatic reduction that is expected to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the state while combating global warming. The revision of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative agreement comes four years after the nine-state program first put in place a cap aimed at curbing emissions of the key heat-trapping gas in order to slow manmade climate change. Posted. http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2013/02/northeast_pact_to_dramatically.html Hong Kong Taking Major Steps to Address Air Pollution. While the air in Beijing and throughout much of China has been notoriously polluted in recent weeks, Hong Kong (where I currently live) does not fare much better. The poor air quality in Hong Kong has been a source of concern and protest here for many years. Both residents and environmental groups have long demanded that the government do more to tackle the problem, as air pollutants consistently exceed World Health Organization limits as well as levels set by the Hong Kong government itself. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bfinamore/hong_kong_taking_major_steps_t.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 12:33:11 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for February 8, 2012 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 8, 2013. 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 Appeals court upholds ruling against AVX. A federal appeals court has agreed with a lower court that electronics manufacturer AVX Corp. is responsible for pollution at its old plant in Myrtle Beach. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported (http://bit.ly/W2Xt5N ) a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., upheld the decision by U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten in 2011. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Appeals-court-upholds-ruling-against-AVX-4262657.php#ixzz2KKN8Yemv CLIMATE CHANGE Americans Warming to Climate Change Reality. The nor’easter bearing down on the East Coast is the second abnormally intense storm to strike the region in less than a year. Perhaps in response to the increased frequency of deadly storms and weather disasters, a Duke University poll found that American belief in climate change has rebounded to its highest level since 2006. Posted. http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/americans-warming-to-climate-change-reality-130208.htm DIESEL EMISSIONS New diesel emission rules to be aired at logging conference. State air officials could get an earful Saturday at the Sierra-Cascade Logging Conference in Anderson. Representatives from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will talk to loggers and farmers about new off-road diesel vehicle regulation standards that start taking effect next year. "It's something that affects a lot of vehicles we have on the road right now," conference spokesman Mike Quinn said, adding the rules are a threat to an already-fragile economy. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_22540222/new-diesel-emission-rules-be-aired-at-logging VEHICLES $1 gas price rise big for small-car sales, not hybrids, electrics. You might think that a $1 increase in gasoline prices would result in a big boost for the sale of hybrids and electric vehicles. Not so, according to a new report by Experian Automotive. The Schaumberg, Ill., group says sales of small gas-powered cars would climb quickest, while sales of some hybrids would actually fall during such an increase. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-gasoline-price-rise-big-for-small-cars-not-hybrids-electrics-20130208,0,1232159.story US natural gas futures edge higher as blizzard hits Northeast. Front-month U.S. natural gas futures edged higher early on Friday, as a powerful blizzard swept into the Northeast and extended weather forecasts continued to trend colder. Despite Thursday's bearish weekly inventory report and the milder outlook for several days next week, traders expected heating demand to pick up when another shot of cold air moves into the Midwest later next week and then spreads east. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/08/markets-nymex-natgas-idUSL1N0B833020130208 Lawmaker wants to extend carpool lane access for clean cars. A Los Angeles-area lawmaker wants to extend free access to some carpool lanes for Californians driving clean-energy cars. The legislation, written by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills), applies to vehicles running on electricity, hydrogen or natural gas. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-carpool-lane-car-20130207,0,6230558.story Santa Fe High crew debuts solar-electric Bomber. The Santa Fe High Bomber is ready to take on all comers — even though it spent much of its initial test drive in an unexpected pit stop Wednesday morning. Students in the school's automotive, automotive-collision and welding classes teamed up to build the 8-foot-long, 200-pound solar-electric midget car — made out of fiberglass and other materials — over the past 18 months. Senior Joaquin Piñeda sat in the driver's seat Wednesday as he prepared to test the car's speed, stability and safety. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Santa-Fe-High-crew-debuts-solar-electric-Bomber-4262422.php#ixzz2KKQn8hmf HIGH-SPEED RAIL Is High Speed Rail the Next Big Transportation Investment Play? Despite the odds and opposition, California will become home to the nation’s first truly high-speed rail system. In late July 2012, the governor of California decided to match the $3 billion dollars of federal funds that were almost due to expire to build the Fresno – Bakersfield line. The $6 billion, 130-mile initial segment in the Central Valley will begin construction in summer 2013. This will be a huge milestone in a decades-long effort to bring fast trains enjoyed all over the world to the United States. Posted. http://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/long-ideas/13/02/3309102/is-high-speed-rail-the-next-big-transportation-investment-pla GREEN ENERGY Solar Project Would Destroy Half of Rare Plant's Population in California. The Hidden Hills Solar Electric Generating System, proposed by BrightSource Energy for the Pahrump Valley in Inyo County, would destroy half the known occurrences of a rare plant in California, according to the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) -- and the California Energy Commission (CEC) isn't doing enough to make sure that loss of population won't result in the plant's extinction in the state, says the group. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/concentrating-solar/solar-project-would-destroy-half-a-rare-plants-population-in-california.html MISCELLANEOUS Thefts hit catalytic converters. The Temecula Police Department is reporting an uptick in thefts of catalytic converters, the emission-control devices on vehicles that contain a honeycomb of precious metals. Lt. Greg Negron told the city’s Public/Traffic Safety Commission at the group’s last meeting that there has been a rash of recent incidents targeting vehicles such as raised SUVs and trucks. It’s easier for thieves to get at the converters when a vehicle is raised, he said. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/08/tp-thefts-hit-catalytic-converters/ OPINION More fossil-fuel power plants unnecessary. Last week, we watched the implosion of the South Bay Power Plant – just one day after the California Public Utilities Commission heard public comments on two new SDG&E-proposed fossil fuel power plants in San Diego. We’re playing a game of Whack-a-Mole with our regional energy policy at ratepayers’ expense. Though the demolition of the South Bay Power Plant is striking, we can’t let SDG&E continue to turn a blind eye to the reasons why we don’t need that plant anymore. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/08/tp-more-fossil-fuel-power-plants-unnecessary/ BLOGS Fate of the Earth Takes Center Stage. Where is the great American play about climate change? Is there even a good one? Say what you will about the potential end of civilization as we know it, but there’s no denying it is dramatic stuff. That’s why it’s odd that as climate change finally moves forward in the national conversation, with President Obama making it a centerpiece of his inauguration speech, New York theater has mostly avoided it. Posted. http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/theater/this-clement-world-a-play-about-climate-change.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 A Climate Proposal: Bundling Consumer Buying Power. Each year, an estimated 46 percent of the population is responsible for 77 percent of discretionary spending in the United States. To strengthen individual buying power, a Santa Barbara-based entrepreneur and philanthropist has proposed a new social enterprise to finance climate change solutions, among other social justice and humanitarian issues. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/a-climate-proposal-bundling-consumer-buying-power/?smid=tw-nytimesgreen&seid=auto Air Pollution Causes More than 6 Million Deaths Worldwide. For the last three weeks, residents of Beijing have been breathing thick, soupy air so choked with pollutants that it has registered far off the scale of acceptable levels. Yet places like Beijing or New Delhi, India, which has also had extremely unhealthy air quality levels, are far from the only cities to be plagued. Air pollution affects practically everyone on the planet and causes more than 6 million premature deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization. Yet, this insidious and long-standing issue really only generates headlines when it hits extreme levels. Posted. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/around-the-world-abc-news/air-pollution-causes-more-6-million-deaths-worldwide-120237732.html EPA moves forward with climate change protection plan; asks for comments. The Environmental Protection Agency is formally moving forward with its Climate Change Adaptation Plan. Beginning Friday, the EPA is accepting comments on its draft plan, which calls for the agency to amend its operations – including the promulgation of new regulations – to account for increasingly rapid global warming. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/281915-epa-puts-forward-climate-change-adaptation-plan Environmental groups, unions team up to oppose CEQA push. The battle lines are being drawn in the upcoming legislative fight over California's environmental review laws. More than a dozen environmental, labor and social justice groups announced Wednesday that they are joining forces to oppose an expected push to overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/02/california-environmental-groups-unions-oppose-ceqa-push.html#storylink=cpy Climate Change: Americans Are Okay With Regulations, Not Taxes. President Obama, who was going to heal the Earth in his first term, didn't do much of that but he put climate change back on the table in his second inaugural address and a new national poll says public support for regulating greenhouse gas emissions is with him - just not with the ways he tried in his first term. The percentage of Americans who think climate change is occurring fluctuates with the weather and media coverage, so it has rebounded due to a hot summer and a storm hitting New York City media offices, according to the Duke University national online survey. Posted. http://www.science20.com/news_articles/climate_change_americans_are_okay_regulations_not_taxes-103129 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:01:36 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 11, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 11, 2013. ARB Newsclips for February 11, 2013 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 Toxic emissions rise in California. Toxic chemicals released into the environment by manufacturing plants and facilities in California rose in 2011 after steady annual declines since 2007, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's yearly Toxic Release Inventory report. The TRI report also found that releases decreased in Sacramento and Solano counties, but increased year over year in Placer and Yolo counties in 2011, the latest year for which the EPA has toxic release information. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/10/5178580/toxic-emissions-rise-in-state.html#storylink=cpy Fewer New Year fireworks in polluted Beijing. The annual Lunar New Year fireworks barrage in Beijing was notably muted Sunday following government appeals to reduce the smoky celebrations after air pollution rose to near catastrophic levels over recent weeks. The holiday was also being celebrated in Vietnamese and Korean communities, and in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, streams of residents offered flowers and bowed deeply before giant statues of national founder Kim Il Sung and his son and late leader Kim Jong Il. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/10/fewer-new-year-fireworks-in-polluted-beijing/#ixzz2Kbo77jj4 CLIMATE CHANGE New group seeks to save near-lawless oceans from over-fishing. The high seas that cover almost half the Earth's surface are a treasure trove with little legal protection from growing threats such as over-fishing and climate change, according to a new international group of politicians. "High levels of pillage are going on," David Miliband, a former British foreign secretary, told Reuters. He will co-chair the Global Ocean Commission, which will start work this week and give advice to the United Nations on fixing the problems. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/us-oceans-idUSBRE91A00C20130211 Cool steps help fight global warming. When it comes to high-tech possibilities for counteracting climate change, the headlines tend to focus on the seemingly sci-fi stuff: brightening clouds, pumping particles into the stratosphere and launching giant mirrors into space. But there are down-to-earth versions of the same basic concept, approaches as simple as painting roofs white or using light-colored pavement to cast away more heat from the Earth. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/technology/dotcommentary/article/Cool-steps-help-fight-global-warming-4266070.php#ixzz2Kc4cozjB California Air Resources Board announces cap-and-trade workshops. The California Air Resources Board has announced three workshops to begin soliciting public comment on the development of an investment plan for the state portion of the AB 32 cap-and-trade auction proceeds. Two bills that were passed in 2012, AB 1532 (Perez) and SB 535 (De Leon), set the framework for the Department of Finance to develop an investment plan for projects and programs using cap-and-trade auction funds. Posted. http://www.tspntv.com/home/item/20027-california-air-resources-board-announces-cap-and-trade-workshops EPA Climate Change Adaptation Plan sees likely increase in tropospheric ozone, with more difficulty in attaining NAAQS in many areas. Among the many climate-related vulnerabilities that can impact its mission, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cites a likely increase in tropospheric ozone pollution as potentially making it more difficult to attain National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in many areas with existing ozone problems. The analysis comes in a draft Climate Change Adaptation Plan that the agency has released for public comment. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/epa-20130210.html Obama admin releases first-ever climate adaptation plans. This year, the Commerce Department will investigate the feasibility of a bicycle share program. The Agriculture Department's Risk Management Agency will redraw planting zone maps for the purposes of insuring nursery-grown plants. And the Department of Defense will scale down its fleet of gas-guzzling Humvees. These are all examples of steps federal agencies will take in 2013 in an effort to deal with the risks of future climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/11/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Climate change-related spending makes up 20% of new E.U. budget. European leaders agreed to a seven-year budget Friday worth €959 billion, or nearly $1.3 trillion, of which at least 20 percent is targeted for climate change-related spending. "This is a major step forward for our efforts to handle the climate crisis. Rather than being parked in a corner of the E.U. budget, climate action will now be integrated into all main spending areas -- cohesion, innovation, infrastructure, agriculture etc. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/11/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY After 800 years of isolation, warming opens a valley to fire. For close to a millennium, the sheltered valley of Fern Lake, 3 miles west of Estes Park, Colo., lay untouched by fire. Its remote location, high altitude and long, snow-blanketed winters made the valley something of an anomaly, a place where trees could age 800 years and never feel the decadal burns that moved through the rest of the Rocky Mountains. That changed last fall. For the first time in recorded history, lightning touched off a blaze around Fern Lake that smoldered for weeks, in what scientists call one of the clearest depictions to date that fire regimes are shifting under climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/11/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS In-state oil fields don't all meet standard. Environmentalists often call oil from Canada's tar sands the dirtiest fuel on Earth, because the complex process of extracting it spews huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. But by that standard, some of the crude oil pumped in California is just as dirty. In a few cases, it's even worse. Several California oil fields produce just as much carbon dioxide per barrel of oil as the tar sands do, state data show. A handful of fields yield even more. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/In-state-oil-fields-don-t-all-meet-standard-4267131.php#ixzz2Kc464v6f Drought forces 20 ethanol plants to close. Twenty ethanol plants have ceased production as farmers struggle to produce corn during the ongoing drought. The Renewable Fuels Association said 191 plants remain operational. The shutdowns will likely last until fall, when 2013 corn is harvested. About 40 percent of the nation's corn crop is used in ethanol production. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/11/15 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Aging fields may not meet Calif. fuel standard. Several California oil fields produce the same amount of carbon dioxide per barrel of oil as the Canadian oil sands do, state data show. And a small number of fields produce even more, fueling debate over the state's low-carbon fuel standard. After years of use, some fields require injections of steam in order to produce more oil. Power plants create that steam, generating greenhouse gas emissions in the process. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/11/16 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Study finds European cars are less green than claimed. European car manufacturers are exploiting test loopholes to exaggerate their vehicles' green credentials, an official European Commission study has found. The report, which is likely to stoke already heated debate on carbon standards, found that cars are a lot less fuel-efficient and more polluting than their makers tell us. Simulations used to test new cars have never perfectly reflected actual emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/08/us-eu-autos-testing-idUSBRE9170FM20130208 Plugging In, Dutch Put Electric Cars to the Test. When Patrick Langevoort’s company issued him an electric vehicle two years ago, the first months were filled with misadventure: he found himself far from Amsterdam, with only a 25 percent charge remaining, unable to find the charging point listed on a map. Though the car was supposed to travel 100 miles on a full battery, he discovered that cold weather and fast driving decreased that range. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/world/europe/dutch-put-electric-cars-to-the-test.html Ventura County paves smoother road for electric vehicles. Russell Sydney’s first electric vehicle was a scooter he used to zip around Santa Monica, propelled by a desire to ditch reliance on oil. A decade later, the founder of the Sustainable Transportation Club is still an electric vehicle advocate. The Santa Paula man owns three electric vehicles and is converting another vehicle from gasoline to electric. As a member of a close-knit community, Sydney has watched the ranks of electric vehicle owners grow over the past year as more carmakers roll out electric and electric hybrid models. He welcomes the change. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/09/ventura-county-paves-smoother-road-for-electric/#ixzz2Kbnn02Xo E.U. asks grid experts to plan for more electric cars. A group of Dutch, German and Danish specialist energy and software companies have been asked by the European Union to examine what an international smart energy grid might do to prod snail-paced electric vehicle sales. Project NEMO, which stands for Novel E-Mobility, has until April 2015 to come up with answers to the key questions of how an enlarged and redesigned grid could meet the charging demands resulting from major growth of electric vehicles. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/11/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Solar industry grapples with hazardous wastes. Homeowners on the hunt for sparkling solar panels are lured by ads filled with images of pristine landscapes and bright sunshine, and words about the technology's benefits for the environment — and the wallet. What customers may not know is that there's a dirtier side. While solar is a far less polluting energy source than coal or natural gas, many panel makers are nevertheless grappling with a hazardous waste problem. Posted. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g5oj_04tZOywMJhUWMouEsS2URgw?docId=e14260f6af10436caf163a1e8cb8bfe9 Other related articles: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/solar-power-boom-fuels-increase-in-hazardous-waste-sent-to-dumps/2013/02/10/94ba36ac-73b2-11e2-9889-60bfcbb02149_story.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/10/5179221/solar-industry-grapples-with-hazardous.html http://www.ocregister.com/news/solar-495407-waste-industry.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/10/3168359/solar-industry-grapples-with-hazardous.html#storylink=misearch http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/10/solar-industry-grapples-hazardous-wastes/#ixzz2KbnXyCOZ Job Front: Sacramento area's clean-tech sector grows. Sacramento's still-evolving clean-tech sector is adding jobs even as it continues to grow in stature. The region's clean technology firms increased payrolls by more than 1,000 jobs in 2012, pushing job rolls to more than 3,200 – a 31 percent increase, according to a clean-technology incubator, the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance. The growth pushed revenue for the sector above $2 billion, up nearly a third from 2011. There are 99 clean-tech companies in the greater region. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/11/5180016/job-front-sacramento-areas-clean.html Wind power capacity grew 20% globally in 2012, figures show. Wind power expanded by almost 20% in 2012 around the world to reach a new peak of 282 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity, while solar power reached more than 100GW, having more than doubled in two years. More than 45GW of new wind turbines arrived in 2012, with China and the US leading the way with 13GW each, while Germany, India and the UK were next with about 2GW apiece. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/11/wind-power-capacity-grew-2012?CMP=twt_fd&CMP=SOCxx2I2 MISCELLANEOUS Bay Area stuck with congestion like L.A.'s. The Bay Area's traffic congestion is as bad as Los Angeles', according to the latest version of a respected national transportation study. For Bay Area residents, this may seem unfathomable, unthinkable and an insult to regional pride. Anyone who's sat in one of the Southern California parking lots called a freeway knows that traffic there seems far more pervasive, persistent and painful than it does in the Bay Area. But according to the Texas Transportation Institute's Urban Mobility Report…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Area-stuck-with-congestion-like-L-A-s-4267480.php#ixzz2Kc12gyve OPINIONS It’s Not Easy Being Green. GREEN jobs have long had a whiff of exaggeration to them. The alternative-energy sector may ultimately employ millions of people. But raising the cost of the energy that households and businesses use every day — a necessary effect of helping the climate — is not exactly a recipe for an economic boom. The stronger argument for a major government response to climate change is the more obvious argument: climate change. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/sunday-review/its-not-easy-being-green.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Stuart Leavenworth: A CEQA advance environmentalists should explore. For environmentalists in the Golden State, few laws are more sacred than the California Environmental Quality Act. Enacted in 1970, the law gives citizens and interest groups the power to challenge the decisions of local governments and state regulators and block projects they find objectionable. Used at its best, CEQA has protected poor communities from toxic incinerators and landfills. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/10/5176707/stuart-leavenworth-a-ceqa-advance.html Paper, plastic or bacteria-filled reusables? I’ve always tried to observe the environmentally appropriate position when it came to the choice of paper or plastic, forgoing the latter because — as ecologists have so effectively pounded into us — it takes too much oil to make plastic bags and they pollute waterways and kill marine animals. But then I read that it takes 14 million trees to make paper bags and creates 70 percent more air pollution than the production of plastic bags. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/10/tp-paper-plastic-or-bacteria-filled-reusables/ BLOGS Scientists Explore Options as Polar Bears Face New Threats. The surge of hunting that depleted many polar bear populations in the 20th century is largely under control. But just as the species has been recovering from that threat, global warming is creating new pressures through the loss of summer sea ice and other impacts on the bears’ preferred maritime habitat. Recent DNA analysis has shown that polar bears are a far older species than was thought even a few years ago, and they clearly are adaptable and resilient. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/09/scientists-explore-options-as-polar-bears-face-new-threats/ Cap-and-trade is still alive in New England. Is it working? Remember cap-and-trade? Back in 2010, Democrats in Congress had a proposal to set a nationwide limit on U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions and let businesses trade pollution permits. But the climate bill died, and cap-and-trade mostly vanished from discussion. Except in the Northeast. For the past decade, ten states stretching from Maine to Maryland have been experimenting with their own modest cap on carbon pollution from electric power plants. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/09/cap-and-trade-is-still-alive-in-new-england-is-it-working/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:05:56 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for Februrary 12, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 12, 2013. 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 COLUMN-FutureGen presses on with oxyfuel technology: Kemp. Following President Barack Obama's second inaugural address, which reaffirmed his commitment to clean energy, there has been mounting speculation the administration will impose stricter emission standards on existing coal-fired power plants across the United States. Cutting emissions from existing coal-fired plants is essential to the administration's goal of limiting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/column-kemp-cleancoal-idUSL5N0BBG3820130211 CLIMATE CHANGE Range of Change: Obama to Signal Extent of Climate Push. President Barack Obama is sure to bring up climate change in the State of the Union address, energy consultants say, though there’s no consensus on how much emphasis he’ll give to the subject. “They’re going back and forth about how many times he’s going to actually say climate and change,” said Joshua Greene, a Washington attorney who represents energy developers and has talked to White House officials about the speech. “Right now the words ‘climate change’ are in the speech.” Posted. http://go.bloomberg.com/political-capital/2013-02-12/range-of-change-obama-to-signal-extent-of-climate-push/ Sunlight stimulates release of carbon dioxide in melting permafrost. Ancient plant and animal matter trapped within Arctic permafrost can be converted rapidly into climate-warming carbon dioxide when melted and exposed to sunlight, according to a new study. In a report published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of environmental and biological scientists examined 27 melting permafrost sites in Alaska and found that bacteria converted dissolved organic carbon materials into the greenhouse gas CO2 40% faster when exposed to ultraviolet light. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-carbon-sunlight-permafrost-20130211,0,5550833.story?track=rss Obama pushed to keep climate action momentum going. President Obama lit the match for renewed action on climate change three weeks ago. Now advocates are clamoring for him to ignite the nation with the idea during tonight's State of the Union address. They want Obama to announce the pursuit of carbon dioxide standards for the nation's fleet of existing power plants, perhaps the biggest step the administration can take without Congress toward reduction of warming gases. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/12/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Melting tundra releases CO2 more quickly than previous estimates. Sunlight is speeding up the conversion of Arctic soil carbon into carbon dioxide, raising the possibility that future warming could occur at a much faster pace, according to a new study. Scientists generally agree that higher temperatures increase the likelihood of collapses of long-frozen Arctic ground, or permafrost, creating large holes in the tundra and landslides. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/12/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Painting one roof at a time to curb global warming. Painting roofs white and using light-colored pavement are simple -- and effective -- ways to cast away more heat from the Earth. Roofs and pavements amount to 60 percent of the surface area of cities. Making all flat roofs white would be equivalent to taking half the world's cars off the roads, in terms of the warming effect of carbon dioxide. In fact, if all "eligible" flat urban roofs worldwide were whitened…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/12/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Brazil Ethanol Above Sugar Shows Mills May Favor Biofuel. Brazilian ethanol prices trading above raw sugar futures for the first time in almost two years are spurring speculation that millers will favor making the biofuel over the sweetener in the season starting in April. Hydrous ethanol, used in flex fuel cars in Latin America’s largest economy, is trading at about 19 cents a pound, according to Lausanne, Switzerland-based Kingsman SA, which has provided sugar and biofuels research for more than 20 years. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-11/brazil-ethanol-topping-sugar-signals-millers-may-favor-biofuel.html Iran Converts Enriched Uranium to Reactor Fuel, Reports Say. As it prepares for two sets of negotiations with outsiders on its disputed nuclear program, Iran said on Tuesday that it was converting some of its enriched uranium into reactor fuel, the state news agency IRNA reported, potentially limiting the expansion of stockpiles that the West fears could be used for weapons. Iranian officials are to meet on Wednesday in Tehran with Herman Nackaerts, the deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/world/middleeast/iran-converts-enriched-uranium-to-reactor-fuel-reports-say.html VEHICLES Tesla isn’t taking criticism lying down, will publish reviewer’s driving log. If you get into a dispute over facts, it always helps to have a nice, clean, data trail. Tesla Motors chief executive Elon Musk is unhappy enough with a recent New York Times review of his company’s new electric Model S sedan that he says he’ll publish the car’s digital log of the reviewer’s actual drive — which, he says, differs substantially from the account in the Times. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/12/idUS52830577920130212 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-11/tesla-falls-after-n-y-times-model-s-test-drive.html http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Tesla-s-Musk-slams-N-Y-Times-review-4270134.php http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22567808/teslas-stock-dips-after-negative-review-its-model?source=rss Growing competition among fast-charging battery standards could chill EV sales. The fast charging is key to easing the range anxiety associated with electric vehicle owners, but mounting tension over which type of fast-charging system will prevail in the marketplace could, ironically, end up killing consumer interest in the electric car. CHAdeMO fast-charging standard, spearheaded by Tokyo Electric Power Co., is currently the only internationally certified fast-charging system and enjoys backing from prominent electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers Nissan, Toyota and Mitsubishi. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/12/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL Amtrak, California High Speed Rail Authority partner to buy new trains. When it comes to advancing true high-speed rail projects in the United States — trains that operate at top speeds of at least 150 mph, according to the Federal Railroad Administration — Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and the California High Speed Rail Authority's (CHSRA) proposed statewide system are the signature projects. Now, officials from both organizations are teaming up to explore procurement opportunities for high-speed trains. Posted. http://www.progressiverailroading.com/amtrak/article/Amtrak-California-High-Speed-Rail-Authority-partner-to-buy-new-trains--35119 LaHood to high-speed faithful: 'Keep on keepin' on' In the not-so-distant future, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, he expects commuters in California and in parts of the Midwest to hop on trains that reach speeds of up to 200 mph. Private investors would help pay for the high-speed infrastructure, and government-led partnerships would manage some, if not all, of the lines. Once riders experienced the benefits of traveling faster than an Italian sports car on an open road, LaHood argues, enthusiasm for the fast-moving trains would spread across the nation. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2013/02/12/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY In radical refit, buildings to generate more power than they use. Two office blocks by the Oslo fjord will generate more power than they use from 2014 after a radical refit meant to show that the world's energy-squandering building sector can do more to fight climate change. Geothermal and solar energy generated on site will make the 1980s buildings "energy positive" in a tiny step to cut demand from the building sector that burns about 40 percent of world energy and emits a third of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/12/us-buildings-idUSBRE91B0VC20130212 Proposal would help link investors to state clean energy projects. Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn, president of the American Council on Renewable Energy, stressed the need for government policies to attract private investments in renewable energy at a briefing last week in Washington, D.C. "The right kinds of policy make it less difficult to marry up the tens of billions of dollars that are sitting on the sidelines in America, looking for a place to be invested, with the great existing and emerging forms of renewable energy," McGinn said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/12/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Interior green-power guru moves to California Energy Commission. An Interior Department renewable energy expert is one of two new appointees to the California Energy Commission. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) appointed Janea Ashanti Scott to the Golden State's energy agency. Scott, 39, of Arlington, Va., has been deputy counselor for renewable energy and special assistant to the counselor at Interior since 2009. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/12/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Rulemaking chops seen as edge for 2 inside candidates to replace Jackson. With U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson leaving the agency today, two of her lieutenants are being discussed in Washington, D.C., as leading candidates to succeed her. Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe and EPA air chief Gina McCarthy -- both with extensive experience at EPA and as state regulators -- have the regulatory chops that environmentalists prize and also have reputations for giving industry a seat at the table for rulemakings. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/12/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS In the dark on San Onofre. Ratepayers and the public deserve to know more about who knew what and when concerning the nuclear plant's problematic steam generators. If what two federal lawmakers say is true, there's more to the shutdown at the San Onofre nuclear plant than the public has been told. According to Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a leaked internal report by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which manufactured the problem-riddled steam generators that forced the shutdown…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-san-onofre-generators-20130210,0,7939081.story BLOGS Why the fight over natural gas exports may be overblown. One of the big energy issues Congress will face in the coming year is what to do about the glut of cheap natural gas in the United States. Should we start exporting some of that gas abroad and earn a tidy profit? Or keep it here at home? Since the Department of Energy would need to approve any new export terminals, politicians get to weigh in here. And so far, lawmakers have been split. Some Republicans insist that the United States should expedite natural-gas exports to allies such as Japan. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/11/why-the-fight-over-natural-gas-exports-may-be-overblown/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:48:41 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 13, 2013 From: jbaxter@arb.ca.gov 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 CLIMATE CHANGE Obama gives Congress a climate change ultimatum. U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday gave Congress an ultimatum on climate change: craft a plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the dangers of a warming world, or the White House will go it alone. "If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will," Obama said in his State of the Union address. "I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy." Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/13/us-obama-speech-climate-idUSBRE91C09T20130213?feedType=RSS http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/13/us-usa-climate-obama-idUSBRE91C11Q20130213 http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/02/13/state-of-the-union-climate-change/1916071/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/12/3171624/obama-to-congress-act-on-climate.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/02/12/promise-on-cap-and-trade-action/ http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/12/obama-to-congress-act-on-climate-change-or-i-will/ http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/13/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EU Aviation Carbon Emissions to Decline in 2013, New Energy Says. Greenhouse-gas emissions from flights within Europe will probably fall this year as airlines renew fleets with fuel-efficient aircraft and pack planes more tightly, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Airlines’ carbon dioxide emissions within the European Union probably fell 2 million metric tons, or 3 percent, last year to 64 million tons, Itamar Orlandi, a New Energy analyst in London, said by e-mail. Emissions may decline another 1 million tons this year as high oil prices curb demand, he said. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-13/eu-aviation-carbon-emissions-to-decline-in-2013-new-energy-says.html Learning to fight global warming, one crop at a time. Simple changes in the use of fertilizers and pest control can help European farms cut their energy use by 10 to 20 percent and reduce greenhouse emissions, a study showed. In September 2010, Fundación Global Nature -- a Spanish group promoting sustainable development -- launched the AgriClimateChange project. Funded by the European Commission, the project sought to determine energy usage and emission levels in more than 130 farms across…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/13/9 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS New York Governor Puts Off Decision on Drilling. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is becoming Hamlet on the Shale. On Tuesday, Mr. Cuomo’s administration again delayed making a decision on whether to allow hydraulic fracturing, a controversial drilling method used to extract natural gas from rock formations like the Marcellus Shale, which extends from the Appalachian Mountains to New York. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, has been under review by state regulators since before Mr. Cuomo took office in January 2011. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/nyregion/cuomo-delays-decision-on-gas-drilling-as-health-study-continues.html?ref=earth Town Sued After Barring Debate on Gas Extraction at Meetings. In upstate communities large and small, natural gas drilling has generated talk, heat, acrimony and controversy, from regular citizens to concerned celebrities like Yoko Ono and Mark Ruffalo. Now the town of Sanford, N.Y., by the Pennsylvania border, one of the rare places where officials have actively sought renewed gas drilling, including the process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, finds itself in court because it decided that it had heard just too much. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/nyregion/sanford-ny-is-sued-for-muting-debate-on-hydraulic-fracturing.html?ref=earth&_r=0 Doubts voiced on fracking oversight at California hearing. Some lawmakers say proposed rules don't go far enough to require disclosure by oil companies using the extraction method. State lawmakers voiced doubts Tuesday that the Brown administration's proposal to regulate hydraulic fracturing is tough enough to protect public health and safety — and questioned whether the state's oil regulators could be trusted to enforce it. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0213-fracking-20130213,0,2014190.story?track=rss http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/02/12/35925/state-lawmakers-want-tougher-regulations-fracking/ US crude oil supplies rise by 600,000 barrels. The nation's crude oil supplies rose last week, the government said Wednesday. Crude supplies increased by 600,000 barrels, or 0.2 percent, to 696 million barrels, which is 9.8 percent above year-ago levels, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report. Analysts expected an increase of 2.5 million barrels for the week ended Feb. 8, according to Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/13/2576394/us-crude-oil-supplies-rise-by.html#storylink=misearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Sierra Club chief to risk arrest over oil pipeline. Prominent environmental leaders, including the head of the Sierra Club and the organizer of a public campaign to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, are planning to risk arrest Wednesday at a protest outside the White House. Executive director Michael Brune would be the first Sierra Club leader to be arrested in an act of civil disobedience. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/13/3172066/sierra-club-chief-to-risk-arrest.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy http://grist.org/news/courting-white-house-arrest-over-keystone-xl-rancher-financier-kennedy-sierra-club-head/ Some oil fields fail state's carbon standard. California's oil fields often generate more carbon emissions than Canada's oil sands, which environmentalists have dubbed the dirtiest fuel source on Earth. Older oil fields in the state sometimes require energy-intensive steam injections to keep yielding crude. Power plants must generate the steam, issuing more greenhouse gases in the process. It's enough to cause many oil fields to fail California's low carbon fuel standard…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/02/13/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Sugar, soybeans strive for 816M gallons in renewable fuel standard. The makeup of advanced biofuels in 2013's federal renewable fuel standard (RFS) will be an interesting ride to follow, said an economist, as international policies, federal subsidies and crop conditions could tip a delicate balance. The RFS sets annual targets for the United States to make 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022. U.S. EPA announced late last month that oil refiners must blend 2.75 billion gallons of advanced biofuels – Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/13/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY States can handle hydraulic fracturing oversight on their own – report. Regulation of hydraulic fracturing ought to remain at the state level, and any attempts at federal regulation would be politically motivated with no benefits to the environment, according to a new report released by the conservative think tank Hudson Institute. The report targets bills that have been introduced in Congress that give U.S. EPA greater control over hydraulic fracturing, a process in which oil and gas companies blast water, sand and chemicals at shale rock to release oil and gas. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/02/13/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Columbia students share solar panels with NY church. Green technology came up a few times in President Obama’s State of the Union speech Tuesday — particularly the use of solar and wind energy. But if the president was looking for a pithy example of how this kind of technology is being used, practically, he could have called up Garrett Fitzgerald and Rob van Haaren. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/columbia-students-share-solar-panels-with-ny-church/2013/02/13/8d44085e-7488-11e2-aa12-e6cf1d31106b_story.html Greentech state of the union boost: Obama proposes using oil and gas money to fund green energy. President Barack Obama’s state of the union address focused on innovation, jobs, education, health-care … and green technology. “Tonight, I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good,” the president said. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/greentech-state-of-the-union-boost-obama-proposes-using-oil-and-gas-money-to-fund-green-energy/2013/02/13/e52902c6-7592-11e2-9889-60bfcbb02149_story.html http://grist.org/politics/from-obamas-speech-four-ambitious-climate-and-energy-proposals/ http://cars21.com/news/view/5226 For renewable energy entrepreneurs and would-be workers, a 'battery university' is on the way in Silicon Valley. As the demand for electric cars and other renewable technologies grows, California needs battery experts and entrepreneurs -- and it's looking to San Jose State University to produce them. A "battery university" will open this summer in the university's professional division, teaching the ins and outs of energy storage. The program will be practical and applied, covering everything from technical concepts to the financial and policy issues related to running a renewable energy business. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_22576396/renewable-energy-entrepreneurs-and-would-be-workers-battery?source=rss USC Breakthrough May Mean Stronger, Faster Batteries. Fast-charging, high-capacity lithium ion batteries could be available in two or three years, if a breakthrough made by USC engineers’ turns out to be commercially viable. An engineering team at the Viterbi School of Engineering has successfully replaced the graphite terminals usually used in lithium batteries with porous silicon nanoparticles, offering the possibility of recharging appliances from smart phones to electric cars in as little as ten minutes. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/technology/usc-breakthrough-may-mean-stronger-cheaper-batteries.html MISCELLANEOUS NRC could alter rules for San Onofre restart. Federal regulators Tuesday disclosed they are considering changing requirements set last year to restart the San Onofre nuclear power plant in California, another potential hurdle for the company that wants to return the troubled plant to service. The twin reactors between Los Angeles and San Diego haven't produced electricity since January 2012, when a tiny radiation leak led to the discovery of damage to hundreds of tubes that carry radioactive water. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22577855/nrc-could-alter-rules-san-onofre-restart OPINIONS Yes, Obama Can Tackle Climate Change Alone. U.S. President Barack Obama told the nation that he’s prepared to “act before it’s too late” and combat climate change through the White House if Congress is unwilling to lead. Given that lawmakers couldn’t agree on a landmark cap-and- trade agreement even when Democrats controlled both the Senate and the House, congressional action this year is unlikely. The administration should move forward on its own. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-13/yes-obama-can-tackle-climate-change-alone.html Dan Walters: California could see an oil boom. California had one of the globe's earliest oil industries and was once more than self-sufficient in gasoline and other petroleum products, but as demand grew and production waned, we became an importer, mostly from Alaska and Southeast Asia. New recovery techniques, such as steam injection and later hydraulic fracturing (fracking), kept older fields, particularly those in Kern County, in production, and California is still the nation's No. 3 petroleum producer. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/13/5186017/dan-walters-california-could-see.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy Peer-Reviewed Survey Finds Majority Of Scientists Skeptical Of Global Warming Crisis. It is becoming clear that not only do many scientists dispute the asserted global warming crisis, but these skeptical scientists may indeed form a scientific consensus. Don’t look now, but maybe a scientific consensus exists concerning global warming after all. Only 36 percent of geoscientists and engineers believe that humans are creating a global warming crisis, according to a survey reported in the peer-reviewed Organization Studies. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/02/13/peer-reviewed-survey-finds-majority-of-scientists-skeptical-of-global-warming-crisis/ What You Can Do About Climate Change. For those watching and waiting for President Obama to take action on climate change, last night’s State of the Union address may have been an encouraging start. “If Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will,” the president said. “I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.” Posted. http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/02/13/what-you-can-do-about-climate-change/ BLOGS California issues prominent in Obama address. President Barack Obama may not have mentioned California by name in his State of the Union address Tuesday, but he did touch on several issues of importance to the state. Energy: In a nod to California's efforts to improve fuel economy and cut greenhouse gas emissions, Obama proposed using oil and gas revenues to fund efforts to find alternatives to fossil fuel-powered automobiles. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/02/california-issues-prominent-in-obama-address.html#storylink=cpy Obama Climate Change Poll Finds Majority Supports 'Significant Steps' To Tackle Problem. A wide majority of Americans support President Barack Obama's call to take action on climate change, according to polling released by the League of Conservation Voters conducted before his State of The Union Address Tuesday. Sixty-five percent of Americans support "the President taking significant steps to address climate change now," including 89 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of independents and 38 percent of Republicans. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/obama-climate-change-poll_n_2677747.html . ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:26:42 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 14, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 14, 2013. ARB Newsclips for February 14, 2013 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 EPA: Cuts will hamper pollution work. A top environmental official is warning lawmakers that automatic spending cuts due next month would jeopardize EPA's ability to protect against oil spills, air pollution, and hazardous waste. The cuts are outlined in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee obtained by the Associated Press. In the letter, deputy EPA administrator Bob Perciasepe says cuts would shut down some air pollution monitors and halt some cleanups at the nation's most hazardous waste sites. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/14/epa-cuts-will-hamper-pollution-work/ http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22589059/epa-cuts-will-hamper-pollution-work?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/epa-official-cuts-will-undercut-pollution-forecasts-waste-cleanups/2013/02/14/c943750c-76b7-11e2-b102-948929030e64_story.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/14/3173987/epa-cuts-will-hamper-pollution.html#storylink=misearch http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22589059/epa-cuts-will-hamper-pollution-work CLIMATE CHANGE Pressure builds for Keystone decision after Obama speech. Environmentalists and industry groups ramped up efforts on Wednesday to influence the White House's decision on the Keystone XL pipeline project, a day after President Barack Obama said he would take action to curb climate-warming emissions. A small group of activists and celebrities protested in front of the White House to put pressure on Obama to reject the controversial proposed crude oil pipeline. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/us-usa-climate-keystone-idUSBRE91D06620130214 Boxer's push is a twist on carbon tax. Sen. Barbara Boxer plans Thursday to co-sponsor a radical plan to control carbon dioxide emissions modeled on Alaska's rebates of oil royalties to residents. The California Democrat is a marquee draw for an otherwise obscure bill by Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont liberal and independent. Called "fee and dividend," the legislation is an unusual variant on a carbon tax. It would impose a fee on carbon emissions at their source, such as coal mines, raising the price of fossil fuel energy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Boxer-s-push-is-a-twist-on-carbon-tax-4277210.php#ixzz2Ku4HNbRL World Bank looks to battle climate change with better transportation. There’s an unexpected method governments can use to reduce poverty, improve public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, top world leaders said Friday. Their idea: Make transportation in the world’s megacities more available and sustainable to reduce congestion and benefit populations – and economies – that are projected to boom in the coming decades. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/18/2577024/world-bank-looks-to-battle-climate.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Senators roll out carbon fee bill, see chance for floor action. Two Senate stalwarts on climate action unveiled a greenhouse gas tax bill today, saying they hope the president's State of the Union address will provide enough momentum to carry the bill to the Senate floor. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) are sponsoring a bill that would levy a fee on large fossil fuels facilities. It would spend 40 percent of the proceeds on energy efficiency, renewable energy and deficit reduction, and refund the rest to legal U.S. residents on a per capita basis. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/14/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Global warming grabs spot in GAO's financial-risk list. The federal government must better manage the financial risks of climate change, its chief watchdog said today. Although it's not a specific federal program or agency, climate change is one of two new additions to the Government Accountability Office's biennial "high-risk" list, a catalog of agencies and programs considered to be at risk for waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement, as well as those in need of reform. The agency released its latest version of the list this morning. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/14/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Chinese Plan to Invest in Cambodia Is Big, but Vague. The remote district of Rovieng was once a battleground between Cambodian government troops and Pol Pot’s genocidal Khmer Rouge. There are still unexploded bombs in the fields and forests. But there is also something more desirable: iron ore. And two Chinese companies have an $11 billion plan to extract it. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/business/global/chinese-plan-to-invest-in-cambodia-is-big-but-vague.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 US natural gas supplies shrank last week. The nation's natural gas supplies fell last week, the government said Thursday. The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reported that natural gas in storage declined by 157 billion cubic feet to 2.527 trillion cubic feet for the week ended Feb. 8. Analysts expected a draw of 160 billion to 164 billion cubic feet, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22589472/us-natural-gas-supplies-shrank-last-week?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com Air board cuts own power as part of deal with oil industry. One of California's most powerful environmental agencies has agreed to undermine its own authority in a political deal cut with the oil industry. The California Air Resources Board helped insert language into Assembly and Senate bills that would bar the agency from enforcing one of its rules. If the legislation passes, CARB for a decade will be unable to implement its Clean Fuels Outlet, a measure aimed at providing fill-up stations for green vehicles. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/14/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Researchers develop coal reactor that cheaply separates CO2. Capturing carbon emissions from coal plants is a costly endeavor, since scrubbing flue gases is a complicated and energy-intensive process. However, by changing the coal combustion mechanism, scientists found they could cheaply separate waste streams, thereby controlling greenhouse gas emissions from one of the planet's cheapest fuels. Researchers at Ohio State University developed a system that extracts energy from coal while isolating the carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen compounds, soot and ash that result. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/14/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Roadshow: Are high gas prices worth the trade-off for clean air? To the silence of mass media and our elected officials, gas prices have been rocketing up the past few weeks. In Fremont, the price for regular gas increased 42 cents in just 14 days at an Arco station. Many stations are either at or closing in on the $4 price tag. Amazingly (not really), there is not even "fake" outrage from our elected officials about the oil companies hurting middle-class families by raising prices for no apparent reason. Or are the higher prices our punishment for the California and Obama "green" agenda? Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/mr-roadshow/ci_22582046/are-high-gas-prices-worth-trade-off-clean?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com GREEN ENERGY More Applicants Than Openings in LADWP Solar Pilot Program. Even though the L.A. Department of Water And Power (LADWP)'s new solar incentive program has taken some heat for not offering enough cash per kilowatt, the new Feed-in Tariff (FiT) already has more applicants for its first round than were planned for in the whole program. During the first week in which LADWP accepted applications for its FiT program, the applications received represented 107 megawatts of potential new generating capacity. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/more-applicants-than-openings-in-dwp-solar-pilot.html OPINIONS GUEST OPINION: Cap and trade funds on way. In his inauguration speech, President Barack Obama called for a response to climate change. While commendable that he put climate change back on the political agenda, he forgot the two most important words: carbon price. A carbon price will encourage businesses to make low-carbon investments, consumers to make low-carbon purchases and the private sector to decide how best to implement the most cost-effective emissions reductions. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130213/OPINION/130219826/1033/news?Title=GUEST-OPINION-Cap-and-trade-funds-on-way Daniel Yost: Use California cap-and-trade funds for Green Prize to reward climate-change innovation. California has a unique opportunity to use competition to combat climate change and generate jobs and innovation. By leveraging a very modest share of revenue from California's new cap-and-trade program to award an annual Green Prize, California can motivate and inspire innovators to leverage their intellectual and financial capital to solve our climate change crisis. There is a pool of money available for reducing or mitigating climate change generated from the sale of pollution "allowances" under AB 32, California's cap-and-trade program that went into effect last fall. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22582291/daniel-yost-use-california-cap-and-trade-funds http://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/ci_22582291/daniel-yost-use-california-cap-and-trade-funds?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com California Air Resources Board, AKA: Geheime Staatpolizei. For those of you who may not know, there is a plan being implemented, sponsored in part by none other than our California Air Resource Board, also known as CARB. They have achieved nearly the same power as a once infamous group known as, the Geheime Staatpolizei, the GESTAPO. New rules handed down state, any and all commercial vehicles, entering into California, not meeting 2010 PARTICULATE MATTER expectations, must retrofit the vehicle by adding highly expensive, aftermarket filters. The addition of these filters varies in cost between $2100 and $5000. Posted. http://forums.rimoftheworld.net/showthread.php?12327-California-Air-Resources-Board-AKA-Geheime-Staatpolizei&p=239038 BLOGS Climate-change mitigation is ‘high risk’ for government, report says. Climate change poses a serious financial threat to the federal government, according to the Government Accountability Office’s biennial “High-Risk Report” covering all federal agencies and programs. The nonpartisan investigative agency released its findings Thursday, noting that “The federal government is not well positioned to address the fiscal exposure presented by climate change, and needs a government wide strategic approach with strong leadership to manage related risks.” Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/02/14/climate-change-mitigation-is-high-risk-for-government-report-says/ U.S. homes getting more efficient — but still using more energy. One of President Obama’s goals in his State of the Union address was to make American homes twice as energy-efficient by 2030. But would that actually curtail overall energy use and reduce U.S. carbon emissions? That’s a trickier question. So here’s one way to look at it. A new report from the Energy Information Administration finds that U.S. homes have become far more energy-efficient over the past decade. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/13/u-s-homes-are-getting-more-efficient-but-still-use-just-as-much-energy/ Keystone Protests Resume, But None Against Oil Imports from Nigeria? I’ve got nothing against the passions of those — including friends of mine — pushing hard to persuade President Obama not to let the Keystone XL pipeline move forward and carry bitumen from Canadian deposits to United States Gulf Coast refineries. More were arrested this week. But that effort misses the reality that as long as oil demand is high in the United States and elsewhere, there will be environmental risks and often terrible social costs in farflung and loosely governed places. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/keystone-pipeline-protests-resume-but-none-against-oi-imports-from-nigeria/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:02:41 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 15, 2013. ARB Newsclips for February 15, 2013 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 Deal reached over pollution from Calif. Warehouse. A proposed mega-warehouse project in Riverside County will move forward, but project developers will have to monitor for pollution as part of a settlement Thursday with the state of California and environmentalists. "It is a false choice to suggest that in order for California business to thrive, public health must suffer," state Attorney General Kamala Harris said in a statement announcing the deal. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22591897/settlement-reached-calif-mega-warehouse-project?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22591897/settlement-reached-calif-mega-warehouse-project?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/140/article/66562/ Using Planes to Fix Air-Pollution Satellites. Anyone who's ever driven down Interstate 5 in central California's Kern County knows about the smell. The one that penetrates cars despite closed vents and windows. Wafting from an adjacent cattle ranch, the largest on the West Coast, the well-known odor comes from the ammonia all those cows produce. California's Central Valley, which spans I-5, regularly has some of the worst air pollution in the United States because of its unfortunate combination of geography and agriculture. Posted. http://news.yahoo.com/using-planes-fix-air-pollution-satellites-220157634.html CLIMATE CHANGE Obama’s Climate Call May Hasten EU Carbon Fix, IETA Chief Says. President Barack Obama’s call for Congress to act on climate change may embolden European Union policy makers to fix the bloc’s ailing carbon market, said the president of the International Emissions Trading Association. A proposal for stricter emissions rules in northeast America may also provide the impetus for EU nations to tackle the oversupply of carbon allowances in the world’s biggest cap- and-trade market, Dirk Forrister, president of the Geneva-based lobby group, said yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-15/obama-s-climate-call-may-hasten-eu-carbon-fix-ieta-chief-says.html Climate Change’s Links to Conflict Draws UN Attention. Imagine India in 2033. It has overtaken China as the most populous nation. Yet with 1.5 billion citizens to feed, it’s been three years since the last monsoon. Without rain, crops die and people starve. The seeds of conflict take root. This is one of the scenarios Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, will present today to members of the United Nations Security Council in New York to show the connection between climate change and global security challenges. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-15/climate-change-s-links-to-conflict-draws-un-attention.html Obama acknowledges climate-change difficulties. President Obama, asked Thursday how he will get anything done on climate change, hinted at what executive actions he might take and acknowledged that getting anything through Congress will be difficult. "Some of this is ideological, some of it is economic, and it's not all partisan," he said in a Google+ chat. "I have to tell you that there are some Democrats, for example who represent states or districts that are heavily reliant on old power plants and are more heavily manufacturing based. Posted. http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/02/obama-acknowledges-climatechange-difficulties-157106.html FERC rejects challenge to Calif. cap-and-trade rules. Federal officials have declined to intervene in California's cap-and-trade system, dismissing a challenge from out-of-state power generators to rules associated with the state's economywide greenhouse gas market. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday dismissed PacifiCorp and Portland General Electric's objections to California's electric grid operator's changing its rules to comply with the state's carbon trading regulations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/15/5 BY SUBSRIPTION ONLY FUELS Total Reveals Cause of North Sea Natural Gas Leak. Total, the French oil company, has revealed its version of the causes of the major North Sea natural gas leak, which has shut down production on the company’s flagship Elgin-Franklin North Sea field for almost a year. At the time of the leak, in March 2012, gas from the Elgin-Franklin complex accounted for about 7 percent of British production, and the British Treasury has blamed the outage at the field for lowering tax receipts and economic growth. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/business/global/total-reveals-cause-of-north-sea-natural-gas-leak.html?_r=0 Marcellus Shale gas boom expected to slow in 2013. Energy experts say the boom in Marcellus Shale natural gas production will slow this year but not because there's any lack of supply. The slowdown is happening because drillers are waiting for pipelines to expand, new markets to develop and wholesale prices to rise. "The hiring has tapered off. What we see is a holding pattern," said Kathryn Klaber, the president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry group. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/15/marcellus-shale-gas-boom-expected-to-slow-in/#ixzz2KzOKn187 http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22596368/marcellus-shale-gas-boom-expected-slow-2013 School closing near San Bruno explosion site. Too few students forced the school board to close an elementary school near the site of the 2010 San Bruno natural gas pipeline explosion. The San Francisco Chronicle ( http://bit.ly/UkHvWc) says the board voted unanimously on Wednesday night to close Crestmoor Elementary School at the end of the school year. Many families who lost homes in the explosion and fire sent their children to Crestmoor. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22597416/school-closing-near-san-bruno-explosion-site?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com#ixzz2KzW3k4Bk Leading locomotive maker sees LNG as a future fuel. Liquefied natural gas locomotives could become a reality in the "not-too-distant future," GE Transportation President and CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said last week, noting that his company is working with customers and engineers to develop the technology. "It is a cost-competitive fuel, and with it being abundant here, there's the opportunity to start to put it into a competitive aspect with diesel," he said last Friday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/02/15/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES "World's greenest" Chevy Silverado now ready to order. Doesn't the idea of a big truck that doesn't use gas, is biodegradable and is 100-percent recyclable sound appealing? The group trying to get you to own one even says, "You can tell all your environmentalist friends that you just happen to have the world's greenest Chevy Silverado." Except, well, the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado in question here is made of paper. It's a pretty sweet model, but it's not exactly the zero-emission truck we've been hoping for. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/02/15/worlds-greenest-chevy-silverado-now-ready-to-order/ California HOV access could be extended 10 years for green cars. A few years ago it was not uncommon to hear a Toyota Prius buyer say, "I got it for the sticker." The yellow sticker they were referring to allowed the driver to use the High Occupancy Vehicle (carpool) lane even when alone in the car which, as every other LA driver knows, led to the frequent sight of a Prius with a sole occupant zooming by at 94 miles per hour along the center barrier. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/15/california-hov-access-could-be-extended-10-years-for-green-cars/ Action plan to put 1.5 million zero-emission cars on California roads by 2025. The office of California Governor has released a roadmap that details specific strategies and actions to help accelerate the market for plug-in electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles in California. According to the Governor’s Executive Order of March 2012, there should be 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on Californian roads by 2025. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5233 HIGH-SPEED RAIL Palo Alto looks to Hill to soothe high-speed-rail concerns. California's high-speed rail project may have left the station last year, when the state Legislature approved funding for the first segment by a single vote, but Palo Alto officials still have plenty of concerns about the locally unpopular project, and they hope their newest representative in Sacramento can help. The city is now working with its newest representative, Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, to clean up Senate Bill 1029…Posted. http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=28631 GREEN ENERGY Obama gives green energy funds a jump-start. In the wake of yet another monster storm in the Northeastern U.S., we are once again reminded of the need to address climate change, which is like a Grendel that keeps coming out of its cave to ravage us with increasingly violent weather. The President outlined new initiatives on climate change in the State of the Union address on Tuesday. If they gain traction in Washington, it will give a boost to stocks and exchange-traded funds that invest in alternative energy and global warming solutions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/15/us-column-wasik-green-idUSBRE91E0S020130215 Clean Energy Faces Hurdles in Legislature. During his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama doubled down on his vision for renewable energy, calling for more wind and solar power. In Texas, the Legislature is less enthusiastic. As the session progresses, renewable energy advocates are bracing to defend critical policies that have helped Texas become the leading wind-power state. The ascendancy of the Tea Party, an abundance of cheap natural gas and tighter budgets have reduced the sway of the wind industry. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/us/clean-energy-foresees-fight-in-texas-legislature.html?ref=science&pagewanted=print Reducing Your Carbon Footprint. Many people believe that Hurricane Sandy made the consequences of climate change painfully clear, so it might be tempting to think that stricter emissions standards and renewable-energy investments could lead to a less stormy future. But while these high-level policy initiatives are important, changes on the home front matter, too. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/realestate/reducing-your-carbon-footprint.html?pagewanted=print MISCELLANEOUS Bloomberg Pushes for Plastic-Foam Ban in ‘State of the City’. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he intends to use his final year in office to push for more recycling and electric vehicles, a curbside food-composting pilot program and a ban on plastic-foam food packaging. In his final State of the City address today, the third- term mayor characterized his 11 years in office as a period in which he made the most-populous U.S. city healthier and more environmentally friendly. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-14/bloomberg-to-push-for-styrofoam-ban-in-final-nyc-state-of-city-.html Airbus Abandons Plan to Use Controversial Batteries in New Jet. Faced with the potential of a prolonged investigation into what caused batteries on two Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets to catch fire or emit smoke last month, Boeing’s European rival, Airbus, said Friday that it had abandoned plans to use the same battery technology on its forthcoming wide-body jet, the A350-XWB. Airbus said it started informing airline customers on Thursday that it would not move ahead with an original plan to use the lightweight lithium-ion batteries to power a number of the A350’s onboard systems…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/business/global/airbus-abandons-plan-to-use-controversial-batteries.html?ref=business&pagewanted=print BLOGS That Tesla Data: What It Says and What It Doesn’t. Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla Motors, has now responded in detail to the account of my test drive of his Model S electric car, using the company's new East Coast Superchargers that was published in The Times on Feb. 10. His broadest charge is that I consciously set out to sabotage the test. That is not so. I was delighted to receive the assignment to try out the company's new East Coast Supercharger network and as I previously noted in no way anticipated - or deliberately caused - the troubles I encountered. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/that-tesla-data-what-it-says-and-what-it-doesnt/?ref=business&pagewanted=print The Air That Kills in India. The thick haze of outdoor air pollution common in India today is the nation's fifth-largest killer, after high blood pressure, indoor air pollution (mainly from cooking fires), smoking and poor nutrition, according to a new analysis presented in New Delhi by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute. In 2010, outdoor air pollution contributed to over 620,000 premature deaths in India, up from 100,000 in 2000. ''It's not just breathing bad air,'' said Aaron Cohen, the principal epidemiologist at the institute. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/the-air-that-kills-in-india/?pagewanted=print Environmental Group Targets Spewing Buildings in Pollution Report. When people consider the prime sources of carbon gas emissions in New York City, cars, trucks and buses belching smoke are often the first culprits to come to mind. In fact, homes and offices spew far more carbon into the atmosphere than all motor vehicles in the city combined. Some 75 percent of all carbon emissions in the city come from the buildings. Posted. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/environmental-group-targets-spewing-buildings-in-pollution-report/?partner=rss A Climate Rally at the Right Time. When I started talking about climate change more than a decade ago, I worried my future grandchildren would someday face rising sea levels and punishing drought. Now it's clear those dangers won't wait until a later date. They have arrived already, and they are delivering heartache and suffering right now. I see it here in New York, where Hurricane Sandy destroyed houses, drained nest eggs, and shuttered businesses. I see it in the Midwest, where drought pushed farmers to plow under their crops and thin their herds. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/a-climate-rally-at-the-ri_b_2695583.html?view=print&comm_ref=false How To Do Electric-Car Chargers Right: New Target Store In CA. Electric-car drivers know the problem all too well. It's called "getting ICEd"--when a gasoline car parks in the spot for reserved for electric cars to use a public charging station. Now a new Target store, sited in a conventional suburban mall in Fremont, California, offers an example of how to minimize that problem. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1082327_how-to-do-electric-car-chargers-right-new-target-store-in-ca ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:02:24 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 19, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 19, 2013. ARB Newsclips for February 19, 2013 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 Fairbanks area, trying to stay warm, chokes on wood stove pollution. Wood-burning stoves give the Fairbanks, Alaska, area some of the worst winter air pollution in the country. In Krystal Francesco's neighborhood, known here as the "rectangle of death," the air pollution recently was so thick she could hardly see across the street. Wood stoves were cranking all over town — it was 40 below zero — and she had to take her daughter to the emergency room. "She's crying because she can't breathe, and I can just see her stomach rapidly going in and out. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fairbanks-air-pollution-20130217,0,1737295.story Distribution centers quietly add to Valley pollution. Hazardous waste, treated human sewage and farm chemicals are part of a dumping ground culture surrounding the San Joaquin Valley, but other deadly health risks slip under the radar. Through a legal loophole, a company with global sales of $4 billion opened its West Coast distribution center in Visalia last year without having to follow a rule that curbs air pollution, much of it generated by traffic. Critics, who sued over it, argue traffic and diesel truck exhaust from the 500,000-square-foot distribution center will create tons of air pollution. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/16/3177612/distribution-centers-quietly-add.html Scientists trace particulate air pollution to its source. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have, for the first time, developed a system that can determine which types of air particles that pollute the atmosphere are the most prevalent and most toxic. Previous research has shown that air pollution containing fine and ultrafine particles is associated with asthma, heart disease and premature death. Posted. http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10506 Researchers Link Air Pollution To Heart Attacks. Air pollution causes heart attacks and death. Especially when the pollutants include ozone and particulate matter. And more often in the summer time, when ozone levels are higher. These are the conclusions of researchers at Rice University who studied the 11,677 cases of cardiac arrest logged by emergency services personnel in Houston, Tx. between 2004 and 2011. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2013/02/18/researchers-prove-air-pollution-causes-heart-attacks/ Four air pollution control agencies that impact Bakersfield and Kern County. One of the drawbacks to living in Bakersfield and Kern County is that we have some of the worst air quality in the nation. Whether talking about photochemical smog or particulate air pollution, there aren't many places in the country that have a worse air pollution problem than right here in the San Joaquin Valley. What a lot of people don't know or understand, unless they spend their working days interacting with government…Posted. http://www.examiner.com/list/four-air-pollution-control-agencies-that-impact-bakersfield-and-kern-county Navajo Nation agrees to coal-power plant extension. The Navajo Nation has reached an agreement in extending a lease for a coal-power plant that would give the tribe a substantial boost in annual payments. The proposed agreement, posted Friday on the tribe's website for public comment, is for a 25-year lease that will expire in 2044 and will increase lease payments from $3 million a year to $45 million a year to the tribe. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/16/navajo-nation-agrees-to-coal-power-plant/#ixzz2LMnb3atU EPA, N.M. haze deal requires coal-fired power plant's shift to gas. New Mexico's largest electricity provider will shutter two coal-fired units and burn natural gas at the San Juan Generating Station in the Four Corners area under a tentative agreement between the state and U.S. EPA over a long-disputed regional haze cleanup plan. Gov. Susana Martinez (R) and EPA announced Friday that the state would proceed with an alternative to a federal plan for cleaning up air in the Four Corners region. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/18/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 'Very large amount of evidence' links ozone, disease -- EPA science review. A U.S. EPA science review has reaffirmed that exposure to ozone -- a precursor to smog -- is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease and death. The 1,200-page integrated science assessment, released Friday, is the first update to EPA's ozone review since 2006 and is meant to guide the writing of national air quality standards. The document reflects evidence from studies released since the 2006 review. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/18/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE EU parliament hesitates in drafting law for CO2 fix. European lawmakers backed an emergency plan to save the world's biggest market for carbon allowances from collapse on Tuesday, but put off drafting the necessary legislation, sending prices down by as much as 20 percent. The carbon market, a pillar of the European Union's climate policy to cut greenhouse gas emissions, has hit a series of record low prices because of a huge surplus of allowances, mostly caused by economic recession in the euro zone. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/19/us-eu-ets-idUSBRE91I0H320130219 Climate change rally brings thousands to protest in Washington. Climate activists descended on Washington, D.C., on Sunday in what organizers boasted was the largest climate-change rally in American history, claiming more than 35,000 attendees. The Forward on Climate rally, as it was billed by environmental groups Sierra Club and 350.org, called for President Obama to take immediate action on climate change, with many calling for the government to block the construction of the oil pipeline known as Keystone XL. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-climate-change-rally-washington-20130217,0,799969.story http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Thousands-protest-Keystone-XL-pipeline-4286432.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/18/tp-crowd-protests-oil-pipeline/ EU lawmakers seek to beef up cap-and-trade system. European lawmakers are proposing to tighten the bloc's cap-and-trade system to make carbon dioxide pollution more expensive. The European Parliament's environment committee voted in favor of a change Tuesday that would allow the EU Commission, the bloc's executive arm, to tighten the supply of pollution rights. The price for the emission allowances has dropped significantly since their introduction amid lower-than-expected demand as the European debt crisis…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/EU-lawmakers-seek-to-beef-up-cap-and-trade-system-4290039.php#ixzz2LN9tnJ3h http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eu-lawmakers-seeking-to-tighten-cap-and-trade-system-to-make-carbon-pollution-more-expensive/2013/02/19/4715a38c-7ab0-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.html Poll reveals more Americans say they believe climate is changing. The percentage of Americans who believe the climate is changing has grown, and the majority of Americans support new regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study from Duke University. The survey found that 50 percent of Americans "are convinced the climate is changing" and another 34 percent believe it "is probably changing." Duke said this is the highest level of belief in climate change since 2007. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/19/v-print/5199858/poll-reveals-more-americans-say.html Climate contradiction: Less snow, more blizzards. With scant snowfall and barren ski slopes in parts of the Midwest and Northeast the past couple of years, some scientists have pointed to global warming as the culprit. Then, when a whopper of a blizzard smacked the Northeast with more than 2 feet of snow in some places earlier this month, some of the same people again blamed global warming. How can that be? It's been a joke among skeptics, pointing to what seems to be a brazen contradiction. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/18/5198319/climate-contradiction-less-snow.html?storylink=lingospot_related_articles#storylink=cpy Influential climate science work remains under the radar. It is probably the most influential paper on climate science today. But few outside scientific circles even know it exists. Though just six pages long, it's dense, technical writing makes it largely incomprehensible to non-experts. And yet this paper is transforming the climate change debate - prompting the financial world to rethink the value of the world's fossil fuel reserves and giving environmental activists a moral argument for action. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/15/5193854/influential-climate-science-work.html?storylink=lingospot_related_articles#storylink=cpy Islands want UN to see climate as security threat. The Marshall Islands and other low-lying island nations appealed to the U.N. Security Council to recognize climate change as an international security threat that jeopardizes their very survival. Tony deBrum, a minister and assistant to the Marshall Islands president, said Friday the island nations are facing opposition from Security Council permanent members Russia and China and a group of more than 130 mainly developing nations, which argue that the U.N.'s most powerful body is the wrong place to address climate change. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/16/islands-want-un-to-see-climate-as-security/#ixzz2LMpAuQXG S.F. protest urges action on climate change. Environmentalists are protesting in San Francisco as they urge President Barack Obama to take action on climate change and reject a pipeline that would carry oil from Canada to Texas. Organizers say the members of 65 San Francisco Bay area groups including the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and 350.org are taking part in the rally, which coincides with a demonstration in Washington, D.C. Demonstrators are holding the protest outside of a U.S. Department of State office, where they demanding the State Department reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/17/sf-protest-urges-action-on-climate-change/ Working Out Kinks in the Cap-and-Trade Market. California's cap-and-trade program to cut greenhouse gases resumes with its second auction of carbon allowances to industrial polluters. In addition to the state's carbon footprint, billions of dollars are at stake. But some questions remain from the first auction. (AUDIO) Posted. http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201302190850/a Tempered expectations ahead of Calif.'s second carbon credit auction. California's second auction of greenhouse gas allowances, taking place today, should offer a more accurate picture of the Golden State's carbon market, observers said. The lack of a serious legal challenge to the state's authority, as well as the official start of the program itself, should increase participation among the 600-odd businesses that are required to submit allowances under the economywide carbon cap. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/19/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY New alliance forms to challenge oil industry on Calif. climate law. A battle is heating up between part of the oil industry and supporters of California's climate law. A new group has come together with the goal of fighting arguments made by Fueling California, an organization that is targeting the Golden State's low-carbon fuel standard. That rule aims to grow use of alternatives to gasoline and diesel. The alliance, called Stop Fooling California, launched last month and reached out Sunday to local communities at Los Angeles events tied to the Keystone XL pipeline protest in Washington, D.C. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/19/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Obama Faces Risks in Pipeline Decision. President Obama faces a knotty decision in whether to approve the much-delayed Keystone oil pipeline: a choice between alienating environmental advocates who overwhelmingly supported his candidacy or causing a deep and perhaps lasting rift with Canada. Canada, the United States’ most important trading partner and a close ally on Iran and Afghanistan, is counting on the pipeline to propel more growth in its oil patch, a vital engine for its economy. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/business/energy-environment/obamas-keystone-pipeline-decision-risks-new-problems-either-way.html?hpw California ARB proposing amendments to Clean Fuels Outlet regulation to ensure adequate hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) will conduct a public hearing in June to consider adopting amendments to the Clean Fuels Outlet (CFO) Regulation with the intention of ensuring an adequate hydrogen refueling infrastructure to support the introduction and growth of hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/cfo-20130219.html VEHICLES Ford’s Fusion stands out. The redesigned-for-2013 Ford Fusion midsize sedan is arguably one of the handsomest rides on the road. It also comes close to being one of the most improved models of the year, though a step or two in the wrong direction detract from the car’s giant leaps forward. We recently had the chance to take a Ford Fusion Hybrid for a week’s test drive, and found it to be everything a family-minded midsize car should be: responsive, roomy, quiet and fuel-efficient. Posted. http://www.pe.com/cars/cars-headlines-index/20130218-fords-fusion-stands-out.ece Lawmakers aim to clear way for medium-speed electric vehicles. Two Riverside County lawmakers want to pave the way for more environmentally friendly all-electric vehicles to cruise the streets of California cities. Assembly members Brian Nestande, R-Palm Desert, and Jose Medina, D-Riverside, have introduced a bill that would open that door by creating a new vehicle classification in California: medium-speed electric vehicles. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/17/tp-lawmakers-aim-to-clear-way-for-medium-speed/ Inflated numbers prompt concerns over EPA mileage stickers. The United States' reputation for tough fuel economy standards was tarnished in November when U.S. EPA announced that Hyundai Motor Group had embellished the fuel mileage for 900,000 Hyundai and Kia vehicles sold in the United States by as much as 6 mpg. The parent company apologized and voluntarily decided to compensate owners of the vehicles. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/18/18 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-Speed Rail Buzz Overpowers Daily Chug Of Freight Trains. >From the steam engine to visions of a national high-speed rail system, railroads have made their mark on American culture. In his first term, President Obama promised to create a national system of high-speed rail, though he was scarcely the first politician to have done so. The January 2010 stimulus bill allocated $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, but Congress rejected federal funding for it. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/02/16/172199502/high-speed-rail-buzz-overpowers-daily-chug-of-freight-trains GREEN ENERGY UNLV team prepares to break ground on solar house. After a year of perfecting their design, a team of students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is ready to break ground on a super-energy-efficient house and pit it against similar creations in a national competition. UNLV's Solar Decathlon team submitted plans for approval and hopes to start building the 735-square-foot, solar-powered house dubbed "Desert Sol" later this month. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/18/unlv-team-prepares-to-break-ground-on-solar/#ixzz2LMqM6RWt Beer-powered beer. The Alaskan Brewing Co. is going green, but instead of looking to solar and wind energy, it has turned to a very familiar source: beer. The Juneau, Alaska-based beer maker has installed a unique boiler system in order to cut its fuel costs. It purchased a $1.8 million furnace that burns the company’s spent grain — the waste accumulated from the brewing process — into steam that powers the majority of the brewery’s operations. Company officials joke that they are now serving “beer-powered beer.” Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/18/tp-beer-powered-beer/ Steve Scauzillo: Financiers turning green on energy savings. Advances in energy haven't changed much in the last 40 years. Solar power, wind power, battery-power - we had all these when Sen. Gaylord Nelson launched the first Earth Day in 1970. Frustrated futurists such as myself who grew up reading Asimov and Bradbury and watching Lucas' and Roddenbery's visions manifest on the small and big screens want more. If no starships, then at least give us that blue food they ate on Tatooine. Well, that's not a good example for us foodies. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_22605129/steve-scauzillo-financiers-turning-green-energy-savings?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com#ixzz2LN3xx1kF MISCELLANEOUS Solar Power's Toxic Footprint. According to figures released by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control DTSC, solar manufacturers in the state produced over 46 million pounds of hazardous waste between 2007 and 2011. 1.4 million pounds of that waste, which included polluted water and heavy metals such as cadmium, was shipped out of state -- meaning that calculations of solar's climate benefit must account for fuel used to ship that hazardous waste. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/solar-powers-toxic-footprint.html OPINIONS How Not to Fix Climate Change. After much back and forth, James E. Hansen and I had agreed on a date to meet. Hansen, the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, is the scientist most closely associated with climate change activists like Bill McKibben, who has led the charge against the Keystone XL pipeline, and Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club. In Hansen’s view, the country needs to start moving away from fossil fuels now, before the damage becomes irreversible. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/opinion/nocera-how-not-to-fix-climate-change.html?_r=0 Politics and energy policy. Obama urged a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change. What might that look like, and is there any chance of it happening? Quick: Name one thing mainstream Republicans and Democrats agree on when it comes to energy policy. Other than that both sides would like it to be cheaper, you're probably drawing a blank. That's why there was something a little quixotic in President Obama's call last week, during his State of the Union address, urging Congress to get together and pursue "a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change." Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-energy-policy-bipartisan-20130218,0,7133001,print.story Biking in L.A.? (Gulp) You bet! A transplanted Midwesterner learns that, with a little care and a lot of luck, it can be done. And it sure beats sitting in traffic. I step out the door of my Los Feliz apartment and head to the parking lot where my rust-colored bicycle awaits. Strap on the helmet. Key open the bike lock. It's another sunny morning in L.A. The pavement rolls by under my single-speed bicycle. Commonwealth Avenue. Talmadge Street. And finally, Sunset Boulevard. Dodge, roll, brake, roll. Shattered windshield glass. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poston-bicycle-20130219,0,7268780.story?track=rss Another View: CEQA reform should not only be for cities. The Bee has always been Sacramento-centric, but in response to Stuart Leavenworth's column, "A CEQA advance environmentalists should explore" (Feb. 10), I can only respond: Seriously? Leavenworth proposes "a CEQA exemption for housing, transit and certain mixed-use projects within cities – and only cities. It would not apply to developments that counties might want in their unincorporated areas." Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/17/5194656/ceqa-reform-should-not-only-be.html?storylink=lingospot_related_articles#storylink=cpy Editorial: Plastic bag ban is not a simple issue. Proceed, but make sure to get it right. That should be the mind-set of Sacramento City Council members as they consider a possible ban on plastic bags. It's certainly better for the environment if we use fewer plastic bags, especially the thin ones favored by grocery stores. They are not biodegradable and less than 5 percent are recycled, the state estimates. Sacramento is among the minority of cities that try to recycle them, but bags continually get caught in sorting equipment. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/19/5199134/plastic-bag-ban-is-not-a-simple.html Coal plant a bad idea in a region with dirty air. I am bothered to learn that the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has issued a preliminary air permit to SCS Energy for a coal power plant in Kern County near Button willow called Hydrogen Energy California, or HECA. Having the dirtiest air quality in the nation, it should be unthinkable to permit a plant that will be using 300 trucks a day of coal to fuel it. The emissions, including mercury, will only make our air quality worse. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/letters/x837005220/Coal-plant-a-bad-idea-in-a-region-with-dirty-air BLOGS Holding Obama’s Feet to the Climate-Change Fire. At first glance, it was hard to tell whether they had come to bury Obama or to praise him. Thousands of activists from hundreds of environmental, social justice and community groups marched on Washington yesterday in the biggest climate rally ever held in the U.S. capital. Activists both called on President Obama to make good on his climate change policy promises and protested the Keystone XL pipeline project. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/holding-obamas-feet-to-the-climate-change-fire/ Could Wind Power Cool New England’s Price Fever? As I reported in Saturday’s paper, New England is experiencing a remarkable spike in electricity prices brought on by high heating demand and rising natural gas prices for electric generators. What role, if any, could renewable energy play in solving this problem? At the Union of Concerned Scientists, the senior energy analyst Michael B. Jacobs, who has a blog called the Energy Roller Coaster, has been sounding the alarm about over-reliance on natural gas in New England and Texas. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/could-wind-power-cool-new-englands-price-fever/ California's second cap-and-trade auction set for Tuesday. California continues its efforts to combat global warming this week, as the state Air Resources Board auctions off permits for carbon pollution. Large polluters, like power plants that burn fossil fuels, send greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In the future, they’ll need permits to do that. The state held its first auction for these permits in November. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/02/18/12589/californias-second-cap-and-trade-auction/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:01:42 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 20, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 20, 2013. 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 RESOURCES BOARD Phil Serna to be sworn in to California Air Resources Board. Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna will be sworn in as the newest member of the California Air Resources Board tomorrow at 9 a.m. The swearing in will take place in the Joe Serna Jr. Cal/EPA Headquarters Building, 1001 I St., named after Serna's late father, who was once mayor of Sacramento. Serna was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to fill a new seat created by recent legislation to add representation for the region. The legislation was authored by Assembly member Roger Dickinson, a former Sacramento County supervisor. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/19/5201659/phil-serna-to-be-sworn-in-to-california.html#storylink=cpy AIR POLLUTION China to Impose Limits on Six Industries to Tackle Air Pollution. China will impose emission limits on six polluting industries including coal-fired power plants and steel and petrochemical factories as soon as March 1 to improve air quality in major cities. China “must strictly impose” the limits to improve air quality, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Environmental Protection website today that cited a meeting headed by Minister Zhou Shengxian. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-20/china-to-impose-limits-on-six-industries-to-tackle-air-pollution.html UC Davis study says it found source of air pollutants. Researchers at UC Davis have established, for the first time, a link between toxic substances that pollute the air and what causes them. The research, announced Monday by the California Air Resources Board and the Electric Power Research Institute, holds the potential to better regulate sources of air pollution – an issue of great import to the asthma-plagued Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/20/5202039/uc-davis-study-says-it-found-source.html#storylink=cpy Valley air officials give preliminary OK to hydrogen plant emissions. Central Valley regulators have tentatively signed off on the air pollution expected to be generated by the Hydrogen Energy California power and chemical plant proposed near Tupman. While a full project approval is at least several months away, the preliminary determination of compliance issued last week by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District signals that HECA appears to meet its various requirements. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/local/x837005528/Valley-air-officials-give-preliminary-OK-to-hydrogen-plant-emissions Think tank encourages EPA to apply rarely used legal move to cut greenhouse gas emissions. A New York-based institute has asked U.S. EPA to consider a little-used section of the Clean Air Act to cut greenhouse gases, a move it says will give states more control over how to curb climate change. The Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University sent a petition to acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe yesterday, requesting that the agency consider using Section 115 of the Clean Air Act to require states to formulate plans to reduce emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/20/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Clouds and pollution -- a climate change mystery solved. How does pollution affect cloud formation and climate change? This question has long been an unsolved mystery of climate science, leading to uncertainty in climate modeling. Research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences takes a big step toward answering that question and helping scientists improve those models. For nearly half a century, scientists speculated that air pollution from burning fossil fuels causes clouds to form differently. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/20/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CAP AND TRADE In European Union, Emissions Trade Is Sputtering. President Barack Obama is trying to persuade the United States to adopt a cap-and-trade system to curb greenhouse gas emissions. But the European Union’s Emissions Trading System — the world’s flagship effort — is sputtering. European carbon permits, which traded at about €30 per ton a few years ago, are now hovering at about €5 per ton or less. The Union set up the E.T.S. in 2005 to send a clear signal to electric utilities and other polluters that over time they needed to switch to cleaner energy sources and adopt innovative anti-pollution technology. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/business/energy-environment/21iht-green21.html California holds second auction of carbon credits. California held its second auction Tuesday for carbon-emissions allowances, pursuing the next phase in its controversial mechanism to curtail greenhouse gases. The Air Resources Board sold more than 22 million allowances, each one containing the right to emit a ton of carbon into the air. The state agency will wait until Friday to release prices and other results from the three-hour electronic auction. The minimum bid price was $10.71 a ton. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/20/5201960/california-holds-second-auction.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/20/2585770/california-holds-second-auction.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE TransCanada: Pipeline would not affect climate. In a shift in strategy, the company that wants to build an oil pipeline from western Canada to Texas said Tuesday that the project will have no measurable effect on global warming. Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada's president for energy and oil pipelines, said opponents of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline have grossly inflated its likely impact on emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/19/transcanada-pipeline-would-not-affect-climate/ Legislative watchdog questions legality of Brown plan for spending climate fees. California Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to spend climate change fees on hiring at a housing agency could be illegal, a state audit agency warned yesterday. Brown's proposal, included in the 2013-2014 budget the Democrat unveiled last month, would take $650,000 from fees that businesses pay for the state climate programs and spend it on five new positions at a housing agency. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/20/14 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Industry, environmentalists mull 'fracking' rules. Leases have been signed on tens of thousands of acres in southern Illinois. Studies have hinted at the potential economic payoff of drilling for oil and gas deposits deep underground. But so far, oil and gas companies have held off on high-volume hydraulic fracturing in Illinois because the state lacks ground rules for the industry. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/20/industry-environmentalists-mull-fracking-rules/#ixzz2LT1XaatL Calif. walloped with criticisms on proposed fracking rules. A group of California residents yesterday denounced the state's proposed rules on hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas, saying they are inadequate and wouldn't protect people or resources. About 80 people who filled a hotel ballroom here rattled off what they saw as flaws with the draft regulations, including that the proposed rule fails to provide enough advance warning when fracking will occur and would not force public disclosure of all chemicals used. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/02/20/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Industry fights back on Keystone XL's climate impact. In the wake of environmental protests at the White House, supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline pushed back yesterday against the argument that the planned oil conduit from Canada would be a climate catastrophe. Canada constitutes about 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, with the oil sands constituting a small percentage of that total, said Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada's president of oil pipelines and energy…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/20/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Home Solar Systems to Be an Option for Honda Customers. Automakers have long resorted to incentives like zero-percent financing, rewards points and rebates to inspire customer loyalty. Now Honda is offering a different deal: inexpensive home solar power systems for customers. Through a partnership with SolarCity, a residential and commercial installer, Honda and Acura will offer their customers home solar systems at little or no upfront cost, the companies said on Tuesday. The automaker will also offer its dealers preferential terms to lease or buy systems from SolarCity on a case-by-case basis, executives said. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/business/honda-to-offer-customers-a-home-solar-system-option.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print California wins ruling on 2000-2001 energy crisis. More than a decade after the last rolling blackout, Californians could get $1.6 billion in electricity refunds because of market manipulation during the first few months of the energy crisis, officials said Monday. A federal administrative law judge issued a preliminary decision last Friday in California's favor against several big energy wholesalers, including a U.S. government agency that sells hydropower from the Pacific Northwest and the government of British Columbia. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/20/5201958/california-wins-ruling-on-2000.html#storylink=cpy U.S. spent more on energy efficiency than on conventional energy in 2010 – study. The United States spent $574 billion on energy efficiency in 2010. That's 3.4 times the investment in conventional energy technology, an indication that productivity of the U.S. economy may be linked more to efficiency than extracting energy resources. A report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), following an analysis of energy efficiency resources in the United States, estimates that $170 billion was invested in conventional energy supply…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/20/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Emerging markets seen as 'next wave' in smart grid growth – report. The global smart grid market could grow to be worth more than $66 billion by the year 2023, with much of that growth likely to occur in emerging economies in Africa, South America and Southeast Asia, according to a new analysis by Washington, D.C.-based research firm Northeast Group. "In North America and Western Europe, they've been doing a lot of smart metering already," said Ben Gardner, president and co-founder of Northeast Group LLC. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/20/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONY MISCELLANEOUS Toxic nap mats draw suit in Oakland. An Oakland watchdog group said Tuesday it is suing major manufacturers and retailers, including Target and Amazon.com, for selling nap mats made with a toxic flame retardant that is also a known carcinogen. The lawsuit is the latest legal move for the group, which last year put the companies on notice for selling or making similarly contaminated changing pads, crib mattresses and other items. While some of the manufacturers and retailers say they've started to change their practices, the Center for Environmental Health says it wants the courts to require swift action. Many foam nap mats, which are widely used at places like day care centers, are doused with flame retardants linked to obesity, hormone disruption. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Toxic-nap-mats-draw-suit-in-Oakland-4292200.php#ixzz2LTWD1y00 Clean-air chief Gina McCarthy seen as likely pick to head EPA. President Barack Obama is expected by environmental advocates to name Gina McCarthy, the controversial chief of the Environmental Protection Agency's air pollution arm, to head the agency. The nomination of McCarthy, 58, who has served as the head of the EPA's clean-air division since 2009, could come as early as next week, according to officials of three environmental groups. Her boss, Lisa Jackson, left the administrator's post Thursday. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/15/5194507/clean-air-chief-gina-mccarthy.html#storylink=cpy Sacramento moves ahead on proposal to ban plastic grocery bags. A Sacramento City Council subcommittee moved forward Tuesday with drafting an ordinance to ban single-use plastic shopping bags at large grocery stores in the city. The council's Law and Legislation Committee directed city staff to begin working on the ordinance, which will eventually return to the committee before being voted on by the City Council. The process of adopting a ban would likely take until June. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/19/5201725/sacramento-moves-ahead-on-proposal.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region#storylink=cpy OPINIONS No, Greenland Does Not Belong to China. Greenland may well develop into a large exporter of uranium. In the south of the island, rare earth deposits are among the largest in the world. Huge reserves of oil and gas are hidden off shore. And yes, London Mining, a British mining company, and the Greenland self-government authority are luring the Chinese to invest $2 billion in an iron-ore mine close to the Greenland ice sheet some 175 kilometers north of Nuuk, the capital. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/opinion/no-greenland-does-not-belong-to-china.html?_r=0 BLOGS Mistake in First California Carbon Auction Raises Questions About Secrecy. California’s cap-and-trade program to cut greenhouse gases resumed this week with its second auction of carbon allowances to industrial polluters. The market is being closely watched around the world, and billions of dollars are at stake. But some nagging questions are lingering from the first auction. The state’s first-ever carbon auction last November was a very exclusive online event, open only to bidders and regulators at the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/02/19/working-the-kinks-out-of-californias-carbon-market/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:57:18 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 21, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 21, 2013. 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 China to push compulsory insurance for polluting industries. China will force heavily polluting industries to participate in a compulsory insurance program to ensure they can adequately provide compensation for damage, the government said on Thursday. Pollution has become a core concern for the stability-obsessed ruling Communist Party because of the public anger and protests it generates and because the issue cannot easily be hidden from view. Companies that must participate in the scheme include mining and smelting industries…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/us-china-environment-idUSBRE91K0L120130221 Ozone levels linked to cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrests are more likely when levels of air pollution - especially soot-like particles and ozone - have been high in recent days or even hours, according to a large study from Texas. Evidence already links airborne particles with heart disease and lung problems but the new findings are the first to show that high ozone may immediately raise the risk that a person’s heart will stop beating. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/us-ozone-levels-idUSBRE91J13920130220 http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/02/21/news/doc5125c7b884e9a285533220.txt http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22629034/air-pollution-linked-cardiac-arrest?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com CLIMATE CHANGE Activist investors put climate-change issue up for vote at bank. PNC Financial Services Group shareholders will consider the resolution at the April 23 annual meeting. It seeks a review of how its loans lead to greenhouse gas. Activist investors have succeeded for the first time in placing a shareholder resolution on the risks of greenhouse-gas emissions up for a vote at a major bank, a step toward making climate change an important consideration for corporations. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-banks-climate-change-20130221,0,6987137.story Don’t believe in climate change? Talk to a clam digger. Behind the counter at Seattle’s Taylor Shellfish Market, a brawny guy with a goatee pries open kumamoto, virginica, and shigoku oysters as easily as other men pop beer cans. David Leck is a national oyster shucking champion who opened and plated a dozen of them in just over a minute (time is added for broken shells or mangled meat) at the 2012 Boston International Oyster Shucking Competition. You have to be quick, these days, to keep up with demand. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/dont-believe-in-climate-change-talk-to-a-clam-digger/ DIESEL EMISSIONS California ARB to hold public workshop on new GHG and emissions standards for heavy-duty engines and vehicles. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) will hold a public workshop on 11 March to discuss proposals for several regulations and regulation amendments related to on-road heavy-duty vehicles. At this workshop, staff will be soliciting input on proposals multiple proposals: a new regulation to harmonize with GHG emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty engines and vehicles that US EPA adopted in 2011; amendments to ARB’s existing Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Emission Reduction Regulation to align with the proposed new GHG regulation; a new set of optional oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/arb-20130221.html FUELS Scientists explore new ways to make isobutanol. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a more efficient method for making isobutanol, a promising advanced biofuel and chemical ingredient, from yeast. Traditionally, yeast cells can produce isobutanol in the cytosol, the gel-like fluid inside the cell. But MIT chemical engineering professor Gregory Stephanopoulos and his team of researchers found a way to engineer yeast to process the isobutanol in the mitochondria -- the "power plant" that generates most of the cell's energy. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/21/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla CEO expects profitable quarter. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk predicted Wednesday that the maker of luxury electric cars would reach profitability in the current quarter, a milestone for a startup that just began mass production last year. Musk made the prediction while reporting a $396.2 million loss for 2012, up from $254.4 million in 2011. Tesla spent heavily last year as it refurbished a closed auto factory in Fremont to make the company's new Model S sedan and opened stores across North America to sell it. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Tesla-CEO-expects-profitable-quarter-4295652.php#ixzz2LYZZ1Qve GREEN ENERGY Rebates for California electricity ratepayers clear hurdle. A judge rules in favor of a complaint filed with federal regulators that power wholesalers allegedly manipulated the market during the energy crisis of 2000. California electricity ratepayers could get rebates of as much as $1.6 billion from more than a dozen power wholesalers that allegedly manipulated the market during the energy crisis of 2000, the state Public Utilities Commission announced. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-power-suppliers-gamed-system-20130221,0,38093,print.story County looks to recharge rooftop solar. County supervisors are hoping to remove some of the cloud over residential solar energy financing, starting with looking at what’s working up and down the Golden State. Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Dave Roberts are pushing for a study of residential and commercial funding plans to help decide how best to expand the county’s public-private solar financing. From the county perspective, the home piece is what’s missing, thanks to a ruling by the Federal Housing Financing Agency four years ago. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/20/county-looks-to-recharge-rooftop-solar/ Calif. consortium forms to push battery research. The eternal quest to get battery costs down and efficiency up is gaining a new champion. Enter CalCharge, a quasi-governmental effort aimed at the Golden State's 40-odd energy storage startups. The partnership between the U.S. Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF), a nonprofit investment fund created after the 1999-2000 California energy crisis, is designed to help companies network, develop their technologies and hone their business strategies. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/21/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS HECA plant, air district need to supply details. California's Central Valley has struggled with some of the worst air quality in the United States for years, and yet the regulatory agency charged with monitoring and improving that air quality, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, is on the verge of giving an OK that would make the air we breathe substantially dirtier. District regulators have tentatively signed off on the proposed Hydrogen Energy California power and chemical plant near Tupman in western Kern County. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/our-view/x738926004/HECA-plant-air-district-need-to-supply-details How Philosophy Explains High-Speed Rail. I didn’t understand Gov. Jerry Brown’s state of the state speech, but my fellow members of the press let me know it was brilliant. All those quotes – from philosopher to the Bible to the Little Engine That Could – explained everything, I’m told. So I’ve decided to learn, to turn over a new leaf, and use philosophy and the sharp quote to answer questions that haven’t been answered. Posted. www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2013/02/how-philosophy-explains-high-speed-rail/ Air quality and the county’s economy. Last week was the first column in what will be a series addressing the ill effects that extreme environmentalism has on our community. Last week, this column addressed the Precautionary Principle, a precept that posits regulation is required if the possibility of risk to the environment is perceived, even if evidence of risk does not exist and damage to the economy will result. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/commentary/improving-north-county/air-quality-and-the-county-s-economy/article_180fba5a-7be6-11e2-8f7e-0019bb2963f4.html BLOGS China is getting a carbon tax. But how effective will it be? China may soon get its very own tax on carbon emissions. That’s the latest scuttlebutt from state-owned news service Xinhua, which noted that the levy would be part of a broader effort to improve the country’s environment. Carbon tax, you say? It’s easy to see why this move is attracting so much attention. China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Yet the country has earned a reputation for bogging down international efforts to tackle climate change. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/21/china-may-soon-get-a-carbon-tax-but-will-it-make-any-difference/ http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/taxing-carbon/ Unlocking the Conspiracy Mind-Set. When I first met the NASA climate researcher Gavin Schmidt a few years ago, we discussed the proliferation of material on the Internet attacking mainstream climate science. I asked him whether he thought climate contrarians were flirting with conspiracy theory in their views. “Flirting?” he said. “No. They’ve already had conspiracy theory out on a hot date, and now it’s the morning after and they’re sitting up in bed, having coffee.” Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/unlocking-the-conspiracy-mindset/?ref=earth Electric Cars Going Out of Style? Not in China. What is China seeing in electric vehicles that the rest of the world is missing? Chinese car companies are behaving like they really know something. If history is any guide, the answer could reside with Xi Jinping and a future master plan for cars and energy in China. This week, Geely Automobile, Dongfeng Motors and other Chinese automotive firms are bidding to take over Fisker, maker of the Karma premium electric sedan. And Buffett-owned BYD plans to launch the Denza — a brand new electric car developed in a joint venture with Daimler – later this year. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/02/21/electric-vehicles-going-out-of-style-not-in-china/?mod=chinablog Biofuel rush wiping out America’s grasslands at fastest pace since the 1930s. America’s prairies are shrinking. Spurred on by the rush for biofuels, farmers are digging up grasslands in the northern Plains to plant crops at the quickest pace since the 1930s. While that’s been a boon for farmers, the upheaval could create unexpected problems. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/20/biofuel-craze-wiping-out-americas-grasslands-at-fastest-rate-since-the-dust-bowl/ Buy An Electric Vehicle, Get Cheap Solar Power (Honda & SolarCity Team Up). Now that the dust has settled on the Tesla vs. New York Times battlefield, weren’t we just saying that electric vehicles are selling quite well? That’s partly because car manufacturers are pulling out all the stops to get a foothold in the EV market before the competition really heats up. In the latest maneuver, Honda has teamed with solar energy leader SolarCity to offer cheap solar power to eligible customers. They promise a utility bill for solar power that is less than the rate for grid-supplied energy, and that applies to Acura customers, too. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/21/buy-an-electric-vehicle-get-cheap-solar-power/ Top oil lobbyist: New climate bill will never reach Senate floor. The head of a powerful oil industry trade group predicts the Senate will shy away from debate on new Democratic legislation that imposes fees on carbon emissions from coal and petroleum. American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard said he did not expect the Senate to vote on the bill sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Posted. htt`p://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284203-top-oil-lobbyist-new-climate-bill-will-never-reach-senate-floor http://grist.org/news/head-of-american-petroleum-institute-doesnt-see-a-need-to-regulate-carbon-anymore/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:19:14 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for February 22, 2012 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 22, 2013. 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 Report: Unreliable data could hinder EPA efforts to control pollution from natural gas boom. Limited data and unreliable estimates on air pollution from oil and natural gas production is hindering the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to police the drilling boom, the agency’s internal watchdog said in a report released Thursday. Inspector General Arthur Elkins Jr. said the EPA has failed to directly measure emissions from some pieces of equipment and processes, and some estimates it does have are of “questionable quality.” Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/report-unreliable-data-could-hinder-epa-efforts-to-control-pollution-from-natural-gas-boom/2013/02/21/3354b646-7c98-11e2-9073-e9dda4ac6a66_story.html CLIMATE CHANGE Second cap and trade auction needs big bucks. In a private and somewhat secret event on Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed state budget inched a little more towards balance... or further towards a multi-million dollar hole created by what's turned out to be relatively low demand for greenhouse gas pollution credits. It was the second of three initial auctions of carbon dioxide credits, and the first since November's offering came up significantly short in revenues available to the state. Posted. http://www.news10.net/capitol/article/231163/525/Second-cap-and-trade-auction-needs-big-bucks Ontario moving forward on cap-and-trade system. Environmental lawyers at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt said that the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s posting of a discussion paper on GHG emission reductions in January is a sign that a cap-and-trade system is in the works for the province. “This Discussion Paper is the latest indication that the Ontario Government intends to pursue a greenhouse gas reduction strategy that involves a cap-and-trade system that may have far-reaching effects on industry in the province,” write Daniel Kirby, Jack Coop, Jennifer Fairfax and Patrick Welsh in the Osler Update. “The Discussion Paper also makes it clear that the interests of stakeholders, including Ontario businesses, will be considered.” Posted. http://business.financialpost.com/2013/02/21/ontario-moving-forward-on-cap-and-trade-system/ FUELS EU member states say biofuels limit needs more thought. Limits must be imposed on the use of biofuels made from food crops, leading EU member states France and Britain said on Friday, while questioning the detail of a Commission proposal for a 5 percent cap. Concern that some biofuels create more problems than they solve led to a major policy shift in September when the EU executive announced plans to limit the use of crop-based biodiesel and bioethanol to 5 percent of total transport fuel consumption. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/eu-biofuels-idUSL6N0BM7IB20130222 U.S. natural gas futures slip, cold trend limits selling. Front-month U.S. natural gas futures turned slightly lower on Friday after some early buying, but the downside was limited by fairly cold forecasts for the eastern half of the country in the next two weeks that should stir more heating demand. Traders also said that gas prices at current levels should continue to draw support from some utilities opting to shun more-expensive coal for power generation. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/markets-nymex-natgas-idUSL1N0BM33220130222 MIT study finds fuel economy standards are 6-14 times less cost effective than fuel tax for reducing gasoline use. In a study published in the journal Energy Economics, MIT researchers have found that a fuel economy standard is at least six to fourteen times less cost effective than a fuel tax when targeting an identical reduction in cumulative gasoline use (20% by 2050). The researchers also found that a binding fuel economy standard, combined with a cap-and-trade (CAT) policy, increases the cost of meeting the GHG emissions constraint by forcing expensive reduction in passenger vehicle gasoline use, displacing more cost-effective abatement opportunities. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/mit-study-finds-fuel-economy-standards-are-6-14-times-less-cost-effective-than-fuel-tax-for-reducing-gasoline-use.html VEHICLES Electric-vehicle drivers outfit homes with specialized chargers. Fremont, Calif., resident Shinya Fujimoto bought his Nissan Leaf during heady times for electric-vehicle fans. It was spring 2011, when there was so much anticipation over a shipment of these all-electric vehicles from Japan to the West Coast that someone climbed aboard a chopper, shot photos of the cars on shipboard on their way to Southern California and posted them on a blog popular among plug-in vehicle owners. Postd. http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/22/2589171/electric-vehicle-drivers-outfit.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Workplaces offer electric car charging for employees. Employees at General Motors' plant in White Marsh, Md., have an unusual workplace benefit: Anyone who drives an electric car can plug it in to charge while they work. At the plant, which produces transmissions and electric motors, workers can park their electric vehicles - or EVs - in any of eight spaces under two solar-powered canopies in the employee lot. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/02/22/2589170/workplaces-offer-electric-car.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy WHAT OTHERS SAY: EPA botches oversight of car mileage claims. Indeed, the mileage claims made by automakers play a key role in a multibillion-dollar industry that deserves close government scrutiny. But what happens when the regulators fall down on the job? The federal Environmental Protection Agency has failed consumers with its abysmal handling of a controversy involving the fuel efficiency of some recent Hyundai and Kia vehicles. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130222/MCT/130229884/0/SEARCH Hyundai increases fuel efficiency and all-electric operation in 2013 Sonata Hybrid. The 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid offers increased fuel efficiency and operation in all-electric mode more often and for longer periods of time, with an advanced version of the brand’s Hybrid Blue Drive architecture. The improved 2013 Sonata Hybrid will offer two different model grades: Sonata Hybrid and Sonata Hybrid Limited. The Hybrid has estimated EPA fuel economy ratings of 36 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 38 mpg combined (6.5, 5.9, and 6.2 l/100 km, respectively). The Hybrid Limited model carries estimated ratings of 36 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 37 mpg combined. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/sonata-20130222.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Bill would ensure no new tracks for Peninsula high speed rail. State Senator Jerry Hill unveiled legislation Friday that would ensure that California's proposed high speed rail project will not include a new set of tracks through the Peninsula. Hill's bill has specific language to guarantee the high speed rail would run on the two existing tracks, sharing them with Caltrain. High speed rail officials have already promised Hill they would not add two additional tracks, making it a total of four on the Peninsula, where many neighbors oppose the idea. Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/peninsula&id=9002720 GREEN ENERGY Analyst wants competitive process for clean-energy money. The Legislative Analyst's Office is turning up its criticism of Gov. Jerry Brown's plans for clean energy funding. Brown wants to increase energy efficiency at thousands of local schools with $450 million generated by Proposition 39, which changed the corporate tax code. But legislative analysts say that may not achieve the goal of maximizing energy savings. The analysts originally expressed their concerns in a January report and expanded upon them in a new report released Thursday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-schools-clean-energy-20130221,0,451833.story Unsubsidised roof-top solar power grows competitive. Roof-top solar power is increasingly cost-competitive with retail power prices, with far-reaching implications for solar manufacturers, utilities and rival generation technologies.Data gathered from U.S. installations by the Department of Energy suggests it is cheaper to generate electricity from roof-top solar panels than to purchase power from electric utilities, if applied to European retail power prices. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/column-wynn-solar-subsidies-idUSL6N0BKEGQ20130222 Solar company acquired. Aztec Solar Inc., a Rancho Cordova company specializing in residential and commercial solar water heating, solar electric and solar pool heating installation and service, recently acquired Solahart Services of Stockton. Ed Murray, president of Aztec Solar, said the acquisition will expand Aztec's base in the Sacramento Valley. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120222/A_BIZ/202220310&cid=sitesearch BLOGS Climate Change Poll: Americans Think Government Can Affect The Climate. A week after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) responded to President Barack Obama's climate change push by arguing that "the government can't change the weather," a new poll shows that most Americans think the U.S. government can make some difference in combating climate change. But polls also show that people consider climate change to be a relatively low priority, underscoring the political difficulty of taking action on the issue. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/climate-change-poll_n_2733856.html Keystone XL decision will define Barack Obama's legacy on climate change. Very few of us have the opportunity in life to look forward to our legacy. However, sometimes events occur that we just know will shape how history will judge us. One of those events is about to happen to President Barack Obama. This year, his administration is expected to make a decision on whether to allow the construction of a massive pipeline that would be used to export tar sands from Alberta, Canada. The so-called Keystone XL pipeline would essentially bisect the United States to bring the tar substance (bitumen) to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. >From there, it could be exported around the world. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/feb/22/keystone-xl-pipeline-barack-obama-oil-sands Study of California cap-and-trade system suggests refinements. In the absence of federal action to create a national greenhouse gas emission "cap-and-trade" system, states are taking the lead. Last month, California launched the world's first economy-wide greenhouse cap-and-trade system, which affects power plants and other major greenhouse gas producers like refineries, cement and glass manufacturers. California's system builds on lessons learned by other pioneering systems, including the nation's first cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions, which began in 2008 and incorporates more than 200 power plants in nine Northeastern states that make up the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Posted. http://phys.org/news/2013-02-california-cap-and-trade-refinements.html Louisiana may see the highest-rising seas in the world. As Hurricane Katrina approached, many Americans for the first time learned about New Orlean’s precarious, below-sea-level orientation. The city is described as “bowl-like,” rimmed by levees and natural structures that might not hold back surging storm water — and might make drying out nearly impossible. It turned out that the analogy was imperfect. New Orleans is more like a TV dinner tray, and only the Ninth Ward ended up flooded. Posted. http://grist.org/news/louisiana-may-see-the-highest-rising-seas-in-the-world/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:17:11 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 25, 2013 From: jbaxter@arb.ca.gov 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 Seen as Nature Lovers’ Paradise, Utah Struggles With Air Quality. Utah has long been known as an outdoor lover’s utopia. The skiing and mountain biking are among the best anywhere. And the snow-clotted mountains that tower around Salt Lake give this city a mythic quality during winter. But lately, the Wasatch Front, the corridor of cities and towns where most Utahans live, has acquired a reputation for a less enviable attribute: bad air. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/us/utah-a-nature-lovers-haven-is-plagued-by-dirty-air.html?hpw&_r=0 Update factors in new laws for climate change. The impact of the state's climate change laws can be seen in a long-term transportation plan developing in San Joaquin County, which will exhibit a stronger-than-ever link to planned housing and other land use expectations. The Regional Transportation Plan includes policies, programs and specific projects needed in the county. It's updated every three years, but the latest iteration for the first time will include a "sustainable communities strategy." Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130225/A_NEWS/302250314&cid=sitesearch Compromise on snowmobiles in yellowstone. After more than 15 years, the Yellowstone snowmobile wars may have reached an end. The National Park Service announced Friday it has a new plan for managing snowmobiles and snow coaches in Yellowstone National Park, a compromise between tour operators eager to bring tourists in during the winter and environmentalists who oppose the pollution and noise accompanying such vehicles. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/24/tp-compromise-on-snowmobiles-in-yellowstone/ CLIMATE CHANGE Global warming worries California voters, poll finds. A new survey shows most California voters don't like government's response to global warming and still support the state's greenhouse gas emissions law. The Field Poll results released today show that 62 percent of voters are unhappy with the federal government's actions and nearly half, 49 percent, give low marks to what the state is doing. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/25/5214171/global-warming-worries-california.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Global-warming-worries-Californians-4305269.php http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22660260/new-field-poll-shows-most-californians-consider-climate http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22660260/new-field-poll-shows-most-californians-consider-climate?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22660260/new-field-poll-shows-most-californians-consider-climate?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com ARB announces results of latest Cap-and-Trade auction. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) today announced the result of last week's Cap-and-Trade Allowance auction. A summary of the results was posted on its website at noon today. This second auction of greenhouse gas (GHG) allowances was held on February 19, 2013. It included a current auction of 2013 vintage allowances and an advanced auction of 2016 vintage allowances. The auction is part of California's Ab32 Climate Change regulations. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-announces-results-of-latest-cap-and-trade-auction U.S. offers airspace-based emissions regime. A U.S. proposal for curbing aircraft emissions would exclude time spent flying over international waters, an approach that some environmental groups say is too timid in addressing the rise in greenhouse gasses from the aviation sector. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/uk-eu-icao-climate-idUSLNE91O00K20130225 Hotter, wetter climate slashes labor capacity by 10 percent: U.S. study. Earth's increasingly hot, wet climate has cut the amount of work people can do in the worst heat by about 10 percent in the past six decades, and that loss in labor capacity could double by mid-century, U.S. government scientists reported on Sunday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/24/us-climate-labor-idUSBRE91N0CN20130224 HIGH-SPEED RAIL Valley landowners drop suit against high-speed rail. A collection of landowners whose properties are in the path of proposed high-speed trains in Madera and Fresno counties have dropped their lawsuit against the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The rail authority announced Friday that it reached a settlement with Timeless Investment Inc., Millennium Acquisitions Inc., Horizon Enterprises and Everspring Alliance LP. It is the second lawsuit against the authority to be dismissed in less than a month. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/02/22/3184170/landowners-drop-lawsuit-against.html http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/special-sections/rail/x837005780/Landowners-drop-lawsuit-against-high-speed-rail FUELS Symbolism weighs heavy at Iran nuclear talks venue. The venue for talks on Iran's nuclear program between world powers and Tehran carries a symbolism that Western negotiators will hope serves as a positive omen. In the 1990s, Kazakhstan, a sprawling former Soviet republic, gave up a huge nuclear stockpile and now wants to capitalize on its nonproliferation track record by offering to host a bank of reactor fuel that would remove the need for countries, namely Iran, to enrich uranium for themselves. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Symbolism-weighs-heavy-at-Iran-nuclear-talks-venue-4305664.php#ixzz2LvfSBU00 US CEOs back more oil drilling and Keystone XL pipeline. A group of top business executives on Monday urged U.S. officials to cut red tape for drillers and open more federal land to oil and gas interests and approve the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline which is opposed by some environmental groups. The Business Roundtable, which speaks for chief executives at major U.S. companies, said too much regulation is hindering a true domestic energy renaissance even as domestic oil and gas output is booming due to new technology such as fracking. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/usa-energy-roundtable-idUSL1N0BP5G420130225 US Freedom Bio Fuels Adds Air-Tec Hydrogen Fuel Saving Systems. US Freedom Bio Fuels LLC, an industry leader of biodiesel processing systems since 2008, announced today that they have expanded their product line to include hydrogen boost systems and waste oil furnaces. "We are really excited about being able to offer a complete bio fuel package, Bio Fuels utilize waste and free energy to significantly reduce operating costs," commented Frederic Kirsch, Co-Owner of US Freedom Bio Fuels, LLC. He continues, "Biodiesel cuts your cost at the pump; the hydrogen boost system ensures you get the most out of your fuel, and lastly a waste oil furnace can provide essentially free heat." Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/25/5214933/us-freedom-bio-fuels-adds-air.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Chevron Corp latest oil major to make Australian shale bet. The U.S.-based Chevron Corp became the latest in a string of oil majors that have decided to invest in Australian shale, announcing on Monday that it has bought interest in two gas blocks in the Cooper Basin from Beach Energy. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/chevron-australia-shale-idUSL4N0BP0BP20130225 http://blogs.wsj.com/dealjournalaustralia/2013/02/25/chevrons-australian-shale-gas-gamble/?KEYWORDS=fuels U.S. natgas futures climb for 2nd day, forecasts turn colder. Front-month U.S. natural gas futures gained ground on Monday for a second straight session as cold weather forecasts for the next two weeks continued to boost prospects for heating demand. Traders also said gas at current levels was still cheap enough to draw support from some utilities opting to shun more expensive coal for power generation. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/markets-nymex-natgas-idUSL1N0BP2JX20130225 U.S. Refiners May Use RINs to Meet Requirement on Biofuel Use. U.S. oil refiners may draw from a reserve of 2.5 billion Renewable Identification Numbers that they’ve banked in previous years to meet federal requirements for the amount of ethanol they blend into gasoline this year. Blenders can use as much as 20 percent of the current year’s volume of the RINs to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard set out in 2007, according to a report released today by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-25/u-s-refiners-may-use-rins-to-meet-requirement-on-biofuel-use.html VEHICLES China's BYD Looks to Triple Sales of Electric Vehicles. China's BYD is betting that the wider adoption of its electric vehicles for public transportation will help triple sales... Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323384604578323773383306796.html?KEYWORDS=vehicles GREEN ENERGY Oregon to review $30M in tax credits for wind farm. The state Department of Energy is reviewing whether a major wind farm in north-central Oregon should have received $30 million in tax credits. Officials decided to re-evaluate their recent approval of the tax breaks for the Shepherd's Flat wind farm after The Oregonian newspaper raised questions about whether it should have qualified for them. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Oregon-to-review-30M-in-tax-credits-for-wind-farm-4304297.php#ixzz2LviRJCxy Sullivan Solar Power Partners with aleo solar to Provide the Industry’s First 2.99% Financing. Sullivan Solar Power, one of the California’s largest renewable energy providers, today announced its partnership with aleo solar to provide low interest loans for residential solar power systems in Southern California. As opposed to a solar lease, what has become a typical financing method offered in the market, homeowners now have the opportunity to own their solar power system with a modest 12-year loan at a low 2.99% interest rate. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/Sullivan-Solar-Power-Partners-with-aleo-solar-to-4302909.php#ixzz2Lvjdini5 Lucintel Offering a Webinar, Growth Opportunities in Solar Photovoltaic Market 2012-2017, on 7th March, 2013. In calendar year 2011, the total amount of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations around the globe was estimated at 27.6 GW. The solar PV market experienced robust growth and reached an estimated US $93 billion with a 55% CAGR during 2006-2011. Solar PV promises strong growth in the coming years, which is reflected by the increasing installations comprising new capacity in the APAC nations, especially in China and India, along with huge potential in other “sunbelt” regions such as Africa, Japan, and Australia. Posted. http://www.timesunion.com/business/press-releases/article/Lucintel-Offering-a-Webinar-Growth-Opportunities-4302440.php#ixzz2LvkUqxRq Powerpac Ltd Enlist Brand Management Gurus Brand Outreach To Promote Green Deal Financing Opportunity. Brand Outreach the media specialists recently announced a partnership with Powerpac Ltd. Brand Outreach will facilitate media coverage for Powerpac. Powerpac Ltd has recently announced the Green Deal Finance plan as an accredited Green Deal installer, enabling businesses and homes to get finance to upgrade to solar power solutions. The deal even includes grant funding for heating and insulation upgrades through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/prweb/article/Powerpac-Ltd-Enlist-Brand-Management-Gurus-Brand-4302363.php#ixzz2Lvl0It6Y Silicon Valley-based Solar Junction signs agreement with Amonix. Silicon Valley-based solar energy company Solar Junction, a developer of high efficiency multi-junction solar energy cells for the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) market, has signed a co-development agreement with Amonix, a leading designer and manufacturer of utility-scale CPV solar power systems. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/25/5214830/silicon-valley-based-solar-junction.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Canadian Solar and Strata Solar Partner on Portfolio of Utility Scale Projects. Canadian Solar, Inc., (the "Company," or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar companies, today announced that it has invested in and partnered with Strata Solar on a suite of utility-scale solar power projects located in North Carolina. The projects, developed jointly, will total approximately 85MW divided amongst 15 unique solar installations. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/25/5214797/canadian-solar-and-strata-solar.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Greenbriar Negotiating New Solar Land Acquisitions. Greenbriar Capital Corp. -- (the "Company" or "Greenbriar") (TSX Venture Exchange -- "GRB") is pleased to announce that it is in negotiations to acquire at least five and up to eight real properties suitable for utility scale solar production. The sites are in very near proximity to utility scale interconnection facilities and provide ideal topographical conditions for large-scale energy production. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/24/5214440/greenbriar-negotiating-new-solar.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy S.J. businesses find it's easy being green. Maybe you've seen the giant wind turbines that power a distribution center and a rock quarry in the south county. Maybe you've seen the solar panels sprouting alongside Lincoln Unified schools. Maybe you've seen all-electric cars zipping along city streets, or plugging in at public stations. Green industry remains a small fraction of San Joaquin County's economy. But it can be hard to miss. And even as the county welcomes new cleaner, greener industry, many traditional businesses are also looking for ways to save the environment while saving money. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130224/A_SPECIAL13/302210346&cid=sitesearch MISCELLANEOUS Bay Area environmental group proposes hybrid levees for bay. As global warming escalates, San Francisco Bay's existing flood protection system will be no match for rising sea levels. But according to a new report by a Bay Area environmental group, fortifying the bay's shoreline with levees fronted by restored tidal marshes will be a cheaper, more aesthetic and ecologically sensitive alternative to traditional levees. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22651840/bay-area-environmental-group-proposes-hybrid-levees-bay OPINIONS Is This The Right Time To Bet On Miller Energy Resources ? Miller Energy Resources is an oil and natural gas exploration, production and drilling company operating in the Cook Inlet area of Alaska and in the heart of Tennessee's Appalachian Basin. The stock has been moving for 12 months now in a range from $3.50 to $5 per share, making it easy for any trader to earn money. Has the time come for Miller to break $5 and help the investors make money, too? Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/Is-This-The-Right-Time-To-Bet-On-Miller-Energy-4306323.php#ixzz2LvhUWnmS The next big thing in energy: Decentralization. The smart energy analysts over at Pike Research — which puts out weekly reports I’d love to see but can never afford — recently published an interesting brief, and for once it’s free! It’s a high-level overview of “Five Metatrends to Watch in 2013 and Beyond” in the energy sector. Metatrends! (I really wanted to call this post “Metatrends Vs. Crocosaurus.” Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/the-next-big-thing-in-energy-decentralization/ Steve Scauzillo: Air pollution regulations put us light years ahead of China. The next time someone complains about our strict air pollution regulations in Southern California, just Google the words "China" and "air pollution." You will see very recent images of smoggy Beijing that makes an August day in L.A. back in the 1970s look like a picture postcard of a Swiss city with the gleaming Alps in the background. The air in China is so bad, you can see it from space. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_22653533/steve-scauzillo-air-pollution-regulations-put-us-light#ixzz2LwSR1Ak9 BLOGS New Business Alternatives for Obama's Climate Change Program. President Obama's emphatic stances on climate change during his inaugural address were indeed welcome words. Most analysts are focusing on the administration's ability to use new regulatory powers, largely through the EPA. But there are two other options that are currently underused and under-imagined. First, patent pooling has been used since the 19th century to spur innovation in industry to support either a wartime emergency or a financial debacle. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-larkin/clean-energy-technology_b_2759802.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:47:47 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 26, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 26, 2013. 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 East Bay lawmakers introduce bills aimed at Chevron in aftermath of Richmond refinery fire. Responding to last year's massive refinery fire at Chevron's refinery here, East Bay legislators Loni Hancock and Nancy Skinner introduced two state bills late Friday aimed at strengthening air quality regulators' ability to penalize and compel industry compliance. State Sen. Hancock's bill, SB 691, aims to increase civil penalties that stationary air pollution facilities must pay for violations of state air quality regulations. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22665590/east-bay-lawmakers-introduce-bills-aimed-at-chevron?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22665590/east-bay-lawmakers-introduce-bills-aimed-at-chevron?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com AEP to shut three coal-fired power plants as part of settlement. Three additional coal plants in the Midwest will cease operating by 2015 under a settlement agreement reached yesterday between American Electric Power Co. and a coalition of environmental groups and federal and state agencies. The agreement, which updates a 2007 settlement, effectively ends coal-fired generation at AEP's Big Sandy plant in Kentucky, in the heart of Appalachian coal country, and two power plants in Indiana and Ohio. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/26/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EPA's Gina McCarthy discusses future of EPA air rules. How can states more easily implement efficiency measures and renewables into their energy portfolios? During today's E&ETV event coverage of the Georgetown Climate Center's event "Promoting Low-Carbon Solutions and a Resilient Future Together," Gina McCarthy, U.S. EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, discusses the potential for future collaboration between industry and the agency on regulations. McCarthy is rumored to be at the top of the nomination list for EPA administrator. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/tv/transcript/1646 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE San Lorenzo Valley Water District eyes cap-and-trade program. Surveying will begin next month on about 1,600 acres of land in Boulder Creek, Zayante and Olympia to find out how much carbon those forests contain, with the San Lorenzo Valley Water District hoping to fetch a princely sum in the state's newly launched cap-and-trade program. Earlier this month, the district's Board of Directors approved spending $45,000 on the "carbon sequestration" project, which will be headed by the Alameda-based forestry consulting firm Buena Vista Services. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22666615/san-lorenzo-valley-water-district-eyes-cap-and Update factors in new laws for climate change. The impact of the state's climate change laws can be seen in a long-term transportation plan developing in San Joaquin County, which will exhibit a stronger-than-ever link to planned housing and other land use expectations. The Regional Transportation Plan includes policies, programs and specific projects needed in the county. It's updated every three years, but the latest iteration for the first time will include a "sustainable communities strategy." This comes from state climate change law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130225/A_NEWS/302250314/-1/A_NEWS14 Cities, rural areas, transportation join the scrum for cap-and-trade cash. As money pours into California's coffers from the auction of greenhouse gas allowances, green groups and government agencies are putting in their bids for a share of the state's cap-and-trade largesse. Potentially billions of dollars could be up for grabs as the quarterly auctions continue through 2020. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/26/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Another day, another set of dueling papers on the carbon tax. A think tank and a pro-manufacturing group released dueling papers today taking very different views of the carbon tax. The Brookings Institution paper suggests an escalating carbon tax could help address federal budget shortfalls, reduce heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, and make costly energy subsidies and regulations unnecessary. Meanwhile, the National Association of Manufacturers released a study that found a carbon tax would inhibit economic growth. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/26/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Canada to Follow U.S. Greenhouse Gas Regulations For Trucks. Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent on Monday announced final regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for trucks and buses in the country that will mirror those set to go into effect starting next year in the United States. The regulations will establish progressively more stringent standards for 2014 to 2018 model-year heavy-duty vehicles such as full-size pick-ups, semi-trucks, garbage trucks and buses. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/02/canada-to-follow-u-s-greenhouse-gas-regulations-for-trucks.aspx VEHICLES Brazil may require EV charging stations in 2014. Brazil, in an effort to attract car manufacturers to invest in local factories, may pass a law requiring power utilities to install electric vehicle charging stations, starting in 2014. Below cars21.com gives an overview of the proposed bill. According to the bill, utilities will be required to install charging points next to dedicated parking spaces. Battery electric cars, plug-in hybrids, but also e-scooters and e-bikes fall under the scope of the proposed bill. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5256 HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail project moving forward, CEO says. The state's High-Speed Rail Authority has nearly doubled the size of its staff in the past six months and expects the first phase of construction to be "under contract and under way this summer," the agency's CEO told lawmakers Monday. CEO Jeff Morales testified before the Assembly Transportation Committee in what its chairwoman called "the next chapter of legislative oversight" after debates last summer that culminated in the decision to appropriate the first $8 billion for what would be the nation's first high-speed rail system. Posted. http://www.montereyherald.com/state/ci_22668621/high-speed-rail-project-moving-forward-ceo-says After Delays, High-Speed Rail Project to Start This Summer. In his 2012 State of the State address, the governor said his administration was within weeks of releasing a new business plan "that will enable us to begin initial construction before the year is out." Then, last summer, Brown narrowly won lawmaker approval to sell billions of dollars in state bonds. High-speed rail backers had warned the project would lose its federal funds if that vote failed and construction were delayed. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/02/25/after-delays,-high-speed-rail-project-to-start-this-summer High-speed rail project on track. The CEO of California's high-speed rail project says the controversial $68 billion dollar project is still on track. High speed rail CEO Jeff Morales says he expects to break ground on the first phase of the project this summer. The 130-mile line will connect Madera and Bakersfield. Morales testified before the State Assembly Transportation Committee Monday, offering lawmakers an update on the project, which has been criticized for being too costly and for running through Central Valley farmland. Posted. http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/High-speed-rail-project-on-track/4QPnleTVR0qgqXkS1RrVJg.cspx GREEN ENERGY Calif. governor fast-tracks reviews on world's largest solar project. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) yesterday cleared some environmental hurdles of a solar project that will be the world's biggest. Brown declared the $1 billion McCoy Solar Project worthy of fast-track approval because it would create jobs, generate clean energy and help the state build needed infrastructure. Those characteristics make it eligible for expedited environmental review under A.B. 900, state legislation enacted in 2011. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/26/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS CEQA future tied to Oakland's experience. Gov. Jerry Brown wants to loosen requirements on the state's 43-year-old landmark environmental law and is willing to stare down his core backers in labor and environmental circles, in large part because of what he learned as mayor of Oakland more than a decade ago. In 2001, frustrated with the pace of his plan to revive downtown Oakland by creating housing for 10,000 residents there, Brown won passage of a state law that would exempt certain parts of the city's downtown from the California Environmental Quality Act… Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/politics/joegarofoli/article/CEQA-future-tied-to-Oakland-s-experience-4308007.php#ixzz2M2GYfh20 Sustainable Landscape Conference coming to Cuyamaca. Local resource-conservation efforts, the role of trees in ecological landscapes and other topics germane to sustainability will be on tap at Cuyamaca College’s fifth annual Sustainable Landscape Conference. The conference, which costs $90 for the general public and $60 for students, will be Thursday, March 7, at Cuyamaca’s performing arts theater. Registration and a continental breakfast starts at 7 a.m. and the program lasts through 4 p.m. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/25/sustainable-landscape-conference-coming-to-cuyamac/ OPINIONS Eugene Robinson: Obama should have utilities switch from coal to natural gas. The test of President Barack Obama's seriousness about addressing climate change is not his pending decision on the much-debated Keystone XL pipeline. It's whether he effectively consigns coal-fired power plants – one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions – to the ashcan of history. Since his re-election, Obama has signaled a new focus on climate change. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/26/5216894/obama-should-have-utilities-switch.html?storylink=lingospot_related_articles#storylink=cpy BLOGS Re-engineering Nature to Meet Energy Needs. Thousands of inventors, engineers and entrepreneurs gathered in a suburban Washington convention center on Monday for the annual three-day meeting of ARPA-E, the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy. It wasn’t quite the Oscars. At the registration desk, attendees received a goody bag that included a report on clean energy from the Pew Charitable Trusts and a refrigerator magnet that showed the periodic table of the elements. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/re-engineering-nature-to-meet-global-energy-needs/?ref=earth The Mathematics of Climate Change. The situation is that critical. Climate change is real. Responding to it will be full of challenges. But there will also be opportunities — an aspect of climate change emphasized by Dr. Emily Shuckburgh, a climate scientist based at the British Antarctic Survey. Dr. Shuckburgh speaks widely about climate change, and if you happen to be in San Francisco next week, you’ll have the opportunity to attend one of her talks. Posted. http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/climate/ Feeding Ourselves on a Warming Planet. As we have often noted here on the Green blog, one of the biggest uncertainties humanity faces regarding climate change is the potential effect on the world’s food supply. If there’s a risk that global warming and related changes could hit us much sooner and much harder than scientists are expecting, agriculture could be the crucial realm where that occurs. In fact, we have already entered an era of sharply higher global food prices, with climate change as one of the likely causal factors. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/feeding-ourselves-on-a-warming-planet/ California’s second cap-and-trade auction: Signs of a maturing market. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) held its second auction for greenhouse gas allowances this past Tuesday (Feb. 19). Severin Borenstein blogged about his reactions to the first auction held back in November 2012 here. As a quick refresher, in the first auction, the market clearing price for a “current” vintage 2013 allowance was 9 cents above the auction reserve price of $10 per ton and all allowances available for sale – roughly 23 million – were sold. Posted. http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2013/02/26/californias-second-cap-and-trade-auction-signs-of-a-maturing-market/ Transform: Cap and Trade Auction Proceeds Workshop. The State of California is holding the first of its hearings on how to invest revenues from the state’s landmark greenhouse gas cap-and-trade auction. Join TransForm and our allies in calling for these revenues to be invested in real transportation choices including expanded public transit, increasing biking and walking, and ensuring affordable and accessible housing. You can let our leaders know that you want this new revenue source invested in these priorities and making our communities healthier and prosperous. Posted. http://la.streetsblog.org/2013/02/26/transform-cap-and-trade-auction-proceeds-workshop/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:57:12 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 27, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 27, 2013. 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 As energy boom nears cities, a backlash grows. Colorado regulators grappling with a historic energy boom that's pushing oil rigs to the very doorsteps of suburban schools and homes were among the first in the nation to require companies to disclose the chemicals they use in their new drilling techniques. Now, the regulators have issued what they tout as the country's toughest energy drilling regulations, requiring rigs to be at least 500 feet away from occupied buildings and take other steps to limit pollution. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_22678246/energy-boom-nears-cities-backlash-grows?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22678246/energy-boom-nears-cities-backlash-grows http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22678246/energy-boom-nears-cities-backlash-grows http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-drilling-boom-approaches-cities-a-backlash-grows-in-colorado-other-states/2013/02/27/4d552dbe-80df-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html Emissions of NOx, SO2 from power plants lowest in 2 decades – EIA. Thanks to pollution control equipment and the rise of natural gas, emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from power plants dropped to their lowest levels in more than two decades, the Energy Information Administration reported today. Levels of SO2 dropped to below 4 million short tons last year, while NOx levels were below 2 million tons, continuing a steady decline since 2010. Both chemicals contribute to acid rain. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/02/27/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE RPT-FEATURE-Local warming: US cities in front line as sea levels rise. The signs of rising water are everywhere in this seaport city: yellow "Streets May Flood" notices are common at highway underpasses, in low-lying neighborhoods and along the sprawling waterfront. Built at sea level on reclaimed wetland, Norfolk has faced floods throughout its 400-year history. But as the Atlantic Ocean warms and expands, and parts of the city subside, higher tides and fiercer storms seem to hit harder than they used to. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/usa-climate-cities-idUSL1N0BR41M20130227 California starts year with record dry conditions. California is poised to shatter an all-time weather record by notching the driest January-February period in recorded history across the northern Sierra Nevada. The northern Sierra is crucial to statewide water supplies because it is where snowmelt accumulates to fill Shasta and Oroville reservoirs. These are the largest reservoirs in California and the primary storage points for state and federal water supply systems. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/27/5220561/california-starts-year-with-record.html Moving Forward, Looking Back / Simple ways we all can help curb global warming. It's been a half century since our planet's ecologic health became recognized not only as an area of scientific study but a matter of increasing concern. The early focus was on the status of our water, soil, and air -- major issues that now seem almost quaint as we confront the mother of all environmental ordeals: global warming. Here's the situation in a very small nutshell. Posted. http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/opinion/article/Moving-Forward-Looking-Back-Simple-ways-we-all-4313271.php#ixzz2M7nyIArg DIESEL EMISSIONS Big rigs pulled over for inspection on Highway 99. Some truck drivers were pulled over Tuesday on a Valley highway, not for how they drive but for the toxic emissions they may be putting into the air. The Central Valley is no stranger to air pollution. "California's air quality is the worst in the country and diesel trucks are significant contributors not only to smog but increase cancer risks," said Bruce Tuter with the California Air Resources Board. In an effort to curb the high emission rates, state inspectors spent the day conducting tests on heavy-duty trucks traveling on Highway 99. Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9008347#sthash.LD1TtrV1.dpuf FUELS Herdt: Freaking out about 'fracking'. Although it has been used in unregulated obscurity for decades in California, the drilling practice of hydraulic fracturing — you know it as “fracking” — has rather suddenly emerged as one of the top issues in Sacramento this year. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/26/herdt-freaking-out-about-fracking/?print=1 Power producers accelerate switch from coal to gas. Coal remained the No. 1 fuel for electric power generation in the United States last year, but it lost substantial ground to both natural gas and renewables as measured by growth in each of the major generation sectors, according to newly published government data. According to the Energy Information Administration's full-year data for 2012, coal consumption by both utilities and independent power producers declined 12.5 percent over the previous year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/27/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Chinese team signs up to next year’s new Formula E championship, featuring zero-emission cars. Team China Racing is the second team to sign up for next year’s environmentally friendly Formula E championship, which will feature zero-emission cars racing in 10 cities around the world. China Racing was officially proposed to motor sport’s governing body as one of the 10 teams taking part. British-based Drayson Racing was the first team to sign up, while Rio de Janeiro and Rome are the first two cities to commit to hosting a race. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/chinese-team-signs-up-to-next-years-new-formula-e-championship-featuring-zero-emission-cars/2013/02/27/a1d6add8-80f6-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html Land Rover to demonstrate ZF 9-speed automatic transmission; up to 16% fuel savings over standard 6-speed automatic. At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover will announce the first 9-speed automatic transmission for a passenger car; Land Rover is the lead partner on the project, working together with ZF. The ZF 9HP transmission (earlier post) is specifically designed for transverse applications and front or four-wheel drive and can thus be installed in 75% of all cars produced worldwide, ZF notes. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/9hp-20130227.html#sthash.E4ponn9w.dpuf GREEN ENERGY California Girds for Electricity Woes. Increased Reliance on Wind, Solar Power Means Power Production Fluctuates. California is weighing how to avoid a looming electricity crisis that could be brought on by its growing reliance on wind and solar power. Regulators and energy companies met Tuesday, hoping to hash out a solution to the peculiar stresses placed on the state's network by sharp increases in wind and solar energy. Power production from renewable sources fluctuates wildly, depending on wind speeds and weather. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323699704578328581251122150.html?KEYWORDS=california+girds BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Imperial County betting its future on renewable energy. The county, which has the state's highest jobless rate, needs the construction boom to spur its economy. But some farmers and Native Americans are crying foul. Situated in the southeastern corner of California, bordering Arizona and Mexico, Imperial County has long depended on agriculture and cash crops that grew from the good earth. But lately the region — which carries the dubious distinction of having the state's highest unemployment rate at 25.5%...Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-imperial-energy-20130227,0,497876.story Edison: San Onofre woes have cost $402 million. Edison has proposed restarting the unit where the wear is less extensive, at 70 percent power; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said it could decide whether to allow the restart as soon as late April. The cost to inspect and repair faulty steam generators at the San Onofre nuclear plant reached $102 million by the end of 2012, while the cost to replace lost power hit $300 million, Edison International said Tuesday in a report on company costs. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/news/million-497400-edison-generators.html#sthash.29nlvCcD.dpuf http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/02/san-onofre-costs.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Sun to power Silver City sewage treatment plant. Construction of a 4,000-panel solar array to power Silver City's sewage treatment plant is progressing, and city officials are already anticipating savings. Albuquerque-based Affordable Solar and a contractor began work in December on the project, which is expected to be finished this spring. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_22679136/sun-power-silver-city-sewage-treatment-plant?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22679136/sun-power-silver-city-sewage-treatment-plant http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22679136/sun-power-silver-city-sewage-treatment-plant OPINIONS Why green isn't always the new black. In the knowledge that green is apparently the new black, it was highly appropriate that South Korea's Kexim last week tapped hungry SRI funds with its first "green bond". The acronym stands for Socially Responsible Investment, and Kexim will be investing the proceeds from the US$500m foray in the eco-friendly projects it sponsors around the world. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/green-bonds-socially-responsible-investm-idUSL4N0BR35A20130227 Limiting Carbon Dioxide Pollution by Power Plants. ELECTRIC power plants spew about 40 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution in the United States, but, amazingly, there are no federal limits on utility emissions of this potent greenhouse gas. The Obama administration plans to remedy this situation by drafting rules that would curtail these discharges from existing plants. The president should make sure they are tough. Nothing he can do will cut greenhouse gases more. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/opinion/the-right-way-to-curb-power-plant-emissions.html?_r=0 ROBINSON: Obama has power to act on global warming. The test of President Barack Obama's seriousness about addressing climate change is not his pending decision on the much-debated Keystone XL pipeline. It's whether he effectively consigns coal-fired power plants — one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions — to the ashcan of history. Since his re-election, Obama has signaled a new focus on climate change. “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires…Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130226/WIRE/130229661/0/SEARCH Too early to thank Cuomo over fracking. New York missed a Feb. 13 procedural deadline, so it will be unable to issue regulations for high-volume fracking by the end of this month. As a practical matter, this means the Department of Environmental Conservation will have to scrap the work it's done and restart the process. There will have to be another round of public hearings, and another opportunity for citizens to submit hundreds of thousands of comments to the DEC…Posted. http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Too-early-to-thank-Cuomo-over-fracking-4311273.php#ixzz2M7oZlemU BLOGS A Fresh Look at China’s Long March on Energy and Emissions. The Rhodium Group consulting firm has released a “report card” on China’s energy trends and policies that describes the country’s intensifying efforts to increase the proportion of renewable sources like wind and hydroelectric dams and boost the efficiency of coal use (essentially the metric called “greenhouse gas intensity” by President George W. Bush). The blunting upward trajectory in the graph above reflects progress, but a long path ahead. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/a-fresh-look-at-chinas-long-march-on-energy-and-emissions/ Nine reasons China won’t need enough coal to justify coal ports in the Pacific Northwest. U.S. coal companies claim that exporting low-grade coal from the Powder River Basin through ports in the Pacific Northwest to Asia is big business, a sure thing, easily worth the pollution and disruption the new coal infrastructure it would cause. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/nine-reasons-china-wont-need-enough-coal-to-justify-coal-ports-in-the-pacific-northwest/ BP testifies: We knew about ‘big risk’ of explosion. BP knew. BP didn’t care. The company was aware that there was a “big risk” of an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig before that very disaster unfolded, an executive acknowledged Tuesday in court. Posted. http://grist.org/news/bp-knew-of-deepwater-risk/ Inside the military’s clean-energy revolution. I’m strapped into my backward-facing seat on a COD, or “carrier onboard delivery” plane, the U.S. Navy workhorse that ferries people, supplies, and mail to and from its aircraft carriers at sea. I cinch the four-point harness holding me in place. Then I cinch it some more. When it’s as tight as it can go, an aircrewman walks by and yanks it so hard it squeezes the breath out of me. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/inside-the-militarys-clean-energy-revolution/ Senator Boxer to NRC: 'Careful' before restarting San Onofre. Southern California Edison officials will meet with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wednesday to press for permission to restart one of San Onofre’s nuclear reactors at limited power. California’s junior Senator says the NRC has to be “very careful” before allowing San Onofre to start up again. As head of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Barbara Boxer has been meeting every few weeks with the chairman of the NRC. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2013/02/26/12703/senator-boxer-nrc-careful-restarting-san-onofre/ Do light-rail systems help cut down on traffic? Perhaps not. If you’re in charge of a city plagued by snarling traffic and endless congestion, one idea is to build a light-rail system for public transportation. More people will ride the trains, leaving fewer cars on the road. Less congestion, less air pollution. What’s not to like? Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/27/do-light-rail-systems-help-cut-down-on-traffic-perhaps-not/ Los Angeles to end use of coal by 2025, says Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The city of Los Angeles, once mostly dependent on coal-fired power plants, will end its use of coal energy entirely within 12 years, according to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “In a couple of weeks I will be signing agreements to get completely out of coal by 2025,” Villaraigosa said at an event at UCLA. The mayor was speaking at an event sponsored by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability entitled, "What a mayor can do to green a city." Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/02/26/12695/los-angeles-to-end-use-of-coal-by-2025-says-mayor/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:51:20 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for February 28, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for February 28, 2013. 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 Pollution expected on China's congress agenda. Air quality worsened in China's capital and surrounding regions on Thursday, as the country's new leaders geared up for a major congress where public anger has likely pushed pollution onto the agenda. Particularly bad bouts of dirty air in recent weeks and unprecedented coverage of the pollution by state media are focusing attention on the issue ahead of two meetings next week that mark the highlight of the Chinese political calendar and lay out priorities for the rest of the year. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/28/pollution-expected-on-chinas-congress-agenda/ http://www.dailynews.com/ci_22686122/pollution-expected-chinas-congress-agenda?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22686122/pollution-expected-chinas-congress-agenda http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22686122/pollution-expected-chinas-congress-agenda Beijing Air Pollution Tops Hazardous Levels Days Before Congress. Beijing’s air pollution climbed to hazardous levels days before the national legislature opens its annual meeting, drawing new attention to environmental degradation that the government has promised to address. Concentrations of PM2.5, fine particles that pose the greatest health risk, rose to 469 micrograms per cubic meter at 10 a.m. near Tiananmen Square, compared with an average of 275 in the previous 24 hours, the Beijing government reported. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-02-28/beijing-air-pollution-tops-hazardous-levels-days-before-congress.html Campaign to diagnose air quality concludes in California. NASA's DISCOVER-AQ team completed an intense flight and ground-based air quality research campaign in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California this month. This is the second destination in a five-year mission to study air pollution in the part of the atmosphere where people live and breathe, a region called the boundary layer. Posted. http://climate.nasa.gov/news/870 SECOND HAND SMOKE California bill would ban smoking in multi-unit housing. Millions of Californians would not be able to smoke tobacco inside their own homes under new legislation that would raise the bar nationwide for fighting secondhand smoke. No state ever has ventured into personal bedrooms and living rooms with its smoking restrictions, but California is going even further than that by targeting owner-occupied residences as well as rental units. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/27/5223330/california-bill-would-ban-smoking.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Keystone rejection would send strong signal-EU climate chief. The European Union's top climate change official said on Thursday that if the Obama administration rejects the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, it would send a strong message that the United States is serious on combating climate change. "That would be an extremely strong signal for the Obama administration," Connie Hedegaard, the EU Commissioner for Climate Action, told reporters in a briefing in Washington on Thursday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/28/eu-climate-keystone-idUSL1N0BSB1020130228 Public concern about environment overshadowed by crisis. Public concern about environmental issues hit a 20-year low last year, a poll showed, as worries about the aftermath of the global financial crisis overshadowed growing evidence of man-made climate change. Canada-based research group GlobeScan surveyed 22,812 people from 22 countries, asking them to rate the seriousness of six issues - air pollution, water pollution, species loss, automobile emissions, fresh water shortages and climate change. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/28/us-climate-opinion-idUSBRE91R10220130228 http://www.examiner.com/article/global-warming-concerns-reach-a-twenty-year-low Shell bets on gas to limit climate change until 22nd century. Royal Dutch/Shell believes a policy-led shift to gas, carbon capture and nuclear power could keep a lid on climate change into the 22nd century while a more free market approach would result in carbon emissions some 25 percent higher. Sketching possible paths of development for global energy use, Shell, which has bet the most heavily of all the top oil firms on a big future for natural gas, promoted its use as a way to moderate greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2100. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/energy-future-shell-idUSL6N0BRIJY20130227?feedType=RSS& EU Climate Chief Says Talks on Airline Emissions Will Test Obama. European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said an early test of President Barack Obama’s commitment to combating climate change is how he negotiates an international agreement on aviation emissions. “I really believe that when it’s about finding a global way forward for aviation now, we -- the U.S. and the European Union -- should be on the same side, working for the obvious, namely that if I take a long-haul plane. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-28/eu-climate-chief-says-talks-on-airline-emissions-will-test-obama.html FUELS California oil production rises slightly. The U.S. oil industry's revival may finally have reached California. The amount of oil pumped from the ground in California rose last year for the first time since 1997, according to federal government statistics released Wednesday. The increase was tiny - less than 1 percent - and came at a time of booming oil production in some other states, thanks to the combination of horizontal drilling and fracking. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/California-oil-production-rises-slightly-4314836.php#ixzz2MDZOlGpR US natural gas supplies fell last week. The nation's natural gas supplies rose last week, the government said Thursday. The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reported that natural gas in storage dropped by 171 billion cubic feet to 2.229 trillion cubic feet for the week ended Feb. 22. Analysts expected a drop of 166 billion to 170 billion cubic feet, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_22687607/us-natural-gas-supplies-fell-last-week?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22687607/us-natural-gas-supplies-fell-last-week http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22687607/us-natural-gas-supplies-fell-last-week http://fresnobee.com/2013/02/28/3192337/us-natural-gas-supplies-fell-last.html#storylink=misearch Diesel overtakes jet as more profitable product for European refiners. Diesel has become the more profitable product for European refiners on bullish global supply pressures, displacing jet after nearly three months, according to trading sources and Platts data. The 10 ppm FOB Rotterdam barge crack -- the value of the product versus crude -- was assessed at $18.32/barrel Wednesday, while its jet counterpart was at $17.82/b, Platts data shows. Trading sources said refiners would now be considering making the switch to maximizing production of ultra-low sulfur diesel… Posted. http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/Oil/8187241?sf204569=1 EPA drops 2012 cellulosic requirements to zero. U.S. EPA has altered its cellulosic biofuel requirements for 2012 -- from 8.65 million gallons to zero. A federal court decision Friday vacated EPA's 2012 cellulosic biofuels standard. As a result, obligated parties -- oil companies required to show EPA that they blend biofuels in their fuel supply -- won't need to provide information on their compliance. The agency will submit refunds to companies that have submitted payments for 2012 cellulosic waiver credits. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/28/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Natural gas compared to diesel. With the expansion of natural gas supplies, the transportation industry is looking at it as an alternative to diesel. "From a North American perspective natural gas is really taking off as a transportation fuel," says Deidre Donaldson Meyer, SaskEn-ergy director of business development. "(For example) approximately one in every two transit buses in the U.S. is now a natural gas bus." Posted. http://www.leaderpost.com/Natural+compared+diesel/8026769/story.html VEHICLES California approves Amp electric truck sales. Less than five months after electric-vehicle maker Amp said it was switching from passenger-vehicle conversions to delivery-truck electric-vehicle production, the company earned a victory of sorts by getting approval to sell its trucks in the most populous US state. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) said Amp could start selling its 2014 model-year E-100 heavy-duty electric trucks. Amp started making those trucks, which have a 19,500-pound payload and a 100-mile single-charge range…Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/02/28/california-approves-amp-electric-truck-sales/ New low-temperature catalytic process for producing hydrogen from methanol; potential future application for fuel cell vehicles. Researchers from Germany and Italy have developed an efficient low-temperature catalytic process to produce hydrogen from methanol. Hydrogen generation by this method proceeds at 65–95 °C (149-203 °F) and ambient pressure with excellent catalyst turnover frequencies (4,700 per hour) and turnover numbers (exceeding 350,000). Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/nielsen-20130228.html XL Hybrids enters installation and distribution partnership with Leggett & Platt Commercial Vehicle Products; expands hybrid drive system to Ford E-series vans. XL Hybrids, Inc., developer of a low-cost hybrid electric powertrain designed specifically for class 1 to 3 commercial fleet use (earlier post), signed a non-exclusive installation partnership and distribution agreement with Leggett & Platt Commercial Vehicle Products (CVP), one of the top commercial vehicle upfitters. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/02/xlh-20130228.html GREEN ENERGY Reducing Waste: Food waste recycling produces 'green' energy. In Central Contra Costa, composting food and other organic materials is very popular. Many people have backyard compost systems, whether they use a container or have an open "pile." But there are other options for organics recycling in addition to the traditional backyard approach. And, since landfilled organics are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, it's beneficial when those materials are put to a higher use. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_22679650/reducing-waste-food-waste-recycling-produces-green-energy Solar industry will boom globally and challenge cheap natural gas – Citigroup. Large consumer electronic brands are likely to enter the solar energy market and fuel a worldwide boom in panel installations that will surpass most expectations as the rooftop technology becomes cheaper than gas, a report by Citigroup says. Although worldwide solar installations grew by an average of 59 percent per year from 2007 to 2012, much of that advance was due to subsidies and legislation mandating solar spending. That's about to change, according to the report. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/02/28/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Dan Walters: California bullet-train financing still shaky. On Monday, the Assembly Transportation Committee held what was supposedly an oversight hearing on the state's nascent bullet train project. It was a joke. The committee's chairwoman, Long Beach Democrat Bonnie Lowenthal, beamed as the boss of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, Jeff Morales, emitted bland assurances that the project was proceeding smoothly and tossed a couple of softball questions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/26/5219976/dan-walters-california-bullet.html#storylink=cpy How Will California Slash Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80% By 2050? These are heady days for us California climate policy watchers. Last month, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reported that the state’s carbon emissions declined in 2011 for the third straight year. Last week, CARB convened its second successful carbon allowance auction. And with each day, it seems, the state sets a new solar power record. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/justingerdes/2013/02/27/how-will-california-slash-greenhouse-gas-emissions-80-by-2050/?ss=business%3Aenergy Real test of Obama's climate commitment: coal. The test of President Barack Obama's seriousness about addressing climate change is not his pending decision on the much-debated Keystone XL pipeline. It's whether he effectively consigns coal-fired power plants - one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions - to the ashcan of history. Since his re-election, Obama has signaled a new focus on climate change. "Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires…Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130228/A_OPINION0608/302280312&cid=sitesearch#sthash.ppl2KV5i.dpuf BLOGS The most shocking photo of Beijing air pollution I’ve ever seen. China’s air pollution has been bad lately. Really, really bad. We’ve posted photos of it before, but the above shot really drives home how severe this has gotten. Both photos were taken in Beijing by Bill Bishop, who runs an excellent all-things-China e-mail newsletter called Sinocism (go subscribe). The photo on the left shows his view on a clear day. That tall building is the mammoth China World Trade Center Tower III. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/02/28/the-most-shocking-photo-of-beijing-air-pollution-ive-ever-seen/ Could a quiet sun cancel global warming? The current solar maximum, the high point in the sun’s activity over an 11-year cycle, is the lowest in over 100 years NASA say. Scientists speculate solar activity may decline further in the coming decades. Could a quieting sun cause the climate to cool enough to stall or even reverse global warming from the build-up of greenhouse gases? Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/could-a-quiet-sun-cancel-global-warming/2013/02/28/156b9f3e-81c8-11e2-a350-49866afab584_blog.html An Emblem for Puerto Rico’s Climate Fight. More on amphibians as a bellwether: Advocates for action on climate change in Puerto Rico have a mascot: the coquí, a tiny tree frog. Named for its high-pitched calls, a familiar evening serenade, the coquí is the generic name for some 14 species of frog, some only half an inch long, that long inhabited the island archipelago. Three of the species have gone extinct since the 1970s because of a warming climate and habitat loss in the densely populated territory…Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/an-emblem-for-puerto-ricos-climate-fight/ A Fresh Look at China’s Long March on Energy and Emissions. The Rhodium Group consulting firm has released a “report card” on China’s energy trends and policies that describes the country’s intensifying efforts to increase the proportion of renewable sources like wind and hydroelectric dams and boost the efficiency of coal use (essentially the metric called “greenhouse gas intensity” by President George W. Bush). The blunting upward trajectory in the graph above reflects progress, but a long path ahead. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/a-fresh-look-at-chinas-long-march-on-energy-and-emissions/ A Fresh Look at Nuclear Waste. The American program to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and other highly radioactive wastes is at a standstill for a variety of reasons. First-of-a-kind efforts tend to be technologically difficult, but the real problems are not hardware issues, according to a new book, “Too Hot to Touch: The Problem of High-Level Nuclear Waste.” Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/a-fresh-look-at-nuclear-waste/?ref=earth Sequestration would be bad news for clean energy and a clean environment. If the environment could be likened to a punching bag, beaten up by pollution, climate change deniers, and rampant deforestation, then a colossal political impasse that the U.S. is facing this week could be likened to a redwood log connected to a battering ram being swung at Mother Earth’s punched-up face. Posted. http://grist.org/news/sequestration-would-be-bad-news-for-clean-energy-and-a-clean-environment/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2013 15:32:07 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 1, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 1, 2013. ARB Newsclips for March 1, 2013 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 Better air quality so far this winter, say smog police. With spring finally in the air, the Valley’s air pollution experts look back on the depths of winter with favor. They say Friday that there was dramatically improved air quality in the San Joaquin Valley air basin portion of the Central Valley this winter resulting in fewer residential wood-burning curtailments than during the previous season. The annual wintertime program that reduces particle pollution ended its 10th season Feb. 28. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=22955 CAP AND TRADE A carbon market takes root in California. When California held its first-ever auction of greenhouse gas emission allowances last fall, allowances sold for $10.09, just pennies above the $10 floor price set by state regulators. Some observers warned that the low price meant the state's new cap-and-trade program wouldn't work and was a sign that companies were not participating. But in the second auction last week, the allowances sold for $13.62 each, higher than many analysts had expected. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22691814/carbon-market-takes-root-california?source=rss Californians are Set to Benefit from Cap-and-Trade Proceeds. Since California’s cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases officially entered into force this year, many have focused on its cost to businesses – particularly energy companies and industry. Those firms now have to pay for each tonne of greenhouse gas they emit into the atmosphere, either by buying allowances for those emissions at state-run auctions or by buying the allowances from each other. Posted. http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/03/show-money-californians-set-benefit-cap-trade-proceeds/ CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon market debate leans towards tighter pollution cap. Hours of debate on reform of the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme on Friday showed support for tighter annual pollution limits, but hardly any backing for a change to an overall EU 2020 goal on carbon cutting. Both measures would reduce the oversupply of carbon allowances, which pushed the EU ETS to a record low of less than three euros per tonne earlier this year. The price collapse means the ETS, a core piece of EU environment policy, is unable to engineer a shift to lower carbon energy, prompting the European Commission to propose a combination of short-term and long-term changes. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/01/us-eu-ets-idUKBRE9200VC20130301 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-01/eu-s-record-carbon-glut-poses-risk-for-auctions-energy-markets.html Study of Ice Age Bolsters Carbon and Warming Link. A meticulous new analysis of Antarctic ice suggests that the sharp warming that ended the last ice age occurred in lock step with increases of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the latest of many indications that the gas is a powerful influence on the earth’s climate. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/science/earth/at-ice-age-end-a-smaller-gap-in-warming-and-carbon-dioxide.html?_r=0 http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/01/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Sahara Desert dust affects California water supply, study finds. Dust particles blown from Asian and African deserts can increase rain and snow in the Sierra Nevada, researchers report. High-altitude dust blown thousands of miles across the Pacific from Asian and African deserts can make it rain and snow in the Sierra Nevada, according to new research that suggests tiny particles from afar play a role in California's water supply. The study, published Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science, grew out of researchers' questions about two similar Sierra storms in winter 2009. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-dust-20130301,0,4934653.story Sacramento area sees third driest Jan.-Feb. ever recorded. Sacramento had the third driest first two months of the year since rain totals were recorded downtown. Only 1.32 inches of precipitation was recorded in January and February in Sacramento, according to the National Weather Service. That places 2013 in third behind 1889 (.48) and 1920 (1.10). Here's the top eight driest starts to a new year from the NWS: Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/01/5228310/sacramento-area-sees-third-driest.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/01/5227515/snowpack-two-thirds-of-normal.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-sees-record-dry-start-in-13-4319136.php http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22692734/snow-survey-confirms-driest-jan-feb-record-california?source=rss http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22690167/following-driest-january-and-february-ever-recorded-sierra?source=rss FUELS State Department to issue assessment of Keystone XL on Friday. The State Department will release on Friday a long-awaited draft environmental assessment of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that would link Canada's oil sands to Texas refineries, several government sources said. The State Department will release the assessment of TransCanada Corp's pipeline, which will examine a new route in Nebraska as well as emissions associated with the pipeline, the sources said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/01/us-keystone-idUSBRE9200W620130301 China's natural gas drive may cut oil demand by a tenth. China's drive to fuel more vehicles with cleaner-burning natural gas could reduce oil demand by nearly a tenth - equivalent to Turkey's total oil consumption - and may help ease its cities' toxic smog problem, too. The country's rise to become the world's biggest car market has seen rapid growth, too, in oil demand over the past decade, and has contributed to the heavy pollution that chokes its cities. China is now the world's second-largest oil consumer after the United States, burning some 9.6 million barrels per day (bpd) - more than a tenth of global demand. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/28/china-lng-transport-idUSL4N0AL6UI20130228 California gas prices peak; pump pain changes U.S. driving habits. California gasoline prices may have already peaked for the first half of the year and should head lower soon, analysts said. Meanwhile, nationwide gasoline price averages over the first two months of the year rose at such a blistering rate that Americans were on pace to pay half a trillion dollars on gasoline in 2013 for the first time ever, analysts said. The high prices were causing big changes in the driving habits of American motorists, with gasoline consumption dropping sharply. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-pump-pain-changes-us-driving-habits-california-gas-prices-peak-20130228,0,244369.story Sundrop closes on land purchase for plant. Sundrop Fuels, Inc. has closed on the purchase of more than 1,213 acres of land in Louisiana where the biofuels company plans to locate its plant manufacturing "green gasoline." The Town Talk reports (http://townta.lk/WvI1xm ) Sundrop has had an option on the property for more than a year while it moved forward with pre-construction efforts, including permitting. The sale price was $4,752,000, according to Rod Noles with NAI/Latter & Blum of Alexandria, who represented the property owners. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/01/sundrop-closes-on-land-purchase-for-plant/#ixzz2MJNOSezN Tribe To Launch Biomass-Fueled Fuel Cell Plant in Northern California. Fuel cells used to be a favorite promising technology for many renewable energy advocates. They offered the possibility of extracting electrical energy from chemical fuels without burning them, reducing emissions and greatly increasing efficiency. About 10 years ago the fuel cell buzz started to die down a bit, but the technology hasn't gone anywhere. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/biomass/tribe-to-launch-biomass-fueled-fuel-cell-plant.html VEHICLES Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid. It’s the Hybrid Air — an experimental vehicle that the French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroën has been trumpeting lately as an exemplar of energy efficiency. While some skeptics doubt whether it is truly breakthrough technology, the Peugeot and Citroën concept cars containing it may prove to be some of the more intriguing models on display next week at the Geneva Motor Show. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/business/global/peugeot-bets-on-a-different-kind-of-hybrid.html Auto review: Tesla S is a bodice-ripper of an electric vehicle. My affair with the Tesla Model S began innocently enough, as a chance meeting brought on by unforeseen circumstances. The recent New York Times towing incident prompted a radio station request for me to talk about the all-electric S - an invitation I initially declined because I hadn't met the car. The timing for a personal introduction just hadn't been right. Sure, I'd seen the S around. I'd peered in its windows when it was parked in a mall garage and taken in its cavernous luxury. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/01/5228080/auto-review-tesla-s-is-a-bodice.html#storylink=cpy Calif. gives $4.5M recharge to electric vehicle rebate program. California yesterday awarded $9.5 million to fund rebates on electric cars and for development of a facility to turn sugar beets into biofuels. The California Energy Commission (CEC) pledged $4.5 million to help the state's Air Resources Board recharge funding for a popular battery-operated car program. The state gives rebates of up to $2,500 to people who purchase zero-emissions vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric, Chevrolet Volt, cars made by Tesla, and TH!NK City. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/01/10 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Are California's electric-car charging stations too congested? California is by far the largest single market for electric cars, Voelcker writes, and that means charging stations in public parking lots are now sometimes fully occupied, meaning they can't recharge their electric cars' batteries. Electric cars aren't evenly distributed across the U.S. By far the largest single market for them is California. And in a sign of increasing adoption rates--…Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/0228/Are-California-s-electric-car-charging-stations-too-congested MISCELLANEOUS Population growth is threat to other species, poll respondents say. About two-thirds of registered voters in the U.S. believe society has a responsibility to address the problem if it pushes other animal species to extinction, a survey finds. Nearly two-thirds of American voters believe that human population growth is driving other animal species to extinction and that if the situation gets worse, society has a "moral responsibility to address the problem," according to new national public opinion poll. A slightly lower percentage of those polled — 59% — believes that population growth is an important environmental issue and 54% believe that stabilizing the population will help protect the environment. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-population-poll-20130302,0,3593053.story OPINIONS COLUMN- Are we near peak biofuels?: Gerard Wynn. A stalled biofuel industry will need to produce far more efficient fuels to avoid setting off another bout of arguments over its contribution to boosting energy security and cutting carbon emissions. Biofuels had a difficult 2012. In the United States, Energy Information Administration data show production through November fell compared with the same period the previous year…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/01/column-wynn-biofuel-return-idUSL6N0BRE7D20130301 Why The U.S. Needs A National Climate And Energy Plan. I wrote yesterday about a bill recently introduced by a freshman state lawmaker that would require policymakers to plan for how California will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. The prudent proposal reminds lawmakers that California’s forward-thinking climate policy, which includes a declining cap on GHG emissions and, most importantly, a price on carbon, must be extended beyond 2020, when the state’s climate change law, AB32, expires. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/justingerdes/2013/02/28/why-the-u-s-needs-a-national-climate-and-energy-plan/ BLOGS Some Far Out (at Least for Now) Energy Ideas. The just-concluded annual meeting of ARPA-E, an agency founded to nurture interesting energy ideas that may or may not work, featured an exhibition hall with scores of displays staffed by hopeful entrepreneurs. Many of them seemed to be Ph.D. engineers; in some cases, you needed a Ph.D. yourself to understand what was being presented. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/some-far-out-at-least-for-now-energy-ideas/ Ford C-Max, Fusion hybrids subject of MPG lawsuit in California. A California lawsuit over the fuel economy claims for the 2013 Ford C-Max was first reported back in December. Based on the numerous reports we've heard of disgruntled owners failing to get their car's EPA fuel economy ratings on the C-Max and 2013 Fusion Hybrid, we suspected there would be more to this story. The Detroit News is reporting that two California law firms are combining their lawsuits against Ford on this matter for "false and misleading" claims. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/01/ford-c-max-fusion-hybrids-subject-of-mpg-lawsuit-in-california/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2013 14:24:19 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 4, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 4, 2013. 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 Carbon pricing needed to control airline CO2 emissions: study. Aviation pollution can only be stabilized by the middle of the century if a price is set on airline carbon emissions, research said, countering industry hopes that green goals can be met via technology improvements and biofuels. A European Union scheme to force airlines using EU airports to pay for their carbon emissions caused an international outcry, forcing the European Commission to propose a year-long freeze of its law. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/04/us-airlines-emissions-study-idUSBRE92306I20130304?feedType=RSS Cashing in on China’s air pollution. Bad air is good news for many Chinese entrepreneurs. From gigantic domes that keep out pollution to face masks with fancy fiber filters, purifiers and even canned air, Chinese businesses are trying to find a way to market that most elusive commodity: clean air. An unprecedented wave of pollution throughout China (dubbed the “airpocalypse” or “airmageddon” by headline writers) has spawned an almost entirely new industry. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/cashing-in-on-chinas-air-pollution/2013/02/28/91d65866-6ef4-11e2-8b8d-e0b59a1b8e2a_story.html CAP AND TRADE Little unity over California's cap-and-trade program. Businesses and environmentalists remain deeply divided over California's landmark carbon cap-and-trade program, with industry calling it a job-killing nightmare and clean energy proponents saying it has positioned the state as a global leader in tackling climate change. The strong feelings over the policy were on display at a conference last week in Sacramento, where business groups and environmentalists repeatedly clashed over the market-based program…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/04/us-california-carbon-idUSBRE9230Z720130304 Climate-Change Science Poised to Enter Nation's Classrooms. InsideClimateNews.org -- New national science standards that make the teaching of global warming part of the public school curriculum are slated to be released this month, potentially ending an era in which climate skepticism has been allowed to seep into the nation's classrooms. The Next Generation Science Standards were developed by the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-04/climate-change-science-poised-to-enter-nation-s-classrooms.html California's cap-and-trade chaos. California Gov. Jerry Brown's current budget trickery projects almost one-half billion dollars in theoretical revenues from America's first carbon cap-and-trade climate regulations implemented in California in 2013. Cap-and-trade air pollution controls set industry-wide limits on emissions of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases. Industries that exceed their emission limits can buy (trade) pollution credits from other industries to comply with California air pollution standards. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/california-s-cap-and-trade-chaos Cap-and-trade opponents say 2015 is the year to fear. 2015 is the year that businesses say Californians will feel the economic impacts of the state's pioneering entry into greenhouse gas trading. As the Golden State's economywide cap-and-trade system gets under way, its backers and detractors are vying with each other to predict its impacts. Last week in Sacramento, representatives of businesses that have to turn in emissions allowances under the market-based system warned of dire consequences. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/04/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Beta Renewables sees 2015 as boom year for cellulosic biofuels. Biofuels made from wood waste and sugarcane have languished well below expectations for years but new production coming on line promises explosive growth by 2015, the chief executive of producer Beta Renewables said on Monday. The United States produced just 20,000 gallons of so-called cellulosic biofuel last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That was a mere 0.04 percent of a 500-million-gallon target the U.S. government set in 2007. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/04/beta-biofuels-idUSL6N0BW8D620130304 Ethanol Strengthens Against Gasoline on Motor Fuel Fall. Ethanol’s discount to gasoline narrowed as the motor fuel slipped more than the biofuel. The spread narrowed 1.95 cents to 69.51 cents a gallon as gasoline declined on the completion of seasonal refinery maintenance. Ethanol declined in line with corn, which remained near $7 a bushel. “Corn is still at a pretty high price,” said Will Babler, a broker at Atten Babler Risk Management LLC in Galena, Illinois. “And the market is going to remain tight.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-03-04/ethanol-strengthens-against-gasoline-on-motor-fuel-fall.html Natural gas leaks come under scrutiny, raise questions on climate impact. Cornell University’s Robert Howarth has estimated somewhere between 3.6 percent and 7.9 percent of methane escapes during the production life cycle of shale gas; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology countered with a study saying it is just a fraction of that amount. University of Colorado research scientist Gabrielle Petron, who also works in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s global monitoring division…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/natural-gas-leaks-come-under-scrutiny-raise-questions-on-climate-impact/2013/03/03/23d1e0d4-7f88-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story_1.html Natural gas bill pushed by Sen. Menendez could have aided firm where top donor invests. Sen. Robert Menendez sponsored legislation with incentives for natural gas vehicle conversions that would benefit the biggest political donor to his re-election, the same eye doctor whose private jet Menendez used for two personal trips to the Dominican Republic, an Associated Press investigation found. The disclosure reflects the latest intersection…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/natural-gas-bill-pushed-by-sen-menendez-could-have-aided-firm-where-top-donor-invests/2013/03/04/d040b02c-84a9-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html ExxonMobil begins its defense in gas additive case. Lawyers for ExxonMobil have begun presenting their defense against the state of New Hampshire's claims that the oil giant should pay hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up groundwater contamination from the gasoline additive MTBE. Jurors returned Monday following a weeklong break after spending six weeks hearing the state's witnesses. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/ExxonMobil-begins-its-defense-in-gas-additive-case-4326936.php#ixzz2MbZzIsh9 NY fracking health study news draws cheers, jeers. While opponents of fracking are pleased at a report that Gov. Andrew Cuomo will wait for a Pennsylvania health study before deciding whether to allow drilling, landowners are preparing to sue New York over lost gas-leasing opportunities and an industry group warned Sunday that a business exodus from the state will worsen. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/03/ny-fracking-health-study-news-draws-cheers-jeers/#ixzz2MbHIWU9G VEHICLES Peugeot Bets on a Different Kind of Hybrid. What’s that car that just breezed past? It’s the Hybrid Air — an experimental vehicle that the French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroën has been trumpeting lately as an exemplar of energy efficiency. While some skeptics doubt whether it is truly breakthrough technology, the Peugeot and Citroën concept cars containing it may prove to be some of the more intriguing models on display next week at the Geneva Motor Show. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/business/global/peugeot-bets-on-a-different-kind-of-hybrid.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail project targets 'disadvantaged' workers in the Central Valley. The prospect of construction jobs in the recession-weary Central Valley has long been a selling point for proponents of California's $68 billion high-speed rail project. A controversy has arisen, however, since officials pledged in December to reserve a portion of those jobs for certain disadvantaged people. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/04/5233285/high-speed-rail-project-targets.html New Calif. rail plan to make major improvements in Valley Amtrak. While many are chattering about high-speed rail these days, state transportation leaders are quietly planning to drop more than $15 billion into California's existing Amtrak train service -- including a big chunk here in the Valley. Improvements for Amtrak's San Joaquin line are forecast in a draft of a new statewide rail plan that the California Department of Transportation is circulating for public comment through March 11. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/03/3197481/new-calif-rail-plan-to-make-major.html GREEN ENERGY Gov. Jerry Brown works to spread California's green doctrine. California is a leader on the environment, but it needs other states — and nations — on board to keep down economic costs. When Gov. Jerry Brown called on his fellow governors at a conference in Washington last week to embrace a California-style pursuit of cleaner air, he was doing more than reinforcing the state's image as an environmental trailblazer. He was trying to protect its economy. Brown needs other states and the federal government to adopt key elements of California's environmental agenda, such as reaping more energy…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brown-environment-20130304,0,7670187,full.story MISCELLANEOUS Obama Announces 3 Cabinet Nominations. President Obama on Monday made three cabinet nominations — for budget, energy and environmental policy — hours before his first cabinet meeting of his second term. Mr. Obama introduced Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the president of the Walmart Foundation in Arkansas and a familiar figure in the Democratic administration from her service in the Clinton administration, to be the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/us/politics/obama-to-nominate-new-heads-for-energy-department-and-epa.html?pagewanted=all Firms sue to keep California from adding BPA to 'blacklist'. The American Chemistry Council is suing the Brown administration, saying BPA, a chemical in many food containers, should not be included on a list of substances that cause birth defects. A coalition of chemical companies is suing the Jerry Brown administration to stop an additive commonly found in food containers from being included in the state's list of substances that cause birth defects. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chemicals-20130302,0,5161122.story Obama filling out Cabinet, will nominate new budget chief, EPA director and energy secretary. President Barack Obama filled in more pieces of his second term leadership team Monday, nominating a trio of new advisers to lead the Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency and budget office. The nominations signal the White House’s desire to get back to normal business after the president and Congress failed to avert the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts that started taking effect Friday. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/obama-filling-out-cabinet-will-nominate-new-budget-chief-epa-director-and-energy-secretary/2013/03/04/0099ed70-84e5-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html BLOGS Foul odor reported off Santa Monica Bay; methane from ocean blamed. Coastal residents near Santa Monica awoke to a foul odor Sunday that probably was caused by a large release of methane in the ocean, authorities said. Fire departments in Los Angeles and Santa Monica began receiving calls shortly after dawn from residents as far north as Sunset Blvd. and south of Venice Beach reporting a rank smell blowing in off Santa Monica Bay. A Santa Monica fire hazardous-materials team took readings off the coast near San Vicente Blvd. and found methane in the water, said communications officer Justin Walker. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/foul-odor-santa-monica-bay-methane.html The Downside To Cap-And-Trade For Carbon. The problem with the cap-and-trade schemes advocated by economists who know how to do a Monte Carlo analysis just well enough to be wrong is that the real world never matches up. Europeans, who boldly venture into every anti-science idea that more reasonable regions avoid, is now scrambling not to kill its economy even more due to its mandated cap-and-trade program. Posted. http://www.science20.com/cool-links/downside_capandtrade_carbon-105265 Where Is the Climate Leadership? We Need to Get It Right on Keystone XL. Mr. Secretary, I am disappointed. I thought that we all understood that to fight climate change, we have to be able to say "no" to dirty energy projects. Our friends around the world are looking to us for climate leadership and it starts with drawing the line at tar sands expansion. It also means that we need to give health and environment a fair shake in the environmental review of a dirty energy project such as the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-redford/keystone-xl-pipeline_b_2807098.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2013 12:23:37 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 5, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 5, 2013. 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 Complaints recycled as much as waste at Sun Valley facility. Sun Valley neighbors of a huge recycling center say little has been done about years of stench and rodents — and the company plans to expand. Complaints about the massive open-air recycling facility in Sun Valley flow in each month in minute, sometimes stomach-turning detail. Rats have skittered off the property of Community Recycling & Resource Recovery and into a nearby business, according to calls logged by the city. Churning dust is said to be "making everyone's eyes burn," …Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sun-valley-recycle-20130305,0,5053271.story CAP AND TRADE Legislature concerned about cap-and-trade links with other states, provinces. California lawmakers approved a new member of the state's key climate change agency yesterday after delaying a vote in order to air concerns with the state's plans to link its cap-and-trade market to other governments. The Senate Rules Committee voted unanimously to approve Alexander Sheriffs, who has been serving on the Air Resources Board (ARB) without Senate confirmation since his appointment more than a year ago by Gov. Jerry Brown (D). His term was set to expire March 13. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/05/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Report Blames Climate Change for Extremes in Australia. Climate change was a major driving force behind a string of extreme weather events that alternately scorched and soaked large sections of Australia in recent months, according to a report issued Monday by the government’s Climate Commission. A four-month heat wave during the Australian summer culminated in January in bush fires that tore through the eastern and southeastern coasts of the country, where most Australians live. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/world/asia/australian-government-blames-climate-change-for-angry-summer.html?_r=0 Cabinet Picks Could Take On Climate Policy. President Obama on Monday named two people to his cabinet who will be charged with making good on his threat to use the powers of the executive branch to tackle climate change and energy policy if Congress does not act quickly. Mr. Obama nominated Gina McCarthy, a tough-talking native of Boston and an experienced clean air regulator, to take charge at the Environmental Protection Agency, and Ernest J. Moniz, a physicist and strong advocate of natural gas and nuclear power as cleaner alternatives to coal, to run the Department of Energy. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/us/politics/obama-names-2-to-fill-epa-and-energy-posts.html Ice melt to expand Arctic shipping by midcentury. Loss of sea ice due to global warming could open new seasonal shipping lanes through the Arctic Ocean by midcentury, sharply reducing transit times and opening a Pandora's box of safety, environmental and legal issues, according to scientists. In a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Plus, researchers estimated that new shipping lanes linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are likely to open between 2040 and 2059. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-arctic-shipping-lanes-20130304,0,358666.story?track=rss Climate change is melting open the North Pole. It’s time once again for your regular update on the melting ice in the Arctic, where temperatures are rising faster than anywhere else on earth! By 2040, the melt will be so intense that some ships could be able to navigate straight across the North Pole during the summer months, according to new research out of UCLA, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It’s bad news for people who care about a livable climate, but good news for shipping companies that want to spread cheap goods far and wide. Posted. http://grist.org/news/climate-change-is-melting-open-the-north-pole/ FUELS Obama energy choice backs natural gas as ‘bridge fuel’ to reach clean energy. President Barack Obama’s choice to lead the Energy Department advocates an all-of-the-above approach to energy and favors natural gas as a “bridge fuel” to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming. Ernest Moniz, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, leads the MIT Energy Initiative, a research group that gets funding from BP, Chevron and other oil industry heavyweights for academic work aimed at reducing greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-energy-choice-backs-natural-gas-as-bridge-fuel-to-reach-clean-energy/2013/03/05/de74fd8e-856b-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html ExxonMobil begins its defense in gas additive case. Lawyers for ExxonMobil have begun presenting their defense against the state of New Hampshire's claims that the oil giant should pay hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up groundwater contamination from the gasoline additive MTBE. Jurors returned Monday following a weeklong break after spending six weeks hearing the state's witnesses. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/04/exxonmobil-begins-its-defense-in-gas-additive/#ixzz2MgXJWg1h VEHICLES Bringing green vehicle technology to auto racing. As a research engineer at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, Forrest Jehlik is focused on improving the technology for vehicles such as plug-in hybrids and electric cars, and increasing the use of alternative fuels that range from compressed natural gas to biofuels. “The goal of the Department of Energy is to reduce reliance on foreign oil,” said Jehlik. “In our research on new vehicle systems and alternative fuels, we are impartial arbiters. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/bringing-green-vehicle-technology-to-auto-racing/2013/03/04/cf02e7a8-84da-11e2-999e-5f8e0410cb9d_story.html McLaren unveils sleek hybrid supercar at Geneva. Hybrids aren't just for fuel economy any more. McLaren on Tuesday unveiled a sleek hybrid supercar at the Geneva Motor Show. Sculpted from carbon fiber, in a glittery racing yellow set off by hash-marked slate gray, the McLaren P1 cuts a racetrack figure while boasting superior - for its class - emissions under 200 grams per kilometer. That compares with over 300 grams/kilometer for a super car without hybrid. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/04/mclaren-unveils-sleek-hybrid-supercar-at-geneva/ MIT team outlines path to low-cost solar-to-fuels devices; the artificial leaf. A team of researchers at MIT has described a framework for efficiently coupling the power output of a series-connected string of single-band-gap solar cells to an electrochemical process that produces storable fuels. The open access paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), offers a roadmap for direct solar-to-fuels devices. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/winkler-20130305.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL New CA rail plan to make major improvements in valley Amtrak. While many are chattering about high-speed rail these days, state transportation leaders are quietly planning to drop more than $15 billion into California's existing Amtrak train service -- including a big chunk here in the valley. Improvements for Amtrak's San Joaquin line are forecast in a draft of a new statewide rail plan that the California Department of Transportation is circulating for public comment through March 11. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/special-sections/rail/x738926920/New-CA-rail-plan-to-make-major-improvements-in-valley-Amtrak California High-Speed Rail Authority appoints Fong as CF. The California High-Speed Rail Authority recently named Russell Fong chief financial officer. The authority now has filled all of its senior management positions, according to a press release. Fong most recently was acting CFO and acting deputy executive officer of operations for the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS). Prior to that, he was a division chief for CalPERS' Fiscal Services Division. Fong also served a stint as deputy director of the California Department of Technology Services' Administrative Services Branch. Posted. http://www.progressiverailroading.com/high_speed_rail/news/California-HighSpeed-Rail-Authority-appoints-Fong-as-CFO--35404# GREEN ENERGY Energy nominee favors all-of the-above approach. President Barack Obama's choice to lead the Energy Department advocates an all-of-the-above approach to energy and favors natural gas as a "bridge fuel" to help the country develop clean energy. Ernest Moniz, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, leads the MIT Energy Initiative, a research group that gets funding from BP, Chevron and other oil industry heavyweights for academic work aimed at reducing greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Energy-nominee-favors-all-of-the-above-approach-4328170.php#ixzz2Mgu54P7S http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22719862/energy-secretary-nominee-supports-fracking-nuclear-energy#ixzz2MggwMEKB MISCELLANEOUS McCarthy's 'straight shooter' reputation gets her the EPA nomination. It was, in the words of one environmentalist, the worst-kept secret in Washington of the past month. After weeks of rumors, President Obama nominated Gina McCarthy yesterday to head U.S. EPA, a move that has garnered broad support. Since her arrival at EPA in 2009, McCarthy has been characterized as a tough but fair regulator. She is direct and no-nonsense when it comes to improving public health, but also willing to participate in discussions with those who pay a hefty price to comply with environmental regulations, say individuals who have worked with her on the state and federal level. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/05/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Bruce Maiman: In climate debate, what are costs of being wrong? I just don't get our debate over climate change. This one says it's a hoax, that one's a denier, somebody manipulated data, blame it on Al Gore … oy! I'm not a climatologist, geologist, geochronologist or any other kind of -ologist, but the scientific community – the national science academies of all major industrialized nations – consistently and overwhelmingly recognizes that our planet is warming, and the primary cause is the exponential increase of greenhouse gases produced by human activity. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/05/5236160/bruce-maiman-in-climate-debate.html#storylink=cpy Editorial: Should ex-cons get dibs on rail project? The first leg of California's High-Speed Rail project goes through the Central Valley, one of the most economically depressed areas of the state. Given that, a hiring policy that seeks to give preferences to "disadvantaged workers," including unemployed veterans, homeless people, single parents on government assistance and high school dropouts, is a laudable goal. That it also includes preferences for the unemployed who have "a criminal record or involvement with the criminal justice system" goes too far. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/05/5236133/should-ex-cons-get-dibs-on-rail.html EDITORIAL: Put the brakes on high-speed rail plan. Legislative oversight means little if it cannot address the most basic question about the state’s high-speed rail plans: Where might California find the money to build this project? Yet hearings last week showed that the state still lacks a credible answer to that question. That prospect alone should be enough for legislators to put the brakes on a public project that is neither necessary nor affordable. Both the Senate and Assembly last week held “oversight” hearings on the rail project. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20130304-editorial-put-the-brakes-on-high-speed-rail-plan.ece BLOGS Study Finds Climate Change To Open Arctic Sea Routes By 2050. Climate change will make commercial shipping possible from North America to Russia or Asia over the North Pole by the middle of the century, a new study says. Two researchers at the University of California ran seven different climate models simulating two classes of vessels to see if they could make a relatively ice-free passage through the Arctic Ocean. In each case, the sea routes are sufficiently clear after 2049, they say. Posted. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/03/05/173519090/study-finds-climate-change-to-open-arctic-sea-routes-by-2050 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2013 15:34:34 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for March 6, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov Newsclips for March 6, 2013. ARB Newsclips for March 6, 2013 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 Spare the Air tickets issued to 20 county residents. The 2012-2013 Winter Spare the Air season ended Feb. 28, with a total of 10 Spare the Air Alerts issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Although the Winter Spare the Air season began in November, stormy weather helped the Bay Area keep a clean slate in the fall of 2012, until a couple of strong, long-term high pressure systems moved in and accounted for nine of the alerts in January, with an additional alert taking place in early February, the district said in a news release. Posted. http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/spare-the-air-tickets-issued-to-county-residents/article_70cc2606-868b-11e2-85fb-001a4bcf887a.html?print=true&cid=print Winter air quality shows improvement as fewer wood-burning bans issued. The Central Valley’s season of wood-burning curtailments came to an end Feb. 28 with far fewer bans issued because of unhealthy air than in the previous year. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District closed the 10th season of the Check Before You Burn program with a more than 50 percent decrease in the number of burn prohibitions issued. For the 2012-13 season, the air district issued 187 curtailments Valley-wide, compared to 381 last season. Posted. http://www.turlockjournal.com/section/12/article/19059/ US scientists report big jump in heat-trapping CO2. The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air jumped dramatically in 2012, making it very unlikely that global warming can be limited to another 2 degrees as many global leaders have hoped, new federal figures show. Scientists say the rise in CO2 reflects the world's economy revving up and burning more fossil fuels, especially in China. Carbon dioxide levels jumped by 2.67 parts per million since 2011 to total just under 395 parts per million…Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22721803/us-scientists-report-big-jump-heat-trapping-co2#ixzz2MmQkeHjU Worst Air in the World Reaches Bay Area. Bay Area residents may be tempted to breathe easy, with the nearest cities with bad air pollution in the Central Valley or an ocean away in Asia. But that air also reaches lungs in the Bay Area, according to Slate, which analyzed the list of the world's worst cities for air quality. The bad smog and air pollution in Beijing has made headlines in the Western world, where "most Americans and Europeans now enjoy cleaner air than they did for much of the last century," Slate reported. Meanwhile, "air pollution is worsening in Asia, claiming millions of lives every year." Posted. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/51057753#.UTeTsXe3Vjc CLIMATE CHANGE Volcanic emissions can have cooling effect – study. Moderate volcanic eruptions can mask some of the effects of global warming, a study showed. While 2000 to 2010 was the warmest decade on record, the planet didn't heat up as much as scientists had expected. According to a new study, detailed online in Geophysical Research Letters, chemicals emitted during volcanic eruptions during the same period could be the reason. Scientist observed an increase in sun-scattering aerosols -- such as sulfur dioxide -- in the atmosphere in the last decade. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/06/9 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Gas prices in for bumpy ride. Enjoying those higher gasoline prices? If so, likely you're going to enjoy what's ahead: on July 1 the state's excise tax on gasoline goes up by 3.5 cents a gallon. California motorists may not see the entire hike at the pump. The tax is applied at something called the terminal rack, which is one step along the path from the refineries to the pumps where drivers buy their fuel. Fuel distributors and retailers could decide to eat a portion of the tax, or they could make their retail customers swallow the entire increase. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130306/A_OPINION01/303060304&cid=sitesearch Exxon Mobil predicts lower production this year. Exxon Mobil Corp. expects production to decline by about 1 percent this year due to weaker output of natural gas, then rise in the next few years as new projects start up. The oil and gas giant expects annual production to rise by 2 percent to 3 percent per year through 2017. The company gave the forecast Wednesday at its annual meeting with analysts. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_22729226/exxon-mobil-predicts-lower-production-this-year?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22729226/exxon-mobil-predicts-lower-production-this-year http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22729226/exxon-mobil-predicts-lower-production-this-year http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/exxon-mobil-expects-production-to-dip-this-year-on-drop-in-natural-gas-then-rise-next-4-years/2013/03/06/3f7c72f0-8671-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_22729226/exxon-mobil-predicts-lower-production-this-year Japan nuke plant progressing in fuel removal plans. The operator of Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear power plant said Wednesday that work was steadily progressing in its plans to remove fuel rods from a cooling pool at the center of international concerns. The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant suffered meltdowns at three reactors as a result of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Posted http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/06/3200752/japan-nuke-plant-progressing-in.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/japans-fukushima-nuclear-plant-says-it-is-making-progress-in-plans-to-remove-fuel-from-pool/2013/03/06/aa5d4fde-8655-11e2-a80b-3edc779b676f_story.html http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_22728768/japan-nuke-plant-progressing-fuel-removal-plans http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22728768/japan-nuke-plant-progressing-fuel-removal-plans#ixzz2MmRdjU00 VEHICLES CERAWEEK-GM targets 15 pct weight cut in cars through model year 2016. General Motors Co is targeting a reduction in the weight of its vehicles of up to 15 percent through the 2016 model year, the U.S. automaker's top executive said on Wednesday. "We will reduce vehicle mass," Chief Executive Dan Akerson said in a speech he is scheduled to deliver at the IHS CERAWeek energy conference in Houston. "A good rule of thumb is that a 10 percent reduction in curb weight will reduce fuel consumption by about 6.5 percent." Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/06/ceraweek-gm-ceo-idUSL1N0BXAGB20130306 GREEN ENERGY Solar Panels Rare Amid the Steeples. More than three decades ago, after an energy crisis that gripped the world, a Catholic priest in the Texas city of Lubbock took a stand for the environment. His congregation needed a new church. So the priest, the Rev. Joe James, anchored the building deep in the earth to optimize insulation. He also ordered five wind turbines for the church grounds. The largest was called Big Bird, because it stood 80 feet tall. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/business/energy-environment/07iht-green07.html LEDs will soon light your home. Forget mercury-laden compact fluorescents. The efficient homes of tomorrow will be lit with LEDs. Or so say executives at Cree, a lighting company that has started selling affordable LED lightbulbs that outwardly resemble the traditional, energy-hogging incandescent bulbs of old. Posted. http://grist.org/news/leds-will-soon-light-your-home/ OPINIONS Dan Walters: California bullet train faces new challenges. Facing a looming federal deadline for moving dirt, managers of California's bullet train project are trying to clear away legal and political impediments that threaten to delay the project. They resolved two of the lawsuits that challenged the project on environmental grounds, but two legal requirements - one in federal law, another in the bullet train bond issue - remain as potential hurdles for building the initial line in the San Joaquin Valley. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/05/5239072/dan-walters-california-bullet.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy Two Enlistees in the Climate Wars. In 2009, President Obama pledged to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. Thanks to several factors, the country is halfway there. On Monday, Mr. Obama announced the appointment of two seasoned officials who could fulfill that pledge — but only if the president himself helps them navigate the formidable political obstacles ahead. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/opinion/two-enlistees-in-the-climate-wars.html?_r=0 Editorial: Climate change brings less snow, tending to fall all at once. It does seem that every time some earnest group puts out a report on the dangers of global warming, there’s a major Mother Nature event somewhere the next day. Turns out, there’s an explanation for the seemingly regular appearance of once-in-50-year storms, one that, like most things having to do with climate change, is slightly ominous. Experts say that long-term we are likely to see more giant blizzards in the Northern Hemisphere but less snow overall…Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/05/editorial-climate-change-brings-less-snow-to-all/#ixzz2MmM1lcZp Another view: Environmentalists are fighting the wrong battles. President Obama began his second term with a promise to push harder on energy and climate change. The events of the past week remind us that he won't have to contend just with Republicans and coal-state Democrats determined to oppose reasonable measures to combat global warming. He will also have to sidestep environmentalists demanding that he fight the wrong battles. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_22727526/another-view-environmentalists-are-fighting-wrong-battles?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_22727526/another-view-environmentalists-are-fighting-wrong-battles As Carbon Dioxide Levels Continue To Rise, Global Temperatures Are Not Following Suit. New data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are continuing to rise but global temperatures are not following suit. The new data undercut assertions that atmospheric carbon dioxide is causing a global warming crisis. NOAA data show atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose 2.67 parts per million in 2012, to 395 ppm. The jump was the second highest since 1959, when scientists began measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/03/06/as-carbon-dioxide-levels-continue-to-rise-global-temperatures-are-not-following-suit/ BLOGS Crowdfunding Clean Energy. If you wanted to get large numbers of people actively engaged in helping to solve global warming, how might you go about it? For years, the main approach in the environmental movement has been to sound the alarm bell and implore people to consume less, switch to green products, recycle, and speak up to companies and politicians. It hasn’t always been an easy sell. However, if the approach of a promising Oakland-based start-up takes hold, there may be another line of action that could become available to ordinary people: directly financing renewable energy. Posted. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/crowd-funding-clean-energy/ Learning from the cap-and-trade debate. Two months ago, my report “Naming the Problem: What It Will Take to Counter Extremism and Engage Americans in the Fight Against Global Warming” [PDF] was posted online (along with an important companion report, “The Too Polite Revolution” [PDF], by journalists Petra Bartosiewicz and Marissa Miley). These reports probed what happened with the big push for cap-and-trade legislation in 2009 and 2010, and mine used the results of months of research to place this episode within the larger political trends that have been playing out in U.S. politics in recent years. http://grist.org/climate-energy/learning-from-the-cap-and-trade-debate/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 13:05:23 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 7, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 7, 2013. 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 How much smoke pollution did we create during Bay Area burn season? A chimney is silhouetted against the night sky in San Jose. Reduced wood burning is partially responsible for the Bay Area having one of its cleanest air quality seasons for smoke and other air-borne fine particles, a regional pollution agency reported Wednesday. Soot concentrations in the nine Bay Area counties violated the federal public health standard on just one day during the Spare the Air season that ran from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22733386/how-much-smoke-pollution-did-we-create-during?source=rss http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22733386/how-much-smoke-pollution-did-we-create-during?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22733386/how-much-smoke-pollution-did-we-create-during?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Critics Warn Of Increased Pollution If Rail Yard Built Near Port Of LA. A vote by port officials Thursday could clear the way for a $500 million railway project at The Port of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners are scheduled to cast their vote on an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project that some community leaders say will increase pollution in the area. Posted. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/03/07/critics-warn-of-increased-pollution-if-rail-yard-built-near-port-of-la/ REGION: More aggregate mines needed, report says. California and parts of the Inland area need more aggregate mines to meet future demand and prevent higher construction costs and air pollution, according to a new state report. The findings of the California Geological Survey report mirror arguments made by mine developer Granite Construction during its failed bid to build Liberty Quarry outside Temecula. But quarry opponents and Temecula officials said fears of an aggregate shortage are overblown. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/politics/jeff-horseman-headlines/20130306-region-more-aggregate-mines-needed-report-says.ece Mont. power plant sued over pollution controls. Environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the owners of Montana's massive Colstrip coal-fired power plant, seeking to force the installation of more pollution controls at the decades-old facility. The Montana Environmental Information Center and Sierra Club also asked the U.S. District Court in Billings to issue penalties for alleged emissions violations. The center's Anne Hedges said the penalties could total many millions of dollars for violations over 20 years. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/06/mont-power-plant-sued-over-pollution-controls/#ixzz2MsGleb5L CLIMATE CHANGE Canada's Arctic glaciers headed for unstoppable thaw: study. Canadian glaciers that are the world's third biggest store of ice after Antarctica and Greenland seem headed for an irreversible melt that will push up sea levels, scientists said on Thursday. About 20 percent of the ice in glaciers, on islands such as Ellesmere or Devon off northern Canada, could vanish by the end of the 21st century in a melt that would add 3.5 cm (1.4 inch) to global sea levels, they said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/07/us-climate-canada-idUSBRE92613N20130307 Report: Most insurers not prepared for climate change. Are insurers ready for the risks posed by climate change? New study finds most aren't fully prepared, but the industry says it can handle claims. Most insurance companies do not have comprehensive strategies to cope with climate change despite mounting weather-related claims, says a report to be released Thursday. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/07/insurance-industry-climate-change/1968003/ FUELS W. Pa. health board seeks 24-hour drilling notice. The Allegheny County Board of Health wants natural gas companies to provide 24-hour advance notice before drilling starts. The board passed the recommendation unanimously Wednesday night. Authorities say they want the advance notice so air pollution can be monitored at drill sites. Pittsburgh is in Allegheny County. The requirement covers shale gas extraction, including well drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/W-Pa-health-board-seeks-24-hour-drilling-notice-4335731.php#ixzz2MsrhehtK Can this contraption make fracking greener? Although natural gas production emits less CO2 than other fossil fuels, it still spits plenty of junk into the atmosphere. But backers of a new gadget released Monday say they’ve hit on a way to help frackers clean up their act. Boosters of natural gas often flaunt the stuff as a “clean” fossil fuel, because when it burns — in a power plant, say — it releases far less carbon dioxide than coal or oil. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/can-this-contraption-make-fracking-greener/ VEHICLES Subaru recalls vehicles over engines that may start on their own. Subaru of America is recalling more than 47,000 cars and sport utility vehicles because their engines might start on their own. Several models are involved. The recall includes model year 2010 to 2013 Legacy passenger cars and Outback SUVs equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. It also includes 2012-13 Imprezas and 2013 XV Crosstrek SUVs equipped with a CVT transmission…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-subaru-recall-20130307,0,7452758.story http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/News-Summary-Subaru-recalls-47-000-vehicles-4336768.php Study finds that increased vehicle travel and decreased occupancy have undercut the impact of improving fuel economy over last 40 years. A new study by Dr. Michael Sivak, Director, Sustainable Worldwide Transportation, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), has found that from 1970-2010, an increase in vehicle distance travelled in the US, coupled with a decrease in the number of occupants in the vehicles, combined to undercut the impact of advances in vehicle fuel economy during that period. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/sivak-20130306.html GREEN ENERGY Walgreen attempts to go "green" in energy-producing store. Walgreen Co is getting behind the "green" part of its name, as it aims to build what it believes will be the first store in the United States to produce at least as much energy as it consumes. The largest U.S. drugstore chain is preparing to build the "net zero energy" store in Evanston, Illinois, less than 20 miles (32 km) from its headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. That location provides relatively easy access for its engineers to measure the store's performance. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/07/walgreen-environment-idUSL1N0BYFH520130307 U.S. has energy trade surplus with China. American clean-energy companies racked up a $1.6 billion trade surplus with China in 2011, according to a report issued Wednesday. That's right - surplus. The report from the Pew Charitable Trusts contradicts the widely held belief that China has overtaken U.S. leadership in clean technologies, a belief reinforced by the collapse of Fremont solar company Solyndra. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/U-S-has-energy-trade-surplus-with-China-4334788.php#ixzz2MsRsPpc2 Calif. urged to integrate energy policies. California has adopted so many different policies to change the way we generate and use energy that the state now needs to figure out how they all fit together and how much they'll cost. That's one of the central messages of a new report that surveys clean-tech executives in California. The report, issued by the Advanced Energy Economy business group, argues that looming problems could stymie the growth of the clean-energy economy that California officials have worked so hard to nurture. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Calif-urged-to-integrate-energy-policies-4329633.php#ixzz2Msr1DozD Jewell pledges balanced approach on energy. President Barack Obama's nominee for Interior secretary is pledging a balanced approach to energy that would expand and diversify production on public lands while preserving protection on certain land and water. Recreational Equipment Inc. president and chief executive Sally Jewell tells a Senate committee she supports Obama's "all-of-the-above" energy strategy that embraces fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, as well as renewable sources such as wind and solar. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Jewell-pledges-balanced-approach-on-energy-4336200.php#ixzz2MsycOgqF California Leads Nation In Creation Of Green Jobs. A new report finds California had nearly a quarter of all green jobs created last year. Environmental Entrepreneurs tracks the creation of green jobs on a monthly basis. The 2012 wrap-up found firms announced the creation of 110,000 green jobs last year. About 26,000 of those jobs were in California. The positions range from jobs created by solar and wind farms to positions needed to build large mass transit projects. Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/mar/06/green-jobs-california-lead-nation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kpbs%2Flocal+%28KPBS+News%3A+Local+Headlines%29 Mandatory Solar May Come To One California City. If one Antelope Valley mayor has his way, his city will soon become the first in the nation to require solar panels on all new homes built in the city limits. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris tells ReWire that a decision on the potentially precedent-setting change to the city's zoning laws could come from the Lancaster City Council in as little as two weeks. Under Parris' proposed zoning change, residences built in Lancaster after January 1, 2014 would need to have associated solar generation either built in…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/mandatory-solar-may-come-to-lancaster.html MISCELLANEOUS 'Greedy Lying Bastards' review: falls short. "Greedy Lying Bastards" is a provocative premise for a documentary: The oil industry and various groups are thwarting progress on battling climate change, in the face of meteorological disasters and mounting scientific evidence that humans cause global warming. But this film spends a lot of time telling, rather than showing, at least when it comes to the greedy, lying bastards whom we are eager to learn about. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Greedy-Lying-Bastards-review-falls-short-4336604.php#ixzz2Mst0BZnD Researchers offer 'unprecedented' method to efficiently capture carbon. An international team of chemists announced it has discovered a new use for an existing material that could separate carbon dioxide from waste streams at power plants and drilling sites in a cheaper and more efficient manner than current technology. The team from the University of South Florida and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia found that an existing material that is water-resistant, relatively inexpensive and reusable can be very effective at capturing carbon for commercial application…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/03/07/15 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Viewpoints: Investment needed in new low-carbon fuel. Large oil companies like to tell the public "We Agree" when it comes to clean energy. But in Sacramento and Washington, their motto seems to be "It Can't Be Done." A Jan. 31 article in the San Jose Mercury News, "Chevron and its allies take aim at California's low carbon fuel standard," demonstrates how the oil industry has once again banded together to oppose groundbreaking environmental initiatives. Passed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/07/5242551/investment-needed-in-new-low-carbon.html#storylink=cpy Documentary goes after global warming deniers with the gloves off. Seven years after "An Inconvenient Truth," what has changed in the world's efforts to come to grips with global warming? The scientific consensus has firmed up, even further. Public opinion has, at last, fallen in line with the science, assisted by any number of in-your-face extreme weather events - epic droughts, record ice melts, multiple applications of the phrase "storm of the century." But action? Nothing. By anyone. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/07/3202194/documentary-goes-after-global.html#storylink=misearch CEQA reform: Time for meaningful changes to 43-year-old landmark law. According to recent public polling, voters are feeling more optimistic about the direction of the state and more confident in the ability of elected officials to solve California's problems. At the same time, voters express the desire to enhance the slowly recovering economy while advancing environmental protections to keep California both golden and green. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22722092/ceqa-reform BLOGS A Communications Scholar Analyzes Bill McKibben’s Path on Climate. Bill McKibben and I have been on parallel but very different journeys related to human-driven global warming since the greenhouse effect first became front-page news back in the late 1980s (examples here and here). (Our video chat above was done in December for my Pace University blogging class.) Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/a-communications-scholar-analyzes-bill-mckibbens-path-on-climate/ Solar Eclipse. The Egyptian pound is weakening at an alarming rate. Hard currency reserves are dwindling. Unemployment is up; investment is down. Imports are being restricted, and banks are no longer giving out loans. The list of worrisome indicators goes on, but there is no word that better encapsulates the severity of Egypt’s economic situation than “solar.” Posted. http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/diesel-fuel-the-leading-concern-of-most-egyptians/ Learning from the cap-and-trade debate. Two months ago, my report “Naming the Problem: What It Will Take to Counter Extremism and Engage Americans in the Fight Against Global Warming” [PDF] was posted online (along with an important companion report, “The Too Polite Revolution” [PDF], by journalists Petra Bartosiewicz and Marissa Miley). These reports probed what happened with the big push for cap-and-trade legislation in 2009 and 2010, and mine used the results of months of research to place this episode within the larger political trends that have been playing out in U.S. politics in recent years. Posted. http://grist.org/politics/learning-from-the-cap-and-trade-debate/ Poll: Most Americans See Population Growth as Threat to Wildlife, Climate. If you feel like our crowded planet is taking a tough toll on the wild, you're not alone. A new poll finds a clear majority of Americans believe the world's growing human population is driving wildlife species toward extinction and is making climate change worse. Respondents also said addressing the human population -- which topped 7 billion in 2011 -- is an important environmental issue and that society has a "moral obligation" to address wildlife extinctions related to population growth. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerry-karnas/poll-most-americans-see-p_b_2828624.html?utm_hp_ref=climate-change ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2013 12:56:51 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for March 8, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 8, 2013. 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 Neighbors express fears over toxic plume. EPA meets with residents concerned about TCE dangers. In a meeting with residents of Mountain View's Wagon Wheel neighborhood on Sunday, EPA officials addressed fears about the cancer-causing toxics recently found to be evaporating from the ground on Evandale Avenue. EPA officials said residents in the area should only be concerned about being exposed to toxic vapors trapped inside buildings…Posted. http://mv-voice.com/news/show_story.php?id=6711 Scientists begin to quantify the impacts of brown carbon on the atmosphere. Tiny carbon particles released from natural and man-made processes float in the atmosphere and can influence weather patterns around the world. Researchers modeling these effects recently put a number on how much organic compounds change the global climate, finding them to be more significant than they expected. Smoke billowing into the sky from smoldering forest fires and cookstoves contains carbon in its elemental form, known as black carbon…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/08/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Global Temperatures Highest in 4,000 Years. Global temperatures are warmer than at any time in at least 4,000 years, scientists reported Thursday, and over the coming decades are likely to surpass levels not seen on the planet since before the last ice age. Previous research had extended back roughly 1,500 years, and suggested that the rapid temperature spike of the past century, believed to be a consequence of human activity, exceeded any warming episode during those years. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/science/earth/global-temperatures-highest-in-4000-years-study-says.html?ref=earth&_r=0 Study of centuries of weather suggests record warming ahead. By observing several indirect indicators, researchers looking at weather patterns since the end of the last Ice Age predict that average surface temperatures will be at their highest point in human experience by the end of this century. First the good news: In the last 11,300 years, humans have endured a planet warmer than today's, even as they set about building their earliest civilizations. Now the bad news: That will no longer be true 87 years from now…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-climate-warming-20130308,0,1220004.story http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Recent-heat-spike-unlike-anything-in-11-000-years-4336659.php Wall Street banking on global warming. As free-market think tanks continue working to discredit solid science on climate change, Wall Street itself is already busy exploiting the unfolding tragedy. An infuriating Bloomberg Businessweek article published Thursday revealed that hedge funds and other financial firms are pouring money into ventures that stand to profit as the world warms and oceans rise throughout this century. Posted. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/technology/dotcommentary/article/Wall-Street-banking-on-global-warming-4337317.php#ixzz2MyTNhoqA Poland aims to pave way for 2015 climate deal. Hoping to win over EU critics of Poland's recent stance on climate change, the environment minister said Friday that the coal-powered nation will make every effort to pave the way for a lasting deal in 2015 when it hosts a U.N. global warming conference in November. Last year, Poland vetoed the EU's road map for emissions reductions beyond 2020, drawing sharp criticism from environmental groups and EU officials. Poland relies on coal for more than 90 percent of its electricity. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Poland-aims-to-pave-way-for-2015-climate-deal-4339390.php#ixzz2MyUxLMOB http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/hoping-to-win-over-eu-critics-poland-aims-to-lay-ground-for-2015-global-climate-change-deal/2013/03/08/be188ab6-880d-11e2-b412-2e8596e7c927_story.html FUELS As Fracking Increases, So Do Fears About Water Supply. In this South Texas stretch of mesquite trees and cactus, where the land is sometimes too dry to grow crops, the local aquifer is being strained in the search for oil. The reason is hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a drilling process that requires massive amounts of water. “We just can’t sustain it,” Hugh Fitzsimons, a Dimmit County bison rancher who serves on the board of his local groundwater district, said last month as he drove his pickup down a dusty road. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/us/as-fracking-in-texas-increases-so-do-water-supply-fears.html?ref=earth EPA fines Wyoming ethanol plant $49,000. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has imposed a $49,000 fine on an eastern Wyoming ethanol producer for violations of chemical handling procedures. The EPA announced that an inspection last year found officials at the Wyoming Ethanol plant in Torrington failed to maintain a sufficient risk management program for the various toxic and flammable chemicals. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/EPA-fines-Wyoming-ethanol-plant-49-000-4339426.php#ixzz2MyUQTwm1 Sierra Club Slams Five 'Utility Money-Wasters' A proposed Kern County coal-fired power plant that would cost $3.15 billion tops a list of five projects of California investor-owned utilities singled out for criticism by the Sierra Club as expensive and dirty. SCS Energy's proposed "Hydrogen Energy California" coal-fired power plant in Tupman leads the list that also includes the ailing San Onofre nuclear power plant, gas-fired power plants operated by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), and an "archaic" billing system that charges PG&E customers with solar panels $30 a month. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/coal/sierra-club-slams-five-utility-money-wasters.html VEHICLES Carmakers think outside the box as electric dreams shatter. Carmakers are going back to the drawing board in the hunt for fuel-saving technologies as hopes that electric vehicles will be the silver bullet for CO2 emissions look increasingly forlorn. There is a growing awareness that conventional hybrids and slow-selling battery cars simply won't be enough to meet rigid EU emissions limits. Among those showing off new ideas at the Geneva car show this week…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/us-autoshow-geneva-fuel-tech-idUSBRE9270S420130308 Volkswagen rules out Honeywell, DuPont refrigerant. Volkswagen, the world's third largest carmaker, has joined compatriot Daimler in deciding not to use a new air-conditioning refrigerant developed by U.S. firms Honeywell and DuPont in its cars. Volkswagen plans to roll out carbon dioxide-based air conditioning systems throughout its entire fleet instead of the Honeywell/DuPont refrigerant called HFO-1234yf, which was created to meet more stringent environmental regulation. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/volkswagen-honeywell-refrigerant-idUSL6N0C09DG20130308 HIGH SPEED RAIL L.A. harbor commissioners OK rail yard near port. The International Gateway rail yard wins approval despite worries of environmentalists and neighboring Long Beach about pollution. Over the objections of environmentalists, community groups and neighboring Long Beach officials, Los Angeles harbor commissioners on Thursday approved a $500-million rail yard that could dramatically boost business but also drive more noise and dirty air into schools, parks and low-income neighborhoods. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gateway-20130308,0,3292721.story http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_22740411/hundreds-turn-out-port-los-angeles-hearing-bnsf?source=rss http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/07/la-harbor-commissioners-ok-500m-rail-project/#ixzz2MxsLpQn1 GREEN ENERGY Analysis: Renewables turn utilities into dinosaurs of the energy world. Every new solar panel installed on European rooftops chips away at power utilities' centralized production model. Unless they reinvent themselves soon, these giants risk becoming the dinosaurs of the energy market. The industry faces drastic change as renewable energy turns consumers into producers and hollows out the dominance of utilities. With their stocks at decade lows and a millstone of debt around their necks, Europe's utilities have little margin for error. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/us-utilities-threat-idUSBRE92709E20130308 CERAWEEK-Gates favors nuclear power to help limit climate change. Microsoft Corp co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates said that expanding nuclear power and making it safer was the most economic way to ward off climate change. In an address to the IHS CERAWeek conference of international energy company executives, he said safe and reliable reactors were the best option and dismissed wind and solar energy as less practical. "The only way to solve the climate challenge is have some source of energy that's economic," Gates told the gathering on Thursday evening. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/ceraweek-gates-nuclear-idUSL1N0C01HV20130308 Republican mayor pushes climate action, wants solar on new homes. A Republican mayor in Southern California who sees climate change as an urgent threat wants to mandate solar on new homes. Mayor R. Rex Parris of Lancaster, Calif., pushed for the requirement -- believed to be the first of its kind in the nation -- because "there isn't any greater crisis facing the world today" than global warming. "We really are facing a species extinction potential because of global warming," Parris said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/08/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Shale-drilling workers in high demand. After spending years searching for enough crude to pump, the U.S. oil and natural gas industry now is struggling to find and pay for enough skilled workers to tap the abundant supply in shale rock, putting $100 billion in planned petrochemical projects at risk. Engineers and similar professionals earned an average $183,000 to $285,000 in 2012 depending on their position and background, a 20 percent to 50 percent jump since 2009, NES Global Talent data show. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Shale-drilling-workers-in-high-demand-4338007.php#ixzz2MySEAbGE NRC: San Onofre getting more inspections. A year-end report on the San Onofre nuclear plant shows it is among 14 across the nation that will receive additional inspections to resolve minor issues that arose in 2012. In San Onofre's case, issues center on how requirements for compliance with procedures are communicated to employees. All are considered to be of low safety significance, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a statement released Thursday. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/news/san-498713-onofre-wear.html OPINIONS COLUMN-Climate fixes need cautious consideration: Wynn. Recent extreme heat waves reinforce concerns that the slow pace of action against climate change is inadequate, raising interest in new fixes called geoengineering, but this warrants caution. Proposed geoengineering fixes fall broadly between reflecting sunlight and heat back into space, or sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Perhaps the biggest concern among its detractors is the danger of distracting from the main task of cutting greenhouse gas emissions…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/column-wynn-climate-geoengineering-idUSL6N0BZ4EJ20130308 Prepare for unpreventable global warming. Re “In climate debate, what are costs of being wrong?" (Viewpoints, March 5): Bruce Maiman wrote a nice column on global warming. Unfortunately it's basically irrelevant. Let's examine causes and actions to be taken from all perspectives: First, warming is a natural cycle. Nothing we can do will prevent it so spend our resources preparing for it. Second, it is man caused. With China opening a new coal fires power plant a week and the rest of the developing world such as India also pumping tons into the atmosphere preventive…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/08/5243697/global-warming.html#storylink=cpy Liisa Ecola: Does U.S. gas tax still make sense? For the second year in a row, the cost of gasoline has seen an unusual spike, with prices climbing more than 40 cents per gallon within a month. How much of that increase goes to improve America's roads? None. Because the federal government and most states levy fuel taxes only on a set cents-per-gallon basis, increases in the per-gallon price do nothing to help meet transportation budget shortfalls. Increases in the cost of gasoline can actually contribute to a decline in transportation funds because they discourage driving and mean fewer gallons consumed. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/pay-498500-one-roads.html Katie Tubb: CAFE rules make cars more expensive. The average price of a new car in 2012 was $30,500. Wondering why? One contributing factor is the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. All models from a single manufacturer must reach an average of 35.3 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016 and 54.5 mpg by 2025. The current average is 29 mpg. We already knew federal fuel efficiency standards don't reduce global warming, considering that not even cap and trade would have. We knew they don't reduce dependence on foreign oil. And now, if we didn't know it before, we know that they don't help make cars affordable. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/new-498198-car-average.html Debbie Raphael: Watchdogs learned from Mecca stink. The Desert Sun’s editorial regarding oversight of Western Environmental Inc. (WEI) accurately points out that prior to April 2011, our department’s response to the concerns in Mecca about odors and toxic exposures was inadequate. We have said as much, and in the summer of 2011 published findings of an internal audit that pointed out, among other things, that we should have responded much sooner to bring the facility under control. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130307/OPINION01/303070031/Debbie-Raphael-Watchdogs-learned-from-Mecca-stink?nclick_check=1 BLOGS Companies Collaborate on E.V. Charging for All. One of the best things about automated teller machines is that they accept cards from many different banks, a convenience not available to electric car owners plugging in at some fee-based public chargers. Public charging companies tend to develop their own billing networks, smart card access and other features, so an E.V. driver who is running on empty can be out of luck if the only available station is operated by an “out of network” provider. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/companies-collaborate-on-e-v-charging-for-all/?utm_source=ancala&utm_medium=twitter Fire Destroys a Pioneering Plug-In Prius Conversion. A 2004 Toyota Prius that had been converted to run on grid-supplied electricity caught fire at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night in Corte Madera, Calif., according to The Marin Independent Journal and other Bay Area news outlets. Nobody was hurt, but the fire killed a cat and caused about $250,000 worth of damage to the owner’s condominium. The cause of the fire was unknown. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/fire-destroys-a-pioneering-plug-in-prius-conversion/ Charging your electric car in public just got easier. Two rival Bay Area companies that install public charging stations for electric cars have decided to link their networks so customers can use both. ChargePoint and ECOtality have formed a joint venture that will tie together roughly 90 percent of all the nation’s public charging stations — more than 15,000 in all. Each company’s customers will be able to use the other’s chargers, in much the same way that one bank’s customers can use another’s ATMs. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/03/07/charging-your-electric-car-in-public-just-got-easier/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:44:32 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 11, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 11, 2013. 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 Abuse pollutes state environmental law. The California Environmental Quality Act, signed into law by Gov. Ronald Reagan, is being used for unintended purposes and needs fixing. State Sen. Jerry Hill grew up in San Francisco and vividly remembers the rare suffocating days of late summer when the fog fled and people sweltered. The city's natural air conditioner clicked off, temperatures soared into the 90s and — back then — the skies boiled into a toxic soup. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap-environment-20130311,0,910766,print.column Job-killing EPA regs? Not for manufacturer of emission controls. New U.S. EPA air regulations mean business for companies that make pollution-control technologies that other companies like -- at least, that's what execs at those firms are hoping. Consider Massachusetts-based Eco Power Solutions Inc. It hasn't had a customer since it officially opened in 2006 when its executives had visions of power companies lining up for help complying with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule and other new guidelines. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/03/11/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CAP AND TRADE California Considering 25 Projects for Carbon Offset Credits. California, the second-largest carbon-polluting state in the U.S. behind Texas, will decide whether to award its first carbon offset credits for 25 projects designed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. The candidates for offset credits include a project to improve forest management practices to avoid emissions related to timber harvesting and several to destroy biogas at farms, according to a list posted on the state Air Resources Board’s website. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-03-08/california-considering-25-projects-for-carbon-offset-credits.html First Carbon Offset Projects To Be Reviewed By Air Resources Board. The California Air Resources Board says it's reviewing the first twenty five projects submitted that promised to offset greenhouse gas emissions. If approved, the businesses can earn credits under the state's Cap-and-Trade Program. Stanley Young with the Air Resources Board says certified inspectors will determine how much pollution each project eliminates. "We require that the project developer hire and accredited person- a third-person verifier…Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/03/08/first-carbon-offset-projects-to-be-reviewed-by-air-resources-board CLIMATE CHANGE Greenland adds nutrient to ocean in side-effect of thaw: study. A melt of Greenland's ice is washing large amounts of the nutrient iron into the Atlantic Ocean where it might aid marine life in a rare positive side-effect of climate change, a study showed on Sunday. Greenland's thaw, which is raising world sea levels, is also adding about 300,000 tonnes of iron a year to the North Atlantic, based on projections from the muddy melt water of three glaciers in the southwest, it said. That is similar to the amount of iron blown to the region in dust by winds. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/11/us-climate-greenland-idUSBRE9290DN20130311 Evidence grows of rainforest resilience to global warming. The world's tropical forests are less likely to lose biomass, or plant material, this century due to the effects of global warming than previously thought, scientists said in a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience on Sunday. This adds to growing evidence that rainforests might be more resilient to the effects of climate change than feared. Tropical forests play an important role in the world's climate system because they soak up carbon dioxide and use it to grow leaves, branches and roots. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/10/rainforest-climate-idUSL6N0BZFJH20130310 FUELS Bills seek more disclosure, oversight of fracking. The growing concern over hydraulic fracturing, the technology that has led to an oil and gas boom in many parts of the country, has caught the attention of California lawmakers as companies seek to expand production in the San Joaquin Valley oil fields. At least eight bills proposing to regulate or tax the industry's expansion are under consideration in this year's legislative session. They include proposals that would require disclosure of the ingredients used in fracking…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/10/5251172/bills-seek-more-disclosure-oversight.html#storylink=cpy Fracking health study results likely years off. A health study cited by leading environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as pivotal in helping persuade Gov. Andrew Cuomo to hold off on plans for limited gas drilling is likely years away from conclusions about whether the technology involved is safe, according to the project's leaders. With New York entering the fifth year of review of the process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, growing calls to wait for the Geisinger Health System study to be finished could push a final decision back several more years…Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/09/fracking-health-study-results-likely-years-off/#ixzz2NFN9aEU9 Enerkem: committed to Pontotoc ethanol project. Four years after announcing plans for an ethanol plant in Pontotoc, a Canadian company has yet to begin construction. Enerkem Inc., of Montreal, remains committed to building the for Enerkem Mississippi Biofuels plant, spokeswoman Annie Pare tells The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. It's planned as a $100 million project with 70 employees, with a $150 million expansion to produce another 80 jobs.So far, a lot has been cleared for a power substation but the 35-acre site for the plant itself is still all woods. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/10/enerkem-committed-to-pontotoc-ethanol-project/#ixzz2NFPBKxV3 Flights from NY airport fueled by cooking oil. A Dutch airliner is flying from New York to Amsterdam on a fuel mix that includes leftover oil from frying Louisiana's Cajun food. The KLM flights from Kennedy Airport are powered by a combination of 25 percent recycled cooking oil and 75 percent jet fuel. After the first such flight Friday, the concept will be tested on 24 round-trip trans-Atlantic trips every Thursday for the next six months. KLM executive Camiel Eurlings jokingly told the New York Post that "it smelled like fries" while the plane was being fueled. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/09/flights-from-ny-airport-fueled-by-cooking-oil/ A more precise device emerges to assess methane leaks from gas sites. A number of studies recently have highlighted methane leakage from well pads as a significant climate concern. Behind some of these studies is a California-based startup and its instrument that allows scientists to detect greenhouse gases and pinpoint the source of the emissions. The instrument, by Picarro Inc., allows users to drive around a city and accurately detect methane leaks. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/03/11/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Nissan COO to Head Electric Car Unit as Leaf Sales Trail Target. Nissan Motor Co. (7201), Japan’s second- largest automaker, put its electric-vehicle business under the direct supervision of the chief operating officer after sales of the Leaf missed the company’s expectations. Toshiyuki Shiga will oversee zero emission vehicle strategy and the battery business starting April 1, Nissan said in an e- mail. Hideaki Watanabe, corporate vice president at the electric car division, was moved to supplier Calsonic Kansei Corp. (7248), where he will be senior vice president. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-03-11/nissan-coo-to-head-electric-car-unit-as-leaf-sales-trail-target.html Carmakers think outside the box as electric dreams shatter. Carmakers are going back to the drawing board in the hunt for fuel-saving technologies as hopes that electric vehicles will be the silver bullet for CO2 emissions look increasingly forlorn. There is a growing awareness that conventional hybrids and slow-selling battery cars simply won't be enough to meet rigid EU emissions limits. Among those showing off new ideas at the Geneva car show this week, Volkswagen presented its diesel-electric XL1 - a low-slung two-seater that burns less than a liter (0.26 U.S. gallons) of fuel per 100 kilometers (62 miles) - Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/us-autoshow-geneva-fuel-tech-idUSBRE9270S420130308 Off-road park near Livermore: Expansion opposed by low-impact advocates. Amid the lush green hills off Tesla Road, near the San Joaquin County line, is a serene area of sycamores and buckeyes with a secret past, and a controversial plan for its future. It once was home to the bustling coal-mining town of Tesla, its dusty roads filled with horse carriages. Now California is looking at a proposal to expand the off-road vehicle area next door into portions of the 3,500-acre Tesla parcel, which State Parks officials say can be done while respecting the area's history. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22752680/tesla-land-near-carnegie-off-roaders-vs-preservationists?source=rss Scania and Siemens to develop heavy-duty hybrid vehicles with trolley-assist; enabling the eHighway. Scania and Siemens have entered into a partnership which involves the integration of Siemens’ trolley-assist technology with Scania’s expertise in the electrification of powertrains in trucks and buses. Scania has for a long time explored the possibilities of electrifying the powertrain in buses and trucks, while Siemens has developed trolley-assist systems for heavy duty trucks and is selling its SIMINE trolley-assist system for mining trucks to that industry. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/siemensscania-20130311.html Hybrid-electrics race for mainstream and high-end buyers. They may not be there just yet, but hybrid vehicles of all types and sizes are gunning for mainstream status. Traditional hybrids -- which run on petroleum but save fuel by capturing lost energy with an electric motor -- are still considered to be in a class of niche electrified vehicles, along with plug-in cars like the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. But hybrids appear to be pulling away from that group. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/11/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Low demand, weak prices hit new CEE power plant projects. Central European utilities, facing weakening wholesale power prices and uncertainty about future demand in slumping economies, have scuppered or suspended coal and gas projects with total capacity over 5,000 megawatts. Over the long run, these decisions could lead to shortages in some nations when demand strengthens and as European Union environmental laws force the closure of old coal-burning plants. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/11/cee-power-plants-idUSL5N0BBBQC20130311 Thousand Oaks wants to bring solar energy to four of its parks. Four parks in Thousand Oaks may soon generate power from a mix of electric lines and solar if the Conejo Recreation & Park District gets the green light. Before Dec. 31, the district hopes to install carports with solar panels at four parks that use the most energy: Conejo Creek Park South, Thousand Oaks Community Park, Dos Vientos Community Park and Borchard Community Park. After its board of directors unanimously approved the plan in November, the district held a community meeting for neighbors of each park. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/10/thousand-oaks-wants-to-bring-solar-energy-to-of/#ixzz2NFNyUNhk MISCELLANEOUS Sun Valley recycling plant expansion faces neighborhood opposition. Neighbors complain of rats, debris and smells coming from the troubled Community Recycling & Resource Recovery, which has for years been receiving tons more waste than it's supposed to. Complaining about "rats the size of small dogs," debris that falls like thick snow and a pervasive, rancid odor, neighbors at a public hearing Friday protested a plan to expand a Sun Valley recycling operation into one of the largest waste-transfer facilities in the state. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sun-valley-recycle-20130309,0,5315419.story OPINIONS When to Say No. The State Department’s latest environmental assessment of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline makes no recommendation about whether President Obama should approve it. Here is ours. He should say no, and for one overriding reason: A president who has repeatedly identified climate change as one of humanity’s most pressing dangers cannot in good conscience approve a project that — even by the State Department’s most cautious calculations — can only add to the problem. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/opinion/when-to-say-no-to-the-keystone-xl.html?_r=0 Air Board May Have It Right On Cap And Trade. From the moment AB 32 and its mandate for greenhouse gas reductions passed in 2006, conservative opponents and climate change deniers have vilified it as an economic suicide pact for California. But that may not be so, in part because of how the cap and trade system for lowering emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) is now working. What’s more, no one expected this to be a big state moneymaker back when current Democratic state Sen. Fran Pavley and then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were pushing it. Posted. http://www.smmirror.com/articles/Opinion/Air-Board-May-Have-It-Right-On-Cap-And-Trade/36973 http://www.sonomanews.com/News-2013/Air-Board-may-be-right-on-cap-and-trade/ BLOGS Head of US Pacific command: Climate change biggest threat. America’s top military officer in charge of monitoring hostile actions by North Korea, escalating tensions between China and Japan, and a spike in computer attacks traced to China provides an unexpected answer when asked what is the biggest long-term security threat in the Pacific region: climate change. Navy Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, in an interview at a Cambridge hotel Friday after he met with scholars at Harvard and Tufts universities, said significant upheaval related to the warming planet “is probably the most likely thing that is going to happen…Posted. http://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2013/03/09/admiral-samuel-locklear-commander-pacific-forces-warns-that-climate-change-top-threat/BHdPVCLrWEMxRe9IXJZcHL/story.html http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/287327-head-of-us-pacific-command-climate-change-biggest-threat http://washingtonexaminer.com/top-pacific-admiral-identifies-climate-change-as-greatest-security-threat/article/2523911 http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/03/climate-change/ Air pollution drops in Alameda. Alamedans polluted less in 2010 than they did five years earlier, the results of a new study show. Emissions of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants dropped 8 percent over that time, the 2010 Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory estimates, putting Alameda on track to meet the city’s reduction target of 25 percent by 2020. But some are questioning whether the numbers will hold as the nation emerges from a recession that likely reduced the car trips that are responsible for much of the pollution, and they say that much more needs to be done. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/inalameda/2013/03/11/air-pollution-drops-in-alameda/ Air quality in an app. Thanks to sensors installed on trams that send data live to mobile phones, people can check air pollution levels around the city with just one click and in real time. This new app developed by EPFL researchers was recently tested in Zurich. What if you could choose your commute based on the air quality en route? This is what a new smartphone app, "Mobile Observatory," developed by EPFL's Distributed Systems Laboratory, is proposing. Posted. http://phys.org/news/2013-03-air-quality-app.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:00:11 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 12, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 12, 2013. 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 China wrestles with cost of cleaner environment. Facing public outrage over smog-choked cities and filthy rivers, China's leaders are promising to clean up the country's neglected environment—a pledge that sets up a clash with political pressures to keep economic growth strong. An array of possible initiatives discussed by officials and state media ahead of this week's meeting of China's legislature include tightening water standards and taxing carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2013/03/12/china-wrestles-with-cost-of-cleaner-environment Other related articles: http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22770216/china-wrestles-cost-cleaner-environment?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/12/3209236/china-wrestles-with-cost-of-cleaner.html#storylink=misearch http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/12/china-wrestles-with-cost-of-cleaner-environment/#ixzz2NLOXPVPS DIESEL EMISSIONS Yamaha Settles Suit with the California Air Resources Board over 2007 Rhinos. California air officials say a Japanese producer of motorized vehicles will pay $2.2 million to resolve allegations that the company sold uncertified vehicles in California. The California Air Resources Board announced Monday that Yamaha Motor Corp. USA and Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. of Japan have agreed to a court-approved settlement to resolve allegations of illegal importation and sale of uncertified off-highway vehicles. The allegations stemmed from an alleged failure of 2007 Yamaha Rhino off-road models to meet the state’s anti-smog certification requirements. Posted. http://sxsnews.com/index.php/2013/03/yamaha-settles-suit-with-the-california-air-resources-board-over-2007-rhinos/ VEHICLES Auto review: Ford's C-MAX Energi is a plug-in hybrid that doesn't skimp on power. As cars go more and more green, all of the automakers are battling to be the most fuel-efficient; After all, who wants to pay for gas more often than you have to? One company that has made large strides in this area in recent years is Ford, which has garnered a lot of attention for their 2013 offerings - including the new Ford Fusion, and the brand new C-MAX - which comes in both regular hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22772160/auto-review-fords-c-max-energi-is-plug#ixzz2NLTOtWJf MISCELLANEOUS Broad smoking ban sought in housing. People living in townhouses, condominiums and other attached units would be prohibited from smoking indoors under a ban proposed by a state lawmaker - the most sweeping antismoking legislative proposal in the country. The law would ban all tobacco smoking inside any multiunit residence - apartments, condominiums, duplexes, townhouses. Single-family detached homes are not included as they don't share walls or ventilation systems. Marijuana smoking is not addressed either. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Broad-smoking-ban-sought-in-housing-4345722.php#ixzz2NLCH7pYC OPINIONS Think ethanol is environmentally friendly? Think again. America's prairies are disappearing at the fastest rate since the 1930s' "Dust Bowl." Given the pace at which U.S. farmers are converting grasslands into cornfields for ethanol production, this should hardly be surprising. Driven in large part by government biofuel mandates on oil refineries, U.S. farmers converted more than 1.3 million acres of grassland into corn and soybean fields between 2006 and 2011, according to a newly published study by scientists at South Dakota State University. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/12/5255922/think-ethanol-is-environmentally.html#storylink=cpy China ahead of U.S. on climate change. Finally, a nation that is contributing heavily to climate change is taking a major step to reduce its emissions. Unfortunately, this global leadership is not coming from the United States. It's coming from China. China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, so the news (reported by Xinhua, a state-owned media service) that it's going to introduce a carbon tax is huge. The tax is unlikely to be on the scale that experts suggest would make a serious dent in climate change: …Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/China-ahead-of-U-S-on-climate-change-4346134.php#ixzz2NLHA2rfQ MORALES: High-speed rail will create jobs in valley. The Modesto Bee's March 6 editorial, "Valley high-speed rail hiring policy adds to concern," takes an unfair swipe at the California High-Speed Rail Authority's goal of creating and maximizing job opportunities for Central Valley residents and ignores long-standing state and national policies encouraging employers to help economically disadvantaged people — including veterans — re-enter the job market. Since unemployment in the Central Valley is the highest in California and well above the national average, it is vital that there is an emphasis on creating jobs in the valley. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/03/11/2616505/high-speed-rail-will-create-jobs.html Will California's cap and trade stifle low-carbon innovation? When the state of California recently launched the milestone auction of greenhouse gas credits under its AB32 cap-and-trade program, the environmental world — and forward-thinking companies — applauded. The program's long-term certainty should provide confidence for investing in carbon-reducing projects, level the playing field across fossil fuel and low-carbon energy choices, and boost California's climate leadership. At Chevrolet, we are encouraged by California's pioneering, economywide effort. Posted. http://www.greenbiz.com/print/51147 Proposed fracking leases threatens county drinking water - GUEST OPINION. I want to thank the Waterford Township Board of Trustees and Supervisor Gary Wall for delaying their vote to sell a mineral lease to the oil and gas industry for $75,000 pending further study of the business of “slickwater-horizontal-hydraulic drilling,” or as the oil and gas industry calls it:, “fracking.” It was inspiring and amazing that more than 200 people packed the township auditorium to offer comments and…Posted. http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/03/12/opinion/doc513ceb6bd7be9838990878.txt?viewmode=default BLOGS Will China ever get its pollution problem under control? Earlier this year, when Beijing was choking on record levels of smog, observers wondered whether China would ever get its pollution problem under control. It’s an insanely difficult question, with huge implications for everything from climate change to the global economy. So here’s one stab at an answer, in the form of a big recent analysis (pdf) from three Deutsche Bank economists. The bad news: Most of China’s current attempts to curb pollution are failing badly…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/11/will-china-ever-get-its-pollution-problem-under-control/ Lawmakers Release Carbon Emissions Tax Plan. Almost exactly four years after unveiling his doomed cap-and-trade proposal to deal with global warming, Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, released a new plan on Tuesday to address climate change and federal budget woes: a tax on carbon emissions. Mr. Waxman, joined by Representative Earl Blumenauer, Democrat of Oregon, and Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, both Democrats, distributed a relatively simple proposal to impose a fee on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, factories, refineries and other major sources. Posted. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/representatives-release-carbon-emissions-tax-plan/?partner=rss&emc=rss A New York Times Column on Climate and Energy. I was excited tonight to see that Justin Gillis has launched a monthly column on climate change, the energy challenge and related issues in Science Times (his new home). The column, taking the “By Degrees” name from the paper’s 2009 series on responses to global warming, won’t capture everything that the closed Green blog covered, but demonstrates the paper’s (and of course Justin’s) commitment to this super wicked issue. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/a-new-york-times-column-on-climate-and-energy/?ref=andrewcrevkin Some Resilience Seen in Northern and Tropical Flora in a Warming Climate. Separate comprehensive studies published in the last couple of days in Nature Climate Change and Nature Geoscience find that from the northern tundra to the tropical forests, plant communities are showing substantial capacity to tolerate global warming. The work builds on earlier research on the responsiveness to climate change of both tropical and Arctic plant communities. Given trajectories pointing to centuries of warming this is no reason to relax, of course. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/resilience-seen-in-norther-and-tropical-flora-in-a-warming-climate/ Guess which polluter nation just shamed U.S. on climate? Both China and the U.S. have fought against global climate change regulations. One of the big GOP complaints about doing something on climate change is that it hardly matters if China isn’t playing ball. Well, guess what? China just approved a carbon tax, while the United States remains mired in denial and partisan gridlock. It’s the subject of Tuesday’s editorial. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/opinionshop/2013/03/11/guess-which-polluter-nation-just-shamed-u-s-on-climate/ Will California's cap and trade stifle low-carbon innovation? When the state of California recently launched the milestone auction of greenhouse gas credits under its AB32 cap-and-trade program, the environmental world — and forward-thinking companies — applauded. The program's long-term certainty should provide confidence for investing in carbon-reducing projects, level the playing field across fossil fuel and low-carbon energy choices, and boost California's climate leadership. At Chevrolet, we are encouraged by California's pioneering, economywide effort. Posted. http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2013/03/11/will-californias-cap-and-trade-stifle-low-carbon-innovation ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:34:28 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 13, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 13, 2013. 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 Inversions trapping unhealthy air in Fairbanks. The Fairbanks area is continuing to be plagued by air pollution despite relatively mild temperatures. Inversions occur when a layer of cold air is trapped below a layer of warm air. They normally occur in the Tanana Valley when it is colder, but inversions are continuing to be a problem in Fairbanks even this far into winter. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Inversions-trapping-unhealthy-air-in-Fairbanks-4351407.php#ixzz2NRZrkE70 State regulators weigh in on power plant upgrades. he Arizona Corporation Commission is criticizing recent actions by the U.S. Environmental Protection agency to clean up the state's power plants. The commission voted Tuesday to file an amicus brief in federal appeals court supporting the state's challenge to pollution control upgrades at three coal-fired power plants. The EPA partially approved Arizona's air quality plan for the Cholla, Coronado and Apache generating stations. But the agency set its own limits for nitrogen oxide emissions and gave the plants' operators five years to comply. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/State-regulators-weigh-in-on-power-plant-upgrades-4350548.php#ixzz2NRaKlqNP News Summary: China weighs economy vs environment. OUTRAGE, PRESSURE: Facing public outrage over smog-choked cities and filthy rivers, China's leaders are promising to clean up the country's neglected environment — a pledge that sets up a clash with political pressures to keep economic growth strong. INITIATIVES FLOATED: Possible initiatives have discussed by officials and state media ahead of this week's meeting of China's legislature include tightening water standards and taxing carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/News-Summary-China-weighs-economy-vs-environment-4348950.php#ixzz2NRaknaK3 HIGH SPEED RAIL Environmental group to appeal planned rail yard near Port of L.A. The Natural Resources Defense Council says the cargo complex would be near schools and residents who already breathe some of the foulest air in the region. A $500-million proposed rail yard near the Port of Los Angeles will face a challenge Wednesday from an environmental group that says the plans are a threat to civil rights and public health. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rail-yard-20130313,0,652907.story CLIMATE CHANGE COLUMN-EU 2030 carbon cap could restore emissions trade: Wynn. The European Union has begun the process of agreeing a new carbon cap for 2030, with early signs that it could reinvigorate the emissions market and simplify low-carbon policy. The outcome will depend on horse-trading with skeptical carbon-intensive countries such as Poland and the eventual parceling of the cap between industry sectors. The target preferred by the European Commission would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/column-wynn-carbon-idUSL6N0C47VS20130313 Nestle sets social, environmental targets for 2020. Nestle, the world's biggest food company, published on Wednesday a raft of social and environmental targets it aims to meet by 2020, including better labeling of its products, only using sustainable palm oil and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Nestle said the 30 goals it was setting included making sure all of its palm oil was responsibly sourced by the end of 2013, two years ahead of an initial commitment made in 2010 after campaigners Greenpeace targeted its KitKat chocolate brand. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/nestle-idUSL6N0C563120130313 Court rejects Iowa girl's plea for climate action. An appeals court declined Wednesday to order the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to adopt rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions, saying the agency does not have a legal duty to protect the atmosphere for future generations. The Iowa Court of Appeals declined to extend Iowa's public trust doctrine, which requires the state to protect lakes, rivers and nearby lands for public use, to include the air in the atmosphere. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Court-rejects-Iowa-girl-s-plea-for-climate-action-4351310.php#ixzz2NRd0xzRw DIESEL EMISSIONS Diesel plant opens today at Port of Stockton. Victory Blue, a Keller, Texas-based producer of diesel exhaust fluid used to reduce pollution from diesel engines, today will formally inaugurate its newest production and packaging facility, at the Port of Stockton. Tom Paquin, president of Victory Blue, said Tuesday in Stockton that the new, 40,000-square-foot facility will "have the capacity of producing millions of gallons of product each year." Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130313/A_BIZ/303130303&cid=sitesearch FUELS UPDATE 1-Exxon sees N.American oil and gas output up 45 pct by 2040. Exxon Mobil Corp expects oil and natural gas production in North America to rise 45 percent over the three decades to 2040, boosted by output from U.S. shale formations, Canadian oil sands projects and the Gulf of Mexico. Exxon and other global oil companies are increasing investment in North America, where reserves are easier to access and production is often cheaper. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/exxon-outlook-us-idUSL1N0C567A20130313 US crude oil supplies grew by 2.6 million barrels. The nation's crude oil supplies increased last week, the government said Wednesday.Crude supplies rose by 2.6 million barrels, or 0.7 percent, to 384 million barrels, which is 10.5 percent above year-ago levels, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22780093/us-crude-oil-supplies-grew-by-2-6#ixzz2NR9Bt5mM Higher oil prices drive up US import costs. Prices paid by U.S. importers rose in February for the second straight month, pushed up by higher oil prices. The Labor Department says import prices rose 1.1 percent in February after a 0.6 percent gain the previous month. Fuel imports jumped 4.9 percent. Excluding fuel, import prices were flat. Low import costs have helped hold down U.S. inflation. Even with the last two months of increases in oil costs, import prices have fallen 0.3 percent in the 12 months ending in February. They haven't recorded a year-over-year increase since last April. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22779432/higher-oil-prices-drive-up-us-import-costs#ixzz2NR9VZZ4w VEHICLES Norway shows the way with electric cars, but at what cost? Norway's buzzing little market for pure electric cars has in its very success shown the severe drawbacks to a model that relies on public subsidies worth as much as $8,200 per car, every year. Car makers like Nissan, Mitsubishi, Peugeot Citroen and Tesla Motors see Norway and its 10,000 battery-powered vehicles as a reason for optimism in otherwise gloomy terrain. Pure electric cars made up 3.0 percent of February car sales in Norway, with a population of 5 million, compared to fractions of one percent in most nations. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/us-cars-norway-idUSBRE92C0K020130313 UPDATE 1-BMW investor Klatten to head SGL supervisory board. Susanne Klatten, Germany's richest woman and a major investor in carmaker BMW, is set to become head of the supervisory board at SGL Carbon, giving her more influence over the carbon fibre firm in which both BMW and rival VW have stakes. SGL said on Wednesday the supervisory board would ask shareholders at their April 30 annual meeting to approve Klatten as chairwoman. SGL was the subject of a headline-grabbing tussle between BMW and Volkswagen (VW) in 2011. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/sglcarbon-klatten-idUSL6N0C53VY20130313 GREEN ENERGY UPDATE 2-European Commission outlines 2030 green energy goals. The European Commission has outlined new targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and using more green energy by 2030, according to a policy paper seen by Reuters. The paper reflects industry demands that climate goals have to take account of the economic crisis but still presses for an economy that produces less carbon and is less dependent on expensive fossil fuel imports. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/12/eu-energy-idUSL6N0C456420130312 An Energy Coup for Japan: ‘Flammable Ice’ Japan said Tuesday that it had extracted gas from offshore deposits of methane hydrate — sometimes called “flammable ice” — a breakthrough that officials and experts said could be a step toward tapping a promising but still little-understood energy source. The gas, whose extraction from the undersea hydrate reservoir was thought to be a world first, could provide an alternative source of energy to known oil and gas reserves. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/business/global/japan-says-it-is-first-to-tap-methane-hydrate-deposit.html?ref=business Is General Electric Burning Bright or Burning Out? General Electric, founded by Thomas Edison, is the oldest company in the Dow. In the century since its first public listing, GE has evolved into one of the largest companies in the world, operating in over 100 countries with a widely diversified portfolio invested in aviation, healthcare, energy and home & business solutions - making it a bellwether of the global economy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/Is-General-Electric-Burning-Bright-or-Burning-Out-4351649.php#ixzz2NRcRDsFb Review: 'Smart' LED bulbs controlled by iPhones. LED bulbs seem to be the future of home lighting: They save electricity, they're durable and they don't contain mercury like compact fluorescents. But having them produce white light like any old light bulb is like using a computer as a doorstop. That's because each LED, or light-emitting diode, is a small chip, the product of the same sort of manufacturing process that spawned the digital revolution. The chips are backed up by more electronics in the stem of the bulb. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Review-Smart-LED-bulbs-controlled-by-iPhones-4351598.php#ixzz2NRb8FDyb Hawaii House committee OKs environmental bills. Members of the state House energy committee are moving forward several of Gov. Neil Abercrombie's environmental initiatives. The committee on Tuesday approved a bill to provide low-cost loans to help people afford solar panels and other equipment the bill calls "green infrastructure." Abercrombie says this will help the state reach its clean energy goals. The committee also approved Abercrombie's proposal to amend and expand the Electronic Waste and Television Recycling program. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Hawaii-House-committee-OKs-environmental-bills-4349601.php#ixzz2NRbsEImT Emission-free fusion could become commercial with $30B in U.S. funding – report. The United States could achieve commercialization of fusion energy 10 to 15 years early if the government commits $30 billion over the next decade to current research, according to a new white paper from the American Security Project. Fusion offers the hope of a nearly inexhaustible source of power with no emissions, threat of a nuclear meltdown or long-term radioactive waste. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/03/13/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Labor, environmental groups protest changes to CEQA. Labor and environmental groups rallied Tuesday on the steps of the Capitol to protest efforts to overhaul California's landmark environmental law. Representatives from unions and environmental organizations -- backed by dozens of supporters -- described the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, as an "environmental bill of rights" that allows the public to weigh in on proposed development in their communities. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-california-environmental-quality-act-protest-20130312,0,7357604.story http://www.news10.net/news/article/235256/2/Labor-environmental-groups-rise-to-defend-CEQA http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130312/A_NEWS/130319950/-1/A_NEWS14 http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2013/03/13/11 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Management fight pushes Henrik Fisker from car company he founded. Henrik Fisker, the founder of Fisker Automotive Inc., resigned from the troubled maker of expensive hybrid vehicles Wednesday. Fisker, the executive chairman of the Anaheim company, said he left after disagreeing with the management team on the direction of the company. The automaker, which makes the $110,000 Karma plug-in hybrid sports car, has said it needs about $500 million to launch a second, less expensive model that would be made at a factory in Wilmington, Del. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-henrik-fisker-resigns-20130313,0,5030297.story http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Report-Co-founder-leaves-Fisker-electric-car-co-4351504.php How NASA Scientists Are Turning L.A. Into One Big Climate-Change Lab. Southern California’s Mount Wilson is a lonesome, hostile peak — prone to sudden rock falls, sometimes ringed by wildfire — that nevertheless has attracted some of the greatest minds in modern science. George Ellery Hale, one of the godfathers of astrophysics, founded the Mount Wilson Observatory in 1904 and divined that sunspots were magnetic. Posted. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/02/how-nasa-scientists-are-turning-l-one-big-climate-change-lab/4824/ OPINION COLUMN-Flammable ice: last hope or gravest threat? John Kemp. There is enough gas locked in ice-like crystals buried beneath the permafrost and trapped under the oceans to guarantee the world will not run out of fossil energy for centuries. This potential energy source will be irrelevant, however, to almost everyone for many decades to come, except perhaps Japan. For decades, scientists have been trying to figure out whether there is a commercial way to extract the gas from methane hydrates, nicknamed flammable ice. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/column-kemp-flammable-ice-idUSL6N0C5B2A20130313 The Facts on Fracking. OPPOSITION to fracking has been considerable, if not unanimous, in the global green community, and in Europe in particular. France and Bulgaria, countries with the largest shale-gas reserves in Europe, have already banned fracking. Protesters are blocking potential drilling sites in Poland and England. Opposition to fracking has entered popular culture with the release of “The Promised Land,” starring Matt Damon. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/opinion/global/the-facts-on-fracking.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Ratepayers get the shaft in San Onofre fiasco. Nearly $1 billion was charged to ratepayers of Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. over the last year, and the charges continue to mount as the nuclear plant sits idle. There are train wrecks, and there are train wrecks. Then there's San Onofre. You probably know San Onofre as the full-figured fiasco overlooking the Pacific Ocean near the Orange/San Diego county line. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20130312,0,1097805.column?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29 Climate-minded shareholders ask how coal fares if regulation tightens. Two advocacy groups have come up with a new tactic to show how climate change - and laws to deal with it - could make investments in fossil fuel companies riskier and rock financial markets. In a pair of first-of-their-kind shareholder resolutions, the groups have asked two of the nation's largest coal producers to report to investors how much of their coal assets would be left "stranded" in the ground if the United States were to pass sweeping greenhouse gas regulations. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/12/5257195/climate-minded-shareholders-ask.html#storylink=cpy Air quality and tilting at windmills. I had a laugh at a recent commentary that tried to convince readers the United Nations was out to get us, in a conspiracy with local Air Pollution Control Districts and the Environmental Defense Center. This paranoid view reminds me of Don Quixote charging around the countryside challenging windmills, believing they were imaginary dragons. I was forced to close our small school in 1984 in Casmalia, where I worked as principal/superintendent, when cyanide fumes inundated the school from a toxic waste dump within a mile of the school. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/commentary/air-quality-and-tilting-at-windmills/article_bac41bee-8ba7-11e2-aaf8-001a4bcf887a.html BLOGS What’s the best way to design a carbon tax? Lawmakers ask for suggestions. On Tuesday, four Democrats in Congress unveiled a brand-new proposal for a carbon tax. The set-up is simple: The U.S. government would slap a fee on fossil-fuel emissions and refund the revenue back to the public. But there’s a twist: The precise details of the carbon tax have yet to be thrashed out. The four lawmakers are soliciting public comments for how big the tax should be and how best to rebate the money. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/13/lawmakers-unveil-a-choose-your-own-adventure-carbon-tax/ http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/representatives-release-carbon-emissions-tax-plan/ Can Wind, Water and Sunlight Power New York by 2050? A group of scientists and energy analysts has laid out a path under which New York State could, in theory, eliminate its use of fossil fuels and nuclear power — including for transportation — by 2050. The graph above charts the contributions played by improved efficiency and adoption of renewable electricity sources as well as hydrogen fuel cells (with the hydrogen generated with renewable energy). Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/can-wind-water-and-sunlight-power-new-york-by-2050/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:16:30 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 14, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 14, 2013. ARB Newsclips for March 14, 2013 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 Study finds no rheumatoid arthritis, pollution link. Although previous research has suggested a connection between exposure to air pollution and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a large new study of nurses finds no link. "Overall, we did not observe any evidence that increases in pollution levels were associated with increases in the risk of rheumatoid arthritis," wrote study leader Jaime Hart, an instructor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, in an email. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/14/us-study-rheumatoid-idUSBRE92D0QG20130314 CAP AND TRADE Cap and trade system lauded. The head of the California Air Resources Board touted the state's controversial new carbon cap and trade program Wednesday at an annual green business and recycling exposition. James Goldstene said the program, which had its first auction in November, gives the 500 or 600 largest facilities in California the flexibility to reduce emissions while still doing business. Cap and trade is a key product of Assembly Bill 32, a 2006 law requiring the state to reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130314/A_BIZ/303140314&cid=sitesearch FUELS California Fracking May Boost State Economy 14%, USC Says. Development of oil-shale deposits through Central California using fracking and other techniques may boost the state’s economic activity by as much as 14.3 percent, a University of Southern California study said. Such drilling in the Monterey Shale Formation, in addition to increasing per-capita gross domestic product, may add as much as $24.6 billion in state and local tax revenue …Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-14/california-fracking-may-boost-state-economy-14-usc-says.html UPDATE 1-U.S. refiners may boost gasoline exports on ethanol rule- Lyondell U.S. refiners may be forced to boost gasoline exports if the government does not revise the country's ethanol requirements, a refining executive said on Wednesday. Faced with a spike in ethanol credits that gasoline producers must purchase to stay in compliance with federal renewable fuels requirements, refiners could be forced to export more gasoline, shrinking the supply for domestic consumption. Gasoline prices at the pump last week hit the second highest level on record for this time of year. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/gasoline-ethanol-lyondell-rins-idUSL1N0C58DK20130313 California governor Brown says state needs to look at "fracking". California Governor Jerry Brown, a prominent environmentalist, said on Wednesday the state should consider the use of "fracking" technology to develop its massive shale oil reserves and reduce reliance on imported oil. Brown, who led California's efforts to curb climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cautioned the state would develop rules to preserve the environment, and said many questions on the technology were still to be answered. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/14/us-california-brown-fracking-idUSBRE92D04320130314 http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22787155#ixzz2NWvtAPx3 Obama: Keystone XL pipeline not major jobs creator. obs numbers and other benefits touted by supporters of the Keystone XL oil pipeline are probably exaggerated, President Barack Obama told House Republicans on Wednesday, according to lawmakers who attended the closed-door meeting. But Obama did not rule out a decision to approve the $7 billion pipeline, according to participants. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/13/obama-keystone-xl-pipeline-not-major-jobs/#ixzz2NWpyIlWM VEHICLES Germany makes new offer over EU-Daimler coolant spat –sources. Germany has written to the EU executive with a new set of proposals aiming to break a deadlock over law requiring carmakers to stop using extremely potent greenhouse gases in air cooling systems, EU sources said. The problem for Germany is that luxury car giant Daimler AG says the new, less polluting fluid on the market is dangerously flammable and is refusing to use it. That has set it at odds not only with the European Commission, but with U.S. firm Honeywell International Inc., which developed the coolant in partnership with Dupont and says it is safe. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/eu-daimler-idUSL6N0C5AXI20130313 The road to electric vehicles should be paved with more creative incentives, business groups say. Creative approaches are needed to drive faster adoption of renewable energy technologies, a lead investor in the sector said here yesterday. SolarCity, for example, has suggested packaging leases of solar energy systems for homes with leases for electric vehicle charging stations, said Nancy Pfund, managing partner of DBL Investors, a venture capital firm. The move would shrink costs for installation of both, Pfund said, and also save consumers time. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/14/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Suntech, Owing Millions, Is Near Takeover by Chinese Holding Company. One of the world’s largest manufacturers of solar panels, Suntech Power, has nearly run out of cash and is poised to be taken over partly or entirely by the municipal government’s holding company in its hometown, Wuxi, China, solar industry executives and a Wuxi official said Wednesday. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/business/energy-environment/suntech-power-on-financial-brink.html?_r=0 Solar Trade Group Reports Surge in U.S. Installations. Partly driven by an oversupply of cheaper panels from China, the domestic solar market had its best year in 2012, with the growth in installations outpacing that of the global market, according to an annual report to be released Thursday. The report, from the Solar Energy Industries Association, the industry’s main trade group, and GTM Research, a renewable energy consulting firm, found that the amount of new solar electric capacity increased last year by 76 percent from 2011…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/business/energy-environment/solar-group-reports-surge-in-us-installations.html?ref=earth Vt utility starts work on energy innovation center. Vermont's largest electric utility says work is getting under way on an energy innovation center in an existing building in downtown Rutland. Officials with Green Mountain Power say the work began Thursday in the former Eastman building on Merchants Row when officials from the utility, the community and guests signed a 2-by-12 beam that was immediately incorporated into the framing. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Vt-utility-starts-work-on-energy-innovation-center-4355059.php#ixzz2NXfCjmEH California wants to lead America to a greener future. IN LOS ANGELES, California’s largest city, the natural world is both far away and close. You spend your days stalled in traffic, cursing your fellow motorists as your car spews out the noxious fumes that, trapped in the Los Angeles basin, blanket the city in smog. When you do get moving, you may find yourself driving through miles of low-rise urban sprawl. Yet, depending on which one of the metropolitan area’s 4,850 square miles (12,600 square kilometres) you are in…. Posted. http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21573547-california-wants-lead-america-greener-future-gold-and-green/print Simi Valley teen's invention earns him meeting with President Obama. Pavan Narain Mehrotra hopes the clean-energy device he built and tested will someday eliminate the need to burn fossil fuels to produce electricity. It already has earned him a few minutes with President Barack Obama. Mehrotra, 18, of Simi Valley, and other young inventors from across the country met with Obama at the White House on Tuesday and told him about their inventions. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/13/simi-teens-invention-earns-him-meeting-with/#ixzz2NWqqtH4x 3 West renewable energy projects get green light. Three large-scale renewable energy projects have been approved for construction on public lands in California and Nevada, federal and state officials announced on Wednesday. In a joint press conference in San Francisco, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Gov. Jerry Brown announced that the final regulatory approvals were given for two solar projects in Southern California and a wind farm in Nevada. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/13/3-west-renewable-energy-projects-get-green-light/ Calif. groups to provide loans for energy efficiency projects in buildings. Small businesses, schools, churches and nonprofits that could benefit from energy efficiency upgrades but lack the capital to pay for such work could receive up to $1 million in no-cost financing under a new lending mechanism announced this week by a California-based nonprofit and energy efficiency project developer. The newly created Efficiency Resource Fund, which aims to raise $10 million this year, will be jointly managed by Metrus Energy, an energy efficiency services firm…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/14/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Supervisor's 2nd try to change environmental appeals. In a city where land-use fights often take center stage, it's no surprise that any attempt to tweak the environmental appeals process for new projects would be scrutinized. When San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener went before the Planning Commission in November proposing to attach a deadline to some California Environmental Quality Act appeals, he was met by 90 minutes of strong opposition from public commenters and commissioners, who told him to come back with a better plan done with more public outreach. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Supervisor-s-2nd-try-to-change-environmental-4352827.php#ixzz2NXoxyp6A Patchwork of bills cover flame retardants. Couches or car seats free of toxic flame retardants may soon be available, but you might have to pay more for them. That's one possible outcome of an ongoing nationwide debate over how to reduce the chemicals, which for three decades have permeated the foam in furniture and children's products. In recent years, many of those chemical compounds, which are intended to slow down fires, have been linked to obesity, infertility, cancer and other health conditions. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Patchwork-of-bills-cover-flame-retardants-4353348.php#ixzz2NXphnpga 3 former execs plead guilty in CA asbestos case. Three former executives of a now-defunct nonprofit have been convicted of violating federal asbestos laws when the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater was cleaned up. The Merced Sun-Star reports (http://bit.ly/XGHDAm) Rudy Buendia, Patrick Bowman and Joseph Cuellar each pleaded guilty Monday to one count of breaking a federal law for hazardous air pollutants. Bowman and Cuellar will face 27 months in prison according to a plea agreement, while Buendia will face a two-year term. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/13/5258750/3-former-execs-plead-guilty-in.html#storylink=misearch http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/03/13/2875216/3-former-execs-plead-guilty-in.html##storylink=cpy OPINIONS Can California do without San Onofre? Southern California Edison, the majority owner of the nuclear plant on the San Diego County coast, says the answer is no. That's the response of the utility's president, Ronald Litzinger, to my column this week questioning why Edison ratepayers are still forking over $54 million a month in rates for a facility that hasn't generated a watt of electricity in 13 months -- and may never operate again. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-san-onofre-20130313,0,926769.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MoneyCompany+%28Money+%26+Company%29 Immigration reform -- for the climate. Immigrants come to the U.S. determined to make a new life. So often they're more open to the kind of changes we'll need to deal with climate change. For environmentalists, population has long been a problem. Many of the things we do wouldn't cause so much trouble if there weren't so many of us. It's why I wrote a book some years ago called "Maybe One: An Argument for Smaller Families." Heck, it's why I had only one child. And many of us, I think, long viewed immigration through the lens of population…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mckibben-immigration-environment-20130314,0,1673842.story BLOGS Ari Asmi: Air pollution, another factor in global warming. There are several kinds of small particles, or aerosols, in the atmosphere. It can be dust, or maybe sea salt. When you see black smoke, this is small aerosol particles absorbing light. These can have a climate effect by blocking sunlight. We were looking at particles below one micron in size, so that's one-thousandth of a millimeter. Most of them are even smaller, below the wavelength of visible light, so you can't really observe them without a special instrument by simply looking at them. Posted. http://phys.org/news/2013-03-ari-asmi-air-pollution-factor.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:50:27 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 15, 2013. ARB Newsclips for March 15, 2013 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. CLIMATE CHANGE Global warming may have fueled Somali drought. Global warming may have contributed to low rain levels in Somalia in 2011 where tens of thousands died in a famine, research by British climate scientists suggests. Scientists with Britain's weather service studied weather patterns in East Africa in 2010 and 2011 and found that yearly precipitation known as the short rains failed in late 2010 because of the natural effects of the weather pattern La Nina. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Global-warming-may-have-fueled-Somali-drought-4357097.php#ixzz2Nd20DGv2 Calif.'s cap-and-trade link with Quebec may be delayed. The clock could run out for California to link its carbon cap-and-trade market with Quebec's anytime in the near future, officials and legal experts said here yesterday. The Golden State and Quebec had hoped they might be ready by August to hold a joint auction of greenhouse gas allowances. If the markets were linked, permits sold in one jurisdiction could be used in the other to cover carbon emissions. But a California Air Resources Board official said that combined August auction might not be possible. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/15/10 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists say extreme Arctic melting 'stacked the deck in favor' of Superstorm Sandy. A number of unusual atmospheric phenomena combined to form the massive "Frankenstorm" that was Superstorm Sandy. While many have said global warming fueled the storm's strength, it is unclear exactly how it played a role. But scientists are starting to see evidence that warm weather in the Arctic led to conditions that made the hurricane so incredibly powerful. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/15/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY China’s Carbon Emissions: Global Consumer Dilemma. It's easy to see the economic growth of China as evidence that it should be responsible for fixing its own emissions. However, that growth is fueled by exports to Western nations so don't they have a part to play in reducing their scope 3 carbon emissions? According to a 2011 poll by the Economist, 64% of people in Western nations think that China should be achieving its growth and industrialization in a cleaner way than its Western counterparts. Posted. http://sustainablebusinessforum.com/paulraybould/175181/china-s-carbon-emissions-global-dilemma FUELS Obama wants research to wean vehicles off oil. President Barack Obama is pushing Congress to authorize $200 million a year for research into clean energy technologies that can wean automobiles off oil. Obama proposed the idea of an energy security trust last month in his State of the Union address, but he was putting a price tag on the idea during a trip Friday to the Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago — $2 billion over 10 years. The White House said the research would be paid for with revenue from federal oil and gas leases on offshore drilling and would not add to the deficit. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Obama-wants-research-to-wean-vehicles-off-oil-4356794.php#ixzz2Nd2tsEhg Fracking could boost California economy. Oil seen lifting state's economy. Development of oil-shale deposits in Central California using fracking and other techniques may boost the state's economic activity by as much as 14.3 percent, a University of Southern California study said. Such drilling in the Monterey Shale Formation, in addition to increasing per-capita gross domestic product, may add as much as $24.6 billion in state and local tax revenue and as many as 2.8 million jobs by 2020, according to the report released Wednesday. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Fracking-could-boost-California-economy-4356448.php#ixzz2Nd439zsC Shell criticized in report for poor oversight of drilling in the Arctic last year. SEATTLE-Interior Department officials, in a report released Thursday, faulted Shell Oil for poor oversight of contractors during a troubled season of exploration in the Arctic last year off Alaska. The problems included an oil-spill-containment system that initially failed to pass a Coast Guard inspection, an oil drill ship cited for safety and environmental violations and a drill rig that broke loose from a tow line in a December storm and went aground off Kodiak Island. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/14/5264526/shell-criticized-in-report-for.html#storylink=cpy Oil industry sits back at fracking workshop. For a while it looked like the oil industry was just going to sit there and take it from the environmentalists. And for several hours in Bakersfield Wednesday, that's exactly what happened. Representatives of the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity hammered away at the state's proposed rules for regulating the oil field technique known hydraulic fracturing. They called for additional safeguards, tougher penalties for violations and closer state oversight. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/x738927652/Oil-industry-sits-back-at-fracking-workshop BY SUBSCRIPTION Calif. lawmaker's low-carbon fuel standard bill has tea party backing. A bill in the California Legislature to revamp the state's low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) has support from a group that was involved in a previous effort to stop the state's climate policies. A bill by state Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D) is aiming to eliminate food-based ethanol from the state's fuel mix. His bill, A.B. 278, concerns environmentalists because its sole backer so far is a tea party-affiliated group that has supported abolishing the…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/15/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Canada nears a clean energy facelift on an old, coal-fired power plant. On a grassy plot in Saskatchewan, developers are about to test a technology that some think could be the savior of the global coal industry. There, Canadian utility SaskPower is rebuilding a 43-year-old coal plant at its Boundary Dam Power Station to capture roughly 90 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions and store the gas deep underground. The 110-megawatt project may be a game changer in two ways -- it could become the world's first commercial demonstration of carbon capture technology on a power plant at large scale. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/15/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 2012 U.S. fleet cleanest, most efficient ever – EPA. The fuel economy of cars and trucks sold in the United States hit its highest recorded level last year as automakers cranked up production of efficient vehicles ahead of stringent federal standards, U.S. EPA said today. In its annual report on the fuel economy of vehicles, EPA reported a fleetwide increase in fuel economy of 1.4 mpg over the previous year. That translates to a reduction in emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide of 374 grams per mile. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/03/15/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES 2012 cars will set new mpg record, but some say U.S. must do more. The Environmental Protection Agency says that model year 2012 cars and trucks will have the highest ever real-world average fuel economy at about 23.8 miles per gallon. That would be 1.2 mpg higher than the previous peak set in 2010. In 2011, when U.S. gasoline prices averaged a then-record $3.53 for a gallon of regular, the mpg numbers fell. The EPA says that mileage fell by 0.2 mpg in 2011, in part because of the effects of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power disasters in Japan. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fi-hy-model-2012-cars-will-set-new-mpg-record-but-some-say-us-drags-20130315,0,3197510,print.story GREEN ENERGY California utilities' renewable energy spending up. California utilities spent more than $2.53 billion in 2011 buying electricity from solar, wind and geothermal plants to satisfy the state's ambitious renewable power goals, according to a report issued Thursday. That figure represented a 16 percent increase from 2010, when California's three big investor-owned utilities spent $2.18 billion. California law requires utility companies to get 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2020. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/California-utilities-renewable-energy-spending-up-4356450.php#ixzz2Nd4Odb7J Report: CEQA Helping, Not Hindering Renewable Development. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California's landmark environmental law, has taken a lot of heat lately with accusations that special interests have used the law to obstruct necessary projects, including those devoted to renewable energy. But a new report released this month says that far from hindering the development of a new, greener infrastructure for the state…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/government/report-ceqa-helping-not-hindering-renewable-development.html MISCELLANEOUS Suit accuses EPA of ignoring harmful pesticides. Arguments are expected Friday in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has allowed the use of hundreds of pesticides despite evidence of harmful effects on more than 200 endangered and threatened species. The Center for Biological Diversity and Pesticide Action Network North America claim the EPA has allowed pesticide use without required consultations with federal agencies to study the impacts. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Suit-accuses-EPA-of-ignoring-harmful-pesticides-4357609.php#ixzz2Nd2XzqD6 Santa Monica Businesses Recognized At Sustainable Quality Awards. 12 Local Businesses Recognized At Santa Monica's 2013 Sustainable Quality Awards Environmental activist and actor Ed Begley Jr. received an Individual Stewardship Award at the Sustainable Quality Awards held Wednesday. He is pictured with grand prize winner Catherine An of Tiato restaurant. Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the 12 local businesses that won this year’s Sustainable Quality Awards at the 18th annual Sustainable Quality Awards luncheon, held Wednesday at the Sheraton Delfina hotel. Posted. http://www.smmirror.com/articles/News/Santa-Monica-Businesses-Recognized-At-Sustainable-Quality-Awards/37024 OPINIONS Sunny times for solar power, except in L.A. Still skeptical about solar power -- and especially about the wisdom of installing panels on your own rooftop? One can hardly be blamed, given horror stories about the difficulties in getting assistance from local utilities such as the L.A. Department of Water and Power. Yet more and more Californians are doing it anyway -- because it's paying off. The California Public Utilities Commission, which tracks solar installations statewide …Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-solar-rootops-20130314,0,7700040.story Another View: Chevron supports low-carbon fuels. It was with great surprise that I recently read Vinod Khosla's op-ed criticizing energy companies, including Chevron, for not doing enough to invest in low-carbon fuel technologies ("Investment needed in new low-carbon fuel," March 7). Khosla highlights one of his own companies, KiOR, as an example of the kind of technology that will help fuel producers meet California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. We agree. That's why our joint venture with Weyerhaeuser, one of the largest U.S. forest management companies…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/14/5261113/another-view-chevron-supports.html#storylink=cpy Low carbon fuel standard: California's new regulations are infeasible for gasoline and diesel. For close to a year, the companies that provide California with gasoline and diesel have warned that the state's Low Carbon Fuel Standard is infeasible. A failure to recognize the implications of this warning risks potential fuel shortages and market disruptions in a few short years. In response to these concerns, supporters of the standard argue the only thing making this regulation infeasible is the refusal of oil companies to invest sufficient dollars in the emerging fuels and technologies needed to make it work. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22791351/low-carbon-fuel-standard-californias-new-regulations-are Letters to the editor: Keep tabs on air quality. Spring is just around the corner and with people spending more time outdoors, it is important to remember that with higher temperatures often comes increased levels of air pollution. Pollution in the air is hazardous to all who come in contact and even more so for those with lung disease, including children with asthma. Despite continued improvements in air quality, unhealthy levels of air pollution still exist in communities across the country. Posted. http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Letters-to-the-editor-4355796.php#ixzz2Nd5Y23lo So I asked the Vatican about global warming... Special Report. In the United States, the issue of anthropogenic global warming, defined as an unnatural and rapid rise in the Earth's overall average temperature caused by human activities, is strongly associated with left-leaning political ideology. Publicly championed by liberal celebrities such as former Vice President Al Gore, conservatives often scoff at the claim. At one time, I confess even I scoffed at the claims, for it also happens that many American Catholics also tend to be conservative since American political conservatism fits most closely with Catholic teaching on many subjects. Posted. http://www.catholic.org/green/story.php?id=50128 BLOGS Renewables add up, but so do costs. California installed enough solar systems last year to generate as much electricity as a nuclear reactor, largely due to a state law that orders utilities to use more renewable power. It’s an idea that many people — including, as it turns out, U.S. Interior Sec. Ken Salazar — would love to take nationwide. It certainly gets results. But it’s important to remember that such mandates have costs, as a trio of new reports illustrates. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/03/15/renewables-add-up-but-so-do-costs/ How the White House thinks about climate change, in 7 charts. The latest Economic Report of the President (pdf) has a whole chapter on energy and climate change that’s worth reading as a window into how the White House thinks about the topic. Here’s the basic story in chart form: 1) If the world doesn’t tackle global warming soon, the United States will get uncomfortably hot. “For example, according to the USGCRP estimates, under a high-emissions scenario, areas of the Southeast and…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/15/how-the-white-house-thinks-about-climate-change-in-7-charts/?print=1 Sequester Dirties the Air. The sequester is here. As I outlined in a previous article exactly what we had to look forward to, indiscriminate cuts are being unleashed upon the public straight across the board, delivered with a hatchet as opposed to a scalpel. I reached out to Sen. Tom Carper, who serves on the Environment and Public Works Committee, for a comment on the current situation. He responded by e-mail stating: "Programs in every corner of the federal government are taking a hit because of sequestration. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-g-yerman/sequester-dirties-the-air_b_2877708.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:32:26 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 18, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 18, 2013. 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 California EPA puts West Fresno atop cities with high health risks. From the Hyde Park mound in West Fresno, you can see the city landscape quickly go from residential to industrial park. You can smell it, too. Across the street, there is an animal rendering plant, a poultry facility, a meat distributor and a PG&E substation. The Hyde Park mound itself is a converted garbage landfill. But there is more: high asthma rates, widespread poverty and low birth weights that scientists link to dirty air, chemical exposures and a host of other problems. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/17/5269301/california-epa-puts-west-fresno.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/16/3217239/west-fresno-the-riskiest-place.html#storylink=misearch Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District fights particulate pollution. There is an adversary that floats through the air without much detection. This enemy is about 1/30th the width of a human hair, so small it can bypass the body's natural defenses and get embedded in the lungs and bloodstream, causing lung and heart problems. This pest is called particulate pollution -- a mixture of tiny particles and liquid droplets. http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_22810416/yolo-solano-air-quality-management-district-fights-particulate CLIMATE CHANGE Study: Plankton's absorption of CO2 higher than assumed. A study into the chemical composition of marine plankton is challenging a long-held assumption on how much carbon dioxide the organisms consume. The study, published online Sunday in Nature Geoscience, calls into question the textbook ratio of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous contained in all plankton. This so-called "Redfield ratio," named for oceanographer Alfred Redfield, holds that those compounds are fixed at 106:16:1 units respectively. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-plankton-carbon-ratio-20130315,0,78136.story S.F. protest urges action on climate change. Environmentalists are protesting in San Francisco as they urge President Barack Obama to take action on climate change and reject a pipeline that would carry oil from Canada to Texas. Organizers say the members of 65 San Francisco Bay area groups including the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and 350.org are taking part in the rally, which coincides with a demonstration in Washington, D.C. Demonstrators are holding the protest outside of a U.S. Department of State office…Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22610710/s-f-protest-urges-action-climate-change#ixzz2NuPba0Yy FUELS Valero restarts Ohio ethanol plant as margins improve. Leading ethanol maker Valero Energy Corp has restarted its ethanol plant in Ohio and will resume operations at their only remaining offline facility in Indiana in the coming weeks, a company spokesman said on Monday. "Margins have improved where the plants can be operated at a profitable level," Valero's spokesman Bill Day said. Corn futures have plunged 16 percent from a record-high of $8.49 per bushel in August at the Chicago Board of Trade. The punishing costs reduced demand for the main feedstock for ethanol produced in the United States…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/valero-ethanol-idUSL1N0CA3AA20130318 UPDATE 2-Dow Chemical to build specialty plants on U.S. Gulf Coast. Dow Chemical Co said it plans to build several plants on the U.S. Gulf Coast to take advantage of cheap shale-derived natural gas to produce plastics used in areas such as transportation and telecommunications. The U.S. plastics-producing industry is increasingly shifting away from oil-derived naphtha, the key feedstock for the petrochemical industry. It is also investing billions in plants that run on ethane, made from shale gas. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/dowchemical-usgulfcoast-idUSL3N0CA25B20130318 U.S. Northern Plains sees corn boom, aided by ethanol, climate. A combination of a long-term warming trends, improved seeds and soaring profits has sparked a "corn boom" in the Northern Plains that might one day turn North and South Dakota into the new Iowa, analysts say. "All you need to do is look on a research footprint map of the United States and Canada, and compare where we are today to where we were 10 years ago, and you would see the movement from the north to the west," said Paul Schickler, president of DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred unit, known also as DuPont Pioneer. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/usa-crops-dakotas-idUSL1N0C59UA20130318 U.S. vehicle fuel economy rose to 23.8 mpg in 2012 –EPA. Model year 2012 passenger vehicles sold in the United States had an average fuel economy rating of 23.8 miles per gallon, the highest on record, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday. Last year's models showed a 1.4 mpg improvement over 2011, the biggest annual improvement since the EPA began keeping records on fuel economy. Improving fuel economy is a key component of the Obama administration's effort to cut U.S. oil consumption and polluting greenhouse gases…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/us-usa-autos-fueleconomy-idUSBRE92E0RH20130315 California Fracking Fight Has $25 Billion Taxes at Stake. California (CROMCA)’s reputation for environmental protection may be jeopardized by the lure of a $25 billion tax windfall that depends on how the state permits oil companies to take advantage of vast deposits lying two miles beneath its golden hills. The Monterey Shale formation running through the center of the state may hold 15.4 billion barrels of oil -- equivalent to five years of U.S. petroleum imports, according to a state report. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-17/california-fracking-fight-has-25-billion-taxes-at-stake.html Ethanol Surplus May Lift Gas Prices. A glut of ethanol in the gasoline supply is threatening to push up prices at the pump and may have exacerbated the growing cost gap between regular gasoline and premium, some oil experts say. Refiners have been trading so-called ethanol credits furiously in an effort to meet federal environmental mandates, helping to significantly push up the cost of those credits — a jump to more than $1 from a few pennies in the last several days, and drivers are feeling the effects, experts say. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/business/energy-environment/ethanol-glut-threatens-a-rise-in-gasoline-prices.html Days of Promise Fade for Ethanol. Five years ago, rural America was giddy for ethanol. Backed by government subsidies and mandates, hundreds of ethanol plants rose among the golden fields of the Corn Belt, bringing jobs and business to small towns, providing farmers with a new market for their crops and generating billions of dollars in revenue for the producers of this corn-based fuel blend. Those days of promise and prosperity are vanishing. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/us/17ethanol.html EPA threatens to sue fuel-storage facility in San Pedro. The 40-year-old tank farm holds up to 25 million gallons of flammable butane. The EPA says it wants to make sure the facility is following a federal safety law. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has notified the owners of a 40-year-old San Pedro tank farm, which has up to 25 million gallons of highly flammable butane that it is prepared to sue to ensure compliance with federal law. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-epa-suit-20130318,0,5593381.story EPA may delay greenhouse gas rules for new power plants. The Obama administration is leaning toward revising its landmark proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants, according to several individuals briefed on the matter, a move that would delay tougher restrictions and anger many environmentalists. The discussions center on the first-ever greenhouse gas limits for power plants, which were proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency nearly a year ago. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130316/MCT/303161086/0/SEARCH EPA annual report on CO2, fuel economy and technology trends finds 2012 heading for all-time best; rapid adoption of new technologies. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual report summarizing key trends in carbon dioxide emissions, fuel economy, and CO2- and fuel economy-related technology for gasoline- and diesel-fueled personal vehicles sold in the United States, from model years (MY) 1975 through 2012. Data for MY 2011 are final; data for MY 2012 are preliminary and based on projected vehicle production values provided to EPA by manufacturers. The report finds that CO2 emissions rates and fuel economy values reflect a very favorable multi-year trend beginning in MY 2005. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/epa-0130315.html VEHICLES Renault chief Ghosn clings to China for electric car boost. China will save the electric car, Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn predicts - and with it the vision of battery-powered motoring on which he has staked his credibility. Ghosn, who has ploughed a bigger share of his companies' cash into the technology than any other mass-market carmaker, struck a determinedly optimistic note as he released Renault's Zoe into a European market notable for its scarcity of electric car chargers and customers. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/renault-nissan-electric-cars-idUSL6N0C4FBU20130318 Obama Seeks to Use Oil and Gas Money to Develop Alternative Fuel Cars. Warning that the United States risks falling behind in the international race to develop alternative energy, President Obama on Friday proposed diverting $2 billion in revenue from federal oil and gas royalties over the next decade to pay for research on advanced vehicles. Mr. Obama toured a vehicle research facility at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago and then spoke to employees about his plan…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/us/politics/obamas-2-billion-plan-to-replace-fossil-fuels-in-cars.html?hpw http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Obama-pushes-for-greener-vehicles-4359200.php HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail board teleports meeting to Fresno. Leaders of California's high-speed rail efforts will take another swing Monday at approving an agreement to electrify a Bay Area train system as a step toward creating a statewide rail network. The special meeting of the California High-Speed Rail Authority illustrates the political sausage-grinding involved in the high-speed train project. Board members who barely mustered a quorum a little over a week ago for a meeting in Redwood City will teleconference from three different locations across the state to make sure they have the votes to OK the deal. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/16/3217135/californias-high-speed-rail-board.html GREEN ENERGY UAE opens first big solar energy plan. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday officially opened its first big solar energy plant, the three companies behind the project said in a statement. The 100-megawatt (MW) Shams 1 concentrated solar plant (CSP) took the UAE's Masdar, France's Total and Spain's Abengoa three years to build at a cost of around $600 million. Shams 1 is one of the largest CSP projects in the world and by far the largest solar plant in a fossil fuel reliant region that lags far behind much of Europe, the Americas and Asia in renewable energy. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/17/us-uae-solar-idUSBRE92G08B20130317 Green energy more important for climate than Keystone-White House. A White House spokesman said on Friday that new investments in green energy technology are more important for easing the effects of climate change than whether or not the controversial Keystone pipeline gets built. Asked by reporters whether the construction of the pipeline was less important to slowing climate change than supporting projects such as the Argonne National Laboratory that President Barack Obama is visiting on Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/obama-energy-keystone-idUSL1N0C76YK20130315 Obama turns focus to research in first energy speech of second term. U.S. President Barack Obama will try to turn the page on bitterly partisan fights over energy policy on Friday, focusing his first energy speech of his second term on proposing a modest new fund to support research. Obama will tour the Argonne National Laboratory outside of Chicago known for its groundbreaking research into advanced batteries used in electric cars, and will talk about the need to find more ways to wean cars and trucks off oil, White House officials said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/obama-energy-idUSL1N0C6EA120130315 New power plant rule running late, with major changes possible. It's looking increasingly likely that U.S. EPA will miss its April 13 deadline to finalize its carbon dioxide rule for new power. For one thing, the agency has yet to sign off on the rule internally and send it to the Office of Management and Budget to begin a review process that would typically take 90 days or longer to complete. And the administration might hold off on issuing the rule until Obama's pick for EPA, Gina McCarthy, makes it safely through the Senate confirmation process. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/03/18/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Cleaning up house after years of smoking. Q: My husband and I have owned a two-bedroom, one-bath rental house in San Leandro for 20 years. Despite the market's ups and downs it's been a good investment. We have been even more fortunate to have the same quiet, responsible tenant for the past 15 years. But last month our tenant, who is in her late '70s, decided she needed some help and moved into an assisted living home. We're going to miss her. What we won't miss is that she was a dedicated two-pack-a-day smoker. We want to get the place back on the market but it reeks of tobacco. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/sweatequity/article/Cleaning-up-house-after-years-of-smoking-4349305.php#ixzz2NumOf83x Cross-country car trip used only solar, hydrogen. A Tennessee college professor is celebrating his coast-to-coast trip using no petroleum fuel. Middle Tennessee State University fuels researcher Dr. Cliff Ricketts drove into Long Beach, Calif., having used only solar power and hydrogen to power his car. Ricketts and backup driver Terry Young of Woodbury finished their six-day journey Thursday afternoon. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_22815039/cross-country-car-trip-used-only-solar-hydrogen?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22815039/cross-country-car-trip-used-only-solar-hydrogen?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22815039/cross-country-car-trip-used-only-solar-hydrogen#ixzz2NuQ4Ng8X OPINIONS Oil Sands Emissions. Contrary to “No to Keystone. Yes to Crazy,” by Thomas L. Friedman (column, March 10), Keystone XL will have no impact on global greenhouse gas emissions because oil sands crude will replace current American imports of similar heavy oil from Venezuela and Mexico. Oil sands operations account for just 0.16 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If all operations shut down tomorrow, the impact on greenhouse gas emissions would be infinitesimal. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/opinion/oil-sands-emissions.html?_r=0 A Real Carbon Solution. Sometime this summer, in Odessa, Tex., the Summit Power Group plans to break ground on a $2.5 billion coal gasification power plant. Summit has named this the Texas Clean Energy Project. With good reason. Part of the promise of this power plant is its use of gasified coal; because the gasification process doesn’t burn the coal, it makes for far cleaner energy than a traditional coal-fired plant. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/opinion/nocera-texas-might-be-on-to-something.html Letters: Categorizing climate deniers. Re "Reform the carbon calculation," Opinion, March 14. Bill McKibben overstates things with his suggestion that white voters are responsible for climate denial on Capitol Hill. It's more accurate to say that ultraconservative voters of all races are responsible for voting climate deniers back into Congress. That said, voters of all races should use their power to urge lawmakers to lead on climate and to enact a consumer-friendly, revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend program. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0317-sunday-climate-change-immigration-20130317,0,2087547.story Dan Walters: Capitol battle over environmental law comes down to 'standards' What's in a word? Apparently a lot, when it comes to overhauling the California Environmental Quality Act. Two months ago, Gov. Jerry Brown, in plugging CEQA reform, told legislators, "Our approach needs to be based more on consistent standards that provide greater certainty and cut needless delays." The key word was "standards," which has been a byword of business and local-government groups seeking to bring more certainty to environmental reviews of private and public projects…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/18/5270786/dan-walters-capitol-battle-over.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters Editorial: Renters deserve relief from smoking. Fewer than 14 percent of Californians smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products. While they have the right to choose the risks of smoking for themselves, they do not have the right to impose their smoke involuntarily on others. That is why California has statewide laws that ban smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars. Now legislators are considering taking the next step – apartments and condominiums. With shared walls, floors, ceilings or ventilation systems, the drift of smoke is palpable in neighboring units. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/17/5267211/editorial-renters-deserve-relief.html Dan Morain: Hazards of life in a 'green' state. Magdalena Romero sat at a picnic table in this dusty town's one park, remembering the baby she named America. Romero's little girl came into this world with a cleft palate, Down syndrome, a heart murmur and a fatal abnormality called trisomy 13. She left five months later in 2008. Romero, 36, has five living children. The youngest is 4 and also is named America. Romero lifted America's shirt and showed me a scabby rash on her back. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/17/5267202/hazards-of-life-in-a-green-state.html SHANNON GROVE: Don't keep Californians in dark on cap and trade. This week is national Sunshine Week, an annual occasion dedicated to the pursuit of open and transparent government. California implemented its own "sunshine" law several decades ago. The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act mandates that state agencies conduct their business in a manner that promotes transparency and accountability in government activities. The purpose of the act was to give the public a seat at the table in the policy decision-making process. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x837007669/SHANNON-GROVE-Dont-keep-Californians-in-dark-on-cap-and-trade BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Warmest Temperatures In 4,000 Years? Not So Fast, Global Warming Alarmists. The mainstream media are reporting in breathless fashion about a new paper claiming current temperatures are their warmest in 4,000 years. Already, however, objective scientists are reporting serious flaws in the paper. The media may wish to paint a picture of runaway global warming, but the science tells a completely different story. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/03/17/warmest-temperatures-in-4000-years-not-so-fast-global-warming-alarmists/ California's Clash: Shale Oil or Green Energy. California’s economic predicament and environmental progression have met head on. But the state’s leaders are saying that the two dynamics can be reconciled, all to potentially capture the nation’s richest “tight oil” deposits. At issue now is the Monterey Shale, a formation holding more shale oil than anywhere else in the country. It could be a potential gold mine if developers could find a way to extract it and if regulators could appease the environmental community there. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2013/03/17/californias-clash-shale-oil-or-green-energy/ Ten reasons why fracking for dirty oil in California is a stupid idea. The latest target of the unconventional oil craze is California, specifically the Monterey Shale in southern California (see map). Will California become the next North Dakota? Let us ponder. Oil in California is nothing new — it’s the third highest oil-producing state in the U.S. (after Texas and North Dakota, which recently displaced Alaska for the No. 2 spot). The Monterey area has been drilled for years, profitably, though production has been steadily declining since its peak in the mid ’80s. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/top-10-reasons-why-fracking-for-dirty-oil-in-california-is-a-stupid-idea/ Testing and treating to reduce city's toxic vapor problem. Like toxic vapors coming out of the ground, health concerns about TCE are lingering in northeastern Mountain View. In a meeting in City Hall for the MEW Superfund site's Community Advisory Board Tuesday evening, Allison Nelson of Sherland Avenue said she had been speaking with her neighbors and noticed that many of them suffer from similar health problems, including cerebral palsy and migraine headaches. Posted. http://mv-voice.com/news/show_story.php?id=6738 BLOGS Environmental Woes Could Reverse Global Development. Climate change and other environmental disasters could put 3.1 billion people into extreme poverty by 2050, if no significant steps are taken, says an annual United Nations report on the state of global development. “While environmental threats such as climate change, deforestation, air and water pollution, and natural disasters affect everyone, they hurt poor countries and poor communities most,” noted the report’s authors. Though the world has become fairer overall…Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/environmental-woes-could-reverse-global-development/ AIR QUALITY: A navel victory in Riverside. I was analyzing air pollution data recently for an in-depth reporting project on air quality and health, and I came across a small victory in Southern California’s war against smog. Fine-particle pollution — tiny pieces of soot, dust, chemical compounds and other microscopic airborne gook — has declined to healthful levels in Riverside in the spot where a plaque marks the first plantings of the Washington navel orange tree at Magnolia and Arlington avenues. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/03/16/air-quality-a-navel-victory-in-riverside/ Butch, Sundance & BPA. You remember the final scene: Butch and Sundance, hopelessly cornered and surrounded by the Bolivian army, are stubbornly confident that they'll escape to make their way to sanctuary in Australia. It came to mind when I heard about the lawsuit filed by the chemical industry in a last-ditch effort to keep the notorious plastics and packaging chemical Bisphenol A, or BPA, off California's official list of chemicals considered hazardous to human health. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-formuzis/butch-sundance-bpa_b_2875716.html Choose Your Weapon in the Fight Against Climate Change. Today's post marks What on Earth's final appearance. The experience over these past few years of producing over 200 comic strips (and blogs) has been a fulfilling one. Part of that fulfillment comes from knowing I found a way to use my lifelong love of cartooning to help the fight against climate change. At least a little bit. We've all heard that if you find a job you love you'll never work a day in your life. The same can be said of environmental activism Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-wagner/choose-your-weapon-in-the_b_2870816.html?utm_hp_ref=green ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:07:12 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 19, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 19, 2013. ARB Newsclips for March 19, 2013 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 Tighter air quality rules mean fewer ‘good’ air days. Starting this week, the federal government has tightened its air pollution standards for fine particulates. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has lowered the Air Quality Index threshold for good air quality from 15 to 12 micrograms per cubic meter. The result will likely be that more days will be classified as having moderate air quality, said Aeron Arlin-Genet, spokeswoman for the county Air Pollution Control District. Posted. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/03/18/2435156/tighter-air-quality-rules-mean.html CLIMATE CHANGE California Cap-and-Trade Funds Proposed for Green Bank. California should start a state-run bank to finance economic development that’s less polluting and more environmentally friendly, financed by auctions of greenhouse-gas carbon credits, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom said. The Green Infrastructure Bank, which would make low- interest loans to local governments or private business for projects that would help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, would have the authority to sell tax-exempt and taxable municipal revenue bonds…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-19/california-cap-and-trade-funds-proposed-for-green-bank.html Study: Climate change to worsen hurricane storm surge. Could the USA deal with a Hurricane Katrina every two years? Such a scenario is possible by the end of the century due to climate change, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The frequency of extreme storm surges — the deadly and devastating walls of water that roar ashore during hurricanes — is projected to increase by as much as 10 times in coming decades because of warming temperatures, the study finds. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/03/18/storm-surge-hurricane-climate-change-global-warming/1997113/ http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/19/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Major changes for greenhouse gas standards? Signs are growing that the Environmental Protection Agency will miss its April deadline to finish creating landmark greenhouse gas standards for new power plants — a key piece of President Barack Obama’s expected climate agenda. And some attorneys closely following the rule say the agency would be wise to make major changes. Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/major-changes-for-greenhouse-gas-standards-88962.html#ixzz2O0QyT7c2 Fight Against Fracking in California Gathers Steam. Environmentalists file a slew of lawsuits and lawmakers propose bills to regulate the controversial drilling practice. Armed with a slew of lawsuits and proposed regulatory bills, environmentalists and lawmakers are mustering forces to fight an expected fracking boom in California. In recent months, the California Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR), which regulates drilling in the state, has been slapped with two lawsuits. Posted. http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/fight_against_fracking_in_california_gathers_steam FUELS U.S. Energy Dept. still reviewing comments on natural gas exports. The U.S. Energy Department will tell lawmakers on Tuesday that it is wading through nearly 200,000 comments it received in response to a report on the impact of natural gas exports, as the debate over sending more U.S. gas abroad continues. Released in December, the department-sponsored report gave a resounding endorsement of the economic benefits of exporting liquefied natural gas, saying the more exports, the better. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/19/usa-lng-hearing-idUSL1N0CA44A20130319 Fuel efficiency law to get EU on road to growth: study. Proposed European legislation on auto fuel efficiency, to be debated this week, could create around 400,000 jobs and save the bloc tens of billions of euros in annual fuel costs, according to a new study. The fuel efficiency proposals, set for an initial vote in the European Parliament on Tuesday, have split the industry. Germany, home to luxury carmakers, has pressed for supercredits, which the European Commission says would dilute its plans. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/us-eu-cars-idUSBRE92H00F20130318 METHANE HYDRATES: U.S. reports huge potential for 'fire in the ice' as Japan hurries to production. The international scientific world has been buzzing over two separate milestones on methane hydrates, a little-known form of natural gas found in ice formations under Arctic permafrost and in deepwater coastal regions. Last Tuesday, Japan announced it had successfully produced natural gas from an offshore methane hydrates test well. A day later, the United States published significant new data outlining massive methane hydrate reserves along the Atlantic and Pacific shores. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/03/19/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Fisker Sales Talks Fall Apart. Chinese Bidders for Luxury Hybrid Car Maker Disagree Over Government Loan. Chinese auto makers have pulled back from talks to buy Fisker Automotive Inc. over a disagreement on whether to revive a loan agreement with the U.S., leaving the Anaheim, Calif., company's future uncertain ahead of an April loan payment. Fisker management had proposed to the Chinese that as part of any sale it tap the remaining portion of a $529 million U.S. loan, a move that would commit a new owner to building Fisker cars at a former General Motors Co. auto factory in Delaware, a person familiar with the situation said on Monday. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323415304578368341051986934.html BY SUBSCRIPTION Automakers are found cheating on mpg testing. Car manufacturers face increasing pressure from governments and consumers around the world to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. But loopholes in vehicle testing cycles are letting them game the system and get unrealistically high gas mileage ratings. A recent report from the campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) found that automakers in Europe are manipulating the road test to achieve higher fuel economy by fitting their vehicles with special tires…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/19/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL State high-speed rail board approves two-track approach for Peninsula. At a special meeting Monday, the California High-Speed Rail Authority board approved an agreement that underscores its commitment to run the state's future bullet trains on Caltrain's two tracks between San Jose and San Francisco. The memorandum of understanding also outlines a $750 million modernization plan to electrify Caltrain's system so its trains can go faster and to install an advanced signal system. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_22820898/state-high-speed-rail-board-approves-two-track Rare Fresno high-speed rail board meeting packs conference room. The California High-Speed Rail Authority holds most of its board meetings in Sacramento. But a special teleconference meeting Monday offered Fresno-area residents a chance to attend without making the three-hour haul up Highway 99. About two dozen people -- including members of Kings County's grassroots opposition group Citizens for California High-Speed Rail Accountability -- Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/18/3218997/high-speed-rail-board-approves.html Board seeks $8.6B in California high-speed rail bonds. The California High-Speed Rail Authority voted Monday to issue nearly $8.6 billion in taxpayer-approved bonds to build the nation's first bullet train. Officials say they will try to sell $3.7 billion of the bonds as the state rushes to begin construction in July. That includes $2.6 billion for high speed rail and another $1.1 billion for improving existing commuter rail systems in Northern and Southern California. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/18/board-seeks-86b-in-calif-high-speed-rail-bonds/ http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/state&id=9032281 http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/state&id=9026539 GREEN ENERGY Clean Energy Is Comparable to Fossil Energy Reserves, BNEF Says. The “energy reserves” contained in wind and bioenergy projects in the U.S. and Brazil are “significant” compared to oil and gas in the countries, according to a study commissioned by BP Plc (BP/) that estimates the barrels of oil equivalent for the renewable resources. The study, based on Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis, found that wind and bioenergy projects in Brazil have more than two-fifths of the energy content of the country’s proven oil and gas reserves, the London-based group said in an e-mailed statement. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-03-19/clean-energy-is-comparable-to-fossil-energy-reserves-bnef-says.html Chinese solar giant Suntech defaults on bond payment. Suntech, one of the world's biggest solar panel manufacturers, said Monday it has defaulted on a $541 million bond payment in the latest sign of the financial squeeze on the struggling global solar industry. Suntech Power Holdings's announcement was a severe setback for a company lauded by China's Communist government as a leader of efforts to make the country a center of the renewable energy industry. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22815543/chinese-solar-giant-suntech-defaults-bond-payment Environmental groups protest green energy projects (Photos). With all the concerns about conventional energy, wind and solar energy are often seen as saints of the energy sector. Clean and renewable, they too impact our environment. Many environmental groups are now speaking out against green projects. Loss of habitat is the largest threat to endangered and threatened plants and animals, and the construction of wind and solar stations are impacting many endangered species. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/environmental-groups-protest-green-energy-projects MISCELLANEOUS One San Onofre unit could be restarted at full power, Edison says. The utility says its analysis confirms that it would be safe to fire up the nuclear plant's Unit 2 reactor, but as a precautionary move it is proposing running it at only 70%. One of the two reactors at the darkened San Onofre nuclear plant could be restarted at full power and operate safely for almost a year, Southern California Edison officials said Monday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0319-san-onofre-restart-20130319,0,3477980.story?track=rss Unwanted Electronic Gear Rising in Toxic Piles. Last year, two inspectors from California’s hazardous waste agency were visiting an electronics recycling company near Fresno for a routine review of paperwork when they came across a warehouse the size of a football field, packed with tens of thousands of old computer monitors and televisions. The crumbling cardboard boxes, stacked in teetering rows, 9 feet high and 14 feet deep, were so sprawling that the inspectors needed cellphones to keep track of each other. The layer of broken glass on the floor and the lead-laden dust in the air was so thick that the inspectors soon left over safety concerns. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/19/us/disposal-of-older-monitors-leaves-a-hazardous-trail.html?pagewanted=2&_r=3&hp&pagewanted=all& Ten things you can do at home to reduce smog. The air we breathe in Bakersfield is about as bad as it gets anywhere in the nation. Government regulators are trying to improve it. There are federal air pollution regulations that target different industries and equipment, California regulations that do the same thing, and local air pollution control agencies that have their own rules as well. These agencies target vehicle manufacturers, refineries, chemical plants, oil companies, and power plants. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/list/ten-things-you-can-do-at-home-to-reduce-smog OPINIONS Britain's carbon tax: unfair and ineffective: Gerard Wynn. The variable carbon tax that Britain is introducing from April 1 to promote low-carbon investment will cause problems due to some incompatibility with the wider European emissions trading scheme. The tax, called "carbon price support" by the British government, is levied on suppliers of fossil fuels to power plants and these will pass on the cost to electricity consumers. It has uniquely united environmentalists and energy-intensive industries in opposition. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/19/column-wynn-carbon-uk-idUSL6N0CB4M820130319 Elias: Air board may have it right on cap and trade. From the moment Assembly Bill 32 and its mandate for greenhouse gas reductions passed in 2006, conservative opponents and climate-change deniers have vilified it as an economic suicide pact for California. But that may not be so, in part because of how the cap and trade system for lowering emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) is now working. What’s more, no one expected this to be a big state moneymaker back when current Democratic state Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, and then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were pushing it. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/18/elias-air-board-may-have-it-right-on-cap-and/?print=1 Dan Walters: High-speed project moves forward, but lawsuits loom. The agency charged with building the nation's first bullet train system in California took two big steps Monday. However, the legality of both is under fire, thanks to some very specific conditions imposed on the controversial project by the 2008 ballot measure that authorized its construction with nearly $10 billion in state bonds. Critics – including the former legislator who was the major champion of a bullet train – contend that how it's now being proposed would violate those conditions, and their contentions will be tested in lawsuits. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/19/5273550/dan-walters-high-speed-project.html#storylink=cpy San Mateo jail: If land is too toxic for housing, how can a jail go there? Last week the aptly named Chemical Way was cleaned of decades of toxic chemical residue, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department. The site of the proposed new jail was so permeated by volatile organic compounds that the Department of Toxic Substances Control declared the land too hazardous for residential use. Unfortunately, it is still too hazardous to meet residential toxicity standards. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22793481/san-mateo-jail-if-land-is-too-toxic The Feverish Hunt For Evidence Of A Man-Made Global Warming Crisis. Although “climate” is generally associated with periods of at least three decades, less than one and one-half decades following mid-1970s “scientific” predictions that the next Ice Age was rapidly approaching, the media trumpeted a new and opposite alarm…a man-made global warming crisis. Previously, even the prestigious National Academy of Sciences had issued a warning that there was “a finite possibility that a serious worldwide cooling could befall the earth within the next 100 years.” Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/03/19/the-feverish-hunt-for-evidence-of-a-man-made-global-warming-crisis/ Canadian coal plant retrofit could be a 'game changer' (Sponsored content). A 43-year-old Canadian coal plant is being retrofitted to capture roughly 90 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions and store the gas deep underground, Gates writes. It will be the first commercial-scale power plant equipped with a fully integrated carbon capture and storage system, he adds. A recent story from E&E reported on the progress of Canadian utility SaskPower’s 43-year-old coal plant at its Boundary Dam Power Station. The facility is being retrofitted to capture roughly 90 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions and store the gas deep underground. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0319/Canadian-coal-plant-retrofit-could-be-a-game-changer Is the US oil boom coming to an end? Though US oil production is experiencing steady expansion, Graeber writes, it's starting to slow down and with it potentially goes the revenue on which Paul Ryan's budget plan depends. The United States is expected to lead the pack among non-OPEC members in terms of oil supply growth for 2013. That's the assessment from this month's market report from the Vienna-based cartel. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0319/Is-the-US-oil-boom-coming-to-an-end?nav=643867-csm_blog_post-leftColRelated BLOGS Why the EPA might delay its carbon rules for power plants. Is the Obama administration planning to backtrack on its carbon rules for power plants? That’s the big environmental question on everybody’s mind lately. The core of Obama’s second-term agenda on climate change, recall, involves new regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency on greenhouse-gas emissions. Last year, the EPA took a major step forward by proposing carbon standards for all future power plants — a rule that would make it impossible to build new coal-fired facilities in the United States. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/18/why-the-epa-might-delay-its-carbon-rules-for-power-plants/?print=1 With a Big If, Science Panel Finds Deep Cuts Possible in Auto Emissions and Oil Use. A panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences has concluded that deep cuts in oil use and emissions of greenhouse gases from cars and light trucks are possible in the United States by 2050, but only with a mix of diverse and intensified research and policies far stronger than those pursued so far by the Obama administration. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/with-a-big-if-science-panel-finds-deep-cuts-possible-in-auto-emissions-and-oil-use/?ref=earth Rise & Opine: Is cap-and-trade working in California? Kudos to Thomas Elias. He's one of the first columnists statewide to suggest that California's cap and trade system, despite all the naysayers, might actually be working. He might be right. It will take several auctions to know for sure if the state is on the right track. Dana Hull of the San Jose Merc has answers to 13 big questions about the state's cap and trade. But Elias makes a good point "The fact most businesses paid nothing for 90 percent of their pollution allowances is a real positive." Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/the_swarm/2013/03/rise-opine-is-cap-and-trade-wo.html#storylink=cpy Green jobs growing, but not as fast. Each year the Next 10 public policy group issues a report on the state of California’s green economy. As green job reports go, it’s pretty exacting. The researchers actually count real jobs at real companies, rather than relying on estimates or projections. The drawback is that the jobs figures are always two years out of date. Precision has its price. The latest report shows green jobs in California growing in between the start of 2010 and January, 2011. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/03/18/green-jobs-growing-but-not-as-fast/ What Connects Us Most: Climate Change and Humanity. To start, please forgive an American pressing an audience of Brits about climate change, as your country at least has climate goals, while half our Congress still won't even accept that humans are heating the planet. Of course, you sent us religious fanatics who won't accept science -- some wish you had sent them to Australia instead of the criminals. We are connected by and to the natural systems which sustain humanity, most notably a stable climate. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-fenton/what-connects-us-most-cli_b_2901181.html?utm_hp_ref=climate-change ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:55:10 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 21, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 21, 2013. 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. CLIMATE CHANGE Warm spring, continued drought predicted for US. Government forecasters say much of the United States can expect a warm spring and persistent drought. The National Weather Service said Thursday above-normal temperatures are predicted across most of the Lower 48 states and northern Alaska. The forecast also calls for little relief for the drought-stricken Midwest and Southwest. Currently, half the country is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Warm-spring-continued-drought-predicted-for-US-4373635.php#ixzz2OCBdua5Z Will California's Cap and Trade Be Fair? Even when she was a kid, Melissa Cervantes knew something was wrong with the air in Wilmington, a neighborhood next to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach where she has lived most of her life. The streets here are verdant with mango, guava and avocado trees. But a brownish haze hangs above the houses. “I kind of figured the refinery was making people sick,” she says. “But when you’re just a little kid, you don’t put it together as a puzzle.” Posted. http://www.thenation.com/article/173449/will-californias-cap-and-trade-be-fair# FUELS Heating Oil Companies Face Inquiry on Purity of Fuel. State and federal authorities are investigating whether several New York heating oil businesses cheated tens of thousands of customers for years, selling fuel diluted with recycled or waste oil, according to law enforcement and city officials. In addition, two related civil lawsuits make accusations against two other companies that in recent years have sold tens of millions of gallons of oil to…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/nyregion/state-and-federal-inquiry-asks-whether-heating-oil-companies-cheated-customers.html?pagewanted=all Tough fracking standards part of deal. Some of the nation's biggest oil and gas companies have made peace with environmentalists, agreeing to a set of tough standards for fracking in the Northeast that could lead to a major expansion of drilling. The program announced Wednesday will work a lot like Underwriters Laboratories, which puts its familiar UL seal of approval on electrical appliances that meet its standards. In this case, drilling and pipeline companies will be encouraged to submit to an independent review of their operations. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Tough-fracking-standards-part-of-deal-4371845.php#ixzz2OC7gBCpd California bills could delay fracking. Fracking for oil and natural gas in California could slam to a halt, at least temporarily, under legislation circulating in Sacramento. One bill calls for a moratorium on the practice until the state conducts a sweeping study of fracking's benefits and risks, including the potential for groundwater contamination. Another piece of legislation would allow fracking while the state conducts such a study. But the same bill, from Sen. Fran Pavley, would slap a moratorium on fracking if the study isn't finished by 2015. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/California-bills-could-delay-fracking-4371839.php#ixzz2OCBGlR1N Tribe: Nevada coal plant falsified pollution data. Representatives of an Indian tribe fighting to force the closure of a coal-fired power plant outside Las Vegas said Wednesday they uncovered evidence that from 2006 to 2011, the state's dominant electric utility submitted "phony" reports to the state about pollution levels near the plant, and avoided any penalty when the problem was discovered. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/20/tribe-nevada-coal-plant-falsified-pollution-data/ California ARB considering four new low-carbon fuel pathways; Neste renewable diesel and sugarcane molasses ethanol. California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff has posted four new Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) pathways to the LCFS web site. (Earlier post.) Among the new pathways to be considered is the production of renewable diesel from Australian tallow at Neste Oil’s Singapore plant. Others are sugarcane molasses ethanol from Guatemala; mixed feedstock to biodiesel from Texas; and a new ARB-staff-developed pathway for North American landfill gas. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/arb-20130320.html VEHICLES EVs are good for jobs. On 19 March 2013, RICARDO-AEA presented the key findings of the technical and macro-economic study “An economic assessment of low carbon vehicles”. Focusing on light-duty vehicles – cars and vans, the study shows that a shift to low-carbon cars generates positive direct and indirect employment impacts. The report, published by Cambridge Econometrics and Ricardo-AEA is based on a research project convened by the European Climate Foundation. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5309 HIGH-SPEED RAIL New poll says economic worries crowding out big issues in California. The still-stagnant economy is weighing so heavily on Californians' minds that it's crowding out other top issues such as immigration, gun control and climate change -- and is stifling support for major statewide initiatives such as high-speed rail and a Central Valley water project. In a survey released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California, nearly three-quarters of likely voters -- 71 percent -- said taming the federal deficit should be an essential priority for Congress this year. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22835390/new-ppic-poll-says-economic-worries-crowding-out?source=rss http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-water-bond-poll-20130320,0,7006584.story http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2013/03/california-voters-supports-high-speed-rail-slipping http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/20/ppic-poll-reservations-over-high-speed-rail-water/ http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/03/20/poll-shows-support-only-for-cheaper-water-bond,-high-speed-rail http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=236880 GREEN ENERGY Chinese Solar Panel Giant Is Tainted by Bankruptcy. It was the Icarus of the solar power industry. And, on Wednesday, it fell to earth. The main subsidiary of Suntech Power, one of the world’s largest makers of solar panels, collapsed into bankruptcy in a remarkable reversal for what had been part of a huge Chinese government effort to dominate renewable energy industries. The bankruptcy is a sign of the worldwide consolidation of the solar industry…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/business/energy-environment/chinese-solar-companys-operating-unit-declares-bankruptcy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Illinois recycles 39M pounds of electronics. Nearly 39 million pounds of old televisions, computers and other electronics have been recycled during the first year of a statewide ban on throwing away the materials in Illinois landfills. The ban is part of a law that took effect in 2008 requiring manufacturers to start recycling programs for discarded and unwanted electric products. A new phase of the law took effect Jan. 1, 2012, that applies to consumers. Illinois residents are required to take electronic devices to a registered recycler. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Illinois-recycles-39M-pounds-of-electronics-4373028.php#ixzz2OCAwoHXQ California Energy Commission awards more than $5.5M for green transportation projects and $1.8M for 20 energy research projects. The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved $5,580,773 for clean-energy transportation projects including biodiesel production, power control electronics for medium-and heavy-duty battery electric vehicles, and buydowns for propane vehicles. The awards were made through the Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/cec-20130321.html MISCELLANEOUS Book industry getting greener, study says. Thanks to conservation efforts and the rise of e-books, the publishing industry is creating a leaner and cleaner paper trail. According to a new report by two environmental groups - the Book Industry Environmental Council and Green Press Initiative - paper suppliers use around 25 percent recycled fiber for book materials, compared with an estimated 5 percent in 2004. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/21/book-industry-getting-greener-study-says/ Key climate agency exec moving to consumer post. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has named a top official at the state's key climate change agency to a post overseeing consumer protection. James Goldstene, executive officer of the state Air Resources Board (ARB) since 2007, will become undersecretary at the California State and Consumer Services Agency, Brown announced yesterday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/03/21/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY California Utility Commissioners Deliberate In Public And Private Meetings In San Diego. The Public Utilities Commission has promised to hold a public meeting in San Diego soon about whether rate payers should continue to pay for the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant. But today the agency is holding a private, invitation-only meeting in La Jolla, one day before a public meeting where Commissioners will decide about three new gas powered plants in San Diego. Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/mar/20/california-utility-commissioners-deliberate-public/ OPINIONS Green power will cost you some green. San Francisco is about to find out how much it costs to be clean and green. After years of study and initial approvals, city residents will learn the price of a new energy diet, one that promises electricity from only renewable sources. The plan, known as CleanPowerSF, won support from city supervisors and appears on track to win backing from the city Public Utilities Commission, which will oversee it. Then it will be time to test bigger questions. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Green-power-will-cost-you-some-green-4368114.php#ixzz2OC9jlVfS BLOGS Scientists Propose a New Architecture for Sustainable Development. As a United Nations working group negotiates a set of “sustainable development goals,” 10 scientists and development analysts, in a commentary published today in Nature, have proposed a fundamentally different way to frame this concept. (Click here for relevant Dot Earth posts.) Over the last several decades, sustainable human development has been conceived largely as the outcome of balanced work on three “pillars” — economic and social development and environmental protection. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/scientists-propose-a-new-architecture-for-sustainable-development/ Fund Green Infrastructure, but Not With Cap-and-Trade. A dollar is a dollar, right? But when it comes to government policy, some dollars draw a lot of attention, while other funds fly under the public's radar. All dollars have the same purchasing power, but highly visible dollars have magnified political repercussions, and must be handled with care. For example, the 2009 Federal Stimulus Bill's price tag was visible to taxpayers, but the "infrastructure" it funded was mostly not…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-sandler/fund-green-infrastructure_b_2912561.html How Global Warming Went Cold in America. Even before liftoff, the fight against global warming has become grounded in America. Whenever a potential breakthrough appears on the horizon, either the left or the right throws a challenge to stall the solution. Consider shale gas. Newly-nominated energy secretary, Ernest Moniz, has backed it as a bridge to a carbon-free future. Shale gas emits less than half the carbon dioxide in power generation as coal does. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sunil-sharan/how-global-warming-went-c_b_2911892.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:57:37 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 22, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 22, 2013. 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 As Pollution Worsens in China, Solutions Succumb to Infighting. China’s state leadership transition has taken place this month against an ominous backdrop. More than 16,000 dead pigs have been found floating in rivers that provide drinking water to Shanghai. A haze akin to volcanic fumes cloaked the capital, causing convulsive coughing and obscuring the portrait of Mao Zedong on the gate to the Forbidden City. So severe are China’s environmental woes, especially the noxious air, that top government officials have been forced to openly acknowledge them. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/world/asia/as-chinas-environmental-woes-worsen-infighting-emerges-as-biggest-obstacle.html?ref=science&_r=0 It's official: Traffic pollution can cause asthma in children. Researchers in Europe have confirmed scientifically what parents in traffic-congested Southern California have known anecdotally for years: Poor air quality associated with busy roads can cause asthma in children. The study, which examined children’s health in 10 cities, concluded that 14% of chronic childhood asthma cases could be attributed to near-road traffic pollution. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-traffic-pollution-asthma-children-20130321,0,3190067.story CLIMATE CHANGE Pre-Viking tunic found by glacier as warming aids archaeology. A pre-Viking woolen tunic found beside a thawing glacier in south Norway shows how global warming is proving something of a boon for archaeology, scientists said on Thursday. The greenish-brown, loose-fitting outer clothing - suitable for a person up to about 176 cms (5 ft. 9 inches) tall - was found 2,000 meters (6,560 ft) above sea level on what may have been a Roman-era trade route in south Norway. Carbon dating showed it was made around 300 AD. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/us-climate-archaeology-idUSBRE92K0V320130321 Climate needs less U.N. talking, more market action-EU draft. Fewer United Nations climate summits and more incentives through carbon pricing could speed up international efforts to slow the pace of global warming, a draft European Commission paper seen by Reuters says. U.N. climate talks have yet to recover from a disastrous Copenhagen summit in 2009 when talks ended in failure and subsequent annual meetings have been heavily criticised for dragging on for weeks yet achieving little. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/eu-un-climate-idUSL6N0CDH2M20130321 'Climate-smart' growing techniques are hard to find but essential, backers say. Global groups are hoping to encourage farming practices that account for climate change without sacrificing yields or profits -- a concept known as "climate-smart agriculture." The policy is not enshrined in any international treaty like the Kyoto Protocol, but the United Nations and other global organizations are promoting it with the recognition that climate change will likely cause average global crop yields to decrease. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/22/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Advocates say new strategies are needed to move climate action. Advocates of action on climate should abandon the quest for subsidies and carbon taxes and instead push for funding innovation, experts said here yesterday. A new strategy is needed because the drive for penalties on carbon, renewable energy mandates and similar moves has produced few results, said Bjørn Lomborg, director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center. "We've been tackling global warming badly for 20 years," Lomborg said. "We've actually expected to really cut carbon, and we've managed virtually nothing." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/22/9 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Analysis: Thrifty truckers wary of pricey natural gas vehicles. Tuckers considering natural gas as an alternative to high-priced diesel say the cost of vehicles that run on the cheap and cleaner-burning fuel is still too high for them to see a timely payback on their investment. A push to run more of the nation's truck fleet on cleaner, domestically produced natural gas is rapidly gaining momentum. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/22/us-trucks-natural-gas-idUSBRE92L07620130322 FUELS Sierra Club blasts new plan to improve fracking. The Sierra Club and some other environmental groups are harshly criticizing a new partnership that aims to create tough new standards for fracking. The criticism Thursday came a day after two of the nation's biggest oil and gas companies made peace with some national and regional environmental groups, agreeing to go through an independent review of their shale oil and gas drilling operations in the Northeast. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_DRILLING_UNLIKELY_PARTNERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/sierra-club-blasts-new-plan-to-strengthen-northeast-fracking-standards/2013/03/21/b792bece-9284-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_story.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/21/3224234/sierra-club-blasts-plan-to-improve.html#storylink=misearch http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sierra-club-blasts-plan-improve-fracking-18786600#.UUyFwVcepNt COLUMN-"Blend wall" explains rising ethanol costs: Wynn. U.S. data suggests the percentage of ethanol in the gasoline supply is nearing the "blend wall" - the 10 percent level beyond which refiners fear to go - but perhaps not close enough to explain a sudden jump in the price of compliance credits. Other explanations for the price rise could include new expectations that the blend wall will be reached next year; a lack of available product after a fall in U.S. ethanol output last year; speculative buying of compliance credits; or a combination of these. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/column-wynn-ethanol-us-idUSL6N0CD59820130321 China imposes strict fuel economy standards on auto industry. China imposed long-debated stringent fuel economy standards on Wednesday, making life tougher for cash-strapped small domestic brands that are already struggling amid a slowdown of the world's biggest auto market. The rules, jointly issued by five government bodies including the National Development and Reform Commission, would cut passenger cars' average fuel consumption to 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers by 2015 and down further to 5.0 liters by 2020. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/us-china-auto-fuel-idUSBRE92K03E20130321 Researchers develop high-rate, high-yield bacterial process to convert methane to methanol. Researchers at Columbia University have developed a biological process utilizing autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) for the conversion of methane (CH4) to methanol (CH3OH). A paper on their work is published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/taher-20130322.html VEHICLES ARB to help consumers buy clean cars (Photos). California's Air Resources Board (ARB) announced today that it has funded the state's Clean Vehicle Rebate Project with an additional $6 million. Coupled with another $4.5 million from the California Energy Commission two weeks ago, the new funds should extend the rebate program until funds for next year become available. Replacing traditional gas and diesel fired vehicles with electrics and hybrids is an important tactic in improving the state's air quality…Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-to-help-consumers-buy-clean-cars Utilities put pedal to the metal on electric-powered transportation. As electric utilities transform the U.S. power grids to harness 21st-century technology, they're putting electrified transportation at the core of them. "An energy revolution is actually under way," Thomas Farrell, president and CEO of Dominion Resources Inc. and chairman of the Edison Foundation, said yesterday at the charity's "Powering the People" event in Washington, D.C. "It's time for all of us to reassess, time to consider our many new opportunities." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/22/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Apple makes renewable energy push with solar, fuel cells. Apple Inc. now runs its largest U.S. data center entirely on renewable energy, with a majority of the power generated on-site from solar panels and fuel cells, the company's chief financial officer, Peter Oppenheimer, said on Thursday. The data center in Maiden, North Carolina, which supports Internet storage and Apple's service-hosting iCloud product, produces 167 million kilowatt-hours - the power equivalent of 17,600 homes for one year…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/22/us-apple-solar-idUSBRE92K0X820130322 China needs $243 bln a year low-carbon investment by 2020-report. China will have to raise up to $243 billion a year by 2020 to finance clean energy development, said a report commissioned by Beijing which will be presented to the government this month. Premier Li Keqiang this month pledged more action in tackling China's heavy pollution which sparked public anger this winter. Last year, China accounted for one quarter of world investment in renewable energy. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/china-climate-idUSL6N0CDDSQ20130321 Buyers favor ‘green’ houses, but they’re often not easy to identify or appraise. When it comes to energy efficiency and “green” features in homes, there’s a chasmal disconnect separating consumers, real estate appraisers and the nation’s realty sales system. On the one hand, prospective buyers routinely tell researchers that they place high priority on energy-saving and environmentally friendly components in houses. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/buyers-favor-green-houses-but-theyre-often-not-easy-to-identify-or-appraise/2013/03/20/717c4392-8ff5-11e2-9cfd-36d6c9b5d7ad_story.html Renewed Tax Credit Buoys Wind-Power Projects. After a deep slump at the end of last year, the wind industry is picking up. First Wind, a Boston-based developer and operator that was sitting on a pile of stalled projects with the potential to power roughly 300,000 homes, now expects to go forward with many of them. Broadwind, an energy manufacturing and services company, based in Cicero, Ill., recently announced winning two new orders for wind towers worth $62 million. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/business/energy-environment/a-tax-credits-renewal-lifts-wind-projects.html?ref=science Aliso Viejo puts Green City Initiative on hold after meeting. Following a boisterous hearing that lasted more than three hours in which Mayor Carmen Cave repeatedly had to call to order, the Aliso Viejo City Council again postponed a vote on the Green City Initiative, an effort to make the city more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. More than 100 people attended Wednesday night's meeting from throughout Orange County, many to protest the initiative, which they said could lead to increased costs and higher taxes. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/news/initiative-500692-city-munzing.html Bankrupt Chinese solar company may continue to operate, despite problems. The bankruptcy of Chinese solar manufacturer Suntech Power Holdings Co. may spawn a new chapter in the annals of Chinese business history as the first-ever implosion of a central government bond-backed business entity, one that only a few years ago seemed certain to flourish into the 21st century. But Suntech's recent balance sheet crisis -- culminating in its default last week on a payment toward $541 million in private equity financing to mostly U.S. debtors…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/22/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Amendment takes strange-bedfellows approach to repealing renewable tax credit. An amendment that could see a vote in the Senate later today takes an unusual approach to repealing a popular renewable energy tax credit by tying it to an unrelated -- and much less popular -- tax increase implemented in the health care reform law. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a leading critic of the wind industry who fought unsuccessfully last year to end the production tax credit…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/03/22/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS New power plants rejected, for now. Utilities regulators on Thursday rejected a proposal to build two natural gas power plants in San Diego and Otay Mesa at a packed public meeting on Thursday in San Diego. They warned that the region must come up with cleaner alternatives quickly. In a unanimous decision, the five voting members of the California Public Utilities Commission rejected the 300-megawatt Pio Pico Energy Center, adjacent to an existing power plant in unincorporated Otay Mesa…Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/21/two-power-plants-rejected/ Restarting San Onofre Isn’t Cost Effective, New Study Suggests. San Onofre may be offline for another summer, and a new analysis suggests this will be cheaper than restarting the plant. California’s Public Utilities Commission is investigating how much Southern California Edison, the operator of San Onofre, is charging ratepayers for the plant, and whether those costs are reasonable. But the PUC will not decide until next year if ratepayers should be reimbursed. Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/mar/21/restarting-san-onofre-cost-effective/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kpbs%2Flocal+%28KPBS+News%3A+Local+Headlines%29 Beekeepers sue EPA to ban pesticide, protect bees. Commercial beekeepers and environmental organizations filed a lawsuit Thursday against federal regulators for not banning the use of two pesticides they say harm honeybees. In the suit, filed by the Center for Food Safety in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, the group asks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to suspend the use of insecticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam - known as "neonicotinoids," a class of chemicals that act on the central nervous system of insects. Posted. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/03/21/2438838/beekeepers-sue-epa-to-ban-pesticides.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS COLUMN-Losing weight will be next vehicle advance: Wynn. Cutting vehicle weight may be the next main advance in reducing the financial and environmental cost of motoring. Until now carmakers have met a trend towards tougher fuel economy standards worldwide by reducing engine sizes and introducing technology for example to cut motors when a car is idling. In the next step up, choices include electric and hybrid power technologies but these add thousands of dollars to the upfront cost of a vehicle. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/20/column-wynn-auto-weight-idUSL6N0CBD6P20130320 'Temperature Rising': Will Climate Change Bring More Extreme Weather? According to the historical record dating back to 1895, 2012 was the hottest year this country has ever seen. But it's not just that the temperature has risen — from deadly tornadoes to the widespread coastal damage inflicted by Superstorm Sandy, we seem to be living through a period of intensified and heightened weather extremes. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/03/21/174019103/temperature-rising-will-climate-change-bring-more-extreme-weather BLOGS Global Study of Monsoons Finds Ocean Variations Have Driven Recent Shifts. The seasonal rains called monsoons matter enormously to human affairs, from the Indian subcontinent to the American Southwest. Getting a better understanding of the forces that will shape these features of the climate system in coming decades is a big research priority, but also a very tough challenge given the many factors in play. In a study published in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers analyzing monsoon patterns around the Northern Hemisphere…Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/global-study-of-monsoons-finds-ocean-variations-have-driven-recent-shifts/ San Onofre design choices led to nuclear plant shutdown. An executive with the company that manufactured faulty equipment that led to the shutdown of the San Onofre nuclear plant defended decisions made in the design of the replacement steam generators. The company made choices in designing support structures at San Onofre that were intended to prevent one type of vibration, but ended up creating another type of vibration that ultimately led to the plant's closure, said Frank Gillespie, senior vice president with Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/san-onofre-mitsubishi.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Air Quality Chief Sees Valero Reversal as Vindication of Climate Law. California's top air regulator has found a victory of sorts in this week's decision by the nation's largest oil refiner to keep its California refineries. A spokesman for Texas-based Valero Energy Corp. told the Wall Street Journal that it has reconsidered its plan to sell its two California refineries. The larger of the two is in Benicia, on the northeast fringe of the Bay Area. At a San Francisco panel organized by the greenbiz group E2 (for Environmental Entrepreneurs)…Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/03/21/air-quality-chief-sees-valero-reversal-as-vindication-of-climate-law/ Thousands sign school climate change petition started by 15-year-old. Over 12,000 people have signed a petition started by a 15-year-old girl to keep climate change in the national curriculum for under 14-year-olds. Esha Marwaha from Hounslow in west London said she was outraged that the draft key stage 3 geography curriculum for English schools had vastly scaled back discussion of the phenomenon. "Climate change is the most pressing and threatening issue to modern-day society. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/mar/21/school-climate-change-petition ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:27:42 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 25, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 25, 2013. 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 Battery recycling plant in Vernon ordered to cut emissions. The order from the South Coast Air Quality Management District comes after recent tests showed that Exide Technologies is posing a health danger to as many as 110,000 people in neighboring cities. A battery recycling plant in Vernon is being told to reduce its emissions after recent tests showed it is posing a danger to as many as 110,000 people living in an area that extends from Boyle Heights to Maywood and Huntington Park. Posted. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/23/local/la-me-0324-exide-air-20130324 CLIMATE CHANGE PROMISES, PROMISES: Climate Change. The issue: Slowing the buildup of greenhouse gases responsible for warming the planet is one of the biggest challenges the United States and President Barack Obama face. The effects of rising global temperatures are widespread and costly: more severe storms, rising seas, species extinctions, and changes in weather patterns that will alter food production and the spread of disease. Politically, the stakes are huge. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMAS_IOUS_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/promises-promises-hopes-on-climate-change-action-may-fall-short-again-in-obamas-new-term/2013/03/25/23c35f6e-951d-11e2-95ca-dd43e7ffee9c_story.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/PROMISES-PROMISES-Climate-Change-4381251.php http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22864420/promises-promises-climate-change http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/25/promises-promises-climate-change/#ixzz2OZEUZrs8 Reef-building corals lose out to softer cousins due warming. Climate change is likely to make reef-building stony corals lose out to softer cousins in a damaging shift for many types of fish that use reefs as hideaways and nurseries for their young, a study showed. Soft corals such as mushroom-shaped yellow leather coral, which lack a hard outer skeleton, were far more abundant than hard corals off Iwotorishima, an island off south Japan where volcanic vents make the waters slightly acidic, it said. A build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is turning the oceans more acidic…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/24/us-corals-idUSBRE92N0GI20130324 Senators back Keystone XL and EPA regs but oppose carbon tax. A filibuster-proof majority of senators are now on record supporting the controversial Keystone XL pipeline after a nonbinding but symbolically important series of votes this weekend that also demonstrated resistance to a carbon tax but backing for U.S. EPA rules to limit greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants from power plants. Those issues were among dozens the Senate considered in an all-night "vote-a-rama" that started Friday afternoon and wrapped up just before 5 a.m. EDT Saturday when the Senate narrowly approved its first budget resolution in four years, 50-49. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/03/25/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Most of the world's militaries recognize climate change as a threat. A strong majority of militaries around the world, in places as diverse as Kiribati and Canada, are in agreement that climate change poses a serious national security threat, according to new research by the American Security Project. The index on defense and climate change released last week shows that 71 percent of nations -- or 110 of 155 countries for which information was available -- definitively state that climate change is a security issue. That includes the United States. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/25/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Calif. farmers team up to convert beets to ethanol. Amid the vast almond orchards and grape fields that surround Five Points in California's Central Valley, a once-dominant crop that has nearly disappeared from the state's farms is making a comeback: sugar beets. But these beets won't be processed into sugar. A dozen farmers, supported by university experts and a $5 million state grant, are set to start construction of a Fresno County demonstration plant that will convert the beets into ethanol. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FOOD_AND_FARM_BEETS_TO_BIOFUELS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.examiner.com/article/california-pilot-plant-to-make-ethanol-from-energy-beets http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/23/calif-farmers-team-up-to-convert-beets-to/#ixzz2OZGa8Iwj COLUMN-Better route planning cuts fuel use in freight sector: Kemp. U.S. distributors and freight hauliers have held down diesel consumption even as their business recovers from recession by making thousands of small changes to their operations. Improved driver training, restrictions on idling and careful route planning to reduce deadheads (where vehicles travel empty) are all reducing consumption of expensive diesel while helping companies promote their green credentials. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/25/column-kemp-freight-fuel-idUSL5N0CH1CI20130325 Valero plans repairs for California refinery. Valero Energy Corp. has notified California environmental officials that it will need to flare gases at its Wilmington refinery for the next two days. Valero is required to notify the South Coast Air Quality Management District, an air pollution control agency, whenever it needs to conduct flaring that would exceed daily limits. The flaring will be necessary while repair work is being conducted on a valve at a storage facility. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2013/03/25/valero-plans-repairs-for-california.html Sierra Club blasts new plan to improve fracking. The Sierra Club and some other environmental groups are harshly criticizing a new partnership that aims to create tough new standards for fracking. The criticism Thursday came a day after two of the nation's biggest oil and gas companies made peace with some national and regional environmental groups, agreeing to go through an independent review of their shale oil and gas drilling operations in the Northeast. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/23/sierra-club-blasts-new-plan-to-improve-fracking/#ixzz2OZDJ6GwK NYC slowly moves away from sooty fuel oil. Few sights capture Manhattan's beauty like the grand, old apartment buildings that ring Central Park. But for decades, many of these mansions for the rich and famous have also been a literal source of urban grit. Like other pre-war buildings throughout the city, scores of the graceful towers around the park have long burned the dirtiest heating fuel around: a nasty sludge called No. 6 oil that puts more soot into the air annually than all the city's vehicles combined. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/24/nyc-slowly-moves-away-from-sooty-fuel-oil/#ixzz2OZDjNDcv VEHICLES Car CO2 goals needed in EU to keep driving affordable. High oil prices will make driving a car less and less affordable unless the European Union vehicle industry has more stringent emissions limits than those the European Commission is battling to enforce, the body representing European consumers said. Debate on these limits is intense in the European Parliament, which holds the next of a series of committee votes on Tuesday on proposals for 2020 vehicle CO2 standards. These would curb greenhouse gas emissions and also cut fuel use. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/24/us-eu-cars-idUSBRE92N06V20130324?feedType=RSS China's cities help companies launch electric vehicle rentals. A car rental company here aims to help the public familiarize itself with the quirks and advantages of electric vehicles (EVs) by launching a rental service, but industry players say that presents some challenges. EHi Auto Services Ltd., partly owned by U.S.-based Enterprise Holdings Inc., the world's largest car rental company by revenue, will lease more than 200 zero-emission electric vehicles this year in Shanghai starting next month. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/25/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Bosch abandons solar energy. Bosch ROBG.UL said it will sell or shut down its heavily loss-making solar energy operations, the latest blow to the industry as Germany curbs green energy subsidies and cheap Chinese imports flood the market. In a rare reversal of strategy from the manufacturing conglomerate, Bosch said on Friday it would end its photovoltaics, or solar panel production early next year and put parts of the business up for sale. Unlisted Bosch, one of the world's largest maker of car parts…Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/22/uk-bosch-solar-idUKBRE92L0VR20130322 Solar panels brighten Barstow Unified's budget outlook. Barstow Unified's biggest energy hogs have a new source of food: the abundant High Desert sunshine. Eight of the district's most demanding buildings - seven schools and the district offices - will have solar panels providing their power. The solar installations are a chance to "go more green in our district and a great opportunity for savings in tough financial times," said Superintendent Jeff Malan, watching electricians wire up an array of 1,736 modules outside Barstow Junior High School. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_22862648/solar-panels-brighten-barstow-unifieds-budget-outlook Green energy helps grow jobs. “Green” or “clean economy” jobs are a growing segment of the Coachella Valley and overall employment markets, driven by government incentives, legislative mandates and a desire by companies to save money by cutting waste or simply marketing their operations as socially beneficial. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130323/BUSINESS0302/303230051/Green-energy-helps-grow-jobs?nclick_check=1 Apple moves to cut emissions from 'cloud' storage and other facilities. Apple took a large bite out of its carbon emissions in 2012, relying more than ever on renewable energy and adopting policies to ensure the company's carbon footprint grows smaller even as it expands its physical and financial presence around the globe. In a new report documenting the company's recent environmental performance, Apple said it has increased renewable energy consumption at its global corporate facilities from roughly 35 percent of all energy used in 2009 to 75 percent last year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/25/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Green tech shows progress but not prosperity. Is this a good time to be John Woolard or not? By one standard, the CEO of solar-technology company BrightSource Energy is nearing success. BrightSource is planning to open its $2.2 billion electricity plant, which it is building with partners NRG Energy and Google, near Las Vegas. Known as Ivanpah, it's the world's biggest solar facility of its kind, and its juice is presold to utilities for 20 to 25 years. But Woolard still scrambles for money to build BrightSource. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/03/24/financing-green-tech-companies/1919633/ OPINIONS Analysis: Obama's climate agenda may face setbacks in federal court. President Barack Obama's plan to use federal agencies, and the Environmental Protection Agency in particular, to drive his second-term climate change agenda might be in peril if he cannot fill vacant seats on the federal court that has jurisdiction over major national regulations, legal experts say. Obama is the first full-term president in more than a half century not to have appointed a single judge to the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/24/us-usa-courts-epa-idUSBRE92N07520130324 LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Wind power needs further evaluation. In his letter to the editor titled “Wind power endorsed by private sector” (Friday), John Feehery notes the $25 billion of private investment, the 90-percent drop in “the cost of wind power” since 1980 and the 75,000 jobs that the wind industry has produced as a way of lauding wind power’s achievements. There should be a realistic evaluation period and analysis of several economic factors applied to this “engine of growth” in the private sector. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/25/wind-power-needs-further-evaluation/#ixzz2OZldmUy5 Life After Oil and Gas. This mantra, repeated on TV ads and in political debates, is punctuated with a tinge of inevitability and regret. But, increasingly, scientific research and the experience of other countries should prompt us to ask: To what extent will we really “need” fossil fuel in the years to come? To what extent is it a choice? Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/sunday-review/life-after-oil-and-gas.html?hpw&_r=0 Green Desert: Energy's effect on economy studied. Left to my own devices, I could spend a good deal of my time immersed in the many new studies of renewable power and energy efficiency, announcements for which land in my email box or turn up on my Twitter feed almost daily. Two this week speak to the growing role of green technology in our economy and a trend toward quantifying its value in terms that make sense to financial institutions, investors and policymakers. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130323/BUSINESS0302/303230052/Green-Desert-Energy-s-effect-economy-studied BLOGS Can Earth Hour Help Save the Planet? Camera, lights off, action! Last Saturday night between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. local time — at this time of year, an hour of darkness in most places — hundreds of millions people switched off non-essential electric lights for Earth Hour. Initiated by the WWF, the annual event is aimed at raising awareness of the planet and climate change. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/can-earth-hour-help-save-the-planet/ Our Carbon, Our Climate, Our Cash. We all buy stuff that generates carbon dioxide emissions and threatens the stability of our climate. We don’t directly pay the resulting costs, which are postponed to a vague and indefinite future in which none of us can be held individually accountable for a devastating increase in the level and variability of average global temperatures. A tax on carbon consumption could help solve the problem, bringing the prices of carbon-intensive goods and services into closer alignment with their true costs and discouraging us all from buying more of them. Posted. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/our-carbon-our-climate-our-cash/ Another Look at Natural Gas. After my column on Wednesday about how the nation’s natural gas boom is helping reduce emissions of heat-trapping carbon, I received a bunch of e-mail arguing that gas obtained by hydraulic fracturing could, on the contrary, worsen climate change. The main reason is that fracking wells — where water, chemicals and sand are pumped at high pressure into horizontal shafts to fracture shale rock deep underground — leak. Posted. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/another-look-at-natural-gas/ Lawmakers ask EPA to look into gas price increase as ethanol credits rise. A pair of US lawmakers told the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that ethanol credits are leading to some deficits. Attempting to stem what they say could be an additional boost in gas prices prior to the busy summer-driving months, David Vitter (R-LA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are raising questions, Reuters reports. In a letter to the EPA, the two senators say fuel suppliers are having a progressively harder time buying enough credits, or RINs (Renewable Identification Number), from renewable fuel producers to keep up with federal mandates. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/03/23/vitter-murkowski-ethanol-credit-price-epa/ Translating renewables and energy efficiency into dollars and good sense. The first, from Bloomberg New Energy Finance and funded by energy giant, BP, aims to set out a method for comparing coal, oil and gas reserves with renewable reserves, an effort emerging from an industry group called the Renewable Reserves Initiative. BP is apparently a leading member. The study points out that renewables constitute an increasing amount of the world’s primary energy — that is the underlying energy sources needed to generate the electricity required to power the world’s economy. Posted. http://greenenergy.blogs.mydesert.com/2013/03/22/translating-renewables-and-energy-efficiency-into-dollars-and-good-sense/ Can we 3D print our way out of climate change? Tech optimists’ crush of the decade is surely 3D printing. It has been heralded as disruptive, democratizing, and revolutionary for its non-discriminatory ability to make almost anything: dresses, guns, even houses. The process — also known as “additive manufacturing” — is still expensive and slow, confined to boutique objets d’art or lab-driven medical prototyping. But scaled up, and put in the hands of ordinary consumers via plummeting prices, 3D printing has the potential to slash energy and material costs. Posted. http://grist.org/business-technology/can-we-3d-print-our-way-out-of-climate-change/ The worst way to measure energy efficiency. It is widely assumed that over the coming decades, increased energy efficiency will help the world meet its energy needs and reduce carbon emissions. That may be true, but recent research suggests that energy intensity — a widely used way of measuring efficiency — isn’t the right metric. Posted. http://grist.org/politics/the-worst-way-to-measure-energy-efficiency/ Let’s count the ways Keystone approval helps us. So, why do we want President Obama and Secretary John Kerry to approve construction of the Keystone pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico? Because it will allow Canada to double and then triple production of tar sands and send it to thirsty Asian consumers. Because it will encourage Wall Street to increase investment in tar-sands mining; they’re worried now that increased amounts of tar sands can’t get out of Canada without more pipeline capacity. All the other new pipeline routes are currently being blocked by citizen campaigns in Canada and the U.S. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/lets-count-the-ways-keystone-approval-helps-us/ California ARB considering regulations for alternative diesel fuels; focus on biodiesel. The staff of the California Air Resources Board (ARB) is holding a public meeting on 23 April in Sacramento to discuss regulatory concepts for establishing fuel requirements for alternative diesel fuels (ADF), including biodiesel, renewable diesel and other emerging diesel fuel substitutes. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/arbadf-20130324.html Difference Engine: End the ethanol tax. THE uneasy relationship between America’s corn (maize) farmers and its oil refiners is fraying at the edges. The source of the conflict is the amount of corn-derived ethanol which has to be blended into petrol as an oxygenator, to boost the fuel’s octane rating (while also providing a generous off-budget subsidy for corn-growers). The farmers want the amount of ethanol used in petrol to be increased from 10% to 15% of each gallon sold at the pump. Posted. http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/03/biofuels ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:59:30 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 26, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 26, 2013. 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. CLIMATE CHANGE Governors Ask Obama to Weigh Climate Impact of Coal Ports. President Barack Obama’s administration should weigh the climate-change impact of burning coal in Asia when considering whether to approve Pacific coal- export terminals, two Western governors said. In a letter to the White House Council of Environmental Quality, the Democratic governors, John Kitzhaber of Oregon and Jay Inslee of Washington, said the administration must expand its review of the projects and consider the carbon dioxide that would be released when the coal is burned for power. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-26/governors-ask-obama-to-weigh-climate-impact-of-coal-ports.html Utility Group, Virginia Appeal Decisions Upholding CO2 Regulation. Virginia and the Pacific Legal Foundation asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an appellate court decision upholding the Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 finding that greenhouse gases should be regulated under the Clean Air Act. Additionally, the Utility Air Regulatory Group, a power company trade group, asked the Supreme Court to overturn a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decision upholding EPA's greenhouse gas permitting program for large stationary sources of emissions. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-26/utility-group-virginia-appeal-decisions-upholding-co2-regulation.html New York State Cites Climate Change as Risk to Bond Investors. New York State is listing climate change as a risk for bondholders after Hurricane Sandy caused more than $40 billion in damage and Governor Andrew Cuomo said better preparations are needed. New York may be the first U.S. state to inform investors of the danger posed by rising sea levels, greater flooding and erosion resulting from climate change, said Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-26/new-york-state-cites-climate-change-as-risk-to-bond-investors.html FEATURE-Tomatoes, peppers, strawberries in Greenland's Arctic valleys. On the Arctic Circle, a chef is growing the kind of vegetables and herbs - potatoes, thyme, tomatoes, green peppers - more fitting for a suburban garden in a temperate zone than a land of Northern Lights, glaciers and musk oxen. Some Inuit hunters are finding reindeer fatter than ever thanks to more grazing on this frozen tundra, and for some, there is no longer a need to trek hours to find wild herbs. Welcome to climate change in Greenland, where locals say longer and warmer summers mean the country can grow the kind of crops unheard of years ago. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/26/greenland-climate-agriculture-idUSL3N0CB1BB20130326 UC, CSU could get a pass on emissions laws. California's cash-strapped public universities would save millions of dollars under legislation by Orange County state Sen. Mimi Walters, but the bill's prospects are uncertain because it would alter a landmark global warming law beloved by environmentalists. Walters' proposal seeks to exempt University of California and California State University campuses from the new cap-and-trade program established under the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, otherwise known as Assembly Bill 32 or AB32, one of the nation's most ambitious environmental laws. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/news/trade-501273-cap-emissions.html FUELS Audit Faults Stimulus-Backed $1.5 Billion U.S. Clean-Coal Effort. Poor management has hampered a U.S. program to develop technology to capture carbon-dioxide emissions, the Energy Department inspector general said in a report that raises new questions about a clean-energy initiative backed by the 2009 economic stimulus. In total, the Energy Department received $1.5 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to invest in technology that responds to climate-change risks. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that most scientists think is making the planet hotter. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-26/audit-faults-stimulus-backed-1-5-billion-u-s-clean-coal-effort.html Future Capital Buys U.S. Bio-Ethanol Plant for $220 Million. Future Capital Partners Ltd., a London-based investment company, bought U.S. bio-ethanol maker Appomattox Bio Energy LLC for $220 million and will use some of its equipment to start a plant in the U.K. The company will sell Appomattox’s land, plant and machinery to the Future Fuels Partnership that it set up to build a bio-ethanol refinery in Grimsby, northern England, it said today in an e-mailed statement. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-26/future-capital-buys-u-s-bio-ethanol-plant-for-220-million.html Miles-Driven Could Replace Gasoline Tax, LaTourette Says. Abolishing the U.S. gasoline tax and replacing it with a levy based on miles driven could happen “tomorrow” regardless of hurdles to implementing it, said a former top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The gasoline tax, which Congress hasn’t raised since 1993, needs to be ended because lawmakers won’t increase it, former Representative Steve LaTourette said today in an interview at Bloomberg’s Washington office. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-26/miles-driven-could-replace-gasoline-tax-latourette-says.html Shale gas lures global manufacturers to US industrial revival. When Wolfgang Eder and his team started looking around for a site for a new plant for Voestalpine, the Austrian steelmaker he heads, they had 17 sites in eight countries on their list. This month, after more than a year of looking, they settled on the U.S. state of Texas, after a boom in the production of natural gas from shale extraction brought gas prices down to just a quarter of what companies paid in Europe. "In the USA, re-industrialisation is being promoted very consistently, ambitiously and with great conviction," Eder told Reuters. "Low energy prices gave us the final - and not insignificant - push." Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/26/manufacturing-shale-idUSL6N0CE57M20130326 VEHICLES Rebates, incentives for 'green' cars encourage buyers, frustrate tax activists. A plan to reduce smog caused by California's busy freeways is working: More people than ever are taking advantage of rebates and buying clean-energy cars. But many taxpayers aren't happy about it. The state's $43-million rebate program for plug-in hybrids and other zero-emission vehicles is nearly empty, so the California Air Resources Board and the Energy Commission pumped $10.5 million more into the account, enabling more residents to take advantage of getting up to $2,500 back. Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=9041019 Tesla share jump on cryptic tweet by Elon Musk. No stranger to leveraging his Twitter presence to maximize attention for his electric car company, Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk sent his company's stock up 2.5% on Monday with a single, cryptic tweet. "Really exciting @TeslaMotors announcement coming on Thursday. Am going to put my money where my mouth is in v major way," Musk tweeted. The markets noticed, sending Tesla shares up 91 cents to close at $37.53. Tesla shares are traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Just what Musk has up his sleeve remains a mystery. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-tesla-musk-tweet-announcement-20130326,0,7699743.story?track=rss GREEN ENERGY How Green Is Your School? One of the reasons that Layla El Zein, a successful telecommunications engineer in Lebanon, decided to go to business school was that she was interested in turning her charity work into a full-time job. “I felt that I had much more to give than volunteering,” she said. She chose the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University partly because of its M.B.A. program’s focus on sustainability. “Their sustainability initiatives are really clear and tough, and they prioritize it,” she said. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/education/how-green-is-your-university.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 MISCELLANEOUS In S.F., an uphill battle for a 'freeway for bikes' Plan to replace some parking spaces on Polk Street with bicycle lanes and parklets has many residents and lots of business owners saying 'Not so fast.' Russian Hill's Velvet Da Vinci gallery, which offers an array of edgy jewelry and metalwork, has been doing brisk business lately in "Save Polk St." T-shirts. Neighboring shops have signs in their display windows warning that a "radical agenda" threatens the shopping district, where residents can get shoes fixed at Frank's, fill pantries at Real Food Co., sip a Soju cocktail at Amelie or buy a silicone sex toy at Good Vibrations. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sf-bikes-vs-cars-20130326,0,3851677.story?track=rss OPINIONS Carbon tax? No thanks, says Senate. In case there was any doubt about the odds of Congress enacting a carbon tax, a Senate vote Saturday morning showed that they are long indeed. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a liberal Rhode Island Democrat, offered an amendment to the proposed fiscal 2014 budget resolution calling for "establishment of a fee on carbon pollution." The amendment didn't suggest who'd pay the fee or how large it would be; it required only that the fee not increase the deficit and that all the revenue raised be "returned to the American people in the form of federal deficit reduction…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-senate-budget-resolution-carbon-tax-20130325,0,614758.story Cathie Anderson: Sacramento recycler sees businesses upgrading tech equipment. Look at the region's economy from the perspective of Arman Sadeghi, and you'll see a definite sign that the business outlook is improving. Sadeghi runs All Green Electronics Recycling, and government organizations and big corporations seek him out when they are ready to get rid of old technology and upgrade. "We actually buy their equipment from them," said Sadeghi, founder and chief executive of All Green. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/26/5292531/cathie-anderson-sacramento-recycler.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS The biggest fight over renewable energy is now in the states. Nowadays, a huge chunk of the action on clean energy in the United States is happening at the state level. Some 29 states and Washington D.C. have renewable energy standards requiring electric utilities to get a portion of their power from sources like wind or solar. Those state-level standards have played a big role in doubling the amount of renewable-energy capacity in the United States in the past four years. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/25/the-biggest-fights-over-renewable-energy-are-now-happening-in-the-states/ Senate Spurns Bid to Block Carbon Standards. The U.S. Senate cast key votes on the fiscal 2014 budget resolution Friday that sent a clear message on climate change: we won't stand in the way of executive action to cut the carbon pollution from our nation's power plants. The Senate also stood up for public health, rejecting a bid to poke an industry loophole in new standards to cut down on the mercury and other toxic chemicals in the air we breathe. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frances-beinecke/senate-spurns-bid-to-bloc_b_2948073.html The Ocean in a High Carbon Dioxide World. It's easy to take for granted the many ways that the ocean keeps us alive; it sustains much of the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and the climate that surrounds us. The complex ocean systems that produce these benefits -- from currents and photosynthesis to food chains -- are often chaotic and unpredictable at smaller scales, but at large scales they come together in a dynamic equilibrium to ensure that life can thrive. One of the ocean's most important life-giving functions is its absorption of carbon dioxide emissions. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andreas-merkl/the-ocean-in-a-high_b_2949725.html Making fuel fom air pollution. Excess carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere created by the widespread burning of fossil fuels is the major driving force of global climate change, and researchers the world over are looking for new ways to generate power that leaves a smaller carbon footprint. Now, researchers at the University of Georgia have found a way to transform the carbon dioxide trapped in the atmosphere into useful industrial products. Posted. http://scienceblog.com/61806/making-fuel-fom-air-pollution/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:45:38 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 27, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 27, 2013. 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 CORRECTED-Pollution trial of New York coke producer wraps up. Jury deliberations could begin as early as Wednesday in the trial of Tonawanda Coke Corp, which has been charged with fouling the air for years and whose environmental manager is accused of hiding plant deficiencies from U.S. regulators. The western New York company faces a 19-count indictment that lists numerous violations of the federal Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and obstruction of justice for an alleged cover up of emissions prior to a 2009 investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/27/usa-ny-pollution-idUSL2N0CJ01020130327 Protest action in Poland against government. Bowing to the power of tens of thousands of miners, some previous governments have agreed to lenient lay-off and pension terms for them. Poland still depends on black coal for much of its electricity, a policy that has put Warsaw at odds with nations that are cutting down on carbon gas emissions. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/26/protest-action-in-poland-against-government/ CLIMATE CHANGE Federal plan aims to help wildlife adapt to climate change. The National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, developed by federal, state and tribal officials, seeks to help species survive as global warming changes their habitats. The Obama administration Tuesday announced a nationwide plan to help wildlife adapt to threats from climate change. Developed along with state and tribal authorities, the strategy seeks to preserve species as global warming alters their historical habitats and, in many cases, forces them to migrate across state and tribal borders. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-adaptation-strategy-20130327,0,4088605.story http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/26/climate-change-requires-us-land-conservation/2021931/ CLIMATE: Studying clouds to find global answers. Some of the same chemicals that scientists believe are influencing climate change may be having an equally important effect on people’s health, as they inhale those chemicals into their bodies. UC Riverside professor Akua Asa-Awuku is studying both. Using the world’s largest atmospheric chamber at UCR’s College of Engineering/Center for Environmental Research and Technology, Asa-Awuku is trying to determine how airborne particles from emissions influence the formation of clouds. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130326-climate-studying-clouds-to-find-global-answers.ece A Hot Topic: Climate Change Coming To Classrooms. By the time today's K-12 students grow up, the challenges posed by climate change are expected to be severe and sweeping. Now, for the first time, new nationwide science standards due out soon will recommend that U.S. public school students learn about the climatic shift taking place. Mark McCaffrey of the National Center for Science Education says the lessons will fill a big gap. "Only 1 in 5 [students] feel like they've got a good handle on climate change from what they've learned in school… Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/03/27/174141194/a-hot-topic-climate-change-coming-to-classrooms A national plan for adapting conservation to climate change. The need to protect fish, wildlife and plants in the United States from the impacts of climate change has received a response at the national level. An umbrella strategy drawn up by federal, state and tribal agencies was released yesterday. The seven goals of the strategy are conserving and connecting habitats, protecting ecosystem functions, improving management capacity, supporting adaptive management, increasing knowledge, motivating action and reducing non-climate stressors. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/27/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY E.U. begins crafting its 2015 climate strategy. The European Union launched a public comment period for stakeholders yesterday that will guide the 27-member group's strategy in a new international climate agreement for 2015, to take effect by 2020. "In Copenhagen, [Denmark], world leaders set the goal of keeping global warming below 2 [degrees Celsius] in order to prevent the most severe impacts of climate change. That is good," Connie Hedegaard, European commissioner for climate action, said in a statement. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/27/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Add Exhaust-Emissions Gear to a Used-Truck Inspection. EGR, DPFs and SCR need to be a consideration when buying your next used truck. Is it time to replace your old truck or tractor? Is it old enough that its engine has none of the exhaust-emissions equipment that’s been giving people fits in recent years? Have you decided to take the plunge anyway because your vehicle is just plain worn out? Certainly you know the basics of truck hunting, like: •Deal only with reputable people, whether dealers, fleets or individuals. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/article/print/story/2013/03/add-exhaust-emissions-gear-to-a-used-truck-inspection.aspx FUELS Greenland 'reluctant' to new offshore drilling. Greenland's new minister for natural resources says the Arctic island's recently elected government doesn't plan to issue any new licenses for offshore oil exploration. Jens-Erik Kirkegaard told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the 20 licenses issued to date were at a level that are "natural for an area like Greenland" and that the government would be "reluctant" to offer more. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Greenland-reluctant-to-new-offshore-drilling-4388713.php#ixzz2OlJvHyJR http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/27/3232444/greenland-reluctant-to-new-offshore.html#storylink=misearch Iraqi oil: Once seen as U.S. boon, now it’s mostly China’s. Ten years after the United States invaded and occupied Iraq, the country’s oil industry is poised to boom and make the troubled nation the No.2 oil exporter in the world. But the nation that’s moving to take advantage of Iraq’s riches isn’t the United States. It’s China. America, with its own homegrown energy bonanza, isn’t going after the petroleum that lies beneath Iraq’s sands nearly as aggressively as is China, a country hungry to fuel its rise as an economic power. Iraq remains highly unstable in terms of security, infrastructure and politics. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/27/3232657/iraqi-oil-once-seen-as-us-boon.html#storylink=misearch VEHICLES State adds millions for clean car rebates. The California Air Resources Board has added $6 million to the state's Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. Along with a recent infusion of $4.5 million from the California Energy Commission, the combined $10.5 million is expected to extend the rebate program until next year's funds are available. Under the program, individuals, nonprofits, government entities and businesses can get a rebate of up to $2,500 when purchasing or leasing new, eligible, zero-emission or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/27/5295537/state-adds-millions-for-clean.html#storylink=cpy HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail's strongest backers now express reservations. Proponents of the bullet train from L.A. to the Bay Area say political compromises reached to advance the plan undermine legal safeguards and will slow travel. The California bullet-train project has collided with farmers, political conservatives and wealthy suburbanites who would like to see the $68-billion system killed. Now it is facing tough criticism from an unlikely quarter: within the ranks of high-speed rail's true believers. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bullet-train-believers-20130323,0,6470905.story GREEN ENERGY Vt. Green energy bill advances but is scaled down. Foes of mountaintop wind power in Vermont were dealt a setback Tuesday when a bill calling for more study of large-scale renewable energy development was significantly reduced in scope. Though the bill won preliminary approval in the Senate, it was only after provision calling for a slowdown of such development was scaled back, then removed completely. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/mar/26/vt-green-energy-bill-advances-but-is-scaled-down/#ixzz2OkvIOlQJ U.S. tries to surf the edge of rapidly growing clean tech market. Responding to profound shifts in energy economics that have challenged a half-century of assumptions about the world's use of oil, gas and electricity, U.S. business executives along with leading academics and government leaders yesterday launched a partnership to help secure the United States' place in the world's advanced energy pecking order. The three-year effort, dubbed the American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Partnership (AEMC)…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/27/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Fire-retardant chemicals in furniture challenged in California. Jim Doucette served the Sacramento Fire Department for more than 30 years, and he understood the perils of the job when he accepted it. But there was one hazard he did not anticipate: the effects of burning toxic chemicals embedded in furniture. "We became firefighters knowing the dangers involved," Doucette said at a Department of Consumer Affairs hearing on Tuesday. "But none of us thought we would be exposed to something that has no purpose." Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/26/5294965/fire-retardant-chemicals-in-furniture.html#storylink=cpy Assemblyman Dan Logue, Air Resources Board plan Chico meeting Thursday. Representatives of the California Air Resources Board will be in Chico Thursday to talk about diesel regulations, and hear from people who are having a hard time understanding them and/or meeting them. Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica, organized the meeting after hearing from people who said the rules are difficult to keep up with. The town hall gathering will be 5-6:30 p.m. at the Chico City Council Chambers, 421 Main St. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/ci_22880189/assemblyman-dan-logue-air-resources-board-plan-chico http://www.examiner.com/article/carb-reps-to-meet-chico-on-trucking OPINIONS Shale oil could bring boost to Valley. The central San Joaquin Valley has long provided opportunity to anyone willing to work hard and play by the rules. That opportunity is rooted in an economy based on agriculture, energy production and food processing among other industries. But over the last five years, the Valley has been impacted by the Great Recession with unemployment levels in some areas still more than twice the state average. With many small businesses faltering, cities are making draconian cuts and opportunities for constituents are dwindling. We have the opportunity to do better. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/26/3231614/shale-oil-could-bring-boost-to.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BLOGS BMW Thinks Small With a 3-Cylinder Engine. What’s the benefit of a 3-cylinder engine? Fuel economy gains and emissions reductions are two advantages. Turbocharging and direct injection improve performance, and fuel economy could improve 5 percent to 15 percent and emissions drop by the same amount, the company said. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/bmw-thinks-small-with-a-3-cylinder-engine/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:43:33 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for March 28, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 28, 2013. ARB Newsclips for March 28, 2013 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 Pistachio orchard raises air quality concerns. Weeks after attention was drawn to a dusty situation regarding a planned Inyokern pistachio orchard was brought to the attention of Kern County and Eastern Kern Air Pollution District, plans are in motion to mitigate a dust situation. Mike McGee, owner of the 80-acre lot in Inyokern, said Tuesday that he was working in consort with the Air Pollution District to curb the dust issue. Posted. http://www.ridgecrestca.com/article/20130327/NEWS/130329792 Duke Energy's Rogers discusses impact of air regulations on energy investments. With new air regulations coming online and many utilities easing their use of coal-fired generation, what will the technology trends in the electric power sector be over the next 10 years? During today's OnPoint, Jim Rogers, chairman, president and CEO of Duke Energy, discusses game-changing technologies and the role subsidies should play in promoting these new energy sources. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/tv/transcript/1653 CLIMATE CHANGE How climate change threatens the seas. The tide rolls out on a chilly March evening, and the oystermen roll in, steel rakes in hand, hip boots crunching on the gravel beneath a starry, velvet sky. As they prepare to harvest some of the sweetest shellfish on the planet, a danger lurks beyond the shore that will eventually threaten clams, mussels, everything with a shell or that eats something with a shell. The entire food chain could be affected. That means fish, fishermen and, perhaps, you. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/27/climate-change-seas/2024759/ With Drought Season Off to a Bad Start, Scientists Forecast Another Bleak Year. Current climate-induced drought is slipping into a trend that scientists say resembles some of the worst droughts in U.S. history, like the Dust Bowl. Drought conditions in more than half of the United States have slipped into a pattern that climatologists say is uncomfortably similar to the most severe droughts in recent U.S. history, including the 1930s Dust Bowl and the widespread 1950s drought. Posted. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130328/drought-season-bad-start-scientists-forecast-another-bleak-year San Diego, bracing for climate change, studies its weaknesses. A collection of experts are assembling in San Diego to wrestle with the city's seesaw climate challenges that include heat-sparked wildfires on one side and increased floods from rising seas on the other. The meeting will pull together insurers, real estate developers and officials from the area's largest infrastructure projects, like the airport and the city's sprawling seaport, to probe climate impacts on the city and identify ways to prepare for more. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/28/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY New research points to ocean circulation, not winds, as driver of CO2 release after each ice age. At the end of each ice age, the ocean exhales carbon dioxide. Scientists believe this explains the difference in atmospheric CO2 concentrations between ice ages, which have lower concentrations of carbon dioxide, and warmer, more CO2-saturated periods like the one we're living in now. What causes that carbon dioxide to exit the ocean when an ice age ends, though, is still a puzzle oceanographers are trying to decipher. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/03/28/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Powerful Oklahoma quake was caused by oil-drilling procedure, scientists say. An unusual and widely felt 5.6-magnitude quake in Oklahoma in 2011 was probably caused when oil drilling waste was pushed deep underground, a team of university and federal scientists concluded. That would make it the most powerful quake to be blamed on deep injections of wastewater, according to a study published Tuesday by the journal Geology. The waste was from traditional drilling, not from the hydraulic fracturing technique, or fracking. Not everyone agrees, though, with the scientists' conclusion: Oklahoma's state seismologists say the quake was natural. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/california-earthquakes/ci_22875663/powerful-oklahoma-quake-was-caused-by-oil-drilling Natural gas is an energy favorite behind renewables – poll. Nearly two-thirds of Americans want U.S. officials to put more emphasis on producing natural gas from domestic shale plays, according to a new Gallup poll. Though solar power and wind were the top choices -- with 76 percent and 71 percent support, respectively -- 65 percent of participants in the March 7-10 survey favored ramping up production of natural gas. "Americans overall and across political and socioeconomic groups generally are most likely to call for more emphasis on solar and wind power…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/03/28/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Hot Wheels: Subaru unveils its first hybrid. Subaru is coming out with a gas-electric hybrid crossover SUV for the crunchy granola crowd that wants to save fuel but still haul kayaks to the river. The Japanese brand, which specializes in all-wheel-drive vehicles, unveils the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid on Thursday at the New York International Auto Show. The company's first gas-electric hybrid gets somewhat better gas mileage than the conventional Crosstrek and has stop-start technology that shuts down the engine at red lights to save fuel. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/AP30ef3eebfd3448ebba3060fc79dee044.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/28/3233917/hot-wheels-subaru-unveils-its.html#storylink=misearch http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/subaru-20130328.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/03/28/2643260/hot-wheels-subaru-unveils-its.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy HIGH-SPEED RAIL California's High-Speed Rail Authority sues everybody, invites you to argue case in court. If you're reading this, consider yourself served. The state of California has filed a civil case against everyone -- literally, the whole world -- seeking to validate $8.6 billion in voter-approved bonds for its $69 billion high-speed rail project. The lawsuit, titled "High-Speed Rail Authority v. All Persons Interested," is meant as a pre-emptive strike so the state can confirm that it's definitely legal to issue some of the bonds needed to begin bullet train construction this summer. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_22885008/california-high-speed-rail-sues-everybody-invites-people?source=rss GREEN ENERGY Dairy Finds a Way to Let Cows Power Trucks. Here at one of the largest dairy farms in the country, electricity generated using an endless supply of manure runs the equipment to milk around 30,000 cows three times a day. For years, the farm has used livestock waste to create enough natural gas to power 10 barns, a cheese factory, a cafe, a gift shop and a maze of child-friendly exhibits about the world of dairy, including a 4D movie theater. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/us/dairy-finds-way-to-let-cows-power-trucks.html Solar plane prepares for flight across America. A solar-powered plane that has wowed aviation fans in Europe is preparing to fly across North America. The Swiss creators of the Solar Impulse are announcing Thursday which U.S. cities the experimental plane will visit during its "Across America" tour that kicks off in May. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will display the aircraft and discuss the cross-country trip at a news conference at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Solar-plane-prepares-for-flight-across-America-4390776.php http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22889017/solar-plane-prepares-flight-across-america MISCELLANEOUS Toxic waste site near Kettleman City to pay $311,000 in fines.The penalties are part of a settlement capping an investigation into Chemical Waste Management, which failed to report 72 hazmat spills in the last four years. A toxic waste dump near the San Joaquin Valley farming community of Kettleman City has agreed to pay $311,000 in fines for failing to report 72 hazardous materials spills over the last four years, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control announced Wednesday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-kettleman-fines-20130328,0,1654547.story OPINIONS Cooling on Warming. Is spring actually here? We are definitely getting tired of snow stories. It’s time for some sun. And then the drought stories! At which point we will ask ourselves: What ever happened to worrying about global warming? You may remember what a big deal President Obama made about climate change in his Inaugural Address. It definitely looked as if the ozone layer was making a comeback. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/opinion/collins-cooling-on-warming.html?_r=0 Dr. Michael Peterson: Don't let Big Oil weaken clean-air efforts. Each day in my outpatient waiting room here in Fresno, I see men and women afflicted with asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Many of them wake up coughing, drag around oxygen tanks and only walk a few steps before they're forced to rest. What makes this especially hard for me to witness is my knowledge that so much of this suffering -- and worse -- might be avoided by investing more attention in the air we all breathe. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/03/27/3233461/dr-michael-peterson-dont-let-big.html#storylink=cpy California's $68B rail project will hire the 'disadvantaged' -- like felons and dropouts. What do high school dropouts, convicted felons and union apprentices have in common? They’re all “disadvantaged” workers who — alongside veterans, former foster children and single parents — must account for at least 10 percent of the labor force behind California’s $68 billion high-speed rail project. By 2029, the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority hopes to send commuters hurtling at 200 mph between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/27/california-controversial-6b-rail-project-must-employ-disadvantaged-workers/ BLOGS IMF: Want to fight climate change? Get rid of $1.9 trillion in energy subsidies. What’s the simplest way to tackle global warming? Make sure that fossil fuels are priced properly and not subsidized. That’s the core idea behind a large new report (pdf) from the International Monetary Fund, which argues that the world “misprices” fossil fuels to the tune of some $1.9 trillion per year. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/27/imf-want-to-fight-climate-change-get-rid-of-1-9-trillion-in-energy-subsidies/ Poll: Green energy popular, partisan split on oil. Roughly three-quarters of U.S. residents want the country to boost emphasis on wind and solar power production, making the fuels much more popular than coal, nuclear and oil, a new poll shows. Natural gas, which has substantial political backing among lawmakers in both parties, is close behind renewable energy in popularity, the Gallup poll shows. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/290735-poll-green-energy-popular-partisan-split-on-oil Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid: Innovation but No Beauty. You’re not going to see Prius-level fuel economy in a seven-passenger S.U.V. Driving around town to meetings of the Cub Scouts, you’ll see 25 m.p.g. in the hybrid, but that’s much better than the 19 you’d see in a 2013 Pathfinder with a V-6 and 4-wheel drive. And it’s not a huge price premium. One big benefit is the 526-mile cruising range, which should be very useful for passing gas stations in the Pathfinder’s suburban habitat. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/nissan-pathfinder-hybrid-innovation-but-no-beauty/ Infiniti QX60 Hybrid Pairs Style and Economy. Instead of the standard QX60’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine, the hybrid is equipped with a supercharged 2.5-liter in-line four-cylinder and an electric motor powered by a compact lithium-ion battery pack (under the third-row seat) good for 250 horsepower. The system uses a continuously variable transmission. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/infiniti-qx60-hybrid-pairs-style-and-economy/ Port of Long Beach Breaks Ground on Project Expected to Alleviate Rail Congestion, Truck Pollution. In an attempt to not only clear traffic between the Port of Long Beach (POLB) and the Alameda Corridor rail line but also clear the air of pollutants, the Green Port Gateway–after years of discussion–is finally underway with a ten-month later-than-expected completion date. Originally slated to be completed in September of this year with a projected $66 million budget, the project will now cost some $83.5 million and is projected to be finished in July of 2014. Posted. http://la.streetsblog.org/2013/03/28/port-of-long-beach-breaks-ground-on-project-expected-to-alleviate-rail-congestion-truck-pollution/ What CNN Is Missing About High-Speed Rail. CNN has repeatedly portrayed stimulus funding for high-speed rail as a "boondoggle" because much of the money has gone to upgrading existing rail lines rather than new bullet trains. But the untold story is that Republican obstructionism has halted progress on new high-speed rail lines, which require a long-term investment of time and money. The Situation Room aired a report by Drew Griffin on Tuesday claiming that high-speed rail is "turning into a pipe dream," pointing to a rail improvement project in Washington state that has received $800 million in stimulus funding. Posted. http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/03/28/what-cnn-is-missing-about-high-speed-rail/193313 Is Global Warming Hot Air? On the left they say carbonation will kill all of us. Some say it's carbon dioxide, others -- methane, yet others both, but all insist the C must be made cold. On the right they use another c-word: cyclical -- that climate change is just how nature waxes and wanes. Or they trash it as the left's baloney. If it was as dangerous as claimed, should we not have all melted by now? The back-and-forth goes on. Storms swirl, hurricanes rage, landscapes erode, ice caps contract. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sunil-sharan/is-global-warming-hot-air_b_2967177.html?utm_hp_ref=barack-obama ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:12:16 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for March 29, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for March 29, 2013. 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 Birth defects linked to air pollution in new Stanford study. Here’s a new reason to dislike smog: Air pollution from traffic has been linked to birth defects in a large new Stanford study of women who lived in California’s smoggy San Joaquin valley during the early weeks of their pregnancies. Posted. http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2013/03/28/birth-defects-linked-to-air-pollution-in-new-stanford-study/ http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-birth-defects-20130328,0,40297.story Air Pollution, Birth Defects, and the Risk in China (and Beyond). After one particularly prolonged spell of smoggy Beijing air in late January, the Atlantic Monthly’s James Fallows posted a provocative piece online titled, “China’s Pollution: The Birth Defect Angle.” In it, he quoted troubling anecdotal e-mails from readers suggesting that China’s degraded environment was taking a heavy toll on the living and the unborn alike. Yet the short piece ended with a question, not a scientific conclusion: Do we know if prolonged exposure to polluted air, water, or food causes birth defects? Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-28/air-pollution-birth-defects-and-the-risk-in-china-and-beyond Key air pollution benchmark drops near Port of Los Angeles. Data from four air quality monitoring stations at and near the Port of Los Angeles show concentrations of a key type of pollutant have fallen to their lowest levels since the port began tracking them in 2005, officials said Thursday. The data measures elemental carbon, an indicator of diesel particulate matter, which is produced by the combustion of diesel fuel. In Wilmington, elemental carbon levels have fallen 72 percent compared to 2006, the first full year of monitoring, according to port records. Posted. http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_22895074/key-pollution-benchmark-drops-near-port-los-angeles CLIMATE CHANGE Environmental groups pressure U.N. body for carbon aviation deal. Environmental groups have urged the United States to back a global deal to curb carbon emissions produced by planes, noting that global aviation emits more of the greenhouse gas than all but six of the world's nations. The groups, alarmed at scant progress toward an agreement within a United Nations aviation body, presented a petition with more than 60,000 signatures on Monday to a representative of the U.S. State Department. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/28/us-aviation-climate-idUSBRE92R12O20130328 Nobody is declaring a state of drought in California, but ... When snow surveyors headed into the Sierra Nevada on Thursday for the most important measurement of the season, they found only about half the snowpack that is normal for the date. It could have been a lot worse — considering that the last three months in California have been the driest of any January-through-March period on record, going back to 1895. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-dry-20130329,0,2408609.story A sensitive matter. Over the past 15 years air temperatures at the Earth’s surface have been flat while greenhouse-gas emissions have continued to soar. The world added roughly 100 billion tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere between 2000 and 2010. That is about a quarter of all the CO₂ put there by humanity since 1750. And yet, as James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, observes, “the five-year mean global temperature has been flat for a decade.” Posted. http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21574461-climate-may-be-heating-up-less-response-greenhouse-gas-emissions FUELS EPA takes aim at auto emissions, sulfur in gas. The Obama administration proposed new regulations Friday to clean up gasoline and automobile emissions, claiming the new standards would provide $7 in health benefits from cleaner air for each dollar spent to implement them. The costs likely would be passed on to consumers in higher gasoline and automobile prices. The Environmental Protection Agency said the new rule would reduce sulfur in gasoline and tighten automobile emission standards beginning in 2017, resulting in an increase in gas prices of less than a penny per gallon. Posted. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jh7rOlbWV09YmQsVX0hp5Od0g51w?docId=2e338ded41e7414585a3ae7690403a4c Other related articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/business/energy-environment/epa-wants-to-cut-amount-of-sulfur-in-gasoline.html?_r=0b http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/obama-administration-says-proposal-will-reduce-sulfur-in-gas-slightly-raise-gasoline-prices/2013/03/28/1defc51c-980d-11e2-b5b4-b63027b499de_story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gasoline-standards-20130329,0,3690826.story?track=rss http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323361804578389023082314126.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/28/5300994/epa-to-propose-rule-to-clean-up.html#storylink=misearch http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EPA-takes-aim-at-auto-emissions-sulfur-in-gas-4393777.php VEHICLES Solar-Electric Cars Crush Biofuels In Efficiency. Climate Progress recently reported on a study that found both economic and environmental benefits if homes in the northeastern United States upgraded older heating systems by moving from heating oil to switchgrass. However, one point to emphasize was the findings were specific to those circumstances — the region, the homes, and that particular use. Switchgrass was not nearly as good an idea for electricity generation or transportation fuel. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/28/solar-electric-cars-crush-biofuels-in-efficiency/ HIGH-SPEED RAIL Calif. High-Speed Rail Estimates Reasonable. The federal Government Accountability Office is giving generally good grades to the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s business plan to build a $68 billion bullet train. In a report given Thursday to members of Congress, the GAO says the authority’s ridership and revenue forecasts are reasonable. It could not assess whether the authority’s projected costs are feasible, but says the California agency is following most of the GAO’s best practices in making its predictions. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-03-29/gao-calif-dot-high-speed-rail-estimates-reasonable http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2013/03/28/gao-calif-high-speed-rail-estimates-reasonable/ Fewer Than Half of Californians Support High-Speed Rail. Back in 2008, California voters approved a $10 billion bond to plan and build a high-speed rail system across the state. Four years later, support for the high-speed rail has waned. Now that the estimated cost is $68 billion, a recent survey by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that only 43 percent of likely voters support the project. That number hasn’t changed since the last time the survey was conducted, about a year ago. Posted. http://transportationnation.org/2013/03/28/poll-fewer-than-half-of-californians-support-high-speed-rail/ Chowchilla gets a look at ideas for high-speed rail junction. Area residents got an up-close look Wednesday at the High-Speed Rail Authority's plan for the "Chowchilla Wye." Authority officials held a public meeting to discuss several alternative routes for the Y-shaped junction, all of which would fork off south of the city heading west to San Jose and north to Merced. The meeting was held in the Little Theater at the Chowchilla Fairgrounds at 1000 S. Third St. More than 100 people showed up at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Fairmead for a similar meeting March 20. Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/03/27/2908070/chowchilla-gets-a-look-at-ideas.html MISCELLANEOUS A Building That Neutralizes Surrounding Air Pollution. A decorative façade on a Mexico City hospital will be the first to be made of a material that absorbs pollutants from the air. The 100-meter long curved screen on the building, Torre de Especialidadesis, is made of Depolluting Quasicrystals - how's that for futuristic? Posted. http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/24715 BLOGS Is the EPA ready to tackle climate change? (VIDEO) The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new rules to reduce the sulfur content of gasoline. Is that a sign that the EPA is about to unleash a flurry of new regulations in Obama’s second term, including much-anticipated moves to tackle climate change? Brad Plumer and Sarah Kliff discuss…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/29/wonktalk-is-the-epa-ready-to-tackle-climate-change/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2013 12:53:01 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 2, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 2, 2013. 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 Justices reject challenge to EPA air pollution rule. The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge by the oil lobby disputing a Environmental Protection Agency air pollution rule. Various industry groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, originally challenged the 2010 regulation, which set a tighter Clean Air Act standard for short-term spikes in nitrogen dioxide pollution near roads. The Supreme Court's decision not to take the case means the rule remains intact. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/01/usa-court-epa-idUSL2N0CK12P20130401 http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/01/13 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Air Pollution Linked to 1.2 Million Premature Deaths in China. Outdoor air pollution contributed to 1.2 million premature deaths in China in 2010, nearly 40 percent of the global total, according to a new summary of data from a scientific study on leading causes of death worldwide. Figured another way, the researchers said, China’s toll from pollution was the loss of 25 million healthy years of life from the population. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/world/asia/air-pollution-linked-to-1-2-million-deaths-in-china.html?_r=0 To Fight Gridlock, a City Synchronizes Every Red Light. Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, who pledged to complete the system in his 2005 campaign, now presents it as a significant accomplishment as his two terms in office comes to an end in June. He argued that the system would also cut carbon emissions by reducing the number of times cars stop and start. “I am proud that we are the first big city in the world to synchronize all of our traffic signals,” Mr. Villaraigosa said in an e-mail. “By synchronizing our traffic signals, we spend less time waiting, less time polluting.” Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/us/to-fight-gridlock-los-angeles-synchronizes-every-red-light.html?pagewanted=all Houston gets iPhone app with up-to-date smog data. Houston residents now can have in their pocket the answer to whether ozone levels in the city are too high for their asthmatic child to play soccer. A new app available for iPhones and Android smartphones collects data from 74 air and wind monitors throughout the Houston area, giving residents nearly real-time data on smog. The app was developed by the Houston Air Alliance, the University of Houston and the American Lung Association. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/02/houston-gets-iphone-app-with-up-to-date-smog-data/ CLIMATE CHANGE Global warming means seas freeze more off Antarctica: study. Global warming is expanding the extent of sea ice around Antarctica in winter in a paradoxical shift caused by cold plumes of summer melt water that re-freeze fast when temperatures drop, a study showed on Sunday. An increasing summer thaw of ice on the edges of Antarctica, twinned with less than expected snowfall on the frozen continent, is also adding slightly to sea level rise in a threat to low-lying areas around the world, it said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/31/us-climate-antarctica-idUSBRE92U05A20130331 World Bank chief says global warming threatens the planet and the poorest. World Bank president Jim Yong Kim on Tuesday called global warming “a fundamental threat” to world economic development and announced plans to put the issue at the center of bank planning. In a call for action to end extreme poverty among hundreds of millions of people worldwide by 2030, Kim said that central to that aim is ensuring that global temperatures don’t rise faster than expected. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/world-bank-chief-says-global-warming-threatens-the-planet-and-the-poorest/2013/04/02/caa73842-9ba7-11e2-9a79-eb5280c81c63_story.html Nobody is declaring a state of drought in California, but ... Surveyors in the Sierra find only half the snowpack that is normal for the date. But it could have been worse, considering the last three months have been the driest January-March period on record. When snow surveyors headed into the Sierra Nevada on Thursday for the most important measurement of the season, they found only about half the snowpack that is normal for the date. It could have been a lot worse — considering that the last three months in California have been the driest of any January-through-March period on record, going back to 1895. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-dry-20130329,0,1069379,print.story A carbon market takes root in California. When California held its first-ever auction of greenhouse gas emission allowances last fall, allowances sold for $10.09, just pennies above the $10 floor price set by state regulators. Some observers warned that the low price meant the state's new cap-and-trade program wouldn't work and was a sign that companies were not participating. But in the second auction last week, the allowances sold for $13.62 each, higher than many analysts had expected. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/business/ci_22691814/carbon-market-takes-root-california DIESEL EMISSIONS California Air Resources Board reps get earful from north-state truckers, growers in Chico. Truckers and growers frustrated by California air emission laws got a chance to vent Thursday to representatives of the California Air Resources Board. In an event organized by Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica, more than a dozen speakers begged for changes to the state's laws, pointing out flaws with the regulations and how the heavy-handed guidelines are making it impossible for small firms to stay in business, especially in the north state. Nearly every hand raised when Logue asked for a show of business owners in the standing-room-only City Council chambers. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_22898516/california-air-resources-board-reps-get-earful-from FUELS U.S. fracking helped kill off German solar firms: Bosch. Bosch, one of the world's largest auto parts suppliers, blames the U.S. fracking boom in shale gas for hurting demand for energy-efficient green technologies, its chairman told a German newspaper. The Stuttgart-based company recently decided to discontinue its photovoltaic solar energy activities at the cost of roughly 3,000 jobs - due largely, but not entirely, to a glut in capacity built up in China. "Photovoltaic is going through a unique transition. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/31/us-bosch-solar-shalegas-idUSBRE92U03520130331 Israel Taps an Offshore Natural Gas Field. Israel moved closer to its goal of energy independence on Sunday as natural gas from a large offshore field began flowing into the country, a harbinger of important change that will benefit the country strategically and economically, officials said. “We are taking an important step toward energy independence,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement after the natural gas started flowing Saturday from the Tamar reservoir in the Mediterranean Sea to a terminal in the Israeli port of Ashdod, a journey that officials said would take 24 hours. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/world/middleeast/israel-turns-on-natural-gas-flow-at-offshore-site.html?ref=earth Northeast drilling boom threatens forest wildlife. Hawks swoop in and gobble up songbirds. Raccoons feast on nests of eggs they never could have reached before. Salamanders and wildflowers fade away, crowded out by invasive plants that are altering the soil they need to thrive. Like a once-quiet neighborhood cut up by an expressway and laced with off ramps, northeastern forests are changing because of the pipelines crisscrossing them amid the region's gas drilling boom, experts say. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/02/5310668/northeast-drilling-boom-threatens.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy European industry flocks to U.S. for cheaper natural gas. The sprawling chemical plant in this city along the Rhine River has been a jewel of Germany's manufacturing-led economy for more than a century. But the plunging price of natural gas in the United States has European companies setting sail across the Atlantic to stay competitive. German chemicals giant BASF, which operates the plant here, has announced plans for wide-ranging expansion in the United States …Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22922268/european-industry-flocks-u-s-cheaper-natural-gas#ixzz2PKQFaQwh Oil industry, lawmakers say EPA fuel rule would hike prices at the pump. Oil industry representatives and congressional Republicans accused the Obama administration Friday of effectively jacking up gas prices across the country after the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a plan to clean up gasoline and automobile emissions. The proposal, released Friday morning, aims to reduce sulfur in gasoline by more than 60 percent in 2017. The agency claimed the change would save lives and cut down significantly on respiratory ailments by making the air cleaner. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/29/epa-to-unveil-proposal-to-clean-up-tailpipe-pollution-that-critics-say-would/#ixzz2PKhlwphv Could 'raging fireball' be the key to carbon-neutral fuel? Even before it was studied as a potential biofuel-producing agent, the microorganism Pyrococcus furiosa had a great deal to recommend it to scientists. Capable of surviving in boiling water and doubling in number every 37 minutes, the microorganism is something of a poster child for the heat-loving organisms known as hyperthermophiles. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/01/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla soars to all-time high after CEO says company is now profitable. Shares of Tesla Motors (TSLA) leapt to an all-time high Monday after the electric-car maker said it would show a quarterly profit for the first time in its 10-year history -- and Wall Street expects even more good news Tuesday. The announcement about the company's financial performance puts to rest, for now, those who questioned Tesla's ability to sell enough cars to create a viable business, especially as other automakers report disappointing EV sales and one, Fisker Automotive, is looking for partners to keep operating. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22915765/tesla-soars-52-week-high-after-ceo-elon?source=rss Tahoe's Heavenly Mountain Resort fined over environmental violation. Heavenly Mountain Resort on Lake Tahoe's south shore has been fined more than $90,000 for several violations of California environmental laws. The violations stem from a 2010 inspection of the ski resort and its upper maintenance shop, California Department of Toxic Substances Control officials said. The resort was accused of failing to have controls to prevent spillage of a used-oil tank, failing to have the tank assessed and inspected…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_22915451/tahoes-heavenly-mountain-resort-fined-over-environmental-violation New vehicle apps help drivers dial in on better fuel economy. Getting better fuel economy is about more than building better engines and powertrains; it's also about how people drive and choosing the right car for a given lifestyle. Today, new technology is allowing drivers to tap into these once elusive efficiency gains. The Department of Energy yesterday announced the winners of the "Apps for Vehicles Challenge," which asked developers and entrepreneurs to develop smartphone apps that harness open vehicle data to improve vehicle safety and fuel efficiency. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/02/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL Calif. lawmakers scrutinize high-speed rail plan. California officials are using a standard bidding process for their plan to speed construction of the state's $68 billion high-speed rail line, but there are still outstanding questions about the inspection process that the Legislature should investigate, lawmakers heard Tuesday at a hearing on the plan. Tuesday's joint Senate hearing was billed as an opportunity to safeguard the public's interest…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_22672431/calif-lawmakers-review-high-speed-rail-plans GREEN ENERGY A Building Not Just Green, but Practically Self-Sustaining. When an office building here that bills itself as the world’s greenest officially opens later this month, it will present itself as a “living building zoo,” with docents leading tours and smartphone-wielding tourists able to scan bar codes to learn about the artfully exposed mechanical and electrical systems. Tenants have already begun moving into the six-story Bullitt Center, in advance of its grand opening on Earth Day, April 22. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/realestate/commercial/the-bullitt-center-in-seattle-goes-well-beyond-green.html?pagewanted=all Davis company finishes solar project in Gridley. Davis-based Blue Oak Energy, which designs, builds and maintains photovoltaic systems in the United States, said today that it has completed installation of a 4.2-megawatt solar facility in the Butte County community of Gridley. The electricity generated by the facility will be directed to two members of the Northern California Power Agency through separate energy meters: the city of Gridley and Bay Area Rapid Transit. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/02/5310676/davis-company-finishes-solar-project.html#storylink=cpy New England renewable energy a hard sell in region. Establishing a New England market to buy renewable energy seemed a laudable goal when governors committed last year to bulk purchases of wind and solar power to knock down the price while reducing the region's reliance on fossil fuels. Consumers could benefit from price stability, even from costlier wind and energy power. But putting together details about what types of renewable energy the six states will buy in the groundbreaking deal is snared in a patchwork of rules, state laws and disagreements over how even to define alternative energy. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/03/31/2647428/new-england-renewable-energy-a.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Utilities challenge net metering as solar power expands in Calif. A program that pays California residents for electricity made by their rooftop solar panels is under scrutiny, and supporters fear it could be weakened. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is examining the costs and benefits of net energy metering, a system that allows households and businesses with green power to earn credit for surplus electricity fed into the grid. Advocates say it's driven expansion of rooftop solar and locally based energy, also known as distributed generation. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/02/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY L.A. ditches coal for 'cleaner' power source. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced it will phase out the electricity it imports from the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona and Intermountain Power in Utah. The two coal plants provide 39 percent of the city's power. "The era of coal is over," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement. "By divesting from coal and investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, we reduce our carbon footprint and set a precedent for the national power market." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/01/10 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Fowler physician certified for state air board. Fowler physician Dr. Alexander Sherriffs was confirmed as the newest member of the California Air Resources Board that creates policies to mitigate air pollution in the state. Sherriffs, who has worked as a physician in Fowler since 1983, was appointed to the board by Governor Jerry Brown last March for his long-standing commitment to air quality issues. Posted. http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/state/5300-fowler-physician-certified-to-state-air-board California environmental groups seek ban on rice pesticide. California environmentalists say a proposal by state pesticide regulators to allow spraying of a controversial pesticide on rice fields in the Sacramento Valley could harm aquatic organisms and honeybees. Groups submitted a comment letter to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation on Thursday, asking the agency to withdraw the proposal for approving clothianidin for use on rice. The chemical is already registered in the state for uses on cotton, grapes and other plants. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine/ci_22907753/california-environmental-groups-seek-ban-rice-pesticide Free smog emission tests. Motorists can test their smog emissions and receive vouchers for hundreds of dollars in free repairs at an event Saturday. The latest Tune In & Tune Up event is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds. Arrive early and expect a two-hour wait, organizers said. Each car will be tested for smog emissions. Owners of cars that fail the test will be eligible for $500 repair vouchers at participating shops, while supplies last. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130402/A_NEWS/130409982&cid=sitesearch San Onofre Operator Requests to Restart Reactor. The operator of the San Onofre nuclear power plant, Southern California Edison, has submitted a draft request for a license amendment to restart the plant at 70 percent power this summer. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission meets this week to consider the request. It’s the next step in the long-running saga of whether to restart the San Onofre nuclear power plant, which has been shut down for more than a year since a small radiation leak was detected in one of its new steam generators. Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/apr/01/san-onofre-operator-requests-restart-reactor/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kpbs%2Flocal+%28KPBS+News%3A+Local+Headlines%29 OPINIONS Is the valley air district forgetting its mission? The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District staff is saying that Hydrogen Energy California project is acceptable because: "we need electricity," "it is good for our finances," and the height of the factory stack will carry the emissions out of our valley. Has the air district forgotten that its mission is to do good for the air and the people, not the corporation? Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/letters/x511835513/Is-the-valley-air-district-forgetting-its-mission BLOGS The public’s interest in climate change is waning. The global warming conundrum has been on full display over the past 24 hours. Even as one of the nation’s most prominent climate scientists has decided to retire in order to become a full-time activist, a new Pew Research poll suggests public interest and intensity with the issue is waning. James E. Hansen, who directs the Goddard Institute of Space Studies in New York City, has been warning policymakers about the threat of climate change since 1988. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/02/polls-suggest-publics-interest-in-climate-change-is-waning/ NASA’s most famous climate scientist is retiring. Here’s a look back at his work. One the country’s most prominent climate scientists is leaving the government to become a full-time climate activist. James E. Hansen says he will step down as head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies this week after 46 years at the agency. “He plans to take a more active role in lawsuits challenging the federal and state governments over their failure to limit emission… Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/02/nasas-most-famous-climate-scientist-is-retiring-heres-a-look-back-at-his-work/ Canada’s Latest Climate Change. Despite the ruling Conservative government’s claim that it had opted out because too little of its contribution was going toward actual anti-drought programming — branding the U.N. convention a “talkfest” in the process — many critics were quick to say the move fits a patten of a conservative party that has opposed environmental regulation. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/canadas-latest-climate-change/ New EPA gas regs won’t help California. When it comes to gasoline, California is a world unto itself. And you pay for it. The Golden State has America’s strictest environmental regulations for gas. Adopted in 1996, those rules have helped clear the air in California’s smoggy cities. But by and large, only refineries located in California make the fuel. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/03/29/new-epa-gas-regs-wont-help-california/ Superior Court judge rules fast-track law on CEQA challenges unconstitutional. Alameda Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch has ruled that a provision of AB 900 is unconstitutional, meaning environmental challenges to certain large-scale development projects must start in the lower courts. The provision thrown out by Judge Roesch changed the rules for legal challenges to certain developments under the California Environmental Quality Act. Under the law, anyone suing to block a large-scale project that developed renewable energy or met green building standards…Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/04/01/13127/superior-court-judge-rules-fast-track-law-on-ceqa/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 11:59:56 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 3, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 3, 2013. ARB Newsclips for April 3, 2013 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 Oregon: Groups Give Notice of Suit Over Coal Dust. An environmental coalition on Monday charged that coal and coal dust spilled from railroad hoppers is polluting the scenic Columbia River Gorge, and pledged to sue mining companies and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad if they do not halt the spills. Representatives of the Sierra Club and other conservation groups said they were invoking a clause in the Clean Water Act that permits lawsuits if those accused of polluting do not remedy environmental problems within 60 days. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/science/earth/oregon-groups-give-notice-of-suit-over-coal-dust.html?src=recg Two Major Air Pollutants Increase in China. In the first three months of this year, two major air pollutants increased by almost 30 percent here in Beijing, the Chinese capital, over the same period in 2012, according to a report Wednesday by a Chinese news organization. Levels of the pollutants — nitrous dioxide and particulate matter that is between 2.5 and 10 micrometers in diameter, called PM 10 —… Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/world/asia/two-major-air-pollutants-increase-in-china.html CLIMATE CHANGE Wash. state climate change bill signed into law. Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Tuesday a bill he championed that would study the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under the measure, an independent consultant would review efforts to cut carbon emissions in Washington state and elsewhere. A newly created work group of legislators and other leaders would use that evaluation to recommend actions to reduce pollution associated with climate change. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WA_XGR_CLIMATE_CHANGE_WAOL-?SITE=ILROR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Wash-state-climate-change-bill-signed-into-law-4404021.php#ixzz2PPzgUv3d FUELS Analysis: Spills flame Canadian oil debate, but won't curb flows to U.S. Two high-profile oil spills won't stem the now-record flow of Canadian oil into the United States, despite the frenzy that the spills triggered among friends and foes of the Keystone XL pipeline to the main U.S. refineries. The fate of Keystone remains undecided, yet Canadian crude will become an increasing part of the U.S. energy mix, despite growing competition from new U.S. production. U.S. thirst for Canadian crude has shot up nearly 30 percent over the past five years as refiners opt to buy from the north instead of bringing in more expensive OPEC oil, thanks to a boom in production from the vast Alberta oil sands. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/02/us-exxon-pipeline-spill-canada-idUSBRE9310WZ20130402 Emissions Rules Put Alternative-Fuel Vehicles in a Bind. THE Environmental Protection Agency’s latest proposed tightening of limits on sulfur in gasoline, and its previous rules, will most likely have the perverse consequence of retarding the development of cars running on batteries, advanced biofuels or hydrogen — all promising but expensive technologies that have not become mass-market products. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/business/energy-environment/emissions-rules-put-alternative-fuel-vehicles-in-a-bind.html?ref=science&_r=0 Groups seek probe into low-grade crude shipments to L.A. refineries. A coalition of environmental groups wants air-quality officials to determine if the refining of heavy Canadian crude has an effect on local health and safety. A coalition of environmental groups says it has discovered that large-scale shipments of low-quality heavy crude oil from Canada's tar sands are being delivered by rail for processing by Southern California refineries. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0403-dirty-oil-20130403,0,3618334,print.story Financial troubles cut work at Ore. biofuels plant. A few weeks after announcing that it made ethanol from sawdust at a demonstration plant in Eastern Oregon, a Colorado company has curtailed work while it tries to raise capital for a project that already has big federal dollars behind it. ZeaChem Inc., of Lakewood, Colo., is trying to build a $400 million refinery to create biofuels in Boardman, along the Columbia River. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Financial-troubles-cut-work-at-Ore-biofuels-plant-4404035.php#ixzz2PQC74h00 http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/02/financial-troubles-cut-work-at-ore-biofuels/#ixzz2PPriwrEz Last partner drops out of Coos Bay coal port. The last partner has dropped out of a proposal to ship coal from Montana and Wyoming to Asia through Oregon's Port of Coos Bay, port officials announced Monday. Metropolitan Stevedore Company of Wilmington, Calif., known as Metro Ports, did not renew the exclusive negotiating agreement that expired Sunday, the port said. Two other partners dropped out earlier. Port CEO David Koch said the port was continuing to develop new shipping facilities, but did not say if that would include coal. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Last-partner-drops-out-of-Coos-Bay-coal-port-4401299.php#ixzz2PQ0fKn8e VEHICLES UPDATE 1-Tesla launches financing product for electric sedan. Tesla Motors Inc on Tuesday said it was partnering with Wells Fargo & Co and U.S. Bank on a financing product that it says will make its pricey electric sedan accessible to more people. Tesla, producer of the first fully electric sports car, said earlier this week it had its first profitable quarter ever in the first quarter thanks to stronger-than-expected sales of its Model S sedan, its second car model which is substantially cheaper than the first. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/02/tesla-financing-idUSL2N0CP1VN20130402 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-autos-tesla-profit-20130402,0,1962678.story http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-purchase-deal-20130402,0,1033702.story?track=rss HIGH-SPEED RAIL California high-speed rail costs soar again -- this time just for planning. While much of the squabbling over California's high-speed rail project has focused on its huge construction price tag, the cost to taxpayers just to plan the bullet train is also soaring. California rail leaders said Tuesday it will cost an extra $97 million in office and field work to design the rail line, which has famously seen its construction cost double to $69 billion since voters approved it five years ago. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_22929875/california-high-speed-rail-costs-soar-again-this?source=rss GREEN ENERGY JinkoSolar to supply 115 MW of panels to South Africa. Chinese solar company JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd said it would supply 115 megawatts (MW) of solar panels to two projects in South Africa as it makes inroads into emerging solar markets like many of its peers amid overcapacity and waning demand. JinkoSolar, which sells panels that convert sunlight into electricity, said it would supply 75 MW to the first project and 40 MW to the second. The company supplied 81 MW of equipment to South Africa in December. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/03/jinkosolar-supply-idUSL3N0CQ3QT20130403 BP exits U.S. wind business. Oil and gas giant BP PLC has put its wind power operations in the United States up for sale, abandoning most of its renewable energy efforts. The company is one of the largest to generate wind power in the country, operating facilities that can produce 2,600 megawatts. BP was the only large fossil fuel company with a wind operation, but now it will focus on oil and gas. When the company first got involved in wind power…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/03/24 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Calif. may label BPA as 'toxicant'. California may soon require the widely used chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, to carry a label calling it a "toxicant" and impose restrictions on it. "There's a ton of new science that has come out that further supports BPA's being a reproductive and developmental toxicant," said Sarah Janssen, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The group petitioned California's Environmental Protection Agency to include BPA on Proposition 65, which is the state's annual list of toxic and suspect chemicals. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/03/29 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY NASCAR launches initiatives to impact environment. NASCAR is launching a month-long green initiative leading up to Earth Day and Arbor Day designed to drive more sustainable behavior within the sport. The "NASCAR Race to Green" program is designed to galvanize teams, tracks, drivers, official NASCAR partners, and fans, around the theme of protecting and preserving our environment. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/02/nascar-launches-initiatives-to-impact-environment/ Top 10 College Women 2013: Otana Jakpor. Her mission: to help 38 million people breathe easier. Otana Jakpor, 19 University of Southern California, Los Angeles; global health and biological sciences double major. As a kid, Jakpor watched her mom suffer from asthma so severe it required frequent hospitalizations. So when Jakpor learned that her hometown of Riverside, California, had some of the nastiest pollution in the country, she took action, testifying at the California Air Resources Board and conducting her own air-quality experiments. Posted. http://www.glamour.com/inspired/2013/04/otana-jakpor-top-10-college-women-2013 OPINIONS Invitation to a Dialogue: Action on the Climate. President Obama has put climate change back on the national agenda, but actually doing something about it is famously difficult. This time will be no different if policy makers let the best become the enemy of the good. Hoping for the best gets us in trouble in two ways. First, while science can make a strong case for starting now to control carbon dioxide and other gases that lead to climate change, it can’t yet say exactly how much to do when. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/opinion/invitation-to-a-dialogue-action-on-the-climate.html Letters: Worry vs. action on global warming. Re "Most in U.S. worried about sea level rise," March 30. Building sea walls and other measures to protect coastal developments address the symptoms of climate change, not the cause. We need to support legislation to counteract global warming, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) Climate Protection Act of 2013. Insurance companies should think twice about offering storm insurance for coastal areas; or if they do…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0403-wednesday-climate-change-20130403,0,7711151,print.story EarthTalk: How climate change is impacting health of rivers. Dear EarthTalk: How is it that climate change is negatively affecting the health of rivers and, by extension, the quality and availability of fresh water? - Robert Elman, St. Louis, Mo. Global warming is no doubt going to cause many kinds of problems (and, indeed, already is), and rivers may well be some of the hardest hit geographical features, given the likelihood of increased droughts, floods and the associated spread of waterborne diseases. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/02/5310930/earthtalk-how-climate-change-is.html#storylink=misearch The new deniers on climate change. There are few things sadder than the “climate denier.” He ignores the data and neglects the latest science. His rhetoric and policy proposals are dangerously disconnected from reality. He can’t recalibrate to take account of the latest evidence because, well, he’s a denier. The new climate deniers are the liberals who, despite their obsession with climate change, have managed to miss the biggest story in climate science, which is that there hasn’t been any global warming for about a decade and a half. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/03/tp-the-new-deniers-on-climate-change/ Global warming mystery: Are North and South really polar opposites? Two studies, one about plants covering previously frozen landscapes in the Arctic, the other about expanding winter sea ice in Antarctica, appear to say different things about global warming. The amount of land in the high Arctic covered by trees and upright shrubs could increase by as much as 52 percent by midcentury, warming the region to levels climate scientists had previously not expected to see there until 2100. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0401/Global-warming-mystery-Are-North-and-South-really-polar-opposites Global Warming: Was It Just A Beautiful Dream After All? Like most of you, I yearn for shorter winters, more shirt-sleeve weather, less lashing from frigid winds. As a confirmed New Yorker, I’m not willing to do what millions have done: move to the sunbelt. I want warmer weather here in the Big City. But I’ve grown old waiting for the promised global warming. I was 35 when predictions of a looming ice age were supplanted by warmmongering. Now I’m 68, and there’s still no sign of warmer weather. It’s enough to make one doubt the “settled science” of the government-funded doom-sayers. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/harrybinswanger/2013/04/03/global-warming-was-it-just-a-beautiful-dream-after-all/ Tailpipe Politics: The Lessons (So Far) of 2013. The EPA unveiled its new anti-smog rules on Friday, prompting the usual Republican complaints about President Obama’s war on free enterprise, along with the usual dire warnings of higher prices at the pump. The rules will raise gas prices, but less than a cent a gallon. Meanwhile, by 2030, they’ll avoid an estimated 2,400 annual premature deaths, prevent 23,000 respiratory illnesses in children, and reduce tailpipe emissions by the equivalent of taking 33 million cars off the road. Posted. http://swampland.time.com/2013/04/02/obama-clears-away-smog-advances-climate-agenda/#ixzz2PQ7T1KXF California Focus: Fracking - Potential miracle and big challenge. Starting with the day in January 1848 when gold flakes and nuggets first turned up at Sutter’s Mill northeast of Sacramento, California has seen plenty of economic miracles, each focused in a different part of the state. The Gold Rush brought more than 300,000 people to the state, previously a sleepy outpost. The movie industry was the next big miracle, bringing international attention to Southern California for the first time. The dot.com phenomenon of the 1990s put the spotlight on Silicon Valley south of San Francisco. Posted. http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/opinion/todays_opinions/california-focus-fracking---potential-miracle-and-big-challenge/article_c90b2c32-9bca-11e2-b26e-001a4bcf887a.html Letters: Global warming reality. I share Tom Harris' sadness over the death of coal miner Elam Jones, but I am dismayed that he used Jones' death to advance his propaganda about the cause of climate change ("Coal is crucial," March 28). He asserted that carbon dioxide emissions from coal are not a major contributor to dangerous climate change. This statement could not be further from the truth. Former college president and National Science Board member James Powell recently completed a study of peer-reviewed publications on global warming. Posted. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765625951/Global-warming-reality.html?pg=all BLOGS The public’s interest in climate change is waning. The global warming conundrum has been on full display over the past 24 hours. Even as one of the nation’s most prominent climate scientists has decided to retire in order to become a full-time activist, a new Pew Research poll suggests public interest and intensity with the issue is waning. James E. Hansen, who directs the Goddard Institute of Space Studies in New York City, has been warning policymakers about the threat of climate change since 1988. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/02/polls-suggest-publics-interest-in-climate-change-is-waning/ President Obama should talk about climate change. A lot. Media Matters has noticed something important: Climate was almost completely absent on the national broadcast network news last year. Only twelve stories, combined, on the CBS, ABC, and NBC news shows, were devoted to the topic — which certainly has a legitimate claim as the single most important policy problem facing the United States right now. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/04/02/president-obama-should-talk-about-climate-change-a-lot/ Has Tesla made electric cars affordable? Not exactly. On Tuesday, Tesla Motors unveiled what it called a “revolutionary new finance product” that, the company said, would allow people to get a mid-range Model S electric car for less than $500 per month. So does that mean Tesla has found a way to make its pricey electric cars affordable? Well, not exactly. A closer look at the fine print suggests that mid-range Model S will more realistically cost around $1,000 per month — not nearly as cheap. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/03/has-tesla-made-electric-cars-affordable-not-exactly/ The Keystone XL Pipeline and its politics, explained. With the controversy over the Keystone XL pipeline extension surfacing yet again — opponents will hold a rally Wednesday night in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood, outside a fundraiser President Obama is headlining–we thought we’d clarify a few points about the contentious project. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/03/the-keystone-xl-pipeline-and-its-politics-explained/ Survey Finds Most Republicans Seek Action on Climate Change. It’s time for that national “listening tour” on energy and climate, President Obama. Some evidence comes in a new survey from the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University (seen via Tom Yulsman on Facebook). Here’s an excerpt from the news release: In a recent survey of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents conducted by the Center for Climate Change Communication (4C) at George Mason University…Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/survey-finds-most-republicans-seek-action-on-climate-change/?src=twrhp How to get a Tesla without spending $70k. Tesla Motors unveiled its long-awaited leasing program Tuesday, although it’s not quite a lease. Rather, it’s a way to get an all-electric Model S sedan for 10 percent down and five-year financing from Wells Fargo and US Bank. And after three years, you can sell the car back to Tesla for about the same amount of money you’d get for a Mercedes S Class sedan of comparable age. That’s about $45,000. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/04/03/how-to-buy-a-tesla-without-spending-70k/ If You Can't Stand the Heat: Why Washington Is Stuck on Climate Change (Part 1). There is no point in being coy about this: The issue of climate change is polarized along partisan and ideological lines. Democrats and progressives think it is a dangerous threat to the world. Most Republicans and conservatives think the threat is exaggerated, or doesn't exist at all. The divide among politicians is even more striking -- less than a third of Republicans in Congress responding to a 2011 National Journal survey said climate change is causing the Earth to warm. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keith-gaby/washington-climate-change_b_2975044.html This town was almost blown off the map — now it’s back, and super green. If I were to tell you this is a story about a tornado in Kansas, it would probably bring to mind a certain doe-eyed girl and her little dog. Well, sometimes tornadoes transport girls and their adorable pets to magical lands. Other times they level entire towns. That is what happened the night of May 4, 2007, when an EF-5 tornado (for non-Kansans, that’s a really freaking big — the biggest, in fact) nearly two miles wide hit the town of Greensburg, a farming community in south-central Kansas. Posted. http://grist.org/cities/this-town-was-almost-blown-off-the-map-now-its-back-and-super-green/ Americans want more renewable energy and more climate-change prep. This is how the typical American thinks in 2013, according to a couple of new polls: “More solar power, please. No more nuclear, thanks though. And let’s get ready for this crazy climate-change thing.” A Gallup poll of 1,022 people revealed that a whopping 76 percent of Americans think the U.S. should put more emphasis on developing solar power. Even Republicans are into it, with 68 percent of them calling for more solar. Wind is also popular. Posted. http://grist.org/news/americans-want-more-renewable-energy-and-more-climate-change-prep/ Porsche introducing first plug-in hybrid with second generation of the Panamera. Porsche is introducing its first plug-in hybrid and two new extended wheelbase variants with the second generation of the Panamera. The new Panamera S E-Hybrid produces 416 total system horsepower (310 kW) and is joined by Panamera 4S Executive and Panamera Turbo Executive models in the revised Panamera lineup. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/04/panamera-20130403.html Monthly EV sales reach all-time high in the US. Starting in March 2013, cars21.com will publish a monthly report about EV sales in the US that includes information provided by InsideEVs. In March 2013, more than 7,000 EVs were sold in the US market, twice as many as in March 2012, for a total market share of 0,5% of new light vehicles sales. The sales information currently includes sales of 11 car models. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5324 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2013 11:48:33 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for April 4, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 4, 2013. 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 San Diego County Attains EPA Air Quality Standards. County Supervisor Ron Roberts today announced that San Diego County has met the 1997 EPA air quality standard for ground-level ozone and will now be designated as “in attainment” heading off possible federal sanctions and withholding of transportation funds. Ground level ozone is created when harmful emissions, such as engine exhaust, react with sunlight to form SMOG, a noxious air pollutant that damages our lungs and irritates our eyes, noses, and throats. It can be especially dangerous for those with breathing difficulty as well as the young and elderly. Posted. http://scoopsandiego.com/news/local/san-diego-county-attains-epa-air-quality-standards/article_6e8f9d2c-9c9e-11e2-a29e-0019bb30f31a.html OFFICIALS LAUNCH AIR QUALITY APP. Anti-pollution officials had two reasons to celebrate Wednesday: They launched a real-time app that lets San Diego County residents check their neighborhood air quality, and they officially confirmed that the region’s level of unhealthy ozone is the lowest on record. The officials touted the app, which downloads real-time air-quality readings on smartphones or computer tablets, during a crisp morning outside the County Administration Building. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/04/tp-officials-launch-air-quality-app/ CLIMATE CHANGE At fundraisers Obama talks climate, regaining U.S. House. The Obama administration is expected to decide later this year whether to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would run from Canada's oil sands to Texas. Environmentalists oppose the project, saying its carbon emissions would contribute unnecessarily to global warming. Supporters say the pipeline is necessary to increase U.S. energy independence. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/04/us-usa-campaign-obama-fundraising-idUSBRE93305920130404 Alberta mulls tougher carbon rules on oil –report. Alberta is considering a major increase in the carbon levy it charges oil producers as it seeks to show Washington it is serious about meeting emission-reduction goals, while promoting the contentious Keystone XL pipeline to Texas refineries. Alberta Environment Minister Diana McQueen offered the proposal at a meeting in Calgary last week with oil executives and federal Environment Minister Peter Kent, the Globe and Mail newspaper said on Thursday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/04/canada-alberta-environment-idUSL2N0CR0SX20130404 FUELS Politics, environmental worries threaten new coal ports in the Northwest. Growing environmental objections to exporting coal from Washington state and Oregon have begun to endanger the coal industry’s hope to restore its flagging fortunes by shipping much more of the embattled fossil fuel to China and India. Port officials this week dropped plans for a terminal in Coos Bay, Ore., just days after the governors of Oregon and Washington urged the White House to scrutinize the global impact of greenhouse gas emissions in Asia before approving exports from Northwest ports. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/03/2652371/politics-environmental-worries.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Running out of gas? Thailand struggles to avert energy crunch. Government electricity-saving plans - including agreements with factories such as a Thai unit of Toyota Motor Corp to stop operations on April 5 - may prevent blackouts in the short term but point to the potential long-term economic impact. The supply crunch also highlights the difficulties in securing alternatives. Liquefied natural gas is much more expensive, while cheaper coal faces strong opposition after problems caused by pollution in the early 1990s at a coal-fired power plant. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/03/thailand-energy-idUSL3N0CA0ZK20130403 VEHICLES New Electric Car, Old Name. Electric cars are a tough sell to most U.S. motorists, but that didn't stop a group of Detroit-based entrepreneurs from launching a new entry to the market Wednesday, this one with a venerable name. A group led by a former executive of the U.K. sports car maker Lotus Cars is resurrecting the "Detroit Electric" brand, one of the leading names of the Motor City's brief, early 20th Century status as a hub of battery-powered car innovation. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323646604578401162312804322.html?KEYWORDS=vehicles Porsche refreshes Panamera lineup, adds plug-in hybrid. It’s nip-and-tuck time for Porsche’s Panamera sedan. A midlife refresh will give 2014 models an updated look, a long wheelbase option and new engine choices, including a turbocharged V-6 and a plug-in hybrid. All three variations will make their world debut April 21 at the Shanghai Auto Show. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-porsche-panamera-update-hybrid-20130403,0,4020457.story Fox News declares death of green cars, says gas guzzlers rule. When news broke Tuesday that sales of full-sized truck were surging, Fox News seized the moment to conclude that Americans don't really care about fuel economy. Stuart Varney of Fox Business asked if it was "time for Uncle Sam, maybe, to slam the brakes on those green car incentives." He said recent high gas prices could push people "into fuel-efficient cars, but they're not. They're going for gas guzzlers." Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fox-business-gas-guzzlers-20130403,0,6024762.story Monthly EV sales reach all-time high in the US. “March of 2013 has set a new benchmark for sales of plug-in vehicles, as huge monthly gains at some automakers (and steady results at others) have pushed the overall number of plug-in sales to an all-time high in the US for March.” reports InsideEVs. Posted. http://cars21.com/news/view/5324 HIGH-SPEED RAIL Rail board to talk routes in Fresno. Engineers' recommendations for high-speed train routes around Chowchilla and Hanford will be presented Thursday when the California High-Speed Rail Authority's board meets in Fresno. The authority will also consider amending two major contracts with consultants for work in the San Joaquin Valley, increasing its consulting budget by more than $47 million. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/03/3242139/rail-board-visits-fresno-for-route.html OPINION Hey Gov. Brown here is a legacy to try on for size. It may be impolite in civil society to say we told you so, but we did. Consider the all-too-predictable news that planning costs for the state's ill-advised high-speed rail are already nearly $100 million more than anticipated, much of it going to consultants and pay raises for employees. We have barely stuck its toe in the water on Gov. Jerry Brown's monument to himself and costs are already soaring. So we have decided to create the above monument to the governor's legacy in the hope that maybe it will be enough for him to just make this abomination go away. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_22943569/hey-gov-brown-here-is-legacy-try-size BLOGS Obama on climate change: ‘The politics of this are tough’. President Obama told Democratic donors late Wednesday that he must sharpen his argument for action on climate change and green energy at a time when many families are still struggling financially. He said, "The politics of this are tough." “[T]he thing that I’m going to have to try to work to persuade the American people a little more convincingly on is this notion that there’s a contradiction between our economy and our environment — it's just a false choice,” Obama said at a San Francisco fundraiser. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/291787-obama-on-climate-change-the-politics-of-this-are-tough Methane leaks are undermining the shale-gas boom. Here’s how to fix that. At first glance, the recent shale-gas boom in the United States looks like excellent news for efforts to slow climate change. Natural gas is nudging aside dirtier coal in the electric-power sector, which is driving down U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions. But the one huge caveat in this story has always been methane. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/04/methane-leaks-are-undermining-the-shale-gas-boom-heres-how-to-fix-it/ What Tesla Can Learn From the Solar Industry. Tesla stock is down 8% today, after the game-changing announcement its founder Elon Musk had hyped for a week turned out to hinge on some particularly funny maths. The announcement raised two interesting points about the company: first, that it seems to be selling a premium product with distinctly sub-prime marketing tactics, and second, that it has plenty to learn from Mr Musk’s other clean energy business, SolarCity. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/04/03/what-tesla-can-learn-from-the-solar-industry/?KEYWORDS=tesla ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2013 12:18:12 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for April 5, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 5, 2013. 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 Beijing residents rethink life in the big smoke. A winter of terrible air pollution in Beijing is likely to be followed this summer by an exodus of expatriates fleeing the Chinese capital, according to senior executives, diplomats and businesses that cater to the expat community. But it is not just foreign residents who are contemplating leaving, and it is not just a couple of months of hazardous smog that has persuaded them to go. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/beijing-residents-rethink-life-in-big-smoke/2013/04/05/516f9ba6-9e02-11e2-a2db-efc5298a95e1_story.html South Coast air officials may force disclosure of fracking operations. On Friday, regional air regulators will consider a new rule that would force oil and gas companies to disclose more information about the extraction process known as fracking. The proposed rule would require oil and gas companies to notify air officials when fracking begins. They would also have to disclose which chemicals they’re using, and whether they’re toxic. (Formally known as hydraulic fracturing, fracking involves shooting a high-powered mix of water, sand, and chemicals into the ground to extract oil and natural gas.) Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/04/04/13174/south-coast-air-officials-may-force-disclosure-of/ Air Quality Group: Spare the Air a Success. For five winter seasons and running, Bay Area residents have observed Spare the Air, curbing their wood- burning activities on select days to promote cleaner air. Has it worked? The Bay Area Air Quality Management District reviewed pollution levels from the last few years and concluded that Spare the Air, along with other factors, has pushed particulate matter levels (known simply as ‘PM’) lower each year for the last several. Posted. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Air-Quality-Group-Spare-the-Air-a-Success-201552491.html Home Depot settles Calif. pollution suits for $8M. Home Depot has agreed to pay $8 million to settle lawsuits alleging the company violated Southern California's regional air quality rules. The agreement announced Thursday settles lawsuits filed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the district attorneys of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The lawsuits alleged that at 15 Southern California stores between 2009 and 2012, Delaware-based Home Depot USA, Inc., sold thousands of gallons of paint, sealers and other liquids that contained volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs, in violation of regional regulations. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Home-Depot-settles-Calif-pollution-suits-for-8M-4411169.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/04/5317978/home-depot-settles-calif-pollution.html#storylink=misearch http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130404-air-pollution-home-depot-to-pay-8-million-for-violations.ece CLIMATE CHANGE The Man Who Could Put Climate Change on the Agenda. Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, is best known for two things: his national security chops—he had key roles on the White House National Security Council—and the high regard in which he’s held by President Obama. McDonough has been part of Obama’s inner circle for nearly a decade, and the president has called his new chief of staff one of his “closest and most trusted advisers.” Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/the-man-who-could-put-climate-change-on-the-agenda-20130404 http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/04/05/obama-dennis-mcdonough-climate-change/2055801/ Climate change will increase extreme precipitation levels. Rainfall or snowfall dumped by the most intense storms could grow significantly heavier in most of the United States by the final decades of the century, according to a new climate change study. The paper, written by a research team led by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, examines the effects of rising greenhouse gas emissions on factors that influence maximum precipitation. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-change-extreme-precipitation-20130404,0,125887.story Hansen paper emphasizes importance of retention and expansion of nuclear power for health and climate reasons. A new study by James Hansen and Pushker Kharecha from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University Earth Institute has found that global nuclear power has prevented an average of 1.84 million air pollution-related deaths and 64 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent (GtCO2-eq) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that would have resulted from fossil fuel burning. The estimated human deaths caused by nuclear power from 1971 to 2009 were far lower than the avoided deaths: 4,900, or about 370 times lower than the result for avoided deaths. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/04/hansen-20130404.html New study on CA's cap-and-trade and forest offsets. California's Global Warming Solutions Act created a voluntary cap-and-trade market in an effort to achieve a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Some policymakers consider this program a test market for a national model, as well as a possible opportunity to use international forest offsets from REDD+ programs in developing countries. However, a new report points to significant problems that prevent REDD+ forest offsets from legitimately reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://yubanet.com/california/New-study-on-CA-39-s-cap-and-trade-and-forest-offsets.php#.UV8TcVfeKoU HIGH-SPEED RAIL High Speed Rail Proposed Routes. The California High Speed Rail Authority addressed a crowd of more than 200 valley residents Thursday. Rail engineers recommended routes for the Chowchilla Wye and alignments that stretch between Fresno and Bakersfield. http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/High-Speed-Rail---MMU-201535161.html High speed rail extends contracts totaling $50 million. The California High Speed Rail Authority extended the contracts of two consulting firms, totaling nearly $50 million. Project leaders said the extensions were needed because of delays, and that the new expense was anticipated and budgeted according to guidelines approved by voters under Proposition 1A. High Speed Rail's Rob Wilcox said the project is still at the $68 billion total price tag. Posted. http://www.news10.net/news/article/239527/2/High-speed-rail-extends-contracts-totaling-50-million GREEN ENERGY The future of energy: More carbon dioxide? An FDR grandson and oilman is betting yes. Elliott Roosevelt Jr., a grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, grins and leans toward visitors in his Dallas office to describe his biggest discovery in 53 years as an oilman. After nursing a single 10-barrel-a-day well in a desolate stretch of west Texas for two decades, Elliott Roosevelt, 76, is embracing a technique he says can liberate a third of the 1.8 billion barrels of petroleum stuck a mile below. He plans to inject carbon dioxide into limestone, potentially freeing oil valued at about $58 billion in early April — more than the gross domestic product of Bulgaria — and reaping this bounty from a 38-square-mile area drillers abandoned long ago. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/the-future-of-energy-more-carbon-dioxide-an-fdr-grandson-and-oilman-is-betting-yes/2013/04/04/1f95696e-9bb2-11e2-a941-a19bce7af755_story.html Green groups urge U.S. to back off Indian solar trade case. U.S. environmental groups are pressing President Barack Obama's administration to back off a World Trade Organization case against India they say threatens the ability of the world's second most populous country to cut greenhouse gas emissions. "We're really worried about this proliferation of trade cases on renewable energy," Ilana Solomon, trade representative for the Sierra Club, said in an interview on Thursday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/04/usa-india-solar-idUSL2N0CR1K020130404 MISCELLANEOUS TEMECULA: Students encouraged to enter energy conservation contest. American Residential Services, a residential heating and air conditioning service company in Corona, has partnered with the Temecula Valley Foundation for Excellence in Education with a contest to get students to “think green.” Temecula Valley Unified School District students in grades four to 12 can submit their best ideas on how to reduce the load on the energy grid and share the type of impact their idea could have on the community. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/temecula/temecula-headlines-index/20130404-temecula-students-encouraged-to-enter-energy-conservation-contest.ece OPINION The limits of renewable energy. We’re losing the race against global warming. Worldwide coal production increased about eight times faster than solar- and wind-power generation last year. China added more new coal plants in 2011 than are running in Texas and Ohio, even as it leads the world in wind-power capacity. Meanwhile, the United States is only modestly cutting carbon emissions by transitioning from coal to natural gas, which is still a carbon-rich fuel. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/matthew-stepp-overlooking-the-limits-of-renewable-energy/2013/04/04/d6df6666-9adf-11e2-9a79-eb5280c81c63_story.html In the Pipeline: Air quality leaders' responses not based in facts. OK, hot off the presses, grim lowlights from the new Air Quality Management District (AQMD) staff report, published Wednesday, with proposed amended rules for 444, the beach bonfire ban. To anyone that has not quite grasped just how agenda-driven this organization is, and how intensely focused they are in imposing their draconian ban on beach bonfires, please take a moment to read some of their opinions following the meeting last Friday where many of us from Huntington Beach got up and spoke our minds — and common sense. Posted. http://www.hbindependent.com/opinion/tn-hbi-0411-pipeline-20130404,0,3718278.story BLOGS Whom Do You Trust on Climate Change? As the debate on global warming steadily drifts away from whether it is real toward how it will affect our future, a new British study looks at the sources people trust to stay informed on the issue. An online poll commissioned by the Carbon Brief, a British climate and energy news blog, found that 69 percent of respondents in the United Kingdom consider scientists the most trustworthy source on the issue (49 percent say they are ‘quite trustworthy’, while 20 percent say they are ‘very trustworthy’). Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/whom-do-you-trust-on-climate-change/ Who’s Afraid of Environmental Regulations? (Not Small Businesses). There has been a lot of chatter about the burden of regulations on small businesses. It turns out that small business owners do worry about regulations a lot — but not so much environmental regulations. According to a new survey, what they really care about are licensing and tax regulations. Environmental regulations just don’t matter much. The Thumbtack internet site provides services to small businesses and conducts a business climate poll with support from the Kaufman Foundation. Their results reflect a roughly representative sample of over 7000 small business owners. Posted. http://legalplanet.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/whos-afraid-of-environmental-regulations-not-small-businesses/ Some NY cabs could avoid hybrid ban. The Nissan NV200 is having a rough go of it as New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow. The Greater New York Taxi Association wants the van banned on the grounds that it isn't a hybrid, and has gone so far as to sue the city to keep the NV200 out of taxi fleets. According to The New York Times, the city has responded by proposing to allow taxi drivers to use certain hybrid vehicles. The Taxi and Limousine Commission's proposal would allow any vehicle with an interior volume of 138 cubic feet or more. Unfortunately, that excludes nearly every machine that isn't the size of the NV200. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/05/some-ny-cabs-could-avoid-hybrid-ban/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2013 13:48:38 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 8, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 8, 2013. 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 Home depot to pay $8 million settlement. The Home Depot will pay $8 million to settle allegations that the retail giant sold thousands of gallons of paint, primers and sealers containing excessive levels of air pollutants to customers in Riverside County and across Southern California, authorities announced. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office and district attorneys in Orange and San Bernardino counties, sued The Home Depot in 2011. A similar action was filed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/07/tp-home-depot-to-pay-8-million-settlement/ San Diego County overcomes air quality challenge. Pollution emitted into the air and blowing in the wind no longer is so high the county locals always need relief. Supervisor Ron Roberts told the public during an announcement downtown on Wednesday, April 3rd, after years fighting pollution, the county finally lowered the ozone and particulate matter levels below the 1997 Federal 8-Hour Ozone Standard. "We have the cleanest air we have had in the 50 years the Air Pollution Control District has been here," Roberts said. The county leads the nation in the effect on air quality produced by work on air quality control. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/san-diego-county-overcomes-air-quality-challenge End in sight for marathon pollution trial in NH. Jurors in the longest state trial in New Hampshire's history will return to the courtroom this week after a nearly two-week hiatus to hear closing arguments in the state's groundwater contamination case against Exxon Mobil Corp. Lawyers for the state want jurors to hold Exxon Mobil liable to the tune of $240 million to monitor and clean up wells and public water systems contaminated by the gasoline additive MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether. Lawyers for Exxon Mobil counter that MTBE was used to comply with federal Clean Air Act requirements to reduce smog. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/07/end-in-sight-for-marathon-pollution-trial-in-nh/#ixzz2Pt1SjvNC Air travel to get bumpier as CO2 emissions rise, scientists say. Turbulence on transatlantic flights will become more frequent and severe by 2050 as carbon dioxide emissions rise, leading to longer journey times and increased fuel consumption, British scientists said in a study on Monday. Any air traveller has probably experienced turbulence. It can happen without warning and is caused by climate conditions such as atmospheric pressure, jet streams, cold and warm fronts or thunderstorms. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/08/climate-airlines-turbulence-idUSL5N0CQ3CA20130408 First proof that air pollution affects coral growth revealed (Video). A team of climate scientists and coral ecologists from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Panama, is the first to definitely prove that air pollution stunts coral growth in the April 7, 2013, issue of the journal Nature Geoscience. The team lead by Lester Kwiatkowski, a doctoral student in Mathematics at the University of Exeter, and colleagues used a combination of records retrieved from within the coral skeletons, observations from ships, climate model simulations, and statistical modeling to examine coral growth rates in the Caribbean in the twentieth century. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/first-proof-that-air-pollution-affects-coral-growth-revealed Air Quality Warnings Issued For Parts of San Luis Obispo County. Very windy conditions are prompting air quality warnings in some coastal areas. Aeron Arlin Genet of the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District, or APCD, says, "they blow the dust and the sand off the Oceano Dunes. And that gets lofted into the air." Arlin Genet is all too familiar with poor air quality conditions stemming from the Oceano Dunes. The APCD monitors the air quality in the county and even provides air quality forecasts using special devices that are set up at various sites. Posted. http://www.kcoy.com/story/21894681/air-quality-warnings-issued-for-parts-of-san-luis-obispo-county CLIMATE CHANGE Federal appeals court to hear climate change suit. A federal three-judge panel has agreed to review a lower court's ruling that a group of Mississippi coastal landowners can sue energy and chemical companies on allegations that linked greenhouse gas emissions to Hurricane Katrina. The lawsuit alleges that greenhouse gas emissions from energy and chemical companies contributed to global warming, caused sea levels to rise and added to the intensity of Hurricane Katrina. Filed by landowners in U.S. District Court in Gulfport in September 2005, the lawsuit had been dismissed in 2007 and reinstated in 2009. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Federal-appeals-court-to-hear-climate-change-suit-4416924.php Antarctic team digs deep to predict climate future. Nancy Bertler and her team took a freezer to the coldest place on Earth, endured weeks of primitive living and risked spending the winter in Antarctic darkness, to go get ice - ice that records our climate's past and could point to its future. They drilled out hundreds of ice cores, each slightly longer and wider than a baseball bat, from the half-mile-thick ice covering Antarctica's Roosevelt Island. The cores, which may total 150,000 years of snowfall, almost didn't survive the boat ride to New Zealand because of a power outage. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/06/antarctic-team-digs-deep-to-predict-climate/#ixzz2Pt2bzIBw Oceans may explain slowdown in climate change: study. Climate change could get worse quickly if huge amounts of extra heat absorbed by the oceans are released back into the air, scientists said after unveiling new research showing that oceans have helped mitigate the effects of warming since 2000. Heat-trapping gases are being emitted into the atmosphere faster than ever, and the 10 hottest years since records began have all taken place since 1998. But the rate at which the earth's surface is heating up has slowed somewhat since 2000, causing scientists to search for an explanation for the pause. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/07/us-climate-oceans-idUSBRE93608420130407 FUELS Fracking coalition upsets both greens and drillers. Like a marriage the in-laws don't approve of, a new plan to strengthen standards for fracking is creating unusual divisions among environmentalists and supporters of the oil and gas industry. At first glance, it's hard to fathom all the angst over the Pittsburgh-based Center for Sustainable Shale Development. Environmental groups, foundations, and major oil and gas companies came together to support stringent measures to protect air and water from pollution in the Appalachian region, and they invited other groups to join in and help limit pollution from fracking. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_DRILLING_UNLIKELY_PARTNERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_22974327/fracking-coalition-upsets-both-greens-and-drillers http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_22974327/fracking-coalition-upsets-both-greens-and-drillers http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/07/3247355/fracking-coalition-upsets-both.html#storylink=misearch http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/04/05/13191/aqmd-approves-rule-requiring-disclosure-of-frackin/ Southern California air regulators adopt fracking rules. In the absence of statewide regulations for hydraulic fracturing, Southern California air-quality officials have enacted their own reporting rules for the controversial extraction process driving the country's oil and gas boom. On Friday, the governing board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District adopted a rule that requires oil companies to notify the air agency 10 days to 24 hours before beginning drilling operations, including "fracking," which involves injecting large volumes of chemical-laced water and sand deep into the ground to break apart rock and release oil. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-southern-california-air-regulators-adopt-fracking-rules-20130405,0,7462664.story VEHICLES Here's why real-world mpg doesn't match EPA ratings. Has this happened to you? You go shopping for a new car and great fuel economy is high on the list of things you want. You buy a car that's rated 30 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg overall by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But after a month or so of driving around, you find that the best fuel efficiency you can get is a measly 24 mpg average. You might acknowledge that you drive a little faster than the speed limit, but you're no hot-rodder. Posted. http://autos.yahoo.com/news/here-s-why-real-world-mpg-doesn-t-match-epa-ratings-175746134.html GREEN ENERGY NY moves toward adopting wind, other green energy. A new study says New York could get the power it needs from wind, water and sunlight by 2030 with a concerted push, though the state's decade-long effort to significantly boost green energy shows how challenging that could be. The study, led by researchers from Stanford and Cornell universities, provides a theoretical road map to how New Yorkers could rely on renewable energy within 17 years. It would require massive investments in wind turbines, solar panels and more from the windy shores off Long Island to sun-exposed rooftops upstate. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/07/ny-moves-toward-adopting-wind-other-green-energy/#ixzz2Pt3TyiFt OPINION Schwarzenegger: California's silent disaster. I will always remember the day I woke to the news that more than 2,000 fires were burning in California. I thought I must not have heard correctly. Two thousand fires? How could that be? In the end, the state's brave firefighters, joined by contingents from out of state, won the battle. But not before 11 emergency declarations were issued and more than 400,000 acres burned. Countless lives and livelihoods were ruined. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-0408-schwarzenegger-climate-report-20130408,0,6026654.story Clear the tracks for new port rail yard. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are a powerful economic engine for Southern California. They produce more jobs than the entire movie business, and they connect the United States to ports across the Pacific Ocean. The hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of goods that pass through them are an essential source of economic livelihood, and yet at times the ports impose a burden on those who live closest to them, forcing policymakers to weigh what is best for the nation and the region against what harm it might do to neighbors. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-ports-20130408,0,5401694.story Why We Support a Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax. Americans like to compete on a level playing field. All the players should have an equal opportunity to win based on their competitive merits, not on some artificial imbalance that gives someone or some group a special advantage. We think this idea should be applied to energy producers. They all should bear the full costs of the use of the energy they provide. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323611604578396401965799658.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution BLOGS Air Pollution Tied to Birth Defects. Exposure in the first two months of pregnancy to air pollution from traffic sharply increases the risk for birth defects, a new study has found. Researchers used data from two large studies carried out in eight counties in the San Joaquin Valley in California. One has tracked birth defects since 1997, and the other has recorded concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter at 20 locations in the valley since the 1970s. The results are posted online in The American Journal of Epidemiology. Posted. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/air-pollution-tied-to-birth-defects/ U.S. Moves Toward Teaching Climate Change; Britain Does the Opposite. New science teaching standards in the United States will include extensive lessons on human-made climate change. Expected to be unveiled this week, the guidelines will bring the subject to classrooms in up to 40 states, in many cases for the first time. Eighth-grade pupils should understand that “human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming),” according to the Next Generation Science Standards. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/u-s-moves-toward-teaching-climate-change-britain-does-the-opposite/ Fear of global warming on the rise. Americans’ fear of global warming is on the rise, though they still aren’t as concerned as they were before the 2008 financial collapse. A new Gallup poll shows 58 percent of Americans are concerned a great deal or a fair amount about global warming. That’s up from 51 percent in 2011 but down from 66 percent in 2008 and the record high of 72 percent in 2000. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/04/08/fear-of-global-warming-on-the-rise/ 200,000 Plug-In Electric Vehicles Equipped With Vehicle-to-Building Technology Will Be Sold Through 2020. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, nearly 200,000 PEVs equipped with vehicle-to-building (V2B) technology will be sold from 2012 through 2020. With V2B technology – which makes the energy stored in plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) batteries available to commercial and residential buildings – vehicles can compete with both traditional local generation and stationary storage for offsetting demand charges or providing peak saving services. Posted. http://www.hybridcars.com/200000-plug-in-electric-vehicles-equipped-with-vehicle-to-building-technology-will-be-sold-through-2020/ CO2 regulations – Are they strict enough? Fuel economy standards are at the top of the agenda in the US and Europe. However, it seems that most manufacturers have already outperformed 2015 targets, which means that 2020 or 2025 objectives are “easy” targets, especially in view of the fact that automakers have managed to obtain key concessions such as CO2 credits in the US or supercredits and eco innovations in Europe. According to a report from the US EPA published in March 2013, Toyota and Honda have earned so many credits in the US that their current fleets, unchanged, could meet EPA requirements through to the 2016 model year, said David Friedman, a senior engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5335 For Cleveland, climate change could mean tons of toxic green algae. A vast plain of poisonous green slime stretching to the horizon, bobbing gently on the waves — that was the view of Lake Erie from Cleveland just a couple years ago. It could become a permanent feature if humans don’t scramble to do something about it. Take a closer look at the boxed-in area in the above image (larger version), captured by NASA’s Aqua satellite in October 2011…Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/for-cleveland-climate-change-could-mean-tons-of-toxic-green-algae/ Frackers lose $1.5 billion yearly thanks to leaky pipes. Of all the many and varied consequences of fracking (water contamination, injured workers, earthquakes, the list goes on) one of the least understood is so-called “fugitive” methane emissions. Methane is the primary ingredient of natural gas, and it escapes into the atmosphere at every stage of production: at wells, in processing plants, and in pipes on its way to your house. According to a new study [PDF], it could become one of the worst climate impacts of the fracking boom — and yet, it’s one of the easiest to tackle right away. Best of all, fixing the leaks is good for the bottom line. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/frackers-lose-1-5-billion-yearly-thanks-to-leaky-pipes/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2013 11:54:33 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for April 9, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 9, 2013. 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 Exposure in Pregnancy Linked to Cancers. Children whose mothers have an increased exposure to air pollution from motor vehicles while pregnant may have a higher chance of developing certain cancers, a study found. Each increase in exposure to pollution from gasoline vehicles and diesel trucks was associated with a 4 percent higher risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, as well as increased chances of developing rarer cancers of the eye and of cells that form the reproductive system, according to data presented today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-09/air-pollution-exposure-in-pregnancy-linked-to-cancers.html http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/air-pollution-tied-to-birth-defects/ Air pollution scourge underestimated, green energy can help: U.N. Air pollution is an underestimated scourge that kills far more people than AIDS and malaria and a shift to cleaner energy could easily halve the toll by 2030, U.N. officials said on Tuesday. Investments in solar, wind or hydropower would benefit both human health and a drive by almost 200 nations to slow climate change, blamed mainly on a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from use of fossil fuels, they said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/09/us-pollution-idUSBRE9380PZ20130409 Mont. asks EPA to redo sulfur dioxide designation. Montana officials said sulfur dioxide emissions are decreasing in Yellowstone County and they want it removed from a federal list of pollution violators. Sources of sulfur dioxide in Yellowstone Valley include three refineries, two power plants, a sugar beet plant and a sulfur-recovery plant. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality made the request in an April 3 letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It included an analysis the state agency says shows decreasing emissions, The Billings Gazette reported (http://bit.ly/10Q1v0V ) on Monday. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Mont-asks-EPA-to-redo-sulfur-dioxide-designation-4420961.php Beijing's polluted air provides Jerry Brown a political opportunity. The local media have given it a name: "Beijing Ke," or the Beijing Cough, defined by the China Daily as "a bout of persistent dry cough or throat tickle because of Beijing's poor air quality." Earlier this year, the local air-quality reading was so bad that citizens were warned to stay in doors for days on end. The international media called it the "Airpocolypse." Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-california-jerry-brown-china-air-pollution-20130409,0,7386481.story CLIMATE CHANGE California Governor Clears Way for Carbon Market Link to Quebec. California Governor Jerry Brown approved a proposal to link the state’s carbon cap-and-trade system with a program in Quebec, a step that would allow companies to trade carbon permits across borders. Brown found that the request from the state Air Resources Board, which has been working with the Canadian province for more than five years to develop complementary systems, met all necessary state requirements, according to a letter posted on the governor’s website late today. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-04-08/california-governor-clears-way-for-carbon-market-link-to-quebec http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/04/09/7 Making progress in the fight against global warming. California remains at the forefront of the nation in the fight against climate change through its government’s use of various tools to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions – primarily through the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 known as AB 32. “California is implementing groundbreaking programs under AB 32 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across our economy and the progress so far makes us confident the targets for 2020 and beyond will be achieved,” David Clegern, spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board (ARB), told the Business Journal in an e-mail. Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/1434-ab-32-update-making-progress-in-the-fight-against-global-warming-.html Climate Change Could Equal Teeth-Rattling Flights. Buckle up — climate change could make this a bumpy flight. That's according to a newly published study by two British scientists who say increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will make "clear air turbulence" — which can't be easily spotted by pilots or satellites — more common over the North Atlantic. That means the potential for gut-wrenching flights between the U.S., Europe and points east. Posted. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/08/176598063/climate-change-could-equal-teeth-rattling-flights FUELS Moniz backs natural gas 'revolution'. Ernest Moniz, chosen by President Barack Obama to lead the Energy Department, says he will push to increase use of natural gas as a way to combat climate change even as the nation seeks to boost domestic energy production. Moniz, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said "a stunning increase" in domestic natural gas and oil production in recent years was nothing less than a "revolution" that has led to reduced emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that cause global warming. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENERGY_SECRETARY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Moniz-backs-natural-gas-revolution-4420915.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/09/2660853/moniz-backs-natural-gas-revolution.html#storylink=misearch Fracking foes in California win in court. racking opponents in California have won what may be their first victory in court, with a federal magistrate's ruling that federal authorities broke the law when they leased land in Monterey and Fresno counties to oil drillers without studying the possible risks of hydraulic fracturing. The decision, made public Sunday, will probably delay fracking on four sites leased by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 2011. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/green/article/Fracking-foes-in-California-win-in-court-4419423.php VEHICLES Giving a charge to grocery shoppers: More places to plug in. San Francisco-based Ecotality Inc., which operates the nation's second-largest network of public electric charging stations for vehicles, announced today that it plans to install 225 new chargers at Kroger Co. stores in California and Arizona. Kroger is the country's largest grocery chain, and includes Ralphs and Food 4 Less. It will invest about $1.5 million to install Ecotality's Blink charging stations and DC Fast Chargers. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-more-ev-charging-stations-coming-to-california-grocery-stores-20130408,0,5313784.story HIGH-SPEED RAIL Jerry Brown seeks Chinese funding for California high-speed rail. California Gov. Jerry Brown heads to China this week to seek investments in his state’s “green” projects, including an astronomically expensive high-speed rail project that is floundering despite receiving tens of billions in federal stimulus money. Brown begins a week of meetings on Tuesday with a focus on bilateral trade and investment opportunities, as well as opening a new California foreign trade and investment office. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/jerry-brown-seeks-chinese-funding-for-california-high-speed-rail/article/2526588 GREEN ENERGY With Help From Nature, a Town Aims to Be a Solar Capital. There are at least two things to know about this high desert city. One, the sun just keeps on shining. Two, the city’s mayor, a class-action lawyer named R. Rex Parris, just keeps on competing. Two years ago, the mayor, a Republican, decided to leverage the incessant Antelope Valley sun so that Lancaster could become the solar capital “of the world,” he said. Then he reconsidered. “Of the universe,” he said, the brio in his tone indicating that it would be parsimonious to confine his ambition to any one planet. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/us/lancaster-calif-focuses-on-becoming-solar-capital-of-universe.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1& MISCELLANEOUS Green school in Washington has its own farm with vegetables and bees. ‘Going green” isn’t just talk at Walker-Jones Education Campus. The D.C. school, which opened in 2009, was designed to save energy and provide a healthful environment for preschoolers through eighth-graders. But in the past three years, students, teachers and lots of volunteers have taken the school’s green commitment much further. They transformed a weedy lot across the street into a thriving farm. “It’s a farm and not a garden,” said David Hilmy, Walker-Jones’s P.E. teacher and a trained biologist, who oversees the farm. “Our aim is to produce food.” Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/dc-school-creates-its-own-farm/2013/04/08/09bced74-9c84-11e2-a941-a19bce7af755_story.html OPINION Dividends of cleaner air. Whenever the federal government enacts new standards to reduce pollution, we can count on affected industries to complain loudly about the cost to them and ultimately to their customers of implementing the changes. What sometimes gets lost in the clamor are the health benefits of the new standards. That appears to be the case with the decision last month by the environmental Protection Agency to move forward with a rule requiring cleaner gasoline and lower-pollution vehicles nationwide. The change amounts to one of the most significant air pollution initiatives of President Barack Obama’s administration. Posted. http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/04/08/4755581/dividends-of-cleaner-air.html ANOTHER VIEW: Port Leads Way In Shore Power. Effective Jan. 1, half of all container, refrigerated cargo and cruise ships calling at the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego and Hueneme will be required to shut down auxiliary engines and use onshore electricity to power their onboard systems at berth. The new state rules come with emissions reduction requirements and phase in higher standards for pollution reduction through 2020. This revolutionary program, known as shore power or cold ironing, represents a major leap forward in the greening of our seaports, and we are proud to say that the clean air initiatives we have pioneered here at the Port of Long Beach, along with our neighbor, the Port of Los Angeles, preceded these new statewide regulations. Posted. http://www.gazettes.com/opinion/another_view/another-view-port-leads-way-in-shore-power/article_353e7fea-9c97-11e2-b537-0019bb2963f4.html Foes should get on track with rail plan. The Government Accountability Office injected a sense of realism into the high-speed rail debate, detailing in its March 28 report just how large infrastructure projects of this kind work. But the naysayers led by House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, and Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, don't seem to be listening. Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/04/09/2931730/our-view-foes-should-get-on-track.html BLOGS U.S. Moves Toward Teaching Climate Change; Britain Does the Opposite. New science teaching standards in the United States will include extensive lessons on human-made climate change. Expected to be unveiled this week, the guidelines will bring the subject to classrooms in up to 40 states, in many cases for the first time. Eighth-grade pupils should understand that “human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming),” according to the Next Generation Science Standards. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/u-s-moves-toward-teaching-climate-change-britain-does-the-opposite/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:43:45 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 10, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 10, 2013. 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 As Brown visits China, California-Quebec carbon-trade deal advances. As he brings his message of carbon reduction to top officials in China, Gov. Jerry Brown moved another step closer to broadening California's carbon-trading market Tuesday. Before crossing the Pacific, the governor sent a letter to the state Air Resources Board enabling it to move ahead with plans to link California's carbon-trading market with one in the Canadian province of Quebec. Carbon markets aim to reduce overall pollution by creating a system that limits the total amount of carbon emissions allowed but enables big polluters to buy the right to pollute more. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-carbon-california-quebec-20130409,0,511580.story AIR POLLUTION Air pollution scourge underestimated, green energy can help-UN. Air pollution is an underestimated scourge that kills far more people than AIDS and malaria and a shift to cleaner energy could easily halve the toll by 2030, U.N. officials said on Tuesday. Investments in solar, wind or hydropower would benefit both human health and a drive by almost 200 nations to slow climate change, blamed mainly on a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from use of fossil fuels, they said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/09/environment-pollution-idUSL5N0CW2U820130409 Beijing's polluted air provides Jerry Brown a political opportunity. The local media have given it a name: "Beijing Ke," or the Beijing Cough, defined by the China Daily as "a bout of persistent dry cough or throat tickle because of Beijing's poor air quality." Earlier this year, the local air-quality reading was so bad that citizens were warned to stay in doors for days on end. The international media called it the "Airpocolypse." For Beijing's 20 million residents, pollution has become a way of life. Even on the relatively good air-quality days, such as the ones that cold winds have brought here this week, locals take precautions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-california-jerry-brown-china-air-pollution-20130409,0,7386481.story US EPA air pollution rule suit exposes rift between gas, coal generators. Many US generators vigorously oppose the Obama administration's new regulation to curb emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants, saying the rule will shutter coal-fired power plants, drive up electricity prices and perhaps even undermine the reliability of the US electrical grid. But four companies that have invested heavily in natural gas-fired and nuclear generation are bucking that widely held industry position, saying the Environmental Protection Agency's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule is justified by "the nature of the competitive power markets" and other factors. Posted. http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/21922254 Exxon Mobil must pay $236M in NH pollution case. Exxon Mobil Corp. was found liable Tuesday in a long-running lawsuit over groundwater contamination caused by the gasoline additive MTBE, and the jury ordered the oil giant to pay $236 million to New Hampshire to clean it up. The jurors reached their verdicts in less than 90 minutes, after sitting through nearly three months of testimony. Lawyers on both sides were stunned by the speed with which they reached the verdict on liability and even more stunned when the jurors took barely 20 minutes more to fill out the damages verdict. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/09/exxonmobil-found-liable-in-nh-pollution-trial/#ixzz2Q4hz1fF0 Europe's toxic air: clearer but not clean. While attention is given to curbing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions blamed for global warming, substances more directly harmful to human health, notably nitrogen oxides, are pumped out of diesel engines and from European power stations burning coal that is getting cheaper as Americans exploit new gas reserves. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/10/us-eu-pollution-air-idUSBRE9390AW20130410 CLIMATE CHANGE Buckle up: Climate change may cause bumpier flights. Are you the kind of air traveler who turns green when your plane encounters air turbulence? Do you always have a beverage in your hand when the captain illuminates the "fasten seat belts" sign and apologizes for a bit of mid-flight "chop"? If so, you might consider booking a cruise ship instead of flying the friendly skies in the coming years. A study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change predicts that global warming will cause bumpier transatlantic flights by the middle of this century. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-global-warming-flight-turbulence-20130408,0,3403965.story Renewable Energy Won't Stop Climate Change According to Truthout Interview with Scholar and Author. Renewable energy is neither clean nor a solution to climate change according to a new Truthout interview with Ozzie Zehner, a visiting scholar at the University of California – Berkeley and author of the book Green Illusions. Instead of "hyping so-called green energy," Zehner advocates redirecting focus to the impacts of a growing human population and consumption. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/09/5327344/renewable-energy-wont-stop-climate.html#storylink=cpy French wine could get pricey, climate change study says. That bottle of Bordeaux you put aside may become even rarer in the next few decades as climate change could reduce wine grape production in traditional parts of the world and move it elsewhere, researchers say. Danish Cabernet, anyone? Wine grape production's sensitivity to climate makes it a good test case for what could happen over the next several decades. And the land suitable for viticulture in current major wine producing regions could be reduced by 20% to 70% by 2050, depending on the amount of greenhouse gases produced, the researchers said this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-heb-wine-grapes-climate-change-20130408,0,6669681.story New science standards call for teaching climate change and more. The Next Generation Science Standards, developed over the last year by California and 25 other states in conjunction with several national scientific organizations, represent the first effort in some 15 years to transform the way science is taught in million of classrooms. The multi-state consortium is proposing that students learn fewer standards more deeply and not merely memorize information but understand how scientists actually investigated and gathered it. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-science-20130409,0,1524486.story http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/science/panel-calls-for-broad-changes-in-science-education.html?_r=1& L'Oreal Signs The Climate Declaration In Support Of Climate Change Policy. L'Oreal joined forces in Washington, DC today with 32 other leading companies and consumer brands to urge regulators and legislators to put climate change on the federal policy agenda. Recognizing the business risks associated with climate change and having been affected by Superstorm Sandy, as were many businesses in the northeast, L'Oreal has taken concrete and meaningful steps to reduce its own carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/10/5331206/loreal-signs-the-climate-declaration.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy DIESEL EMISSIONS Car Emissions Tied to Rare Pediatric Cancers. Children born to mothers who lived within a mile of heavy traffic while pregnant were at higher risk of developing any of three childhood cancers, researchers said here. Higher incidences of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and two rare pediatric cancers -- retinoblastoma and germ cell tumors -- were found in children whose mothers lived within a 1,500-meter (0.93-mile) radius of gasoline and diesel emissions while pregnant, said Julia Heck, PhD, of the University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health, and colleagues. Posted. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AACR/38360 FUELS California court ruling gives hope to foes of fracking. A court ruling that the U.S. government must consider the environmental impact of "fracking" on federal lands leased to oil companies offers opponents of the technique a useful weapon in the fierce public debate in California and other parts of the country. In a regulatory setback for hydraulic fracturing on public lands, a federal magistrate judge in San Jose, California, on Monday ruled that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) failed to analyze its impact on 2,500 acres in Monterey County. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/10/usa-fracking-california-idUSL2N0CW2L920130410 Moniz backs natural gas 'revolution' President Barack Obama's choice to lead the Energy Department pledged to increase use of natural gas Tuesday as a way to combat climate change even as the nation seeks to boost domestic energy production. Ernest Moniz, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said "a stunning increase" in production of domestic natural gas in recent years was nothing less than a "revolution" that has led to reduced emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that cause global warming. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENERGY_SECRETARY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT VEHICLES M'bishi Motors still halting Outlander plug-in hybrid shipments. Mitsubishi Motors Corp will extend its production and shipment stoppage of its Outlander plug-in hybrids until it finds the cause of an overheating lithium-ion battery in one of the vehicles, the automaker said on Wednesday. The company stopped production and shipments in late March as lithium-ion battery technology faces heightened scrutiny after problems with batteries in Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner jets. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/10/mitsubishi-hybrid-idUSL3N0CXITO20130410 GREEN ENERGY Did First Solar Just Upend the Solar Industry? When First Solar announced the acquisition of TetraSun yesterday it really announced a fundamental shift in the company's strategy. It isn't giving up on thin film, not yet, but it is laying the groundwork for a future without its familiar CdTe panels. TetraSun is an investment in crystalline silicon solar cells that First Solar has been fighting against for over a decade. Silicon has won the battle, and now even First Solar will join the crowd. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/Did-First-Solar-Just-Upend-the-Solar-Industry-4423942.php#ixzz2Q51UHcC5 Federal budget: Obama seeks 40 percent increase in clean energy spending. President Barack Obama proposed a dramatic increase in clean-energy spending on Wednesday as he sought to expand U.S. government support for electric cars, wind power and other "green" technology despite persistent Republican criticism. The president would pay for the expansion in part by eliminating tax breaks and subsidies for oil, gas and coal industries. Previous efforts by Obama's fellow Democrats to repeal the $4 billion worth of fossil-fuel subsidies have fallen short. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_22994775/federal-budget-obama-seeks-40-percent-increase-clean BLOGS Will climate change decimate the wine industry? First we find out that carbon dioxide emissions are bad for oysters, and now a study indicates that rising global temperatures could also drastically affect wine production. That’s right: Greenhouse gases might ruin the romantic strategies of people everywhere — or, at least, result in some extra costs and environmental harm to keep these ancient aphrodisiacs readily available. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/04/08/climate_change_wine_industry_production_study/ Cap & trade: California and Quebec join forces. When it comes to cap and trade, California will no longer have to go it alone. Gov. Jerry Brown has approved linking California’s new carbon market with Quebec’s, in a transnational bid to fight global warming. Companies in each location will be able to participate in the other’s market, buying and selling “allowances” to emit greenhouse gases. Brown on Monday sent California air pollution regulators a letter certifying that Quebec’s market rules are at least as stringent as California’s. State law required Brown to make that finding before the two systems could link. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/04/09/cap-trade-california-and-quebec-join-forces/ Solar panels could destroy U.S. utilities, according to U.S. utilities. Back in January, the Edison Electric Institute — the (typically stodgy and backward-looking) trade group of U.S. investor-owned utilities — released a report [PDF] that, as far as I can tell, went almost entirely without notice in the press. That’s a shame. It is one of the most prescient and brutally frank things I’ve ever read about the power sector. It is a rare thing to hear an industry tell the tale of its own incipient obsolescence. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/solar-panels-could-destroy-u-s-utilities-according-to-u-s-utilities/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:23:18 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for April 11, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 11, 2013. 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 International cap-and-trade markets expanding – but still contentious. Nascent carbon emissions-trading exchanges in several countries are increasingly looking at options to interlink with one another, which advocates say would offer investors long-term stability, increase revenues for the development of renewable energy and strengthen corporate support for climate policy. Yet critics warn that so-called cap-and-trade systems are inefficient and create incentives for polluting industries to continue with business as usual. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/11/international-carbon-markets-expanding Jerry Brown makes cosmic case for carbon reduction. Gov. Jerry Brown used a stage at one of China’s most prestigious universities Thursday to make his pitch for environmental policies that he said could help reverse the global impacts of climate change and boost the economies of China and California. Speaking at Tsinghua University, Brown boasted about the state’s record as an innovator on clean technology and government crackdowns on carbon emissions and said a deeper partnership between the state and Chinese government would be mutually beneficial. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-jerry-brown-makes-cosmic-case-for-carbon-reduction-20130410,0,6364989.story AIR POLLUTION China pollution may hold silver lining for California. As Gov. Jerry Brown tours some of China's economic hubs this week, he is breathing the kind of heavy, soiled air that blanketed Los Angeles decades ago. The soot and smog that are byproducts of this country's industrial progress are choking its people and threatening its economy. Chinese leaders are talking openly about the need to clean up the air, and to learn how from California. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brown-china-environment-20130411,0,159929.story CLIMATE CHANGE Towns, ecologists seek climate-friendly culverts. The humble highway culvert—cheaper than a bridge and unseen by drivers tooling through stream-laced mountains—has become a focal point in efforts to help communities and wildlife adapt to climate change. The critical role of these structures—essentially big pipes or concrete boxes carrying streams beneath roads—was demonstrated dramatically in a series of extreme weather events hitting the Northeast in recent years. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_23003024/towns-ecologists-seek-climate-friendly-culverts DIESEL EMISSIONS Bethel Island meeting to focus on diesel engine emissions laws. Bay Area Air Quality Management District will give a presentation this month on emissions requirements for commercial diesel engines. The public meeting will be 6 to 9:30 p.m. April 18 at Scout Hall, 3090 Ranch Lane, Bethel Island. Representatives from the air pollution control agency will talk from 6 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a time for the audience to ask questions. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_22998613/bethel-island-meeting-focus-diesel-engine-emissions-laws http://www.contracostatimes.com/east-county-times/ci_22998615/bethel-island-meeting-focus-diesel-engine-emissions-laws Grants available to clean up diesel emissions. The Butte County Air Quality Management District has about $180,000 available for grants to help clean up emissions from older diesel engines. Projects allowed under the Carl Moyer Clean Engine Incentive Program involve replacing old diesel engines, purchasing new vehicles or equipment, or retrofitting older engines with emission control devices. Projects must be voluntary rather than be required by any legal mandate to qualify. Grants awarded according to cost effectiveness. Posted. http://www.orovillemr.com/ci_23003227/grants-available-clean-up-diesel-emissions FUELS Environmentalists' raging war on coal. Exports from the Pacific Northwest are an ongoing battleground in the environmental war on coal. Last week, the Sierra Club and three other groups announced that they would file suit against Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and six coal companies over shipments of coal in open-topped train cars. The announcement is an escalation in the three-year battle to stop new export terminals proposed for ports in Washington and Oregon. Underlying all the rhetoric is a concern that mankind is causing dangerous global warming. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_22996541/environmentalists-raging-war-coal-column#ixzz2QAjYh5zx Alberta premier: US pipeline rejection would hurt. If the Obama administration rejects the Keystone XL pipeline, it would be a significant thorn in Canadian-U.S. relations, Alberta's premier said Wednesday. Premier Alison Redford was in Washington for her fourth trip to lobby on behalf of a pipeline that Canada sees as critical to its economic well-being. The Obama administration is considering whether to approve the pipeline, which would carry 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta across six U.S. states to the Texas Gulf Coast, which has numerous refineries. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CN_CANADA_US_OIL_PIPELINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Poor fuel quality major cause of air pollution: Experts. Experts at a workshop on Tuesday underlined the need for cleaner fuel usage in vehicles to control air pollution and lessen the burden from national kitty in terms of pollution related diseases. Speaking on “A Roadmap for Upgradation of Vehicular Fuel Quality in Pakistan,” the experts underlined the need for improving fuel efficiency in road transport and improve the fuel quality for controlling air pollution. Posted. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/asianet/130411/poor-fuel-quality-major-cause-air-pollution-experts GREEN ENERGY New Solar Process Gets More Out of Natural Gas. The Energy Department is preparing to test a new way for solar power to make electricity: using the sun’s heat to increase the energy content of natural gas. Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., hope by this summer to carry out the test, which entails a process that could cut the amount of natural gas used — and the greenhouse gasses emitted — by 20 percent. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/business/energy-environment/new-solar-process-gets-more-out-of-natural-gas.html Goodbye fluorescent bulb? Philips says yes. If you've worked in an office, you're probably familiar with the soft glow of fluorescent tubes drifting from the ceiling. If Europe's Philips brand is right, those lamps could soon be history. Royal Philips NV, the Dutch consumer appliances giant, said Thursday that it has developed an LED light that will soon be far more efficient than the best fluorescents on the market. That should make it cheaper and greener, as well. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_NETHERLANDS_PHILIPS_LED_TUBE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OPINION A little wind is a good thing. Sure, the stiff north wind that filled the Valley with dust, knocked out power and knocked down trees was nasty. But there is an upside. Statewide, wind-generated electrical power spiked in recent days. The California Independent System Operator, which runs the state's wholesale electricity transmission grid, said that wind-powered turbines - if you've been over the Altamont Pass on Interstate 205/580, you've seen them - generated a record 4,196 megawatts on Sunday. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130411/A_OPINION01/304110312&cid=sitesearch Learn about chemicals in fracking. Several articles have been printed in The Bee opinion section dealing with the topic of fracking. Neither of the articles by Kristin Olsen or Dave Quast said a word about some of the dangerous, cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene, toluene or xylene that are used in the fracking process and are being injected into the ground. They only painted a naive, quick- fix solution for jobs. And the great commentary on fracking by Anita Young of the Sierra Club was misleading. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/10/2663730/learn-about-chemicals-in-fracking.html#storylink=misearch Corporations Can't Ignore Climate Change. Late last October, the New York Stock Exchange stood quiet as Superstorm Sandy battered the East Coast. It was the first time since 1888 that weather had caused the exchange to close for two consecutive days. In the wake of a disaster like Sandy, it’s easy to point fingers—at industry, regulators, government officials—but several years ago, I came to the conclusion that society is not going to solve our most vexing environmental problems by simply deciding who’s to blame. Instead, we must shift the levers of power by involving the major players in our capital markets. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2013/04/11/corporations-cant-ignore-climate-change/ How can we boost distributed solar and save utilities at the same time? Yesterday I wrote that solar PV and other distributed-energy technologies pose a radical threat to U.S. power utilities and the centralized business model they’ve operated under for the last century. This is, I hasten to add, according to the utilities themselves. So what should be done about it? It’s complicated. On one hand, more distributed renewable energy is a good thing. It reduces carbon emissions, increases resilience, stimulates the growth of new industries with new jobs, and gives Americans a taste of energy democracy. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/how-can-we-boost-distributed-solar-and-save-utilities-at-the-same-time/ BLOGS In Gina McCarthy Hearing, Possible Conversation Over Cap-and-Trade. On the eve of Gina McCarthy's first Senate committee hearing towards her confirmation, we find our work a potential topic of conversation between certain senators and the candidate for EPA Administrator. Four senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee, including James Inhofe and David Vitter, sent a letter to Ms. McCarthy asking for her take on a petition the Institute for Policy Integrity, which we direct, submitted to the EPA in 2009. There are now reports that they plan to raise the question during tomorrow's hearing. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-l-revesz-and-michael-a-livermore/in-gina-mccarthy-hearing-_b_3055075.html Lawmakers look to move biofuel bill through House Energy Committee. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is having discussions with the chairman of the House Energy Committee about bringing forward legislation to gut a federal biofuel law. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), a bill co-sponsor, said his talks with House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) have left him “hopeful” about securing a hearing. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/293073-lawmakers-look-to-move-biofuel-bill-through-house-energy-committee ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:56:13 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 12, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 12, 2013. 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. HIGH SPEED RAIL Brown wants China aboard California's high-speed rail project. Gov. Jerry Brown's trade mission to China this week is intersecting with one of the most controversial issues of his governorship: California's $68-billion bullet train. The governor has staked part of his legacy on the rail network, a centerpiece of his vision for California. He is hoping that China, which is enjoying an economic boom and spent $77.6 billion on overseas investments last year, according to official figures, will pump some of its cash into the troubled project. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brown-china-train-20130412,0,1126817.story AIR POLLUTION A Busy California Port Seeks to Grow, but a Neighbor Objects. It was a provocative statement from the mayor of this city of nearly half a million people, where the port, one of the busiest in the nation, has long driven the economy. For years, Mayor Bob Foster said, he has favored development projects in the region, looking for ways for the port to bring in more business. But the $500 million project by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway would increase traffic and pollution and have a devastating effect on residents in adjacent working-class neighborhoods, he said. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/us/rail-project-for-port-of-los-angeles-sparks-anger-in-long-beach.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 CLIMATE CHANGE Gina McCarthy, nominee to head EPA, pledges common-sense approach to climate change. Gina McCarthy, President Obama’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Thursday pledged a “common-sense” approach to battling climate change and touted a career that included working for five Republican governors in an effort to counter GOP criticism of the agency she hopes to lead. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/gina-mccarthy-nominee-to-head-epa-pledges-common-sense-approach-to-climate-change/2013/04/11/798812ae-a2de-11e2-9c03-6952ff305f35_story.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/us/politics/environmental-questions-take-back-seat-at-confirmation-hearing-for-epa-nominee.html?ref=earth Climate change threatens wineries, study shows; how would valley adjust? Wine-grape growers in California and around the world will be forced to move their vineyards north to cooler environments within the next few decades as climate change causes temperatures to rise, conservation biologists say in a study published this week. Think Yellowstone pinot noir or Chateau Yukon cabernet. Not that those are likely new venues for high-end premium grapes, but a new analysis warns that the world's warming climate will put new strains on water supplies for vineyard irrigation. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/11/2665446/climate-change-threatens-wineries.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Report: Global warming didn't cause big US drought. Last year's huge drought was a freak of nature that wasn't caused by man-made global warming, a new federal science study finds. Scientists say the lack of moisture usually pushed up from the Gulf of Mexico was the main reason for the drought in the nation's midsection. Thursday's report by dozens of scientists from five different federal agencies looked into why forecasters didn't see the drought coming. The researchers concluded that it was so unusual and unpredictable that it couldn't have been forecast. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/11/2664850/report-global-warming-didnt-cause.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Greenhouse gases make high temps hotter in China. China, the world's largest producer of carbon dioxide, is directly feeling the man-made heat of global warming, scientists conclude in the first study to link the burning of fossil fuels to one country's rise in its daily temperature spikes. China emits more of the greenhouse gas than the next two biggest carbon polluters - the U.S. and India - combined. And its emissions keep soaring by about 10 percent per year. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/12/2665834/greenhouse-gases-make-high-temps.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY North Coast grape growers optimistic on climate. North Coast grape growers say they take climate change seriously, but they remain optimistic about finding ways to produce premium crops should temperatures rise as much as a new study suggests. The study, the latest in a decade of such research, predicts parts of the Rocky Mountain region could become suitable for growing wine grapes by 2050, even as large swaths of California vineyards decline in productivity. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130411/ARTICLES/130419872/1350?Title=North-Coast-grape-growers-optimistic-on-climate FUELS Russia Skips Hybrids in Push for Cars Using Natural Gas. gor A. Samarsky of the southern Russian city of Krasnodar gets fuel economy on his 1998 Lada sedan that would make a Prius owner green with environmental envy. For all of 120 rubles — about $3.80, or a little more than a gallon of regular unleaded fuel in the United States — he can drive 140 miles. The Toyota hybrid would need three gallons of gas to drive that distance. The only drawback in Mr. Samarsky’s mind is his wife’s lingering fear that the car, which runs on methane gas, will explode on the way to the grocery store. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/business/energy-environment/russia-skips-hybrids-in-push-for-natural-gas-cars.html How fracking transforms remote ranchland to hubs for energy production. Three hours west of Denver, across the Continental Divide, the Rocky Mountains begin the long transition into high desert plateaus. This sparsely-populated land is dotted with ranches and small towns that were once local hubs for mining the rich minerals found under the earth. But over the past few years, this town and others have become increasingly a local center for the natural gas industry. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/a-closer-look-at-hydraulic-fracturing-in-the-west/2013/04/11/af30a52a-a2c9-11e2-bd52-614156372695_story.html Coal to stay important in U.S. energy mix -environment agency pick. Gina McCarthy, EPA's assistant administrator for air and radiation, was questioned by Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the agency's plans to roll out regulations soon to curb carbon emissions from power plants, blamed for contributing to global warming. The Boston native is seeking confirmation by the Senate to replace Lisa Jackson, who resigned as EPA chief in February. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/11/us-usa-climate-epa-idUSBRE93A0YU20130411 GREEN ENERGY Solar panel projects at Thousand Oaks parks move forward. A plan to install carports with solar panels at two parks in Thousand Oaks was approved at an administrative hearing Wednesday at City Hall. The hearing was triggered after the city received objections from residents about the project planned for Dos Vientos Community Park and one objection to the Thousand Oaks Community Park project. The plan calls for four rows of carports in the parking lot next to the Thousand Oaks Community Center, near Thousand Oaks High School, and two rows of carports in front of the community center at Dos Vientos Community Park. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/11/solar-panel-projects-at-thousand-oaks-parks-move/#ixzz2QGQKN5ge PG&E Announces Enhanced Green Energy Program To Give Electric Customers More Renewable Options. Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) said today that it has reached an agreement with a diverse group of consumer and other organizations to enhance its proposed "Green Option" to give electric customers an opportunity to support 100 percent renewable energy. The revised proposal, which has been submitted for approval by the California Public Utilities Commission, would provide participating customers with energy from new small- and mid-sized solar projects located in PG&E's service area. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/12/5337231/pge-announces-enhanced-green-energy.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy OPINION California's environmental laws: Job creators, not job killers. Who knew that being a smoggy place might be good for business? Gov. Jerry Brown is in China, and one of the things he’s pitching is California’s expertise in dealing with smog. Because if there’s one thing we have in common with the Chinese, it’s air pollution. Now, some of what Brown is doing is, well, kind of squishy. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-california-helps-china-on-air-pollution-20130411,0,6195419.story BLOGS The Insiders: Democrats’ lost momentum on climate change. As I said last week, fewer Americans view global warming as a “very serious problem” today than just six months ago. In October, 39 percent of Americans viewed global warming as a very serious problem, compared with 33 percent who believe that to be true today. Carter is the pollster, but by my back-of-the-envelope math, if you exclude partisan Democrats who will follow President Obama on everything, you’re left with about 25 percent of Americans who think that global warming is a very serious problem. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/04/11/the-insiders-democrats-lost-momentum-on-climate-change/ Climate change and Mitch McConnell. I can’t decide what to write about today: Ed Rogers and climate change, or why Mitch McConnell must be the model for Kevin Spacey’s character in “House of Cards.” Maybe both. First, Ed and I have had a little back and forth on climate change. It’s probably tedious to some of you; I believe it is a massive threat worthy of a massive response. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/04/12/the-insiders-climate-change-and-mitch-mcconnell/ Solar Grows Up – Now What? Almost a decade ago, I was part of a group that lost a standby rate case with a Massachusetts utility, when the utility convinced the commission to approve a rate that would incentivize solar at the expense of combined heat and power, (CHP). The package fractured the green coalition we’d assembled and the utility got to greenwash their new, terrible rate. Yes, I’m still bitter. Posted. http://grist.org/article/solar-grows-up-now-what/ Moapa to Lead Powerful, Symbolic Walk from Coal to Clean Energy. Southern Nevada’s Moapa Band of Paiutes are organizing a 16-mile “Walk from Coal to Clean Energy” on April 20, 2013 in concert with Earth Day. This walk will celebrate the tribe’s efforts to retire the polluting Reid Gardner coal plant that adjoins their tribal lands, and also their success in developing the largest solar project on tribal lands in the nation, which will begin construction later this year. Posted. http://grist.org/article/moapa-to-lead-powerful-symbolic-walk-from-coal-to-clean-energy/ California’s China trade office open for business; more deals signed. Positioning California to attract a growing share of China’s massive foreign investment pool and bolstering California-China trade, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., the Bay Area Council and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) opened the California-China Office of Trade and Investment today. It is the state’s first foreign trade office in a decade. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/bottomline/2013/04/12/californias-china-trade-office-open-for-business-more-deals-signed/ Aston Martin to Race Hydrogen-Powered Rapide. British sports-car maker Aston Martin said it will enter a hydrogen-powered version of its Rapide S in next month’s 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race in Germany. While the company is focusing on the novelty of a hydrogen-fueled racing car, fans may find the idea of competing with a big, four-door passenger car is even stranger. However, Aston said the race is an opportunity to show off its hydrogen technology and turn the first lap in an international motorsport competition without emitting carbon dioxide. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2013/04/12/aston-martin-to-race-hydrogen-powered-rapide-in-germany/?KEYWORDS=fuels ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:31:20 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 15, 2013. 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 Hong Kong Pollution Hits Severe Level as Pollutants Trapped. Hong Kong’s air pollution index reached the “severe” level for the third time this year, triggering a government warning, as pollutants from China were trapped by the lack of air flow. The Air Pollution Index (HKAICEMA) reached 207 in the Central business district and 203 at the Mong Kok roadside-monitoring station as of 2 p.m. local time, according to the Environment Protection Department. The index last registered similar readings in March in the city’s Causeway Bay area. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-04-15/hong-kong-air-pollution-reaches-severe-level-in-mong-kok-1-.html E.P.A. Will Delay Rule Limiting Carbon Emissions at New Power Plants. The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that it would delay issuance of a new rule limiting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from new power plants after the electric power industry objected on legal and technical grounds. The rule, proposed a year ago and scheduled to be finalized on Saturday, would have put in place the first restrictions on climate-altering gases from the power sector in the United States. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/13/science/earth/epa-to-delay-emissions-rule-at-new-power-plants.html?ref=earth&_r=0 Residents raise a stink at air pollution hearing for plant permit. Shasta County officials came under fire Thursday over a proposal to renew an air pollution permit for a power plant in Anderson. Members of a group called Citizens for Clean Air said the county Air Pollution Control District was illegally renewing a permit that allows Sierra Pacific Industries to operate a 4 megawatt power plant in Anderson. “They’re circumventing the whole process,” Heidi Strand, a founder of Citizens for Clean Air, said, referring to county officials who held a public hearing Thursday on the permit. Posted. http://www.redding.com/news/2013/apr/11/residents-raise-a-stink-at-air-pollution-hearing/ APCD releases latest Annual Report about air quality in the San Joaquin Valley (Photos). The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (APCD) today announced the release of its 2012-2013 Annual Report to the Community, a summary of efforts taken to control and reduce air pollution in the eight county air basin. The announcement was made via e-mail to interested subscribers of the APCD's mailing lists. Bakersfield residents who would like to know just what the APCD does and how successful it is will find this free publication useful. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/apcd-releases-latest-annual-report-about-air-quality-the-san-joaquin-valley San Joaquin Valley air agency issues alert. Officials with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District are issuing a health cautionary statement effective late today through Monday night because of gusty winds expected to move through the area. Winds may produce areas of localized blowing dust, which can result in unhealthy concentrations of particulate matter. People with heart or lung disease should follow their doctors' advice for dealing with particulate exposure. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/13/2668461/san-joaquin-valley-air-agency.html CLIMATE CHANGE EU’s Hedegaard Urges Lawmakers to Stop Carbon-Market ‘Bleeding’ European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard pressed the EU Parliament to endorse her proposal temporarily to curb the supply of carbon-dioxide emission permits in a bid to boost their prices. The proposal, known as backloading, would delay the issuing of some new allowances in the 2013-2020 phase of the EU’s emissions-trading system, which limits CO2 from about 12,000 power plants and factories to fight climate change. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-15/eu-s-hedegaard-urges-lawmakers-to-stop-carbon-market-bleeding-.html California's carbon market may succeed where others have failed. Most weekdays, a long line of rail cars delivers thick slabs of steel to a factory about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. Deep in the bowels of California Steel Industries, the slabs are toasted until they glow white-hot and then rolled into thin sheets used to make shipping containers, metal roofing and car wheels. The plant churns out more than 2 million tons of flat rolled steel each year, using enormous amounts of natural gas and electricity and releasing over 190,000 metric tons of climate-altering carbon dioxide annually. Posted. http://www.hcn.org/issues/45.6/californias-carbon-market-may-succeed-where-others-have-failed International cap-and-trade markets expanding – but still contentious. Nascent carbon emissions-trading exchanges in several countries are increasingly looking at options to interlink with one another, which advocates say would offer investors long-term stability, increase revenues for the development of renewable energy and strengthen corporate support for climate policy. Yet critics warn that so-called cap-and-trade systems are inefficient and create incentives for polluting industries to continue with business as usual. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/11/international-carbon-markets-expanding Linking by Degrees: Incremental Alignment of Cap-and-Trade Markets. National and subnational economies have started implementing carbon pricing systems unilaterally, from the bottom up. Therefore, the potential linking of individual cap-and-trade programs to capture efficiency gains and other benefits is of keen interest. This paper introduces a two-tiered framework to guide policymakers, with an interest in North American policy outcomes. Posted. http://www.rff.org/Publications/Pages/PublicationDetails.aspx?PublicationID=22167 Santa Barbara conference tackles skepticism about global warming. An oceanographer and former Navy rear admiral said Friday that rising sea levels driven by global warming are now considered a serious threat to national security, but the nation is beginning to get a handle on the issue. “We may do it with duct tape. It may take a new kind of disaster, such as Atlanta running out of water, to fully get our attention, and we’ll probably spend more money on it than we need to,” David Titley said at a conference on sea level rise at UC Santa Barbara. “But in the end, I think we’ll figure this out.” Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/12/santa-barbara-conference-tackles-skepticism/#ixzz2QYB7RK5c U.S. and China pledge 'large-scale cooperative action' to reduce emissions. Secretary of State John Kerry signed climate change agreements with China and Japan over the weekend, making the issue he championed in the U.S. Senate a centerpiece of his first Asia tour. Both declarations of cooperation stressed practical measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mostly ignored the contentious U.N. climate change negotiations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/15/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Better indicators needed to rank climate vulnerability, experts say. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change commits developed countries to financially support developing countries that are "particularly vulnerable" to climate change. But what makes a country "particularly vulnerable"? Between drought-stricken Burundi or flood-prone Bangladesh, which should be prioritized when allocating aid? Policy analysts and scientists say the question is complicated. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/15/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS California needs to bolster regulation of fracking, report says. Report by UC Berkeley Law School says that new technology could sharply increase use of the controversial method of oil and gas extraction and that state regulators aren't equipped to handle it. California needs to strengthen regulation of hydraulic fracturing, according to a UC Berkeley Law School report that identified a number of shortcomings in state oversight of the controversial practice. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fracking-20130413,0,5050714.story Methane, HFCs and soot reduction could cut projected sea-level rise by half – study. Restricting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and cutting projected sea-level rise for 2100 by as much as half can be done by reducing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) along with carbon dioxide. A new study published yesterday in Nature Climate Change shows that cutting back on methane, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and black carbon, starting as soon as in 2015, could rein in warming enough to decrease sea-level rise by 30 percent from where it would be if emissions continued as they are now. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/15/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Mono County: expensive vehicle replacement. California Air Resources Board diesel emission requirements will ultimately cost Mono County, and many others, millions in equipment replacement. Though deadlines do not start until 2019, the Mono Supervisors want to address the problem now. When they met on Tuesday, the Board heard from Acting Public Works Director Jeff Walters. He had said that Mono County has 68 diesel-powered heavy equipment vehicles that must comply with Air Board rules by 2019 and 2025. Posted. http://www.sierrawave.net/24227/expensive-vehicle-replacement/ VEHICLES Vehicle Rebate Project Gets Funding Boost To Help Californians Buy Environmentally Friendly Cars. To continue a program that has successfully issued approximately 20,000 rebates to individuals, businesses and organizations that have purchased zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and the Clean Energy Commission (CEC) recently allocated a combined $10.5 million. That influx of cash is expected to extend the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project until next year’s funds are available. Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/lof-scroller/1442-clean-vehicle-rebate-project-gets-funding-boost-to-help-californians-buy-environmentally-friendly-cars.html GM, Ford agree to jointly develop fuel-saving transmissions. General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., the two largest U.S. automakers, have agreed to jointly develop a new line of nine- and ten-speed automatic transmissions to boost the fuel economy and performance of their lineup, the companies said on Monday. The pact marks the third time in the last decade that the two automakers have collaborated on transmissions. The joint effort allows GM and Ford to bring the transmissions to market more quickly and at a lower cost than if they worked alone. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23027856/gm-ford-agree-jointly-develop-fuel-saving-transmissions#ixzz2QYKs6MZm HIGH-SPEED RAIL Rail bid lower than state's estimate. A trio of American companies outbid four other teams vying to build the first segment of California's proposed high-speed train system – and for several hundred million dollars less than state engineers estimated. The consortium of Tutor Perini Corp. of Sylmar, Zachry Construction Corp. of Texas and Parsons Corp. of Pasadena offered the low bid of less than $1 billion. Five construction teams submitted bids in January to the California High-Speed Rail Authority for the first stretch of the rail line from east of Madera to the south end of Fresno. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/13/5338604/rail-bid-lower-than-states-estimate.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/12/3255405/bids-to-start-high-speed-rail.html GREEN ENERGY Clean Energy Investment Falls 22% as Subsidy Cuts Stall Projects. Clean energy investment slid 22 percent to its lowest level in four years as nations pared subsidies for technologies from wind turbines to solar power and financing in China and Brazil stalled. The $40.6 billion invested in the industry in the first three months of this year was lower than any quarter since 2009 and compares with $52 billion in the same period last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-14/clean-energy-investment-falls-22-as-subsidy-cuts-stall-projects.html Vestas Wind Loses Second CFO as Turbine Maker Seeks Turnaround. Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS), the Danish turbine maker seeking a turnaround, said Dag Gunnar Andresen resigned, the second chief financial officer to quit in less than 18 months. Andresen will leave for personal reasons by the end of the month, the Aarhus-based company said today in a statement. He will be replaced by Marika Fredriksson from May 1. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-15/vestas-wind-loses-second-cfo-as-turbine-maker-seeks-turnaround.html NW Pa. wind farm plan has backers, opponents. Some northwestern Pennsylvania residents want limits placed on the size of wind turbines that can be built in their area and a ban on commercial windmills within a mile of any neighborhood. Neighbors For A Responsible North East also wants developers required to set aside money to cover any depreciation in private property after a wind farm is built and the cost to remove nonfunctional turbines, The Erie Times-News said. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23023917/nw-pa-wind-farm-plan-has-backers-opponents#ixzz2QYLeS93a MISCELLANEOUS Though Brown touts progress, China's environmental issues persist. It’s easy to feel good traveling through China with Gov. Jerry Brown this week. Multimillion-dollar business deals between Chinese and California companies have been announced, and cooperation on environmental policy is pledged at every turn from top Communist Party and California officials. At night, the state is celebrated at lavish dinners where the California wine flows freely. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-brown-environment-china-20130414,0,7066377.story Chicago activist wins Goldman Environmental Prize. As a young community organizer, Kimberly Wasserman went door to door in her working-class neighborhood to learn about residents' concerns. What she found set her on a decade-long mission to close Chicago's last two coal-fired power plants, a task that required taking on a major corporation and, ultimately, City Hall. Now, seven months after Midwest Generation closed its power plants in Chicago's two largest Hispanic enclaves, Wasserman will be honored Monday in San Francisco as the 2013 North American winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/15/chicago-activist-wins-goldman-environmental/#ixzz2QYF5wMty OPINIONS Toward a brighter future. First we all lit our homes with incandescent bulbs. Then we started shifting to compact florescent bulbs. And now there are LEDs. Each shift meant higher initial costs but long-term savings, because each represented a significant reduction in energy use (and that's before we consider cutting powerplant pollution to generate the electricity to light up the bulbs). Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130415/A_OPINION01/304150306&cid=sitesearch BLOGS Climate Change Didn’t Cause the Big Drought. The Hague — During his most recent State of the Union Address, President Obama cited the Great Plains drought last year as an example of extreme weather caused by climate change. According to a U.S. government report, things are not so simple. A new report by the Drought Task Force found that the central Great Plains drought, the worst drought in Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota since record keeping began in 1895, was mostly not the result of climate change. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/climate-change-didnt-cause-the-big-drought/ California seeks to export clean and green technology. California certainly likes to think of itself as an environmental trailblazer, and our state’s record in cleaning dirty air, tackling carbon pollution and enacting laws to require at least a third of our electric energy come from renewable resources, certainly puts us ahead of many states (and nations). Now the state is moving to capitalize on those efforts. Gov. Jerry Brown is visiting China this week to, among other things, peddle California green and clean technology exports. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/opinionshop/2013/04/12/california-seeks-to-export-clean-and-green-technology/ New Study Says CA High-Speed Rail Will Lose Up To 373 Million Annually. I voted NO on Proposition 1A, because I didn't believe they could deliver on their promises. According to a new study, done by the libertarian Reason Foundation, the California High-Speed Rail System will result in annual losses between $124 - $373 million. The study says that exaggerated rider estimates and slower-than-promised trip speeds make the California bullet train project a big financial loser for taxpayers. Posted. http://blogs.redding.com/gandresen/archives/2013/04/new-study-says.html 8 Ways that California and China Can Work Together to Reduce Pollution and Protect the Climate. I was delighted to see that California Governor Jerry Brown has made climate change and environmental protection a key focus of his visit to China this week. In addition to discussing with China's Premier Li Keqiang the importance of collaboration between California and China on renewable energy and climate change, Governor Brown: Signed a landmark agreement with China's Ministry of Commerce and six Chinese provinces and regions to expand trade and investment, particularly in the sectors of new energy, environmental protection and infrastructure…Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bfinamore/8_ways_that_california_and_chi.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:58:28 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for April 16, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 16, 2013. 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 Keystone Emissions Seen as Equal to 46 Coal Power Plants. The Keystone XL pipeline would increase greenhouse-gas emissions by the equivalent of 46 coal- fired power plants or 34 million vehicles, groups fighting the project said in a report. The finding, at odds with the environmental review by the U.S. State Department, said total emissions from the pipeline through 2050 would be greater than total U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions in 2011. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-16/keystone-emissions-seen-as-equal-to-46-coal-power-plants.html California pledges environmental cooperation with China province. As the pollution blanketed this southern city like a thick, toxic fog, California’s environmental protection secretary signed an accord with his counterpart in China’s most populous province to “help each achieve its low-carbon development goals.” With Gov. Jerry Brown looking on, California EPA Secretary Matt Rodriquez signed the accord Monday along with Li Chunhong, director general of the Guangdong Development and Reform Commission, vowing to work with local Chinese officials on cutting pollution. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-california-pledges-environmental-cooperation-with-chinas-largest-province-20130415,0,790169.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly EPA: 2 Pa. natural gas companies settle allegations over pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says two natural gas companies have agreed to improve their operations in western Pennsylvania. In a statement released Tuesday the EPA alleges that Mark West Liberty Midstream & Resources and Laurel Mountain Midstream Operating failed to comply with federal clean air regulations to prevent accidental releases of flammable substances. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/epa-2-pa-natural-gas-companies-settle-allegations-over-pollution/2013/04/16/b5fd0632-a6ac-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_story.html San Joaquin Valley air district has grants for buses. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is seeking applications for a new grant program that provides up to $20,000 apiece for emission- reducing retrofits on valley school buses. Public school districts, joint powers authorities and private transportation agencies in the eight-county air basin are eligible for the program, which also assists school districts with upcoming compliance requirements of California’s Truck and Bus Regulation. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/15/2671372/san-joaquin-valley-air-district.html#storylink=misearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CAP AND TRADE EU lawmakers veto beefing up cap-and-trade system. European lawmakers dealt a blow to one of Europe’s flagship policies on fighting climate change when they voted Tuesday against tightening the bloc’s system of making companies pay for pollution. The European Union cap-and-trade system — the world’s biggest — was introduced in 2005 in the hope of encouraging industries to reduce emissions and invest in greener technologies. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CARBON_TRADING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related stories: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/business/global/europe-rejects-carbon-plan.html?_r=0 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/16/eu-lawmakers-veto-beefing-up-cap-and-trade-system/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eu-lawmakers-voting-on-tightening-cap-and-trade-system-to-make-carbon-pollution-more-expensive/2013/04/16/963b578a-a67b-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_story.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23034382/eu-lawmakers-set-vote-cap-and-trade-system?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/16/3259826/eu-lawmakers-set-to-vote-on-cap.html#storylink=misearch CLIMATE CHANGE ‘Messy’ U.S. climate policy is kinda working. A national climate change plan is nowhere in sight from Congress, and last week the Obama administration pushed back a deadline to crack down on power plant emissions. But despite those — and many other — familiar setbacks, a new report has found that the U.S. is nonetheless inching ahead on climate action. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/messy-us-climate-policy-is-kinda-working/ EPA annual US GHG inventory shows 1.6% drop in 2011 from previous year; transportation CO2 down 1.1%. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 18th annual report of overall US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions showing a 1.6% decrease in 2011 from the previous year. Recent trends can be attributed to multiple factors including reduced emissions from electricity generation, improvements in fuel efficiency in vehicles with reductions in miles traveled, and year-to-year changes in the prevailing weather, EPA said. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/04/epaghg-20130416.html DIESEL EMISSIONS Study: Altered farming could lower nitrous oxide emissions. Changes in agricultural practices could reduce soil emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide and the atmospheric pollutant nitric oxide, according to a new study by UC Davis scientists. “Agriculture is the main source of nitrous oxide globally, so this study is a starting point to help us understand how to manage and control it,” said professor of soil biogeochemistry William Horwath, whose lab conducted the study. The work was published this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Posted. http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/ag-environment/study-altered-farming-could-lower-nitrous-oxide-emissions/ FUELS Obama administration renews aviation biofuel program. The Obama administration on Monday renewed an interagency agreement that backs the development of biofuels for the aviation industry and reiterated its support for embattled federal renewable fuel targets. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood signed a pact extending a program that has worked with the private sector and rural communities to create an alternative to fossil fuels for aviation. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/15/usa-biofuels-aviation-idUSL2N0D218J20130415 To Reinvigorate Production, Alaska Grants a Tax Break to Oil Companies. Hoping to reverse two decades of declining oil production in Alaska, the State Legislature in Juneau has granted oil companies an estimated $750 million in annual tax relief to increase investment in the giant North Slope oil field. The tax change, approved on Sunday, was a major victory for Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and BP, which had lobbied for years to repeal a tax system put in place by former Gov. Sarah Palin in 2007 that made state oil taxes among the highest in the nation. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/business/energy-environment/alaska-grants-a-tax-break-to-oil-companies.html?ref=earth Lawmaker proposes office to investigate possible gas-price fixing. Think you are being ripped off at the gas pump? One California lawmaker wants to give the public a place to contact with complaints of price manipulation or other shenanigans. Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) has proposed creation of an Office of Fuel Price Investigation and Manipulation Prevention at the California Energy Commission. Leno said the new office would develop anti-fuel price manipulation standards, investigate potential incidents of illegal activity and recommend ways to reduce the volatility of gas prices in California…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-gas-prices-20130415,0,5168183.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly REFINERY Feds: Chevron fire sign of weak oversight. The fire that destroyed part of Chevron's Richmond refinery happened because weak state regulations allowed the company to monitor rather than simply fix potential problems, federal investigators said Monday. "The bottom line," Rafael Moure-Eraso, chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, "is that Chevron had resources, time and technical expertise to know the risks. However, there was no effective intervention before the major accident occurred. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Feds-Chevron-fire-sign-of-weak-oversight-4436548.php#ixzz2QdysWp3K VEHICLES California Regulator Scolds Carmakers on EV Petition. Automakers are undermining the progress they’re making in expanding the market for electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles by petitioning against California’s mandates, a state regulator said today. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month to block California’s requirement that 1.4 million electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles be sold by 2025. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-16/california-regulator-scolds-carmakers-on-ev-petition.html http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130416/AUTO01/304160396/1361/California-air-board-asks-auto-lobbying-groups-to-back-off-zero-emissions-fight Fiat 500E lease deal charges up price competition for electric cars. There’s nothing like competition to bring down the price of a product, even expensive electric cars. Chrysler Group said it will be offering a special deal on its first electric car, the Fiat 500e, when it goes on sale this summer. While the sticker price will be $32,500 before various government incentives, California residents can lease the car for $199 a month, plus tax, and a $999 down payment. It is a 36-month lease. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fiat-ev-lease-deal-20130415,0,3425132.story HIGH-SPEED RAIL Bullet train bidder had overruns. Builder blames past issues on governments changing specs. The lowest-bidding partnership for the first segment of California’s high-speed rail line includes a firm with a history of cost overruns and costly lawsuits. The California High Speed Rail Authority on Friday announced that the American joint venture of Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons was the “best apparent value” with a low bid of $985 million — below the $1.09 billion bid by the next-lowest bidder. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/15/high-speed-rail-bidder-overruns-tutor/?utm_source=feedly GREEN ENERGY Blowin' in the wind: California jumps to 2nd in U.S. in wind power. California installed so many new wind turbines in 2012 that it vaulted into second place behind Texas in the amount of wind power it produces, according to a new annual report from the American Wind Energy Assn. California also ranks second in the U.S. in the amount of employment associated with the wind industry, with more than 7,000 jobs, the AWEA said. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-hy-blowin-in-the-wind-california-jumps-to-2nd-in-us-in-wind-power-20130411,0,6358698.story http://grist.org/news/wind-producing-twice-the-power-of-nuke-plants-in-california/ RENEWABLE ENERGY: Desert plan to be discussed. San Bernardino County supervisors have scheduled a study session on a seven-county land-use plan that aims to identify which parts of the desert should be developed with renewable energy and which should be set aside for wildlife and other natural resources. The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at the County Government Center, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130415-renewable-energy-desert-plan-to-be-discussed.ece MISCELLANEOUS California Senate looks at statewide plastic bag ban. A drive to ban most stores from handing out single-use plastic bags got an important boost Monday when the California Grocers Assn. announced its support for a bill. The measure by state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) would prohibit the bags in grocery stores and pharmacies beginning on Jan. 1, 2015. Shoppers would be urged to bring their own reusable cloth or plastic bags or would have the option of paying the actual cost of a paper bag, estimated at 10 cents or less. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-senate-looks-at-statewide-plastic-bag-ban-20130415,0,6464630.story Flame retardants to be removed from nap mats. A Minnesota company has pledged to remove flame-retardant chemicals from the children's nap mats it sells in California as part of a lawsuit settlement announced Monday by the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland. Peerless Plastics will pay $25,000 to the environmental health organization, which sued the corporation and dozens of others for selling products with chlorinated Tris, a recognized carcinogen in California. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Flame-retardants-to-be-removed-from-nap-mats-4436828.php#ixzz2QdyNIRoC OPINIONS California High Speed Rail: Part One, Arguments For. Fox & Hounds has given me a huge opportunity— a three part series on California high speed rail (HSR). HSR is so complex and important that the blank canvas—wonderfully large— is still inadequate, but I’ll do my best. I will assume basic knowledge of the facts. In Part One, I’ll argue a Republican-conservative case for HSR. In Part Two, I’ll argue against HSR. And in Part Three, I’ll attempt a synthesis. Posted. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2013/04/california-high-speed-rail-part-one-arguments-for/ U.S. needs a better disaster plan. The goal should be to use federal money for prevention, not just clean-up. If the highest goal of fiscal reform is to reduce spending and better the lives of Americans, here's an idea that fits the bill: Improve the way the federal government responds to the growing number of natural disasters. Natural disasters have become increasingly costly to the United States, both in terms of the toll they take on American communities and in the direct costs of mounting a federal response. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-conrad-disasters-20130416,0,6173190.story EarthTalk / 4-step plan for U.S. to ease global warming. Dear EarthTalk: What would you say are the most important steps we need to take as a nation to counter the impacts of climate change? Ned Parkinson Chino, Calif. Americans care more about the environment than ever before, and the overwhelming majority of us acknowledges that climate change is real and human-induced. But still we continue to consume many more resources per capita than any other nation and refuse to take strong policy action to stave off global warming -- even though we have the power to do so. Posted. http://www.westport-news.com/opinion/article/EarthTalk-4-step-plan-for-U-S-to-ease-global-4438530.php#ixzz2Qe19k35T BLOGS Jerry Brown says environmental law overhaul unlikely for now. Gov. Jerry Brown acknowledged Tuesday he likely won't be able to overhaul California's signature environmental law in the current legislative session, citing overwhelming opposition from fellow Democrats. The California Environmental Quality Act, Brown told reporters here, "is supported by some key groups within the Democratic Party, and I think it would be difficult for the Legislature to move that process forward." Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/04/jerry-brown-says-ceqa-overhaul-unlikely-for-now.html#storylink=cpy Shakeup at Plug Power, along with deadline for stock price. Plug Power of Latham announced Tuesday that its chief financial officer has resigned and that a new board member has been appointed. The news comes as the company revealed that it has been warned – for the last time – that it is in danger of being delisted from the Nasdaq stock market for having its stock price trading below $1. Plug Power, which makes hydrogen-powered fuel cells for use in fork lift trucks, has been suffering through financial difficulties due to problems with its equipment. Posted. http://blog.timesunion.com/business/shakeup-at-plug-power-along-with-deadline-for-stock-price-to-reach-1/56481/ Washington State may impose $124 fine on EV spot stealers. Park your gas-powered car in an electric-vehicle-designated spot in the Emerald State and you could find yourself Cashless in Seattle. The Washington State legislature has approved a bill that would impose a $124 fine on conventional-vehicle drivers busted for parking in spots slated for plug-in vehicles, the Associated Press reports. Legislators approved the bill by a seven-to-one margin. The bill now needs approval from Washington Governor Jay Inslee. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/04/16/washington-state-may-impose-124-fine-on-ev-spot-stealers/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:55:11 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 17, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 17, 2013. 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 Second group sues to stop California's cap and trade carbon auction. A second group filed suit today challenging California's cap and trade carbon auction, calling it a giant tax that wasn't properly approved by the Legislature. The lawsuit was filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative organization based in Sacramento, on behalf of a group of businesses. An affiliate of the California Chamber of Commerce filed a similar lawsuit last fall, as the carbon program was getting underway. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/16/5346589/second-group-sues-to-stop-californias.html#mi_rss=Latest%20News?utm_source=feedly http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23039019/conservative-group-sues-calif-over-cap-and-trade http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/16/conservative-group-sues-calif-over-cap-and-trade/ http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/17/2673222/second-suit-targets-californias.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/04/16/pacific-legal-foundation-suit-cap-trade.html http://www.chicoer.com/ci_23042536/lawsuit-against-california-air-resources-board-challenges-cap http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_23042519/woodland-business-challenges-cap-and-trade-auction-regulation http://www.news10.net/news/california/article/241378/430/Cap-and-trade-system-leads-to-lawsuit http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/2f051057c1864da4b56196561774fb3d/CA--California-Greenhouse-Gases-Lawsuit/ http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/04/17/9 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Harvard Don Tells EU Kill Grants to Save Carbon: Energy Markets. Europe may have to change course to save the world’s biggest carbon market after an unprecedented plunge in pollution-permit prices, according to a pioneer of so- called cap-and-trade systems designed to help the environment. The European Union should consider moving away from costly subsidies for renewable energy and carbon-efficient projects, which compete with the market in meeting nations’ emission- reduction targets…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-17/harvard-don-tells-eu-kill-grants-to-save-carbon-energy-markets.html Europe Vote Sets Back Carbon Plan. Europe, which led the world in creating a system of emission permits to combat greenhouse-gas emissions, dealt a potential death blow to that system on Tuesday. Focusing on immediate economic concerns over future environmental ones, the European Parliament narrowly rejected a proposal to cut the number of pollution permits. Fewer permits would have raised companies’ costs to emit greenhouse gases, which scientists have linked to global warming. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/business/global/europe-rejects-carbon-plan.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 CLIMATE CHANGE Energy as Dirty as 20 Years Ago on Slow Climate Effort, IEA Says. The level of carbon emitted in global energy supplies has barely changed in 20 years amid stalled efforts to curb pollution and increased coal use, the International Energy Agency said. A boom in renewable technologies such as wind and solar and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol accord aimed at limiting greenhouse-gas emissions in industrial nations hasn’t halted the trend, the Paris-based IEA said today in a report. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-17/energy-as-dirty-as-20-years-ago-on-slow-climate-effort-iea-says.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/17/us-carbon-energy-warming-idUSBRE93G05A20130417 Greenland Bets on Mining as Global Warming Hits Fishing Industry. Greenland is betting that rising mineral production will help cushion the impact of global warming on its fishing industry and boost economic growth in the Arctic island-nation as its pursues independence from Denmark. “In the past we’ve relied mainly on fisheries which made the economy very fragile,” Prime Minister Aleqa Hammond told reporters in Copenhagen today. “We need another way to stabilize the economy, and that will be mining. There’s really no alternative to that.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-17/greenland-bets-on-mining-as-global-warming-hits-fishing-industry.html CALTRANS DETAILS MAJOR EFFORTS TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE (Press Release) Caltrans today released a comprehensive report detailing its efforts to fight climate change by curbing greenhouse gas emissions and embracing new technology such as low-energy cement and efficient LED lighting. The report also describes the department’s efforts to adapt to the negative effects of climate change, such as more frequent and intense flooding and heat waves. Posted. http://www.desertnews.com/article_0562d408-a785-11e2-8857-0019bb2963f4.html http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/news/pressrel/13pr030.htm In absence of action on climate, national ocean plan focuses on adaptation. The Obama administration released its plan for managing the nation's ocean resources yesterday, and in the sections of the plan dealing with climate change, the focus is mainly on adaptation. The purpose of the plan is to translate President Obama's National Ocean Policy, created in 2010 by executive order, into action. It assigns tasks and aims to coordinate the efforts of various federal agencies that manage coastal and ocean resources, including the Great Lakes, as part of an effort to better manage ocean and coastal resources. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/17/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Column- Cool roofs, New York summers and global warming: Kemp. Converting the world's roofs from dark colours to reflective white would cancel the warming effect of 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year for the lifetime of the roof, according to former California Energy Commissioner Arthur Rosenfeld. The reduction in warming would be equivalent to taking half the world's cars off the road for 20 years, Rosenfeld wrote in a recent commentary for the International Energy Agency ("White roofs cool the world efficiency" April 3). Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/17/column-kemp-cool-roofing-idUSL5N0D42XI20130417?feedType=RSS DIESEL EMISSIONS Supreme Court seems open to nixing L.A. 'clean truck' program. Supreme Court justices today appeared receptive to the trucking industry's call to strike down a Port of Los Angeles program designed to clean up some of the country's most diesel-polluted air. The port, the largest in the country, launched its Clean Truck Program in 2008 and has cut diesel particulate emissions from trucks by more than 50 percent. But trucking associations argue that the port's program…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/16/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Route Change Forces Keystone Foes to Shift Focus. Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline used to have a simple argument: the project would endanger Nebraska’s delicate Sand Hills region, a vast network of dunes and wetlands that have been designated a National Natural Landmark. State leaders, including Republican Governor David Heineman, opposed the project on those grounds. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-17/route-change-forces-keystone-foes-to-shift-aim-to-climate-change.html DWP watchdog warns high cost comes with L.A.'s coal-free plan. DWP's ratepayer advocate says eliminating coal from the utility's power mix ahead of a state deadline is expected to cost more than $600 million. Weeks after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa celebrated his plan to move the city off of coal-fired energy, a city watchdog has attached a giant price tag to the initiative. Fred Pickel, the ratepayer advocate at the Department of Water and Power, said Monday that eliminating coal from the utility's power mix ahead of a state-mandated deadline is projected to cost more than $600 million. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-no-coal-costs-20130417,0,4877221.story Natural gas prices rise from historic lows. Wholesale natural gas prices have doubled during the last year, and that's bringing sighs of relief from an unusual variety of interests. Soaring production and an unusually warm winter sent prices plunging to under $2 per thousand cubic feet last spring, prompting some to wonder whether the natural gas boom would kill demand for both coal and new renewable energy. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/17/2673746/natural-gas-prices-rise-from-historic.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES California Regulator Scolds Carmakers on EV Petition. Automakers are undermining the progress they’re making in expanding the market for electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles by petitioning against California’s mandates, a state regulator said today. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month to block California’s requirement that 1.4 million electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles be sold by 2025. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-04-16/california-regulator-scolds-carmakers-on-ev-petition.html California official to lobbyists: Drop zero-emissions fight. The head of the California Air Resources Board on Tuesday called for two automotive lobbying groups to rescind their petition asking the Environmental Protection Agency to reassess California's zero-emissions vehicle requirements. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Association of Global Automakers last month filed a petition in an effort to fight California's ZEV sales requirements. Posted. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130417/AUTO01/304170326#ixzz2QkGAVMaG New Auto Technology On Display At Cobo. The world’s automotive engineers are in Detroit this week for the largest auto conference of the year, the SAE World Congress. The event, held every year at Cobo Center, is three days of technical presentations, along with an exhibit hall full of new innovations. Some of those will be in the cars of the future, some will never make it. “Our focus this year is on achieving efficiency,” says Patty Kreh, who’s the business unit leader for SAE conference. Posted.http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/04/16/new-auto-technology-on-display-at-cobo/ California clean air chief to automakers: We can work together. California doesn’t have to be the bogey man of the auto industry. That was the gist of comments by Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, to thousands of engineers gathered at Cobo Center for the Society of Automotive Engineers annual World Congress. California has long challenged the auto industry with tougher air quality and fuel economy regulations than the federal government. Posted. http://www.freep.com/article/20130416/BUSINESS01/304160112/automakers-california-fisker-tesla-hybrids http://www.mydesert.com/article/C4/20130416/BUSINESS01/304160112/automakers-california-fisker-tesla-hybrids Efficiency top of mind at SAE conference in Detroit. Thousands of engineers and technical experts descend on Detroit beginning today for this year's Society of Automotive Engineers International World Congress. Among the issues on the minds of those behind the next generation of automobiles are autonomous cars, fuel-efficiency gains and other "game changers" facing the industry. The theme for this year's conference, which runs through Thursday at Cobo Center, is "Achieving Efficiency,"…Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/auto/news/ci_23033662 http://automotivedigest.com/2013/04/sae-world-congress-focuses-on-efficiency/ http://m.detnews.com/autos/article?a=2013304160322&f=1213 Chinese firm to open bus factory in Lancaster. On the final day of Gov. Brown's trade mission, he announces that the first Chinese-owned vehicle plant in the U.S. will build plug-in electric buses. Gov. Jerry Brown, visiting the headquarters of an electric car and bus manufacturer here, announced Tuesday that the company would open a factory in Lancaster, the first Chinese-owned vehicle plant on American soil. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brown-buses-20130417,0,640360.story Prius drives Toyota past 5-million mark in global hybrid sales. Since introducing the first Prius in Japan back in 1997, Toyota Motor Corp. has sold 5 million hybrids worldwide, including 2 million in the U.S., the automaker said Wednesday. Toyota said the owners of its hybrids have saved more than 3 billion gallons of gasoline compared with vehicles powered by gasoline only. According to Department of Energy estimates, the hybrid vehicles on the road today save nearly 500 million gallons of petroleum annually in the U.S. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-toyota-prius-hybrid-sales-20130417,0,5735004.story?track=rss http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/16/toyotas-hybrid-vehicle-sales-pass-5-million/#ixzz2QjpZF8LN Auto exec sees new efficiency in internal combustion engines. Despite all the fanfare around electric cars, the internal combustion engine is still going to power most vehicles in the United States and around the world for decades. Even as environmental policy discussions shifted away from nitrogen oxides and smog toward carbon dioxide and climate change, pistons are still the preferred way to turn wheels. Facing this reality, automakers are redesigning cars and engines to hit new efficiency targets and make the best use of new fuel varieties. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/17/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH SPEED RAIL High-speed rail bidder fights back at critics. Los Angeles construction magnate Ron Tutor, whose company wants to partner in building the first segment of California’s high-speed rail system, returned fire on Tuesday at critics who say he has a history of cost overruns and expensive lawsuits. His joint venture of Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons has submitted the “best apparent value” bid of $985 million for the first segment of the rail line, below the $1.09 billion proposal by the next-lowest bidder. Rail officials had estimated the cost of the first segment at $1.2 billion to $1.8 billion. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/17/tp-high-speed-rail-bidder-fights-back-at-critics/ GREEN ENERGY Who’s the world leader in clean energy? China. China overtook the United States last year as the global leader in clean energy investment while American spending on renewables dropped nearly 40 percent, according to a report to be released Wednesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts. “The center of gravity in the clean energy world has shifted from the United States and Europe to China,” the report concluded. China’s leaders are intensely focused on clean energy. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/16/5347006/whos-the-world-leader-in-clean.html Europe Faces a Crisis in Energy Costs. The signs are everywhere. Britain has been unable to reach a deal for its first new nuclear power station since the 1990s. Spain, once a clean-energy enthusiast, has slashed its backing for wind and solar power. Even the European Union’s flagship environmental achievement of recent years, its Emissions Trading System for carbon dioxide, is beset by existential doubts. On Tuesday, the European Parliament batted away an effort to bolster anemic carbon prices on the E.T.S. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/business/energy-environment/18iht-green18.html RENEWABLE ENERGY: Desert residents want say in planning. San Bernardino County supervisors and their High Desert constituents agreed that residents need to be much more involved in a multi-agency effort to identify which parts of the desert should be developed with renewable energy and which should be set aside for wildlife and other natural resources. During a supervisors’ study session Tuesday, April 16, about 50 people in the audience applauded when Supervisor Robert Lovingood said that…Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130416-renewable-energy-desert-residents-want-say-in-planning.ece California utilities lead nation's growth in solar power. California utilities led the nation in integration of solar energy to their power portfolios in 2012, with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Southern California Edison together accounting for roughly 1,000 megawatts of new capacity, according to new rankings issued yesterday by the Solar Electric Power Association. But Eastern utilities are moving quickly to adopt utility-scale solar power, the nonprofit group found. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/17/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Fuel efficiency standards for cars create 'green' jobs, groups assert. An alliance of labor and environmental groups drove home the message yesterday that jobs are not at odds with the environment or economic growth. "It's not good jobs or a clean environment; it's not either-or," said Leo Gerrard, international president of the United Steelworkers union, at the sixth annual Good Jobs, Green Jobs summit yesterday in Washington, D.C. As the country faces the looming threat of climate change…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/17/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS A Pulitzer Prize, but Without a Newsroom to Put It In. When three reporters for InsideClimate News found out they won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting on Monday, none were in the same city — Elizabeth McGowan was in Washington, Lisa Song was in Boston and David Hasemyer was in New York. InsideClimate News may be the leanest news start-up ever to be presented with a Pulitzer, journalism’s highest honor, a prize that is typically awarded to regional and national newspapers. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/business/media/insideclimate-news-hopes-to-build-on-pulitzer.html?partner=rss&emc=rss Zombie EV batteries could see second life on grid. There may be life after cars -- at least for electric vehicle batteries. Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are planning to test whether used electric car batteries could provide backup power during a blackout, in a peak-demand period or to support renewable energy. The lab yesterday said it had developed a "first of its kind" test platform to connect five used Chevrolet Volt batteries together to provide power for short periods of time for a small commercial building or group of houses. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/16/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS New Lawsuit Opposes California's Cap-and-Trade Carbon Market. California's quest to reduce global warming hit another obstacle on Tuesday. A conservative legal group filed suit to block California's new cap-and-trade carbon market. The Pacific Legal Foundation alleged that the market's charge for carbon emissions violates California law because it constitutes a tax, and taxes in California require approval by a two-third majority in both houses of the state Legislature. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/04/16/new-lawsuit-opposes-californias-cap-and-trade-carbon-market/ CARB Chair Mary Nichols tweaks automakers for fighting ZEV mandates. Mary Nichols, chairman of California Air Resources Board, recently took a jab at automaker trade groups for urging the US Environmental Protection Agency to block California's zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandates. They're undermining the progress they've been making in creating the market for electric cars and other ZEVs, she said. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/04/17/carb-chair-mary-nichols-automakers-fighting-zev-mandates/ DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley Lab researchers developing new indoor air pollution standards. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researchers are working on new building standards after discovering previously unknown indoor air pollutants. The lab’s researchers discovered that the aggregate health consequences of poor indoor air quality are as significant as those from all traffic accidents or infectious diseases in the United States. One major source of indoor pollutants in the home is cooking. Posted. http://www.bdcnetwork.com/doe%E2%80%99s-lawrence-berkeley-lab-researchers-developing-new-indoor-air-pollution-standards ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:33:34 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 18, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 18, 2013. 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 Freeway air pollution travels farther in early morning. Two years ago researchers outfitted an electric Toyota RAV4 with a set of test instruments and drove back and forth near four Los Angeles County freeways between 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., sampling the air. The results confirmed that in the early morning, concentrated plumes of air pollution from freeways can travel more than a mile downwind, exposing more residents than previously thought to harmful pollution levels. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-freeway-air-pollution-20130417,0,536917.story http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/a-quarter-of-angelenos-breathe-244224.aspx Air quality across Southern California better, but challenges remain. Air quality statewide has improved over the last 12 years, but the agency that works to control pollution in Southern California wants tougher restrictions on wood burning in open pits and fireplaces as well as cleaner ports and railroads, according to a report released Wednesday. Areas monitored under the South Coast Air Quality Management District, a region that includes Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties…Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_23048393/air-quality-across-southern-california-better-but-challenges http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130417/NEWS07/304170043/Report-air-s-getting-cleaner-California http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/17/report-shows-central-calif-behind-in-clean-air/#ixzz2QpYooM89 http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23048393/air-quality-across-southern-california-better-but-challenges#ixzz2QpelkW2v http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130418/APN/1304180526 http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23049756/report-shows-central-calif-behind-clean-air?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/17/3262623/report-shows-central-calif-behind.html#storylink=misearch CAP AND TRADE Australia to Cut Carbon-Revenue Forecast as EU Price Plunges. Australia will lower its expected revenue from selling carbon allowances after the European Union, its partner in a cap-and-trade system set to start in 2015, failed to win support for lifting record low prices. European carbon permits fell the most on record following a vote yesterday in Strasbourg, France, to reject an emergency measure to reduce surplus allowances. Carbon for December fell 35 percent to 3.09 euros ($4.07) a metric ton on the ICE Futures Europe exchange, the lowest-ever settlement for the contract. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-04-17/australia-cutting-carbon-revenue-forecast-amid-eu-price-collapse.html Carbon Falls Most Ever After EU Parliament Rejects Surplus Fix. European carbon permits declined by the most on record to an unprecedented low after lawmakers rejected a plan to address a surplus of allowances. Carbon for December fell as much as 45 percent to 2.63 euros a metric ton on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London. German power prices for next year fell to the lowest in at least five years. The rejection may render Europe’s 54 billion-euro ($71 billion) cap-and-trade program “completely toothless,” Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Carbon-Falls-Most-Ever-After-EU-Parliament-4441004.php#ixzz2QpuXAtc6 Woodland business challenges cap and trade auction regulation. Attorneys with Pacific Legal Foundation, representing Woodland's Morning Star and others, filed a lawsuit challenging California's "cap and trade" auction regulation Tuesday. The regulation creates a quarterly auction program requiring many California employers to bid significant amounts of money for the privilege of continuing to emit carbon dioxide -- "or be faced with closing their doors in California…Posted. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_23042519/woodland-business-challenges-cap-and-trade-auction-regulation U.N. official describes a 'dark night' for global carbon trading. Depressed carbon markets in the European Union underscore the need for a globally linked trading scheme, including California's first-in-the-U.S. economywide cap-and-trade program, a top international climate official said yesterday. The European Parliament's rejection of a plan to fix a heavily oversupplied emissions trading program has led to a "dark night" among participants, said Christiana Figueres…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/18/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Green groups ask court to speed EPA's cement emission standards. Environmental and community groups yesterday asked a federal court to hold off revisions made by U.S. EPA earlier this year to air standards for cement manufacturers that give industry two extra years to comply. Earthjustice, representing several green groups, argued that a series of amendments released in December and published in February would delay emissions reductions and weaken standards meant to reduce emissions of soot, mercury, lead, benzene and other toxic pollutants. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/18/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Gorbachev sees global failure to address eco-risks. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday painted a dim picture of the world's environmental progress, two decades after he founded the environmental group Green Cross International. Laying much of the blame on a lack of leadership and vision, he railed against governments for falling short on nuclear disarmament, waste, development and climate change. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SWITZERLAND_GORBACHEV?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23051807/gorbachev-sees-global-failure-address-eco-risks http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Gorbachev-sees-global-failure-to-address-eco-risks-4444424.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/18/gorbachev-sees-global-failure-to-address-eco-risks/ China Plan to Complete Climate Change Law Draft Within Two Years. China plans to draw on the experience of seven regional carbon markets as it drafts new national legislation in one or two years, according to the country’s lead climate negotiator. The nation, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases linked to global warming, will “actively promote” the legislation, Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman at the National Development and Reform Commission, said yesterday in Beijing. “Shanghai and Shenzhen are trying to set rules for carbon trading,” providing expertise for the nation, he said. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-18/china-to-complete-climate-change-law-draft-in-two-years.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/18/us-china-climate-eu-idUSBRE93H0ER20130418 More U.S. Oil Probably Won’t Destroy the Climate. A brief walk with Jeff Mitton and Scott Ferrenberg through the pine forests of Niwot Ridge, nearly a mile above the town of Boulder, Colorado, makes it easy to understand why people are worried about climate change. The world has been getting hotter, and so has Niwot Ridge. Mitton, the model of a naturalist with his white beard and big smile, studied evolutionary biology after getting his Ph.D. in 1973. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-17/more-u-s-oil-probably-won-t-destroy-the-climate.html States, cities, environmental groups demand EPA emission rules. A dozen states and cities and three major environmental groups have notified the Environmental Protection Agency that they plan to sue the regulator unless it issues final rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. On Monday, the EPA confirmed that it had missed an April 13 deadline to issue final rules curtailing emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants, the country’s single biggest source of heat-trapping gases that drive climate change. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-epa-emission-rules-demand-20130417,0,7927668.story Coastal cities ponder how to prepare for rising sea levels. Americans in coastal areas, particularly on the East and Gulf coasts, will confront challenging questions in the coming years as they determine how to protect millions of people in the face of rising sea levels and more intense storms. Should cities rebuild the boardwalks in New Jersey shore towns? Should the government discourage people from rebuilding in areas now more vulnerable to flooding? How much would it cost to protect water and sewer systems and subways and electrical substations from being inundated in the next storm? Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/17/3262093/coastal-cities-ponder-how-to-prepare.html#storylink=misearch Climate Change in the San Joaquin Valley and Our Future Food Supply. The San Joaquin Valley is North America's most valuable farming region. The area's crops such as carrots and tomatoes are part of large companies' supply chains. High-value crops such as stone fruit, pistachios, almonds, table grapes and pomegranates are shipped across the United States, Canada and overseas. And while this basin between the Sierra Nevada mountains and Coastal Ranges is a bastion of agribusiness…Posted. http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/45868 . Prolific Joshua Tree Bloom Could Signal Warming Climate. It’s bloom time for Joshua trees, the spikey sentinels of the Mojave Desert that stretches across the southwest. They’re among the most bizarre-looking of desert flora. Though they’re technically trees, these spikey towers look more like a cross between a palm and a cactus. Each spring, many Joshua trees send out large pineapple-shaped crowns of white-green flowers. This year, the blooms are especially large, and widespread. Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/apr/17/prolific-joshua-tree-bloom-could-signal-warming-cl/ A tax, but not on carbon, is proposed to help with climate change. A small tax on financial trades is the newest focus of some climate advocates who believe the revenue could pour billions into adaptation efforts. A so-called financial transaction tax of 0.5 percent applied to trades in stocks, bonds and derivatives could raise $300 billion annually or more, supporters say, opening a rich stream of cash that could help end AIDS, expand health care and fund climate programs in the United States…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/18/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientist works to puzzle out how tropical rainfall will change with a warming planet. For scientist Shang-Ping Xie, there is a good reason to research how climate change will alter weather patterns in the tropics, even if, to most of us, tropical regions seem remote. "What happens in the tropics," Xie -- a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, and the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii, Manoa -- noted in a recent interview, "is highly influential on midlatitude climate." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/18/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Natural gas prices rise from historic lows. Wholesale natural gas prices have doubled during the last year, and that's bringing sighs of relief from an unusual variety of interests. Soaring production and an unusually warm winter sent prices plunging to under $2 per thousand cubic feet last spring, prompting some to wonder whether the natural gas boom would kill demand for both coal and new renewable energy. But natural gas is now just over $4 per thousand cubic feet. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_DRILLING_PRICE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Chevron Defies California On Carbon Emissions. Chevron Corp. (CVX) helped write the first-in-the-nation rule ordering reduced carbon emissions from cars and trucks. Its biofuels chief spoke at the ceremony where California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the executive order in 2007, the same year the oil company pledged to develop a gasoline replacement from wood. Now Chevron is leading a lobbying and public relations campaign to undercut the California mandate aimed at curbing global warming, two years after the state started phasing it in. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-18/chevron-defies-california-on-carbon-emissions.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-04-18/chevron-defies-california-on-carbon-emissions A regulation that might actually reduce California gasoline prices. California's strict low-carbon fuel standard could help reduce gasoline prices in the state, the opposite of what many have predicted, by encouraging the use of a relatively cheap and relatively clean U.S. crude oil, some experts now say. The standard will require fuel producers -- like refineries -- to lower the carbon intensity of the products they sell here by 10% by 2010 in less than seven years. To comply, California refineries might also have to stop using some of the crude oil they use now. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-a-regulation-that-might-actually-reduce-california-gasoline-prices-20130418,0,1278852.story GE rolls out 'LNG in a Box' for advanced gas stations. GE Oil & Gas is rolling out a new small-scale natural gas liquefaction unit in Europe, part of an effort to capture business in the expanding use of gas as a vehicle fuel there. On the sides of a major liquefied natural gas industry conference underway here this week, officials with GE Oil and Gas and the Luxembourg company Gasfin SA signed a memorandum of understanding for GE to sell its new "LNG in a Box" systems to Gasfin, which will use them as the centerpiece of an LNG-as-vehicle-fuel supply network. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/18/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES GM says diesel Chevrolet Cruze gets 46 mpg. General Motors Co. says the new diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze gets 46 miles per gallon on the highway, making it more efficient than some hybrids. GM announced the U.S. EPA's fuel economy numbers for the diesel Cruze Wednesday. At 46 mpg, the diesel Cruze matches the highway fuel economy of the Toyota Prius C subcompact. But the regular Prius hybrid still does better, at 48 mpg. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHEVROLET_CRUZE_DIESEL_FUEL_ECONOMY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-04-18-00-13-00L New battery design solves high energy/high power dilemma, charges 1,000 times faster. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a new lithium-ion battery, with three-dimensional bicontinuous nanoporous electrodes, allowing the battery to be 2,000 times more powerful and be recharged 1,000 times faster than comparable lithium-ion batteries. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5349 Meeting zero-emission vehicle mandate harder than CAFE -- industry leader. Meeting the California-led mandate to put about 5 million zero-emission vehicles on U.S. roads by 2025 is an even greater challenge than the new federal mandate to double overall fuel efficiency by the same year, a leading auto industry representative said yesterday. "We've got a real challenge in front of us, and we're not going to be able to do it by ourselves,"…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/18/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY 'Wake-up call' sounded on stalled renewable energy initiatives. The push to produce more energy from renewable sources has stalled, and “the average unit of energy produced today is basically as dirty as it was 20 years ago,” according to Maria van der Hoeven, executive director of the International Energy Agency, a Paris-based intergovernmental organization that researches the energy sector and holds reserves of oil in case of supply disruptions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-iea-renewable-energy-stalled-20130417,0,6043134.story Fossil fuel phaseout won't impede grid reliability – study. The United States could end its dependence on coal and reduce contributions of nuclear energy without negatively affecting the reliability of the electric grid, according to a new report from the Civil Society Institute. Prepared by the research firm Synapse Energy Economics Inc., the report finds that a heavy buildup of wind and solar could replace the U.S. coal fleet and 25 percent of nuclear power while still exceeding demand for electricity during 99.4 percent of the hours in a year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/18/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS The 2013 TIME 100 TIME presents its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, from artists and leaders to pioneers, titans and icons. Mary Nichols, Environmentalist, 68 If, as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis claimed, states are the laboratories of democracy, then Mary Nichols is the Thomas Edison of environmentalism. Head of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), she has been a fierce champion of cutting-edge technology that is changing her state, a nation and the world. This is actually Mary’s third turn at CARB. She served twice under then governor Jerry Brown, who held office from 1975 to 1982. She came back to CARB in 2007, preceding Brown’s return to the statehouse by four years. Prior to her most recent CARB stint, Mary worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Posted. http://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/mary-nichols/#ixzz2QqeA6XDP OPINIONS Property rights and pollution. Mike Fons brought up a good point in his April 8 letter to the editor: If a landowner is to have complete liberty over how his or her land is used, how do his neighbors ensure they won’t suffer aggravated pollution from his “capitalist greed?” First and foremost, the answer is that, with liberty comes responsibility. Liberty means to exercise human rights in any manner a person chooses, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the exercise of the rights of others. No one is allowed to initiate harm against his neighbor. Posted. http://www.journalreview.com/opinion/article_ea7666a2-a79b-11e2-b58b-001a4bcf887a.html BLOGS Bill to bar apartment smoking goes down in flames at Capitol. Legislation to bar millions of Californians from smoking inside their own homes was rejected today by an Assembly committee. Assembly Bill 746 would have made California the first state to venture into personal bedrooms and living rooms with smoking restrictions. It targeted condominiums, duplexes and apartments. Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, proposed the measure to ensure that people who live in structures that share walls, ceilings, floors or ventilation systems with neighboring units are not subject to second-hand smoke. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/04/california-bill-to-bar-apartment-smoking-goes-down-in-flames-at-capitol.html?utm_source=feedly#storylink=cpy ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:16:09 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for April 19, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 19, 2013. 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 Business group slams cap-and-trade suit, backs Quebec alliance. A prominent business group slammed a recent lawsuit against California’s cap-and-trade system Wednesday and announced support for a new plan to extend the program to Quebec. The transnational linkage would expand the market by allowing firms in either state to trade carbon allowances starting in January 2014, followed by their first joint auction a month later. Companies could buy the allowances to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, a key part of Assembly Bill 32…Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/04/18/california-business-alliance-dismisses.html AIR POLLUTION State air pollution association cites 'remarkable progress' in report. Acknowledging the “daunting challenges” that remain before reaching air quality standards, the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association nonetheless cited its “remarkable progress” toward that end. Despite the state’s population having increased by 65 percent between 1980 and 2010, and the daily miles driven by all vehicles increasing by 137 percent, smog-forming pollutants were reduced by 55 percent during the same period, according to a report the association released Wednesday. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/ivp-state-air-pollution-association-cites-remarkable-progress-in-report-20130418,0,7041188.story Air quality improves in High Desert. Air quality in the High Desert has improved over the past 12 years despite a growing population, according to the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District. The MDAQMD reports a 19 percent decline in days where air pollution in the High Desert exceeds federal standards. Also, the number of days per year when air quality is considered “good” rose from 173 in 2000 to 184 in 2012. Posted. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/quality-39945-victorville-air.html CLIMATE CHANGE Climate inaction likely to deepen EU divisions –paper. The European Union must take measures to prevent the destruction of crops and property by extreme weather or face instability and deeper social divisions as a result of potential climate change, a European Commission document said. The discussion paper, seen by Reuters, calls for a pre-emptive, EU-wide strategy, taking account of factors such as disruption to energy and food supplies. While most scientists agree that the planet has been warming…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/19/eu-adaptation-idUSL5N0D621L20130419 Did Democrats actually discuss climate change at their California convention? Last fall’s presidential campaign didn’t focus on the environment. How much did Dems say here in the Golden State a week before Earth Day? Fresh off an astounding string of nearly across-the-board victories in last November’s elections, California Democrats met in Sacramento on April 12-14, to celebrate their successes and clarify their policy agenda over the next two years. Posted. http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/did-democrats-actually-discuss-climate/content?oid=9620474 Industry seeks Supreme Court review of landmark GHG ruling. An industry coalition asked the Supreme Court yesterday to review a lower court ruling upholding U.S. EPA's regulations to address climate change. Led by the American Chemistry Council, the trade associations petitioned the high court to reconsider the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit's June 2012 decision on EPA's greenhouse gas rules (Greenwire, June 26, 2012). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/19/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY E.U. market troubles will prevent emissions trade linkage -- Calif. air chief. California's top air regulator doesn't foresee linking with the world's largest carbon market because of a glut of credits overhanging the European market. Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board (ARB), yesterday dismissed speculation that the Golden State's carbon market -- the second-largest in the world, after the European Union's -- would accept credits from the E.U. Emissions Trading System. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/19/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Big changes in the country's drought profile this week. The area of the continental United States in moderate or worse drought dipped below 50 percent for the first time in nearly a year, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. A series of storms across many of the drought-stricken areas alleviated water deficiencies in the soil, thanks to a major storm that barreled across the Rockies on Monday and continued eastward through the rest of the week. As of Tuesday, 47.8 percent of the lower 48 states is in moderate to exceptional drought, the smallest area since June 2012, and more improvement is expected next week. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/19/2 BY SUBSRIPTION ONLY Summertime, and the living in polar areas is warmer than the past 600 years. Recent summers in the Arctic and nearby areas were warmer than anything witnessed in the past 600 years, according to a recent study in Nature. The research released this month concludes that the frequency and magnitude of recent high temperatures between April and September in high northern latitudes were "unprecedented" since 1400. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/19/9 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS What investors got wrong in advanced biofuels. This is a guest post by Doug Williams, author of “Advancing Fuels: A Review of the Challenges Facing the Advanced Biofuels Industry.” The president’s recent budget proposal includes $282 million for advanced biofuel technology research. This is quite encouraging given the rather public pull-back in continued biofuels investment from the investment community. This pull-back is not surprising. The first wave of advanced biofuels investments (Advanced Biofuels 1.0 or ABs 1.0) haven’t quite worked out. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/18/idUS125691278220130418 RPT-Fitch: Future CO2 Prices Remain Risk for Utilities After EU Vote. Tuesday's decision by the European Parliament to reject the carbon allowances backloading plan will cement coal-fired power stations' advantage over natural gas-fired in the short term, Fitch Ratings says. However, it does little to reduce uncertainty about prices in the medium term, which is one of the main risks facing EU power generators. In this environment, a diversified and flexible generation fleet is the most positive for a utility's credit rating. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/19/fitch-future-co2-prices-remain-risk-for-idUSFit65540220130419 Renewable fuels make 'good business sense,' but RFS changes needed – Shell. Executives for Royal Dutch Shell PLC this week said they are pushing ahead with plans to research and develop advanced biofuels despite recently scaling back investments in the field and calling for changes in federal biofuels policies. The oil and gas company is focused on developing drop-in biofuels that can be used in existing fuel infrastructure and is working to commission a pilot facility in Houston, said Shell Vice President for Alternative Energy Matthew Tipper. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/19/17 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Nissan Leaf tops Kelley Blue Book's latest 10 best 'green' car list. In the end, it was a very close call, but the less-expensive and longer-ranged 2013 Nissan Leaf edged out a best-ever field of competitors to win top honors on Kelley Blue Book's newest 10 best "green" cars list. "We went round and around on which car would be No. 1," Jack Nerad, KBB's executive editorial director and executive market analyst, said in an interview. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-nissan-leaf-kelley-blue-book-best-green-car-20130418,0,4919194.story HIGH-SPEED RAIL Settlement reached in Calif. bullet train lawsuit. The California agency overseeing the state's effort to build the nation's first high-speed rail line received a boost Thursday when a judge approved a settlement in a major lawsuit that sought to block the project. However, the rail authority also faced a setback that could delay work and add to the project's soaring costs. The rail authority reached the settlement with a group of Central Valley farmers who sued to block the bullet train on environmental grounds. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_HIGH_SPEED_RAIL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Related articles: http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/special-sections/rail/x411129125/Valley-farmers-reach-key-settlement-with-bullet-train-agency http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/18/california-high-speed-rail-settlement_n_3112479.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-04-18/california-to-pay-5-million-to-resolve-high-speed-rail-case http://www.kcra.com/news/politics/California-high-speed-train-settlement-reached/-/11797268/19805332/-/8pjn7wz/-/index.html California high-speed rail bidding rules were changed. The changes made it possible for Sylmar-based Tutor Perini to be ranked as the top candidate despite having received the lowest technical rating among bidders. State high-speed rail officials acknowledged Thursday that they changed their rules for selecting a builder for the bullet train's first phase in the Central Valley, a shift that subsequently made it possible for a consortium led by Sylmar-based Tutor Perini to be ranked as the top candidate despite receiving the lowest technical rating. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-high-speed-bidding-20130419,0,188616.story GREEN ENERGY COLUMN-Customized green portfolios make more of a difference. Green stock funds have always made me blue. There are dozens of socially responsible, "clean-tech" or environmentally friendly mutual and exchange-traded funds, but I have a hard time recommending them. They are typically too expensive because of their fees, have poor returns and are too concentrated in highly volatile stocks. Take the PowerShares Wilderhill Clean Energy ETF, which holds alternative energy/conservation companies based on a 56-stock index. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/19/column-wasik-greenfunds-idUSL2N0D52RB20130419 Exclusive: China's BYD mulls leaner, greener "re-birth" plan. BYD Co, one of the better known Chinese brands thanks to a stake held by billionaire U.S. investor Warren Buffett, may stop making conventional gasoline-fuelled cars within two years and focus on 'new energy' battery models as part of a "re-birth plan" to arrest a slump in sales. Shares in BYD, which once harbored long-term ambitions to be as big as Toyota Motor Corp, have tumbled by almost three quarters since a late-2009 peak, as net profit crumbled to just 81.4 million yuan ($13.15 million) last year from 3.8 billion yuan four years ago. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/19/us-autoshow-china-byd-idUSBRE93H19820130419 Camp Pendleton goes solar. Two more projects at dining facilities come online. Solar panel installation at Camp Pendleton is one of the latest examples of clean-technology employment in San Diego County. Camp Pendleton is energizing two new solar power projects this month installed by Sullivan Solar Power, the firm headquartered in San Diego announced. The $1.9 million photovoltaic systems at the Chappo and Edson dining facilities are expected to pay for themselves in 15 years, said Capt. Barry Edwards, a spokesman for the Marine base. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/18/camp-pendleton-solar/?print&page=all Large energy-saving potential seen in air conditioning – report. Sales of air conditioners are soaring in the developing world, straining power grids and releasing potent greenhouse gases. For a rising middle class in countries like India and China, the units have become a badge of status and a staple of urban life. That makes it unlikely that the trend in sales will reverse anytime soon. However, a new study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds that existing technologies could cut the energy burdens of air conditioning by up to half. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/19/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Solar industry jobs outstrip coal mining. California may lay claim to the largest pool of acting talent in the world. But when it comes to total employment, the state's solar industry cuts more paychecks than Hollywood, with an estimated 43,700 people employed in the manufacture, sale, distribution and installation of solar systems, according to a new national database of solar employment. And when measured across all 50 states, the solar industry employs 35 percent more people than coal mining, Bureau of Labor Statistics figures compiled by the Solar Foundation show. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/19/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Researchers take another step around solar energy's upper limit. With some clever techniques, researchers are finding loopholes around the upper limit for photovoltaic energy efficiency. Now a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is slightly closer to making such designs practical. In solar panels, the Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit refers to the highest efficiency a single-junction photovoltaic cell can theoretically achieve, which is just under 34 percent. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/19/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Before Texas plant exploded: What did regulators know? Despite being located within a short walk of a nursing home, school and residential buildings, West Fertilizer Co in central Texas had no blast walls and had filed no contingency plan to the Environmental Protection Agency for a major explosion or fire at the site. It remains unclear what safety measures, if any, were required of the company or whether West Fertilizer failed to comply. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/19/us-usa-explosion-fertilizer-idUSBRE93I04W20130419 Senate Committee Approves Nominee for Energy Secretary. The Senate energy committee formally approved the nomination of Ernest J. Moniz to be energy secretary, the committee announced on Thursday. The 21-to-1 vote is an indication that Mr. Moniz, who served as an undersecretary in the Energy Department in the Clinton administration, will have no trouble being confirmed by the full Senate. Some opponents had complained that an energy initiative he leads at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is financed heavily by the oil industry and other conventional energy industries. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/us/politics/senate-committee-approves-ernest-j-moniz-energy-secretary-nominee.html?ref=science&_r=0 Jerry Brown starts push to revamp California's environmental law. The governor is restrained in his expectations, however, acknowledging that the appetite for such change 'is bigger outside the state Capitol than it is inside.' As Gov. Jerry Brown toured China over the last week, he repeatedly contrasted that nation's speedy construction of modern transportation systems and other key public works with what he characterized as a lack of vision back home. A pillar of his plan to let the "bulldozers roll" on big projects in California has been an overhaul of the state's landmark environmental law…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brown-environment-20130418,0,66904,print.story OPINIONS Ray of sunshine for SUSD. Stockton Unified has joined a growing list of school districts going solar. The move not only greens up Earth but greens up district treasuries, in SUSD's case saving the district an estimated $600,000 a year. That's the equivalent, trustees were told, of the savings that could be realized by closing two schools. Stockton Unified pays about $5 million a year for energy. Once the solar panels go up, the district will realize a "significantly reduced rate" compared to what it pays the Pacific Gas and Electric Co., according to district facilities chief Steve Breakfield. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130419/A_OPINION01/304190305/-1/A_OPINION Quebec, California not so distant when it comes to climate change. Climate change has no boundaries. It affects everyone in our global community. Actions taken in one place – like increasing emissions at an old power plant – have a negative impact on those living half a planet away. For this reason, effective solutions to climate change must also have no boundaries. We have watched as international climate negotiations have stuttered and stalled, yet we remain hopeful, seeing progress now building from the ground up rather than the top down. Posted. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/quebec-california-not-so-distant-when-it-comes-to-climate-change/article11402754 / California High Speed Rail: Part Two, Arguments Against. In Part One, I made a conservative-Republican argument for California high speed rail (HSR). The argument boiled down to millennial demographics, coalitions and a vision for the future. While I believe that HSR is inevitable and deserves support—all those nations building HSR around the world are not experiencing mass hallucinations that only American conservatives have avoided!...Posted. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2013/04/california-high-speed-rail-part-two-arguments-against/ BLOGS Volkswagen’s CrossBlue Coupé Concept is a Symphony of Gas and Electric Power. Forget that Volkswagen’s CrossBlue Coupé concept looks more like a compact four-door crossover than a coupe and that it isn’t actually blue. Gimmicky buzzwords and bold colors are all part of the deal where auto show unveilings are concerned. The decidedly orange CrossBlue concept comes to the Shanghai auto show this weekend, and it looks as if it may cross swords with the Mercedes-Benz Concept GLA. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/volkswagens-crossblue-coupe-concept-is-a-symphony-of-gas-and-electric-power/ Honda and Nissan Recall Vehicles Over Shift Interlocks and Brake Problems. Honda says it will recall about 204,000 of its most recent models because the automatic transmission can be shifted out of Park if the brake pedal is not depressed. In a report posted Friday on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Web site, Honda said the problem affected 17,500 Acura RDXs from the 2013 model year, 128,000 CR-Vs from the 2012-13 model years and 59,000 Honda Odysseys, also from 2012-13. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/honda-and-nissan-recall-vehicles-over-shift-interlocks-and-brake-problems/ CA Air Board Head To Carmakers On ZEV Rules: Back Off, Boys. California is the largest single market for new vehicles in the United States: more than 1.5 million vehicles are sold each year. So when state officials speak, the auto industry has to listen. On Tuesday, Mary Nichols spoke. She heads the powerful California Air Resources Board, which has legal authority to set emissions regulations for vehicles sold in the state. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083598_ca-air-board-head-to-carmakers-on-zev-rules-back-off-boys California To Have Up To 70 Hydrogen Fueling Stations By 2016? Our planet may have only gained 27 hydrogen filling stations in 2012, but California is hoping to have nearly 70 of its own in total by 2016. So says the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which provides a list of government-funded hydrogen stations in California on its website. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083615_california-to-have-up-to-70-hydrogen-fueling-stations-by-2016 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:55:51 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 22, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 22, 2013. 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 programs in California and Quebec to merge. The California Air Resources Board has linked its cap-and-trade program for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and curbing climate change with one in Quebec. California's air quality officials soon may be adding a new phrase to their bureaucratic vocabulary: "le rechauffement climatique." That's French for global warming. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-capitol-business-beat-20130422,0,1672943.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/20/5357250/california-quebec-carbon-link.html#storylink=misearch http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-04-19/california-adopts-regulation-to-link-carbon-markets-with-quebec http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/21969801 Why the U.S. Is Cutting Carbon Faster Than Europe. This week, European Parliament put a dagger in the Continent’s carbon cap-and-trade system. Rather than choosing to reduce the number of emission credits in the system to better reflect the economic slowdown, Parliament voted to keep carbon cheap—real cheap. As a result, the price of carbon in recent days traded for as little as €3 ($3.92) per metric ton, compared with €25 in 2008. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-19/why-the-u-dot-s-dot-is-cutting-carbon-faster-than-europe http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/business/energy-environment/europes-carbon-market-is-sputtering-as-prices-dive.html?pagewanted=all AIR POLLUTION District says Yolo County's air quality is getting better. The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District says a report released Wednesday shows the efforts made by it and similar agencies statewide are resulting in cleaner air. The report, titled "California's Progress Toward Clean Air," is released annually by the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association, a statewide consortium of air quality regulators including Yolo-Solano. Posted. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_23068778/district-says-yolo-countys-air-quality-is-getting San Diego’s environmental checkup shows good health. Most of the progress comes from cleaning up pollution on the road and at the gas pump, said Bill Brick, senior meteorologist for the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District. Future efforts to further boost air quality will take aim at diesel exhaust from heavy trucks, buses and tugboats, he said. Bonnie Holmes-Zen, senior director of policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association, said San Diegans still need to drive less and drive cleaner. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/21/tp-san-diegos-environmental-checkup-shows-good/ CLIMATE CHANGE Supreme Court asked to hear EPA greenhouse gas challenge. Top industry groups and a dozen states have asked the Supreme Court to review a lower court decision upholding the Obama administration's plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions generated by power plants and vehicles. The parties, which had until Friday to submit petitions to the high court, are challenging a 2012 decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/20/us-usa-court-greenhousegas-idUSBRE93J01720130420 Long-term global cooling ended in 19th century: study. A global long-term cooling trend ended late in the 19th century and was followed decades later by the warmest temperatures in nearly 1,400 years, a sweeping study of temperature change showed. The study, by a consortium of 78 authors in 24 countries, said its 2,000 years of data made it harder to discount the impact on higher temperatures of increased greenhouse gases due to human activity. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/22/us-usa-environment-cooling-idUSBRE93L0SV20130422 Climate change toll felt on businesses, wildlife. Ryan Richardson knows all too well how global climate change can affect local lives. Richardson is vice president of operations at Hobart's County Line Orchard, which lost its entire crop of apples last season due to extreme weather. That reduced revenue and delayed expansion plans. "Whether you call it global warming or climate change, the intense weather really does have an impact," Richardson told The Times in Munster (http://bit.ly/13LBIOH). Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Climate-change-toll-felt-on-businesses-wildlife-4453156.php#ixzz2RCx4NN9X Winemaking would suffer under climate change, study reveals. Grape growing in the Temecula Valley Wine Country and other prime wine-producing regions of California would wither by mid-century if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated and farmers don’t make significant adjustments to their crops, say the authors of a new climate change study. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130420-temecula-winemaking-would-suffer-under-climate-change-study-finds.ece Clarity on climate change causes. ‘‘Humanity is sitting on a time bomb. If the vast majority of the world’s scientists are right, we have just 10 years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet’s climate system into a tail-spin of epic destruction . . .” This quote, spoken by Al Gore in his movie, “An Inconvenient Truth,” embodies the fear that is driving the modern environmental movement. Producers and consumers search endlessly for “green” items, such as reusable bags, energy efficient cars, and sustainable foods, all in the hope of protecting the planet from the harmful byproducts of civilization. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130421/LIFESTYLE/130429951/0/SEARCH Leaders mull direction, significance of state's energy and climate policies. Hailing California as the nation's pace-setter in climate and energy policy, state experts are looking around to see who else is following. At a conference on "California's Energy Future," a top energy policy thought leader cautioned that state officials should think about what they are trying to achieve with their landmark greenhouse gas regulations and trading program. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/22/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY The more we warm, the faster climate zones will shift. Plants, animals and agricultural systems have adapted to thrive in certain climates, be they arid or wet, tropical or temperate. At the globe warms, those climates will shift, potentially disrupting ecosystems and agriculture. A study published yesterday in the journal Nature Climate Change shows for the first time that the shift will happen faster the more the globe warms. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/22/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Canada's emissions decline, despite spike from oil sands. Canada's greenhouse gas emissions have declined since 2000, even as emissions from production in its oil sands region increased 120 percent over the same time frame, according to a new report submitted by the country to the United Nations. The national greenhouse gas inventory offers a snapshot of the country's profile at a time of intense attention to TransCanada Corp.'s proposed Keystone XL pipeline and its potential climate impact. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/22/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Swipes at fossil fuel industry could destabilize markets. Entrenched links between the fossil fuels industry and global financiers could destabilize markets as governments enact tougher laws to fight climate change, a British think tank warned in a study released late last week. Climate experts at London-based Carbon Tracker have determined that coal, oil and gas companies' carbon assets may be left "stranded" by technological advances or more exacting regulations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/22/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Improving automobile fuel efficiency - with plastics. While most Americans know that drastically improving automobile fuel efficiency will reduce gasoline consumption and tailpipe emissions, it may be less clear how today’s cars and trucks are evolving to make that happen. The U.S. government recently announced stringent new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards: the nation’s cars and light trucks must average a whopping 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Improving-automobile-fuel-efficiency-with-4452868.php#ixzz2RD47Uw5T Alaska gambles with major oil tax cut. Call it Alaska's great gamble. The state will forgo billions of dollars in tax revenue in hopes of reversing sour economic fortunes. Alaska, whose economy runs almost solely on oil, has fallen from its perch as the nation's oil king at a time when energy production is surging across the Lower 48 states, fueling budget surpluses in North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. This new boom puts the U.S. on track to become the world's largest oil producer and a net exporter of natural gas by 2020. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/22/5360916/alaska-gambles-with-major-oil.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy No good will come from Keystone pipeline. President Obama is facing a critical opportunity to take the country beyond its century-and-a-half reliance on oil. Earth Day on Monday, and this weekend's third anniversary of the BP Gulf of Mexico disaster, offer stark reminders of the stakes and mistakes inherent in crude. To paraphrase Charles Dickens, the president made the best of decisions last summer when he dramatically improved mileage-and-emissions standards for U.S. cars and light trucks. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/19/v-print/5355232/no-good-will-come-from-keystone.html California is new fracking battleground. The home of the Hollywood liberals is the nation’s newest battleground on fracking. California is the latest state to embark on a fierce debate over whether and how to regulate the oil- and gas-extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing — a controversy already roiling politics in rural Pennsylvania and inspiring an endless soap opera in New York State. But California could provide an even bigger stage for the drama: Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/california-energy-fracking-battleground-90397.html#ixzz2RCpoOyrW VEHICLES RPT-Paris scheme showcases tycoon's battery car gamble. A fleet of little silver cars in Paris is showcasing France's gamble on electric vehicle technology in a project that backers say is even helping to narrow the capital's social divide. Modelled on the "Velib" bike-sharing programme, "Autolib" has won 70,000 clients since its launch in late 2011. Drivers pick up one of the electric cars at a recharging bay, make their journey and leave it at another for other Parisians to use. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/22/france-paris-autos-idUSL5N0D631H20130422 UPDATE 1-Chinese car makers turn to hybrids, hope for Beijing backing. China is warming to gasoline-electric hybrid cars as it tackles an addiction to fossil fuels, and local car makers are finally heeding the call and entering a niche 'green' market dominated by Japanese rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp. Some automakers like state-owned SAIC Motor Corp and Brilliance Auto are developing the fuel-saving technology pioneered by Toyota on its Prius model two decades ago…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/20/autoshow-china-hybrids-idUSL3N0D700Z20130420 Motorcycle mpg: 10 very fuel-efficient bikes. Gaso prices are high at the pump and rising higher, and prospective motorcycle buyers -- especially first-time buyers -- often cite fuel efficiency as their No. 1 reason for wanting to swap four wheels for two. It's always a good swap, as far as mileage goes. Even the thirstiest gas-guzzling motorcycles get more miles per gallon than the most economical cars. Honda's road racing CBR100RR gets a reported 41 mpg, for example, while a big beast like BMW's R1200GS gets close to 50 mpg. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-mo-autos-motorcycle-mpg-fuel-efficient-20130422,0,2334938.story 6 electric taxis are hitting the NYC streets. Six electric taxis are hitting New York City's streets. The environmentally efficient vehicle is called the LEAF. Nissan is donating the taxis as part of a year-long pilot program. The city plans to make one-third of its taxi fleet electric by the year 2020. The fleet has 13,237 medallion taxicabs. The Taxi and Limousine Commission says electric taxis could reduce gas emissions by nearly 90,000 tons annually. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/6-electric-taxis-are-hitting-the-NYC-streets-4452890.php#ixzz2RD3YL2d9 HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail training grant boosts Valley's job hopes. Fresno leaders said Friday that a $1.5 million grant to train people for jobs building the first stage of California's high-speed rail line has the potential to "transform lives" of local residents. The grant, funded by the state Workforce Investment Act, will underwrite skills training by the Fresno Regional Workforce Investment Board for at least 325 people. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/19/3266061/rail-training-grant-boosts-valleys.html http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9073314 GREEN ENERGY Wind energy continues to grow on the list of greentech choices. Chances are you’ve heard that we’re using a lot of energy every day and need to, you know, slow our roll. We’ve done an excellent job figuring out how to use fossil fuels, but what about our other natural resources? Wind, some say, is our next best thing. An infographic created by QuinStreet street below shows that in the last 62 years alone, our energy consumption has increased by 46 percent. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/wind-energy-continues-to-grow-on-the-list-of-greentech-choices/2013/04/22/cbbe08a4-aaad-11e2-9493-2ff3bf26c4b4_story.html Electric-Taxi Experiment Asks if City’s Cabbies Can Spare the Time to Plug In. The taxis are not entirely yellow. Their drivers are allowed to refuse certain fares. Even the smell is different, with no oil-rich odor greeting riders at the door. Months before the city’s Taxi of Tomorrow is scheduled to reach the road, officials have already turned their attention to the type of vehicle that might replace it. This week, the city will introduce six fully electric taxis into the fleet as part of a pilot program intended primarily to answer a single question: Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/nyregion/electric-taxi-experiment-to-begin-in-new-york.html China's Clean Energy Investment Puts America to Shame. In the U.S., when the topic of clean energy comes up, we like to debate concepts like climate change or global warming, turning it into a political debate more than a strategic one. Subsidies to industries such as wind or solar, no matter how small, take criticism from politicians and the media while the government continues to subsidizes oil, gas, coal, and nuclear production to the tune of billions of dollars each year. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/China-s-Clean-Energy-Investment-Puts-America-to-4450241.php#ixzz2RD0uLo1X Energy measures save Green Bay schools $10 million. The Green Bay School District said it has saved millions of dollars over the past decade by conserving energy in its buildings. District officials said using energy-efficient light bulbs, turning off or dimming lights, maintaining heating and cooling systems in good condition and avoiding heavy energy use during peak times saved them about $10 million. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Energy-measures-save-Green-Bay-schools-10-million-4453293.php#ixzz2RD1fJYw9 A Good Investment in the Utility Sector. Duke Energy is an energy company owning nuclear, natural gas, coal-fired and hydroelectric generation. Headquartered in Charlotte, Duke operates in the United States providing nearly 20000 megawatts of owned electric capacity to over 2 million customers. It is a Fortune 250 company having a diverse fuel mix. Although utility companies are unlikely to experience substantial capital appreciation, this one is a worthwhile investment. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/A-Good-Investment-in-the-Utility-Sector-4442111.php#ixzz2RD3G0WrD Solar power shopping? Here are some tips. With solar panel prices plunging and generous tax credits and incentives still available, now may be as good a time as any to go solar. But shopping for a solar power system can be a tough task. Consumers face a bewildering array of options. There are thousands of different solar panel models from dozens of manufacturers. In regions like the Bay Area, consumers can choose from among hundreds of different panel installers. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23078458/solar-power-shopping-here-are-some-tips#ixzz2RD9Lpndp MISCELLANEOUS Tens of thousands of Angelenos hop on their bikes for CicLAvia. Tens of thousands of Angelenos abandoned their cars Sunday and hopped on their bikes, strapped on their rollerblades or pulled on their walking shoes and took to the streets to rediscover their city as part of the sixth CicLavia. Starting near City Hall, the cyclists, skateboarders, dog-walkers, runners and pedestrians slowly began making their way along the 15-mile, car-free route that will take them from downtown to Venice Beach. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ciclavia-thousand-of-angelenos-hop-on-bikes20130421,0,7804221.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Rash of catalytic converter thefts in Las Cruces. Thieves in Las Cruces apparently are setting their sights on catalytic converters. Several automobile muffler shops in the southern New Mexico city report seeing a rash of vehicles brought in because of thefts of the emission control devices. Bob Mocerino says vehicle owners who are victims of converter thefts typically walk into his muffler shop describing how their vehicle is "really loud right now." Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Rash-of-catalytic-converter-thefts-in-Las-Cruces-4453017.php#ixzz2RD2lZ6dQ Unhealthy mercury levels persist in fish. Despite efforts by the state to curb mercury in the air and water, unhealthy levels of the element in most fish persist, resulting in restrictions on local fish consumption. “Mercury is a really big issue,” said Gary Rose, director of engineering and enforcement at the Bureau of Air Management the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. “It’s local. It’s national. It’s international.” Exposure to mercury, through the air or by eating mercury-laden fish, is toxic to humans. Posted. http://www.norwalkcitizenonline.com/news/article/Unhealthy-mercury-levels-persist-in-fish-4453140.php#ixzz2RD2MuWIU OPINIONS The End of the EU's Cap-and-Trade Affair. This could turn out to be very good news for the world's climate. For some time, a divorce has been on the horizon. For years these sweethearts have soaked up the limelight on the international stage, but the sordid reality has sunk in. On Tuesday, a vote in the European Parliament confirmed that the love affair between the European Union and its climate policy may be well and truly over. This could turn out to be very good news for the world's climate. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323735604578436283452099120.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change BY SUBSCRIPTION Cap and Trade Collapses. Even the European Parliament rejects carbon price-fixing. One of the great policy bubbles of our times has been cap and trade for carbon emissions, and on Tuesday it may have popped for good. The European Parliament refused to save the EU's failing program, which is the true-believer equivalent of the pope renouncing celibacy. The Parliament in Strasbourg voted 334-315 (with 63 abstentions) against propping up the price of carbon credits in the EU Emissions Trading System. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324030704578426520736614486.html?KEYWORDS=emissions BY SUBSCRIPTION Life After Oil and Gas. This mantra, repeated on TV ads and in political debates, is punctuated with a tinge of inevitability and regret. But, increasingly, scientific research and the experience of other countries should prompt us to ask: To what extent will we really “need” fossil fuel in the years to come? To what extent is it a choice? As renewable energy gets cheaper and machines and buildings become more energy efficient…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/sunday-review/life-after-oil-and-gas.html?ref=earth McManus: A tax everyone can love. Once we get used to the idea, taxing carbon makes sense. The chairmen of Congress' primary tax committees, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), have launched a bipartisan effort to reform our messy, inefficient federal tax law. They've agreed to look for ways to lower tax rates on both individuals and corporations and at the same time "close loopholes." But Baucus and Camp are going to run into a big problem: One taxpayer's "loophole" is another's sacred birthright. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcmanus-column-the-case-for-a-carbon-tax-20130421,0,1014305,print.column Dan Morain: State pushes 'green chemistry' What's a chemical company to do? Buckle up. Once again, California is heading off on its own, this time decreeing that manufacturers of consumer products find alternatives to ingredients that are linked to cancer, are reproductive toxins or otherwise despoil the planet. "Chemicals are not going away, but they need to change," said Department of Toxic Substances Control director Debbie Rafael, who is overseeing California's "green chemistry" program. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/21/5356942/state-pushes-green-chemistry.html McClintock doesn't represent local environment issues well. Re "McClintock hardly matches Muir in pantheon of Yosemite protectors" (Forum, April 14): The late Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill once said that "all politics is local." My representative Tom McClintock has turned this once basic truism and a fundamental cornerstone of our Constitution on its head. On environmental issues, the Congressman has opposed the San Joaquin River restoration, opposed the Klamath River restoration and opposed improving levee improvements in the Sacramento Valley. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/21/v-print/5340854/congressman-mcclintock.html Viewpoints: Should plastic bags be banned in California? No Growing up in the shadow of the '60s, a remarkable event occurred in my otherwise unremarkable hometown of Modesto – a little group called Ecology Action created the nation's first-ever curbside recycling program. National coverage in Look magazine stoked town pride. The year was 1971, and I was 11 years old. I remember the excitement helping mom drag recyclables to the curb and watching primitive trucks pull into the cul-de-sac to haul everything away. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/21/v-print/5356968/should-plastic-bags-be-banned.html Home, turbulent home. Unfortunately: Earth Day 2013 finds the world with new warnings of a dramatically changing climate. FORTUNATELY: There are positive signs, too, if we follow them. It was 43 years ago today, on the first Earth Day in 1970, that a government scientist delivered this ominous warning: "Pollution and over-pollution unless checked could so warm the earth in 200 years as to create a greenhouse effect melting the arctic ice cap and flooding vast areas of the world," said Jay Murray Mitchell, a climatologist with what is today known as the National Weather Service. Posted. http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Home-turbulent-home-4451584.php#ixzz2RD02fY74 10 Companies Pioneering Green Energy Usage. There aren't many people who will suggest that Kohl's Department Stores is a subversive threat to our existence as we know it. Lucky for you, dear reader, I am one of them. As our elected officials and fossil fuel lobbyists engage in never-ending battles to ensure we maintain our energy status quo, many corporations are quietly making big investments to brighten our energy future. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/10-Companies-Pioneering-Green-Energy-Usage-4451205.php#ixzz2RD4afJAM Editorial: Lawsuit could bring changes. Our view: If successful, the lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board could force a different attitude on state agencies. Less than a month ago, staff from the California Air Resources Board sat in the Chico City Council chambers, invited by Assemblyman Dan Logue, to talk about the state's diesel regulations. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/ci_23073612/editorial-lawsuit-could-bring-changes Idling vehicles raise risks, get you nowhere. Recent reports show that people exposed to higher levels of air pollution have an increased risk of low birth weight, stroke, heart attack, respiratory infections, lung cancer, cognitive deterioration and decreased life expectancy. These health risks exist even at pollution levels that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently considers to be safe. Since moving vehicles generate approximately 12 percent of all air pollutants…Posted. http://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/Idling-vehicles-raise-risks-get-you-nowhere-4448327.php#ixzz2RDKw1tsm BLOGS Poll Suggests Energy Independence Trumps Environmental Concerns. U.S. and Canadian policymakers in favor of TransCanada Corp. TRP.T -0.18%’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline got a bit more ammunition for their cause Monday. A new poll of American and Canadian residents suggests a majority in both countries–74% of Americans, 68% of Canadians–either support or “somewhat” support the controversial pipeline, which has been the target of intense opposition by environmentalist groups and key Democratic lawmakers. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/canadarealtime/2013/04/22/poll-suggests-energy-independence-trumps-environmental-concerns/?KEYWORDS=emissions Europe’s cap-and-trade program is in trouble. Can it be fixed? The European Union has long prided itself on taking the lead in tackling climate change. But, this week, the continent’s flagship program — a cap-and-trade program for carbon-dioxide emissions — ran into serious trouble after a big reform effort failed. So can it be fixed? Let’s start with some background. The E.U.’s Emissions Trading Scheme works by setting an overall cap on carbon emissions for about half of Europe’s industries. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/20/europes-cap-and-trade-program-is-in-trouble-can-it-be-fixed/ An Earth Day Debate: Is There a ‘Carbon Bubble’? On Monday many people are celebrating Earth Day by admiring the beauty of our planet and by calling attention to the environmental dangers it faces. While the focus is on the planet, economists are warning that carbon emissions could cause grave damage to something else green and dear. The value of carbon-based investments — many traded publicly — could implode once governments start seriously curbing emissions, bursting what some have dubbed “the carbon bubble.” Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/an-earth-day-debate-is-there-a-carbon-bubble/ Reducing Black Carbon and Other Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Could Reduce Sea Level Rise by a Third. Recently we learned that nearly 3.5 million people are killed each year by indoor air pollution, much of it caused by black carbon soot. It's a health problem for sure, and it's a climate change problem, both of significant size—despite the general lack of media attention focused on either aspect. Posted. http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/sea-level-rise-can-be-cut-by-one-third-if-we-reduce-black-carbon-other-short-lived-climate-pollutants Earth Day Is a Reminder to Move Forward on Combating Climate Change. One of the best ways to celebrate Earth Day is to continue working to combat climate change and protect our planet for future generations. With 2012 being the hottest year on record in the continental United States and climate change fueling deadly and costly floods, droughts, wildfires, and Superstorm Sandy, it's clear that the time to act is now. President Obama has the chance to do just that while building on his environmental legacy. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gene-karpinski/earth-day-a-reminder_b_3132555.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:45:54 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 23, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 23, 2013. 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 Credits Will Soon Be Good In Quebec. A deal's been in the works for some time, but the California Air Resources Board (CARB) made it official Friday: greenhouse gas emission allowances acquired as part of California's cap and trade auction program can soon be traded along with those issued under a similar program in the Canadian province of Quebec. As of January 1, 2014, the carbon emissions markets in California and Quebec will essentially merge…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/climate-change/california-carbon-credits-will-soon-be-good-in-quebec.html California and New England Carbon Markets Unfazed by Europe’s Woes. News of the European Union and its troubles with the program there to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions is spreading around the globe. What will happen and how might that experience affect California and New England, where similar efforts are underway? Europe’s cap-and-trade mechanism to cut heat trapping emissions is struggling for a multitude of reasons, some of which are applicable to other regions and some of which are endemic to its continental strategy. Posted. http://www.energybiz.com/article/13/04/california-and-new-england-carbon-markets-unfazed-europe-s-woes AIR POLLUTION In China, Breathing Becomes a Childhood Risk. The boy’s chronic cough and stuffy nose began last year at the age of 3. His symptoms worsened this winter, when smog across northern China surged to record levels. Now he needs his sinuses cleared every night with saltwater piped through a machine’s tubes. The boy’s mother, Zhang Zixuan, said she almost never lets him go outside, and when she does she usually makes him wear a face mask. The difference between Britain, where she once studied, and China is “heaven and hell,” she said. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/world/asia/pollution-is-radically-changing-childhood-in-chinas-cities.html?_r=0 3 Areas of the World Continue to Pollute Our Air. When it comes to checks and balances, carbon emissions could do without. Despite massive gains in growth for both solar and wind in 2012, emissions per unit of energy remain nearly at the same level as 15 years ago. Let's take a closer look at who's polluting, who's greening, and if there are profits in store for your portfolio picks. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/3-Areas-of-the-World-Continue-to-Pollute-Our-Air-4455836.php#ixzz2RJ7KERfg Air pollution report shows Oxnard has highest levels in the county. Ventura County's communities had a range of air pollution in a new report from the California Environmental Protection Agency. The report, called CalEnviroSceen, pulls together information about a range of pollutants to create an overall score for each zip code in the state. The Oxnard and Port Hueneme area had the worst score in the county, including 93030 which was in the highest pollution score category for the report. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/23/tool-identifies-califs-most-polluted-cities/?partner=RSS#ixzz2RJCjrQHs Air pollution report shows Oxnard has highest levels in the county. The report, called CalEnviroSceen, pulls together information about a range of pollutants to create an overall score for each zip code in the state. The Oxnard and Port Hueneme area had the worst score in the county, including 93030 which was in the highest pollutin score category for the report. The study of 1,769 ZIP code areas by the Cal EPA looked at everything from pesticide use to traffic density to groundwater threats. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/23/tool-identifies-califs-most-polluted-cities/#ixzz2RJ6lKZq9 Wis. utilities settle with EPA over air pollution. Wisconsin utilities have agreed to spend more than $1 billion to clean up aging coal-fired power plants under a settlement with federal regulators announced Monday. Under the agreement filed in federal court in Madison, the utilities will pay a civil penalty of $2.45 million for alleged violations of air pollution laws over the years. Wisconsin Power & Light Co. and the other utilities also agreed to pay $8.5 million to fund a series of environmental projects over the next five years. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/22/wis-utilities-settle-with-epa-over-air-pollution/#ixzz2RJ75v2pM OC supes to weigh in on proposed beach bonfire ban. Orange County supervisors could throw their support behind maintaining the Southern California tradition of beach bonfires as a possible ban looms. The Los Angeles Times says that a staff report for Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting recommends they oppose a broad ban and let cities decide for themselves whether to allow the fires. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/23/oc-supes-to-weigh-in-on-proposed-beach-bonfire-ban/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/23/3269692/oc-supes-to-weigh-in-on-proposed.html#storylink=misearch http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23085538/oc-supes-weigh-proposed-beach-bonfire-ban?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Tool identifies Calif.'s most polluted cities. Seven of California's 10 ZIP codes most burdened by pollution are in the San Joaquin Valley and three are in Los Angeles, according to a new tool developed by state environmental officials to target communities for cleanup. "People tend to think of more urban areas when they think of pollution effects," said Sam Delson, a spokesman for the California Environmental Protection Agency. "That isn't necessarily the case." Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/23/2683092/tool-identifies-califs-most-polluted.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23086205/tool-identifies-calif-s-most-polluted-cities?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.necn.com/04/23/13/Tool-identifies-Califs-most-polluted-cit/landing_scitech.html?&apID=cd7697ac7ca84c74ae745fee1e81b619 Yuba-Sutter air quality improvement may boost status. Yuba-Sutter's air quality has improved enough in recent years that officials are seeking an upgrade in Environmental Protection Agency clean-air status. Feather River Air Quality Management District, which monitors air quality for both Yuba and Sutter counties, is seeking "attainment" status for the first time since 2006. Posted. Read more: http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/air-124760-quality-area.html#ixzz2RJDbECNu Model for megacities? Mexico City cleans up its air. As people around the world celebrate Earth Day, Mexico City may serve as an unlikely environmental example for cities in developing countries suffering poor air quality. Mexico City was once known for its smoggy landscape with industrial eyesores such as the 18 de Marzo Refinery spewing ozone-forming emissions such as sulfur dioxide. The cloud of contaminants hanging over the capital played into an apocalyptic reputation for pollution, crime, and overpopulation…Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2013/0422/Model-for-megacities-Mexico-City-cleans-up-its-air?google_editors_picks=true States, cities ask Supreme Court to review cross-state ruling. Nine states, five cities and the District of Columbia yesterday urged the Supreme Court to grant U.S. EPA's request to review a lower court decision that throw out its regulations for air pollution that drifts across state lines. Led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D), the local officials filed a brief in support of petitions from EPA and environmental groups challenging a August 2012 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/23/11 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Redwood clones planted to combat warming. A team led by a nurseryman from northern Michigan and his sons has raced against time for two decades, snipping branches from some of the world's biggest and most durable trees with plans to produce clones that could restore ancient forests and help fight climate change. Now comes the most ambitious phase of the quest: getting the new trees into the ground. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Redwood-clones-planted-to-combat-warming-4454850.php#ixzz2RJ8ASyXg John Kerry on climate change: ‘Science is screaming’ for new energy controls. U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry vowed during Earth Day remarks to deal with climate change, one of the world's foremost "clear and present danger[s]." He also said, in honor of Monday's Earth Day message: "The science is screaming at all of us and demands action. From the far reaches of Antarctica's Ross Sea to tropical wetlands in Southeast Asia…Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/23/john-kerry-climate-change-science-screaming-new-en/#ixzz2RJEYusyY Earth Day: California coastal redwoods to be planted in 7 nations to fight climate. Ceremonial plantings of two dozen clones from California's mighty coastal redwoods were taking place Monday in seven nations: Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Germany and the U.S. A team led by a nurseryman from northern Michigan and his sons has raced against time for two decades, snipping branches from some of the world's biggest and most durable trees with plans to produce clones that could restore ancient forests and help fight climate change. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/04/22/36916/earth-day-calif-coastal-redwood-tree-plantings-in/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 A way to curb global warming: Suck carbon emissions right out of the air? Most efforts to address carbon emissions focus on preventing them from entering the atmosphere in the first place. But how to get rid of CO2 already there? Start-ups are developing prototype air-capture systems. Efforts to combat global warming, triggered and reinforced by rising levels of carbon dioxide as humans burn fossil fuels and convert forests to farmland, largely focus on preventing CO2 from entering the atmosphere in the first place. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2013/0422/A-way-to-curb-global-warming-Suck-carbon-emissions-right-out-of-the-air FUELS Trucking Industry Is Set to Expand Its Use of Natural Gas. The natural gas boom has already upended the American power industry, displacing coal and bringing consumers cheaper electricity. Now the trucking industry, with its millions of 18-wheelers moving products like potato chips, underarm deodorant and copy paper around the country, is taking a leap forward in switching from petroleum to cleaner-burning natural gas. And if natural gas remains cheap, consumers may benefit again. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/business/energy-environment/natural-gas-use-in-long-haul-trucks-expected-to-rise.html State Department Criticized by E.P.A. on Pipeline Report. The Environmental Protection Agency sharply criticized the State Department’s impact statement for the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, saying the report failed to adequately consider the climate change impacts of building the pipeline or to realistically assess alternative pipeline routes or modes of transport. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/us/politics/state-department-criticized-by-epa-on-pipeline-report.html?ref=earth http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-keystone-epa-20130423,0,1686806.story http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/EPA-criticizes-Keystone-pipeline-review-4454846.php Could Biofuels Help Power Jets? A new synthetic type of biofuel created by mixing and matching bits of DNA from different organisms could one day replace diesel and jet fuel, scientists say. Biofuels are renewable sources of energy created using living organisms such as plants. The most common biofuel used in vehicles today is ethanol, more commonly known as drinking alcohol. Posted. http://news.yahoo.com/could-biofuels-help-power-jets-195116022.html Researchers seek new ways to capture methane. With drillers tapping into massive stores of natural gas across the United States, scientists are researching ways to capture it more effectively. Natural gas mostly consists of methane but has smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen in the mix. Energy companies are looking for a cheap way to separate these gases to yield a pure methane stream. Developers also want to control methane leaks because the gas is an especially potent heat trapper in the atmosphere. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/23/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Researchers engineer bugs to create diesel replica. Since the recession, stars moved out of alignment for clean-tech startups looking to replace fossil fuels with synthetic biofuels. Some companies have shuttered their biofuel enterprises or moved toward producing more lucrative pharmaceuticals and chemicals for cosmetics. But John Love, a researcher at the University of Exeter, has not wavered since 1993, when he first began working on biofuels. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/23/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Calif. advancing measures to stop or limit fracking. A slew of measures are advancing in California to stop or limit hydraulic fracturing as the oil industry works to unlock a massive shale formation in the state. California lawmakers have offered 10 bills that would affect the technique known as fracking, where companies blast chemical-laced water underground at high pressure to break apart rock formations and release oil or natural gas. Critics charge it endangers watersheds, wildlife and air quality, while industry disputes those claims. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/23/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Fisker Automotive misses Energy Department loan payment. Troubled sports car maker Fisker Automotive Inc. failed to make a $10-million payment on a federal government loan Monday, tipping the Anaheim company closer to a bankruptcy reorganization or liquidation. Fisker was scheduled to start to pay down about $192 million it had borrowed under the Energy Department’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fisker-misses-federal-loan-payment-20130422,0,5666949.story MISCELLANEOUS It's lights out as UCLA enacts tobacco ban on Earth Day. UCLA is the first school in the UC system to implement the ban, following a call by President Mark G. Yudof for all 10 UC campuses to go smoke-free by 2014. Heija Yan took a drag from his cigarette as he approached Powell Library on the UCLA campus Monday, not noticing that the ashtrays were empty and askew. The electrical engineering graduate student had no idea that the university had enacted its tobacco ban on Earth Day. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-ucla-smoking-20130423,0,4072280.story http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ucla-stops-smoking-on-earth-day-20130422,0,1323336,print.story Cal students want oil money for education, green energy, county governments and state parks. Tired of rising tuition at UC Berkeley, a group of students said Monday it would help gather signatures for a state ballot measure taxing oil and gas extraction $2 billion for education, green energy, county governments and state parks. The UC Berkeley group is joining 12 other student and environmental groups to get the California Modernization and Development Act on the November 2014 ballot. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23082087/cal-students-want-oil-money-education OPINIONS How to put America back together again - it can start with a carbon tax. Until we fully understand what turned two brothers who allegedly perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings into murderers, it is hard to make any policy recommendation other than this: We need to redouble our efforts to make America stronger and healthier so it remains a vibrant counterexample to whatever bigoted ideology may have gripped these young men. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/22/5362501/how-to-put-america-back-together.html#storylink=cpy NO ON SONOMA CLEAN POWER: Higher cost, more greenhouse gases. As Sonoma County considers paying more for electricity that is purportedly “green” through a community choice aggregation system, we hope residents and leaders will look beyond the grand claims and focus on the hard fact that this new program will, in all likelihood, emit more greenhouse gases than our current supply. How could that be? How could a plan that politicians boldly call “green” actually increase greenhouse gases? Here's how. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130422/OPINION/130429892?template=printart Expand the potential of energy-saving Prop. 39. In response to the important hearing in Riverside regarding implementation of Prop. 39 for energy-saving projects (“Area makes grab for Prop. 39 money,” April 5), we need to widen the possibilities. The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice believes that if we are to maximize the job-creation potential of this program, we need to include not only schools but also public buildings such as affordable housing, community colleges, libraries, senior centers and other facilities in disadvantaged communities as permitted by the Prop. 39 rules. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-headlines/20130422-letter-expand-the-potential-of-energy-saving-prop.-39.ece The real deniers of climate change. The Northern Hemisphere is experiencing unusually cold weather. Snow cover last December was the greatest since satellite monitoring began in 1966. The United Kingdom had the coldest March weather in 50 years, and there were more than a thousand record low temperatures in the United States. The Irish meteorological office reported that March “temperatures were the lowest on record nearly everywhere.” Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/23/the-real-deniers-of-climate-change/ Jerry Brown, the bullet train and an unsurprising surprise. Kevin Starr, the historian and author of the multi-volume "Americans and the California Dream," appeared at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday at the University of Southern California. Naturally, when the audience got a chance to ask questions, Gov. Jerry Brown's high-speed-rail proposal came up. Nothing says "California dream" like the highly speculative bullet-train plan. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_23081983/jerry-brown-bullet-train-and-an-unsurprising-surprise BLOGS How Americans see global warming — in 8 charts. Earth Day organizers have dedicated the celebration’s 43rd anniversary to highlighting the impact of climate change. Even though President Obama made mention of the issue in his second inaugural address and his 2013 State of the Union speech, climate change has a long way to go to be a top-of-the-mind issue in the U.S. even as most Americans broadly acknowledge the existence of global warming and support laws aimed at reducing greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/22/how-americans-see-global-warming-in-8-charts/ Study Charts 2,000 Years of Continental Climate Changes. A comprehensive new analysis of temperature changes over the continents through 2,000 years has found that a long slide in temperatures in most regions preceded the unusual global warming of recent decades, but with a lot of regional variability and other fascinating details. A National Science Foundation news release has ample background. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/study-charts-2000-years-of-continental-climate-changes/ Silicon Valley biofuel company gets $2.5m grant. A Silicon Valley company is getting a $2.5 million federal grant to develop a pilot-scale “biorefinery” that will make jet fuel out of switchgrass. The Energy Department announced the grant to Cobalt Technologies of Mountain View as part of the Obama administration’s efforts to find and use alternative fuels to lower costs and improve performance. Posted. http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/04/22/silicon-valley-biofuel-company-gets-2-5m-grant/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PoliticalBlotter+%28Political+Blotter%29 The smart money is on renewable energy. Fossil fuel cheerleaders take note: Renewable energy ain’t going nowhere — and it may prove to be the better bet in the long run. By 2030, renewables will account for 70 percent of new power supply worldwide, according to projections released Monday from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Bloomberg analysts examined gas prices, carbon prices, the dwindling price of green energy technology, and overall energy demand (which, in the U.S. at least, is on a massive decline), and found solar and wind beating fossil fuels like coal and natural gas by 2030. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/the-smart-money-is-on-renewable-energy/ Where Do Green Cars Really Live? California, Yeah, But Then... One or two locations appear time and time again when it comes to electric or hybrid vehicle sales. If you didn't think California was up there, then you've not been paying much attention. Oregon too--in Portland, the Nissan Leaf actually outsold other Nissan models last month. And of course Lima, Ohio. What was that last one again? Ah yes, Lima, Ohio--according to Cars.com's search traffic data…Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083710_where-do-green-cars-really-live-california-yeah-but-then ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:04:04 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 24, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 24, 2013. 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 Central Valley fares poorly in new California pollution index. Central Valley communities are among the hardest hit in California under a unique new misery index that provides statewide mapping on community pollution, health and well-being. The state Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday unveiled a new environmental screening tool that reveals – by ZIP code – how neighborhoods are affected by pesticides, truck fumes, hazardous waste and other toxic factors. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/24/5366555/central-valley-fares-poorly-in.html S.J. Valley has some of state's worst pollution. Seven of California's 10 ZIP codes most burdened by pollution are in the San Joaquin Valley and three are in Los Angeles, according to a new tool developed by state environmental officials to target communities for cleanup. "People tend to think of more urban areas when they think of pollution effects," said Sam Delson, a spokesman for the California Environmental Protection Agency. "That isn't necessarily the case." Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130424/A_NEWS/304240328&cid=sitesearch http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/23/2683776/air-in-san-joaquin-valley-cities.html#storylink=misearch Bakersfield pollution again ranked nation's worst. American Lung Association executives delivered perennial bad news Tuesday but with a dose of encouragement: Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley still have some of the nation's worst air quality, but there are points of improvement. Bakersfield-Delano ranked first in the nation for short-term and annual particle pollution, and third in ozone pollution in the Lung Association's "State of the Air 2013" report. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/health/x411129616/Bakersfield-pollution-again-ranked-nations-worst Region's air improves, but still gets an F. The San Diego region again received failing marks for its air quality from the American Lung Association despite achieving steady declines in pollution, a paradox that illustrates the complex and evolving nature of environmental standards. Today, the group is scheduled to release its 14th annual “State of the Air” report, which grades air quality nationwide for the 2009-11 period. The greater San Diego area got another “F” based on the number of days it went above federal limits for ozone and particle pollution, and it again made the association’s list of the 25 most polluted cities in the country. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/24/air-quality-lung-association-san-diego/ http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/24/tp-regions-air-quality-improves-despite-failing/ New pollution study ranks Los Angeles areas in top 10 worst in state. A statewide snapshot measuring the cumulative impact of pollution on public health reported that of the top 10 percent most polluted ZIP codes in the state, half are in Southern California. Three Los Angeles County communities are especially burdened: East Los Angeles, Vernon and Baldwin Park, according to CalEnviroScreen 1.0, an interactive tool released Tuesday by the California Environmental Protection Agency. Posted. http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_23093119/new-pollution-study-ranks-los-angeles-areas-top#ixzz2ROuvaV1V Region makes strides but still among worst in ozone levels. The four-county Southern California region - which includes San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties - remains the most ozone-polluted region in the nation, but the number of unhealthy ozone days is the lowest in more than a decade, the American Lung Association, said a report released today. The region has seen a 36 percent reduction in annual unhealthy ozone days, between the lung association's year 2000 report and the report out today. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23091528/region-makes-strides-but-still-among-worst-ozone?source=rss&utm_source=feedly http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_23093119/new-pollution-study-ranks-los-angeles-areas-top?source=rss&utm_source=feedly http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/american-lung-association-releases-annual-report-about-air-pollution Federal energy, safety agencies to study air emissions from gas drilling. Two federal agencies are embarking on a study of air emissions from natural gas drilling. Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the two departments will share data, quantify risks, develop emission control mechanisms and assess exposure. The research is part of a larger effort to address worker health and safety concerns in the burgeoning U.S. shale industry. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/24/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE UN Says Clean Energy Funding Too Low to Halt Climate Harm. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the funds flowing to renewable power and efficiency aren’t sufficient to avert environmental calamities and that investors must move more quickly to back new energy technologies. “Climate change is a threat to economies large and small and to the stability of the global financial system,” Ban said today in a speech at a Bloomberg New Energy Finance conference in New York. “The climate clock is ticking. The longer we delay the greater the cost. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-24/un-says-clean-energy-funding-too-low-to-halt-climate-harm.html Climate changed discussed at United Nations Association event in Whittier. Climate change and other environmental issues were discussed in an Earth Day event Sunday held by the Whittier chapter of the United Nations Association. Jack Eidt, nationally known environmental activist, told a Whittier audience that urgent action is needed to slow climate change and preserve the natural environment, according to John Beynon, president of the chapter. Posted. http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_23090997/climate-changed-discussed-at-united-nations-association-event#ixzz2ROuDy57l UN climate chief hopeful 2015 talks will produce global warming accord, despite 2009 failure. Governments are more serious and the impact of climate change is more dramatic, improving chances of a groundbreaking global warming pact in 2015 in contrast with the failure of such an effort in 2009, the U.N. climate chief said Tuesday. The climate change talks in Copenhagen were a resounding failure, setting back the movement to control global warming. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/un-climate-chief-says-2015-global-warming-talks-wont-be-a-repeat-of-failed-summit-in-2009/2013/04/23/c323613c-ac40-11e2-9493-2ff3bf26c4b4_story.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/23/un-climate-chief-predicts-2015-talks-wont-fail/ NM grapples with tough choices as drought persists. In southern New Mexico, the mighty Rio Grande has gone dry - reduced to a sandy wash winding from this chile farming community to the nation's leading pecan-producing county. Only puddles remain, leaving gangs of carp to huddle together in a desperate effort to avoid the fate of thousands of freshwater clams, their shells empty and broken on the river bottom. Across the state's eastern plains, wells stand empty and ranchers are selling their cattle. In the north, urbanites face watering restrictions while rural residents see the levels of their springs dropping more every day. Posted.http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/24/3271801/nm-grapples-with-tough-choices.html#storylink=misearch U.S. and Calif. create bi-level climate diplomacy with China. Secretary of State John Kerry and California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) each went to China earlier this month to drum up enthusiasm for climate change policies, signing treaties on both the provincial and national levels. Brown made much of his mission in a talk at Tsinghua University in Beijing on April 11, comparing the Golden State positively to the federal government. "California's doing a lot," he said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/24/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Japan starting from scratch with GHG policies. At this month's U.N. meeting on climate change, Japan is expected to remain quiet because the nation has not yet formed a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without relying on nuclear power. As of April, Japan is no longer bound by the Kyoto Protocol and is freed from any earlier emissions reduction goals. After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/24/10 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Big rig emissions checked in Santa Maria. Big rig drivers were pulled over in Santa Maria today, not for the way they were driving, but for what they may be putting into the air. "Diesel exhaust is one of the largest contaminants here in California," said Eloy Flores of the Air Resources Board. According to the Air Resources Board, 70% of the cancer risk from air pollution comes from diesel exhaust. In order to put the brakes on high emissions, state inspectors spent the day on Tuesday performing numerous tests on heavy duty trucks traveling on Highway 166. Posted. http://www.ksby.com/news/big-rig-emissions-checked-in-santa-maria-252203/ http://www.keyt.com/news/Air-Resources-Board-cracks-down-on-polluters/-/17671600/19869210/-/uxyy40/-/index.html Officials hunt for air polluters. It wasn't the way Tuesday was supposed to go for Jose Mejia. One minute he was wheeling his Santa Maria-Bonita School District truck along Main Street, having just delivered food for school lunches at Bonita Elementary School — and the next he was stuck waiting at the side of the road, caught in a surprise roadside inspection by air resources authorities on the hunt for air polluters. “I’ve been here 25 minutes,” Mejia said, watching as workers for the state Air Resources Board peered into his engine. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/officials-hunt-for-air-polluters/article_4f457556-ac9b-11e2-96f2-001a4bcf887a.html?comment_form=true US diesel truck emissions fall 95% from 1993 levels. Exhaust emissions from US diesel trucks and heavy equipment have been cut by more than 95%, new research has claimed. According to the new Equipment World Infographic report, Greening the fleet, this reduction in emissions is one of the most successful environmental initiatives of our time. It has been achieved by a combination of engine technologies including improved diesel fuel injection, computerized engine controls and advanced engine air management. Posted. http://www.procurementleaders.com/news/news/us-diesel-truck-emissions-fall-95-from-1993-levels FUELS Rowdy Keystone pipeline hearing pits workers vs greens. U.S. construction workers, environmentalists and company executives squared off on Thursday at a raucous meeting on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, but it was unclear the gathering changed any minds on the controversial project. U.S. State Department officials hosting the meeting repeatedly called for order at the hearing in Grand Island, Nebraska. It was the first since the department released a 2,000-page report on the environmental impacts of the pipeline in March and more than four years after the project was first floated. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/18/us-usa-energy-keystone-idUSBRE93H11520130418 L.A. City Council votes to move away from coal-fired energy. In a 12-0 vote, the panel clears the way to begin converting a coal-fired plant in Utah to natural gas. But a DWP watchdog warns that the move could cost more then $650 million. The Los Angeles City Council approved a plan Tuesday to begin moving away from coal-fired energy, despite warnings from a Department of Water and Power watchdog that the shift could cost more than $650 million. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dwp-coal-20130424,0,5270283.story New hopes for shale gas in green’s paradise. Germany has one of the most robust green movements in the world, but economic pressures are tempting it to try something critics say would harm the Earth: shale gas drilling. Motivated by a rapid-fire increase in natural gas production in the United States, German business leaders and some politicians say they need to act quickly to prevent the country’s industrial core from departing for places where energy is just a fraction of the price. They worry that the country’s ambitious environmental goals are far less meaningful if the economy withers in achieving them. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/new-hopes-for-shale-gas-in-greens-paradise/2013/04/23/64046428-a6a3-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html Large coalition backs fracking moratorium in Calif. A coalition of more than 100 groups yesterday voiced support for California legislation that would ban hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas in the state. The alliance endorsed A.B. 1301 from Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D), a measure that would impose a moratorium on the process known as fracking until the Legislature enacted subsequent legislation specifying how it could be done safely. "Fracking endangers our climate, air, water, wildlife, public health, and private property," the coalition said in a letter to Bloom. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/24/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES How the Wheels Came Off for Fisker. Untested Electric-Car Firm Was Ripe for the Times; U.S. Loans Saddled It With Factory Never Used. For a few months in 2012, Bruce Simon, the chief executive of gourmet food retailer Omaha Steaks International Inc., drove a $100,000 plug-in hybrid electric car known as the Fisker Karma. No longer. Mr. Simon says his car broke down four times over the span of a few months. Each time, Fisker Automotive Inc. picked it up and sent it by trailer from his home in Omaha, Neb., to a dealer in Minneapolis. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324874204578440640183079794.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories Breaking Down on the Road to Electric Cars. No one answers the phones these days at Fisker Automotive. Its visionary founder has quit; its employees have been laid off or put on furlough without pay. Production of its sleek plug-in hybrid car, the Karma, ended months ago. Veering on the edge of bankruptcy, without a buyer in sight, Fisker has become — to lawmakers and others — the Solyndra of the electric car industry. Not only private backers but millions of dollars in government loans gave life to a company, some would argue, that was a shaky investment from the start. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/business/fisker-broke-down-on-the-road-to-electric-cars.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&utm_source=feedly&_r=1& Car website notes 'green' car searches. The Sacramento region made Cars.com's annual list of U.S. cities with the most eco-conscious car shoppers. The Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto region was No. 10 on the list, which was dominated by California metro areas. The top three on the list are San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Monterey-Salinas and San Diego, respectively. The list was compiled based on millions of Cars.com visitors searching for hybrids or other environmentally friendly cars. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/23/5363420/car-website-notes-green-car-searches.html#storylink=cpy GM says Chevy Spark EV can go 82 miles per charge. General Motors said Wednesday that the battery-powered version of its Chevrolet Spark mini-car can travel up to 82 miles on a single charge, putting it among the leaders in mass-market electric vehicles sold in the U.S. The Spark EV also gets the equivalent of 119 miles per gallon in testing monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. GM said that makes it the most efficient car available for sale to the public. The figure is for combined city and highway driving. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/24/2684963/gm-says-chevy-spark-ev-can-go.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY EU faces energy policy vacuum after 2020. EU ministers meeting in Dublin stood far apart on what energy and environment policy could follow a set of 2020 targets, with a binding legal deal unlikely before 2015. Energy firms, with long investment cycles, say there is an urgent need for a new EU policy framework. Debate has become much harder following economic crisis and the shale gas revolution, which has handed the United States the advantage of cheap energy. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/24/us-eu-energy-idUSBRE93N0RQ20130424 MISCELLANEOUS L.A. City Council jumps into San Onofre debate. Los Angeles became the latest -- and largest -- city to weigh in on the fate of the San Onofre nuclear plant Tuesday, with the City Council unanimously passing a resolution calling on federal regulators to hold off on deciding whether the plant can restart. The plant has been out of service for more than a year because of unusual wear on steam generator tubes that carry radioactive water. One tube leaked a small amount of radioactive steam last January, prompting the plant's shutdown. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-20130423,0,6476550.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Cal students want oil money for education, green energy, county governments and state parks. Tired of rising tuition at UC Berkeley, a group of students said Monday it would help gather signatures for a state ballot measure taxing oil and gas extraction $2 billion for education, green energy, county governments and state parks. The UC Berkeley group is joining 12 other student and environmental groups to get the California Modernization and Development Act on the November 2014 ballot. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23082087/cal-students-want-oil-money-education?source=rss&utm_source=feedly NYC tobacco policy would most curb youngest teens: researcher. New York City officials, with the blessing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced Monday that they will seek to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products in the city’s five boroughs from 18 to 21 years of age. Although the proposed rule might seem to target the older teenagers who will no longer be able to buy cigarettes, much of its effect would trickle down to high school students 14 to 17 years old, said John Billimek, a health policy researcher at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-tobacco-sales-21-new-york-20130423,0,898771.story OPINIONS Smoking and the right to dumb choices. New York's proposal to ban purchases by those under 21 is off-base. As thoroughly awful as everyone knows cigarettes to be — still the No. 1 cause of premature death in this country — public officials walk a blurry line when they try to reduce smoking's terrible toll. As long as they lack the will to ban tobacco altogether, they face all sorts of ethical, legal and political problems in regulating a product that is, after all, perfectly legal. High tobacco taxes, critics say, unfairly punish smokers, who are disproportionately low income. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-cigarettes-21-new-york-bloomberg-20130424,0,6186489.story BLOGS If Keystone XL gets blocked, can trains save Canada’s tar sands? There’s a key question at the center of the debate over the Keystone XL pipeline. If President Obama rejects the pipeline, will all of that Canadian heavy crude find another way to get to market? After all, the biggest environmental objection to Keystone is that oil from the tar sands of Alberta is far more carbon-intensive than other types of oil. And the proposed pipeline in question, which will transport up to 830,000 barrels per day down to the Gulf Coast for refining, would allow the tar sands industry to keep expanding. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/24/if-keystone-xl-gets-blocked-can-trains-save-canadas-tar-sands/ The White House’s “all of the above” energy strategy goes global. As President Obama’s national security adviser Tom Donilon speaks Wednesday at the launch of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, we thought it would be worth highlighting some of his speech’s key points: 1.The U.S. is in great shape because of its oil and natural gas production. “The International Energy Agency has projected that the United States could be the world’s largest oil producer by the end of the decade. Of course, we recognize that these are early days and prediction is a risky business”. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/04/24/the-white-houses-all-of-the-above-energy-strategy-goes-global/ Transformational Investment Plan Charts Course to Meet California's Clean Energy, Air Quality Goals. The California Air Resources Board will vote Thursday on a plan to invest the proceeds from the sale of carbon pollution allowances in transformational strategies and technologies to ensure the state meets its long-term climate and air quality goals and delivers those benefits to consumers. The Air Resources Board has held two auctions of pollution permits to date (see here and here) under the state’s cap-and-trade program, generating a combined $138 million to advance the goals of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ajackson/transformational_investment_pl.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:19:49 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 25, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 25, 2013. 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 Concerns remain over Quebec’s cap-and-trade design. Last Friday’s unanimous decision by California’s Air Resources Board to link its cap-and-trade carbon market with Quebec as of Jan. 1, 2014, is designed to allow companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at lower cost. Concerns still exist, however, about the efficiency of Quebec’s own cap-and-trade design. Posted. http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Concerns+remain+over+Quebec+trade+design/8289420/story.html AIR POLLUTION No End to Power Rout as Carbon Market Vote Fails: Energy Markets. Europe’s failure to rescue the region’s carbon market is likely to encourage utilities to burn record amounts of coal, putting power prices in Germany on course for the worst-ever sequence of quarterly declines. Electricity for next year, the benchmark contract already trading near an almost eight-year low, may drop a further 4.8 percent through June, according to a Bloomberg News survey, extending an unprecedented eight quarters of losses. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-25/no-end-to-power-rout-as-carbon-market-vote-fails-energy-markets.html Scientist Says Pollution From China Is Killing a Japanese Island’s Trees. A mysterious pestilence has befallen this island’s primeval forests, leaving behind the bleached, skeletal remains of dead trees that now dot the dark green mountainsides. Osamu Nagafuchi, an environmental engineer with a passion for the island and its rugged terrain, believes he knows the culprit: airborne pollutants from smog-belching China, hundreds of miles upwind. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/asia/japanese-scientist-blames-china-for-yakushimas-dying-trees.html?ref=earth Bay Area air pollution reaches Devils Postpile National Monument. That fresh, pine-scented mountain air that you happily breathe in the Sierra Nevada could be hazardous to your health. Samples taken by federal scientists in Devils Postpile National Monument, southeast of Yosemite National Park, show that ozone levels occasionally exceed state air pollution standards. “Even at remote eastern Sierra locations, ozone air pollution may be a problem for human and ecosystem health…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-air-pollution-devils-postpile-20130424,0,2553188,print.story CLIMATE CHANGE Slow Start on Environment in Second Obama Term. SHORTLY after winning re-election in November, President Obama promised assertive leadership on climate change and energy. In his State of the Union address in February, he vowed that if the assembled lawmakers failed to pass broad climate legislation, he would act unilaterally. And yet in the ensuing months, little more has been heard from the president or his cabinet on the matter. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/business/energy-environment/slow-start-on-environment-in-obamas-2nd-term.html?pagewanted=all FUELS Poland Prioritizes Cheap Power in Shift Away From Coal. Poland is prioritizing low-cost electricity as it revamps its energy policy and shifts away from its reliance on coal-fired generation, the nation’s environment minister said. Marcin Korolec said he’d like to phase out subsidies for both clean power and fossil fuels, though the country must also replace aging power stations including some that are more than 40 years old. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-25/poland-prioritizes-cheap-power-in-shift-away-from-coal.html Merkel Says Clean-Energy Policy Must Allow Profits for Gas. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said the country’s system to spur clean-energy generation needs to change, including reducing green subsidies paid by consumers, to ensure gas-fired plants are able to operate at a profit. National and state leaders “in the next months and at least one to two years” need to find a way to change the so- called EEG law on subsidies, Merkel told a Frankfurt conference. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-25/merkel-says-clean-energy-policy-must-allow-profit-at-gas-plants.html AG criticizes oil pipeline plan review. New York state's top lawyer accused the Obama administration Wednesday of breaking federal environmental law by ignoring climate change in its review of a controversial pipeline project that would carry Canadian tar sands oil through the U.S. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman released a 21-page letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, whose office last month released its environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline that would carry tar sands oil from Canada through the U.S. Midwest and ultimately to Texas, where it would be refined or exported. Posted. http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/AG-criticizes-oil-pipeline-plan-review-4461635.php#ixzz2RUmAfc1B House OKs bill to disclose 'fracking' chemicals. In a pre-emptive move, the Florida House voted Wednesday evening to require oil and natural gas companies to disclose the chemicals pumped underground as part of hydraulic fracturing operations - a process better known as "fracking." That method for extracting oil or gas hasn't been used in the Sunshine State to date, but supporters of the measure say parts of the Panhandle and southwest Florida have been identified as as geological areas suitable for fracking. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/24/house-oks-bill-to-disclose-fracking-chemicals/#ixzz2RUZOBWVq California Cities Snub Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Power. California's leading cities are sending messages to the energy industry powers-that-be on Tuesday, and that message is "we want change." On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council finalized a much-lauded agreement to wean the city's Department of Water and Power (LADWP) off coal-fired electricity, and went on to oppose reopening of the San Onofre nuclear power plant. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/utilities/california-cities-snub-fossil-fuels-nukes.html?utm_source=feedly VEHICLES Obama administration missed clues on Fisker. The Energy Department did not realize for four months that troubled automaker Fisker Automotive Inc. had missed a crucial production target that was required as part of a half-billion dollar government loan, documents released Wednesday show. The mistake allowed Fisker to obtain an additional $32 million in government funding before the loan was suspended in June 2011. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FISKER_AUTOMOTIVE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Obama-administration-missed-clues-on-Fisker-4458578.php http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fisker-congress-20130425,0,180749,print.story http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23097204/white-house-knew-fisker-was-trouble-early-2010?source=rss&utm_source=feedly Detroit Electric forms EV venture with China's Geely. Detroit Electric, the Michigan-based startup electric-car maker, said Thursday it will partner with China's Geely Automobile to develop electric cars for the Chinese market. Geely owns Sweden's Volvo Cars and recently withdrew as a potential bidder for Fisker Automotive, the failing California green-car startup. Detroit Electric earlier this month unveiled its own model, a $135,000, battery-powered sports car that it says will go into limited production in August in the Detroit area. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/25/autos-electric-geely-idUSL2N0DC1TR20130425 GREEN ENERGY Mobile Chargers Prepare for Their Day in the Sun. WHETHER you’re comparing restaurant menus while sitting in the park or turning on the air-conditioner before getting home, life is becoming increasingly mobile thanks to smartphones and tablets. And with new apps appearing constantly, the possibilities for this kind of connected living could be endless — if only the batteries lasted long enough. Now, a range of solar technology companies are offering small, portable chargers and accessory cases that provide power on the go. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/business/energy-environment/solar-chargers-advance-in-mobile-device-market.html California's Dream to Be the Saudi Arabia of Solar Is Dead. Three years ago California regulators in quick succession approved nine multibillion-dollar solar thermal power plants. They were to be built in the desert and would generate 4,142 megawatts (MW) of carbon-free electricity. The state, it was said, was on its way to becoming the Saudi Arabia of solar. Not any more. Today, the developers of four of those projects have since gone bankrupt and only three solar thermal power plants are under currently under construction. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/california-s-dream-to-be-the-saudi-arabia-of-solar-is-dead-20130424?utm_source=feedly California Launches First 'Battery University' to Push Energy Storage Technology. The United States’ first graduate program in battery technology launches this autumn at a Silicon Valley university. Given the spate of bankruptcies of American battery makers such as A123 Systems and Ener1 over the past year, one might ask if that horse has already left the barn. But battery storage has emerged as the linchpin for scaling up intermittent sources of renewable energy such as solar and wind…Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/california-launches-first-battery-university-to-push-energy-storage-technology-20130424?print=true Can new LED street lamps bring back 'starry nights' to light-polluted cities? Light-emitting diodes, better known as LEDs, require much less electricity than traditional incandescent light bulbs. In recent years, they have become one of the go-to lighting alternatives to cut back on energy consumption and shave a couple of bucks off the electric bill. Now, according to new research, special LED streetlights could also help reduce the nighttime haze of light pollution that makes it difficult to see stars in most cities. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/25/7 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS California suspends operations at Vernon battery recycler. Toxics regulators say Exide Technologies has been releasing hazardous waste into the soil beneath its plant because of a degraded pipeline. State regulators took the highly unusual step Wednesday of suspending operations at a Vernon battery recycler that has discharged harmful quantities of lead for years and more recently has been deemed to pose a danger to as many as 110,000 people because of arsenic emissions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-exide-arsenic-20130425,0,6553581.story Bill to change environmental review could help Sacramento's Kings arena. Sacramento's proposed downtown arena project could get a boost under major environmental legislation unveiled Wednesday by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg. Steinberg's proposed rewrite of the landmark California Environmental Quality Act, months in the planning, aims to reduce the chance that urban projects like the Downtown Plaza arena will get hit by lawsuits that stall construction. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/25/5369762/kings-arena-takes-shape-steinberg.html#storylink=cpy USDA, dairy industry renew greenhouse gas deal. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the federal government is renewing a pact with the dairy industry aimed at decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Vilsack says the federal government has helped thousands of dairy farms implement conservation plans, build anaerobic digesters and conduct energy audits under the original 2009 agreement. The dairy industry has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/24/usda-dairy-industry-renew-greenhouse-gas-deal/#ixzz2RUaQJRgR OPINIONS California high-speed rail estimates “astounding”. The idiocy of California’s proposed high-speed rail line continues to astonish. For reasons why, consult “California High-Speed Rail: An Updated Due Diligence Report” http://heartland.org/sites/default/files/california_high_speed_rail_report.pdf prepared for the Reason Foundation by Wendell Cox and Joseph Vranich. Cox and Vranich point out that the high-speed rail authority’s projections are hopelessly unrealistic. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/california-high-speed-rail-estimates-astounding/article/2528101 BLOGS How Do You Find the Best Green Cars? Spring is in the air, and Earth Day is just behind us. Apparently, that means it’s green car choosing season, at least for the people who take the time to determine such things. But with the list of more environmentally friendly cars and trucks at an all-time high, choosing the best one can be tough. Kelley Blue Book and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy tried to make the choice simple by doing the choosing for consumers. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/how-do-you-find-the-best-green-cars/ The changing face of U.S. drought: shrinking but still sprawling. Drought across the Lower 48 in the last year has undergone wild swings. From just regional pockets of drought last spring to one of the worst droughts on record last summer, drought has now begun an aggressive retreat. Consider that in April 2012 just 37 percent of the contiguous U.S. was experiencing at least moderate drought conditions, a number that shot up over 63 percent by mid-summer. Now it’s back down to 47 percent. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/04/25/u-s-drought-dramatically-shrinks-but-still-sprawling/ Connect The Dots On Climate Change: The Tangible Effects Of A Warming World. Climate change means drastic and long-term effects like rising sea levels and the increased likelihood of extreme weather events. But across the world, we are already witnessing the consequences of a warming world. In the U.S., climate change means that allergies are getting worse as pollen counts increase, and some of your favorite foods -- from apples to oysters to coffee and wine -- are also in jeopardy. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/25/connect-the-dots-climate-change_n_3131945.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:51:42 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 26, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 26, 2013. 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 Air Board Backs Spending Plan for Carbon Sale Revenue. California regulators backed a state plan to spend proceeds from carbon permit sales on energy efficiency, clean transportation and natural resources programs. The state Air Resources Board voted today to support the proposal from the state Finance Department to invest the first three years of revenue from the allowance…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-25/california-air-board-backs-spending-plan-for-carbon-sale-revenue.html Regulators get to the tough part of cap and trade -- how to spend the money effectively. Better scrutiny is needed to ensure that revenues from California's landmark cap-and-trade auctions fund the best choices for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, state air board members said yesterday. A week after the Golden State released its draft plan for spending cap-and-trade money, some Air Resources Board (ARB) members said they wanted ways of evaluating the most worthy recipients, to avoid charges that the program plays favorites. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/26/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Suits over Oceano Dunes dust-control rule tossed. A judge in San Luis Obispo County has dismissed two lawsuits that challenged a controversial rule that requires parks officials to reduce the amount of dust blowing off the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The Tribune ( http://bit.ly/15Rb3A5) says the suits challenged several aspects of the air pollution rule but mainly attacked the science it was based on. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/25/3273570/suits-over-oceano-dunes-dust-control.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/25/5371749/suits-over-oceano-dunes-dust-control.html#storylink=misearch http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/25/suits-over-oceano-dunes-dust-control-rule-tossed/ Is Air Pollution Contributing To Hardened Arteries? Smog and car exhaust can take a toll on the heart, and the latest research explores how. Previous studies have shown an association between badly polluted air and a heightened risk of heart attack stroke, and researchers have started to investigate how pollutants could exert such harm. Some have documented the increased inflammation that pollution can trigger, as well as changes in blood pressure and the activity of clotting factors in the blood that could promote heart disease. Posted. http://healthland.time.com/2013/04/26/air-pollution-and-hardening-arteries/ CLIMATE CHANGE In Midwest, Drought Gives Way to Flood. The nation’s midsection, which was for months parched by severe drought, suddenly finds itself contending with the opposite: severe flooding that has forced evacuations, slowed commercial barge traffic down the Mississippi River and left farmers with submerged fields during a crucial planting time. The flooding, driven in part by rainfall of as much as eight inches in some places last week, has affected a remarkably wide stretch in states along swollen rivers in the Midwest. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/us/in-midwest-drought-abruptly-gives-way-to-flood.html?ref=science S.J. making gains with green efforts. The amount of greenhouse gas emitted during the day-to-day operation of San Joaquin County government dropped 24 percent over a five-year period, according to a recent report. The county used less fuel in its vehicles and electricity in its buildings from 2005 to 2010, but the biggest reduction in emissions of the gases responsible for climate change came from efforts to rein in the methane gas escaping from the decaying garbage in the county's network of landfills. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130426/A_NEWS/304260313&cid=sitesearch Researchers unmask climate secrets of sea spray and clouds. In the late 1990s, the Hydraulics Laboratory at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography nearly closed. The lab, founded in 1964, had lost its permanent funding. Grant Deane, a physical oceanographer at the University of California, San Diego, stepped up to head the lab and rescue it from a possible shutdown. "I was a user of the facility at that time, but I had a broader vision for what could be done beyond my own work," Deane said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/26/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS State College mayor urges fossil fuel divestment. The mayor of the central Pennsylvania borough of State College has endorsed a campaign that urges municipalities to divest from fossil fuel companies, the environmental group 350.org said in a release Thursday. Borough Mayor Elizabeth Goreham joined nine other mayors in urging municipalities to divest from the top 200 fossil fuel companies because of climate change, but other officials said the issue hasn't been voted on. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/State-College-mayor-urges-fossil-fuel-divestment-4464362.php#ixzz2RadozKK0 NASA measures effects of jet engine biofuel. NASA researchers said Thursday that test flights conducted in California have shown a commercial jet could fly safely with a blend of jet fuel that includes a plant oil. Scientists at NASA's Langley Research center in Hampton said there was no noticeable difference in the engine performance of a DC-8 aircraft flying as high as 39,000 feet on the biofuel mix made from the camelina plant oil. Posted. www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/25/nasa-measures-effects-of-jet-engine-02/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/nasa-measures-effects-of-biofuel-on-jet-engines-environment/2013/04/25/f6e07346-add2-11e2-b240-9ef3a72c67cc_story.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/25/3273584/nasa-measures-effects-of-jet-engine.html#storylink=misearch TransCanada Lashes Out at EPA Over Keystone, Asserts Canadian 'Sovereignty'. The Canadian company calls the scope and tone of the agency’s comments on the pipeline that will bisect the U.S. heartland 'somewhat surprising.' The Canadian builder of the Keystone XL pipeline has lashed out at the Environmental Protection Agency for recommending that the United States and Canada work together to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from the tar sands crude that the pipeline would carry to refineries on the U.S. gulf coast. Posted. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130424/transcanada-lashes-out-epa-over-keystone-asserts-canadian-sovereignty BY SUBSCRIPTION 9 U.S. cities including San Francisco, Seattle weigh divestment from fossil fuels. Environmental activist Bill McKibben's campaign to divest from fossil fuels has moved from college campuses to city hall -- with some promise of success. Yesterday, leaders from nine U.S. cities announced a decision to urge divestment from the 200 largest companies associated with fossil fuels. Officials from San Francisco; Ithaca, N.Y.; State College, Pa.; Eugene, Ore.; Richmond, Calif.; and Berkeley, Calif., were among those supporting divestment. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/26/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Billionaire Calif. climate activist and Keystone XL opponent not opposed to all fracking. Billionaire climate activist and Keystone XL opponent Tom Steyer isn't opposed to hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. The former San Francisco hedge fund manager has been making a foray into national politics after bankrolling two successful California campaigns, including one against oil companies' bid to roll back the state's landmark global warming law. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/26/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES In Two-Way Charging, Electric Cars Begin to Earn Money From the Grid. In Two-Way Charging, Electric Cars Begin to Earn Money From the Grid. Finally, payback for the plug-in. A line of Mini Coopers, each attached to the regional power grid by a thick cable plugged in where a gasoline filler pipe used to be, no longer just draws energy. The power now flows two ways between the cars and the electric grid, as the cars inject and suck power in tiny jolts, and get paid for it. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/business/energy-environment/electric-vehicles-begin-to-earn-money-from-the-grid.html?_r=0 Hybrid cars to join U.S. government's fleet under new program. The U.S. Department of the Interior will become the first federal agency to take advantage of a new program to update its fleet of vehicles with gas-sipping hybrids. The initiative is part of a General Services Administration effort to replace aging government cars with as many as 10,000 hybrids. The Interior Department will receive 300 gasoline and alternative-fuel vehicles--about a third of the vehicles the department is expecting to replace. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-hybrid-fleet-20130424,0,642803.story Auto review: Camry hybrid rolls on. Last year, Toyota introduced the redesigned midsize Camry Hybrid sedan, which came as part of the makeover of the entire Camry line. The hybrid got a revised Synergy Drive system, with a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and improved fuel economy. Changes to the hybrid were part of an overall Camry makeover, including the gasoline-only models. Hybrid prices this year range from $26,140 for the base LE to $27,670 for the top-of-the-line XLE. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/26/5373823/auto-review-camry-hybrid-rolls.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Electric Vehicles Speed Ahead. Electric vehicles (EVs) are generating a lot of buzz lately. At this week's Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit, influential characters repeatedly spoke of the EV revolution with gleeful enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Motor Show is opening up the throttle right this minute, and EVs have a lot to do with it. This is a glittery bandwagon, folks. Jump on? Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/fool/article/Electric-Vehicles-Speed-Ahead-4466132.php#ixzz2RadGeJNe Diesel, hybrid registrations way up – report. Registrations for clean diesel cars and sport utility vehicles nationwide increased by nearly 25 percent from 2010 through 2012, with Texas having the most diesel vehicles in 2012, according to a leading diesel fuel advocacy group. This week, the Diesel Technology Forum, relying on data compiled by Michigan-based R.L. Polk and Co., found that registrations for diesel cars and SUVs around the country increased from 640,779 in 2010 to 796,794 at the end of 2012, a 24.3 percent increase. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/26/19 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail agency changed bidding standards. State officials expanded the field in hopes of saving millions. When the California High-Speed Rail Authority put the first stretch of its statewide train system out for bids last year, the agency set a high technical standard for five contracting teams courting the more than $1 billion construction contract. In March 2012, the authority's board decreed that even if all five teams submitted bids… Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/25/3274086/high-speed-rail-agency-changed.html?utm_source=feedly#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY Solar system dedication takes places in Monroe. A solar energy system installed on the grounds of a religious community in southeastern Michigan is part of a broader commitment to sustainable living, those involved in the project said Friday. The 518-kilowatt system was dedicated on the Immaculate Heart of Mary Motherhouse Campus in Monroe. It cost $2.6 million and consists of more than 2,000 photovoltaic modules. It covers three acres and links to the DTE Energy Co. electric grid. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Solar-system-dedication-takes-places-in-Monroe-4466467.php#ixzz2RaekHzYC Missing pieces of renewable energy puzzle -- policy and finance -- may soon emerge, report says. The future is mostly bright for the renewable energy sector, according to Eric Martinot, author of the "Renewables Global Futures Report 2013." The report, released yesterday by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), drives home the message that the world has made dramatic advances in renewable technology and is waiting for policy and finance to catch up. "We're thinking about renewable energy as if it's still 1995. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/26/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Environmentalists want slowdown on NC Senate bill. North Carolina environmental groups want the Senate to slow down a bill that would roll back state and local environmental regulations that are tougher than federal standards. The bill requires cities, counties and numerous state agencies to repeal or rewrite rules that go beyond federal law. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Environmentalists-want-slowdown-on-NC-Senate-bill-4466514.php#ixzz2RacI3A00 Science Museum publishes climate change novel. The Science Museum has published its first ever work of fiction, a novel by its former writer-in-residence Tony White that was inspired by a lost fragment by one of the members of Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated 1911 Antarctic expedition – one of the earliest tales ever to mention climate change. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/26/science-museum-publishes-climate-change-novel OPINIONS Five myths about electric cars. The troubles of electric-car-maker Fisker Automotive have fueled another round of debate about whether plug-ins can live up to their promises. The California start-up, which had already halted production and laid off most of its employees, missed a federal loan payment Monday and told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy. This is probably the end of the road for Fisker. But definitely not for electric cars. Let me dispel some of the myths. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-electric-cars/2013/04/26/5c8504e0-ab77-11e2-a198-99893f10d6dd_story.html Public Sentiment About the Keystone Oil Pipeline. To the Editor: “Canadians,” Joe Nocera tells his readers, “believe that the United States would be nuts to reject” the proposed construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would pump millions of barrels of oil extracted from Alberta’s tar sands across the United States to the Gulf Coast (“Canada’s Oil Minister, Unmuzzled,” column, April 25). This comes as a surprise to me. I live in Canada, and at least in my circles I don’t know a single Canadian who supports the project. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/opinion/public-sentiment-about-the-keystone-oil-pipeline.html?ref=opinion The Safety of Chemicals. To the Editor: Re “Think Those Chemicals Have Been Tested?” (news analysis, Sunday Review, April 14) and “A Toothless Law on Toxic Chemicals” (editorial, April 19): There has been misinformation and negative publicity about high-profile chemicals, resulting in public anxiety and calls to overhaul existing laws. We agree that it is past time to reform our chemical control law, but scare stories don’t serve the cause. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/opinion/the-safety-of-chemicals.html?ref=opinion Viewpoints: California, Quebec join to take lead on climate policy. Climate change has no boundaries. It affects everyone in our global community. Actions taken in one place – like increasing emissions at an old power plant – have a negative impact on those living half a planet away. For this reason, effective solutions to climate change must also have no boundaries. We have watched as international climate negotiations have stuttered and stalled…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/26/5372736/california-quebec-join-to-take.html#storylink=misearch Letters: Try driving smarter. Re "A tax everyone can love," Opinion, April 21If folks are leery of paying taxes to cover the actual costs of burning oil, there are two things they can do to mitigate the effects of the carbon tax that Doyle McManus discusses in his column. To start, our national fleet of vehicles is grossly inefficient. In 2012, the average fuel economy for new cars sold in the U.S. was about 24 miles per gallon. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0424-wednesday-carbon-tax-20130424,0,5419819.story BLOGS AM Alert: Fisheries panel hears from scientists, conservationists. Swordfish, salmon, crustaceans and sea urchins are some of the agenda items before the Legislature today. The 40th annual Fisheries Forum is in town, and lawmakers who sit on the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture will hear from scientists, conservationists and fishermen representing locales from San Diego to San Mateo County. Also appearing before the committee will be John Laird, secretary of the…Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/04/am-alert-fisheries-panel-hears-from-scientists-conservationists.html#more#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy The Global Carbon Market is Taking Shape. As California prepares to form a strategic partnership with Quebec to link its cap and trade program, it is fascinating to examine developments in the global carbon market. The European Union made news this week experiencing a major setback on its proposal for back-loading, a measure to shift carbon allowances to the back end of the compliance period in order to stabilize the EU ETS carbon price. Posted. http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/04/global-carbon-market-shape/ Chrysler CEO: natural gas better than electricity to move vehicles, so government should back off. Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne continues to believe natural gas as the most viable alternative to conventional fueling and says government should stop pushing electric-drive ahead of other advanced-powertrain choices, the Detroit News says. Marchionne calls natural gas "the cleanest alternative available" …Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/04/26/chrysler-ceo-natural-gas-better-electricity-government/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:58:18 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 29, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 29, 2013. 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 State air board affirms cap-and-trade investment plan. California’s cap-and-trade system may have two pending lawsuits against it, but state officials are considering a plan to invest proceeds from carbon allowance auctions. The California Air Resources Board, which is responsible for implementing the cap and trade program, affirmed a three-year draft proposal for investing the proceeds at a public hearing Thursday. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/04/26/state-air-board-affirms-cap-and-trade.html AIR POLLUTION Chevron refinery fire spurs SJVAPCD, ARB, and other state air agencies to action. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) today announced a new plan to develop better air monitoring and emergency response procedures around California's major oil refineries. Utilizing a collaborative approach between the state's major local air districts where refineries are located and the ARB, the new effort is a response to last year's major fire at Chevron's refinery in Richmond, CA. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/chevron-refinery-fire-spurs-sjvapcd-arb-and-other-state-air-agencies-to-action Valley air officials helping define best ways to monitor refinery accidents. Executives of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District plus the state’s other major local air districts where refineries are located are working with the California Air Resources Board on ways to better assess the status of air pollution around major oil refineries. There are three oil refineries in the Central Valley, all in Bakersfield near the massive Kern County oil fields. The first step in the evaluation is to assess the best practices and procedures used by local air districts and emergency response officials throughout the state. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=23309 New study links childhood asthma to living near traffic. Another study has found a connection between childhood asthma rates and traffic pollution. The latest study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, looked at asthma levels in 10 European cities and found that people living near high-traffic roads accounted for 14 percent of all asthma cases. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/29/3278174/new-study-links-childhood-asthma.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Planned warehouse complex would be major polluter. The World Logistics Center mega warehouse complex planned in eastern Moreno Valley would produce more air pollution than any other modern project east of the ports Los Angeles and Long Beach, regional air quality officials say. The cargo hub would provide warehouse space equivalent to 700 football fields. Trips from thousands of big-rig trucks and the operation of other cargo-moving machinery would produce more than 3,000 pounds a day of smog-forming nitrogen oxides…Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130426-air-quality-moreno-valley-warehouse-complex-would-be-major-polluter.ece CLIMATE CHANGE Industrialized nations' greenhouse gas emissions dipped in 2011. Industrialized nations' greenhouse gas emissions dipped 0.7 percent in 2011, helped by a U.S. shift from high-polluting coal in power plants and by Europe's economic slowdown, data compiled by Reuters showed on Friday. For many years it has been a mantra that rich nations, historically the top polluters, should make the biggest cuts in emissions while emerging economies could burn more energy to help lift them from poverty. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/26/us-climate-emissions-idUSBRE93P0HZ20130426 Plants slow climate change by forming cloud sunshade: study. Plants help to slow climate change by emitting gases as temperatures rise that lead to the formation of a sunshade of clouds over the planet, scientists said on Sunday. The tiny sun-dimming effect could offset about one percent of warming worldwide and up to 30 percent locally such as over vast northern forests in Siberia, Canada or the Nordic nations, they wrote in the journal Nature Geoscience. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/28/us-climate-plants-idUSBRE93R0AA20130428 DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB offers how-to class for California emissions regs. It may not earn you a degree you can hang on the wall, but the California Air Resources Board is offering a free class to help truck owners comply with California’s ever-changing emissions regulations. CARB has begun a new round of the three-hour class 520 “How to Comply with CARB Diesel Regulations.” The course reviews the inspection process, gives consequences of non-compliance, and explains how to comply with CARB’s regulations for most diesel vehicles and equipment operating in California. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25108 FUELS EPA methane report further divides fracking camps. The Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically lowered its estimate of how much of a potent heat-trapping gas leaks during natural gas production, in a shift with major implications for a debate that has divided environmentalists: Does the recent boom in fracking help or hurt the fight against climate change? Oil and gas drilling companies had pushed for the change…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_DRILLING_METHANE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/28/5378266/epa-methane-report-further-divides.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/EPA-methane-report-further-divides-fracking-camps-4470310.php http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/28/3277397/epa-methane-report-further-divides.html#storylink=misearch http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/epa-report-that-lowers-methane-leak-estimates-further-divides-fracking-camps/2013/04/28/a72ed128-b01e-11e2-9fb1-62de9581c946_story.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/28/epa-methane-report-further-divides-fracking/#ixzz2RrujOQSv The EPA Just Shook Up the Debate Over Fracking. New estimates from the EPA indicate that methane leakage from natural gas production is substantially lower than previously believed. Or, translated to English: Natural gas may be a better solution to rampant global warming than anyone believed. The recent boom in natural gas production — largely a function of improvements in the process of hydrofracturing, or fracking — has been seen as a mixed blessing by environmentalists focused on curbing the atmospheric warming created by greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/04/epa-just-shook-debate-over-fracking/64678/ News Summary: EPA lowers methane leak estimate. THE CHANGE: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently dramatically lowered its estimates of how much of a potent greenhouse gas leaks during gas drilling operations, from 214 million metric tons for 2010 to 144 million metric tons, a change of more than 30 percent. THE DISPUTE: There's a split between leading environmental groups over whether the boom in natural gas drilling, or fracking, will help or hurt efforts to fight climate change. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/28/5378271/news-summary-epa-lowers-methane.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/News-Summary-EPA-lowers-methane-leak-estimate-4470314.php There's a lot more than farming going on in California's vast Central Valley. The Valley may be the richest farm belt in the world, but from Kern to Stanislaus counties it's also Ground Zero for the debate over "fracking" Nearly a dozen new pieces of legislation are under study in the Capitol to place stricter environmental controls on "fracking," or high-pressure hydraulic fracturing, in which streams of water, sand and chemicals are shot into underground rock formations to pry loose petroleum deposits. a process that has been used for decades. Posted. http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=11dwy1ythgnpbcc&utm_source=feedly# VEHICLES Electric vehicles provide electricity to the U.S. power grid. U.S. power company NRG Energy Inc. said on Friday a technology it developed with the University of Delaware has sold power from electric vehicles to the power grid for the first time. The University and NRG said in a statement that they began work on the so-called eV2g program in September 2011 to provide a two-way interface between electric vehicles and the power grid that enables vehicle owners to sell electricity back to the grid while they are charging their cars. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/26/utilities-nrg-electricvehicles-idUSL2N0DD2K120130426 Tesla Model S Tops GM Volt in North American Plug-In Race. Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA), the luxury battery-car company run by billionaire Elon Musk, is North America’s rechargeable auto sales leader so far this year as its Model S sedan passed General Motors Co. (GM)’s Chevrolet Volt. Tesla expects to report at least 4,750 deliveries of the electric Model S in the U.S. and Canada when it releases first- quarter results on May 8, said Shanna Hendriks, a company spokeswoman, reiterating a March 31 estimate. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-26/tesla-model-s-tops-gm-volt-in-n-american-plug-in-race.html Dispelling myths of electric cars. The troubles of electric-car-maker Fisker Automotive have fueled another round of debate about whether plug-ins can live up to their promises. The California start-up, which had already halted production and laid off most of its employees, missed a federal loan payment Monday and told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130428/WIRE/130429690/0/SEARCH Ford's in-wheel electric motors could lead to sideways parking. Talk about a lateral move. Ford is developing a new electric car technology that is not just efficient with fuel, but potentially space, as well. Designed in partnership with auto industry supplier Schaeffler, the eWheelDrive Fiesta prototype is propelled by electric motors located entirely within the wheels of the car, eliminating the need for the drive wheels to be connected to a common drivetrain. The main advantage of the layout is packaging. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/04/29/ford-in-wheel-electric-motors-could-lead-to-sideways-parking/#ixzz2RsAzofC7 States make up for reduced gas consumption with new tax on Hybrids. John Kraus has a new Toyota Prius V hybrid wagon that he's very fond of. He's also got a new Virginia tax on it that he's none too happy about. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, signed a new law last month that lowers the gas tax for everyone, but slaps a $64-per-year fee on hybrid and electric car owners to help make up for what those drivers aren't paying at the pump. Posted. http://www.news10.net/news/national/243195/5/New-tax-on-Hybrids-curbs-cost-saving-enthusiasm Consortium sells power from electric cars to grid and turns profit. Correction appended. If not for the orange power cords trailing from their sides, the 15 Mini Coopers lined up in the northwest corner of the University of Delaware's science and technology campus might have been a scene from a BMW dealership. No other outward clues hinted that in their stationary form, these cars were driving a new business. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/29/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Electric car maker offers no-fault battery warranty for its luxury sedan. Tesla Motors Inc. wants to take all uncertainty out of owning one of its electric vehicles with a new high-quality service and warranty program. CEO Elon Musk announced Friday that the company will now offer a no-fault battery warranty for its Model S luxury electric sedan. If the battery is left for a long time at a low state of charge or receives improper maintenance and fails, Tesla will replace it with a battery pack that's as good or better. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/29/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Sacramento plans solar-powered 'smart' parking meters. Seven years after introducing parking kiosks downtown, Sacramento officials say it's time for an even more expansive upgrade of downtown parking – starting with solar-powered parking meters that drivers can pay via cellphone. The plan to purchase and install nearly 6,000 "smart" meters later this year is part of an ambitious effort to catch up with fast-evolving parking technology…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/29/5379130/sacramento-plans-solar-powered.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region?utm_source=feedly#storylink=cpy Slowing rush to invest in clean tech could hurt major Sacramento area industry. Sacramento's leaders are counting on clean technology – the business of solar and wind energy, "smart" buildings and more – to help lift the region out of the economic doldrums. Investors have become more skeptical. They're pouring less money into clean-tech ventures these days following some spectacular flops. One of the nation's most influential investors – Sacramento's own California Public Employees' Retirement System – calls clean-tech flat-out unprofitable. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/28/5375425/slowing-rush-to-invest-in-clean.html#storylink=cpy Nuclear authority generates controversy. Virginia is creating a new agency to support development of nuclear power - a move that has upset environmentalists and open-government advocates, because the entity won't have to comply with the state's Freedom of Information Act and other laws. For the past year or so, companies that work with nuclear energy have been speaking with experts at Virginia universities with nuclear engineering programs and at industry-related nonprofit groups. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/28/5378029/nuclear-authority-generates-controversy.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Kaiser Roseville takes environmental honor. Kaiser Permanente's Roseville Medical Center is one of only three U.S. facilities named to the "Environmental Leadership Circle" by Practice Greenhealth, a national organization that promotes green practices in health care. The leadership circle is considered the highest honor among the Reston, Va.-based group's 2013 Environmental Excellence Awards. To qualify, health facilities must meet high standards in various segments, including waste recycling, medical waste management and eradication of mercury use. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/27/5375821/kaiser-roseville-takes-environmental.html#storylink=cpy Tips for greener living during Earth Month. Many people will argue that the greatest barrier to living a greener lifestyle - one that involves more organic or environmentally friendly food or home and personal care products - is the prohibitive cost. Experts acknowledge that manufacturers and consumers do pay more for natural products, but they hope, as the market shifts toward more nontoxic alternatives, prices will become more affordable. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/29/3278162/tips-for-greener-living-during.html#storylink=misearch Fremont teen wins green awards, on mission to help the environment. For as long as he can remember, Pavan Raj Gowda has understood the critical danger of living on a polluted planet and the importance of nursing it back to health. "When I was really little, I would see garbage on the highway and wonder why it was there," the Fremont 13-year-old said. "I've always been passionate about the planet. I'm not sure why." Pavan has been on a mission to educate people about pollution and his efforts now have been noticed. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23117726/fremont-teen-wins-green-awards-mission-help-environment?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com OPINIONS Pollution reports can guide improvements. San Joaquin County has again flunked a test of its air quality despite an acknowledgment by those administering it that we are "making progress every year." The American Lung Association's annual "State of the Air" report gave the county, lumped in with south Valley counties with dirtier air, a grade of "F." That grade, by the way, is the most common one given by the association, leaving some to question the validity of the rather narrowly drawn test. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130429/A_OPINION01/304290301&cid=sitesearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Can we stop climate change? As a farmer in the San Joaquin Valley, the article "Climate change threatens wineries, study shows" (April 12, Page A-1) struck a chord with me. I have no doubt that climate change is happening. What I do doubt is whether we have the political will and collective courage to take decisive action in the face of uncertainty. Farmers are used to variability in weather, crop yields, prices, labor availability, you name it. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/28/2691259/can-we-stop-climate-change.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION Catch my drift? Locals believe clouds of pesticides made them ill, but the accused are all saying there's The Arreola family smelled something bad, like rotten eggs. Since they lived in Santa Maria’s St. Marie Mobile Home Park near strawberry and broccoli fields—literally feet away, in fact—they worried about chemicals, like pesticides, being applied to fruits and vegetables growing so close to their home. They noticed odd smells at odd times. Alejandra Arreola later told investigators that her family suffered from irritated eyes, sore throats, headaches, nausea, runny noses, and other respiratory issues after the smells materialized. Posted. http://www.santamariasun.com/news/9673/catch-my-drift/ BLOGS An Earth Scientist Explores the Biggest Climate Threat: Fear. Here’s a “Your Dot” contribution pushing back against apocalyptic depictions of the collision between humans and the climate system — written by Peter B. Kelemen, the Arthur D. Storke Professor and vice chair in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. Keleman has done a lot of interesting work on possible ways to capture carbon dioxide from air. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/27/an-earth-scientist-explores-the-biggest-climate-threat-fear/ Now you can track the inexorable progress of climate change on Twitter. In 1958, Charles Keeling began measuring the the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Decades later, scientists at the Mauna Loa Observatory are still measuring, creating “the world’s longest unbroken record” of that data. They’re the ones responsible for the upkeep of this famous graph…Posted. http://grist.org/list/now-you-can-track-the-inexorable-progress-of-climate-change-on-twitter/ Air Pollution Lurks Inside Your Home. How would you like a job that involves shopping at the grocery store with the company credit card and cooking dishes like stir-fry? This describes Tosh Hotchi’s job, but he isn’t a chef. He is part of a research team that studies how to build healthy, efficient homes, including how to improve the quality of air inside a home through better ventilation. Hotchi is helping to study a major source of indoor pollutant: cooking. Posted. http://science.kqed.org/quest/2013/04/29/air-pollution-lurks-inside-your-home/ Why California’s Cap and Trade Program Matters to Community Health Advocates. Several years ago, I worked as a community advocate in the South Bronx. I partnered with community members, agencies, and local elected officials to push for bike lanes, sidewalks, parks and open space in a community that had suffered from years of disinvestment, poor health and environmental injustices. Neighborhood residents wanted clean air to breathe; parents were calling for safe places for their children to play and be active…Posted. http://www.preventioninstitute.org/ca-blog/1012-why-californias-cap-and-trade-program-matters-to-community-health-advocates.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:25:26 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for April 30, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for April 30, 2013. 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 Beach bonfire supporters gather in support of O.C. fire rings. Supporters of the fire rings that line the Orange County shoreline gathered Sunday at Huntington State Beach to send a political smoke signal to air quality regulators who want to snuff out the decades-old tradition in the name of health. Proponents of beach fires cooked hot dogs, roasted marshmallows and told supporters why they believe the South Coast Air Quality Management District is wrong in its proposal to ban fire rings in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-beach-bonfire-supporters-gather-20130429,0,1718902.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+(L.A.+Now) China career boost can come with health risks. Whitney Foard Small loved China and her job as a regional director of communications for a top automaker. But after air pollution led to several stays in hospital and finally a written warning from her doctor telling her she needed to leave, Small packed up and left for Thailand. In doing so, the Ford Motor Co. executive became another expatriate to leave China because of the country's notoriously bad air. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/30/5382159/china-career-boost-can-come-with.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/China-career-boost-can-come-with-health-risks-4474511.php States scramble as EPA shifts research monitors into regulatory mode. A little-noticed change in U.S. EPA air policy has turned a national pollution-monitoring network that has been providing data to researchers for 22 years into a regulatory tool, leaving states scrambling to figure out the implications. At issue are 90 air monitors in the Clean Air Status and Trends Network, or CASTNET, launched in 1991 by the landmark Clean Air Act amendments to track long-term trends in acid rain pollutants as well as rural ozone, a component of smog. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/04/30/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE COLUMN-U.S. pragmatic approach leads climate talks: Wynn. A U.S. submission to U.N.-backed negotiations shows how a scaled-down global climate deal which falls short of a full treaty can be agreed in 2015. Much will depend on the United States, as the world's second biggest carbon emitter whose present administration will be in place beyond the deadline for agreement on a new deal. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/30/column-wynn-us-climate-idUSL6N0DG38820130430 DIESEL EMISSIONS EPA: Diesel Emissions Reduction Act helped retrofit more than 50,000 engines. Between 2008 and 2010, more than 50,000 diesel-powered engines were upgraded or replaced using Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) funding. The upgrades helped reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 203,000 tons, particulate matter by 12,500 tons and carbons dioxide emissions by 2.3 million tons, according to a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report to CongressPosted. http://www.progressiverailroading.com/mechanical/news/EPA-Diesel-Emissions-Reduction-Act-helped-retrofit-more-than-50000-engines--35999 FUELS California Proposal for Fracking Moratorium Clears Panel. A California Assembly panel approved a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing by oil and natural-gas producers until the most populous U.S. state assesses health and environmental concerns. The bill by Adrin Nazarian, a Los Angeles Democrat, is opposed by the oil industry through the Western States Petroleum Association, which says hydraulic fracturing has been used safely for more than 60 years. Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee approved the measure 5-3 on a party-line vote late yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-30/california-proposal-for-fracking-moratorium-clears-panel.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/29/assembly-committee-passes-three-bills-to-impose/?print=1 Ready (or Not?) for a Great Coming Shale Boom. About a year ago, talk began circulating in this West Texas town about a huge oil-producing formation called the Cline Shale, east of the traditional drilling areas around Midland. Then the oilmen and their rigs arrived. Now homes and hotels are sprouting, “help wanted” signs have multiplied, and a major drilling company has cleared land to build an office and equipment yard. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/us/time-for-texas-to-get-ready-for-the-shale-boom.html?ref=earth Vast majority of Americans support fuel economy standards – report. New federal fuel economy standards are putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road and getting widespread praise from the public, according to a progress report by the Consumer Federation of America. The survey released yesterday found that 85 percent of respondents "support" federal requirements to increase the fuel economy of new light-duty vehicles to an average of 35 mpg by 2017 and to 54.5 mpg by 2025. More than half -- 54 percent -- "strongly support" these standards. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/04/30/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Climate body has surprise findings amid Europe-wide debates on fracking. It may seem an odd position by Britain's premier watchdog on climate policies: Fracking for gas may not be so bad after all. In terms of the carbon footprint, it is less damaging than importing gas. That's not the only surprise delivered last week by the Committee on Climate Change, an elite panel of government advisers. Britons are mistaken if they believe their windmills, solar panels, energy-saving regulations and nascent bicycle culture are resolving the nation's carbon problems, the panel said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/04/30/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Enzyme Research Could Lead to Less Expensive Biofuels. Five NREL scientists and one scientist from the Weizmann Institute of Israel conducted research that could lead to enzymes helping create less expensive biofuel. Their paper, “Fungal Cellulases and Complexed Cellulosomal Enzymes Exhibit Synergistic Mechanisms in Cellulose Deconstruction”, has been published in Energy and Environmental SciencePosted. http://eponline.com/articles/2013/04/30/enzyme-research-could-lead-to-less-expensive-biofuels.aspx VEHICLES Enterprise hangs 'for rent' sign on electrics. The Enterprise Rent-a-Car on Ocean Street is turning over a new Leaf. A couple, in fact. Last week the branch became one of a handful from the company in Northern California to offer all-electric Nissan Leafs for rent, giving customers who are thinking about ditching gas-guzzlers a chance to take an extended test drive in an emissions-free ride. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_23133879/enterprise-hangs-rent-sign-electrics?source=rss&utm_source=feedly Riverside McDonald’s gets fast electric car charger. Don’t be surprised if you hear electric car drivers pulling into the McDonald’s at 2242 University Ave. in Riverside say: “I’ll have burgers and fries with my direct current.” The restaurant has installed its Blink Direct Current Fast Charger for electric vehicles, making it the first and only one in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to Scott Watkins, a spokesperson for ECOtality, Blink’s provider. Posted. http://www.pe.com/business/business-headlines/20130429-environment-riverside-mcdonalds-gets-fast-electric-car-charger.ece HIGH-SPEED RAIL California bullet train groundbreaking faces new obstacles. Challenges are coming from a private railroad, a legislative committee and a powerful federal agency asserting authority over the project. California's bullet train agency is facing a series of new regulatory and political problems that could jeopardize its July construction kickoff, which already has been delayed more than six months. The new challenges are coming from a private railroad that controls a key right of way…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0426-bullet-train-snag-20130429,0,4265519.story?utm_source=feedly GREEN ENERGY A City That Turns Garbage Into Energy Copes With a Shortage. This is a city that imports garbage. Some comes from England, some from Ireland. Some is from neighboring Sweden. It even has designs on the American market. “I’d like to take some from the United States,” said Pal Mikkelsen, in his office at a huge plant on the edge of town that turns garbage into heat and electricity. “Sea transport is cheap.” Oslo, a recycling-friendly place where roughly half the city and most of its schools are heated by burning garbage…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/world/europe/oslo-copes-with-shortage-of-garbage-it-turns-into-energy.html?ref=earth California officials split on how to divvy up $500 million in clean-energy funds. The fight over Proposition 39 didn't end at the ballot box. Six months after voters overwhelmingly approved a change in the corporate tax code that's expected to net the state an additional $1 billion in revenue for five years, lawmakers are wrangling over how to spend an estimated $500 million a year the measure earmarks for energy efficiency projects. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/29/5381399/california-officials-split-on.html#mi_rss=Latest%20News?utm_source=feedly#storylink=cpy Navajo Nation forms company to run NM coal mine. The Navajo Nation is moving closer to getting into the coal mining business. Tribal lawmakers voted Monday to form a limited liability company that would run the Navajo Mine near Farmington, N.M. The tribe said it will decide by July 1 whether to purchase the mine from Australia-based BHP Billiton for about $85 million. Navajo President Ben Shelly also must sign off on the creation of the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. LLC. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Navajo-Nation-forms-company-to-run-NM-coal-mine-4473958.php#ixzz2Rxm8hNDN Construction Starts on Warren Buffett's Solar Project. Construction has launched on a solar project its developers are calling the world's largest, on more than 3,200 acres straddling the Kern-Los Angeles county line west of the Antelope Valley town of Rosamond. Antelope Valley Solar I and II are being built for MidAmerican Solar, a Phoenix-based energy development company indirectly owned by financier Warren Buffett. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/construction-starts-on-warren-buffetts-antelope-valley-solar.html?utm_source=feedly MISCELLANEOUS Edward Frieman dies at 87; leading figure in American science. With wide-ranging interests, Edward Frieman led the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, advised the U.S. on defense and energy and was a friend of Albert Einstein. Edward A. Frieman, a leading figure in American science for decades as a researcher with wide-ranging interests, a top-level governmental advisor on defense and energy issues, and director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has died. He was 87. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-edward-frieman-20130429,0,7781587.story Students passionate about banning bags. Ella Whitney's family has been using fabric bags to haul groceries from the store to the house for several years now. So have Cosimo Satalino's family and Katie Horton's family. "We always have our bags in the car," Ella said. "We even have a little sign, a post-it note, on the dashboard, to remind us." The practice has become more popular in recent years as cities, in particular those in coastal areas, have banned the use of disposable plastic grocery bags due to the hazard they pose to the marine life. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/29/students-study-plastic-enviroment-hazards/?utm_source=feedly Earth Month Puts Focus on ‘Green' Jobs. As Earth Month 2013 nears its conclusion, it is a good time to look at “green” jobs, which over the last decade have become a major topic among such agencies and organizations as the U.S. Department of Labor, the California Employment Development Department, and, more locally, the Orange County Workforce Investment Board. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey indicated that about 2.6 percent of national employment was considered green in 2011…Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/month-506238-earth-focus.html OPINIONS Natural Gas, Not Diesel. Americans are learning that climate change is real. Truck fleets burning liquefied natural gas cut greenhouse gases by 25 percent. Further, they are poised to use an even better gas fuel that cuts greenhouse gases 88 to 100 percent: a renewable form of natural gas, known as R.N.G., made from organic wastes flowing from communities, businesses and agricultural operations nationwide. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/opinion/natural-gas-not-diesel.html?_r=0 Carbon tax is better for consumers than cap and trade. Re "California, Quebec join to take lead on climate policy" (Viewpoints, April 26): Gray Davis and Jean Charest are right that we need a price on carbon, and that improving energy efficiency and developing new energy technologies will cause our economy to grow. These liberal leaders back a cap-and-trade approach to pricing carbon. However, conservatives and environmentalists prefer a revenue-neutral carbon tax because the tax will be paid by fuel producers and be rebated to American households. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/30/5378510/taking-the-lead-on-climate-policy.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Clash of business and health. Some big-rig and heavy truck drivers got a surprise last week when they were pulled over in Santa Maria. The operation was the work of the state’s Air Resources Board and California Highway Patrol, and its purpose was to give heavy polluters an ultimatum — clean up tailpipe emissions or park your truck. Who hasn’t been behind a big-rig or other large, diesel-powered vehicle at a stoplight, and when the light goes green, heavy, black smoke boils out of the exhaust pipe. Posted. http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/opinion/editorial/clash-of-business-and-health/article_dc00efea-b13f-11e2-8245-0019bb2963f4.html Imperial County: Toxic Capital of the California Desert. The Imperial County town of Brawley is one of the most polluted places in California, according to a new environmental justice mapping tool released last week by the State of California. In fact, ZIP Code 92227 surrounding Brawley ranks in the dirtiest five percent in the state, earning especially bad marks when it comes to pesticide pollution, hazardous waste, and impaired bodies of water. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/commentary/east-ca/imperial-county-toxic-capital-of-the-california-desert.html BLOGS Billions of Cellphones Polluting the World. Once considered a status symbol, cellphones have become ubiquitous. There are now 6.8 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, 800 million more than at the end of 2011. But mobile technology poses serious environmental challenges, both because of the raw materials needed to produce the hardware and the pollution associated with disposal. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/billions-of-cellphones-polluting-the-world/?smid=go-share Electric Cars Rally on Connecticut’s Back Roads. If the event had been a straightforward race, it would likely have seen a victory by one of the dozen Teslas that participated. But it was the odometer and not the speedometer that mattered, as drivers followed a set of sometimes arcane directional clues and tried to stay on a circuitous route. Each car had a driver and a navigator. My original plan was to gather color for the article by riding in the back of a Chevrolet Volt driven by Leo Karl III…Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/electric-cars-rally-on-connecticuts-back-roads/ Clean Air Benefits and Fuel Savings of Diesel Emissions Reduction Program. More than 50,000 older diesel powered engines were upgraded or replaced between 2008 to 2010 because of Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) funding which resulted in major clean air benefits and fuel savings, according a new report issued today – the "Second Report to Congress: Highlights of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Program" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Posted. http://blog.ctnews.com/kantrowitz/2013/04/30/clean-air-benefits-and-fuel-savings-of-diesel-emissions-reduction-program/ Riverside County passes on $700,000 renewable energy development grant. It’s rare for any county in California to turn down the opportunity to score $700,000 in state grant money to help update its general plan or other renewable energy permitting regulations, but that appears to be what Riverside County has done. A request for proposals issued March 11 announced up to $7 million in state money available to counties “to fund plans for the development or revisions of rules and policies that facilitate the development of eligible renewable energy resources, and their associated electric transmission facilities, and the processing of permits for eligible renewable energy resources.” Posted. http://greenenergy.blogs.mydesert.com/2013/04/29/1163/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 1 May 2013 14:22:42 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 1, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 1, 2013. 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 Burn permits now required. Starting at 8 a.m. today, residents within the boundaries of the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will be required to obtain permits before burning piles of brush, leaves and other yard debris. The unit includes most of the occupied areas of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties as well as the eastern edges of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130501/A_NEWS/130439984&cid=sitesearch Wind prompts health warning in Northern San Joaquin Valley. Yet another windy Tuesday in the Northern San Joaquin Valley prompted local air pollution officials to issue a health cautionary statement through this morning in several counties, including Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin. Blowing dust can result in unhealthy concentrations of particulate matter 10 microns and smaller, which in turn can cause serious health problems, aggravate lung disease, trigger asthma attacks and bronchitis…Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/30/2694880/wind-prompts-health-warning-in.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Up, Up and Away! Scientists Anxious as CO2 Levels to Cross 400 PPM. For the first time in human history, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are expected to pass 400 parts per million across much of the Northern Hemisphere in May, according to scientists who study data from the Mauna Loa Observatory, the world's longest-running CO2 monitoring station. While crossing the 400 ppm mark isn't a "tipping point" that signals climate catastrophe, scientists told InsideClimate News, it is an important symbolic milestone that underscores government inaction on global warming. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-30/up-up-and-away-scientists-anxious-as-co2-levels-to-cross-400-ppm.html FUELS Biofuel Pioneer Forsakes Renewables to Make Gas-Fed Fuels. Alan Shaw, the chemist and executive who led a six-year effort to turn inedible crops into fuels to displace gasoline, has renounced the industry he helped pioneer and decided the future instead lies with natural gas. Formerly chief executive officer of Codexis Inc. (CDXS), the first advanced biofuel technology company to trade on a U.S. exchange, Shaw now says it’s impossible to economically turn crop waste, wood and plants like switchgrass into fuel. He’s trying to do it instead with gas, in his new post as CEO of Calysta Energy LLC. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-04-30/biofuel-pioneer-forsakes-renewables-to-make-gas-fed-fuels.html California Regulator Eyes Tracking of Fracking Chemicals. California may set up its own system for tracking chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing by oil and natural gas producers, rather than depend on the current voluntary registry, the state’s energy industry regulator said. California’s formal rule proposal may also extend the time required for prior notification of fracking, said Mark Nechodom, director of the state Conservation Department. He said the plan may be released in weeks. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-01/california-regulator-eyes-tracking-of-fracking-chemicals.html One month after Arkansas oil spill, still no answers to basic questions. One month after a 65-year-old ExxonMobil pipeline burst without warning and dumped Canadian tar sands oil in the town of Mayflower, Ark., government investigators and residents are still looking for answers to basic questions about the spill. When did the pipeline begin leaking? When and how did the oil company find out about it? How quickly did the company act? How much oil spilled from the pipeline's 22-foot-long gash? And what condition was the line in before it ruptured? Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/01/5385803/one-month-after-arkansas-oil-spill.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy California Assembly panel OKs three measures to halt fracking for more study. In the latest sign of Democrats' determination to rein in the disputed extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a California Assembly committee has advanced three bills that would halt the practice in the state for the foreseeable future. They were not the first fracking bills to make it out of committee this year, but they go further than other fracking legislation by calling for a moratorium to allow more time to study the impacts of hydraulic fracturing, which involves blasting a mix of chemicals and water deep underground. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/30/5383425/capitol-alert-trio-of-california.html#storylink=cpy The U.S. Has Much, Much More Gas and Oil Than We Thought. The United States has double the amount of oil and three times the amount of natural gas than previously thought, stored deep under the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, according to new data the Obama administration released Tuesday. In announcing the new data in a conference call, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell also said the administration will release within weeks draft rules to regulate hydraulic fracturing…Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/the-u-s-has-much-much-more-gas-and-oil-than-we-thought-20130430?utm_source=feedly Saudi official cheers 'renewed faith' in fossil fuels in U.S. Saudi oil minister Ali Al-Naimi yesterday welcomed U.S. shale oil on the world market but said American talk of energy independence is "naive" and "rather simplistic." In an address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., Al-Naimi called the U.S.-Saudi relationship "enduring, like oil itself," and said the two countries should continue to work together to ensure oil market stability. "I welcome these new supplies into the global oil market," … Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/print/2013/05/01/2 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EPA moves up deadline for oil companies' greenhouse gas monitoring requests. U.S. EPA has moved up its deadline for oil and gas companies to submit requests to use alternative monitoring methods to comply with a sectorwide greenhouse gas reporting requirement, according to a final rule published today in the Federal Register. The agency originally proposed a Sept. 30 deadline for oil and gas producers to submit their requests…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/05/01/18 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Electric-Car Maker Coda Files for Bankruptcy to Seek Sale. Coda Holdings Inc., parent of the electric-car maker backed by billionaire Philip Falcone, filed for bankruptcy and will seek to sell its assets to a group led by a Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG) unit. Coda will focus on its energy-storage business, Chief Executive Officer Phil Murtaugh said in a statement. The Los Angeles-based company’s Coda Automotive unit listed assets of as much as $50 million and debt of as much as $100 million in the Chapter 11 filing in Wilmington, Delaware, today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-05-01/electric-car-maker-coda-files-for-bankruptcy-to-seek-sale-1-.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/business/global/02iht-coda02.html?_r=0 China automaker to open electric bus plant in CA. A Chinese company whose mantra is Build Your Dreams plans to build all-electric buses in California's Mojave Desert. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and officials of BYD Automotive scheduled a news conference Wednesday to announce plans to open the first Chinese-owned vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States in the wind-swept high-desert city 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/01/china-automaker-to-open-electric-bus-plant-in-ca/#ixzz2S3hakg8S GREEN ENERGY Calif. reactors might be retired if restart nixed. Costs tied to the long-running shutdown of California's San Onofre nuclear power plant have soared to $553 million, while the majority owner raised the possibility Tuesday of retiring the plant if it can't get one reactor running later this year. The twin-domed plant between San Diego and Los Angeles has not produced electricity since January 2012, when a tiny radiation leak led to the discovery of unusual damage to hundreds of tubes that carry radioactive water. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NUCLEAR_PLANT_PROBLEMS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/30/nuke-plant-future-uncertain/?utm_source=feedly http://news.yahoo.com/calif-reactors-might-retired-restart-nixed-005557067.html Energy Makes Up Half of Desalination Plant Costs: Study. Energy is the largest single expense for desalination plants, accounting for as much as half of the costs to make drinking water from the sea, according to a report. Desalination plants on average use about 15,000 kilowatt- hours of power for every million gallons of fresh water that’s produced, the Pacific Institute said today in a report. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-05-01/energy-makes-up-half-of-desalination-plant-costs-study.html Solar power expansion urged in Los Angeles. A number of environmental groups joined forces on Tuesday in a call for the city of Los Angeles to increase the amount of rooftop solar installations in the city, aiming for 20 percent of all energy by the year 2020. With their report, "Go Solar L.A.," members of the Los Angeles Business Council, Sierra Club and others said the time to expand solar is coming as the city seeks to end its reliance on coal power by 2025. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23142268/solar-power-expansion-urged-los-angeles U.S.-designed no-emission power plant will debut off China's coast. Forty years of research and development by Lockheed Martin into harnessing energy from steep differentials in ocean temperatures will see its first commercial deployment in China. There, a resort developer has partnered with the U.S. defense and aerospace giant to build a 10-megawatt power plant using ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) technology. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/05/01/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. MISCELLANEOUS Bay Area College Offers Master's in Batteries. The school says there is a need for the degree because California's alternative fuel cell industry can't find enough qualified people to fill available positions. Jeff Anderson is with the battery storage trade association Cal Charge. He says students who earn a master's degree will need more than science, "You need to understand the markets and the business factors that influence how technology's developed. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/04/23/bay-area-college-offers-master's-in-batteries Agency to change the way it handles environmental justice complaints. U.S. EPA plans to change the way it investigates environmental justice complaints, recently releasing two policy papers that address long-standing criticism of the agency's Office of Civil Rights. The papers target so-called Title VI complaints, which are named after a provision in the Civil Rights Act that prohibits recipients of federal funding from using the money in a discriminatory way. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/05/01/19 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Dan Morain: Calculating the profits, pitfalls of an oil tax. At least some of those grease spots on the Assembly and Senate floors are what's left of grand legislation to raise taxes on the oil industry. Emboldened legislators have proposed 12 versions of an oil tax since 1994. They sought billions of dollars to fund all sorts of good causes. An Assembly speaker tried. So did a Senate president pro tem. Oil industry lobbyists crushed them all. Sen. Noreen Evans is carrying the latest bill to tax oil at the wellhead. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/01/5384671/calculating-the-profits-pitfalls.html#mi_rss=Opinion?utm_source=feedly Temecula vintners get climate lesson. As Temecula Valley Wine Country vintners assess the impact of climate change on their grapes (“Winemaking would suffer under climate change, study reveals,” April 20), they can feel comforted that conservative politicians and media figures believe the greenhouse effect is a liberal hoax. The denialists also believe decades of careful climate research are irrelevant because scientists are only interested in money. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-headlines/20130430-letter-temecula-vintners-get-climate-lesson.ece BLOGS Extreme Weather in a Warming World, and the American Mind. To see the relationship between extreme weather and public attitudes on human-driven climate change, check out the latest report from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication — “Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind April 2013.” To see where attitudes are in and out of sync with climate science, look back through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report titled…Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/extreme-weather-in-a-warming-world-and-the-american-mind/ SALTON SEA: One bill passes, one bill fails Tuesday. Assembly committees considered a pair of measures Tuesday that aim to help remedy what ails the Salton Sea. The sea, which straddles Riverside and Imperial counties, is shrinking. The decline in agricultural runoff will increasingly expose the sea’s selenium-laden floor, officials say, releasing clouds of toxic dust across the Coachella Valley and points further west. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/political-empire/2013/04/30/salton-sea-one-bill-passes-one-bill-fails-tuesday/ 20 Percent of L.A. Power from Rooftop Solar By 2020? That's The Goal! Now this is an audacious campaign! On the heels of the announcement by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) that it's weaning itself from coal as an energy source by 2025, a coalition of environmental and business groups wants the municipal utility to get 20 percent of its power from L.A. rooftop solar panels by 2020. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/20-percent-rooftop-solar-in-la-by-2020.html?utm_source=feedly ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 2 May 2013 12:21:06 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 2, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 2, 2013. 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 Calif. adds more offsets to ease cap-and-trade supply crunch. Analysts are predicting lower prices in California's economywide cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases, thanks to regulators' plans to add more carbon offsets to the market. Projects that reduce emissions from coal mines and forests should help fill in a projected shortage, but supplies will still be short through 2020, according to the new analysis from carbon market analysis firm Thomson Reuters Point Carbon. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/05/02/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Can California Cap and Trade if Brussels Stumbles? Last week, the European Parliament rejected a proposal to reduce the quantity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions allowances in order to fix a supply-demand imbalance in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Some view this as the beginning of the end of the European Union’s ten-year carbon cap-and-trade experiment. A high profile failure of the EU ETS is likely to provide ammunition to critics California’s cap-and-trade program. Posted. http://www.natlawreview.com/article/can-california-cap-and-trade-if-brussels-stumbles AIR POLLUTION Air quality from Banning fire potentially affects San Bernardino County residents. As hundreds of acres burned in a Banning wildfire and ash fell here from approximately 20 miles away Wednesday, officials warned of the smoke's negative health impacts. The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for the area, while the South Coast Air Quality Management District put out a smoke advisory warning. Posted. http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/news/ci_23151107/air-quality-from-banning-fire-potentially-affects-redlands#ixzz2S9WYSGrH Texas, La., community groups sue EPA for emissions. Community groups in Texas and Louisiana have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accusing it of using "outdated and inaccurate formulas" to report emissions from refineries and chemical plants. The Environmental Integrity Project in Texas, along with Air Alliance Houston, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and other groups filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Washington. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23155670/texas-la-community-groups-sue-epa-emissions#ixzz2S9YtFJGP First full cruise season under new EPA rules start. More than 1 million cruise ship passengers are expected to visit Alaska this year, but industry officials fear new fuel standards intended to limit pollution from large ships could drive vessels away and lower that number later. This will be the first full cruise season in Alaska under rules that require cargo carriers and cruise ships to use a low-sulfur fuel within 200 miles of U.S. and Canadian shores. The U.S. agreed to the standards as part of an international treaty. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23154742/first-full-cruise-season-under-new-epa-rules#ixzz2S9ZO5rv9 SM Energy project stalls on air quality for second time. Whether it is ever approved, one thing about Santa Maria Energy's plan to extract oil from the Careaga Lease in the Orcutt Hills field is certain — it will be one of the most discussed projects in county history. On Wednesday, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission failed for a second time to pass a motion to approve three permits that would allow the company to produce oil from 136 wells using an enhanced steam injection process on the Careaga Lease south of Orcutt. Posted. http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/local/sm-energy-project-stalls-on-air-quality-for-second-time/article_144b8714-b2f0-11e2-bd10-0019bb2963f4.html?comment_form=true EU Factories Double Use of UN Carbon Credits Last Year in Survey. Power stations and factories in the European Union’s emissions market probably doubled their use of United Nations carbon offsets to meet their pollution limits last year, according to a survey of analysts. Companies have surrendered about 600 million Certified Emission Reductions and Emission Reduction Units for 2012, compared with 254.6 million offsets in the previous year, according to the median estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News in the past two days. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-02/eu-factories-double-use-of-un-carbon-credits-last-year-in-survey CLIMATE CHANGE Low-key U.S. plan for each nation to set climate goals wins ground. A U.S.-led plan to let all countries set their own goals for fighting climate change is gaining grudging support at U.N. talks, even though the current level of pledges is far too low to limit rising temperatures substantially. The approach, being discussed this week at 160-nation talks in Bonn, Germany, would mean abandoning the blueprint of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which set central goals for industrialized countries to cut emissions by 2012 and then let each work out national implementation. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/us-climate-talks-idUSBRE9410QA20130502 Most firms get greenhouse gas reports wrong: report. Most of the world's largest companies do not report their greenhouse gas emissions fully or correctly and do not have the data independently verified, a study by an environmental research body showed on Wednesday. Companies are under pressure worldwide from policymakers, and a public increasingly concerned with green issues, to report the environmental fallout of all activities related to their daily business - from plane journeys to office supplies. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/01/us-emissions-companies-idUSBRE93T18L20130501 UN Envoys Consider 2050 Carbon Target in Talks on Climate Deal. Envoys at United Nations global warming talks are considering whether to adopt a target for carbon emissions around 2050 as they struggle to work toward a deal to limit climate change that they aim to adopt in 2015. The delegates from about 190 nations meeting this week in Bonn are discussing whether they could boost ambition by adopting a worldwide goal for the middle of this century backed by interim measures proposed by national government…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-02/un-envoys-consider-2050-carbon-target-in-talks-on-climate-deal.html Preventing climate change is good for business, GM declares. General Motors officially acknowledged today that implementing policies to prevent climate change is “good business.” GM became the first automaker to sign the “Climate Declaration” pledge, which is promoted by nonprofit Ceres’ Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP) coalition. The decision to sign the pledge comes as GM has been pressuring the U.S. government to establish a national energy policy focused on promoting energy security with a diverse range of sources, including natural gas and renewables. Posted. http://www.freep.com/article/20130501/BUSINESS0101/305020037/GM-climate-change-global-warming Proposed desalination plants could breach Calif. carbon targets. Interest in ocean desalination has spiked in California in recent years, with 17 plants proposed along the state's coast. While desalination can be a reliable way to quench the state's growing water concerns, its high energy requirements -- and associated carbon emissions -- could make it much harder for the state to meet its 2020 reduction goals, a study showed. In a report released yesterday, researchers at the Pacific Institute looked at the implications of building and operating new desalination plants in the Golden State. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/05/02/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Diesel program cutting emissions, but funding to be slashed. More than 50,000 high-polluting diesel engines have been cleaned up or removed from U.S. roads in a federal program designed to reduce smog and greenhouse gases, according to a new Environmental Protection Agency report to Congress. While industry and environmental officials call the program a landmark success, it is now threatened with a 70 percent cut in funding under the Obama Administration’s new budget. About 230,000 tons of soot and smog-causing pollutants and more than two million tons of carbon dioxide were eliminated, according to the report. Posted. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2013/diesel-cleanup LOW CARBON FUELS The Importance of Feedstock Within California’s LCFS. California’s Global Warning Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) established the state’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The statute charged the California Air Resources Board with developing and implementing regulations in multiple sectors to achieve that goal. In January 2007, then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued Executive Order S-01-07 calling on CARB to determine whether a low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) could be adopted under AB 32…Posted. http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/9071/the-importance-of-feedstock-within-californiaundefineds-lcfs FUELS Shell Makes Big Bet on Boom in Natural Gas. As Big Oil increasingly becomes Big Gas, no major petroleum player may have more at stake in the shift than Royal Dutch Shell. More than any of its rivals, Royal Dutch Shell, which will report its quarterly results on Thursday, is betting its future on the business of bringing natural gas from remote locations like Qatar to energy-hungry destinations like China and Japan. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/business/energy-environment/02iht-shell02.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 New method finds shortcut to produce fuel from crop wastes. Cellulose is an appealing raw material for fuels. Several chemical processes can turn this long sugar chain into fuel precursors for cars, trucks and aircraft. It's abundant in crop waste, like leaves and stalks from corn, so it's cheap and won't raise food prices. But making it efficiently is tricky. Most of the common ways to break cellulose down involve finicky enzymes or microbes, which will only work with high-quality cellulose sources and require a strictly controlled environment. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/05/02/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Reports highlight ongoing advances in vehicle technology, consumer demand for fuel efficiency in US and Europe. Two separate reports highlight the ongoing improvement in vehicle technologies and the growing trend toward consumers purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles in the US and in Europe. In the US, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) released an analysis—“On the Road to 54.5 MPG: A Progress Report on Achievability”—of the response of consumers and automakers as both begin to experience the effects of the newly adopted federal fuel economy standard. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/05/reports-20130502.html US Electric Vehicles sales report for April. The monthly EV sales report is provided by InsideEVs and is updated with latest information available. In April 2013, more than 6,000 EVs were sold in the US market, twice as many as in April 2012, for a total market share slightly below 0,5% of new light vehicles sales. The sales information currently includes sales of 11 car models. Data from Ford is currently missing, but as soon as the information is made available this article will be updated. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5364 GREEN ENERGY For Obama and Pena Nieto, a delicate 'first dance' around energy. When the conversation between President Barack Obama and his newly elected Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto turns to the controversial topic of energy during their meeting this week, both are apt to step carefully. The two countries have abruptly changed positions over the past decade: Mexico, once the growing energy power, is struggling to maintain production; the United States, once a guaranteed importer, is enjoying a lucrative energy boom. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/energy-usa-mexico-idUSL2N0DI21H20130502 Conn. renewable energy plan passes first test. New rules for renewable energy use in Connecticut passed their first big test Wednesday when the state Senate approved legislation proposed by the governor to boost hydropower from Canada. The 26-6 vote was a defeat for environmentalists who fought Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration, demanding a greater reliance on smaller-scale wind and solar energy. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/01/conn-renewable-energy-plan-passes-first-test/#ixzz2S9LpmUdH MISCELLANEOUS Cross-Country Solar Plane Expedition Set for Takeoff. When Bertrand Piccard was growing up in Switzerland, heady discussions about the boundless potential for human endeavor were standard fare. His grandfather, a physicist and friend of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, had invented a special capsule so he and a partner could be first to reach the stratosphere in a balloon. His father, an engineer, helped design the submarine that made him and an American naval officer the first to plunge undersea to the earth’s crust. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/business/energy-environment/cross-country-solar-plane-expedition-set-for-takeoff.html?ref=global-home&_r=1&&pagewanted=print Lipstick's allure may come with heavy metal price. The quest for lusher, ruby-red lips may be exposing women to dangerous metals, including cadmium, a highly toxic element linked with renal failure, a UC Berkeley study suggests. Researchers found trace amounts of nine metals, some benign, some potentially dangerous, in 32 lipsticks and glosses used by Asian women in Oakland. None exceeded current public health exposure standards. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-lipstick-metals-20130501,0,6572023.story Panel approves Steinberg's CEQA bill, kills broader GOP version. A bill that would make some changes to California's landmark environmental review law moved forward in the state Senate on Wednesday, but Democrats rejected a GOP-backed proposal as "too broad and comprehensive a change." Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg defended his Senate Bill 731, which passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/02/5388224/panel-approves-steinbergs-ceqa.html#storylink=cpy Calif. sues: Lead in candied ginger, plum. The state of California is suing Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Target and other retailers and candy makers, claiming the companies have exposed consumers to illegal lead levels in their candied plum and ginger products. The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court by the state attorney general's office, accuses the retailers of knowingly selling products that contain lead in violation of Proposition 65…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Calif-sues-Lead-in-candied-ginger-plum-4481357.php#ixzz2S9jSuhh8 Calif. governor names former reporter to state EPA post. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) yesterday named a former journalist to a high-ranking job at the state Environmental Protection Agency. Alex Barnum, 52, of Berkeley, Calif., has been tapped as deputy secretary for communications and external affairs. He has been a communications officer at the philanthropic San Francisco-based James Irvine Foundation since 2006. Prior to that, Barnum worked in a similar role at the nonprofit Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/05/02/8 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Valley doesn't need more air regulations. In response to "Air in San Joaquin Valley cities among nation's worst" (April 24): Oh, joy! Another story that wants government to put the screws to a region that's already being crushed by air quality regulations. Geography plays an important part when it comes to air quality. The San Joaquin Valley is an elongated bowl with one opening along its western ridge. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/05/01/2696171/please-give-us-more-government.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Air Apparent: L.A.'s Bright Skies Are Not As Clear As They Seem. The act of breathing is pretty straightforward, and, when everything is functioning properly, is an unconscious musculatory response. Yet the chemical composition of the air we are breathing is not so clear-cut, which means we need to be intensely aware of what we are inhaling (and at what time of day we are drawing this essential oxygen into our lungs). Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/the_back_forty/commentary/golden-green/airing-it-out.html Unintended Consequences of Green Chemistry Law. California has long set the trend for groundbreaking environmental regulations designed to protect consumers from hazardous chemicals and emissions. Because of this, California has seen its pollution levels drop over the last few decades. While we still have a ways to go, our progress is encouraging. Occasionally, however, a well-intended policy creates a host of unintended consequences. Posted. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2013/05/unintended-consequences-of-green-chemistry-law/ BLOGS Obama group misleadingly cites a vote on a climate change bill. President Obama’s new political group, Organizing for Action, last week released a new video that mocks Republican lawmakers for appearing to play down or dismiss concerns about climate change. Some of the clips are fairly interesting — or amusing, depending on your perspective. It has already been viewed more than 225,000 times on You Tube. We’ve written before about the growing consensus among climate researchers that climate change is the result of human activity; …Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/obama-group-misleadingly-cites-a-vote-on-a-climate-change-bill/2013/05/01/4e4e5548-b2ac-11e2-bbf2-a6f9e9d79e19_blog.html Bill to change California's environmental review law advances. A bill that would make changes to California's landmark environmental review law moved forward in the state Senate Wednesday, as Democrats rejected a GOP-backed proposal as "too broad and comprehensive a change." Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg defended his Senate Bill 731, which passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee Wednesday…Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/05/ceqa.html?utm_source=feedly#storylink=cpy Natural Aerosols May Help Slow Climate Change By Small Amounts, New Study Shows. Could plants help to slow the march of global warming? It's possible, suggests a new study, which finds that as climates warm around the world, plants may respond by releasing more aerosol particles into the atmosphere. The research, published online April 28 in the journal Nature Geoscience, finds that these natural aerosols can fuel cloud formation, which may help cool a warming climate. [The Reality of Climate Change: 10 Myths Busted] Aerosols are fine particles of solid or liquid matter, suspended in air. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/01/natural-aerosols-global-warming_n_3193360.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 3 May 2013 11:14:59 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for May 3, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 3, 2013. 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 law vs. agriculture focus of Assembly hearing. A joint informational hearing is being scheduled for next week on how California agriculture can help the state meet its air quality goals. Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, D-Davis, chairwoman of the Assembly Select Committee on Sustainable and Organic Agriculture, and Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, chairwoman of the Assembly Select Committee on Agriculture and the Environment, will hold the hearing. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 8, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the State Capitol, room 126. Posted. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_23163355/cap-and-trade-law-vs-agriculture-focus-assembly AIR POLLUTION APNewsBreak: Judge Axes Federal Suit Over Lake. A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by Los Angeles against air quality regulators who are requiring the city to do more to control dust on a lake that was siphoned dry a century ago to provide water for the booming metropolis. U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii granted a motion Wednesday to dismiss the lawsuit in the latest chapter in a decades-old spat over water rights in the arid region 200 miles north of Los Angeles. The lawsuit was filed last year in U.S. District Court in Fresno. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_WATER_WARS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT AP Newsbreak: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130502/us-california-water-wars/?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=green http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/apnewsbreak-federal-judge-tosses-lawsuit-filed-by-los-angeles-over-lake-dust-control/2013/05/02/64beb346-b382-11e2-9fb1-62de9581c946_story.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/02/apnewsbreak-judge-axes-federal-suit-over-lake/ http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/apnewsbreak-judge-axes-federal-suit-lake-19096981#.UYPTVMpglNs Chemical pesticides burn in Calif. Wildfire. Fire officials say they will dispatch a hazardous materials team to deal with a store of highly toxic pesticides that have caught fire in a massive Southern California wildfire. Cpt. Scott Dettorre tells the Ventura County Star ( http://bit.ly/132NTEh ) the pesticides were stored at the Laguna Farms property near the California State University Channel Islands campus. Dettorre says nearby residents are being warned to stay out of the smoke. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/02/chemical-pesticides-burn-in-calif-wildfire/ Air quality advisory issued due to fire, dust. Air quality will be compromised today in Ventura County as a result of the Camarillo Springs fire and dust kicked up by Santa Ana winds. The county Air Pollution Control District issued an advisory this morning urging all residents in areas with blowing dust, smoke and ash to use caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities. Meteorologist Kent Field said residents in those areas should avoid vigorous outdoor or indoor exertion and that children, elderly individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease should stay indoors. Smoke and ash from the fire is considered unhealthy in and downwind of the fire. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/02/air-quality-advisory-issued-due-to-fire-dust/ Santa Clara County receives 'F' for air pollution. Despite Santa Clara County getting an "F" grade for this year's state of the air report released by the American Lung Association, the report does show notable progress in efforts to reduce ozone and particulate pollution in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The 14th annual report ranks cities and counties most affected by air pollution and details trends over the past decade. The grades are based on the weighted average of days when air pollution levels reach the higher ranges. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/sunnyvale/ci_23161329/santa-clara-county-receives-f-air-pollution http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23161329/santa-clara-county-receives-f-air-pollution?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Companies spend millions to reduce air pollution. Some companies operating in Southern California are spending millions of dollars to help reduce air pollution and it’s showing results. Los Angeles, Riverside and Long Beach still remain the worst place for ozone pollution nationwide, but the number of unhealthy air days has dropped over the last decade, according to a report by the American Lung Association. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/05/02/37107/companies-spend-millions-to-reduce-air-pollution/ CLIMATE CHANGE The year 2012 was among the 10 warmest years on record. The United Nation’s weather agency has confirmed that 2012 was the ninth warmest year since record keeping began in 1850, and the 27th consecutive year that global land and ocean temperatures were above average. Last year exceeded the global average temperature of 58 degrees Fahrenheit despite the cooling influence of a La Nina weather pattern, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s annual climate report. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-2012-record-heat-20130502,0,2784525.story HIGH-SPEED RAIL Rail authority defends bullet train bidding criteria. The California bullet train agency on Thursday defended its bidding criteria for selecting the winner for its first construction contract, saying that the process held down prices and was handled properly. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has come under fire from critics who assert changes to the bidding criteria could jeopardize the quality of the project. The authority tentatively chose a team led by Sylmar-based Tutor Perini to build a 29-mile segment of track through Fresno even though it had the lowest technical score. The team had the lowest-cost bid, at just under $1 billion. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bullet-contract-20130503,0,7557395.story?track=rss GREEN ENERGY Oil drilling technology leaps, clean energy lags. Technology created an energy revolution over the past decade - just not the one we expected. By now, cars were supposed to be running on fuel made from plant waste or algae - or powered by hydrogen or cheap batteries that burned nothing at all. Electricity would be generated with solar panels and wind turbines. When the sun didn't shine or the wind didn't blow, power would flow out of batteries the size of tractor-trailers. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENERGY_TECHNOLOGY_RACE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/02/3282914/oil-drilling-technology-leaps.html#storylink=misearch www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/02/oil-drilling-technology-leaps-clean-energy-02/ Is Waste Management Evolving Into an Energy Company? Landfill gas, as a by-product of microbial activity, forms from the anaerobic decomposition of organic waste materials (trash), and consists primarily of methane as well as carbon dioxide. The biogas produced by landfills can be used as an energy source -- from fueling trucks to generating electricity. Utilizing this gas for electricity can also deliver a continuous, stable source of electricity to power grids -- which is something other "green" energy sources such as wind and solar often cannot. So, how to invest? Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Is-Waste-Management-Evolving-Into-an-Energy-4485704.php OPINION Make plan to maximize the use of natural gas. California has numerous opportunities to achieve our state’s ambitious carbon emission reduction goals, while at the same time fostering jobs and supporting industries involved in clean energy. One area of opportunity is natural gas. There is a lot of it. It is lower priced than alternatives. And it is a domestic resource. Now is the time for the state to determine a clear roadmap that effectively guides our current use of natural gas to further reduce emissions and move us toward a clean energy economy. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/local-views-headlines/20130502-opinion-make-plan-to-maximize-the-use-of-natural-gas.ece BLOGS Air Pollution’s Role in Heart Disease. Air pollution has been linked to cardiovascular disease, and now researchers may be closer to understanding why: it increases atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, a known risk for heart attack and stroke. Researchers did ultrasound examinations on 5,362 men and women over 45 in six metropolitan areas, measuring the thickness of their right common carotid artery, one of two arteries that carry oxygenated blood to the neck and head. Posted. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/air-pollutions-role-in-heart-disease/ On ‘Unburnable Carbon’ and the Specter of a ‘Carbon Bubble’. A new buzz phrase in the push to limit greenhouse gas emissions is “unburnable carbon” — an effort to define and then wall off the portion of the world’s still-vast reserves of coal, oil or natural gas that might, if combusted, cause unacceptably costly or dangerous climate change. The effort builds, to a large extent, on studies aiming to create a “carbon budget” for the world’s nations — divvying up the amount of emissions (and thus fuels) below that threshold. The most notable paper, published in Nature, was ”Greenhouse-Gas Emission Targets for Limiting Global Warming to 2 °C.” (2 °C being 2 degrees Celsius). (Earlier this year, Katherine Bagley wrote a nice piece on the influence of that paper.) Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/on-unburnable-carbon-and-the-specter-of-a-carbon-bubble/ April 2013: Prius sales slow, competition grows edition. Year-over-year advanced-powertrain sales numbers in the US continued to slow last month as Japanese automakers like Toyota and Honda failed to hit the demand levels seen in 2012. A surge in Nissan Leaf sales, which helped push plug-in sales up 41 percent from a year earlier, and demand for newer Ford hybrids helped offset the effect of falling Prius sales. Still, advanced-powertrain sales rose just 6.5 percent to 52,671 units in April. Through the first four months of the year, Americans bought just over 200,000 advanced-powertrain vehicles, up 14 percent from a year earlier. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/05/03/april-2013-green-car-sales/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 6 May 2013 14:21:33 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 6, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 6, 2013. 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 European carbon market in trouble. As the centerpiece of Europe’s pledge to lead the global battle against climate change, the region’s market for carbon emissions effectively turned pollution into a commodity that could be traded like gold or oil. But the once-thriving pollution trade here has turned into a carbon bust. Under the system, 31 nations slapped emission limits on more than 11,000 companies and issued carbon credits that could be traded by firms to meet their new pollution caps. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/european-carbon-markets-trouble-darkens-outlook-for-remedying-climate-change/2013/05/05/0178ccea-b30f-11e2-9fb1-62de9581c946_story.html AIR POLLUTION Beach bonfire spat gets hot in Southern California. Anna Abderhalden and her siblings woke before dawn to stake a claim to a coveted beachfront spot where bonfires blaze each night as a rite of summer in this surf-crazy Southern California city. More than 12 hours later, Abderhalden's toes were tucked in the sand as an orange sun dipped below the horizon and flames warmed her family. "This is a unique place," she said as her sister-in-law skewered a marshmallow. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FIRE_PIT_FIGHT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/04/3285894/beach-bonfire-spat-gets-hot-in.html http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationworld/popular-seaside-fire-pits-touch-off-dispute-over-air-pollution_2013-05-05.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/04/beach-bonfire-spat-gets-hot-in-southern/#ixzz2SWv6JCye EU Pollution Push in Disarray on Debt Crisis Distraction. Europe’s program to halt climate change is in disarray with lawmakers in the region expressing concern the drift is undermining the planet’s most significant effort to combat global warming. Representatives of political groups in the European Parliament’s environment committee tomorrow are set to discuss dates of new votes to revive a plan the full assembly rejected. It would have boosted the cost of greenhouse-gas emissions. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-05/eu-pollution-push-in-disarray-as-crisis-focus-sharpens.html Neighbors Resist a Plan to Clean a Toxic Canal. One neighborhood fears that the sludge taken out from the canal would poison the air over their ball fields, and others worry that the location of a sewage-processing site needed for the cleanup would destroy a beloved swimming pool. The disputes illustrate a predicament that often crops up in environmental remediation: those affected see the cure as worse than the disease. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/nyregion/epa-plan-to-clean-up-gowanus-canal-meets-local-resistance.html?ref=earth&_r=0 Air quality alert issued for SLO County as wildfires burn around California. Large wildfires burning north and south of San Luis Obispo County have prompted county officials to issue an air quality alert. “Due to changing winds and weather conditions, it is difficult to predict which areas of the county may be most affected by smoke from the fire,” said Aeron Arlin-Genet, spokeswoman for the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District. Posted. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/05/03/2495049/fire-air-quality-smoke-health.html Disposal fee waived to reduce smoke. In an effort to curb an increase in smoke pollution caused by yard waste burning in Calaveras County, the county's Air Pollution Control District and Public Works Department are offering residents a chance to dispose of waste for free at county landfills Saturday and Sunday. The fee waiver does not apply to businesses or non-residential waste collection customers. Residents will be able to dispose of up to four cubic yards of yard waste without a fee. After that, they will pay the standard $4 per cubic yard. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130506/A_NEWS/130509919&cid=sitesearch CLIMATE CHANGE California, Arizona see spike in valley fever cases as worsening drought kicks up dust. California and federal public health officials say valley fever, a potentially lethal but often misdiagnosed disease infecting more and more people around the nation, has been on the rise as warming climates and drought have kicked up the dust that spreads it. The fever has hit California’s agricultural heartland particularly hard in recent years, with incidence dramatically increasing in 2010 and 2011. The disease — which is prevalent in arid regions of the United States…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/california-arizona-see-spike-in-valley-fever-cases-as-worsening-drought-kicks-up-dust/2013/05/06/1be9770e-b60d-11e2-b568-6917f6ac6d9d_story.html Climate change may bring drought to temperate areas, study says. 'Wet areas will get wetter and dry areas will get drier,' says a scientist, describing the findings of a NASA-led study on rainfall trends. Drought-prone places include the Southwestern United States. Climate change may increase the risk of extreme rainfall in the tropics and drought in the world's temperate zones, according to a new study led by NASA. "These results in many ways are the worst of all possible worlds," said Peter Gleick, a climatologist and water expert who is president of the Pacific Institute, an Oakland research organization. "Wet areas will get wetter and dry areas will get drier." Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-nasa-climate-20130504,0,2772152.story EPA to defend its greenhouse gas emission rules tomorrow. U.S. EPA will return to court tomorrow to defend its regulations for fighting climate change from multiple challenges by Texas and industry groups. At issue before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit are two cases that center on EPA's implementation of greenhouse gas air emissions standards under the Clean Air Act after the agency determined the emissions endangered public health. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/05/06/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS New technology propels 'old energy' boom. Technology created an energy revolution over the past decade - just not the one we expected. By now, cars were supposed to be running on fuel made from plant waste or algae - or powered by hydrogen or cheap batteries that burned nothing at all. Electricity would be generated with solar panels and wind turbines. When the sun didn't shine or the wind didn't blow, power would flow out of batteries the size of tractor-trailers. Fossil fuels? They were going to be expensive and scarce, relics of an earlier, dirtier age. But in the race to conquer energy technology, Old Energy is winning. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/04/new-technology-propels-old-energy-boom/#ixzz2SWvrfnCG Gloster signs lease for biofuels plant. The town of Gloster has signed a lease with Drax Biomass International for its Amite BioEnergy wood pellet plant. The Enterprise-Journal reports that the 15-year lease calls for the company to pay the town $8,000 per year for the first 10 years and $9,000 for the next five. There are options to continue the lease at $10,000 per year for the next 10 years and $11,000 per year thereafter. The board of aldermen this week issued a permit to Haskell Co. of Jacksonville, Fla., to begin site work at the local industrial park. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/05/gloster-signs-lease-for-biofuels-plant/#ixzz2SWwSl8Pu McCarthy says low-carbon fuel standard not in the cards. Gina McCarthy, President Obama's pick to head U.S. EPA, said the agency is not considering a national low-carbon fuel standard that would promote diesel and biofuels with lower carbon emissions in the transportation sector. Responding in writing to questions from Senate Republicans ahead of her confirmation vote in the Environment and Public Works Committee this week, McCarthy said the agency is "not considering nor does it currently have any plans to establish an LCFS under the Clean Air Act." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/05/06/3 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Obama says U.S. likely to be gas exporter by 2020. President Obama indicated over the weekend that he's warming to the idea of the United States exporting its new glut of natural gas and that doing so would ensure the nation plays a larger role on the global geopolitical stage. "Because of the extraordinary advances in technology that we've made in the United States, we are likely to be a net natural gas exporter as soon as 2020," Obama said during a development forum Saturday in San Jose, Costa Rica. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/05/06/5 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla drives California environmental credits to the bank. Zero Emission Vehicle credits could give the automaker as much as $250 million this year, highlighting the state's effort to promote the electric car. When Tesla Motors reports its first-ever profit Wednesday, much of the money will come courtesy of the state of California. In its zeal to push electric cars into the market, the state has created a system in which Tesla can make as much as $35,000 extra on each sale of its luxury Model S electric sports sedans. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-electric-cars-20130506,0,3647114.story GREEN ENERGY SOLAR POWER: Developers close to flipping the switch. Nearly four years after the fanfare, the Obama administration’s vision of tapping California desert sunshine to fight climate change is getting close to becoming a reality. The developers of three commercial-scale solar projects on public land in Riverside and San Bernardino counties say they will start feeding the electrical grid this fall, if not earlier: Genesis, about 25 miles west of Blythe, being built by NextEra Energy Resources using thermal troughs to collect solar energy. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130503-solar-power-developers-close-to-flipping-the-switch.ece Sebastopol poised to add solar requirement to new construction. Sebastopol, the small town of 7,400 tucked next to the green hills of west Sonoma County, would seem to have little in common with Lancaster, a high desert city of 146,000 located 400 miles away in northeast Los Angeles County. Sebastopol Mayor Michael Kyes is a Democrat, and the city is represented in Congress by Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat who serves on the House Natural Resources Committee. Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris is a Republican, as is Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130504/ARTICLES/130509768/0/SEARCH Some in W. Pa. worry over proposed wind farm. Some western Pennsylvania residents say a proposed wind energy farm might involve too much noise and heavy equipment, but others support the project. The Erie Times-News reports Monday that some residents of North East Township are concerned about setbacks between wind turbines and neighboring properties, turbine noise, and heavy equipment during construction. The township is about 15 miles northeast of Erie. Texas-based Pioneer Green Energy began leasing property for the wind farm near Interstate 90 two years ago. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23180763/some-w-pa-worry-over-proposed-wind-farm#ixzz2SX1onAnT MISCELLANEOUS GM recalls more than 38,000 Chevy, Buick hybrids due to fire risk. General Motors announced Monday it’s recalling more than 38,000 Chevrolet and Buick eAssist light hybrid cars for a potential fire issue. The automaker said circuit boards in the trunk can potentially overheat, causing the cars’ 12-volt battery to drain and one of several indicator lights to turn on. If owners ignore the warning lights, the engine could stall and a fire could occur in the trunk, GM said. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-gm-recalls-eassist-20130506,0,9218.story Bill would create 'Made in California' label. The legislation, for manufactured products, would enhance the state's reputation for making environmentally safe and energy efficient products, a senator says. A "Made in USA" label has long been seen as an advantage in marketing a product. Now there are in-state manufacturers that want to see the adoption of an official label that declares Made in California. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-capitol-business-beat-20130506,0,1869554.story OPINIONS Letters: Climate change is news we can use. Re "Atmospheric CO2 approaches a dire milestone," May 2 If astronomers had just discovered that a meteor would strike Earth in a few years and that its impact would make our world a radically different place than the one we have known, the article about it would be above the fold on the front page. But when scientists at UC San Diego tell us we are pumping carbon dioxide into our atmosphere at a rate that can, in a few decades, raise the Earth's average temperature and ocean levels to heights not seen in millions of years…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0505-sunday-co2-climate-change-20130505,0,7929536,print.story BLOGS With Carbon Dioxide Approaching a New High, Scientists Sound the Alarm. If uncertainty runs rampant in the global-warming debate, it is in part because scientific data is often too complex to be well understood by anyone but climate scientists. This month, however, the world is likely to reach a scientific milestone that appears impressively scary even to those with only a cursory knowledge of climate science. For the first time in human history, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels will surpass 400 parts per million, according Scripps Institution of Oceanography…Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/with-carbon-dioxide-approaching-a-new-high-scientists-sound-the-alarm/ Tesla thrives, Fisker fades. Electric-car critics have been having a field day with the implosion of Fisker Automotive. And yet just 380 miles away from Fisker’s almost-empty headquarters in Anaheim, another plug-in car company appears to be doing just fine. Tesla Motors of Palo Alto is expected to report its first quarterly profit on Wednesday, a month after Fisker fired most of its employees. Tesla builds pure electric cars, while Fisker made plug-in hybrids. But the two companies targeted the same customers and used similar business strategies. Both received big federal loans. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/05/05/tesla-thrives-fisker-fades/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 7 May 2013 12:30:30 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 7, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 7, 2013. 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 Europe’s Carbon Market Fix Set for July Second-Chance Vote. The European Parliament will hold a second plenary vote in early July on a stopgap plan to bolster prices in the world’s biggest carbon market after it rejected the draft measure last month. Representatives of political groups in the Parliament’s environment committee agreed today that the panel will give its verdict on the proposal on June 19, before a vote by the full assembly during the July 1-4 session, lawmaker Matthias Groote said. The plan to curb the oversupply of carbon permits…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-07/europe-s-carbon-market-fix-to-be-voted-in-parliament-in-july.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-07/europe-s-carbon-market-fix-to-be-voted-in-parliament-in-july AIR POLLUTION Rail yard project heads to Los Angeles City Council; health official expresses pollution concerns. Los Angeles city leaders this week will tackle a controversial $500 million rail yard project proposed by BNSF Railway near West Long Beach and Wilmington neighborhoods. The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday will decide whether to uphold the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners' endorsement of the project's environmental impact report. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_23183703/rail-yard-project-heads-los-angeles-city-council Hot Weather Impacts Air Quality. State and Federal Air Quality Standards Were Exceeded in Santa Barbara County. Concentrations of ground-level ozone, a principal component of smog, recorded Friday at stations in Carpinteria and Lompoc exceeded both the federal eight-hour ozone standard and the state eight-hour ozone standard, and ozone concentrations at the Las Flores Canyon (Gaviota coast), Paradise Road, Santa Ynez, and Vandenberg Air Force Base stations exceeded the state ozone standard. Posted. http://www.independent.com/news/2013/may/06/hot-weather-impacts-air-quality/ CLIMATE CHANGE Germany Says Climate Talks Move Beyond Blame Game Before Warsaw. Climate talks that ended today in Berlin moved beyond a “blame game,” said Germany’s Environment Minister Peter Altmaier, after recent disagreements. Representatives from 35 nations met in the city before United Nations-mandated discussions on tackling climate change due this year in Warsaw. Delegates from more than 190 states aim to reach a deal in 2015 to curb greenhouse gas emissions from 2020. They plan to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which was adopted in 1997 and limits pollution from industrial nations. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-07/germany-says-climate-talks-move-beyond-blame-game-before-warsaw.html Surge in valley fever blamed on climate change. California and federal public health officials say that valley fever, a potentially lethal but often misdiagnosed disease infecting more and more people across the nation, has been on the rise as a warming climate and drought have kicked up the dust that spreads it. The fever has hit California’s agricultural heartland particularly hard in recent years, with the incidence dramatically increasing in 2010 and 2011. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/surge-in-valley-fever-blamed-on-climate-change/2013/05/05/79668cca-b5cf-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story.html Judges skeptical of states challenging EPA regulatory authority. Federal judges wrestled today with whether U.S. EPA ran afoul of the law in directing states to implement regulations to address climate change. At issue before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit are two cases that challenge EPA's interactions with states after the agency finalized landmark greenhouse gas rules in 2010. EPA had sought to make sure states that had Clean Air Act permitting authority for new major facilities were able to adequately take into account greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/05/07/1 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS In Calif, some ships plug in to power up. In less than a year, many of the towering cargo ships loading and unloading goods at California ports won't just tie up at dock—they'll also plug in. In January, the state will become the first government body in the world to require container fleets docking at its major ports to shut off their diesel engines and use electricity for 50 percent of their visits—or face crippling fines. The requirements also include slashing fleet emissions by half, and those requirements rise to 80 percent in 2020. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/in-california-cargo-ships-must-soon-plug-in-to-power-up-to-reduce-emissions-starting-in-2014/2013/05/06/a76b09ba-b698-11e2-b568-6917f6ac6d9d_story.html http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/In-Calif-some-ships-plug-in-to-power-up-4492910.php http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130507/WIRE/130509658/1033/news http://www.eveningsun.com/nationworldnews/ci_23183879/at-california-port-some-ships-plug-power-up http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130506/A_NEWS/130509905&cid=sitesearch Residents near U.S. ports say expansions taking heavy toll. The big trucks roar out of Port Newark like a beastly herd, snorting, grinding gears and belching exhaust as they rush through the predominantly black South Ward neighborhood. “In one hour, no matter when we count, we have about 400 trucks come through,” Kim Gaddy said. The diesel trucks help move $1 billion worth of cargo annually in and out of Port Newark, a cornerstone of the nation’s third-largest port system — the Port of New York and New Jersey — and the source of tens of thousands of jobs. But the pollution exacts a heavy toll on residents, environmental advocates say. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/residents-near-us-ports-say-expansions-taking-heavy-toll/2013/05/05/78842a82-a77f-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_print.html FUELS Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel Futures Advance as Gasoil Strengthens. Ultra-low-sulfur diesel futures jumped to a three-week high as gasoil in Europe strengthened. Crack spreads widened. Futures rose as much as 0.9 percent. Gasoil jumped on the ICE Futures Europe exchange, indicating greater demand need for distillate exports from the U.S. ULSD’s crack spread versus West Texas Intermediate crude widened $1.38 to $27.87 a barrel. The premium over Brent increased 82 cents to $18.01. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-07/ultra-low-sulfur-diesel-futures-advance-as-gasoil-strengthens.html Ethanol Rises Versus Gasoline on Signs of Higher Export Demand. Ethanol advanced against gasoline on speculation higher export demand is tightening supply along the U.S. East Coast. The spread, or price difference, widened 3.8 cents to 30.67 cents a gallon at 11:24 a.m. New York time as stockpiles of the fuel in New York Harbor in the week ended April 26 dropped to a record low 5.6 million barrels, data from the Energy Information Administration show, even as overall gasoline demand trails year-ago levels. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-07/ethanol-rises-versus-gasoline-on-signs-of-higher-export-demand.html Gas prices steady – but could go up. Area gasoline prices, which have been slowly falling in recent weeks, stayed locked in place last week. The average retail price of gasoline in the Sacramento area was unchanged from the previous week, coming in at $3.80 a gallon, according to national price tracker GasBuddy.com, which surveys 720 stations in the area. Sacramento prices are now 29.5 cents lower than they were a year ago and 7.6 cents lower than a month ago. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/07/5400098/gas-prices-steady-but-could-go.html#storylink=cpy VEHICLES China's struggling automakers jump on SUV boom. BYD is known for electric cars but this year's flagship model is the S7, a gasoline-powered SUV. It comes with an air purifier, radar to help with backing and digital TV. An onboard hard drive can hold 1,000 films. This is China's Year of the SUV. Whatever their specialties used to be, automakers ranging from global brands to China's ambitious rookies are scrambling to cash in on the explosive popularity of sport utility vehicles. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/China-s-struggling-automakers-jump-on-SUV-boom-4493867.php#ixzz2Scrg6Rdx Electric-car enthusiasts eye world records in cross-country trip. In the Ride The Future Tour, a collection of electric vehicle enthusiasts aim to travel almost 3,000 miles east to west across the US, Ingram writes. Several Guinness World Records are up for the taking, including "longest journey on an electric scooter," "longest journey on an electric motorcycle," and "longest journey in an electric car." Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/0507/Electric-car-enthusiasts-eye-world-records-in-cross-country-trip Tesla talking to Google about driverless electric cars. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is talking to Google about adding driverless technology to its electric cars, Bloomberg News reports. If the two were ever to collaborate, it could give Tesla a key technical advantage over other luxury car makers beyond its unique electric powerplant, which gives its the longest range of any electric cars. It is EPA rated at 265 miles a charge. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/05/07/tesla-elon-musk-google-driverless-cars/2140991/ GREEN ENERGY GE says tax changes fuel 1 gigawatt of new wind orders. General Electric Co (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Monday the renewal of the U.S. production tax credit has helped it sell wind turbines with 1 gigawatt of generating power since January. The credit, a key lifeline for the nascent wind power industry, was caught up in fiscal cliff negotiations in the U.S. Congress at the end of last year, and for a time it was unclear whether it would be renewed. Congress renewed it shortly after the new year began. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/06/us-ge-wind-idUSBRE9450GS20130506 Imperial Irrigation District mulls more solar rebates. Nonprofit groups in the Coachella Valley and Imperial County may have a second chance to get thousands of dollars in solar rebates from the Imperial Irrigation District. IID’s Energy Consumers Advisory Committee on Monday night debated what to do with $552,422 in solar rebates the utility had originally earmarked for nonprofit and government projects as part of its Solar Solutions Program. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013305060017&nclick_check=1 Wind power industry is urged to become more aggressive in competing with fossil fuels. Coming off one of the most tumultuous years in its recent history, the U.S. wind power industry has emerged stronger and more confident of its future, industry leaders gathered here for the American Wind Energy Association's national conference said yesterday. But for wind power to solidify its standing in a highly competitive energy market…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/05/07/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Energy officials brace for another summer without San Onofre. Energy officials expect to get through another summer without blackouts even if the San Onofre nuclear plant remains shuttered -- but damaging fires in the months ahead could undermine that prediction. An assessment released Monday by the California Independent System Operator, which oversees most of the state's power grid, projected that power supply will be slightly tighter this summer than last in Southern California. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-summer-20130506,0,2463971.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/05/06/37150/without-the-san-onofre-nuclear-plant-a-potentially/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/06/regulator-target-nuclear-investigation/?utm_source=feedly Inside Lawrence Berkeley Lab; $40B industry sparks battery technology race. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is making California tech companies and startups a unique offer: cut rate access to its cache of pricey, one-of-a-kind battery equipment. The goal? Accelerating commercialization of emerging technology in the estimated $40 billion energy storage industry. In a new public-private partnership known as CalCharge, the federal laboratory is joining forces with cleantech advocacy group CalCEF…Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/05/03/40b-energy-storage-industry-sparks.html?s=print OPINIONS A Carbon Trading System Worth Saving. The European Union became a pioneer in tackling climate change by starting the first major cap-and-trade system designed to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by putting a price on them. But analysts are increasingly worried that technical mistakes, Europe’s prolonged recession and the failure of policy makers to strengthen the system is undermining its effectiveness. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/opinion/europes-carbon-trading-system.html Fracking won't improve our lives. Re "Oil, gas firms winning race to conquer energy technology" (Business, May 4): Recent articles prompt me to wonder how much of our precious water is being consumed by fossil fuel extraction in the south state, and how much such use is anticipated in the future. Can that water ever be returned to nature's water cycle to sustain us all? I'm afraid all this winning is ultimately losses for the quality of our air, water, and lives. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/06/5399417/concern-about-water-use-and-fracking.html#storylink=cpy Editorial: Rev up the rules to cut pollution. Fed up — and rightly so — with congressional inaction, the Obama administration is instituting new air-pollution rules that will definitely help reduce smog and improve the environment over time. The rules require cleaner gasoline and lower-pollution vehicles, with the idea of eventually reducing vehicle emissions up to 40 percent across the country. Specifically, oil refiners will have to reduce the amount of sulfur in U.S. gasoline by two-thirds. Posted. http://www.lohud.com/article/BK/20130507/OPINION01/305070011/Editorial-Rev-up-rules-cut-pollution BLOGS Tornado doom then tornado drought: Both linked to climate change? We are living through the most anemic one-year period for tornadoes in the modern record – a cause for celebration if you dislike human suffering and destruction. The present lull in these violent storms stands in sharp contrast to 2011, one of the most active years for twisters, with devastating consequences for life and property. What does this tornado pendulum signify about the effect of climate change on twisters? Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/05/06/tornado-doom-then-tornado-drought-both-linked-to-climate-change/ POLLUTION: Stricter fireplace smog rules set. Air quality officials have committed $500,000 in incentives to help residents in the pollution-plagued JurupaValley convert from wood-burning fireplaces to cleaner alternatives. The move is part of an effort by the South Coast Air Quality Management District to reduce fine-particle pollution, known as PM2.5. The district’s board also voted Friday, May 3, to impose tougher limits on when residents can light their wood fireplaces. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/06/pollution-stricter-fireplace-smog-rules-set/ 5 Worst Orange County Places Based on State Pollution and Demographic Data. Daniel Weintraub, editor of the California Health Report, compared the census zip codes 92707 (Santa Ana) and 92657 (Newport Beach) on the online state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment tool and found stark contrasts. Despite those places being relatively close to each other, one is among the cleanest in California, the other is one of the dirtiest. Can you guess which is which? Posted. http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/05/orange_county_ca_pollution_wor.php Majority Of Carbon Clusters Underneath Earth's Surface In Hot Mantle Rocks, New Research Shows. Most of Earth's carbon clusters deep beneath the surface, in hot mantle rocks that churn below the planet's thin crust. "Most people probably don't recognize that the vast majority of carbon — the backbone of all life — is located in the deep Earth, below the surface — maybe even 90 percent of it," Elizabeth Cottrell, a geologist at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, said in a statement. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/07/carbon-clusters-subterranean_n_3230785.html Should America export its fracked gas? Why greens say no. Frackers already contaminate America's groundwater, make people sick, produce radioactive waste, and contribute to earthquakes. Processing and moving the natural gas that they produce leads to nasty spills and deadly explosions. And cheap natural gas makes it harder for renewable energy to compete. But, hey, at least almost all of that cheap fuel is being used by Americans in America, right? Posted. http://grist.org/news/should-america-export-its-fracked-gas/ Public Charging Stations For Electric Cars: Who Leads The Way? For the majority of the general public to consider purchasing a fully electric car, they first want accessible public charge points located at or near places they frequent in their daily life. It's also clear that most people won't end up using them nearly as much as they think they will. However, having them in place and available is necessary to ease the concern that charging has to be there when it may be needed. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083897_public-charging-stations-for-electric-cars-who-leads-the-way ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 8 May 2013 12:48:18 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 8, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 8, 2013. 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 RESOURCES BOARD Governor Brown appoints John Gioia to California Air Resources Board. Governor Jerry Brown appointed Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia (Richmond, CA) to the California Air Resources Board to fill the vacant seat representing the San Francisco Bay Area. Gioia said he is “greatly honored by being appointed to take on this new, important responsibility. I have deep respect for Governor Brown’s history of innovative and bold leadership on the environment, including on air quality issues.” Posted. http://www.halfwaytoconcord.com/governor-brown-appoints-john-gioia-to-california-air-resources-board/ Rolling Hills Estates Councilwoman Judith Mitchell appointed to state air board. Rolling Hills Estates City Councilwoman Judith Mitchell has been appointed to the California Air Resources Board, Gov. Jerry Brown's Office announced Tuesday. Mitchell, 71, already serves on the board of the region's pollution-control agency, the South Coast Air Quality Management District. She was elected in 2010 as the representative for cities in the western part of Los Angeles County, winning votes from 31 of 40 cities that cast votes. Posted. http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_23193560/rolling-hills-estates-councilwoman-judith-mitchell-appointed-state AIR POLLUTION L.A. is a leader in greening of ports, Mayor Villaraigosa says. The world looks to L.A. for ways to reduce pollution, Villaraigosa says at a ports conference. He cites a modernization of the Port of L.A. and the state's tough emissions law. California ports are going green. In a speech at the 28th World Ports Conference on Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the city's port is at the forefront of pushing for clean energy alternatives and reducing pollution. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-port-convention-20130508,0,81700.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly CLIMATE CHANGE States want to meet with EPA on existing power plant rules -- Calif. air chief. The chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board said yesterday that air agency employees from a group of like-minded states intend to meet this summer with U.S. EPA personnel to explore ways to craft and implement greenhouse gas rules for existing power plants. "We have to wait until EPA has an administrator, and then try to formulate some common views about how this 111(d) process might work, but we're not there yet," said Mary Nichols, referring to the section of the Clean Air Act that provides for performance standards for existing sources. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/EEDaily/print/2013/05/08/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Millions of Dollars Being Spent on Shore-Side Power. Cruise operators, along with owners of cargo container, and reefer vessels, will have to "plug in" half their fleet from 2014. Attendees at the Port of Long Beach Shore Power Summit on Monday have been told that millions of dollars are being spent on the technology also known as cold ironing, in preparation for new rules designed to cut at berth emissions. Posted. http://shipandbunker.com/news/am/250028-millions-of-dollars-being-spent-on-shore-side-power FUELS As Price of Nuclear Energy Drops, a Wisconsin Plant Is Shut. The Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin shut down for the last time on Tuesday, but it is preparing to break new ground for the American nuclear industry. It may go to sleep, Snow White-style, for 50 years, to be awakened when its radioactivity has subsided. Or it may be dismantled in the next decade or so. In either case, the responsibility and the expense, probably near $1 billion, will be borne for the first time by a for-profit company, not a regulated utility. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/08/business/energy-environment/kewaunee-nuclear-power-plant-shuts-down.html?ref=earth&_r=0 Wethersfield Seeks State Grant To Boost Natural Gas Fleet. The town council voted unanimously this week to apply for almost $20,000 in state grants to help purchase two new natural gas vehicles. The application is the latest step in the town's effort to convert its administrative vehicle fleet to natural gas, Assistant Town Manager Rae Ann Palmer said. The switch will reduce fuel costs and the town's emissions of greenhouse gases, a major cause of global warming, Palmer said. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/topic/hc-wethersfield-natural-gas-cars-20130507,0,781908.story BLM postpones oil, gas lease auctions in Calif. Federal land managers have postponed all oil and gas lease auctions in California until October, citing budget problems and low staffing as well as the toll of environmental litigation. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently announced it would put off an auction planned for later this month for leases to drill almost 1,300 acres of prime public lands near the Monterey Shale, home to one of the largest deposits of shale oil in the nation. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/07/blm-postpones-oil-gas-lease-auctions-in-calif/ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/08/feds-delay-all-drilling-and-oil-auctions-in-calif-cite-toll-environmental/#ixzz2Sj8P3JMY US crude oil supplies rise by 200,000 barrels. The nation's crude oil supplies increased last week, the government said Wednesday. Crude supplies grew by 200,000 barrels, or 0.1 percent, to 395.5 million barrels, which is 4.2 percent above year-ago levels, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report. Analysts expected a rise of 1.9 million barrels for the week ended May 3, according to Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. http://www.modbee.com/2013/05/08/2706039/us-crude-oil-supplies-rise-by.html#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION API asserts EPA gasoline rule will raise costs, CO2 emissions. The oil and gas industry launched a new complaint yesterday against U.S. EPA's proposed regulation to reduce the sulfur content of gasoline fuel by two-thirds. In a letter sent to the agency, the American Petroleum Institute (API) argued for greater transparency regarding the controversial "Tier 3" rule. "Respecting the statutory rulemaking process in this case is particularly important because the proposal is hard to justify and potentially very harmful," Patrick Kelly, API's senior downstream policy adviser, said on a call with reporters. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/05/08/4 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY REG Resurgence Thanks to LCFS. With Low Carbon Fuels Standard, Biodiesel Begins to Pay in California. The Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group is coming off of its best-ever quarter, with volumes up 14% and net income better than tripled, and sees even better times ahead as LCFS, California’s low carbon fuels standard, takes full effect. “The low carbon fuel credits are starting to provide meaningful value,” says Eric Bowen VP of corporate business development and legal affairs. “We’re seeing volume as a result,” he says. Posted. http://www.fleetsandfuels.com/fuels/biodiesel/2013/05/reg-resurgence-thanks-to-lcfs/?utm_source=Fleets-Fuels8May2013&utm_campaign=May+8%2C+2013&utm_medium=email VEHICLES $2.2M hydrogen-fueled zero-emissions bus rolls through Marin. Marin residents now have the opportunity ride a $2.25 million, environmentally-friendly bus around the county. The zero-emissions bus, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, is rolling through the county's streets and on Highway 101, part of a state plan to cut the amount of diesel pollutants standard buses spew into the air. The bus, paid for by federal, state, local and private grants, is free of emissions aside from a little water that trickles out of its tailpipe. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23198063/2-2m-hydrogen-fueled-zero-emissions-bus-rolls http://www.marinij.com/sanrafael/ci_23193438/2-2m-hydrogen-fueled-zero-emissions-bus-rolls Zero-emission vehicle credits: An unfair subsidy for Tesla? To combat air pollution, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requires all carmakers to sell a certain number of electric vehicles in the state. Those that fail to reach the quota could purchase zero-emissions-vehicle credits from other automakers in an open market. One of the biggest beneficiaries is the Palo Alto-based high-end electric carmaker Tesla, which could pocket as much as $35,000 for each credit sold. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2013/05/07/31679/zero-emission-vehicle-credits-an-unfair-subsidy-fo/ Who's the greenest of them all? Eureka ranks high in nationwide list of eco-friendly car buyers. When it comes to being green -- at least on the car shopping front -- Eureka ranks high on the list. Statistics recently released by Cars.com, a vehicle comparison site, ranked Eureka at No. 5 on a list of U.S. metro areas where eco-friendly car shoppers were most likely to live. According to Cars.com's Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder, ranks were determined by the percentage of visitors who searched for hybrids, electric cars and other green vehicles from a specific location. Posted. http://www.times-standard.com/news/ci_23180005/whos-greenest-them-all-eureka-ranks-high-nationwide GREEN ENERGY World Cup Energy Demand Favoring Gas Over Wind in Brazil. Brazil, the second-biggest producer of hydroelectricity, is seeking to increase the use of fossil fuels after the worst drought in 50 years depleted reservoirs, underscoring a limit to renewable energy. The country’s energy ministry revised rules for power auctions last week in an effort to accelerate development of natural gas and coal-fired thermal power plants. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-08/world-cup-energy-demand-favoring-gas-over-wind-in-brazil.html Sebastopol council votes to require solar power on new homes, buildings. Sebastopol burnished its liberal credentials Tuesday by becoming the second city in California to require solar power systems on new homes and commercial buildings. "We were going to be number one," Mayor Michael Kyes said prior to the City Council's unanimous vote. "Now we're number two. Lancaster, a high-desert city in northeast Los Angeles County, was the first to make solar power mandatory on new housing developments…Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130507/ARTICLES/130509624/1350?Title=Sebastopol-council-votes-to-require-solar-power-on-new-homes-buildings MISCELLANEOUS Brown seeks to rewrite toxins law. He says 'unscrupulous lawyers' are misusing the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, or Proposition 65, by seeking monetary gain from lawsuits. An overhaul may prove difficult. Responding to complaints from businesses, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing an overhaul of California's 26-year-old landmark clean water and anti-toxins law that he said is being misused by "unscrupulous lawyers" filing lawsuits. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-prop65-overhaul-20130508,0,6718000.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly http://www.capradio.org/187567?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalPublicRadioLatestNewsRSS+%28Capital+Public+Radio%3A+Latest+News+RSS%29 Napa County receives tire enforcement grant. Napa County was awarded a $75,000 state grant to prevent illegal dumping, storage and transportation of waste tires. The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) awarded a total of $7 million in waste tire enforcement grants to cities and counties with 50 or more businesses that produce or handle waste tires, such as tire dealers, auto dismantlers, waste tire haulers, and storage facilities. Posted. http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-county-receives-tire-enforcement-grant/article_f17edb3a-b738-11e2-a663-001a4bcf887a.html?print=true&cid=print AQMD offers Lawn Mower Exchange Program to support good air quality. Southern California residents can now register to get up to 75 percent in savings with the South Coast AQMD's popular Lawn Mower Exchange Program. Now in its 11th year, the program does good for the wallet and air quality by allowing residents to trade an old, highly polluting gas-powered lawn mower for a high performance, environmentally friendly cordless electric model. This year's program offers 4,000 mowers available for trade-in. Posted. http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/articles/2013/05/08/news/doc5183ece939cec536483939.txt TEMECULA: Winners of ‘Think Green’ contest announced. 3 students in the Temecula Valley Unified district received cash prizes for energy conservation ideas. American Residential Services, a heating and air conditioning company serving the Inland Empire, in partnership with the Temecula Valley Foundation for Excellence in Education, has chosen the student winners from its “Think Green” energy conservation campaign. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/temecula/temecula-headlines-index/20130508-temecula-winners-of-think-green-contest-announced.ece OPINIONS The cleaner state. Federal regulators could learn much from California’s low-carbon fuel programme. Last week, researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), released their latest analysis of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The 2009 regulation requires oil companies and refineries to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels — how much carbon dioxide they emit per unit of energy — by 10% by 2020. For 2013, this translates to a reduction of 1%, and the UC Davis researchers found that companies racked up enough gains last year to meet half of their obligations for the current year. Posted. http://www.nature.com/news/the-cleaner-state-1.12944 BLOGS Jerry Brown calls climate change reason for budget restraint. Gov. Jerry Brown, who is preparing to submit a revised budget proposal for the coming fiscal year this month, has found a new argument for financial restraint: Climate change. At a news conference today to kick off Wildfire Awareness Week, the Democratic governor said he will "do everything I can to deal with forest fires," but he said the bigger problem is how people adapt to climate change. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/05/jerry-brown-calls-climate-change-reason-for-budget-restraint.html#storylink=cpy ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 9 May 2013 11:46:48 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 9, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 9, 2013. 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 Carbon champions steadfast despite Kyoto’s dead end: UN. Informal group makes inroads, such as California allowing companies to trade pollution rights in Quebec. Carbon-market supporters from China to California will push for emissions trading even as they prepare for the end of the United Nations Kyoto Protocol in seven years, Europe’s top climate negotiator said. Nations including China and New Zealand and some U.S. states have formed an informal group, “kind of the champions of the carbon market,”…Posted. http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Carbon+champions+steadfast+despite+Kyoto+dead/8360449/story.html#ixzz2SoaTxqWN CLIMATE CHANGE Agriculture, Livestock Remain Major GHG Sources. Global greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector totaled 4.69 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2010, the most recent year for which data are available — an increase of 13 percent over 1990 emissions, according to Worldwatch Institute says. By comparison, global CO2 emissions from transport totaled 6.76 billion tons in 2010, and emissions from electricity and heat production reached 12.48 billion tons, the Vital Signs report says. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/05/09/agriculture-livestock-remain-major-ghg-sources/ Tilting at Windmills: Arguments for and Against Climate Change. Whether they call it global warming, climate change or even global cooling, more and more Americans are taking a stand on one side or the other of this hotly debated issue. According to a survey published last year by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, 66 percent of Americans believe that global warming is happening, with 42 percent concerned that it will harm people in the United States between now and the next 10 years. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2013/05/09/tilting-at-windmills-arguments-for-and-against-climate-change/#ixzz2Soch0TyR FUELS A Fossil Fuel Saves Lives, Money and CO2 in Darfur. Fossil fuels typically don’t leap to mind as carbon-cutting alternative energy sources. Yet in Sudan's North Darfur region, liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, is helping reduce carbon emissions, plus saving lives and money. A project started in 2007 by Practical Action, a British non-governmental group, and Carbon Clear, a company that sells emission offsets, aims to halve household emissions generated by wood- or charcoal-fired stoves. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-09/a-fossil-fuel-saves-lives-money-and-co2-in-darfur.html Ethanol’s Discount to Gasoline Narrows on Low Seasonal Output. Ethanol’s discount to gasoline narrowed on concern that tight corn supplies before this year’s harvest will curtail production of the biofuel. The spread, or price difference, shrank by 2.89 cents to 24.19 cents a gallon at 11:55 a.m. New York time a day after the Energy Information Administration said ethanol output last week fell 1.6 percent to 843,000 barrels a day. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-05-09/ethanol-s-discount-to-gasoline-narrows-on-low-seasonal-output.html Foes Suggest a Tradeoff if Pipeline Is Approved. President Obama’s first major environmental decision of his second term could be to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, profoundly disappointing environmental advocates who have made the project a symbolic test of the president’s seriousness on climate change. But could some kind of deal be in the offing — a major climate policy announcement on, for example, power plant regulation or renewable energy incentives — to ease the sting of the pipeline approval? Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/business/energy-environment/a-call-for-quid-pro-quo-on-keystone-pipeline-approval.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Jackson’s Fracking Bill Clears Committee. A fracking regulation measure authored by State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson made it out of the Environmental Quality Committee this week with a 6-3 vote. The bill, SB 395, would give oversight authority to the Department of Toxic Substances Control, which would be able to regulate surface fluids left by the oil and gas extraction method known as fracking. Posted. http://www.independent.com/news/2013/may/09/jacksons-fracking-bill-clears-committee/ Automakers warn new ethanol mandate could damage vehicles. Detroit says it will ruin your engine. The EPA says it's safe. Farmers say it's better than foreign oil. Oil companies say it's more expensive than gasoline. But as Washington looks to compel refiners to blend more and more ethanol into gasoline, consumers are still left with the basic and critical question -- how much ethanol is safe to put in their cars? Automakers warn the government's ethanol mandate could damage vehicles if it continues to grow. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/07/auto-makers-warn-new-ethanol-mandate-could-damage-cars/#ixzz2SogsA9gE UC-Davis publishes Calif. low carbon fuel standard status update. The University of California-Davis Institute of Transportation Studies has published a new status review of the state’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). The review is the second in a series of periodic status reports. According to information published by the ITS, the status reports review data, analyze trends and identify potential challenges associated with the program. However, the status reports do not make predictions. Posted. http://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/9100/uc-davis-publishes-calif-low-carbon-fuel-standard-status-update REFINERY Richmond taking hard line on Chevron in aftermath of fire. City officials made it clear Tuesday night: While the investigation into last summer's fire at the Chevron refinery here is near an end, the legal and policy implications will reach far into the future. Though it postponed making a formal decision Tuesday, the City Council is poised to contract with a high-profile San Francisco law firm to secure damages from Chevron stemming from the massive Aug. 6 fire, which sent more than 15,000 residents to area hospitals. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23201474/richmond-taking-hard-line-chevron-aftermath-fire http://www.contracostatimes.com/contra-costa-times/ci_23194855/richmond-may-contract-firm-seek-damages-stemming-from http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/morning_call/2013/05/richmond-takes-tough-stance-on-chevron.html VEHICLES Tesla Model S gets Consumer Reports' top score. The Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric car has tied an older Lexus for the highest score ever recorded in Consumer Reports magazine's automotive testing. The Model S, which starts at $62,400 after a federal tax credit, scored 99 points on a scale of 100 in the magazine's battery of tests. "It accelerates handles and brakes like a sports car. It has the ride and quietness of a luxury car and is far more energy-efficient than the best hybrid cars,"…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/09/5407591/tesla-model-s-gets-consumer-reports.html#storylink=cpy http://www.mercurynews.com/cars/ci_23206009/consumer-reports-gives-near-perfect-score-tesla-model http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/09/autos/tesla-model-s-consumer-reports/index.html http://www.freep.com/article/20130509/BUSINESS0104/305090066/Consumer-Reports-Tesla-Model-S-best-car-it-has-tested-in-6-years http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/electric-car-stay-tesla-model-s-named-top-car-consumer-reports-article-1.1339228 Tesla Motors posts first quarterly profit in its 10-year history. For the first time in its 10 year history, electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. turned a quarterly profit, beating analysts expectations for sales of its pricey luxury sedans. The Palo Alto automaker on Wednesday reported net income of $11.2 million, or 12 cents a share, in the three month period that ended March 31. That's up from a loss of $89.9 million, or 76 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts, on average, had predicted a profit of 4 cents a share. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0509-tesla-earnings-20130509,0,3047976.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/05/08/tesla-stock-soars-on-q1-earnings.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sanjose+%28Silicon+Valley+%2F+San+Jose+Business+Journal%29 http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/05/tesla-profit-q1-2013/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Top+Stories%29 Best Used Diesel 2013: The Car Connection's Picks. Diesel vehicles have always had their fans; but in recent years, new-generation clean-diesel models have elevated the technology above that crowd. For the most part, the overbearing diesel clatter is gone; so is the exhaust soot and odor. And diesels simply make a good sense for Americans, who spend a lot of their drive time on the highway, or on long commutes, where the technology really shines--often returning better mileage in the real world than EPA ratings suggest. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/cars/best-used-diesel-2013-the-car-connections-picks/2013/05/08/7147436c-b82d-11e2-b568-6917f6ac6d9d_story.html Industry subsidizing electric cars, adding 32 charging ports to Metrolink station. The four-county, clean-air plan whacks air emissions in hundreds of ways, from controls on factories and refineries, to newfangled formulas for paint to a greenhouse gas reduction scheme that involves cap-and-trade auctions. Some call for a more direct approach. What if cities and the South Coast Air Quality Management District simply gave away cash to people who buy electric cars? That's exactly what the city of Industry and the SCAQMD are doing. Posted. http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_23202775/industry-subsidizing-electric-cars-adding-32-charging-ports.html Automakers hawk electric 'compliance cars' to meet rules. Automakers are in the uncomfortable position of building mostly at a loss a class of small electric cars that garner a lot of attention but few sales just to satisfy rules imposed by one state, California. As a result, they've acquired the name "compliance cars." They include electric versions of such familiar models as the Chevrolet Spark, Honda Fit and Toyota RAV4. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/05/09/electric-cars-compliance-cars/2144853/ New taxes make electric vehicle owners pay their share. Electric vehicles use the same roads, the same bridges and the same infrastructure as the rest of us. But because they don't burn gasoline, they're immune from paying taxes at the pump to fund that infrastructure. That's going to change. EV buyers have long received a federal tax credit of $7,500, but with the passage of Washington state's House Bill 2660 last year, what one hand giveth, the other taketh away. Eager to recoup some of the money lost to those opting for zero-emissions motoring…Posted. http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/09/tech/innovation/electric-vehicle-taxes/index.html GREEN ENERGY Patent filing claims solar energy ‘breakthrough’ In a U.S. patent application, a little-known Maryland inventor claims a stunning solar energy breakthrough that promises to end the planet’s reliance on fossil fuels at a fraction of the current cost – a transformation that also could blunt global warming. Inventor Ronald Ace said that his flat-panel “Solar Traps,” which can be mounted on rooftops or used in electric power plants, will shatter decades-old scientific and technological barriers that have stymied efforts to make solar energy a cheap, clean and reliable alternative. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/08/5404738/patent-filing-claims-solar-energy.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/05/08/2706167/patent-filing-claims-solar-energy.html#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY California's New Energy Plants To Be More Sunny, Less Gassy. Of new energy generating capacity slated to come online in the second half of 2013 in California, the overwhelming majority is solar. That's 1,581 megawatts -- or 97 percent -- of the 1,633 planned for the last two quarters of the year. (And these solar figures don't include "behind the meter" rooftop solar.) The remaining will made up by another renewable source: biomass. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/almost-all-of-states-planned-new-energy-for-late-2013-is-solar.html?utm_source=feedly Research center to create custom forecasts to help utilities use renewable power. In the world of renewable power generation, weather forecasts are key. Xcel Energy Inc., the largest utility provider of wind energy in the country, knows this all too well. And as the utility anticipates an increase in solar power, primarily from distributed rooftop panels feeding back into the grid, accurate sunlight predictions will also become an important part of how it balances its energy demand. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/05/09/6 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Council OKs port rail yard but lawsuit is threatened. The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a controversial rail yard near the Port of Los Angeles, setting the stage for possible court challenges, alleging violations of environmental and civil rights laws. The proposal to build a staging center for trains hauling freight from the largest harbor complex in the nation has raised questions about environmental justice, particularly for nearby minority and working-class neighborhoods of west Long Beach, which could be affected by the project. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rail-yard-20130508,0,5078413.story OPINIONS Don't dilute CEQA, improve it. The Environmental Quality Act plays an important role in protecting Californians. I remember life before the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. I grew up in Altadena and Pasadena during the late 1930s and '40s. All too often I awoke to thick smog and air quality warnings. I watched as segments of the San Gabriel Valley shifted from orange groves to miles upon miles of housing, and communities were cut in half by an ever-expanding network of freeways. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-vandekamp-ceqa-california-environment-20130509,0,4783663.story Another View: Oil tax would hurt state's economy. Dan Morain got it wrong on the oil severance tax ("Calculating the profits, pitfalls of an oil tax, May 1). Like other Capitol insiders, he is laboring under the notion that an oil severance tax is a free lunch. It's not. It's a huge tax increase on energy production and it will result in a decline in oil production here and an increase in the oil we import from foreign countries. It will result in the loss of thousands of California jobs and put upward pressure on the prices we pay for gasoline and diesel. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/09/5406186/oil-tax-would-hurt-states-economy.html#storylink=cpy It will cause air problems. There's no doubt. Fresno's new General Plan will be tough to implement, especially since it will reverse decades of poor planning. The proposed Granville Health Sciences project will serve as an anchor for a new town in the Sierra foothills. From a public health perspective, Central Fresno is the answer. Locating a new town in the foothills will only contribute to our air quality problems and increase air pollution-related diseases like asthma, heart disease, obesity, cancer, etc. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/09/3291639/it-will-cause-air-problems.html#storylink=cpy Global Warming: Ah Baloney! You still see these folks spewing out the magic term global climate change every chance they get, but just like Obama's economy, no matter how you look at the numbers, there are more people without jobs each month then the previous month. View slideshow: Global Warming: Ah Baloney! This year has been the coldest 5 months on record. At least in my area it has been the coolest spring. The forsythias have kept their yellow blossoms longer than any time I can remember. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/global-warming-ah-baloney BLOGS Fresh Analysis of the Pace of Warming and Sea-Level Rise. Here are two useful articles assessing the latest thinking on the pace at which Greenland ice loss could raise sea levels and the implications of the recent plateau in global temperatures (one acknowledged by climate scientists including Susan Solomon and James Hansen): Michael Lemonick at Climate Central writes on new research finding it’s unlikely that the recent surge of ice flowing into the sea from Greenland’s glaciers is the new normal. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/fresh-analysis-of-the-pace-of-warming-and-sea-level-rise/ CLIMATE CHANGE: Carbon-storing trees have economic benefits. This is the time of year to be thinking about trees, what with Arbor Day being the last Friday in April and Riverside Public Utilities offering free trees to residents through its Shade Tree Rebate Program that ends June 30. So it’s timely that the U.S. Forest Service recently released a study on the benefits of trees in storing carbon in their trunks. Trees capture carbon dioxide – the primary greenhouse gas emission contributing to climate change – release oxygen and store the carbon. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/09/3094/#more-3094 This scientist needs your help to study air pollution from coal trains “Do coal and diesel trains make for unhealthy air?” Dan Jaffe, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Washington-Bothell, thinks that’s a fair question to consider as Washington state grapples with whether to allow the construction of coal-export terminals that could triple the amount of daily coal-train traffic chugging through the state. But Jaffe, whose lab has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers on air pollution…Posted. http://grist.org/news/this-scientist-needs-your-help-to-study-air-pollution-from-coal-trains/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 10 May 2013 12:19:47 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 10, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 10, 2013. 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 Raises Risk of Diabetes Precursor in Kids. Exposure to air pollution raises the risk of resistance to insulin, a typical warning sign of diabetes, according to a study of almost 400 German children. Insulin resistance climbed by 17 percent for every 10.6 micrograms per cubic meter increase in ambient nitrogen dioxide and by 19 percent for every 6 micrograms per cubic meter increase in particulate matter in the study of 10-year-olds. The findings were published today in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-09/air-pollution-raises-risk-of-diabetes-precursor-in-kids.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-09/air-pollution-raises-risk-of-diabetes-warning-sign-in-children Carbon Dioxide Level Passes Long-Feared Milestone. The level of the most important heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, has passed a long-feared milestone, scientists reported on Friday, reaching a concentration not seen on the earth for millions of years. Scientific monitors reported that the gas had reached an average daily level that surpassed 400 parts per million — just an odometer moment in one sense, but also a sobering reminder that decades of efforts to bring human-produced emissions under control are faltering. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/science/earth/carbon-dioxide-level-passes-long-feared-milestone.html?ref=global-home China struggles with choking air pollution. Early on in Beijing's winter of pollution-wracked discontent, one of China's biggest power companies, Huadian, turned off the coal scrubbers at its Datong plants and let emissions of sulfur dioxide, a leading cause of acid rain and respiratory illness, soar to more than four times government standards. Huadian saved money by turning off the scrubbers, which suck up power. Twice. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23215129/china-struggles-choking-air-pollution#ixzz2SuAlBq68 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/china-wrestles-with-stubborn-air-polluters/2013/05/09/627e9870-b13f-11e2-9fb1-62de9581c946_story.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/nation-world/ci_23215130/china-struggles-choking-air-pollution?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Ventura County air, while still polluted, starting to improve. Despite being one of the most smog-polluted counties in the nation, Ventura County continues to make progress in improving its air quality. Last month, the American Lung Association released its 2013 State of the Air report, which measures the levels of ozone and particle pollution in counties throughout the United States. In a list of the most ozone-polluted counties, where each region was graded based on the average number of unhealthy days caused by smog, Ventura County ranks 20th in the nation. Los Angeles County ranks No. 4 on the list. Posted. http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2013-05-10/Community/Ventura_County_air_while_still_polluted_starting_t.html CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon Champions Undeterred by Kyoto Dead-End, EU Envoy Says. Carbon-market supporters from China to California will push for emissions trading even as they prepare for the end of the United Nations Kyoto Protocol in seven years, Europe’s top climate negotiator said. Nations including China and New Zealand and some U.S. states have formed an informal group, “kind of the champions of the carbon market,” Artur Runge-Metzger said in a May 2 interview in Bonn, Germany. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-08/carbon-market-champions-undeterred-by-kyoto-dead-end-eu-says.html GREEN ENERGY Sonoma County power agency plan scrambles political allegiances. Plans for a public power agency and the renewable energy projects that could sprout with it appear to have scrambled politics in Sonoma County. Shifting alliances, particularly among agricultural and environmental advocates, have emerged over a key land-use question tangential to the power proposal: where to allow energy projects on the county's croplands, ranches and forested properties? Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130509/ARTICLES/130509492/0/SEARCH MISCELLANEOUS Cycling fans celebrate pedal power at Capitol. Evan Kersnar, above, holds up a sign for friends taking his photo Thursday as he works the bicycle valet parking area at the annual BikeFest at the state Capitol. The event promotes cycling and other clean-air transportation. Lorena Medina of Sacramento, left, rode 6 1/2 miles to the rally with her dog Itztli riding in a special basket. Seth Koen arrived with his children Otto, 2, and Fern, 4, on a long-wheelbase cargo cycle. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/10/5409697/cycling-fans-celebrate-pedal-power.html#storylink=cpy Senate Republicans Block Committee Vote on Obama’s Nominee to Lead E.P.A. Senate Republicans continued a campaign to delay confirmation of President Obama’s second-term cabinet nominees on Thursday, blocking a committee vote on Gina McCarthy, the president’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. The action came a day after Republicans on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee threw a wrench in the nomination of Thomas E. Perez to be labor secretary, delaying it for at least a week. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/us/politics/republicans-block-vote-on-nominee-to-lead-epa.html?ref=earth Stepping up to do right by the environment: More than 1,000 sign up for 'Sustainability Challenge'. If one Contra Costa County home gardener fights "peach curl" with enviro-safe fungicide once a year, a tree is saved. And if one Alameda County resident chooses reusable beverage containers over throwaway plastic bottles, cash piles up and garbage in landfills doesn't. That's the point of Sustainable Contra Costa's second annual "Sustainability Challenge," a two-county community project culminating in powerful earth-saving acts all happening close to or completed by the weekend of May 18-19. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23208573/stepping-up-do-right-by-environment-more-than OPINIONS Letters: No free money for Tesla. Re "Tesla drives state credits to the bank," May 6 Tesla Motors is an example of an innovative, homegrown California industry. It is building ultra-clean cars and providing employment for 2,800 people in a formerly abandoned car factory. This success is not being subsidized by other car companies. Car manufacturers are not required to purchase credits (which Tesla can sell to its competitors), nor does the state's Air Resources Board establish a price. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0510-friday-tesla-credits-20130510,0,6011984,print.story Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Tesla Model S. It’s been a very good week for Tesla Motors Inc., the little electric car company that can -- with a little boost from the state of California and other automakers, that is. On Wednesday, Tesla reported a quarterly profit, the first in its 10-year history. And on Thursday, The Times reported that Consumer Reports magazine had given the company’s Model S its highest score: 99 out of 100. In fact, the staid folks at Consumer Reports went, for them, absolutely bonkers in praising the car…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-tesla-model-s-good-week-20130509,0,4149368.story Solar Subsidy Recipient Suing Treasury for More. I didn’t see this one coming. According to the Wall Street Journal, the largest installer of residential solar panels, a company called SolarCity, is suing the federal government for underpayment of green-energy subsidies. A look at the Department of Treasury Section 1603 data shows that SolarCity received 27 awards across 15 states amounting to $95.6 million in cash from a long-standing tax credit for renewable-energy investment turned into a direct grant in the stimulus bill. Posted. http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/347621/solar-subsidy-recipient-suing-treasury-more BLOGS The World Bank wants to fight climate change. Here are four ways it can help. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says he is determined to make a difference in the world’s response to global warming. In a major report last year, the bank warned that the globally agreed-upon goal of limiting the planet’s temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius was slipping away, and that the more likely 4-degree rise would devastate some countries and plunge more people into poverty. But what can the bank do about it? Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/10/the-world-bank-wants-to-fight-climate-change-here-are-four-ways-it-can-help/ SOLAR POWER: Photovoltaic panels beating other technologies. Photovoltaic panels appears to be the winning technology among large-scale solar energy developers. I came to that conclusion last week after visiting the Genesis solar project being built 25 miles west of Blythe by NextEra Energy Resources using mirrored troughs to collect thermal energy, and the Desert Sunlight project, north of Desert Center, a photovoltaic development by First Solar. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/10/solar-power-photovoltaic-panels-beating-other-technologies/ ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: Cal State system, EPA team up. The California State University system and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are teaming up to increase environmental opportunities, such as internships and service learning, for college students. Under a recent agreement, students from the 23 Cal State campuses will be allowed to study independently to earn credit for completion of EPA projects, lectures or curriculum; and the EPA will help the university system develop environmental curriculum. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/10/environmental-education-cal-state-system-epa-team-up/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 13 May 2013 13:39:56 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 13, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 13, 2013. 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 Airline industry leans toward global carbon offset scheme. The global airline industry favors offsetting carbon emissions by buying carbon credits rather than participating in an industry-wide cap-and-trade system, the head of the trade association for global airlines said Monday. Tony Tyler, chief executive of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said a global carbon offsetting system…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/13/us-un-aviation-climate-change-idUSBRE94C0U220130513 ARB fines Sears $285,000 for selling scooters. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced yesterday that it had levied a fine of $285,000 against Sears Holdings Management Corporation for offering to sell certain gasoline powered scooters in 2011. The engines that powered the scooters at the time were not certified to meet California emission standards for small, off-road engines. Residents in Bakersfield's suburbs and urban areas may have seen the scooters whizzing down streets and other areas as an alternative form of transportation or recreation for many people. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-fines-sears-285-000-for-selling-scooters Nations ponder how to handle busier, more polluted Arctic. As scientists warn that climate change is driving the Arctic into a dangerous and unprecedented state, Arctic leaders head to Sweden this week to hash out how to govern and protect the rapidly warming region. At the ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council on Wednesday in Kiruna, Sweden, leaders will be grappling with everything from whether to accept applications from countries like China to how to improve Arctic infrastructure. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981040/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Project aims to track carbon footprint of LA and other big cities. Every time Los Angeles exhales, odd-looking gadgets anchored in the mountains above the city trace the invisible puffs of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases that waft skyward. Halfway around the globe, similar contraptions atop the Eiffel Tower and elsewhere around Paris keep a pulse on emissions from smokestacks and automobile tailpipes. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_MEGACITIES_CARBON_FOOTPRINT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/12/5414293/project-aims-to-track-big-city.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Project-aims-to-track-big-city-carbon-footprints-4509162.php http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/12/3296111/project-aims-to-track-big-city.html#storylink=misearc http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/05/12/37237/project-aims-to-track-carbon-footprint-of-la-and-o/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/13/project-aims-to-track-big-city-carbon-footprints/#ixzz2TBiZgOMt Experts: CO2 record illustrates 'scary' trend. The old saying that "what goes up must come down" doesn't apply to carbon dioxide pollution in the air, which just hit an unnerving milestone. The chief greenhouse gas was measured Thursday at 400 parts per million in Hawaii, a monitoring site that sets the world's benchmark. It's a symbolic mark that scientists and environmentalists have been anticipating for years. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_GLOBAL_WARMING_RECORD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/11/5413320/experts-co2-record-illustrates.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Experts-CO2-record-illustrates-scary-trend-4508335.php http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/11/experts-co2-record-illustrates-scary-trend/#ixzz2TBivdz8d U.S. Revises CO2 Reading That Showed Key Threshold Passed. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revised down readings that showed the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surpassed a threshold not seen for 3 million years. Preliminary data published May 10 showed the gas reached a concentration of 400.03 parts per million, or ppm, at NOAA’s Mauna Loa monitoring station in Hawaii the day before. The figure for May 9 has now been revised down to 399.89 ppm, and is still deemed preliminary. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-13/u-s-revises-co2-reading-that-showed-key-threshold-passed.html Climate change forecast to shrink habitat of common plants, animals. The habitats of many common plants and animals will shrink dramatically this century unless governments act quickly to cut rising greenhouse gas emissions, scientists said on Sunday after studying 50,000 species around the world. The scientists from Britain, Australia and Colombia said plants, amphibians and reptiles were most vulnerable as global temperatures rise and rainfall patterns change. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/12/us-climate-species-idUSBRE94B09P20130512?feedType=RSS& http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-common-plants-animals-threatened-by-climate-change-20130512,0,2326233,print.story http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2013/05/12/climate-habitat-cut/2153843/ Greenhouse gas milestone; CO2 levels set record. Worldwide levels of the chief greenhouse gas that causes global warming have hit a milestone, reaching an amount never before encountered by humans, federal scientists said Friday. Carbon dioxide was measured at 400 parts per million at the oldest monitoring station which is in Hawaii sets the global benchmark. The last time the worldwide carbon level was probably that high was about 2 million years ago, said Pieter Tans of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/10/5411271/greenhouse-gas-milestone-co2-levels.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Greenhouse-gas-milestone-CO2-levels-set-record-4506369.php http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130510/A_NEWS/130519991&cid=sitesearch Carbon dioxide at 3 million-year high. The level of the most important heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, has passed a long-feared milestone, scientists reported Friday, reaching a concentration not seen on Earth for millions of years. Scientific instruments showed that the gas had reached an average daily level above 400 parts per million - just an odometer moment in one sense, but also a sobering reminder that decades of efforts to bring human-produced emissions under control are faltering. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Carbon-dioxide-at-3-million-year-high-4507347.php#ixzz2TC4ziopf http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Carbon-dioxide-at-3-million-year-high-4507347.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/12/tp-carbon-dioxide-levels-hit-worrisome-milestone/ FUELS Airbus to Work With Air Canada to Study Renewable Jet Fuel. Airbus SAS, Air Canada (AC/A) and BioFuelNet Canada agreed to work together to study clean jet fuel with the aim of eventually supplying the Canadian carrier as the aviation industry seeks to cut emissions in half. The companies signed the agreement in Montreal today, Blagnac, France-based Airbus said in an e-mailed statement. They will do an initial study, to be finished this year, of the different processes and raw materials available for biofuel production. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-13/airbus-to-work-with-air-canada-to-study-renewable-jet-fuel.html Clock is ticking, slowly, on rules for coal-fired power plants. The fate of many coal-fired power plants may rest on how boldly Obama tries to fulfill his pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions. On a curve of the Potomac River 37 miles northwest of Washington, the Dickerson power plant has stood sentry over small villages, crop fields and horse farms for more than half a century. Burning mostly coal and some natural gas, Dickerson emitted about 1.5 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2011, akin to the pollution of about 275,000 cars. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-power-plants-20130513,0,5750061.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/13/5415756/clock-is-ticking-slowly-on-rules.html Natural gas export plans stir debate. A domestic natural gas boom already has lowered U.S. energy prices while stoking fears of environmental disaster. Now U.S. producers are poised to ship vast quantities of gas overseas as energy companies seek permits for proposed export projects that could set off a renewed frenzy of fracking. Expanded drilling is unlocking enormous reserves of crude oil and natural gas, offering the potential of moving the country closer to its decades-long quest for energy independence. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Natural-gas-export-plans-stir-debate-4510156.php#ixzz2TC4BD2eR Clean Mobility stations selling locally-sourced biofuels on West Coast. A new wave of gas stations is hitting the West Coast. Propel Fuels is launching its Clean Mobility Centers in Fresno. The stations will offer both E85 and biodiesels ranging from B5 to B99 that will be locally-sourced from producers in Central California. "We think the Clean Mobility Center represents the gas station of the future. We recognize that America's needs are changing when it comes to gas stations. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/05/13/clean-mobility-stations-selling-locally-sourced-biofuels-on-west-coast/#ixzz2TCOUfQ5U New Fracking Rules Have Environmental Groups Worried. The Obama administration is set to unveil major new regulations on hydraulic fracturing, the controversial method of extracting oil and gas, possibly as soon as Tuesday. The proposed regulation is expected to be more lenient to the oil and gas industry than a draft rule issued last year by the Interior Department, reflecting heavy lobbying by fossil fuel companies, as well as President Obama’s desire to support the nation’s recent boom in natural gas development—and the jobs that come with it. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/new-fracking-rules-have-environmental-groups-worried-20130512?utm_source=feedly E.U. plows ahead with dirty designation for Canada's crude. The European Union is pushing for a fuel-quality directive that would target oil sands crude as the most damaging to the world's climate, despite Canadian threats to contest the measure with the World Trade Organization. The controversial directive, which is still in draft form, would effectively levy an import tax on oil sands crude brought to European refiners by piling on extra costs. The European Union has mandated that refiners must cut carbon content in fuels by 6 percent or pay a fine. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059981004/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BASF to Commence Renewable Butanediol Production Using Genomatica’s Patented Process. BASF plans to begin production of 1, 4-butanediol based on renewable feedstock (renewable BDO) using the patented process of Genomatica, San Diego, California. The one-step fermentation process is based on sugars as a renewable feedstock. The companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the agreement. The license agreement allows BASF to build a world-scale production facility that will use the Genomatica process to manufacture BDO based on renewable feedstock. Posted. http://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=36711 Converting wastepaper to biocrude and hydrogen. A pair of researchers at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology have demonstrated homogeneously catalyzed subcritical aqueous phase reforming (APR) of wastepaper to produce biocrude and hydrogen. A paper on their work is published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels. Wastepaper can be a combination of newspaper—a lignocellulosic biomass containing cellulose (62%)…Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/05/tungal-20130512.html VEHICLES Tesla Profit Aided by Sales of California, U.S. Emission Credits. Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA)’s first quarterly profit, led by a surge in deliveries of the electric-car maker’s Model S, got an added bump from sales of California and U.S. environmental credits that generated 15 percent of revenue. Such sales totaled $85 million, the Palo Alto, California-based company said in a May 10 filing. That included California zero-emission vehicle credits of $67.9 million and “other regulatory credits” of $17.1 million, Tesla said. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-13/tesla-profit-aided-by-sales-of-california-u-s-emission-credits.html GREEN ENERGY New power plant in Industry will prevent brownouts. Eight years and $500 million in the making, the San Gabriel Valley has a new electricity-producing plant that can supply up to 479 megawatts of power for the state's energy grid at the flip of a switch. Called "a peaker" in energy parlance, the steel-and-aluminum plant built on a dusty industrial parcel east of Azusa Avenue uses clean-burning natural gas to power five General Electric turbines and send electricity crackling through nearby Edison high-tension lines. Posted. http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_23219911/new-power-plant-industry-will-prevent-brownouts MISCELLANEOUS Amtrak unveils locomotives to replace aging fleet. When Amtrak unveils the first of 70 new locomotives Monday at a plant in California, it will mark what the national passenger railroad service hopes will be a new era of better reliability, streamlined maintenance and better energy efficiency. On a broader scale, the new engines could well be viewed as emblematic of the improving financial health of Amtrak, which has long been dependent on subsidies from an often reluctant Congress. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Amtrak-unveils-locomotives-to-replace-aging-fleet-4509373.php#ixzz2TC3YZw8C Hundreds Turn Out To ‘Mow Down Pollution’. The 7,000th gasoline-powered lawn mower in the 14 years of Supervisor Ron Roberts’ Mowing Down Pollution campaign was exchanged today as 587 Black & Decker 36 Volt mowers were handed out at Qualcomm Stadium. County residents began lining up at 3 a.m. for the chance to both clean local air and trade-in their old, gas powered lawn mowers for new, zero-emission models. Posted. http://scoopsandiego.com/mission_valley_news/local_news/hundreds-turn-out-to-mow-down-pollution/article_96abcd9a-bbe2-11e2-b9ce-0019bb30f31a.html OPINIONS In the Spotlight: China leaves U.S. behind in pursuit of clean energy. China is an environmental mess. Smog in Beijing is so bad it's literally broken the air-quality index. In Shanghai, it's at times turned the city into a scene from "Blade Runner." Meanwhile, thousands of dead pigs – cause of death not yet known – have been floating down a river that cuts through Shanghai and provides part of the region's drinking water. More than half of China's water is so polluted that even treatment plants can't make it safe to drink. And China is now responsible for almost half the world's coal consumption. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/12/5411938/china-leaves-us-behind-in-pursuit.html#storylink=cpy Viewpoints: Bid to halt fracking in state builds momentum. The risks are sinking in. For months, discussions about fracking in California have focused mostly on public disclosure. Should people living near fracked oil and gas wells, for example, be notified about this controversial procedure, which involves blasting huge volumes of water mixed with toxic chemicals underground? But being informed of fracking doesn't mean you'll be protected from its dangers. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/12/5411944/bid-to-halt-fracking-in-state.html#storylink=cpy Do Your Part: Pick non-polluting lawn equipment. The sounds of spring are most definitely here. You know, the loud buzz of the lawn mowers, the piercing sound of leaf blowers, the incessant whir of the trimmers. Not only is there the noise pollution to contend with, there is also the air, land, and water pollution that comes with gas powered lawn equipment. This summer, Do Your Part to pick smarter equipment that will not only cut down pollution but will cut down on your lawn maintenance costs. Let's start with what really gets under my skin. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/13/5415722/do-your-part-pick-non-polluting.html#storylink=cpy Question of the week: Can we tax away climate change? The overwhelming opinion of informed scientists is if we continue to burn fossil fuels at the current rate, we are posing dangerous and significant threats to the well-being of our children and grandchildren. Shrinking polar ice caps and the fact that most of the hottest years on record have occurred in the past decade provide ample proof of these threats. A carbon tax would be an important step in continuing a critically important battle to control global warming and climate change. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/opinions/ci_23219892/question-week-can-we-tax-away-climate-change California cap and trade's dirty secret. It is too bad that this otherwise insightful article overlooked a key flaw and dirty secret embodied in the California Air Resources Board's cap-and-trade law ("A better cap-and-trade?" HCN, 4/15/13). As part of the carbon-trading scheme the ARB launched, the board adopted forest carbon protocols that allow timber companies in California and elsewhere to market carbon offsets by replanting trees in destructively clear-cut forests. This was done to pander to corporate timber giants like Sierra Pacific Industries, the largest private landowner in California. Posted. http://www.hcn.org/issues/45.8/california-cap-and-trades-dirty-secret The gas tax system is broken. Are electric cars to blame? Both state and federal gas-tax revenues are plummeting, and electric cars are emerging as a culprit. Is that fair? In the face of plummeting gas-tax revenues, both state and Federal, electric cars seem to be emerging as a culprit and a target. Before we discuss how to fix this ... first, a little Gas Tax 101. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/Business/In-Gear/2013/0511/The-gas-tax-system-is-broken.-Are-electric-cars-to-blame SJ Valley air is cleaner but . . . There’s something in the air. That’s a given since the San Joaquin Valley is among the worst polluted air basins in the nation often coming in at either the worst or runner-up spot depending upon the particulate being measured. However, the valley’s notorious air quality reputation often masks the good news. Posted. http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/1/article/73888/ Adding an Electric Car Cut the Payback Point of Our Solar Panel Investment in Half. When we discussed our home solar panel project in mid-2011 with friends, one of the first questions everyone asked was, “What’s the payback period before you break even?” The second question, unsurprisingly, was, “How much is it costing you?” but the focus always ended up on the payback. After all, if you’re going to invest in green technology, you’re hoping that at some point in the near future, you get ahead of the game. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/115930-adding-an-electric-car-cut-the-payback-point-of-our-solar-panel-investment-in-half BLOGS Is Canada’s Oil Too Dirty for Europe? As the debate over the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline continues in the United States, a Canadian trade delegation is insisting that Canadian oil extracted from tar sands — the product that would be transported by an expanded pipeline — should not be classified as being dirtier than other types of oil. Last week Canada’s natural resource minster, Joe Oliver, threatened to take the European Union to the World Trade Organization over its plans to classify oil harvested from tar sands as “highly polluting.” Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/is-canadas-oil-too-dirty-for-europe/ It’s not all about CO2: A plan to help reduce short-term climate pollutants. People are always lamenting the lack of small-scale, practical legislation that can address climate change without getting mired in polarized culture wars. Problem is, when legislators introduce bills like that, they’re often completely ignored. It’s the sexy, controversial stuff that gets attention. So, in the name of bucking that trend, let me call out a bill just introduced by California Rep. Scott Peters (D). It’s called the Super Pollutant Emissions Reduction Act, or SUPER Act. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/a-modest-practical-plan-for-immediate-climate-action/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 14 May 2013 15:20:01 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 14, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 14, 2013. 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 Watch your breath megacities: Project aims to track greenhouse gases from LA, Paris. Every time Los Angeles exhales, odd-looking gadgets anchored in the mountains above the city trace the invisible puffs of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases that waft skyward. Halfway around the globe, similar contraptions atop the Eiffel Tower and elsewhere around Paris keep a pulse on emissions from smokestacks and automobile tailpipes. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/watch-your-breath-megacities-project-aims-to-track-greenhouse-gases-from-la-paris/2013/05/13/99b38c2e-bba8-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story.html Crucial Carbon Dioxide Reading Revised Downward. One of the two programs that monitor greenhouse gases said on Monday that it had revised a reading from last week suggesting that carbon dioxide in the air had surpassed the symbolic level of 400 parts per million. The new reading by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is 399.89 parts per million for the 24 hours that ended at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/science/earth/crucial-carbon-dioxide-reading-revised-downward.html?ref=earth CLIMATE CHANGE A Change in Temperature. Since 1896, scientists have been trying to answer a deceptively simple question: What will happen to the temperature of the earth if the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles? Some recent scientific papers have made a splash by claiming that the answer might not be as bad as previously feared. This work — if it holds up — offers the tantalizing possibility that climate change might be slow and limited enough that human society could adapt to it without major trauma. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/science/what-will-a-doubling-of-carbon-dioxide-mean-for-climate.html?ref=global-home&_r=1&&pagewanted=print Citizen scientists: Help crowd-source climate change research. Citizen scientists, environmentalists and anyone who lives near a power plant -- your services are requested. Climate change scientist Kevin Robert Gurney needs your help in a grand undertaking: the mapping of all the power plants in the world. It's a big job, and he and the people in his lab cannot do it alone. Gurney, an associate professor at Arizona State University, builds carbon dioxide emission data models…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-citizen-scientists-crowd-source-climate-change-research-20130513,0,5660614.story DIESEL EMISSIONS Drayage trucking company pays $300,000 fine to CARB. A trucking company that regularly hauls freight to and from ports will pay the California Air Resources Board $300,000 for violating a state emissions rule. Mex-Cal Truckline Inc. of Otay Mesa, CA, will pay the fine to the California Air Pollution Control Fund for violating the state’s Port Drayage Rule. Mex-Cal Truckline repeatedly dispatched trucks that don’t meet the CARB’s emissions standards to pick up and deliver freight at ports in rail yards, CARB said in a news release. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25175 VEHICLES Tesla electric-car maker's shares sizzle. Shares of electric-car maker Tesla jumped 2.5% to $90 Tuesday after zooming 14.4% Monday. The white-hot stock's streak started the first week of May when the company announced its first profitable quarter. Tesla closed Monday at $87.80 a share, up 57% from $55.79 a share Thursday before its first-quarter earnings report. Since April 1, the shares have rocketed 138%. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/05/13/tesla-stock-general-motors/2156241/ Can shares of Tesla electric-car maker's stay white-hot? Shares of electric-car maker Tesla fell 0.7% to about $87.20 apiece Tuesday afternoon, erasing the trading session's earlier gains. Shares are still up 132% the past six weeks. And the price of the white-hot stock rocketed the first week of May after the company announced its first profitable quarter. Tesla shares closed Monday at $87.80 a share, up 57% from $55.79 a share Thursday before its first-quarter earnings report. Since April 1, the shares have rocketed 138%. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/05/13/tesla-stock-general-motors/2156241/ Tesla makes first profit, partly by selling Calif. green credits. Tesla Motors Inc. earned its first-ever profit at the start of this year, a success partly achieved by selling California-issued credits for environmentally friendly cars. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based electric vehicle maker yesterday reported that it made $11 million in the first three months of the year, compared with a loss of nearly $90 million for the same period in 2012. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059980865/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Fewer Rain Forests Mean Less Energy for Developing Nations, Study Finds. The loss of tropical rain forests is likely to reduce the energy output of hydroelectric projects in countries like Brazil that are investing billions of dollars to create power to support economic growth. That is the conclusion of a group of experts whose findings, released Monday, run counter to the conventional understanding of deforestation’s impact on watersheds. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/science/earth/study-finds-loss-of-rain-forests-can-deplete-hydropower.html?ref=earth&_r=0 Wind farms get pass on eagle deaths. It happens about once a month here, on the barren foothills of one of America's green-energy boomtowns: A soaring golden eagle slams into a wind farm's spinning turbine and falls, mangled and lifeless, to the ground. Killing these iconic birds is not just an irreplaceable loss for a vulnerable species. It's also a federal crime, a charge that the Obama administration has used to prosecute oil companies when birds drown in their waste pits, and power companies when birds are electrocuted by their power lines. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/14/ap-impact-wind-farms-get-pass-on-eagle-deaths/#ixzz2THb50iME Calif. plans to force cuts in power use by computers, electronics and appliances. Makers of computers and other electronics could be forced to cut how much power those products use as the California Energy Commission looks at mandates for lower consumption. The agency has taken preliminary steps toward devising new rules that would shrink how much energy 15 different products can consume. Those include computers, monitors, game consoles and set-top boxes as well as…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981095/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS DOE launches public-private partnership to deploy hydrogen infrastructure. The Department of Energy (DOE) launched H2USA — a new public-private partnership focused on advancing hydrogen infrastructure to support more transportation energy options for U.S. consumers, including fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The new partnership brings together automakers, government agencies, gas suppliers, and the hydrogen and fuel cell industries to coordinate research and identify cost-effective solutions to deploy infrastructure that can deliver affordable, clean hydrogen fuel in the U.S. Posted. http://www.utilityproducts.com/articles/elp-archives/2013/05/doe-launches-public-private-partnership-to-deploy-hydrogen-infra.html http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2013/05/14/us-launches-new-h2usa-push-for-hydrogen-vehicles/ Bicycle Coalition Receives San Diego Foundation Climate Smart Grant. $10,000 award supports Regional Bike/Walk Alliance, bicycling and walking as sustainable transportation options. San Diego County Bicycle Coalition announced Monday that it is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the San Diego Foundation’s Climate Initiative Fund, dedicated to engaging local government, nonprofits, and businesses in more comprehensive efforts to curb regional emissions and prepare for local climate change impacts. Posted. http://scoopsandiego.com/news/local/bicycle-coalition-receives-san-diego-foundation-climate-smart-grant/article_bd12ce2c-bcb2-11e2-8c47-0019bb30f31a.html OPINIONS Global warming ruins SoCal Mother's Day. News flash: Global warming hits California! That’s right -- the Golden State has become the Golden Baking State, with temperatures soaring into the triple digits. For example, in Johnny Carson’s “beautiful downtown Burbank” on Sunday, the thermometer hit 103 -- hot enough to melt Ed McMahon’s smile. And on Mother's Day no less! Apparently it really isn't nice to fool with Mother Nature. You may think this is just a “heat wave.” Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-global-warming-california-heat-wave-20130513,0,6113996.story Getting the lead out of ammo. Even tiny amounts of lead are toxic. Banning lead ammunition in California would go far in protecting both animals and humans. A bill before the California Assembly would outlaw the use of lead ammunition by hunters. There is already a federal prohibition on its use in hunting waterfowl, and in 2007 the state banned it in the range of the endangered California condor. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-lead-ammunition-california-20130514,0,1783230.story Global warming explained. Re "Carbon dioxide levels hit scary milestone" (Page A8, May 11): The Keeling Curve, a graph mentioned in the story on carbon dioxide levels, shows nature's release of CO2 as a saw tooth line. This shows the earth breathing. Leaf growth pulls CO2 out of the air during planting and growing seasons. Approximately, the same amount of CO2 is released back into the atmosphere during harvest season. Nature is a recycler. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/11/5413217/global-warming.html#storylink=cpy Letters: Global warming action. After reading former Sen. Bob Bennett's "Cool off the global warming debate" op-ed, I felt at peace with those few who insist that there's still a debate to be had about global warming (April 29). For those persuaded by oil industry-funded distortions of science — rather than the overwhelming consensus that global warming is happening, we're causing it and we must act quickly to address it — the reality before our very eyes will catch up with them. Posted. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765629452/Global-warming-action.html?pg=all Tesla's secret to success? Selling emissions credits. Today the electric car company Tesla Motors is expected to announce it has turned a profit for the first time. That’s in part because of the success of its Model S luxury sedan, which costs anywhere from $70,000 to $100,000. But what has also led to those profits is money that Tesla made from selling California Zero Emission Vehicle Credits to other car companies. To understand the complicated world of California’s credit system I thought Posted. http://www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/teslas-secret-success-selling-emissions-credits How will Brown balance oil, environmental interests? California’s economy has been powered for decades by technology, trade and tourism — businesses and jobs mostly near the coast from San Diego to Los Angeles and around the San Francisco Bay Area. The state’s great inland valleys, while serving as a breadbasket for the world, have not been a land of high-paying employment or tax-producing industry. A glance at the most recent unemployment numbers reflects this reality. Posted. http://www.healthycal.org/archives/12068 BLOGS Beijing’s Next Target in Pollution Fight is … Barbecue? The scent of mutton skewers, dusted with chili pepper and cumin and roasting atop makeshift streetside grills, is one of the most cherished pleasures of summer in Beijing – a cheap and seductive reward for suffering through a season otherwise marked by oppressive heat and pungent, chewable air. But just as they’ve moved to knock down the ancient alleyways that once gave Beijing its charm, city officials are now moving to rein in the skewer sellers. Among the main reasons: Air pollution. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/05/14/beijings-next-target-in-pollution-fight-is-barbecue/ California lags nation in reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Although California fancies itself a leader in the reduction of greenhouse gases, the state has the nation's second highest level of energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide and has lagged the rest of the nation in reducing those emissions, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Under Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown…Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/05/california-lags-nation-in-reduction-of-carbon-dioxide-emissions.html#storylink=cpy More on a Sensitive Climate Question. When he wrote recently that he thought some of the highest temperature projections could be rejected, skeptics could not contain their enthusiasm. “That is what we call a landmark change of course — by one of climatology’s most renowned warmist scientists,” declared a blogger named Pierre L. Gosselin. “If even Annan can see it, then the writing is truly emblazoned on the wall.” But does this sort of claim — that we can all breathe a sigh of relief about climate change — really hold up? Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/more-on-a-sensitive-climate-question/ CLIMATE CHANGE: Carbon dioxide measurement is bad news. The old saying that “what goes up must come down” doesn’t apply to carbon dioxide pollution in the air, which just hit an unnerving milestone. The chief greenhouse gas was measured Thursday at 400 parts per million in Hawaii, a monitoring site that sets the world’s benchmark. It’s a symbolic mark that scientists and environmentalists have been anticipating for years. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/13/climate-change-carbon-dioxide-measurement-is-bad-news/#more-3132 Climate Change and the Future of the Arctic. In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska, officially extending America into the Arctic, dramatically changing not only our map, but our landscape, resources and identity. What Seward could never have foreseen was the way, nearly 150 years later, climate change would dramatically change the Arctic itself -- and leave his successors in our government with a set of challenges and opportunities few would have imagined even a decade ago. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johnkerry/climate-change-and-the-fu_b_3272250.html Is 400 PPM Actually The Most Important Metric Ever For Cars? You won't have been able to feel it, but on Friday the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit a milestone amount. For the first time in recorded history, CO2 levels averaged 400 parts per million (ppm), or 0.04 percent, at a monitoring station on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. And, say scientists, it's very much down to the way we live: our gadgets, our homes ... and our cars. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1084122_is-400-ppm-actually-the-most-important-metric-ever-for-cars Diesel Cars: Six Important Things Everyone Should Know (But May Not). It's an exciting time for diesel fans in the U.S, with automakers finally waking up to that section of the market that longs for great highway MPG and lots of torque. Most people already know the benefits of modern diesels, but there are a few general things that people may have missed. So in the spirit of eight important things you should know about electric cars, here are six important things you should know about diesels. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1084164_diesel-cars-six-important-things-everyone-should-know-but-may-not ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 14:42:02 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 15, 2013. 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 Gov. Brown chided for plan to borrow from cap-and-trade funds. Gov. Jerry Brown sparked controversy Tuesday when he proposed to shift $500 million out of the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and loan it to the state general fund as part of the effort to balance the budget. The money would come from a program to limit carbon emissions by factories and other big polluters. The program allows firms to buy credits to produce more than their share of carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-governor-brown-cap-trade-20130514,0,1331347.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=11fjqnp52905zjj&utm_source=feedly http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981189/print AIR POLLUTION Pollutant's cooling effect on climate may be overstated, study shows. Don’t count on sulfur dioxide to bridle climate change. The ability of that pollutant to reflect the sun is not quite what it was assumed to be, according to new research. Sulfur dioxide -- a common pollutant from burning fossil fuels, contributes to the formation of aerosol particles in the atmosphere, which reflect sunlight. Figuring out just how much this can counteract greenhouse effects of carbon dioxide and other gases has remained one of the bigger uncertainties in climate modeling. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-climate-cooling-overstated-20130514,0,5963816.story CLIMATE CHANGE China Unlikely to Stimulate New Carbon Credit Supply Efforts. China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gas, will probably avoid importing carbon credits for two decades, challenging diplomats as they craft a new emissions market that will increase supply, a government official said. Using offsets from outside China in that period is an “unlikely scenario,” Su Wei, the nation’s climate negotiator, said an interview. “Rather, internally we will have a lot of offsetting credits.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-15/biggest-emitter-china-may-not-import-carbon-credits-for-decades.html For Insurers, No Doubts on Climate Change. If there were one American industry that would be particularly worried about climate change it would have to be insurance, right? From Hurricane Sandy’s devastating blow to the Northeast to the protracted drought that hit the Midwest Corn Belt, natural catastrophes across the United States pounded insurers last year, generating $35 billion in privately insured property losses, $11 billion more than the average over the last decade. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/insurers-stray-from-the-conservative-line-on-climate-change.html?pagewanted=all Climate change melting Mount Everest glaciers, research finds. A warming climate is melting the glaciers of Mount Everest, shrinking the frozen cloak of Earth's highest peak by 13 percent in the last 50 years, researchers have found. Rocks and natural debris previously covered by snow are appearing now as the snow line has retreated 590 feet, according to Sudeep Thakuri, a University of Milan scientist who led the research. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-everest-climate-20130514,0,7957473.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/14/5420350/climate-change-melting-mount-everest.html#storylink=cpy Appeals court dismisses greenhouse gases lawsuit. A federal appeals panel has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a group of Mississippi Gulf Coast residents and landowners who alleged that emissions by energy companies contributed to global warming, which intensified Hurricane Katrina, which, in turn, damaged their property. In the lawsuit, the landowners sought compensatory and punitive damages against 32 companies and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Appeals-court-dismisses-greenhouse-gases-lawsuit-4518071.php#ixzz2TNsTIsI4 DIESEL EMISSIONS Oakland Officials Withhold Air Pollution Plan. Regulators for county, regional, and state agencies say the city and the developer of the Oakland Army Base have yet to reveal plans for how they will control toxic emissions. The California Transportation Commission approved $176 million in funding last week for the redevelopment of the old Oakland Army Base — a potentially $1 billion project intended to reinvigorate the city and the nation's fifth busiest seaport. Posted. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oakland-officials-withhold-air-pollution-plan/Content?oid=3547241 FUELS Energy costs require rethink for EU heavy industry-IEA. Europe faces higher fuel costs than the United States and China for the foreseeable future and therefore needs to reconsider its reliance on energy-intensive industry, the chief economist of the International Energy Agency said. Debate over competitiveness is intense in Europe as shale gas in the United States has drastically cut costs and led some heavy industry to relocate there. A summit of EU leaders next week is set to discuss ways to limit the impact of energy costs. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/14/eu-iea-costs-idUSL6N0DV50D20130514 A look at EU investigation of oil price fixing. The European Union's executive arm, the Commission, on Tuesday said it had raided the offices of a number of oil industry companies for possible price-fixing. Here are some questions and answers on the investigation. — Which companies were raided and why? The EU Commission did not say which companies it is investigating. However, some firms have confirmed they are part of the probe. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/A-look-at-EU-investigation-of-oil-price-fixing-4518771.php#ixzz2TNqyYYQw Solving the case of Southern Calif.'s missing methane. In Southern California, scientists knew the missing methane had to be coming from somewhere. Was it dairies? Landfills? Natural seeps? Oil and gas operations? Emissions of methane from the Los Angeles basin had been estimated in the mid-2000s as part of the state's landmark cap-and-trade bill, known as A.B. 32, which regulates emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas. But later measurements of the air in the region showed there was a lot more methane being emitted than was accounted for, more than a third as much. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981192/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Governor calls fracking 'a fabulous opportunity' California Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday voiced some support for hydraulic fracturing in the state, saying that the oil and natural gas drilling technique "could be a fabulous opportunity." The Democratic governor said he was evaluating the pros and cons of the process also known as fracking, where companies blast chemical-laced water underground at high pressure to break apart rock formations and release oil or natural gas. It's not about political ideology, Brown said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2013/05/15/stories/1059981194 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Defunct ethanol plant turns to crude processing. The original operator, Cascade Grain Products LLC, filed for bankruptcy in 2009, less than a year after kicking off ethanol production. The new owners are using the facility to store and transport crude oil from North Dakota's booming Bakken Shale oil play, putting two 3.8-million-gallon tanks to use. The newly named Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery plant, once the recipient of $36 million in green loans and tax credits from Oregon's Department of Energy…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059981145/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla’s Stock Is Trading at Rich Multiples. Tesla’s shareholders seem to be assuming that its chief executive, Elon Musk, is infallible. Tesla, the electric carmaker, is on a roll. Last week, it recorded its first quarterly profit and received the best score that Consumer Reports has bestowed on a car for six years. The company’s stock has since surged as much as 70 percent, leaving Tesla worth more than Fiat and Peugeot combined. Its stock is also trading at a whopping 27 times estimates for earnings in 2016. Posted. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/teslas-stock-is-trading-at-rich-multiples/ Tesla revenue to get boost from selling "green" car credits. Tesla Motor Co. may draw about 11 percent of its revenue this year from selling "green" car credits to other automakers under pressure to meet clean air policies in U.S. states like California, an analyst said on Tuesday. This year, Tesla could make $188 million from selling zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas credits, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said. This is about 11 percent of Tesla's expected 2013 revenue of $1.7 billion. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23247810/tesla-revenue-get-boost-from-selling-green-car#ixzz2TNV4x8bL GREEN ENERGY Arctic states open council to China, India, SKorea. Arctic states agreed Wednesday to let nations that are located nowhere near the Earth's north to become observers to their diplomatic council, boosting rising superpowers China, India and South Korea that are seeking to mine the region for its untapped energy and other natural resources. The European Union also was tentatively granted observer status to the eight-state council but must first address several questions about its bid, including concerns about its ban on Canadian seal exports. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_ARCTIC_OBSERVERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT LanzaTech Plans to Raise $80 Million for Waste Gas-to-Biofuel. LanzaTech NZ Ltd., a closely held developer of transport fuels and chemicals from waste gases, plans to start raising $60 million to $80 million from venture capital and strategic investors this year to develop technology. The company is developing projects with Baosteel Group Corp. and Shougang Group in China to use emissions from their steel mills to make ethanol for vehicles, said Jennifer Holmgren, chief executive officer of the Auckland, New Zealand-based company. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-15/lanzatech-plans-to-raise-80-million-for-waste-gas-to-biofuel.html Clean Energy Learns to Compete. Europe used to be nirvana for companies in the clean-energy business, but in the past couple of years it has become a much tougher place. With economies anemic, electricity demand is down; and, not surprisingly, once-generous subsidies that encouraged installing swaths of solar collectors in sun-poor Germany or wind farms in relatively calm areas of France are either being reduced or look as if they could be. But for some people and companies, the harsher environment is fostering a tough-minded approach that may be healthy for the effort in the years ahead to curb the greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/business/energy-environment/16iht-green16.html Legislation would give clean energy more access to investment tool. Congressional lawmakers from both parties are taking a step to catalyze the nation's clean energy economy: After 32 years of restricting a crucial investment tool to expanding fossil fuels, they're pushing to open it to renewables. Legislation is moving through both houses to tweak the tax code to let clean energy developers form a master limited partnership, or MLP, a type of publicly traded company structure not subject to corporate taxes. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/15/5421915/legislation-would-give-clean-energy.html#storylink=cpy An experiment to adapt solar power to serve electric grids. A partnership between California-based Cool Earth Solar Inc. and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will seek to solve one of solar energy's major shortcomings, the intermittency of sunlight and the negative effect that "ramping" solar energy has on grid stability. The $2.7 million research project, funded partly by the California Energy Commission, will create and test a new model for communities to manage their solar generation in ways that account for changing weather conditions, according to officials involved in the work. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981166/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Decision on San Onofre pushed back to June at the earliest. The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday that the agency will not make a decision on whether to restart the troubled San Onofre nuclear plant until late June at the earliest. The timeline for the plant has been pushed back repeatedly. The plant's operator Southern California Edison had hoped at one point to have one of the plant's two units operating by summer, but NRC Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane made it clear that will not happen. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-restart-20130514,0,3441282.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Glendale moves to ban smoking in new apartments, condos. The Glendale City Council on Tuesday moved to ban smoking in all new apartment and condominium units, give individuals the right to sue others who break smoking rules and increase the distance between smokers and non-smokers in outdoor dining areas. Since 2008, Glendale has implemented a variety of smoking bans at common areas, private balconies and patios in multi-unit buildings. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-glendale-smoking-ban-apartments-condos-20130515,0,3730761.story Report card: Great Lakes still have big problems. A decades-old effort to nurse the battered Great Lakes to health has made progress toward reducing toxic pollution and slamming the door on invasive species, but the freshwater seas continue to face serious threats, a U.S.-Canadian agency said Tuesday. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/14/5420503/report-card-great-lakes-still.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Report-card-Great-Lakes-still-have-big-problems-4515119.php Environmental Exposures in the Context of Child Care. Just beyond the front door of the Montessori School at Five Canyons, a square glass-walled foyer is brimming with verdant houseplants in clay pots. Garden sculptures and glazed ceramic art are interspersed throughout. Above it all floats the looped sound of softly chirping birds. This lush tableau provides a fitting transition between the world outside and the carefully controlled atmosphere within, where child care director Meher Van Groenou has made environmental health one of her top priorities. The school serves 120 toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners in Castro Valley, California.1 Within its five classrooms, most toys and utensils are made of wood, glass, or stainless steel. Posted. http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/121-a160/ BLOGS No. 2 at California toxic substances control department resigns. Odette Madriago, the chief deputy director of the Department of Toxic Subtances Control has resigned from her post to take a lower-level job at the agency before she retires at end of the year. Madriago's decision to leave came after the non-profit Consumer Watchdog filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission that she had a financial stake in some companies that the department regulates. The group has also published a report that accused Madriago of blunting state regulatory efforts. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/the_state_worker/2013/05/no-2-at-california-toxic-substances-control-department-resigns.html#storylink=cpy Enviros Livid as Brown Diverts Cap-and-Trade Funds. Starting this year, many big industrial emitters in California are having to pay for the right to put greenhouse gases into the air. "Totally disappointed." That was Kathryn Phillips' reaction when she read the fine print in Gov. Jerry Brown's revised budget. Phillips, state director for the Sierra Club, is one of a chorus of voices from the environmental community howling over Brown's decision to divert revenue from the state's cap-and-trade program into the general fund -- temporarily, he says. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/05/14/enviros-livid-as-brown-diverts-cap-and-trade-funds/ GOLDEN EAGLES: Wind farms get a pass for killing protected raptors. The killing of iconic golden eagles is a federal crime that has been enforced by the Obama administration when birds drown in oil company waste pits or when they are electrocuted in power lines. But when the birds slam into the spinning blades of wind turbines and fall lifeless to the ground, the wind farm owners get a pass…Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/15/golden-eagles-wild-farm-deaths-occur-with-impunity/#more-3148 AIR POLLUTION: Ban considered for beach bonfires. That bonfire you look forward to at the beach? It could be a thing of the past under new regulations being considered by Southern California air quality regulators. The South Coast Air Quality Management District is trying to reduce emissions from wood smoke, which causes respiratory irritation and aggravates asthma and other respiratory diseases. The district’s board will consider Rule 444, which would prohibit open wood burning on beaches, at its meeting on June 7. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/14/air-pollution-ban-considered-for-beach-bonfires/#more-3141 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 16:41:41 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 15, 2013. (RESENDING) 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 Gov. Brown chided for plan to borrow from cap-and-trade funds. Gov. Jerry Brown sparked controversy Tuesday when he proposed to shift $500 million out of the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and loan it to the state general fund as part of the effort to balance the budget. The money would come from a program to limit carbon emissions by factories and other big polluters. The program allows firms to buy credits to produce more than their share of carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-governor-brown-cap-trade-20130514,0,1331347.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=11fjqnp52905zjj&utm_source=feedly http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981189/print AIR POLLUTION Pollutant's cooling effect on climate may be overstated, study shows. Don’t count on sulfur dioxide to bridle climate change. The ability of that pollutant to reflect the sun is not quite what it was assumed to be, according to new research. Sulfur dioxide -- a common pollutant from burning fossil fuels, contributes to the formation of aerosol particles in the atmosphere, which reflect sunlight. Figuring out just how much this can counteract greenhouse effects of carbon dioxide and other gases has remained one of the bigger uncertainties in climate modeling. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-climate-cooling-overstated-20130514,0,5963816.story CLIMATE CHANGE China Unlikely to Stimulate New Carbon Credit Supply Efforts. China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gas, will probably avoid importing carbon credits for two decades, challenging diplomats as they craft a new emissions market that will increase supply, a government official said. Using offsets from outside China in that period is an “unlikely scenario,” Su Wei, the nation’s climate negotiator, said an interview. “Rather, internally we will have a lot of offsetting credits.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-15/biggest-emitter-china-may-not-import-carbon-credits-for-decades.html For Insurers, No Doubts on Climate Change. If there were one American industry that would be particularly worried about climate change it would have to be insurance, right? From Hurricane Sandy’s devastating blow to the Northeast to the protracted drought that hit the Midwest Corn Belt, natural catastrophes across the United States pounded insurers last year, generating $35 billion in privately insured property losses, $11 billion more than the average over the last decade. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/insurers-stray-from-the-conservative-line-on-climate-change.html?pagewanted=all Climate change melting Mount Everest glaciers, research finds. A warming climate is melting the glaciers of Mount Everest, shrinking the frozen cloak of Earth's highest peak by 13 percent in the last 50 years, researchers have found. Rocks and natural debris previously covered by snow are appearing now as the snow line has retreated 590 feet, according to Sudeep Thakuri, a University of Milan scientist who led the research. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-everest-climate-20130514,0,7957473.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/14/5420350/climate-change-melting-mount-everest.html#storylink=cpy Appeals court dismisses greenhouse gases lawsuit. A federal appeals panel has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a group of Mississippi Gulf Coast residents and landowners who alleged that emissions by energy companies contributed to global warming, which intensified Hurricane Katrina, which, in turn, damaged their property. In the lawsuit, the landowners sought compensatory and punitive damages against 32 companies and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Appeals-court-dismisses-greenhouse-gases-lawsuit-4518071.php#ixzz2TNsTIsI4 DIESEL EMISSIONS Oakland Officials Withhold Air Pollution Plan. Regulators for county, regional, and state agencies say the city and the developer of the Oakland Army Base have yet to reveal plans for how they will control toxic emissions. The California Transportation Commission approved $176 million in funding last week for the redevelopment of the old Oakland Army Base — a potentially $1 billion project intended to reinvigorate the city and the nation's fifth busiest seaport. Posted. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oakland-officials-withhold-air-pollution-plan/Content?oid=3547241 FUELS Energy costs require rethink for EU heavy industry-IEA. Europe faces higher fuel costs than the United States and China for the foreseeable future and therefore needs to reconsider its reliance on energy-intensive industry, the chief economist of the International Energy Agency said. Debate over competitiveness is intense in Europe as shale gas in the United States has drastically cut costs and led some heavy industry to relocate there. A summit of EU leaders next week is set to discuss ways to limit the impact of energy costs. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/14/eu-iea-costs-idUSL6N0DV50D20130514 A look at EU investigation of oil price fixing. The European Union's executive arm, the Commission, on Tuesday said it had raided the offices of a number of oil industry companies for possible price-fixing. Here are some questions and answers on the investigation. — Which companies were raided and why? The EU Commission did not say which companies it is investigating. However, some firms have confirmed they are part of the probe. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/A-look-at-EU-investigation-of-oil-price-fixing-4518771.php#ixzz2TNqyYYQw Solving the case of Southern Calif.'s missing methane. In Southern California, scientists knew the missing methane had to be coming from somewhere. Was it dairies? Landfills? Natural seeps? Oil and gas operations? Emissions of methane from the Los Angeles basin had been estimated in the mid-2000s as part of the state's landmark cap-and-trade bill, known as A.B. 32, which regulates emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas. But later measurements of the air in the region showed there was a lot more methane being emitted than was accounted for, more than a third as much. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981192/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Governor calls fracking 'a fabulous opportunity' California Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday voiced some support for hydraulic fracturing in the state, saying that the oil and natural gas drilling technique "could be a fabulous opportunity." The Democratic governor said he was evaluating the pros and cons of the process also known as fracking, where companies blast chemical-laced water underground at high pressure to break apart rock formations and release oil or natural gas. It's not about political ideology, Brown said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/2013/05/15/stories/1059981194 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Defunct ethanol plant turns to crude processing. The original operator, Cascade Grain Products LLC, filed for bankruptcy in 2009, less than a year after kicking off ethanol production. The new owners are using the facility to store and transport crude oil from North Dakota's booming Bakken Shale oil play, putting two 3.8-million-gallon tanks to use. The newly named Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery plant, once the recipient of $36 million in green loans and tax credits from Oregon's Department of Energy…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059981145/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla’s Stock Is Trading at Rich Multiples. Tesla’s shareholders seem to be assuming that its chief executive, Elon Musk, is infallible. Tesla, the electric carmaker, is on a roll. Last week, it recorded its first quarterly profit and received the best score that Consumer Reports has bestowed on a car for six years. The company’s stock has since surged as much as 70 percent, leaving Tesla worth more than Fiat and Peugeot combined. Its stock is also trading at a whopping 27 times estimates for earnings in 2016. Posted. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/teslas-stock-is-trading-at-rich-multiples/ Tesla revenue to get boost from selling "green" car credits. Tesla Motor Co. may draw about 11 percent of its revenue this year from selling "green" car credits to other automakers under pressure to meet clean air policies in U.S. states like California, an analyst said on Tuesday. This year, Tesla could make $188 million from selling zero emission vehicle and greenhouse gas credits, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said. This is about 11 percent of Tesla's expected 2013 revenue of $1.7 billion. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23247810/tesla-revenue-get-boost-from-selling-green-car#ixzz2TNV4x8bL GREEN ENERGY Arctic states open council to China, India, SKorea. Arctic states agreed Wednesday to let nations that are located nowhere near the Earth's north to become observers to their diplomatic council, boosting rising superpowers China, India and South Korea that are seeking to mine the region for its untapped energy and other natural resources. The European Union also was tentatively granted observer status to the eight-state council but must first address several questions about its bid, including concerns about its ban on Canadian seal exports. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_ARCTIC_OBSERVERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT LanzaTech Plans to Raise $80 Million for Waste Gas-to-Biofuel. LanzaTech NZ Ltd., a closely held developer of transport fuels and chemicals from waste gases, plans to start raising $60 million to $80 million from venture capital and strategic investors this year to develop technology. The company is developing projects with Baosteel Group Corp. and Shougang Group in China to use emissions from their steel mills to make ethanol for vehicles, said Jennifer Holmgren, chief executive officer of the Auckland, New Zealand-based company. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-15/lanzatech-plans-to-raise-80-million-for-waste-gas-to-biofuel.html Clean Energy Learns to Compete. Europe used to be nirvana for companies in the clean-energy business, but in the past couple of years it has become a much tougher place. With economies anemic, electricity demand is down; and, not surprisingly, once-generous subsidies that encouraged installing swaths of solar collectors in sun-poor Germany or wind farms in relatively calm areas of France are either being reduced or look as if they could be. But for some people and companies, the harsher environment is fostering a tough-minded approach that may be healthy for the effort in the years ahead to curb the greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/business/energy-environment/16iht-green16.html Legislation would give clean energy more access to investment tool. Congressional lawmakers from both parties are taking a step to catalyze the nation's clean energy economy: After 32 years of restricting a crucial investment tool to expanding fossil fuels, they're pushing to open it to renewables. Legislation is moving through both houses to tweak the tax code to let clean energy developers form a master limited partnership, or MLP, a type of publicly traded company structure not subject to corporate taxes. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/15/5421915/legislation-would-give-clean-energy.html#storylink=cpy An experiment to adapt solar power to serve electric grids. A partnership between California-based Cool Earth Solar Inc. and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) will seek to solve one of solar energy's major shortcomings, the intermittency of sunlight and the negative effect that "ramping" solar energy has on grid stability. The $2.7 million research project, funded partly by the California Energy Commission, will create and test a new model for communities to manage their solar generation in ways that account for changing weather conditions, according to officials involved in the work. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981166/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Decision on San Onofre pushed back to June at the earliest. The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday that the agency will not make a decision on whether to restart the troubled San Onofre nuclear plant until late June at the earliest. The timeline for the plant has been pushed back repeatedly. The plant's operator Southern California Edison had hoped at one point to have one of the plant's two units operating by summer, but NRC Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane made it clear that will not happen. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-restart-20130514,0,3441282.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Glendale moves to ban smoking in new apartments, condos. The Glendale City Council on Tuesday moved to ban smoking in all new apartment and condominium units, give individuals the right to sue others who break smoking rules and increase the distance between smokers and non-smokers in outdoor dining areas. Since 2008, Glendale has implemented a variety of smoking bans at common areas, private balconies and patios in multi-unit buildings. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-glendale-smoking-ban-apartments-condos-20130515,0,3730761.story Report card: Great Lakes still have big problems. A decades-old effort to nurse the battered Great Lakes to health has made progress toward reducing toxic pollution and slamming the door on invasive species, but the freshwater seas continue to face serious threats, a U.S.-Canadian agency said Tuesday. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/14/5420503/report-card-great-lakes-still.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Report-card-Great-Lakes-still-have-big-problems-4515119.php Environmental Exposures in the Context of Child Care. Just beyond the front door of the Montessori School at Five Canyons, a square glass-walled foyer is brimming with verdant houseplants in clay pots. Garden sculptures and glazed ceramic art are interspersed throughout. Above it all floats the looped sound of softly chirping birds. This lush tableau provides a fitting transition between the world outside and the carefully controlled atmosphere within, where child care director Meher Van Groenou has made environmental health one of her top priorities. The school serves 120 toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners in Castro Valley, California.1 Within its five classrooms, most toys and utensils are made of wood, glass, or stainless steel. Posted. http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/121-a160/ BLOGS No. 2 at California toxic substances control department resigns. Odette Madriago, the chief deputy director of the Department of Toxic Subtances Control has resigned from her post to take a lower-level job at the agency before she retires at end of the year. Madriago's decision to leave came after the non-profit Consumer Watchdog filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission that she had a financial stake in some companies that the department regulates. The group has also published a report that accused Madriago of blunting state regulatory efforts. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/the_state_worker/2013/05/no-2-at-california-toxic-substances-control-department-resigns.html#storylink=cpy Enviros Livid as Brown Diverts Cap-and-Trade Funds. Starting this year, many big industrial emitters in California are having to pay for the right to put greenhouse gases into the air. "Totally disappointed." That was Kathryn Phillips' reaction when she read the fine print in Gov. Jerry Brown's revised budget. Phillips, state director for the Sierra Club, is one of a chorus of voices from the environmental community howling over Brown's decision to divert revenue from the state's cap-and-trade program into the general fund -- temporarily, he says. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/05/14/enviros-livid-as-brown-diverts-cap-and-trade-funds/ GOLDEN EAGLES: Wind farms get a pass for killing protected raptors. The killing of iconic golden eagles is a federal crime that has been enforced by the Obama administration when birds drown in oil company waste pits or when they are electrocuted in power lines. But when the birds slam into the spinning blades of wind turbines and fall lifeless to the ground, the wind farm owners get a pass…Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/15/golden-eagles-wild-farm-deaths-occur-with-impunity/#more-3148 AIR POLLUTION: Ban considered for beach bonfires. That bonfire you look forward to at the beach? It could be a thing of the past under new regulations being considered by Southern California air quality regulators. The South Coast Air Quality Management District is trying to reduce emissions from wood smoke, which causes respiratory irritation and aggravates asthma and other respiratory diseases. The district’s board will consider Rule 444, which would prohibit open wood burning on beaches, at its meeting on June 7. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/14/air-pollution-ban-considered-for-beach-bonfires/#more-3141 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 13:51:40 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for May 16, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 16, 2013. 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 Long Beach votes to sue L.A. over proposed rail yard at port. The Long Beach City Council has authorized a lawsuit to challenge plans by Los Angeles to build a rail yard in the harbor that could impact low-income neighborhoods in West Long Beach. Council members voted 9 to 0 Tuesday to sue over the Southern California International Gateway -- a 153-acre project in the Port of Los Angeles capable of handling more than 8,000 trucks a day and the equivalent of 2.8 million 20-foot shipping containers annually. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-long-beach-rail-yard-lawsuit-20130515,0,3590660.story Tests show Calif beach bonfires hurt air quality. Preliminary testing released Wednesday by regional air quality officials found that smoke from the beach bonfires that dot the Southern California coastline pollutes the air in nearby neighborhoods and on the beaches themselves. The data will be a critical part of the ongoing debate over a proposal before the South Coast Air Quality Management District to ban nearly 850 beach bonfires along miles of coastline in Los Angeles and Orange counties due to health concerns about wood smoke. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23251590/tests-show-calif-beach-bonfires-hurt-air-quality http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/15/3300860/tests-show-calif-beach-bonfires.html#storylink=misearch The 10 most polluted cities in the U.S. There is no doubt that great strides have been made in air pollution in the U.S. Awareness, stricter legislation and improved technology have all contributed to improved air, land and water conditions. Despite the improvements, four in 10 Americans still live where pollution levels are often dangerous to breathe. Since the American Lung Association began studying particle pollution, almost all of the most polluted cities have consistently remained among the worst. Posted. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-10-most-polluted-cities-in-the-us-2013-05-16 CLIMATE CHANGE E.U. Considers Emission Fines on Chinese and Indian Airlines. The European Commission said Thursday that Air China and Air India were among 10 Chinese and Indian airlines facing the prospect of fines and exclusion from airports in the European Union for refusing to comply with rules aimed at regulating greenhouse emissions. The carriers are accused of not providing emissions data, as required by the European rules, and not participating in a permit system that entitles airlines to emit greenhouse gases in European airspace. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/business/global/17iht-emit17.html?ref=global-home&_r=0 Could Supreme Court stall climate change regulations? With a barrage of legal briefs, a coalition of business groups and Republican-leaning states are taking their fight against Obama administration climate change regulations to the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other industry groups, along with states such as Texas and Virginia, have filed nine petitions in recent weeks asking the justices to review four U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations that are designed to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23255979/could-supreme-court-stall-climate-change-regulations?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com State lays out long-term plans to combat climate change, air pollution. California is looking to a new road marker in its pathbreaking efforts to address climate change, but it's not sure yet what to look for when it gets there. The Golden State has plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to specific levels by 2020 and again by 2050, but nothing yet in between. Policymakers are talking about the 2030 timeframe as a good meeting place to mesh plans to address climate change and other environmental issues, including transportation, land use and housing plans. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981279/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Toll of 2012 disasters means higher cost of climate change – studies. If ever proof was needed to justify comprehensive action on climate change in the United States, experts at the American Security Project (ASP) say, one only has to look to the climate-fueled disasters of last year. "Climate scientists don't like to point to one single event and say that it's directly caused by climate change. But climate change will make events like the ones in 2012 more likely…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981261/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS New trucking rules have wide-ranging effects. Two new trucking rules — one from California and the other federal — could have wide-ranging effects on the fresh produce industry from the shipper all the way to the retailer. A panel of industry experts outlined the two regulations and their implications during the Expert Council Workshop Series, May 15, at United Fresh 2013. Of the two, the California Air Resources Board’s Transportation Refrigeration Unit, is the more challenging, said Kenny Lund, vice president, support services…Posted. http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/New-trucking-rules-have-wide-ranging-effects-207712381.html?ref=381 FUELS Tech institute predicts rapid rise in natural gas vehicles. Major changes are in store for the nation's natural gas industry in the next five to 10 years, an official with the Chicago-based Gas Technology Institute said during an industry gathering here yesterday. GTI sees a rapid rise in the use of natural gas as a fuel for vehicles and gas continuing to overtake coal in power generation. Oil and gas companies also are expected to embark on a major pipeline-building campaign, but mainly to replace aging lines. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059981252/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Hydrogen fuel makes progress in California public transit. Residents of Marin, California, now have an opportunity to experience hydrogen fuel themselves. A new hydrogen-powered bus has made its way to the city and will be operated by Golden Gate Transit. The bus will remain active for the next two years as city officials determine the viability of hydrogen fuel in public transportation. Golden Gate Transit has teamed with other public transportation agencies to manage the hydrogen fuel transportation project over the next two years. Posted. http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/hydrogen-fuel-makes-progress-in-california-public-transit/8510579/ After 'frank discussion' with Jewell, greens call for tougher fracking regs. A dozen environmental groups yesterday urged Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to strengthen forthcoming Bureau of Land Management rules governing hydraulic fracturing on public lands in addition to tightening oversight of roads and well pads, waste storage and site reclamation. Modern hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has changed significantly since Jewell first fracked a well in the 1970s as an engineer for Mobil Oil Corp., the groups wrote. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059981295/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Lease plans and battery rental - solutions to the EV market uptake? Electric vehicles have required OEMs to come up with new business models in order to increase sales. Battery rental, EV leasing or EVs available in multiple battery sizes, are some of the innovative schemes that have been launched to reduce the initial cost of the car, thus helping to raise consumer interest in Europe, and also in the US. cars21.com summarizes below the current and upcoming options available. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5397 HIGH-SPEED RAIL Kings County fights to keep rail lawsuits separate. Kings County opponents of high-speed rail are battling the California High-Speed Rail Authority to keep their legal fight on track. Hanford farmer John Tos, Hanford homeowner Aaron Fukuda and the Kings County Board of Supervisors have a court date May 31 in Sacramento for the suit they filed against the rail agency in 2011. They say that the high-speed rail project doesn't square with Proposition 1A, the $9.9 billion bond measure approved by California voters in 2008 to help finance high-speed rail. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/15/3301201/kings-co-keep-rail-suits-separate.html GREEN ENERGY A powerful use for spoiled food. Kroger Co.'s anaerobic digester in Compton takes unsold food from Ralphs and Food 4 Less and converts it into 13 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. What happens to the 40% of food produced but never eaten in the U.S. each year, the mounds of perfect fruit passed over by grocery store shoppers, the tons of meat and milk left to expire? At Ralphs, one of the oldest and largest supermarket chains on the West Coast, it helps keep the power on. In a sprawling Compton distribution center that the company shares…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ralphs-energy-20130516,0,7330815.story Stepping up to do right by the environment: More than 1,000 sign up for 'Sustainability Challenge'. If one Contra Costa County home gardener fights "peach curl" with enviro-safe fungicide once a year, a tree is saved. And if one Alameda County resident chooses reusable beverage containers over throwaway plastic bottles, cash piles up and garbage in landfills doesn't. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23242110/stepping-up-do-right-by-environment-more-than?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com OPINIONS Edison, Mitsubishi hit roadblock on San Onofre's future. A flurry of letters that went back and forth between Southern California Edison and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries late last year reveal the serious hurdles that stand in the way of the San Onofre nuclear power plant's long-term future. The plant had been offline at that point for nearly a year because of unusual wear on tubes that carry radioactive water in the plant’s newly replaced steam generators, which were designed and manufactured by Mitsubishi. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-repair-20130515,0,6868664.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Increase in greenhouse gases reaches ominous milestone. The following editorial appeared in the Miami Herald on Wednesday, May 15: Milestones are usually to be cheered, but not the one the world reached at 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 9. For the first time in millions of years the level of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere reached above 400 parts per million. So what, you say? It's just a bunch of scientific numbers. Not really. What these numbers tell us is that within 25 years, if we continue to produce CO2 at our present rate, we can expect significant alterations in our climate. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/16/5425292/increase-in-greenhouse-gases-reaches.html#storylink=cpy http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/16/3301612/increase-in-greenhouse-gases-reaches.html BLOGS A “boring” look at the California carbon market. Last month, carbon market practitioners and observers gathered in San Francisco for the annual Navigating the American Carbon World (NACW) conference. NACW began in California over a decade ago as a regional meet-up for the nascent community of practice working on voluntary carbon management initiatives. Now, in step with California’s climate leadership and the start of the second shift in North American policy attention from top-down federal efforts to bottom-up state/regional action, the conference’s relevance far exceeds Golden State’s borders. Posted. http://ghginstitute.org/2013/05/10/a-boring-look-at-the-california-carbon-market/?utm_source=May+2013+Newsletter&utm_campaign=Monthly+newsletter&utm_medium=email Free "Etch and Catch" catalytic converter event in Elk Grove. Motorists can have identification numbers etched onto the catalytic converters on their vehicles for free in Elk Grove next month. The Elk Grove Police Department is partnering with Jiffy Lube to etch the license plate numbers onto catalytic converters at the "Etch and Catch" event. The effort takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4 at Jiffy Lube, 9611 Auto Center Drive in Elk Grove. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2013/05/free-etch-and-catch-catalytic-converter-event-in-elk-grove.html#storylink=cpy 2013 Nissan Leaf officially rated at 115 MPGe, with 75 miles* of range. The news keeps getting better for Nissan and its efforts to boost sales of its all-electric Leaf: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ahs confirmed that the EV's range is about 15 percent better than it used to be. The EPA finalized its 2013 Leaf numbers, confirming a miles per gallon-equivalent rating of 115, up from 99 MPGe. And while the single-charge range distance is only up two miles – to 75 – it's apples to oranges because the current number stems from about a 90 percent charge whereas the old number is from a full charge (details here). Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/05/15/2013-nissan-leaf-officially-rated-at-115-mpge-75-mile-range/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 17 May 2013 16:36:21 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 17, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 17, 2013. 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 EPA taking comments on ND air pollution matter. Environmental groups say the federal government should order two coal-fired power plants in western North Dakota to use more sophisticated pollution-control technology, but state officials say the matter already has been settled and no more debate is needed. The federal Environmental Protection Agency is taking written comments through June 17 on an appeal of North Dakota's regional haze plan approved last year. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/EPA-taking-comments-on-ND-air-pollution-matter-4521655.php#ixzz2TZadJVkb Environmentalists say lawsuit could trigger nationwide PM 2.5 standards. Environmentalists say a suit filed this week that charges U.S. EPA has not done enough to ensure that Utah is cleaning up fine particulate matter could force the agency to require more stringent action on fine particulates in other states. The lawsuit from WildEarth Guardians filed Wednesday builds on a January decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that said EPA must re-examine how it implements standards for fine particulates, or PM 2.5. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2013/05/17/stories/1059981390 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Preliminary results of air quality study stoke beach fire ban debate: Should they be regulated as a pollutant? In one night, a single beach fire can emit the same amount of harmful particulate matter as a heavy-duty truck driving 564 miles, according to the preliminary results of a study by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). Read the full report below. The research comes before a public meeting Friday in Huntington Beach to discuss a regional ban on beach fires. Air samples were collected in Huntington Beach, Corona del Mar, Balboa Island and Dockweiler State Beach in March. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/05/16/37302/preliminary-results-of-air-quality-study-stoke-bea/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 CLIMATE CHANGE Blue crabs in Maine? Something fishy about global warming. Warming oceans are changing the mix of species in the world's fisheries, according to a new study. Marine-ecosystem models have indicated that this could be an effect from global warming. Warming oceans are changing the mix of species in the world's fisheries as fish try to remain in waters in their preferred temperature range, according to a new study. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0516/Blue-crabs-in-Maine-Something-fishy-about-global-warming http://science.time.com/2013/05/16/why-warming-oceans-could-mean-dwindling-fish/ >From 'Potent' Pollen to Double Whammy Allergy Seasons: How Climate Change Could Affect Seasonal Allergies. Climate changes and rising carbon dioxide levels don't just affect the environment. Experts say they also affect your nose. Warmer temperatures and higher carbon dioxide levels mean certain plants will thrive, and those are the plants that tend to make us sneeze during allergy season. Allergies may seem like a minor nuisance, but according to the CDC there are an estimated 50 million Americans living with allergies, and $18 billion is spent every year dealing with the affliction. Posted. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Allergies/potent-pollen-double-whammy-allergy-seasons-climate-change/story?id=19192495#.UZZlD8pglNs State struggles to adjust to problems posed by 'the new normal' As California continues its groundbreaking push to lower its greenhouse gas emissions, it wants to remind the public and other governments why it's taking action. State and federal projections of sea-level rise underscore the need for California to keep reducing its emissions, officials told state legislators at an oversight hearing in Sacramento yesterday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981360/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Melting glaciers are big contributors to sea-level rise – study. The melting of the world's glaciers contributes as much to rising global sea levels as the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets combined, according to a new study. The research, published yesterday in Science, found that glacial regions caused roughly 29 percent of the rise in global sea levels between 2003 and 2009, even though glaciers hold a tiny percentage of the world's land ice -- about 1 percent. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981348/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Drought to persist in Southwest, Texas; wildfires will menace Calif. – outlook. Drought conditions will worsen before they get better, said experts today at a briefing on this summer's drought outlook. California, Texas and the Southwest will continue to be immersed in drought conditions, an environment set by low snowpack, a short-lived rain season and high temperatures, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's summer drought outlook. New drought patches may emerge in Oregon and Idaho, as well as the few spots in the Southwest that have been spared to date. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981362/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Proposed New Fracking Rules Draw Fire From Industry. The Interior Department proposed relaxing some of the requirements it wants to impose on energy companies that conduct hydraulic fracturing on federal land, but the industry remains opposed to the new rules, saying they are unnecessary. The department said Thursday it is replacing a proposed rule issued in May 2012 with a new version that grants additional flexibility to oil and natural-gas companies. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324082604578487482397534830.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fracking-standards-20130517,0,6391538.story http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/government/draft-fracking-rules-for-public-indian-lands-bend-to-industry.html?utm_source=feedly Hydrogen energy the chloroplast way: solar-to-fuel with the artificial leaf. With atmospheric carbon dioxide recently hitting a record 400 parts per million, the discovery of alternative renewable energy sources has taken on added urgency. One effort is the so-called “artificial leaf,” a photosynthetic system that uses light energy to split water molecules and produce hydrogen. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have recently published details of their new nanowire-based system that mimics the way plant chloroplasts transport charged particles. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/hydrogen-energy-the-chloroplast-way-solar-to-fuel-with-the-artificial-leaf/2013/05/17/d7223be6-be91-11e2-b537-ab47f0325f7c_story.html Shale drilling boosts Ohio gas and oil output. Officials say drilling in Ohio's Utica shale region nearly doubled the output of oil and natural gas there since 2011, although some industry experts remain cautious about the long-term potential for production. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday that the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the shale region of eastern Ohio increased the oil output year-over-year by 93 percent and the natural gas output by 80 percent in that time. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Shale-drilling-boosts-Ohio-gas-and-oil-output-4525012.php#ixzz2TZL7dyDf VEHICLES Mercedes-Benz launches new S-Class with hybrid, diesel, gasoline models; 59 mpg PHEV model to come. Mercedes-Benz’s new generation flagship S-Class, introduced at an elaborate event at Airbus in Finkenwerder, marks a number of technology firsts in numerous areas from comfort, to driver control, to efficiency. As one example of the last, the new S-Class is the first car in the world to completely dispense with conventional electric bulbs, making exclusive use of energy-saving LED technology both inside and outside. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/05/sclass-20130516.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Judge to hear lawsuit over high-speed rail bonds. State officials on Thursday agreed to drop a request to consolidate all lawsuits challenging California's use of voter-approved high-speed rail bonds, allowing a trial seeking to prevent the state from spending bond money to begin later this month. Opponents of the $68 billion bullet train project and attorneys for the California High-Speed Rail Authority submitted their agreement to a Sacramento County Superior Court judge. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23259005/judge-hear-lawsuit-over-high-speed-rail-bonds http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/special-sections/rail/x480781390/Judge-to-hear-lawsuit-over-high-speed-rail-bonds?utm_source=widget_182&utm_medium=latest_entries_widget&utm_campaign=synapse GREEN ENERGY California: Energy Death Valley. California is rich in both conventional and renewable energy resources. It is the country’s most populous state and has the second largest energy consumption in the nation, second only to Texas. California has large energy resources, but also one of the lowest per capita energy consumption rates in the country. The state is frequently hailed as a leader on energy policy and California’s policies are leading to higher energy prices. Posted. http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/55273 BLOGS The Other Climate Science Gap. Much has been made this week of the gap between what the public thinks about the consensus among climate scientists over the human factor in global warming and the actual level of consensus. The discussion has centered on a new study reviewing how anthropogenic global warming was characterized in more than 12,000 climate science papers between 1991 and 2011. More than 97 percent of the papers stating a cause for warming, the authors found, pointed to humans. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/the-other-climate-science-gap/?ref=science Smoke Permeates Nonsmoking Hotel Rooms. Staying in a nonsmoking room in a hotel that allows smoking elsewhere does not prevent exposure to tobacco smoke, a new study reports. Writing in Tobacco Control, researchers examined a sample of 10 hotels with complete smoking bans and 30 with designated smoking rooms. They analyzed air and surfaces for tobacco smoke pollutants, took finger wipe samples to measure the presence of tobacco carcinogens, and tested the urine of nonsmoking occupants after they had stayed in the rooms. Posted. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/smoke-permeates-nonsmoking-hotel-rooms/ Experts Affirm the Benefits and Importance of California's Clean Energy and Climate Leadership. In the face of daunting challenges, California stands strong as a national leader on climate action, according to experts who testified today at a state Senate committee hearing on climate change and implementation of the state’s clean energy law, AB 32. Also known as the Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32 is California’s groundbreaking effort to mitigate climate risks and lower statewide greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/stanenhaus/international_experts_affirm_t.html Climate Change Impacts Ripple Through Fishing Industry While Ocean Science Lags Behind. With a limberness that defies his 69 years, Frank Mirarchi heaves himself over the edge of a concrete wharf and steps out onto a slack, downward sloping dock line bouncing 20 feet above the lapping waters near Scituate, Mass. He shimmies laterally along the pylons, steadying himself with a grip on some steel rigging, until he reaches the roof of the pilot house on his boat, a groundfish trawler called the Barbara L. Peters, after his mother-in-law. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/17/ocean-climate-change-fishing-industry_n_3275505.html The Next Big Thing in Green Power: Community Ownership. Any socially transformative movement gets to a point where it needs to be fully embraced by the people it impacts. The green power movement within Canada is at just such a point. Previously, the development of new renewable energy projects was out of reach to all but the most committed hobbyist or has been on a scale requiring government-level planning. But there are growing ways for individuals to have a voice in shaping the energy market in Canada within their own communities. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ron-seftel/green-power-cooperatives_b_3281440.html California Now Has More Than 150,000 Solar Roofs. And that number keeps climbing. According to the California Solar Statistics website, the number of California roofs generating power from the sun reached 150,428 as of Wednesday, with a total generating capacity of 1,560 megawatts -- about equivalent to three typical coal-fired power plants. Los Angeles County now leads the state in the amount of rooftop generating capacity, with 171.4 megawatts of rooftop solar installed. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/california-now-has-more-than-150000-solar-roofs.html?utm_source=feedly Australian Scientists Develop Printable A3-Sized Solar Cells. Solar energy sounds like a dream, but buying and installing the equipment necessary to harness the power of the Sun can be expensive. But what if you could print your own solar panels? The researchers at Australia's Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) — a collaboration between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)…Posted. http://mashable.com/2013/05/17/print-a3-sized-solar-cells/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedly&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 20 May 2013 13:58:07 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 20, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 20, 2013. 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 South Korea May Launch World’s Most Ambitious Cap And Trade Market. With roughly 18 months until launch, South Korea appears ready to create the world’s most ambitious cap and trade market, with the highest global price on carbon. These findings jump from a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) white paper analyzing how potential market designs could affect the nation’s carbon price and market efficiency, and are a reminder that global cap and trade could still be integral to combating climate change. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/18/south-korea-may-launch-worlds-most-ambitious-cap-and-trade-system/ AIR POLLUTION In Southern California, a Burning Issue. As chairman of the governing board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, William Burke perhaps never thought he would have to defend his position on the layering of fire-roasted marshmallows between chocolate and graham crackers. "It's not like I'm anti-s'mores," Mr. Burke explained to a passionate crowd who packed a recent board meeting of air regulators. "My job is just to clean the air." Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323398204578491433233053980.html Wood fire pits could pose health problems for beach residents, AQMD study shows. The smoke from one beach fire pit generates the same pollution as a heavy-duty diesel truck traveling 564 miles, according to air quality experts who are considering banning the popular pits. A preliminary study by the Air Quality Management District this past week considers the health risks of smoke in support of a potential regional ban on wood for beach-ring fires. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_23274978/wood-fire-pits-could-pose-health-problems-beach Not Your Grandpa's RV: This Roving Lab Tracks Air Pollution. If you're driving down the road someday and you come across a camper with a 50-foot periscope sticking up into the sky, you just might have crossed paths with Ira Leifer. His quirky vehicle is on a serious mission. It's sniffing the air for methane, a gas that contributes to global warming. Leifer is an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. But you'll more often find him off campus, in a garage, next to a string of auto body shops near the airport. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/05/18/184863769/not-your-grandpas-rv-this-roving-lab-tracks-air-pollution EPA -- at last -- is ready to publish Tier 3 rule. Nearly two months after proposing a rule to lower sulfur levels in gasoline, U.S. EPA is set to publish it in the Federal Register tomorrow. According to the 1,572-page pre-publication notice, the Tier 3 rule would "result in significant reductions in pollutants such as ozone, particulate matter and air toxics across the country and help state and local agencies in their efforts to attain and maintain health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2013/05/20/stories/1059981479 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Alaska climate change case. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an Alaskan village's claim that it should be able to sue oil companies and utilities for damages attributed to climate change. Lawyers for the village of Kivalina wanted various named defendants responsible for greenhouse emissions, including Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp and Duke Energy Corp, to pay damages for greater flooding and erosion that they say have caused by a reduction in sea ice. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/20/usa-court-climate-idUSL2N0DW2B020130520 Extreme global warming seen further away than previously thought. Extreme global warming is less likely in coming decades after a slowdown in the pace of temperature rises so far this century, an international team of scientists said on Sunday. Warming is still on track, however, to breach a goal set by governments around the world of limiting the increase in temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, unless tough action is taken to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/19/us-climate-temperatures-idUSBRE94I0DJ20130519 Analysis: Airline emissions deal may not come before EU deadline. Hope is fading for a global deal to regulate the airline industry's greenhouse gas emissions ahead of a fall deadline, even though failure could push the industry back to the brink of a trade war over the European Union's emissions trading system. Last November the EU suspended its controversial scheme to force all airlines to buy carbon credits for any flight arriving in or departing from European airspace. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/19/us-airlines-climate-icao-analysis-idUSBRE94I07E20130519 Indoor pot production leaves giant carbon footprint. Marijuana growing is not a green industry. Done mostly indoors in, pot production often uses hospital-intensity lamps, air conditioning, dehumidifiers, fans and carbon-dioxide generators to stimulate plants and boost their potency. The power-hungry crops rival data centers or server farms in intense use of electricity, according to a peer-reviewed study last year in the journal Energy Policy. One kilo, or 2.2 pounds, of pot grown indoors, the study says, leaves a carbon footprint equivalent to driving across the country…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/20/5433393/indoor-pot-production-leaves-giant.html#storylink=cpy State struggles to adjust to problems posed by 'the new normal' As California continues its groundbreaking push to lower its greenhouse gas emissions, it wants to remind the public and other governments why it's taking action. State and federal projections of sea-level rise underscore the need for California to keep reducing its emissions, officials told state legislators at an oversight hearing in Sacramento yesterday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981360/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB offers free classes on diesel truck rules. The California Air Resources Board is offering two classes to help diesel truck owners understand how to comply with the state’s multiple regulations on diesel emissions. Course 520 is “How to comply with CARB Diesel Regulations.” An email message from CARB to subscribers of agency updates says CARB will hold the class in various California cities this spring and early summer…Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25200 FUELS RPT COLUMN-Carbon capture faces scale dilemma: Gerard Wynn. European policymakers face a difficult decision on building carbon capture and storage (CCS) - saving money in the long run requires spending more upfront. CCS captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from a fossil fuel power plant and then pipes it to an underground storage site such as a depleted gas or oil reservoir. In theory, CCS would allow energy producers to continue to burn fossil fuels and still meet carbon emission targets. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/20/column-wynn-carbon-capture-idUSL6N0E10YS20130520 COLUMN-Koch's unsightly coke mountain: Kemp Petroleum coke piled up along the banks of the Detroit River has sparked a storm of protest from local residents and environmental campaigners, who claim they are just one more problem associated with the bituminous tar sands being mined in western Canada. "A black mound of Canadian oil waste is rising over Detroit," the New York Times scolded in an article published on Friday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/20/column-kemp-koch-petroleum-coke-idUSL6N0E122N20130520 Tesoro is cleared to buy BP's Carson refinery, Arco stations. Tesoro won U.S. and state clearance to buy BP's Carson refinery, Arco stations and other assets for $2.4 billion. Consumer advocates object. Tesoro Corp. won federal and state clearance for its purchase of BP's Carson refinery, Arco stations and other assets for $2.4 billion, an acquisition that would further concentrate the state's fuel-making capacity into only two players — Tesoro and Chevron Corp. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-arco-tesoro-20130518,0,2353462.story California oil tax push would direct new funds to schools. Just months after California voters passed Proposition 30 to stave off education cuts, a push is under way to ensure that the next stream of higher education funding flows out of the ground. The idea of an oil severance tax has been bubbling for years, but proponents have been unable to surmount intense lobbying from the energy industry. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/20/5432778/california-oil-tax-push-would.html#storylink=cpy Calif.'s proposed moratoriums might not apply to other drilling in Monterey Shale – activists. A war of words is brewing over hydraulic fracturing and efforts to ban or limit it in California. Activists who believe they've created negative buzz around the oil and gas extraction process also called "fracking" have launched a new battle: persuading the state's Legislature to look at also restricting different drilling techniques. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059981451/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY White House wraps up review of fuel technologies. The White House has completed a seven-month review of renewable fuel technologies and feedstocks. The review of a rule proposed by U.S. EPA that could allow certain new types of fuel to count under the federal biofuel standard wrapped up Friday, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget. EPA, which sent the rule to the office in October, has yet to release the language of the decisions or to indicate when and how it will take any final action on the fuels. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059981480/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Transmission engineers are shifting to higher gears. In the next few years, many new vehicles will have transmissions with up to 10 speeds. The change will help meet stricter fuel economy and pollution standards. Automakers are spending billions of dollars to squeeze efficiency from a car part most people never think twice about — the transmission. Over the next five years, many new vehicles will have transmissions with up to 10 speeds, replacing the mostly six-speed transmissions in cars now. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-transmissions-20130517,0,7050486.story California ARB 2013 research project to characterize ZEV market; assessing future market potential. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) 2013 research plan includes a project that will comprehensively characterize the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) market, with the ultimate goal of increasing consumer purchases of ZEVs. The proposed project will investigate the factors that influence sales of ZEVs in California (e.g., price, vehicle range, infrastructure). Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/05/zev-20130518.html Grant pays for hybrid SUVs. Menifee is projected to save $36,000 in general fund money with the purchase of four hybrid vehicles for its code enforcement staff. The city will be using grant money from the South Coast Air Quality Management District to pay for four Toyota Highlander hybrids. Before, the city was renting four vehicles for $750 each per month. That’s $36,000 annually for four vehicles from the general fund. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/menifee/menifee-headlines/20130518-menifee-grant-pays-for-hybrid-suvs.ece You can't mandate human behavior. They are at it again in California. The mandates for zero-emission vehicles mean that to sell any volume there; you will need to have some sort of electric car for that market. Several other states likely will enforce the same ZEV requirements, making it even more challenging for manufacturers. Some car companies may decide to get out of the California market because it doesn't make sense. Posted. http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130520/OEM11/305209974/you-cant-mandate-human-behavior#axzz2TqUJKnGc GREEN ENERGY Insight: The road to a greener America is littered with road-kill. In October 2004, then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rolled up to a pioneering fueling station at Los Angeles International Airport in a hydrogen-powered metallic blue Hummer loaned to him by General Motors Corp. The "California Hydrogen Highway," Schwarzenegger's vision to ensure that every Californian would have access to a hydrogen fueling station by the end of 2010, called for the state to spend more than $50 million to help deploy up to 100 hydrogen fuel stations that would serve 2,000 fuel cell vehicles. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/20/us-usa-energy-green-insight-idUSBRE94J03D20130520 Consumer interest in clean energy topics drops – report. Public support for the nation's two largest renewable energy resources -- solar and wind -- eroded slightly in 2012, but they retained strong overall favorability ratings among consumers, at 69 and 66 percent respectively, according to findings released last week by Pike Research. But compared with 2009, the technologies have lost a larger share of public support; that year, both wind and solar had favorability ratings of around 80 percent, according to a white paper detailing the survey's findings. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981411/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Letters show rift over San Onofre nuclear repairs. Letters show inability of Southern California Edison and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to agree on a long-range repair plan for the facility, off-line since January 2012. In a flurry of letters late last year, Southern California Edison and the manufacturer that designed the steam generators at the now-dark San Onofre nuclear power plant appeared to be at odds over a long-term plan to repair the troubled facility. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-san-onofre-20130520,0,2851283.story UCR: Students invent smog-cutting device for mowers. Rosalva Chavez wishes she and her team had finished their invention many years ago. Perhaps then, she said, her father might not have the coughing and asthma that plague him. Chavez, 22, an environmental engineering student at UC Riverside, is part of a five-person team that recently unveiled an emissions-reducing attachment for lawnmowers and other small-engine devices. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130517-ucr-students-invent-smog-cutting-device-for-mowers.ece OPINIONS Climate change is an issue that needs to be discussed thoughtfully and objectively. Unfortunately, claims that distort the facts hinder the legitimate evaluation of policy options. The rhetoric has driven some policymakers toward costly regulations and policies that will harm hardworking American families and do little to decrease global carbon emissions. The Obama administration’s decision to delay, and possibly deny, the Keystone XL pipeline is a prime example. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lamar-smith-overheated-rhetoric-on-climate-change-hurts-the-economy/2013/05/19/32cb6d94-bda4-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html Alter CEQA but don't weaken it. When it comes to the California Environmental Quality Act, modest changes are needed. Does California's signature environmental law protect the state's air, water and wilderness by acting as a check on runaway projects proposed by overzealous developers? Or does it encourage baseless lawsuits that unfairly delay and even derail worthwhile projects that could provide badly needed jobs and housing for Californians? Actually, it does both. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-ed-ceqa-reform-california-environmental-quality-20130520,0,3982517.story Viewpoints: Should California cap and trade use forestry offsets? No Plan won’t stop actual emissions. When Californians passed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, we committed to one of the most forward-thinking pieces of climate legislation in the country, with comprehensive strategies to reduce carbon emissions from nearly all sectors of the economy. Unfortunately, the California Air Resources Board is considering a move that will undermine the best intent of this law by linking it to a benign-sounding yet dubious and untried scheme to protect rain forests in Mexico and Brazil. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/19/v-print/5429868/viewpoints-should-california-cap.html Viewpoints: Should California cap and trade use forestry offsets? Yes State can help save other regions. We love our forests in California. After a century of rapidly losing them to farming and logging, we finally succeeded in virtually ending deforestation in California. We were driven by our interest in the natural beauty, the wildlife, the sustainable timber supplies and the water-purifying functions of old-growth redwoods along the coast, the blue oaks growing across the Central Valley and the mixed pine forests of the Sierra. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/19/5429866/viewpoints-should-california-cap.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS On climate change, Obama faces an attack from his left flank. If you want to get a sense of how impatient some of President Obama’s most loyal supporters are getting when it comes to climate change, consider this: They’re planning to conduct protests at meetings of the grassroots advocacy organization run by his former top campaign aides. Environmentalists have become increasingly frustrated that Organizing for Action…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/20/on-climate-change-obama-faces-an-attack-from-his-left-flank/ Cap and trade spending plan angers enviros. Some environmental and other advocates in California have big problems with Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to use $500 million generated through the auction of pollution credits as part of the state’s cap and trade program as a loan to the general fund. Those advocates for years have worked alongside officials as the California Air Resources Board on the best way to spend the money to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and say putting off the spending shows a broader complacency about combatting climate change. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2013/05/20/cap-and-trade-spending-plan-angers-enviros/ City purchases hybrids with air quality grant. The city is projected to save $36,000 in general fund money with the purchase of four hybrid vehicles for its code enforcement staff. The city will be using grant money from the South Coast Air Quality Management District to pay for four Toyota Highlander hybrids. Before, the city was renting four vehicles for $750 each per month. That’s $36,000 annually for four vehicles from the general fund. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/menifee/2013/05/17/menifee-city-purchases-hybrids-with-air-quality-grant-city-of-menifee-toyota-highlander-hybrid-hybrid-trucks-menifee-news/ Climate Change Study Shows Pace Is Slowing, But Extreme Action Still Vital. Extreme global warming is less likely in coming decades after a slowdown in the pace of temperature rises so far this century, an international team of scientists said on Sunday. Warming is still on track, however, to breach a goal set by governments around the world of limiting the increase in temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, unless tough action is taken to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/19/global-warming-climate-change-study-2013_n_3303784.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 14:13:01 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 21, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 21, 2013. 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. CLIMATE CHANGE Extreme global warming seen further away than previously thought. Extreme global warming is less likely in coming decades after a slowdown in the pace of temperature rises so far this century, an international team of scientists said on Sunday. Warming is still on track, however, to breach a goal set by governments around the world of limiting the increase in temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, unless tough action is taken to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/19/us-climate-temperatures-idUSBRE94I0DJ20130519 Jerry Brown, on script, urges Berkeley graduates to combat climate change. Of all the speeches politicians give, one of the most difficult may be the commencement address, given as it is to an audience that is often hot and tired and preoccupied with its own excitement – or anxiety – about the future. Leaving the podium on Monday at UC Berkeley, Gov. Jerry Brown said he thought he might have given a commencement speech in Santa Clara when he was governor before, from 1975 to 1983…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/21/v-print/5435478/jerry-brown-on-script-urges-berkeley.html More tornadoes from global warming? Nobody knows. A deadly tornado hit suburban Oklahoma City on Monday. A quick look at some basic facts: Q. Is global warming to blame? A. You can't blame a single weather event on global warming. In any case, scientists just don't know whether there will be more or fewer twisters as global warming increases. Tornadoes arise from very local conditions, and so they're not as influenced. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/medical/article/More-tornadoes-from-global-warming-Nobody-knows-4534619.php#ixzz2TwfnAjf3 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/21/more-tornadoes-from-global-warming-nobody-knows/ N.J. Gov. Chris Christie: No proof Superstorm Sandy was caused by climate change. ‘I don’t think there’s been any proof thus far that Sandy was caused by climate change,’ Christie said Monday at a ceremony honoring the rebuilding of the boardwalk in Lavallette, N.J. New Jersey Gov. Christie said Monday that climate change does not contribute to superstorms like Hurricane Sandy. Posted. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/chris-christie-reverses-stance-climate-change-article-1.1350260#ixzz2Twgpjy9x FUELS Shale gas, energy costs vex EU leaders. European leaders will discuss plans to exploit shale gas in summit talks on Wednesday as part of a decades-long quest to develop more secure and competitive energy supplies. The 27-nation bloc finds itself looking on with envy as its biggest economic rival, the United States, exploits vast reserves of shale gas, delivering drastically reduced fuel costs. While Europe has shale plans of its own, there is as yet no unified EU policy. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/eu-summit-energy-idUKL6N0E135420130521 James Hansen says mining oil sands will make climate change 'unsolvable'. While visiting London, climate scientist James Hansen continued his efforts against the exploitation of Alberta's oil sands, saying that "oil from tar sands makes sense only for a small number of people who are making a lot of money from that product." Last month, Hansen left his position at NASA to concentrate on raising awareness about climate change. In an interview with the London Guardian, the scientist said, "We are getting close to the dangerous level of carbon in the atmosphere…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981501/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Assembly OKs clean vehicle carpool-lane access to 2020; Senate next. A bill to extend carpool-lane access for electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles passed the California Assembly by a wide margin Monday. The legislation, AB 266 written by Robert Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills), also gives such vehicles access to carpool lanes converted to toll roads. The bill passed on a 49-22 vote and now moves on to the state Senate. Under Blumenfield’s legislation, cars with white clean-air vehicle stickers…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-carpool-lane-access-ab266-20130521,0,2422361.story?track=rss GREEN ENERGY Trash Burning, With a Clean-Energy Twist. The Hague — After this newspaper has been read, it may be used to line a birdcage, recycled, burned, stuffed into a landfill or converted into something even more powerful than the press: electricity. “There is a cleaner way of dealing with things that people cast away,” said Andy Harris, vice president of Waste to Energy Canada, which is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. “We shouldn’t see it as waste, we should see it as a source of energy.” Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/business/energy-environment/trash-burning-with-a-clean-energy-twist.html?_r=0 Romania Changes Course on Renewable Energy. With more wind turbines already built than any of its neighbors, Romania has gained a reputation as a prime location for green energy investors. Yet proposals now to cut subsidies for clean energy producers have deeply alarmed foreign companies drawn to its market. In recent years, the country has been host to a boom in renewable projects. Wind farm generating capacity in particular soared to 1,794 megawatts last year…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/business/energy-environment/romania-changes-course-on-renewable-energy.html?pagewanted=all U.S. and Europe Prepare to Settle Chinese Solar Panel Cases. The Obama administration and the European Union have each decided to negotiate settlements with China in the world’s largest antidumping and antisubsidy trade cases involving China’s roughly $30 billion a year in solar panel shipments to the West, officials and trade advisers in Beijing, Brussels and Washington said. The plan that is starting to take shape would essentially carve up the global solar panel market into a series of regional markets. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/business/global/us-and-european-union-set-to-negotiate-settlements-in-chinese-solar-panel-cases.html?pagewanted=all Rebound effects from energy efficiency gains are minimal, experts say. A car that gets better mileage or a more tightly sealed home may tempt you to drive farther or crank the air conditioning up higher, but fears of these efficiency rebounds are largely overblown, at least in the United States, according to experts. Though some people may take an efficiency gain as a license to use more energy, the increases are often trivial compared with the savings. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981510/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Cutting Carbon Emissions. To the Editor: “A Carbon Trading System Worth Saving” (editorial, May 7) is correct that Europe’s carbon market is an important mechanism to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. In fact, this conclusion is reinforced closer to home, by the success of New York and eight other states that have operated a carbon reduction program known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, since 2008. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/opinion/cutting-carbon-emissions.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Congestion pricing could curb pollution. Weekday-evening outbound congestion pricing is needed not just to decrease the delays to transit providers such as Muni and AC Transit and to make pedestrians safer, but it is also needed to help mitigate air pollution, which is proven to be just as deadly as secondhand cigarette smoke to children. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/letters-editor/2013/05/congestion-pricing-could-curb-pollution#ixzz2TwfTbsnF Needed: smarter debate on climate, energy. Climate change is an issue that needs to be discussed thoughtfully and objectively. Unfortunately, claims that distort the facts hinder the legitimate evaluation of policy options. The rhetoric has driven some policymakers toward costly regulations and policies that will harm hardworking American families and do little to decrease global carbon emissions. The Obama administration’s decision to delay, and possibly deny, the Keystone XL pipeline is a prime example. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/21/tp-needed-smarter-debate-on-climate-energy/ GUEST OPINION: The keys for success for Sonoma Clean Power. Sonoma Clean Power can be a huge boost to the county's economy, a path to steadily declining energy costs and the route off of fossil fuels -- but only if we move past the century-old thinking of the fossil-fuel-based, traditional utility model. Clean power, created locally in an open market, is cheaper than fossil power. There is no fuel cost. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130520/OPINION/305201006/0/SEARCH BLOGS Who’s Escaping Climate Change ‘Mire and Muck’? On This American Life this weekend, Ira Glass tried to jog the climate conversation out of the “mire and muck” with an hourlong discussion of impacts and options related to human-driven global warming. Below you can offer examples of people or institutions you see avoiding the pitfalls and paralysis surrounding this “super wicked” issue. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/whos-escaping-climate-change-mire-and-muck/?ref=earth A Plan to Bring Sun-Powered Irrigation to Poor Farmers. One of the finest applications of solar photovoltaic panels is in powering drip irrigation systems for farmers in hot, sunny, poor parts of the world. You don’t even need to store the electricity. The pumping is mainly needed when the sun is shining. To gauge the remarkable benefits of such systems, start with this peer-reviewed study of solar irrigation projects…Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/a-plan-to-bring-sun-powered-irrigation-to-poor-farmers/ MOWING DOWN POLLUTION: A story of family and invention. Last week I blogged about how a group of UC Riverside students found a way to greatly reduce air pollution from lawn mowers. My colleague Mark Muckenfuss dug deeper and reported a compelling story about family, invention, hard work and reward. I won’t be surprised if someday I see the smog-cutting device these students invented available at home improvement stores. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/20/mowing-down-pollution-a-story-of-family-and-invention/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 09:35:20 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- tesing From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov testing. testing post on May 22, 2013 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 12:17:36 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 22, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 22, 2013. 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's third carbon auction raises $280 million. California's third carbon-allowance auction raised more than $280 million as polluters bid for the right to emit greenhouse gases, state officials said today. The California Air Resources Board released results of its third carbon auction, which was held last Thursday. Carbon credits that let polluters emit greenhouse gases this year sold for $14 a ton. Allowances for 2016 sold for the minimum $10.71 a ton. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/21/5437558/californias-third-carbon-auction.html#storylink=cpy Carbon auction price rises. California's heavy industries spent $280 million on greenhouse gas permits in the state's latest carbon auction – a sign to environmentalists that the controversial program is hitting its stride. The California Air Resources Board, reporting on the results of its third carbon auction, said credits that allow polluters to emit greenhouse gases this year sold for $14 a ton. That's the highest price for any of the auctions. Allowances for use in 2016 sold for the minimum $10.71 a ton. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/05/22/2726394/carbon-auction-price-rises.html#storylink=cpy Environmentalists Lobby To Change Brown's Proposal For Cap and Trade Funds. Environmentalists and other groups are urging lawmakers to reject California Governor Jerry Brown’s budget proposal to borrow money from the state’s cap and trade program. Money from the sale of carbon pollution permits goes to a fund for programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The cap and trade program is relatively new; it's only raised about $250 million so far. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/188129?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalPublicRadioLatestNewsRSS+%28Capital+Public+Radio%3A+Latest+News+RSS%29 Calif. cap and trade gains traction in third auction. Participants showed high interest in California's third auction of greenhouse gas credits, snapping up all of the available permits for this year's emissions under the state's landmark cap-and-trade system. All of the 14.5 million allowances available for companies' 2013 emissions sold at $14 per ton last week, a slight uptick in price from the previous sale in February, according to results released yesterday by the California Air Resources Board. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981604/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Science Can’t Pin Powerful Tornadoes on Global Climate Change. Powerful tornadoes like the one that leveled parts of an Oklahoma City suburb have varied widely in number in the past three years, for reasons that can’t be blamed on climate change, a federal researcher said. “The climate has changed but not by a ridiculous amount,” said Harold Brooks, research meteorologist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-21/science-can-t-pin-powerful-tornadoes-on-global-climate-change.html Majority thinks global warming, clean energy should be priorities. Global warming and clean energy should be priorities for Congress and the president, a majority of Americans said in a recent survey. In the survey, released Tuesday by Yale and George Mason universities, 70% of American adults say global warming should be a priority for the nation’s leaders, while 87% say leaders should make it a priority to develop sources of clean energy. Those support levels have dropped by 7% and 5% respectively since fall. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-poll-global-warming-clean-energy-priorities-20130521,0,5113681,print.story Thawing tundra soils could produce lower CO2 emissions than previously thought – study. Researchers have uncovered a mechanism in the Alaskan tundra that doesn't seem to follow the climate change script for soil carbon. For years, scientists have shown that rising temperatures stimulate microbes that decay plant matter, releasing carbon more quickly into the atmosphere. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981563/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Green groups rally for progress on global emissions deal. Environmental groups protested outside a meeting of delegates to the International Civil Aviation Organization yesterday in Montreal against the agency's slow progress on a global agreement to reduce greenhouse gases from the aviation sector. "People don't like delays on their flights, and they don't like delays on this issue," said Keya Chatterjee, international climate policy director with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981590/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS College fossil-fuel divestment movement builds. In an effort to slow the pace of climate change, students at more than 200 colleges are asking their schools to stop investing in fossil fuel companies. The Fossil Free campaign argues that if it's wrong to pour pollution into the air and contribute to climate change, it's also wrong to profit from it. The strategy, modeled after anti-apartheid campaigns of the 1980s, aims to limit the flow of capital to fossil fuel companies by making their stocks morally and financially unattractive. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FOSSIL_FUELS_DIVESTMENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT 'Unthinkable' only a few years ago, U.S. could be net exporter of fuel by 2035. The boom in U.S. energy supply brought on by new access to tight oil and gas has transformed the U.S. energy outlook in ways unimaginable only a few years ago, according to industry groups and monitors who spoke yesterday at the 2013 Deloitte Energy Conference. Paired with the clear and present need to move toward a low-carbon economy, that new wealth could see the United States reclaim its place as a net exporter of energy within a few decades, they said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981605/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Solar industry pushes for more use in Ga. The solar industry in Georgia is pushing a power monopoly to expand its use of solar energy as it plans to meet the state's electricity needs over the next two decades. State utility regulators heard testimony Tuesday on the energy plans from Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power, which must submit new plans every three years. Advocates for the state's solar power industry and tea party leaders fault Georgia Power for not including new forms of solar energy in its planning. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/21/solar-industry-pushes-for-more-use-in-ga/#ixzz2U2JIxxMH Solar plane departs Phoenix on 2nd leg of US trip. A solar-powered plane is flying from Arizona to Texas on the second leg of a trip across the United States. The Solar Impulse is making the first attempt by a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel to fly across the U.S. The plane took off from Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport at 4:47 a.m. MST Wednesday and is scheduled to arrive in Dallas early Thursday morning. Pilot Andre Borschebrg is one of the plane's creators along with Bertrand Piccard. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23297957/solar-plane-departs-phoenix-2nd-leg-us-trip#ixzz2U2VWPsUW OPINIONS Viewpoints: Brown should not retreat from investing cap-and-trade money. We had such high hopes in April. California recently collected nearly half a billion dollars under its new emissions trading system, which "caps" industrial greenhouse gas emissions and requires firms to obtain pollution permits for every ton of carbon they emit. The state's unenviable next task was to choose among all the worthy options to meet the law's requirement to invest those proceeds in projects that further the goals of AB 32, the state's landmark clean energy law. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/22/5438341/brown-should-not-retreat-from.html#storylink=cpy Climate-change deniers have the science wrong. The climate-change deniers get it wrong again. In regard to some of the misguided letters you published from opponents of a carbon tax: David L. Kolstad simply assumes that a carbon tax hinders the economy. But renewable energies create more jobs per unit output than fossil energy. That is well documented. In response to Vance Frederick: A carbon tax won't be collected from renewable energy, thereby making it more competitive (renewable energy sources don't burn fossil fuels). Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23293291/climate-change-deniers-have-science-wrong-letters-editor#ixzz2U2To8E8N BLOGS $500 million cap-and-trade loan to state hits wall of opposition. Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to shift $500 million in cap-and-trade fees levied on business for greenhouse emissions into the state budget ran into bipartisan opposition Tuesday. The two Democrats and one Republican on a Senate budget subcommittee denounced Brown's plan, which was included in a revision of his state budget last week. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/05/500-million-cap-and-trade-loan-to-state-hits-wall-of-opposition.html#storylink=cpy ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 23 May 2013 12:40:54 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 23, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 23, 2013. 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 Utilities Tap Cheaper Compliance Option With UN Carbon Banking. Utilities and refineries have retained the most flexibility among European Union industries to use lower-cost United Nations carbon offsets to comply with the bloc’s emissions caps from 2013 to 2020, according to EU data. The industry groups used the smallest share of their quota of UN credits in the five years through 2012, Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis of the EU data show. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-23/utilities-tap-cheaper-compliance-option-with-un-carbon-banking.html Climate Scientist Hansen Turns Activist, Advocates 'Fee' on Carbon Pollution. James Hansen, the former NASA climate scientist who first brought climate change to the attention of Congress in the 1980s, stepped down as head of the agency's Goddard Institute for Space Studies last month. That hasn’t stopped him traveling the globe to lobby for climate protection measures, while remaining an adjunct professor for Earth and Environmental Studies at Columbia University. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-23/climate-scientist-hansen-turns-activist-advocates-fee-on-carbon-pollutioin.html U.K. Climate Adviser Says Low-Carbon Mix Saves $150 Bln. Britain, under pressure to build new power stations, could save as much as 100 billion pounds ($150 billion) through 2050 by spending on wind, nuclear and carbon capture rather than gas, the government’s climate adviser said. Investing in low-carbon power is a “low-regrets strategy with potentially significant benefits,” a report from the Committee on Climate Change shows. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-22/u-k-climate-adviser-says-low-carbon-mix-saves-150-bln.html Impact of carbon tax depends on how it's done – CBO. The effects of a carbon tax on the environment and the economy would depend heavily on how its revenue was spent, according to a report released yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office. The report echoed many of the same points that have been made over the past year by economists on both the left and the right who have remained interested in the concept of a carbon tax despite the long odds it would face in today's Congress. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/New-rules-for-disposing-old-thermostats-4540318.php?utm_source=feedly British insurer tries to fix perceived risk in provisions of Calif. offset rules. A British insurance firm is trying to fix a perceived flaw in California's cap-and-trade system with another market-based solution. Parhelion Underwriting Ltd. announced yesterday that it would offer insurance for California carbon offset credits, which businesses can use to comply with the state's economywide greenhouse gas trading program that began in January. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981672/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION China plans tougher quality standards for coal to tackle pollution. China may impose higher quality standards for imported and locally traded coal to cut air pollution, two sources said, in a move that could slash imports while boosting the fortunes of a faltering domestic industry. The National Energy Administration (NEA) held a meeting with major state-owned coal producers earlier this month to discuss the new standards…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/us-china-coal-regulation-idUSBRE94M0GB20130523 EU deal on airline emissions tax could take until 2016. As countries and airlines grapple with reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, European Union officials acknowledge that their pioneering program to curb airline emissions will be delayed, perhaps until 2016. The European program, called the Emissions Trading Scheme, aims to reduce airplane emissions and fine airlines that produce too much on flights to and from Europe. This month the European Commission, which proposes and implements legislation for the member countries…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2013/05/23/climate-airlines/2351173/ CLIMATE CHANGE Gov. Brown keeps pressing climate change crusade. Gov. Jerry Brown kept crusading Thursday for climate change, joining scientists who released a 20-page call to action on environmental problems such as pollution, extinctions and population growth. Brown appeared with Silicon Valley leaders and climate scientists at a conference at NASA Ames Research Center focusing on climate disruption. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Gov-Brown-keeps-pressing-climate-change-crusade-4542034.php#ixzz2U8QYfeFx http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23306157/gov-brown-continues-climate-change-crusade?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23306157/gov-brown-continues-climate-change-crusade http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/23/gov-brown-continues-climate-change-crusade/ Heat-related deaths may increase with climate change. Heat-related deaths in New York City's borough of Manhattan may rise about 20 percent over the next decade, according to a new study. Researchers at Columbia University in New York analyzed the relationship between daily temperatures and temperature-related deaths across all seasons between 1982 and 1999 in Manhattan, which comprises the most densely populated county in the United States. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/23/heat-related-deaths-in-nyc-may-increase-with-climate-change/#ixzz2U8ERay1T Obama admin aims to improve efficiency, adapt to climate change by releasing data. Rather than simply throwing money at problems, federal officials are now releasing a flood of data as a means to address the nation's issues, including areas like climate change. Earlier this month, the White House released a tsunami of government-held data to the public in more easily accessible formats under a new open data policy. In an executive order, President Obama said revealing this information…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981669/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS State fines truck firm for smog violations. The California Air Resources Board has fined Mex-Cal Truckline Inc. of Otay Mesa $300,000 for violating state air pollution laws by dispatching noncompliant vehicles serving regulated intermodal railyards in 2011 and 2012. The Otay Mesa office is south of downtown San Diego, just north of the state's border with Mexico. Under terms of a settlement, Mex-Cal will pay its fine to the California Air Pollution Control Fund to support air quality research. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/23/5441833/state-fines-truck-firm-for-smog.html#storylink=cpy http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/23/3310447/state-fines-truck-firm-for-smog.html FUELS House passes GOP bill to speed pipeline approval. House Republicans pushed through a bill Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. Democrats criticized the legislation as a blatant attempt to allow a foreign company to avoid environmental review. The bill was approved, 241-175, largely along party lines. Republicans said the measure was needed to ensure that the long-delayed pipeline, first proposed in 2008, is built. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_KEYSTONE_XL_PIPELINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-05-22/house-passes-keystone-bill-as-white-house-vows-veto.html In top coal state, gas to fuel next power plant. The next major power plant to be built in the nation's top coal-mining state will be fueled by natural gas. Black Hills Corp. subsidiaries Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power and Black Hills Power held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for the Cheyenne Prairie Generating Station on the outskirts of Cheyenne. Work on the 132-megawatt power plant — on track to be Wyoming's largest gas-fired plant — began a few weeks ago. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-05-23/in-top-coal-state-gas-to-fuel-next-power-plant Limiting Methane Leaks Critical to Gas, Climate Benefits. Knowing how much methane is leaking from the natural gas system is essential to determining the potential climate benefits of natural gas use. Our extensive review of the publicly available studies finds that a pervasive lack of measurements makes it nearly impossible to know with confidence what the average methane leak rate is for the U.S. as a whole. More measurements, more reliable data, and better understanding of industry practices are needed. Posted. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/limiting-methane-leaks-critical-to-gas-climate-benefits-16020?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climatecentral%2FdjOO+Climate+Central+-+Full+Feed VEHICLES Volkswagen to put special fuel caps on diesels. Volkswagen is replacing the fuel tank covers on more than 200,000 of its diesel vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada to remind owners to fill their tanks with diesel - not gasoline. The company said Tuesday it's taking action after getting a small number of reports of drivers filling diesel tanks with gas. Using the wrong fuel can damage the engine. Volkswagen will alert affected customers. Dealers will put on a new fuel cap with yellow "Diesel" lettering for free. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_VOLKSWAGEN_DIESEL_FUEL_CAPS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT To Spark Buyers for Electric Cars, Drop the Price to Nearly $0. A new round of discount leases on plug-in cars combined with electric-vehicle incentives, could make a battery-electric car extraordinarily economical. This car deal sounds too good to be true: Drive a car, almost free. To entice drivers to try electric-powered cars, auto makers are lowering the price of entry to the zero-emission lifestyle. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323982704578453123010639156.html?KEYWORDS=%22eyes+on+the+road%22 http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-chevy-spark-ev-lease-highlight-electric-car-price-war-20130522,0,3983957.story?track=rss Is the Electric Car Right for You? Steep discounts and public subsidies have more and more consumers considering electric cars. Eyes on the Road columnist Joe White Joins Lunch Break with a look at how going electric could end up putting money in drivers' pockets. Posted. http://live.wsj.com/video/is-the-electric-car-right-for-you/4E7EDD6F-4DB0-4485-9C2B-57FB72AC154E.html?KEYWORDS=%2522eyes+on+the+road%2522#!4E7EDD6F-4DB0-4485-9C2B-57FB72AC154E Electric automaker Tesla pays off its federal loan early. In a huge boost for the Obama administration and clean-energy firms, electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors Inc. announced Wednesday that it is paying back its $465 million government loan in full – and nine years early. The Department of Energy oversees $34 billion in taxpayer-funded loans for clean energy and other projects, but Tesla, based in Palo Alto, is the only United States car company in the vast portfolio of 33 projects to pay back its loan. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/23/5441704/electric-automaker-tesla-pays.html#storylink=cpy http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-22/tesla-pays-off-its-465-million-loser-loan#r=rss?utm_source=feedly http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/05/22/elon-musk-to-govt-heres-that-500m.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sanjose+%28Silicon+Valley+%2F+San+Jose+Business+Journal%29 http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/tesla-pays-back-energy-dept-loan-early-91791.html?utm_source=feedly GREEN ENERGY Retiring coal-fired plants in Nevada passes Senate. The Nevada Senate endorsed NV Energy Inc.'s plan Wednesday to retire coal-fired power plants and pave the way for the state's biggest electrical utility to transition to more renewable sources. After several revisions, SB123 was approved unanimously and now moves to the Assembly. Under the bill, NV Energy will eliminate at least 800 megawatts of coal-fired electric generating capacity by Dec. 31, 2019. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Retiring-coal-fired-plants-in-Nevada-passes-Senate-4539897.php#ixzz2U8Rv525t Will Solar Power Doom PG&E? A report on the industry thinktank website The Energy Collective suggests that Pacific Gas & Electric might be the first U.S. power company to fall to competition with increasingly cheap rooftop solar. In his report, analyst Douglas Short points out that a confluence of factors contribute to what he sees as a bleak outlook for PG&E's future, including the utility's retail price structure for power, state laws, and good old California sunshine. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/utilities/will-solar-doom-pge.html?utm_source=feedly With new tax incentives, DOE boosts wind power growth estimates by 34%. The U.S. wind energy sector could add as much as 20,000 megawatts of new generation between 2012 and 2016 as developers take advantage of new Treasury Department rules that make new wind farms eligible for federal tax benefits through the end of 2013. The projections, released yesterday by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, account for January's extension of the production tax credit for wind power…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981670/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS New rules for disposing old thermostats. California took an aggressive step on Wednesday to ensure that mercury-laden thermostats in homes and businesses do not wind up in landfills and pollute the environment with the hazardous toxin. The Department of Toxic Substances Control released new regulations requiring manufacturers of thermostats to significantly increase the safe disposal of those products that contain mercury. The regulations take effect July 1. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/New-rules-for-disposing-old-thermostats-4540318.php#ixzz2U8b6p5Fq S.F.'s new tack in fighting metal theft. San Francisco prosecutors have opened a new front in the battle against copper theft, filing a $10 million lawsuit against a scrap-metal recycler that allegedly chose to shut down and trash its files rather than comply with a city subpoena seeking sales records. The unusual suit against J&S Recycling, which until March operated out of a 20,000-square-foot warehouse on the city's southeastern shore, accuses company owners of directing employees to empty file cabinets and toss computers after learning of the subpoena. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/S-F-s-new-tack-in-fighting-metal-theft-4540905.php#ixzz2U8h0hWFg Buyer Liability Insurance Now Available for California's Cap-and-Trade Offset Program. In a unique alliance, Parhelion offers insurance on compliance offset credits that originate from the Climate Action Reserve. The Climate Action Reserve, North America's premier carbon offset registry, and Parhelion Underwriting Ltd., the leading innovator for carbon market insurance products, today announced a unique, strategic alliance to support the delivery of the first insurance product for compliance offset credits in California's Cap-and-Trade Program. Posted. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/buyer-liability-insurance-now-available-for-californias-cap-and-trade-offset-program-2013-05-22 OPINIONS Congress must quit dithering on climate change. Regarding the May 20 op-ed by Rep. Lamar Smith, “Let’s cool our rhetoric on climate change”: Apparently, Mr. Smith (R-Tex.), the chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, has little use for the conclusions of the overwhelming majority of climate scientists, at least insofar as they conflict with the short-term interests of the petroleum and coal industries. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/congress-must-quit-dithering-on-climate-change/2013/05/22/923ade8c-c212-11e2-9642-a56177f1cdf7_story.html Oil severance tax would increase cost of producing oil. Re "Forces join to push for energy tax" (Page A1, May 20): Proponents of this new $2 billion annual tax claim it is justified because California is the only state without a severance tax. What they don't tell you is that California taxes oil differently than other states. In fact, oil companies pay some of the highest taxes on oil production in the country due to higher corporate tax rates…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/23/5434859/senate-bill-241-oil-severance.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS Seeking Clarity on Terrible Tornadoes in a Changing Climate. As I explained earlier this week, questions related to any impact of human-driven global warming on tornadoes, while important, have almost no bearing on the challenge of reducing human vulnerability to these killer storms. The focus on the ground in Oklahoma, of course, will for years to come be on recovery and rebuilding — hopefully with more attention across the region to developing policies and practices that cut losses the next time. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/seeking-clarity-on-terrible-tornadoes-in-a-changing-climate/ Science Group Criticizes Politicians for Global Warming Distortions. It’s great to see the Union of Concerned Scientists offering nonpartisan criticism of elected officials for distorting — in both directions — what’s known about the role of human-driven global warming on several fronts, from tornado ferocity to hurricane losses. Here’s the statement the group circulated to reporters this morning: We recently noticed a small flurry of policymaker statements on climate change that struck us as inaccurate or misleading. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/science-group-criticizes-politicians-for-global-warming-distortions/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 24 May 2013 12:04:25 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 24, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 24, 2013. ARB Newsclips for May 24, 2013 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 U.S. carbon tax could boost revenue, curb climate change – report. A tax on carbon dioxide emissions could help the United States mitigate climate change while significantly increasing government revenue, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said this week. President Barack Obama supports plans to price carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, tailpipes and factories that have been blamed for worsening climate change. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/usa-carbon-tax-idUSL2N0E323B20130523 California’s Third Cap And Trade Auction Sells Out, At Record Price. Seems like someone forgot to tell California that cap and trade was dying an untimely death. The state’s third carbon allowance auction was held last week, and businesses snapped up all available 2013 permits, setting a record price level in the process. In addition to the 2013 permits, over three-quarters of advance allowances for 2016 were sold to businesses. With just over six months left until California links up to Quebec’s cap and trade market through the Western Climate Initiative…Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/24/californias-cap-and-trade-system-keeps-getting-stronger/#OT37RWjXzqTkS223.99 Quebec environment minister Blanchet previews carbon auction with California. As California moves forward with a Jan. 1 linkage date to the Quebec carbon market, what hurdles still exist as they prepare for the first joint auction? During today's OnPoint, Yves-François Blanchet, Quebec's minster for sustainable development and the environment, discusses the impact linking systems will have on broader efforts to expand the use of market-based mechanisms to address climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/tv/videos/1691/transcript BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY E.U. needs higher CO2 price and climate targets for 2030, officials say. The European Union needs to come up with a fix for the low price of carbon permits if it wants to meet its climate targets and encourage investments in green energy, energy industry executives and politicians said at a conference in Denmark. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981746/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change: Environmentalists question whether Gov. Jerry Brown's actions match his rhetoric. The world is fast approaching a tipping point after which the damage caused by climate change can't be undone, Gov. Jerry Brown told a technology summit Thursday. "Five years from now, it's over," unless we change our ways sooner, he said. Some environmentalists, however, say Brown's actions don't match his rhetoric -- particularly his recent decision to divert $500 million in cap-and-trade fee revenues…Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23309305/enviromentalists-question-whether-gov-jerry-browns-actions-match?source=rss&utm_source=feedly http://www.contracostatimes.com/california-budget/ci_23309303/enviromentalists-question-whether-gov-jerry-browns-actions-match?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com DIESEL EMISSIONS California port cargo terminals will deliver shore power to ships. PierPass Inc announced that all 13 international cargo terminals at the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach CA will be ready to deliver shore power to ships at berth by the end of 2013. This investment will significantly reduce air pollution in and around the ports. Infrastructure to supply shore power—also known as cold ironing or Alternative Marine Power (AMP)—is being installed in support of clean air initiatives led by the two ports and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Posted. http://refrigeratedtrans.com/2010-emissions/california_port_cargo_terminals_will_deliver_shore_power_0524/ FUELS Ethanol’s Discount to Gasoline Narrows as Inventories Stay Low. Ethanol’s discount to gasoline narrowed as the highest output rate in 11 months failed to replenish stockpiles of the biofuel. The spread, or price difference, contracted 0.14 cents to 19.97 cents a gallon at 10:57 a.m. New York time. A May 22 Energy Information Administration report showed stockpiles have fallen in 15 of the 20 weeks of this year. osted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-05-24/ethanol-s-discount-to-gasoline-narrows-as-inventories-stay-low.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-22/ethanol-s-discount-to-gasoline-narrows-on-stockpile-withdrawals State Department Releases Keystone Pipeline Comments. The U.S. State Department released about 100,000 public comments it has received on TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the first batch of more than 1.2 million submitted to the agency on the project. The comments on a draft environmental impact study were posted yesterday on a government website a month after the State Department reversed an earlier decision not to release them. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-24/state-department-releases-keystone-pipeline-comments.html FracFocus Drillers’ Registry to Create Chemicals Database. FracFocus, the website drillers use to disclose chemicals in hydraulic fracturing, is revamping its system next week to let regulators for the first time search and aggregate the information. The industry-backed system, which is used by drillers such as Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC), is resolving a criticism from environmental groups by converting the online information into a database of chemicals used in individual wells that can be analyzed…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-05-23/fracfocus-drillers-registry-to-create-chemicals-database.html Oil leasing dispute heads to federal court. A dispute over greenhouse gases from oil and gas drilling will head to federal court in Montana as attorneys for the government and the industry face off against environmentalists who say too little is being done to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. The legal quarrel was scheduled to land in court on Friday, amid increasing efforts by environmentalists to target emissions from burning fossil fuels and …Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Oil-leasing-dispute-heads-to-federal-court-4542886.php#ixzz2UE9erR4h Gas boom called hype. A natural gas drilling boom unleashed by hydrofracking will begin to recede before the end of the decade, and prices will climb as producers push for exports to shore up profits against lower prices caused by a temporary domestic glut, two energy experts said Thursday. Dreams that natural gas from hydrofracking — a process that injects water and chemicals deep underground to break up gas-bearing shale rock formations…Posted. http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Gas-boom-called-hype-4544302.php#ixzz2UE94c3cq Americans having their say on divisive Keystone pipeline plan. Jobs, say hundreds of thousands of people. Pollution, say hundreds of thousands of others. They say that's what a proposed oil pipeline would bring into the country, as it transports crude from massive deposits in Canadian tar sands to refineries and ports in the United States. The Keystone XL pipeline has triggered a gush of comments from Americans for and against its construction. Posted. http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/24/politics/keystone-pipeline-comments/index.html Nation's biggest coal-producing state gets new gas-fired power. A utility in Wyoming, the country's No. 1 producer of steam coal for power plants, is betting against coal as a fuel for future electricity generation. Black Hills Corp. said this week it had broken ground on a new 132-megawatt gas-fired plant that will supply electricity to roughly 110,000 customers in Wyoming's capital city and 20 smaller communities in Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981745/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Fossil fuel divestment campaign grows, but will it work? Fossil Free, a student-driven campaign to divest from fossil fuels, has grown to more than 200 colleges, including Harvard, Stanford and Yale, but many doubt it will have an impact on the industry. Unlike apartheid, which was targeted in earlier divestment campaigns, ready alternatives to fossil fuels are not as accessible. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981751/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY New rules to address fracking on Indian lands. H Hydraulic fracturing on Indian land may become more difficult under new rules proposed by the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management. The Interior Department on May 16 issued new draft rules for hydraulic fracturing on public and Indian lands. Fracturing, or "fracking," is the process of drilling and injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure to crack shale formations and unlock oil and gas. Posted. http://www.navajotimes.com/politics/2013/0513/052313fra.php VEHICLES Prius leads 2013 California car sales; domestic brands make gains. The Toyota Prius hybrid was the bestselling vehicle in California during the first quarter of this year, narrowly outpacing Honda’s redesigned Accord sedan. Toyota posted sales of 15,661 of the hybrids, leading the Accord’s sales of 15,369 cars. The Honda Civic was third with sales of 14,918, according to data compiled for the California New Car Dealer’s Assn. by auto research firm R.L. Polk & Co. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-prius-leads-california-car-sales-20130523,0,4417256.story Chevrolet's hottest Cruze sedan is the diesel. Chevrolet says not only will the Cruze diesel be the most fuel-efficient version of the compact sedan, it's also the quickest -- something not normally associated with diesels. It will accelerate from standstill to 60 miles per hour in 8.6 seconds, says Gary Altman, chief engineer of the car. Gasoline models take longer, the slowest being the Cruze Eco, which burns up 10 seconds reaching 60 mph. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/05/23/chevrolet-cruze-diesel-vw-jetta/2356221/ Gasoline, Diesel, Hybrids And Plug-Ins: The Efficiency Leaders. It's official: Cars really are getting more efficient. Not that there isn't a long way still to go, but virtually every month statistics emerge to suggest the average fuel efficiency of vehicles in the U.S. has gone up another few fractions of a percent. There are still winners and losers though, so we decided to think positive and look at the winners--just what are the most efficient gasoline, diesel, hybrid and plug-in vehicles available right now? Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/05/24/gasoline-diesel-hybrids-and-plug-ins-efficiency-leaders/#ixzz2UEHkV5z0 Camarillo to install 2 electric vehicle charging stations. Camarillo will install two charging stations for electric vehicles at the Metrolink station starting next month. The stations will be financed through a $10,000 grant from the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District and $5,000 from Reconnect California, funded by the California Energy Commission and Clipper Creek Inc. The city will have to maintain and operate the charging stations for at least five years. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/23/camarillo-to-install-2-electric-vehicle-charging/ GREEN ENERGY Solar plane completes second leg of cross-country flight in Texas. A solar airplane that developers hope to eventually pilot around the globe landed safely on Thursday in Texas, completing the second and longest leg of an attempt to fly across the United States powered only by the sun. The spindly experimental aircraft, dubbed Solar Impulse, touched down at Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport shortly after 1 a.m. local time, logging 18 hours and 21 minutes in the air to cover 823 nautical miles from Arizona. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USBRE94M0XX20130523 Germany Told to Spread Green Energy Costs More Fairly. Resentment at rising energy costs resulting from Germany's drive into renewables has already become an issue in the run-up to federal elections. But now Chancellor Angela Merkel is also fielding international criticism as the International Energy Agency warned Friday that rising power prices threaten to erode public support for green energy. "Recent increases in electricity costs have put low-income households, in particular, under pressure, while large consumers have been shielded from the surcharge…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324659404578503071449008336.html#printMode US Senate energy panel chairman reintroduces electricity storage bill. The chairman of the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has reintroduced a bill aimed at boosting the development of variable renewable power sources, including solar and wind, through new tax incentives for storage technologies. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, reintroduced Thursday the Storage Technology for Renewable and Green Energy Act (S. 1030) along with Susan Collins...Posted. http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/21071684 Urban policies may be the key to adaptation. Economists say there is still no definitive link showing that "greening" cities spurs economic growth. But a study out yesterday finds certain policies -- like energy efficiency retrofits and a well-run public transit system -- are more likely to increase jobs and local production and attract skilled workers. The report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) finds that national policy guidelines…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059981747/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Recurring GOP bill updated to include wind tax credit phaseout. A House Republican has updated his recurring energy bill this year to include a phaseout of a key renewable energy tax credit, marking the first inclusion in formal legislation of an idea the wind industry floated last year. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) introduces his "no more excuses" energy bill every Congress, outlining a lengthy wish list of policies for oil, natural gas, nuclear and renewable energy, including calls to allow expanded oil drilling on federal lands and waters and to extend targeted renewable electricity and alternative fuel tax credits. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059981798/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Wind energy is cost-effective job creator. The recent letter "The true cost of biofuels" (May 21) misstates the facts on the economics of renewable energy, particularly the wind industry. A wise investment is one that delivers solid growth and is strategically positioned for the future. Wind energy succeeds on both counts. The American wind industry has experienced 30 percent average annual growth over the past five years, bringing jobs and economic development to our nation's rural areas. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/24/wind-energy-is-cost-effective-job-creator/#ixzz2UETv6iXZ Letters: Politics and climate catastrophe. Re "Oklahoma twister 'was a monster,'" May 21 It is heartbreaking to read of homes destroyed, lives upended, children killed and hundreds left homeless. We know that, without effective action to combat climate change, these events will become more frequent. And yet the political leaders of Oklahoma are right-wing ideologues who either reject the idea of global warming or question its effects on weather catastrophes. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0523-thursday-tornado-20130523,0,1454446,print.story Obama can't wait for Congress to see reality of climate change. President Barack Obama should spend his remaining years in office making the United States part of the solution to climate change, not part of the problem. If Congress sticks to its policy of obstruction and willful ignorance, Obama should use his executive powers to the fullest extent. We are out of time. With each breath, every person alive today experiences something unique in human history: an atmosphere containing more than 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-obamas-mission-on-climate-change/2013/05/23/fee2f5a2-c3e7-11e2-914f-a7aba60512a7_story.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/24/5444640/obama-cant-wait-for-congress-to.html#storylink=cpy Vote against fracking, a costly source of energy. Re "Bid to halt fracking in state builds momentum" (Forum, May 12): Our "environmentalist" Gov. Jerry Brown sees a "great opportunity" in fracking for oil three miles down, much of it along our coast. The proposed regulations have been quickly slapped together by some legislators who are just learning about this process (from whom?) and by the state agency under fire from the EPA for "overlooking" fracking entirely. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/24/5442921/fracking-bills-in-appropriations.html#storylink=cpy What It's Really All About: Solar For The 99%. Though rooftop solar is starting to make inroads into California's less-affluent communities, most of the state's millions of low- and moderate-income residents still have to pay their utility bills without much help from the sun. But a non-profit solar installer is trying to change that a little bit at a time. Last week, that "little bit" was two struggling households in Palmdale. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/commentary/solar-for-the-people-in-palmdale.html?utm_source=feedly BLM approves major project that critics say threatens Calif. Condors. The Obama administration announced today it has granted final approval of the Alta East Wind Project in Southern California that includes a first-ever authorization allowing the project proponent to injure or kill an endangered condor during the 30-year life of the project. The Bureau of Land Management's announcement that it has approved a record of decision (ROD) and plans to issue a right of way grant authorizing the 153-megawatt project touched off a wave of concern among environmental groups. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059981817/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS Energy Journal: The Troubled Nightmare of Keystone’s Pipe Dreams. It’s hard to tell what’s longer: the Keystone XL pipeline or the battle to build the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipe would connect Alberta’s oil-sands region with refineries and ports along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The back-and-forth on whether to approve it has been going on for more than five years. In that time, the pipe has become more than just a pipe. It has become a symbol both of the new North American energy boom and of a burgeoning environmental movement. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/05/24/energy-journal-the-troubled-nightmare-of-keystones-pipe-dreams/tab/print/ Sac City students show energy-saving creativity to save money. Student teams from 13 schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District will offer their proposals for making their campuses more environmentally sustainable as part of Project Green Showcase on Thursday. Projects deemed viable will be in line for $1 million in Measure Q bond money set aside for green school initiatives. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/report-card/2013/05/sac-city-students-show-energy-saving-creativity-to-save.html#storylink=cpy Kaiser goes for the gold: LEED certification for all major projects. Kaiser Permanente, the Oakland-based healthcare giant, plans to score LEED gold certification for all its new major projects going forward — a move signaling that the green building movement is gaining traction outside of the hot spots like the Bay Area. In San Francisco, achieving LEED certification is about as impressive as getting a driver’s license when you turn 16: everybody does it. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/real-estate/2013/05/kaiser-goes-for-the-gold-leed.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sanfrancisco+(San+Francisco+Business+Times) China's Air Pollution: Is The Government Willing To Act? Denise Mauzerall arrived in Beijing this year at a time that was both horrifying and illuminating. The capital was facing some of its worst pollution in recent memory, and Mauzerall, a Princeton environmental engineering professor, was passing through on her way to a university forum on the future of cities. "I took the fast train from Beijing to Shanghai, and looking out the window for large sections of that trip, you couldn't see more than 20 feet," Mauzerall recalled. Posted. http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/24/186246634/chinas-air-pollution-is-the-government-willing-to-act Support for climate action is the new normal in U.S. Pick 100 Americans at random and line them up. Ask those who think the country shouldn’t do a damned thing to rein its greenhouse emissions to please step forward. Guess how many would do so? Six. Just six out of every 100 Americans believe there is absolutely no need for the U.S. to take action to reduce its emissions to help combat climate change. That’s according to the latest survey result from an ongoing project that tracks public attitudes towards climate change. Posted. http://grist.org/news/support-for-climate-action-is-the-new-normal-in-u-s/ Climate change will be slower than thought, study shows – or does it? For anyone who loves to eat chocolate, drink lots of lovely espresso coffee or quaff plentiful amounts of red wine, there's much comfort to be sought from scientific studies. You can pick the studies saying you'll live long and prosper from your chosen potions and ignore the caveats or contradictory warnings. You might also forget to check back to see if any follow-up studies were done that might spoil your fun. Essentially, you fall foul of what's known as "single-study syndrome" …Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/planet-oz/2013/may/24/study-climate-change Big New Investments in Wind Energy Across the Country and Around the World. After spending last weekend at the Heartland Coalfield Alliance's retreat in the Illinois coal basin region, I'm more inspired than ever. Listening to such amazing, committed people talk about their tireless work to move beyond coal was really exciting. These activists know the potential for clean energy in their region -- especially wind power. And there has been some blockbuster news about wind in recent days. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anne-hitt/big-new-investments-in-wi_b_3326344.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 28 May 2013 13:14:48 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 28, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 28, 2013. 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 Can We Solve Climate Change Through Carbon Capture and Storage? In Sunday’s Mail climate scientist Myles Allen tells us that our current climate policies are not going to solve the problem. All those wind farms, carbon taxes and cap and trade policies just won’t get the job done. On this I am happy to agree with him, existing policies are an incoherent contradictory mess. However his solution does not seem to offer much more hope than our existing and failing policies. In essence he is arguing that we just capture and store most of the carbon dioxide we emit. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/robertwilson190/229711/can-we-solve-climate-change-capturing-carbon AIR POLLUTION Ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles in search of clean air technology information. Officials at the nation's busiest seaport complex are in search of ways to significantly curb the largest source of port-related air pollution. Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles officials are requesting information from developers and manufacturers of marine exhaust gas scrubbing systems, alternative fuels and other industry-related firms about technology that could help lessen air pollution generated by the main engines of ships arriving at and leaving the twin ports. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_23328364/ports-long-beach-los-angeles-search-clean-air Breathing auto emissions turns HDL cholesterol from 'good' to 'bad'. Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries. In addition to changing HDL from "good" to "bad," the inhalation of emissions activates other components of oxidation, the early cell and tissue damage that causes inflammation, leading to hardening of the arteries, according to the research team, which included scientists from UCLA and other institutions. Posted. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/turning-jekyll-into-hyde-breathing-246026.aspx CLIMATE CHANGE EU seeks 2014 deadline for nations' greenhouse gas plans. All countries should outline their long-term plans for curbing greenhouse gases next year, earlier than favored by Washington, to revive the stalled fight against climate change, the European Union proposed on Tuesday. After past failures, almost 200 countries agreed in 2011 to work out by the end of 2015 a U.N. pact to slow global warming with curbs taking effect from 2020. They have still to figure out what each nation will do. Preparing for a climate meeting of government delegates next week in Bonn, Germany, the EU said all countries should sketch out national commitments for limiting rising world greenhouse gases beyond 2020 by the end of 2014. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-climate-goals-idUSBRE94R0LN20130528 World Could Cut Emissions by 19.8 Billion Tons by 2020, UN Says. The world could cut emissions by as much as 19.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2020, according to a technical paper published by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Potential for cuts include agriculture, where as much as 4.3 billion tons could be cut, and land use including forestry, where as much as 4.2 billion tons be reduced, the secretariat of the UN unit said in the report, published on its website today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-28/world-could-cut-emissions-by-19-8-billion-tons-by-2020-un-says.html Extreme weather patterns and the possible role of climate change. WFOR's Chief Meteorologist David Bernard, Climate Central's Chief Climatologist Heidi Cullen, TIME Magazine's Jeffrey Kluger and American Meteorological Society President Marshall Shepherd discuss recent extreme weather events, the upcoming hurricane season, and the role of climate change in recent disruptive events. Posted. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50147675n Report: Plan Bay Area would reduce Bay Area's greenhouse gas emissions, but alternative would cut even more. THE BAY AREA will be spewing an additional 1.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2040 if opponents of a new long-range land-use blueprint for the Bay Area get their way. That estimate — the equivalent of burning 20,456 tanker trucks of gasoline or 6,664 rail cars of coal — comes from the environmental impact report for Plan Bay Area, a long-range housing blueprint that has ignited controversy in Marin. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_23311781/report-plan-bay-area-would-reduce-bay-areas HIGH SPEED RAIL Builder of 1st phase of California's bullet train faces scrutiny. The state bullet train agency is pushing full throttle to start construction of the important first phase of the California high-speed rail system in as little as six weeks, prompting scrutiny of the state's selection of a construction company with the worst technical scores among bidders. Tutor Perini Corp. won the competition to build the first 29 miles of the high-speed rail route on a low bid of $985 million, even though its design quality, safety plan and engineering, among other factors, ranked at the bottom of five teams seeking the work. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bullet-train-tutor-20130528,0,4908429.story Congressman to review High-Speed Rail progress. Saying California’s High-Speed Rail system project, which is supposed to start construction in July in the Central Valley, has “fluctuated in its costs, completion dates, and its goals since 2008,” a Congressional subcommittee will hold a field hearing in Madera on Tuesday to see what’s up. Chaired by Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, an outspoken critic of the project, the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials has “invited” at least six witnesses. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=23499 High speed rail may be stopping at Shafter, for now. A proposal by Bakersfield officials for a "time-out" on California's high speed train through town may be gaining traction. The California High Speed Rail Authority will consider a recommendation by staff members at its June 6 monthly meeting to approve a rail alignment and station locations between Fresno and Shafter -- not all the way through Bakersfield. Bakersfield officials and the Kern Council of Governments had suggested in December that the authority only certify an environmental document outlining the rail's path from south of Fresno to somewhere north of Bakersfield, such as Shafter. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/city-beat/x1891155260/High-speed-rail-may-be-stopping-at-Shafter-for-now FUELS Reality gap widens on EU car fuel efficiency claims –study. The gap has widened between the fuel-efficiency that carmakers declare for their models and the reality for drivers, with luxury German vehicles showing the biggest divergence, a study has found. Research by the non-profit International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found "real-world" carbon emissions for new cars based on fuel consumption are about 25 percent higher on average than carmakers say, compared to 10 percent a decade ago. The findings will add to pressure to reform vehicle testing procedures at international level and stoke ongoing EU debate on how to enforce 2020 car emissions goals for the 27-member bloc. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/eu-cars-idUSL5N0E921020130528 On the Horizon, Five Reasons to Smile. We appear to be at the start of a new era of cheap energy. Through advances in both oil and natural gas production, the United States is again becoming a leading exporter of fossil fuels. Many of the nation’s economic troubles, like slow productivity and income growth, began about the same time that America’s first age of cheap energy came to a sudden end, in the early 1970s. The effect of today’s energy boom on broader productivity remains to be seen, but it could prove a source of further gains. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/business/five-positive-economic-signs-are-on-the-horizon.html?hpw Industry giant GE aims to improve fracking. One of America's corporate giants is investing billions of dollars in the new boom of oil and gas drilling, or fracking. General Electric Co. is opening a new laboratory in Oklahoma, buying up related companies, and placing a big bet that cutting-edge science will improve profits for clients and reduce the environmental and health effects of the boom. "We like the oil and gas base because we see the need for resources for a long time to come," said Mark Little, a senior vice president. He said GE did "almost nothing" in oil and gas just over a decade ago but has invested more than $15 billion in the past few years. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_23331776/industry-giant-ge-aims-improve-fracking http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_DRILLING_GENERAL_ELECTRIC?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT California environmentalists fear frack fight a distraction. As California sets the ground rules for drilling in the Monterey oil formation, a hard-to-reach shale reserve that is the largest in the United States, some environmentalists worry that politicians, regulators and fellow activists are fighting the wrong battle. The state regulator is hammering out rules for hydraulic fracturing, while the legislature is debating 10 bills on the practice. The drilling technique known as "fracking" has caused so much concern about environmental problems that it is the subject of a Hollywood movie. But most Monterey drillers employ another technique using acid, and only one bill under consideration would regulate that method. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_23336280/california-environmentalists-fear-frack-fight-distraction VEHICLES France to Push Local Electric-Car Charging Network Plans. France’s government would prefer that municipalities take the lead in developing electric-car charging stations, Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg said. A national operator could “intervene” should locally backed charging networks be slow to develop, “but it would best for it to intervene eventually, not now,” Montebourg said today at a conference in Paris of French mayors. France, responding to public concern about rising fuel prices and climate change, already backs the segment, offering drivers a rebate of 7,000 euros ($9,000) on the purchase of a battery-powered vehicle and 4,000 euros for a hybrid electric-gasoline model. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-28/france-to-push-local-electric-car-charging-network-plans.html GREEN ENERGY Europe's Green-Fuel Search Turns to America's Forests. Loggers here are clear-cutting a wetland forest with decades-old trees. Behind the move: an environmental push. The push isn't in North Carolina but in Europe, where governments are trying to reduce fossil-fuel use and carbon-dioxide emissions. Under pressure, some of the Continent's coal-burning power plants are switching to wood. But Europe doesn't have enough forests to chop for fuel, and in those it does have, many restrictions apply. So Europe's power plants are devouring wood from the U.S., where forests are bigger and restrictions fewer. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324082604578485491298208114.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change OPINION ROBINSON: Time for Obama to act on global warming. President Barack Obama should spend his remaining years in office making the United States part of the solution to climate change, not part of the problem. If Congress sticks to its policy of obstruction and willful ignorance, Obama should use his executive powers to the fullest extent. We are out of time. With each breath, every person alive today experiences something unique in human history: an atmosphere containing more than 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide. This makes us special, I suppose, but not in a good way. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130526/WIRE/130529714/0/SEARCH BLOGS Seoul Rolls Out Electric Cars. If Seoul’s government has its way, electric cars will soon be tooling around the city. In an innovative step to alleviate traffic jams and improve air quality, the metropolitan government is making electric cars available for rent throughout Seoul under its “Electric Vehicle Sharing” program, which started May 9. Registered drivers can book a Kia Ray EV online for 6,000 won ($5) an hour. Drivers can pick up their rental car at any of the unmanned parking lots across the city. Charging is free and the rental expenses include insurance costs. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2013/05/28/seoul-rolls-out-electric-cars/?KEYWORDS=air+pollution The Hybrid Supercar. The problem when writing about the McLaren P1, the latest supercar from the British racing stable, is where to start? Do you talk about the fact that the £866,000 ($1.3 million) supercar–designed and built in the race company’s Norman Foster-designed headquarters in England–produces 903 brake horsepower, making it more powerful than a 60-ton Chieftain tank? Do you mention the fact that only 375 of the cars are ever going to be made–about one a day? Or that each one is assembled by hand from more than 15,000 components and takes three days just to paint? Or that it goes through 362 different quality checks, including a deluge of 16,000 liters of deionized (it doesn’t leave marks) water in a six-minute “monsoon test” designed to test every seal. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2013/05/28/the-hybrid-supercar/?KEYWORDS=emissions Solid climate change science as requested. I understand someone requested some "solid science" that supports human-caused climate change. Funny how over 1,400 blogs of "solid science" over the last four years isn't enough for some people. And equally funny how they do not require any science, solid or otherwise, to support their denial. But, oh well, we can't expect too much from them. Posted. http://blogs.redding.com/dcraig/archives/2013/05/solid-climate-c.html Insurance and Climate Change... It's Complicated. As an insurance guy who has been on both sides of the climate change debate--I've worked for organizations full of climate change skeptics and now head one that believes it's an important public policy issue--I've heard just about every claim about what "insurers say" about climate change. Plenty of people who want to minimize the risks (or even existence) of human-caused climate change, will say that insurers are trying to line their pockets by fomenting fear of natural disasters. Plenty of environmentalists, on the other hand, will make broad statements about the insurance industry's deep concern about the issue as a way of demonstrating that at least one big business supports their preferred policy solutions. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eli-lehrer/insurance-and-climate-cha_1_b_3333782.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 29 May 2013 12:51:17 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 29, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 29, 2013. 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 Study: Del. power plant not big air pollution risk. A small-scale study of people living near the NRG Energy power plant near Millsboro suggests that the plant is not a major source of particulate air pollution for area residents. The study released Tuesday instead suggests that the greatest risk of air pollution comes from upwind areas in other states in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and from indoor sources, such as tobacco smoke and cleaning products, within residents' own homes. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Study-Del-power-plant-not-big-air-pollution-risk-4554647.php#ixzz2UhGsr9b2 http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/study-nrg-energy-power-plant-not-a-big-particulate-air-pollution-source-for-nearby-residents/2013/05/28/42d54a5a-c7e2-11e2-9cd9-3b9a22a4000a_story.html CLIMATE CHANGE EU greenhouse gas emissions lowest to date. The EU's environmental agency says the 27-nation bloc's greenhouse emissions in 2011 were the lowest since it began monitoring them in 1990. The European Environment Agency says greenhouse gas emissions dropped 3.3 percent compared to 2010, and were 18.4 percent below 1990 levels. It cited a milder winter in 2011 as the main reason for the drop. Agency director Jacqueline McGlade said Wednesday the European Union was "making clear progress towards its emission targets." The agency said nearly two-thirds of the emission reductions came from Britain, France and Germany, while the largest increases were in Romania, Bulgaria and Spain. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/EU-greenhouse-gas-emissions-lowest-to-date-4557017.php#ixzz2UhHRbTBB http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/29/us-eu-emissions-idUSBRE94S0EV20130529 http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/29/eu-greenhouse-gas-emissions-lowest-to-date/ The California Carbon Challenge: Connecting Californians to Climate Solutions. California has long been a leader in its efforts to simultaneously address climate change and grow the economy. Starting today, Californians will be able to choose their favorite strategies to continue that progress, with a new, interactive online game called the California Carbon Challenge (www.cacarbonchallenge.org), created by Next 10 (www.next10.org), a leading nonpartisan, nonprofit research group. The California Carbon Challenge is the latest interactive Next 10 simulator. The California Budget Challenge (www.budgetchallenge.org) has allowed more than 340,000 users to create a state budget - virtually - by growing or cutting services and raising or reducing taxes. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/29/5455633/the-california-carbon-challenge.html#storylink=cpy Mount Everest region glaciers retreating as climate warms. Even the world’s tallest mountain – first conquered by man 60 years ago today – cannot escape climate change. A recent study led by a graduate student at the University of Milan in Italy reveals declining snow amounts and retreating glaciers in the Mount Everest region, reaffirming fears that many scientists hold – increasing global temperatures could cause irreversible damage. The research presented at an American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in Mexico earlier this month, shows that the glaciers in the Everest region have shrunk by 13 percent over the last 50 years. The snowline has also moved uphill nearly 580 feet. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/05/29/mount-everest-region-glaciers-retreating-as-climate-warms/ FUELS Insight: California environmentalists fear frack fight a distraction. The state regulator is hammering out rules for hydraulic fracturing, while the legislature is debating 10 bills on the practice. The drilling technique known as "fracking" has caused so much concern about environmental problems that it is the subject of a Hollywood movie. But most Monterey drillers employ another technique using acid, and only one bill under consideration would regulate that method. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/28/us-california-oil-insight-idUSBRE94R0CO20130528?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&utm_source=feedly San Onofre breakdown: Boxer wants Justice Department investigation. Newly published documents stoked a high-powered standoff Tuesday over whether the operator of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station may have skirted the appropriate review of replacement steam generators that have sidelined the plant, and whether a restart can occur without trial-like public hearings. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., called on the Justice Department, along with state and federal regulators, to review whether the Rosemead-based utility misled nuclear safety officials about the extent of design changes in order to avoid a more rigorous regulatory review — forwarding correspondence by Edison dating back nearly to the outset of the equipment project. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/28/boxer-seeks-justice-investigation/?utm_source=feedly Letter shows Edison anticipated problems with San Onofre generators. A letter from a Southern California Edison executive shows the company became concerned about the potential for serious design flaws in replacement steam generators at the San Onofre nuclear plant as early as 2004. U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who released the letter Tuesday, said it showed that Edison misled regulators about the extent of differences between the old and new generators and said she will ask the U.S. Justice Department to investigate. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's office of investigations and office of inspector general are already investigating whether there was any wrongdoing by Edison. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0529-san-onofre-20130529,0,6869663.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedly New Mexico county first in nation to ban fracking to safeguard water. Sitting in the tidy living room of the home they built themselves, Sandra and Roger Alcon inventory what they see as the bounty of their lives: freedom, family, community, land, animals … and water. "We've lived off the land for five generations," said Roger Alcon, 63, looking out on a northern New Mexico landscape of high mesas, ponderosa pines and black Angus cattle. "We have what we need. We've been very happy, living in peace." Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fracking-ban-20130529,0,4631146.story Some in Europe Are Rethinking Opposition to Fracking. In oil-rich parts of Texas, hydraulic fracturing has almost become a way of life. Drilling rigs and pumping equipment pepper the landscape, and enormous trucks carrying oil field supplies rumble down narrow, dusty roads. In Europe, things could hardly be more different. Opposition to hydraulic fracturing — the process of injecting water, sand and chemicals into the earth to blast apart rock and retrieve oil or natural gas — is widespread and entrenched. Some countries, including France, ban the practice, which is also known as fracking. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/business/energy-environment/30iht-green30.html VEHICLES Toyota Introduces 2013 Prius Plug-in MPG Challenge. The Challenge – which consists of five separate waves of competition, each with up to eight challengers – awards those participants garnering the highest overall MPG over the course of a 30-day period. It kicks off with an event today in West Caldwell, N.J., to hand off vehicles to the first wave of challengers. Participants will borrow a Prius Plug-in for 30 days. To be eligible to win, challengers must drive a minimum of 500 miles total and 75 miles each week. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/29/5455543/toyota-introduces-2013-prius-plug.html#storylink=cpy Prius remains best-selling car in California in first quarter. The Toyota Prius just barely maintained its status as the best-selling new car in California in this year's first quarter, according to the California New Car Dealers Association. The gas-electric Prius hybrid, which comes in multiple variations, rang up 15,661 registrations in the first three months of the year, just edging 15,369 registrations for the Honda Accord. Other top-sellers statewide in the first quarter included the Honda Civic (14,918), the Toyota Corolla (14,188) and the Toyota Camry (12,991). The Prius was the best-selling new car in California last year, with 60,688 registrations. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/29/5456054/prius-remains-best-selling-car.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY Solar Industry Anxious Over Defective Panels. The solar panels covering a vast warehouse roof in the sun-soaked Inland Empire region east of Los Angeles were only two years into their expected 25-year life span when they began to fail. Coatings that protect the panels disintegrated while other defects caused two fires that took the system offline for two years, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenues. It was not an isolated incident. Worldwide, testing labs, developers, financiers and insurers are reporting similar problems and say the $77 billion solar industry is facing a quality crisis just as solar panels are on the verge of widespread adoption. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/business/energy-environment/solar-powers-dark-side.html?ref=earth&_r=0 Trina Solar Declines as Quarterly Loss Exceeds Estimates. China’s third-largest panel manufacturer, fell the most in a week as declining prices led to a first-quarter loss that exceeded expectations. The company’s American depositary receipts, each worth 50 ordinary shares, fell 14 percent to 5.84 at 11:09 a.m. in New York, the most intraday since May 22. Trina’s net loss more than doubled from a year earlier to $63.7 million, or 90 cents an ADR, Changzhou, China-based Trina said today in a statement. That was 21 cents more than the average of 12 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales slumped 26 percent to $260.2 million. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-29/trina-solar-declines-as-quarterly-loss-exceeds-estimates.html OPINION LETTER: Nation needs tax on carbon use, now. Climate change isn’t “alleged,” it’s a fact (“Carbon dioxide gas levels worrying,” May 12). According to NASA, global surface temperatures have risen by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. Ice caps are melting faster. Sea levels are rising. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has been recorded at nearly 400 parts per million, and many scientists foresee severe climate changes if it’s not brought down to 350 ppm. A carbon tax would at least compel those utilizing fossil fuels to pay some part of the costs involved. And it would encourage use of alternative sources of energy. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-headlines/20130522-letter-nation-needs-tax-on-carbon-use-now.ece BLOGS Former EPA chief Lisa Jackson takes a job at Apple. Apple, after getting hit with criticism for using dirty energy at its data centers, has been increasingly drawing on green power — wind, solar, geothermal, and, now, former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Tuesday that Jackson, who served as Barack Obama’s top environmental official during his first term, will join the company as vice president for environmental initiatives. Posted. http://grist.org/news/former-epa-chief-lisa-jackson-takes-a-job-at-apple/ Coal is rebounding, natural gas prices are up, and the world’s oil cartel is quite content. Times are good for the merchants of fossil fuels. Coal is making a comeback in the U.S., natural gas prices are rising, and Saudis are living like kings off an oil market that is simply heavenly. Just last year, demand for coal had dropped deeper than a canary lowered down a mine shaft. Prices had been pushed down by the natural gas fracking boom. Posted. http://grist.org/news/coal-is-rebounding-natural-gas-prices-are-up-and-the-worlds-oil-cartel-is-quite-content/ Skipping the Gas Pump, and Getting Fuel From a Deep Fryer. Gerard Lynn says he has found a way to buck the prices at the gas pump. He makes his own biodiesel from the used cooking oil of a Bronx fish and chips restaurant. “This is before,” Mr. Lynn, the owner of Murlynn Air Compressor in Red Hook, Brooklyn, said recently as he held up a glass jar filled with a murky brown mixture, tiny particles of black, charred residue floating inside. “Those are bits of French fries.” “And this is after,” he said, proudly displaying a similar glass jar containing a clear liquid the color of golden amber. Posted. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/skipping-the-gas-pump-and-getting-fuel-from-a-deep-fryer/ CLIMATE: Sobering graphics show Earth changes. The headline in The Atlantic Cities says it all: “A Terrifying, Fascinating Timelapse of 30 Years of Human Impact on Earth” A series of satellite images shows changes on the surface of the planet — from loss of rain forests to melting glaciers to expanding cities. The Atlantic Cities has a sampling of the time-lapse photos. You can find more at Google here and here. The opening sequence at that last link shows Las Vegas from 1984 to 2012. What’s also evident in that sequence is the shrinking of Lake Mead. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/05/28/climate-sobering-graphics-show-earth-changes/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 30 May 2013 11:36:07 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for May 30, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 30, 2013. 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 Pollution Concerns Could Douse California Beach Fires. For generations, California’s beaches have been an international symbol of free living and youthful exuberance, where Gidget met Moondoggie and the Beach Boys had fun, fun, fun. But these days, a blizzard of restrictions — on everything from dogs to playing horseshoes — is being imposed on beach activities up and down the coast, turning beaches into sanitized zones that longtime beachgoers say barely resemble the freewheeling places they once knew. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/31/us/pollution-concerns-could-douse-california-beach-fires.html?ref=earth UN Urges Deeper Pollution Cuts in Biggest Challenge for Humanity. Governments worldwide must step up efforts to save the planet from global warming in the biggest challenge humanity has ever undertaken, according to United Nations’ climate chief Christiana Figueres. Developing and industrialized nations aren’t doing enough to prevent the global temperature rising 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times, Figueres said in an interview during the Carbon Expo conference in Barcelona yesterday. The global average has already risen by about 0.8 of a degree in the past century, according to the National Research Council in Washington. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-30/un-urges-deeper-pollution-cuts-in-biggest-challenge-for-humanity.html CLIMATE CHANGE Chris Christie: Climate change a ‘distraction’. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was soaking up the revelry around the Jersey Shore’s post-Hurricane Sandy reopening this Memorial Day, ceremoniously cutting a monstrous ribbon and leading President Obama and packs of cameras around the boardwalk. Christie’s handling of the superstorm earned him bipartisan praise and record-high popularity, but now almost eight months out since Sandy struck New Jersey’s coast, Christie’s response to the storm is taking shape on political sides. Posted. http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/05/29/chris-christie-climate-change-a-distraction/ REGIONAL: Program to focus on desert climate change. On June 4, the San Gorgonio chapter of the Sierra Club will hold its monthly meeting at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands at 7:30 p.m. This month’s program is titled: “Climate Change and Effective Conservation in the California Desert,” an illustrated presentation by Cameron Barrows of UC Riverside’s Palm Desert campus. Barrows developed this talk for presentation to the Sierra Club National Board of Directors and the Trustees of the Sierra Club Foundation at their joint meeting in Palm Springs in March. His presentation emphasizes the value and uniqueness of the California desert landscape, its wildlife and plant life. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-headlines-index/20130528-regional-program-to-focus-on-desert-climate-change.ece http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_23348235/cameron-barrows-will-give-program-climate-change-conservation Climate change to impact B.C. agriculture: study. British Columbia needs to produce more food while contending with rising seas, diminishing water resources and changing patterns of rain and drought, according to a new report by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. The idea that climate change will expand agricultural opportunities for B.C. farmers is false, says Erica Crawford, lead author of the report Strengthening BC’s Agriculture Sector in the Face of Climate Change. Posted. http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Climate+change+impact+agriculture+study/8455586/story.html FUELS Poet LLC Asks Court to Overturn California Low-Carbon Fuel Rule. Poet LLC, the second-biggest U.S. ethanol producer, will try to persuade a California appeals court the state’s low-carbon fuel standard should be thrown out because its environmental effects weren't adequately studied. Poet, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, lost its lower-court challenge to the California Air Resources Board’s requirement that companies selling transportation fuel in the state reduce their product’s “carbon intensity” by 10 percent in the next seven years. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-30/poet-llc-asks-court-to-overturn-california-low-carbon-fuel-rule VEHICLES Automakers cut electric car lease prices, add goodies to boost sales of new technology. Auto companies are lowering lease prices for electric cars as they try to jump-start slow sales in a competitive market. Honda announced Thursday that it’s slashing the monthly lease cost of its tiny Fit EV by one-third to $259 a month. Honda also is throwing in other goodies such as a free home charging station and unlimited mileage. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/automakers-cut-electric-car-lease-prices-add-goodies-to-boost-sales-of-new-technology/2013/05/30/ed782ae0-c945-11e2-9cd9-3b9a22a4000a_story.html Tesla soars as green startups not backed by Elon Musk flounder. Tesla stock hits a new high, but seems to be a green-energy outlier. Tesla Motors continued its incredible May on Tuesday, as investors pushed the Palo Alto electric car maker's stock higher than $100 for the first time amid even more optimism for the company's future. Failures from other companies attempting to function in the clean-energy space continues, however, which could leave Tesla and Elon Musk's other Silicon Valley venture alone as green success stories. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23343675/tesla-soars-green-startups-not-backed-by-elon#ixzz2UnFxTBDW Google’s Self-Driving Cars Get Boost From U.S. Agency. Self-driving cars being developed by Google Inc. (GOOG) and some automakers are getting a lift from U.S. auto-safety regulators eager to accelerate automation that they predict could prevent many crashes. Transportation Department regulators today released a policy intended to advance testing of self-driving cars and to encourage development of precursor technologies, such as vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems and brakes that apply themselves when a crash is sensed to be imminent. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-30/google-s-self-driving-cars-get-boost-from-u-s-agency.html Tesla Motors to dramatically expand network of Superchargers. Tesla Motors (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk announced that the electric-car company is expanding its network of "Supercharging" stations across the country, so that Model S owners can drive from Los Angeles to New York just using Tesla's network of fast charging stations. More details will be provided Thursday, but Musk let the cat out of the bag during an on-stage interview at the influential All Things D tech conference Wednesday. "There's going to be a dramatic acceleration of the Supercharging network," said Musk. "By the end of next month, we'll triple the Supercharger coverage area." Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_23351510/elon-musk-lets-cat-out-bag-tesla-motors Honda joins electric car pricing battle with $259 lease on Fit EV. Honda Motor Co. is lobbing a grenade into the ongoing electric car price war, dropping the lease payment on its compact Fit EV from $389 to $259. The 36-month lease deal requires no down payment and comes with unlimited mileage, along with free collision coverage, maintenance, roadside assistance and a 240-volt home charging station. Honda’s move, announced this morning, comes after Nissan’s Leaf, Chevrolet’s Spark EV and Fiat’s 500e recently announced lease deals of $199 a month in an effort to entice more customers into all-electric cars. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-honda-fit-ev-pricing-20130530,0,4539192.story Beijing invests heavily in electric vehicles. In May, Beijing launched its first EV rental demonstration base in the Tsinghua University Science Park. The city plans to have 50,000 electric cars, which will include 30,000 private vehicles, and 8,000 public buses by 2015. In order to alleviate the capital city’s infamous congestion and pollution problems, Beijing is investing heavily in the expanding the use of of electric vehicles among its citizens. The city now is launching series of initiatives to promote the use of electric cars. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5412 Cheap leases offered to spur electric car sales. Auto companies are hoping lower lease prices can put a charge into sluggish sales of electric cars. Honda announced Thursday that it's slashing the monthly lease cost of its tiny Fit EV by one third, following similar moves by other automakers. Honda also is throwing in other goodies, such as a free home charging station and unlimited mileage. Electric vehicles once were billed as the answer to high gas prices and dependence on foreign oil. But U.S. oil production is rising, gas supplies are abundant and pump prices have remained relatively stable the past three years, making consumers reluctant to switch from internal combustion engines. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Cheap-leases-offered-to-spur-electric-car-sales-4561827.php HIGH-SPEED RAIL Step One for High Speed Rail: Avoid More Controversy. If California is ever going to make it to the finish line on the state’s mammoth high speed rail project, it might want to cut down on all the snags along the way. With many residents already skeptical about the government’s ability to raise the money needed to complete the project by the turn of the century, new questions now arise about how the High Speed Rail Authority is awarding contracts. The contractor with the lowest technical grade of all bidders, a consortium led by the firm Tutor Perini, won the right to build the first leg of track from Madera to Fresno. Posted. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/california/Step-One-for-High-Speed-Rail-Avoid-More-Controversy-209450501.html GREEN ENERGY Google Backs First Africa Renewable Power and May Invest in More. Google Inc. (GOOG), which has invested more than $1 billion in renewable-energy projects, is considering spending more on clean power in Africa after announcing its first solar investment on the continent. Google, based in Mountain View, California, has put $12 million in the $260 million Jasper solar project in South Africa that will have 96 megawatts of generating capacity, the company said in an e-mailed statement today. A group led by SolarReserve LLC, a closely held U.S. developer, is building the plant near Postmasburg in the Northern Cape province. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-30/google-backs-first-africa-renewable-power-and-may-invest-in-more.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23353264/google-invests-12-million-south-african-solar-farm?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Energy-smart, 'green' practices the new must-haves in commercial buildings. When a company is looking to buy or lease space in a commercial building in the region, location remains a key feature, but factors like energy savings and sustainability are moving up the list. Building owners are retrofitting their properties, installing new technology to reduce energy bills and incorporating equipment that has a smaller impact on the environment. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Energy-smart-green-practices-the-new-4559378.php OPINION Time to change the politics and energy mix. Politics and energy have not been a good mix. Following the Yom Kippur War in the early ‘70s, the Arab members of OPEC initiated an oil embargo in retaliation for the West resupplying Israel with weapons. Once the embargo was lifted, oil quadrupled in price, resulting in one of the largest transfers of wealth in history from the developed world to the oil-producing nations. Some of this oil wealth even fueled terrorism as Saudi Arabia used it to finance the spread of Wahhabist Islam, a fundamentalist orthodoxy that has been used to legitimize violence against the West. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/29/energy-politics-fracking/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 31 May 2013 11:25:38 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for May 31, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for May 31, 2013. 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 CAR, Insurer Parhelion Join Forces To Cover California Offset Invalidation Risk. The Climate Action Reserve (CAR) is partnering with an insurer to mitigate the risk of invalidation for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and livestock offsets bound for California’s compliance market. The CAR has formed an exclusive alliance with specialty insurer Parhelion Underwriting Ltd to insure against invalidation of offset credits that are transitioned from credits originally issued by the reserve to California’s cap-and-trade program. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9753§ion=news_articles&eod=1 EU may link carbon fix to economy's revival. The European Union's regulator is considering tools to link the supply of carbon permits with the bloc's economic performance, according to Jos Delbeke, director general for climate at the European Commission. The possibility of improving the world's biggest emissions- trading system by equipping it with a flexibility mechanism emerged during public consultations on long-term scenarios for the market, Delbeke said. It adds to six options floated by the commission last year to strengthen the cap-and-trade program after prices slumped to all-time lows amid a record surplus of allowances exacerbated by an economic crisis. Posted. http://www.watoday.com.au/business/carbon-economy/eu-may-link-carbon-fix-to-economys-revival-20130531-2nfjr.html AIR POLLUTION Rep. Adam Schiff asks Metrolink to assess yard's health risks. A local congressman Thursday called on Metrolink to assess the health risks of air pollution on neighborhoods surrounding the commuter railroad's central maintenance yard north of downtown Los Angeles. At a news conference, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) made the request on behalf of residents and community groups that have long been concerned about diesel exhaust coming from the commuter system's locomotives when they are serviced. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink-air-pollution-20130531,0,1504004.story Air Quality Alert Issued for Fairfax County. Here comes summer. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, along with the Virginia Department of the Environmental Quality, issued an air quality alert Thursday for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas — including Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington and Alexandria counties — in advance of the hot and muggy weather in this week's forecast. Through Saturday, temperatures are expected to hit the low 90s in Fairfax County, according to the National Weather Service. Posted. http://annandale.patch.com/articles/air-quality-alert-issued-for-fairfax-county Salton Sea Dust Mitigation Bill by Asm. V. Manuel Pérez Passes Assembly. Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez is pleased to report on several bills that have passed the Assembly Floor with strong, bipartisan support. AB 147, the Salton Sea Dust Mitigation Act, compels state action related to Salton Sea dust mitigation. The bill directs the California Air Resources Board (CARB), as the state’s air quality expert, to evaluate the air quality mitigation planning completed to date by local water agencies to ensure it is adequate to mitigate the dust emissions from the Salton Sea resulting from the implementation of the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA). Posted. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/4320-salton-sea-dust-mitigation-bill-by-asm-v-manuel-perez-passes-assembly.html CLIMATE CHANGE California native fish could disappear with climate change. Climate change may cause the extinction of 82 percent of California's native fish species, including iconic ones such as Central Valley salmon and Delta smelt, according to a new study. The peer-reviewed study by fishery experts at UC Davis created a framework to measure how vulnerable numerous species are to climate change. It assesses habitat conditions, climate change projections and temperature sensitivity for the 121 native and 50 nonnative fish species that inhabit California. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-fish-climate-change-20130531,0,3475642.story http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0063883 http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/05/30/3320633/climate-change-study-82-percent.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/30/5459758/climate-change-study-82-percent.html Climate change linked to more pollen, allergies, asthma. From the roof of the Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in the Chicago suburbs, an 83-year-old retired doctor finds troubling evidence of why so many people are sneezing and itching their eyes. Joseph Leija counts the pollen and mold spores that collect on slides inside an air-sucking machine atop the six-story building. "There's been an increase, no doubt about it," he says of the 5 a.m. weekday counts that he's been doing as a volunteer for 24 years. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/30/climate-change-allergies-asthma/2163893/ DIESEL EMISSIONS At California ports, some ships plug in to power up. In less than a year, many of the towering cargo ships loading and unloading goods at California ports won't just tie up at dock — they'll also plug in. In January, the state will become the first government body in the world to require container fleets docking at its major ports to shut off their diesel engines and use electricity for 50 percent of their visits — or face crippling fines. The requirements also include slashing fleet emissions by half, and those requirements rise to 80 percent in 2020. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/business/ci_23357213/at-california-ports-some-ships-plug-power-up?source=rss&utm_source=feedly FUELS California Carbon Fuel Standard May Remain in Place. California’s low-carbon fuel standard will remain in effect, a state appeals court provisionally ruled in a lawsuit challenging the regulation by U.S. ethanol producer Poet LLC. Poet, the second-largest U.S. maker of the corn-based fuel, argued that the standard, which requires transportation fuel-sellers in California to reduce the “carbon intensity” of their products by 10 percent by 2020, should be held invalid because regulators approved it before completing an environmental review. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-30/california-carbon-fuel-standard-may-remain-in-place.html VEHICLES Electric car price war shifts into high gear. Want to pay $7,000 for a $37,000 electric car? It's not a trick question. For the first time, through the magic of subsidized leases, electric vehicles can now compete on price with comparable gas-powered cars — indeed, they are cheaper once you factor in gas savings. Honda announced this week that it would drop the lease on its Fit EV from $389 to $259 a month. That price includes collision and vehicle theft coverage, maintenance, roadside assistance, even a charging station at your house. Factoring in the state rebate, that's an all-in, three-year ownership cost of less than $7,000 — maybe the cheapest $37,000 car in history. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-0601-hy-autos-electric-cars-20130531,0,131053.story HIGH-SPEED RAIL California high-speed rail faces delays as high-stakes trial begins Friday. High-speed rail officials acknowledged Thursday that they almost certainly won't break ground on the $69 billion project as planned in July after hitting some last-minute bumps in the road. And even more delays are possible as a court battle begins that could wipe out voters' approval of the bullet train. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23357569/california-high-speed-rail-faces-delays-high-stakes GREEN ENERGY Consumer question: When is 'green' logging really green? The seal looked appealing, a daisy on a field of green, with the words “Tested Green.” It was issued to more than 120 products as a guarantee of environmental responsibility. The problem, federal trade regulators announced in 2011, was that almost anybody who wanted to pay the $189.95 for a “rapid” certification got a logo. “It took us about 30 seconds to have the Federal Trade Commission certified as 'tested green,' and we were neither tested nor green,” Jim Kohm, head of the FTC’s enforcement division, said Thursday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-ftc-forest-green-logging-products-20130530,0,6057736.story OPINION Pacific islands’ deadly threat from climate change. For almost 70 years, my country, the Marshall Islands, has been fighting for its survival. Unfortunately, the threats we face are the result of forces we cannot control. From 1946 to 1958, we endured the horror of 67 atmospheric nuclear tests. The most powerful was the “Bravo shot,” equivalent in power to 1,000 Hiroshima bombs. Now our residents are confronted by a different kind of atmospheric danger: the existential threat posed by climate change. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pacific-islands-face-a-deadly-threat-from-climate-change/2013/05/30/86ff1956-c7a9-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_story.html BLOGS Beijing adding pollution tax to gas prices by next year. The Chinese government is about to put its money where everyone's mouth (and nose, for that matter) is by enforcing an automobile-pollution refueling tax in the notably polluted city of Beijing, Gasgoo says, citing Xcar. Beijing will be China's first city to enact such a pollution tax when it does so within the next 12 months. With the tax in effect, gas taxes will total ten yuan ($1.62) per liter. Current taxes run one yuan per liter plus 0.1 percent for construction and educational funding. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/05/31/beijing-adding-pollution-tax-to-gas-prices-by-next-year/ Fresno State study warns of climate effects on San Joaquin River. Two Fresno State professors say climate change will make the San Joaquin River’s annual runoff show up earlier — as much as six weeks earlier in the next century. And one other thing:There will be a “significant decrease in annual stream flow,” said geology professor C. John Suen, who co-authored a study on the upper San Joaquin. Suen’s co-author was associate hydrology professor Zhi Wang. The study, published in Hydrology Research, is more confirmation of findings in previous climate change studies, and it is not a pretty picture. Posted. http://news.fresnobeehive.com/archives/2689 Scientists plan to reduce greenhouse gases by breeding fartless cows. Natural gas wells leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere as a consequence of the production process. So do cows. But where well leaks are called “fugitive methane emissions,” cow leaks are simply called fart and burps. Regular Grist readers will remember that we’re really quite interested in this unusual source of methane. It’s silly, but it’s also a big problem. Scientists now think, though, that they’ve hit on a solution: they might simply be able to breed to farts and burps out of cows. Posted. http://grist.org/list/scientists-plan-to-reduce-greenhouse-gases-by-breeding-fartless-cows/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2013 12:58:01 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 3, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 3, 2013. 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 Airlines Seek Carbon Market to Curb Post-2020 Pollution. Airlines backed a call for an emissions market to offset growth in their greenhouse gases after 2020, a step that could spur international talks on tackling pollution from the industry. International Air Transport Association members adopted today at their annual general meeting in Cape Town a resolution in favor of a market-based mechanism to help address airlines’ emissions. IATA produced the proposal before a September gathering of the United Nations’ aviation panel that will consider the industry’s tools to fight climate change. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-03/airlines-seek-carbon-market-to-curb-post-2020-pollution.html AIR POLLUTION EPA's delay means power plant rule can't go final – utilities. U.S. EPA missed its chance to finalize its greenhouse gas proposal for new power plants when it let a statutory deadline for the rule slip in April, according to a coalition of coal-fired electric utilities. The Utility Air Regulatory Group argues in a May 16 letter to EPA that the agency's failure to finalize its first-time greenhouse gas rule for future power plants by April 13 -- one year after it had proposed the rule -- means it must now repropose a rule and repeat public comment steps before finalizing a rule. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059982170/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Researchers model impact of aerosols over California: Findings may clarify effectiveness of regional pollution controls. Aerosols are microscopic particles—like dust, pollen and soot—that ubiquitously float around in our atmosphere. Despite their tiny stature, these particles can have a huge impact on human health, climate and the environment. So scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Colorado State University and the California Air Resources Board have set out to characterize the roles of various particles as atmospheric change agents on a regional scale. Posted. http://phys.org/news/2013-06-impact-aerosols-california-effectiveness-regional.html CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Fix That’s Fair Assigns U.S. Three Times Chinese Effort. A fair climate fix would assign the U.S. almost three times the effort of cutting carbon dioxide output as China, which in 2006 became the biggest emitter, research by the Stockholm Environment Institute suggests. The U.S., the biggest historical emitter, would have responsibility for 29.1 percent of the greenhouse gas cuts needed in 2020 to keep the planet on a pathway that avoids the worst effects of global warming, according to the institute’s calculations. That compares with 10.4 percent for China, 22.9 percent for the European Union and 1.2 percent for India. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-06-03/climate-fix-that-s-fair-assigns-u-dot-s-dot-three-times-chinese-effort Part of what makes living in Hawaii so pleasant is the gentle breeze. Arriving from the northeast, it's light enough that it is barely noticeable but strong enough to chase away the humidity. It's a natural draw to the outdoors. It is not uncommon to show up at a house to find its residents relaxing out in the covered porch or in the car port, not their living room, and enjoying the cooling winds — and a cool drink. Nowadays, experts say, these breezes, called trade winds, are declining, a drop that's slowly changing life across the islands. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Trade-winds-drop-and-Hawaii-gets-muggy-4570800.php#ixzz2VBPRVlom Keeling Curve a mainstay of climate science. A gallery of watershed discoveries is engraved on a marble wall in the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C. There are Darwin’s finches, Watson and Crick’s double helix — and the Keeling Curve, a 55-year (and still counting) chart tracking the rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This jagged diagonal line, which measures a gas linked to global warming, forms the foundation of modern climate science. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/02/keeling-curve-climate-change-scripps/ Climate change is killing us with drought and rising sea waters. For almost 70 years, my country, the Marshall Islands, has been fighting for its survival. Unfortunately, the threats we face are the result of forces we cannot control. From 1946 to 1958, we endured the horror of 67 atmospheric nuclear tests. The most powerful was the “Bravo shot,” equivalent in power to 1,000 Hiroshima bombs. Now our residents are confronted by a different kind of atmospheric danger: The existential threat posed by climate change. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130603/MCT/130609968/0/SEARCH Climate change threatens 82% of native California fish. Four of five native fish in California, including salmon and steelhead trout, likely will be driven to or near extinction within 100 years if climate change continues on its current path, a new study predicts. Of 121 native fish species, 82% will plummet in number or disappear because they need cool, flowing water yet climate change is boosting temperatures and lessening stream flow, according to scientists at the University of California-Davis' Center for Watershed Science. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/01/climate-change-california-fish/2375685/ Environmentalists Unite in Quest to Fight Global Warming. Environmental groups have found harmony in fighting for their biggest causes, but success remains elusive. The nation’s environmental leaders are mounting a double battle against global warming, and they see President Obama’s remaining time in the White House as critical in winning both of them. In interviews with the leaders of seven major environmental organizations, they all indicated a sense of unity and urgency on rolling out regulations to control the greenhouse-gas emissions that scientists agree…Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/environmentalists-unite-in-quest-to-fight-global-warming-20130602?utm_source=feedly FUELS Fracking Tests Ties Between California ‘Oil and Ag’ Interests. Scattered on either side of Shafter Avenue just north of the town center here, new oil pump jacks, some bobbing and others thrusting, tower above this corner of California’s prime farmland. A dirt side road, flanked by an orchard of two-year-old almond trees and a field of alfalfa plants, leads to a two-acre patch where workers were drilling a third well. At a larger rig not too far away, next to a field of potatoes, a 50-foot-tall tower flared off the gas from the crude being extracted from land that used to be a rose field. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/us/california-oil-and-ag-face-rift-on-fracking.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Colby opts against fossil-fuel divestment. Trustees at Maine's Colby College have decided not to stop investing endowment money in oil, gas and other companies connected to fossil fuels, but students say they'll continue trying to build support for the move. Students asked the board's investment committee to consider divesting investments in companies they say contribute to global warming. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Colby-opts-against-fossil-fuel-divestment-4569495.php#ixzz2VBOTlyJ6 California should heed Obama administration on fracking. The state Senate has rarely seemed as confused as it appeared last Wednesday. On a 39-0 vote, senators OK’d a bill to limit obstacles to economic growth created by excessive regulations in the California Environmental Quality Act. But the same day, on a 27-11 vote, senators approved a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing for energy exploration in the state until Jan. 1, 2015, when state rules governing the practice will be in place — rules that appear likely to be onerous by design. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/03/tp-california-should-heed-obama-administration-on/ Calif. bills to halt fracking fail to win support. Attempts to place a moratorium on the controversial oil drilling technique known as fracking failed as the Legislature hit its first bill-passing deadline, but the industry almost certainly will face stronger regulations when this year's legislative session is over. An Assembly bill to temporarily halt hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, did not win enough support to pass that chamber. A Senate measure will be amended to remove its proposed moratorium. Posted. http://www.marinij.com/tablehome/ci_23364328/calif-bills-halt-fracking-fail-win-support “Project Volt Gas Volt” proposes long-term financing plan to support widespread implementation of power-to-gas systems. Corinne Lepage, Member of the European Parliament (and former French Minister of the Environment) and Professor Robert Bell, Brooklyn University, City University of New York, are proposing Project Volt Gas Volt (VGV) as a technology pathway for using renewable energy to “keep the lights on” on the broadest scale without disruption, together with a long-term financing proposal for the project. Although they are targeting an initial implementation France, they see it as broadly applicable. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/06/vgv-20130602.html Ethanol Producers Vs. California Air Resources Board. Sometime back Poet, LLC, the private producer of ethanol based in Sioux Falls, SD (my home state), filed a lawsuit against the State of California, strenuously objecting to rules related to ‘carbon intensity’ adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) When the dust settled, the California rules were still standing and Poet skulked off to the appeals court. The appeal was filed this week in the California’s Fifth Appellate District in Fresno. Posted. http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2013/06/ethanol_producers_vs_california_air_resources_board.html Keystone XL alternative hits a political wall in British Columbia. The British Columbia government Friday formally opposed an oil sands pipeline that would run to Canada's western coast, putting a major barrier in front of a conduit considered a chief alternative to Keystone XL. In a written submission to a joint review panel assessing Enbridge's Northern Gateway -- which would carry oil sands crude across Canada from Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia, if built -- the province said "it cannot support the project as presented to the panel because Northern Gateway has been unable to address British Columbians' environmental concerns." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982134/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Holding Its Own vs. Nonhybrids. The Lexus GS 450h, redesigned for the 2013 model year, demonstrates how far Toyota has come in the two decades it has spent trying to electrify the automobile. The company’s goal, which seemed a bit of a stretch in the early 1990s, was to make electrified vehicles that were better than comparable vehicles powered by conventional internal-combustion engines. Otherwise, Toyota’s leaders believed, no one would have a reason to buy one. This shapely GS 450h suggests that it has met that goal. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/automobiles/autoreviews/a-lexus-holding-its-own-vs-nonhybrids.html Electric cars are getting as cheap as gasoline rivals. The Times test drives the Nissan Leaf, Fiat 500e and Honda Fit EV to see how they stack up in the race to go green. What would it take to get you into an electric car today? Forced by state regulators to sell more zero-emission vehicles, automakers are tripping over each other to offer consumers rock-bottom lease deals. For the first time, electric vehicles are penciling out cheaper than their gas-powered counterparts. Honda joined the price war this week by dropping the lease on its Fit EV from $389 to $259 a month. Posted. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/01/autos/la-fi-0601-hy-autos-electric-cars-20130531 Ford recalling 465,000 vehicles for fuel leaks. Ford is recalling about 465,000 cars and SUVs because the fuel tanks can leak and cause fires. The global recall affects the Ford brand's Fusion, Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Police Utility and Police Interceptor. Also covered are the Lincoln MKS, MKT and MKZ. All the vehicles are from the 2013 model year. Ford says a connector from the fuel tank to the fuel line is the source of the leak. Customers could smell gas or see a leak on the ground. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23376881/ford-recalling-465-000-vehicles-fuel-leaks?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com HIGH-SPEED RAIL Judge weighs arguments over California high-speed rail plans. Five years after voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond measure, attorneys spent Friday morning arguing whether plans for the train system comply with the law. Lawyers for Kings County and two of its residents are convinced that a financing plan delivered to the state Legislature in November 2011 fails to live up to the ballot measure's provisions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/01/5462806/judge-weighs-arguments-over-california.html GREEN ENERGY EPA tightens limits on power use by televisions. U.S. EPA is tightening its requirements for power use in televisions. The agency's newest version of Energy Star television and display specifications -- which went into effect Saturday -- is expected to further increase energy efficiency and save consumers billions of dollars, industry experts said. As it stands, televisions that meet the Energy Star criteria are on average 40 percent more efficient than regular models, saving American consumers up to $3.5 billion a year on energy bills and reducing carbon emissions equivalent to those from 4.5 million vehicles, a study by EPA showed. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982102/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Environmentalists’ Complaint Exposes Rift Between ‘Green’ Certification Groups. The legal watchdogs at the Federal Trade Commission have been trying to police the proliferating — and often false — claims in recent years that products are “green” or “environmentally friendly.” The agency recently brought cases against Amazon.com, Macy’s and Sears, Roebuck & Company for selling clothing purportedly made of bamboo fiber that was really fashioned from rayon, a decidedly ungreen material. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/us/complaints-abound-in-green-certification-industry.html?ref=earth OPINIONS How to Play Well With China. PRESIDENTS Obama and Xi Jinping will meet in California for two days starting this Friday. It’s about time. New sources of friction are constantly appearing in the relationship between the United States and China: trade disputes, tension over North Korea, debates over curbing carbon emissions, allegations of cyberattacks by China. Having survived re-election, President Obama can shrug off charges of appeasement and treat a rising China with the care it deserves. China, with its leadership transition, has a fresh start, too. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/opinion/sunday/how-to-play-well-with-china.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 The climate change guilt trip. The battle against global warming should not be about judging people's every choice. A friend recently returned from a camping trip in the Sierra Nevada. His eyes shone as he described the opalescent sky, the vitality of wildlife in spring and the fun he'd had playing with his two young daughters during the mellow evenings. It had been a really good trip, an experience to treasure, he said. I casually asked how long it took to get there. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-turner-climate-change-20130602,0,6053461.story Editorial: State toxics agency could use a cleanup. Apparently, Caltrans isn't the only state agency that needs thorough scrutiny. Evidence is mounting that the state Department of Toxic Substances Control could use a good scrubbing as well. The Bee's Jim Sanders reported Thursday that the agency has spent more than $100 million in public money since 1987 to clean up 1,700 contaminated sites across California, but has yet to bill the polluters. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/01/5462469/state-toxics-agency-could-use.html#storylink=cpy Uncertainties about climate change are many and varied. I am always amazed when newspaper columnists profess to know more about carbon dioxide emissions and climate change than scientists and engineers working in the field. The latest example is Eugene Robinson's diatribe, "Obama alone can steer climate change policy," in which Robinson states, "For the record, and for the umpteenth time, there is no great amount of uncertainty about whether the planet is warming or why." There are several problems with Robinson's argument, chief of which is this: If the planet is warming and if carbon…Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_23356340/uncertainties-about-climate-change-are-many-and-varied Governor's global warming policy needs close look. If you listen to Jerry Brown, you would think he was one of the foremost proactive climate change leaders around. At UC Berkeley last week, he said, “the changes in our climate are…, soon to be irreversible” (May 20th, 2013). . On May 23rd, the Sacramento Bee reported that Governor Brown “complained bitterly” that “the news media ignores climate change.” Naturally, you would think he would proudly lead in implementing AB 32, this state’s pioneering climate law to address global warming. Right? Wrong. http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=11h874emcl1d9up&xid=11h86dvw36pd2cn&done=.11h874emcl1l9up# Editorial: Safety is latest worry about California bullet train. Take "The Little Engine That Could," remove the hero's underdog charm and the inevitability of a happy ending, and you've got the saga of the California bullet train as the project nears the scheduled start of construction next month. It thinks it can, it thinks it can. Planners think it can get over a mountain of legal, financial and procedural worries, the latest being a red flag about safety and quality in a major contractor's proposal. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_23369328/editorial-safety-is-latest-worry-about-california-bullet Carbon Cap & Trade Builds Global Momentum. Policymakers in Washington, D.C. might be mired in the politics of intransigence, especially when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, but California and nine U.S. states in northeast aren't. They are taking action by implementing carbon cap & trade auctions to begin to reign in emissions of the climate-altering greenhouse gas, which just climbed past 400 parts per million (ppm) in Earth's atmosphere - a concentration not seen in literally millions of years. Posted. http://evworld.com/focus.cfm?cid=150 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2013 14:51:18 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 3, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 3, 2013. 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 Airlines Seek Carbon Market to Curb Post-2020 Pollution. Airlines backed a call for an emissions market to offset growth in their greenhouse gases after 2020, a step that could spur international talks on tackling pollution from the industry. International Air Transport Association members adopted today at their annual general meeting in Cape Town a resolution in favor of a market-based mechanism to help address airlines’ emissions. IATA produced the proposal before a September gathering of the United Nations’ aviation panel that will consider the industry’s tools to fight climate change. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-03/airlines-seek-carbon-market-to-curb-post-2020-pollution.html AIR POLLUTION EPA's delay means power plant rule can't go final – utilities. U.S. EPA missed its chance to finalize its greenhouse gas proposal for new power plants when it let a statutory deadline for the rule slip in April, according to a coalition of coal-fired electric utilities. The Utility Air Regulatory Group argues in a May 16 letter to EPA that the agency's failure to finalize its first-time greenhouse gas rule for future power plants by April 13 -- one year after it had proposed the rule -- means it must now repropose a rule and repeat public comment steps before finalizing a rule. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059982170/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Researchers model impact of aerosols over California: Findings may clarify effectiveness of regional pollution controls. Aerosols are microscopic particles—like dust, pollen and soot—that ubiquitously float around in our atmosphere. Despite their tiny stature, these particles can have a huge impact on human health, climate and the environment. So scientists from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Colorado State University and the California Air Resources Board have set out to characterize the roles of various particles as atmospheric change agents on a regional scale. Posted. http://phys.org/news/2013-06-impact-aerosols-california-effectiveness-regional.html CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Fix That’s Fair Assigns U.S. Three Times Chinese Effort. A fair climate fix would assign the U.S. almost three times the effort of cutting carbon dioxide output as China, which in 2006 became the biggest emitter, research by the Stockholm Environment Institute suggests. The U.S., the biggest historical emitter, would have responsibility for 29.1 percent of the greenhouse gas cuts needed in 2020 to keep the planet on a pathway that avoids the worst effects of global warming, according to the institute’s calculations. That compares with 10.4 percent for China, 22.9 percent for the European Union and 1.2 percent for India. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-06-03/climate-fix-that-s-fair-assigns-u-dot-s-dot-three-times-chinese-effort Part of what makes living in Hawaii so pleasant is the gentle breeze. Arriving from the northeast, it's light enough that it is barely noticeable but strong enough to chase away the humidity. It's a natural draw to the outdoors. It is not uncommon to show up at a house to find its residents relaxing out in the covered porch or in the car port, not their living room, and enjoying the cooling winds — and a cool drink. Nowadays, experts say, these breezes, called trade winds, are declining, a drop that's slowly changing life across the islands. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Trade-winds-drop-and-Hawaii-gets-muggy-4570800.php#ixzz2VBPRVlom Keeling Curve a mainstay of climate science. A gallery of watershed discoveries is engraved on a marble wall in the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C. There are Darwin’s finches, Watson and Crick’s double helix — and the Keeling Curve, a 55-year (and still counting) chart tracking the rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This jagged diagonal line, which measures a gas linked to global warming, forms the foundation of modern climate science. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/02/keeling-curve-climate-change-scripps/ Climate change is killing us with drought and rising sea waters. For almost 70 years, my country, the Marshall Islands, has been fighting for its survival. Unfortunately, the threats we face are the result of forces we cannot control. From 1946 to 1958, we endured the horror of 67 atmospheric nuclear tests. The most powerful was the “Bravo shot,” equivalent in power to 1,000 Hiroshima bombs. Now our residents are confronted by a different kind of atmospheric danger: The existential threat posed by climate change. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130603/MCT/130609968/0/SEARCH Climate change threatens 82% of native California fish. Four of five native fish in California, including salmon and steelhead trout, likely will be driven to or near extinction within 100 years if climate change continues on its current path, a new study predicts. Of 121 native fish species, 82% will plummet in number or disappear because they need cool, flowing water yet climate change is boosting temperatures and lessening stream flow, according to scientists at the University of California-Davis' Center for Watershed Science. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/01/climate-change-california-fish/2375685/ Environmentalists Unite in Quest to Fight Global Warming. Environmental groups have found harmony in fighting for their biggest causes, but success remains elusive. The nation’s environmental leaders are mounting a double battle against global warming, and they see President Obama’s remaining time in the White House as critical in winning both of them. In interviews with the leaders of seven major environmental organizations, they all indicated a sense of unity and urgency on rolling out regulations to control the greenhouse-gas emissions that scientists agree…Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/environmentalists-unite-in-quest-to-fight-global-warming-20130602?utm_source=feedly FUELS Fracking Tests Ties Between California ‘Oil and Ag’ Interests. Scattered on either side of Shafter Avenue just north of the town center here, new oil pump jacks, some bobbing and others thrusting, tower above this corner of California’s prime farmland. A dirt side road, flanked by an orchard of two-year-old almond trees and a field of alfalfa plants, leads to a two-acre patch where workers were drilling a third well. At a larger rig not too far away, next to a field of potatoes, a 50-foot-tall tower flared off the gas from the crude being extracted from land that used to be a rose field. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/us/california-oil-and-ag-face-rift-on-fracking.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Colby opts against fossil-fuel divestment. Trustees at Maine's Colby College have decided not to stop investing endowment money in oil, gas and other companies connected to fossil fuels, but students say they'll continue trying to build support for the move. Students asked the board's investment committee to consider divesting investments in companies they say contribute to global warming. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Colby-opts-against-fossil-fuel-divestment-4569495.php#ixzz2VBOTlyJ6 California should heed Obama administration on fracking. The state Senate has rarely seemed as confused as it appeared last Wednesday. On a 39-0 vote, senators OK’d a bill to limit obstacles to economic growth created by excessive regulations in the California Environmental Quality Act. But the same day, on a 27-11 vote, senators approved a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing for energy exploration in the state until Jan. 1, 2015, when state rules governing the practice will be in place — rules that appear likely to be onerous by design. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/03/tp-california-should-heed-obama-administration-on/ Calif. bills to halt fracking fail to win support. Attempts to place a moratorium on the controversial oil drilling technique known as fracking failed as the Legislature hit its first bill-passing deadline, but the industry almost certainly will face stronger regulations when this year's legislative session is over. An Assembly bill to temporarily halt hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, did not win enough support to pass that chamber. A Senate measure will be amended to remove its proposed moratorium. Posted. http://www.marinij.com/tablehome/ci_23364328/calif-bills-halt-fracking-fail-win-support “Project Volt Gas Volt” proposes long-term financing plan to support widespread implementation of power-to-gas systems. Corinne Lepage, Member of the European Parliament (and former French Minister of the Environment) and Professor Robert Bell, Brooklyn University, City University of New York, are proposing Project Volt Gas Volt (VGV) as a technology pathway for using renewable energy to “keep the lights on” on the broadest scale without disruption, together with a long-term financing proposal for the project. Although they are targeting an initial implementation France, they see it as broadly applicable. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/06/vgv-20130602.html Keystone XL alternative hits a political wall in British Columbia. The British Columbia government Friday formally opposed an oil sands pipeline that would run to Canada's western coast, putting a major barrier in front of a conduit considered a chief alternative to Keystone XL. In a written submission to a joint review panel assessing Enbridge's Northern Gateway -- which would carry oil sands crude across Canada from Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia, if built -- the province said "it cannot support the project as presented to the panel because Northern Gateway has been unable to address British Columbians' environmental concerns." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982134/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Holding Its Own vs. Nonhybrids. The Lexus GS 450h, redesigned for the 2013 model year, demonstrates how far Toyota has come in the two decades it has spent trying to electrify the automobile. The company’s goal, which seemed a bit of a stretch in the early 1990s, was to make electrified vehicles that were better than comparable vehicles powered by conventional internal-combustion engines. Otherwise, Toyota’s leaders believed, no one would have a reason to buy one. This shapely GS 450h suggests that it has met that goal. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/automobiles/autoreviews/a-lexus-holding-its-own-vs-nonhybrids.html Electric cars are getting as cheap as gasoline rivals. The Times test drives the Nissan Leaf, Fiat 500e and Honda Fit EV to see how they stack up in the race to go green. What would it take to get you into an electric car today? Forced by state regulators to sell more zero-emission vehicles, automakers are tripping over each other to offer consumers rock-bottom lease deals. For the first time, electric vehicles are penciling out cheaper than their gas-powered counterparts. Honda joined the price war this week by dropping the lease on its Fit EV from $389 to $259 a month. Posted. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/01/autos/la-fi-0601-hy-autos-electric-cars-20130531 Ford recalling 465,000 vehicles for fuel leaks. Ford is recalling about 465,000 cars and SUVs because the fuel tanks can leak and cause fires. The global recall affects the Ford brand's Fusion, Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Police Utility and Police Interceptor. Also covered are the Lincoln MKS, MKT and MKZ. All the vehicles are from the 2013 model year. Ford says a connector from the fuel tank to the fuel line is the source of the leak. Customers could smell gas or see a leak on the ground. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23376881/ford-recalling-465-000-vehicles-fuel-leaks?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com HIGH-SPEED RAIL Judge weighs arguments over California high-speed rail plans. Five years after voters approved Proposition 1A, a $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond measure, attorneys spent Friday morning arguing whether plans for the train system comply with the law. Lawyers for Kings County and two of its residents are convinced that a financing plan delivered to the state Legislature in November 2011 fails to live up to the ballot measure's provisions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/01/5462806/judge-weighs-arguments-over-california.html GREEN ENERGY EPA tightens limits on power use by televisions. U.S. EPA is tightening its requirements for power use in televisions. The agency's newest version of Energy Star television and display specifications -- which went into effect Saturday -- is expected to further increase energy efficiency and save consumers billions of dollars, industry experts said. As it stands, televisions that meet the Energy Star criteria are on average 40 percent more efficient than regular models, saving American consumers up to $3.5 billion a year on energy bills and reducing carbon emissions equivalent to those from 4.5 million vehicles, a study by EPA showed. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982102/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Environmentalists’ Complaint Exposes Rift Between ‘Green’ Certification Groups. The legal watchdogs at the Federal Trade Commission have been trying to police the proliferating — and often false — claims in recent years that products are “green” or “environmentally friendly.” The agency recently brought cases against Amazon.com, Macy’s and Sears, Roebuck & Company for selling clothing purportedly made of bamboo fiber that was really fashioned from rayon, a decidedly ungreen material. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/us/complaints-abound-in-green-certification-industry.html?ref=earth OPINIONS How to Play Well With China. PRESIDENTS Obama and Xi Jinping will meet in California for two days starting this Friday. It’s about time. New sources of friction are constantly appearing in the relationship between the United States and China: trade disputes, tension over North Korea, debates over curbing carbon emissions, allegations of cyberattacks by China. Having survived re-election, President Obama can shrug off charges of appeasement and treat a rising China with the care it deserves. China, with its leadership transition, has a fresh start, too. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/opinion/sunday/how-to-play-well-with-china.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 The climate change guilt trip. The battle against global warming should not be about judging people's every choice. A friend recently returned from a camping trip in the Sierra Nevada. His eyes shone as he described the opalescent sky, the vitality of wildlife in spring and the fun he'd had playing with his two young daughters during the mellow evenings. It had been a really good trip, an experience to treasure, he said. I casually asked how long it took to get there. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-turner-climate-change-20130602,0,6053461.story Editorial: State toxics agency could use a cleanup. Apparently, Caltrans isn't the only state agency that needs thorough scrutiny. Evidence is mounting that the state Department of Toxic Substances Control could use a good scrubbing as well. The Bee's Jim Sanders reported Thursday that the agency has spent more than $100 million in public money since 1987 to clean up 1,700 contaminated sites across California, but has yet to bill the polluters. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/01/5462469/state-toxics-agency-could-use.html#storylink=cpy Uncertainties about climate change are many and varied. I am always amazed when newspaper columnists profess to know more about carbon dioxide emissions and climate change than scientists and engineers working in the field. The latest example is Eugene Robinson's diatribe, "Obama alone can steer climate change policy," in which Robinson states, "For the record, and for the umpteenth time, there is no great amount of uncertainty about whether the planet is warming or why." There are several problems with Robinson's argument, chief of which is this: If the planet is warming and if carbon…Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_23356340/uncertainties-about-climate-change-are-many-and-varied Governor's global warming policy needs close look. If you listen to Jerry Brown, you would think he was one of the foremost proactive climate change leaders around. At UC Berkeley last week, he said, “the changes in our climate are…, soon to be irreversible” (May 20th, 2013). . On May 23rd, the Sacramento Bee reported that Governor Brown “complained bitterly” that “the news media ignores climate change.” Naturally, you would think he would proudly lead in implementing AB 32, this state’s pioneering climate law to address global warming. Right? Wrong. http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=11h874emcl1d9up&xid=11h86dvw36pd2cn&done=.11h874emcl1l9up# Editorial: Safety is latest worry about California bullet train. Take "The Little Engine That Could," remove the hero's underdog charm and the inevitability of a happy ending, and you've got the saga of the California bullet train as the project nears the scheduled start of construction next month. It thinks it can, it thinks it can. Planners think it can get over a mountain of legal, financial and procedural worries, the latest being a red flag about safety and quality in a major contractor's proposal. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_23369328/editorial-safety-is-latest-worry-about-california-bullet Carbon Cap & Trade Builds Global Momentum. Policymakers in Washington, D.C. might be mired in the politics of intransigence, especially when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, but California and nine U.S. states in northeast aren't. They are taking action by implementing carbon cap & trade auctions to begin to reign in emissions of the climate-altering greenhouse gas, which just climbed past 400 parts per million (ppm) in Earth's atmosphere - a concentration not seen in literally millions of years. Posted. http://evworld.com/focus.cfm?cid=150 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2013 14:02:36 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for June 4, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 4, 2013. 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 China says rural environment problems worsen in 2012. Pollution in China's vast countryside worsened further in 2012 as a result of the encroachment of industry and mining on farmland and an expansion of animal husbandry, the environment ministry said on Tuesday. Pollution has emerged as one of the biggest challenges facing China's ruling Communist Party and its newly appointed leaders, with the government acknowledging that poor air and water quality has become a major causes of unrest. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/china-environment-idUSL3N0EG22K20130604 U.K. Lawmakers Rebuke Cameron in Favor of Early Carbon Goal. Lawmakers in Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition this week plan to rebel against the government in favor of setting pollution targets earlier, a measure industry groups say would hurt the economy. Some members of the ruling Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties plan to join with the Labour opposition in demanding the government set by April 1 a target for removing most carbon emissions from power generation by 2030. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-02/u-k-lawmakers-rebuke-cameron-in-favor-of-earlier-pollution-cuts.html Registration open for lawnmower exchange program. Southern California residents can register to get up to 75 percent in savings with the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s popular Lawn Mower Exchange Program. Now in its 11th year, the program does good for wallets and air quality by allowing residents to trade an old, highly polluting gas-powered lawn mower for a high performance, environmentally friendly cordless electric model. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130603-riverside-registration-open-for-lawnmower-exchange-program.ece CLIMATE CHANGE UK lawmakers reject tough CO2 cut target for power sector. British lawmakers on Tuesday rejected an amendment to the UK coalition government's Energy Bill which would have locked the power sector into tough carbon cuts from 2014, two years earlier than planned, and limited new gas plants being built after 2020. Britain wants to explore the potential of shale gas to stem its rising dependence on imported gas and the vote comes just one day after it was estimated that UK shale gas resources could be a lot higher than previously thought. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/us-britain-energy-bill-idUSBRE9530SR20130604 China Sticks to Carbon-Intensity Target, Dismisses CO2 Cap. China’s Chief Climate Negotiator Su Wei reaffirmed his nation’s commitment to lower emissions relative to economic output while dismissing reports that it will adopt an absolute cap on greenhouse gases. The Financial Times and Independent newspapers both said last month that China is looking to introduce a cap in 2016. The Independent cited a proposal by the National Development and Reform Commission, the economic planning agency where Su works. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-04/china-sticks-to-carbon-intensity-target-while-dismissing-co2-cap.html San Diego Foundation gets $425,000 climate grant. The San Diego Foundation received a $425,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation to help fund climate planning programs, officials announced Monday. The money will support workshops, training and technical assistance to help San Diego communities adapt to projected impacts of climate change. The Kresge Foundation is a $3 billion private, national institution that aims to influence quality of life for future generations in environment, arts, health, education and other areas. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/03/san-diego-foundation-climate-change-grant/ Rising Sea Level Tied to Faster Melt. Accelerated melting of polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers was the driving factor behind a rise in the global sea level of 16.8 millimeters, or about two-thirds of an inch, between 2005 and 2011, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Geoscience. The findings are consistent with observed longer-term trends, but the study encompasses only a few years of observations, limiting its conclusions, scientists said. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324682204578517312171788462.html China, U.S. working together on climate change. Ahead of this week's meeting between China's President Xi Jinping and President Obama, officials from both countries agreed to work on tougher measures to deal with climate change. "On the basis of existing cooperation between the two countries, we will further explore areas and programs with potential for further cooperation," said Xie Zhenhua, China's vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission. Xie and Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy for climate change, are leading the Climate Change Working Group, formed in April. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982184/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY REFINERY BP ditches Calif. refining assets; Chevron boosts petrochemical investment. The refining and petrochemicals industry continues to evolve with one integrated oil giant pulling back from the gasoline business and another doubling down on its investments. BP PLC announced yesterday that it has successfully concluded the sale of its Carson, Calif., refining complex to Tesoro Corp. The deal was previously announced but closed this week. The sale enables BP to raise more cash to help offset expenses related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059982216/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS UK, EU biofuels targets should be revised, UK lawmakers say. Britain should revise its renewable transport fuel target and push the European Union to change its renewable energy goal to limit the use of unsustainable food-based biofuels, a committee of UK lawmakers said on Tuesday. The use of biofuels is under scrutiny because some are thought to displace food production into new areas by forcing forest clearance and the draining of peatland. Such displacement is referred to as ILUC (indirect land-use change). Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/us-britain-eu-biofuels-idUSBRE95300J20130604 COLUMN-Shale, refinery needs make sweet crude less prized: Kemp. In future, light low-sulphur crudes will command a much smaller premium over heavy sour grades, as booming shale production in the United States and growing demand from Asian refineries upend traditional pricing relationships in the physical oil market. Journalists and analysts have traditionally characterised light sweet crudes as "high quality" and heavy sour ones as "low quality," with light crudes more scarce and valuable than their heavy sour counterparts. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/column-kemp-crude-quality-idUSL5N0EG1RM20130604 CORRECTED-U.S. food manufacturers push for end to sugar-to-ethanol program. Food manufacturers and big sugar buyers said on Monday they believe a proposed U.S. sugar-to-ethanol program will cost twice as much as a government estimate and urged Congress to repeal it as part of broader changes in sugar policy. The program, which would allow the government to buy excess sugar and sell it to biofuel manufacturers, stands to cost the U.S. government $100 million in the fiscal year through Oct. 1, said Agralytica food policy consultant Tom Earley on behalf of the Coalition for Sugar Reform. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/sugar-surplus-reform-idUSL1N0EF1QT20130604 Climate Benefits From Natural Gas Seen Hinging on Plugging Leaks. Leaks in the production and delivery of natural gas threaten to undermine the benefits to the climate from expanded use of the fuel in manufacturing, transportation and appliances such as heaters, according to a report. Advanced drilling techniques that are unlocking reserves, promising to supply the U.S. with enough gas for almost 100 years, also trigger stray emissions that must be plugged to achieve national goals, according to a report released today by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, a nonprofit group advocating policies for tougher rules to limit the gases. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-04/climate-benefits-from-natural-gas-seen-hinging-on-plugging-leaks.html Illinois must adopt 'fracking' rules, hire experts. High-volume oil and gas extraction probably won't begin in earnest in Illinois until next year because the state first must adopt rules and hire dozens of new employees to help regulate an industry eagerly pushing into new territory. Gov. Pat Quinn promised a quick signature on a measure the Legislature approved last week that would impose the nation's strictest regulations on hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," …Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Illinois-must-adopt-fracking-rules-hire-experts-4572587.php#ixzz2VGdbs8Pn http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jun/03/illinois-must-adopt-fracking-rules-hire-experts/#ixzz2VGSbjsdf Beshear asks EPA to rethink proposed coal regs. Gov. Steve Beshear is calling for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to rethink proposed greenhouse gas regulations that he said would effectively ban new coal-fired power plants. Beshear made the request in a letter to the EPA last week. The Kentucky Democrat asked the EPA to drop the proposal that would require coal-fired power plants to meet the same emission standards as those that use natural gas or oil. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jun/04/beshear-asks-epa-to-rethink-proposed-coal-regs/#ixzz2VGTS97yu Regulations, costs and disasters put companies on edge, survey says. The oil and gas industry is still worried that government regulations could put the brakes on the shale boom, according to a new survey. Company executives list new regulations and legislative changes as the biggest risk to their operations, slightly above volatile energy prices, according to a review of 100 top oil and gas companies by industry consultancy BDO. Despite pipeline capacity shortages out of fast-growing oil and gas fields…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059982199/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Cost of electric cars dropping to gas equivalents. What would it take to get you into an electric car today? Forced by state regulators to sell more zero-emission vehicles, automakers are tripping over each other in California to offer consumers rock-bottom lease deals. For the first time, electric vehicles are penciling out cheaper than their gas-powered counterparts. Honda joined the price war this week by dropping the lease on its Fit EV from $389 to $259 a month. It threw in collision and vehicle theft coverage, maintenance, roadside assistance — even a charging station at your house. Posted. http://cars.chicagotribune.com/fuel-efficient/news/chi-cost-of-electric-cars-dropping-to-gas-equivalents-20130603 DOE takes fresh look at needs of fuel cell-powered cars. In its push for putting zero-emission cars on the road, the Department of Energy is launching new programs to study the infrastructure needed to run vehicles on hydrogen. "Recently, there's a renewed focus on getting these technologies out on the road and into the hands of consumers," said Daniel Dedrick, hydrogen and fuel cell program manager at Sandia National Laboratories. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982188/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY COLUMN-Solar, biomass push out offshore wind in EU targets: Wynn The European Union's three biggest member states are developing solar power, biomass and other renewable energy technologies in place of plans for offshore wind, according to data on actual versus projected deployment. Offshore wind is at an early stage of commercialisation and is more expensive than most renewable energy, which may be contributing to a switch to alternatives to meet targets under the EU renewable energy directive. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/column-wynn-eu-renewable-idUSL5N0EF3AP20130604 Solar plane lands successfully in St. Louis. A solar-powered plane attempting to fly across the United States has landed at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The Solar Impulse landed about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday after a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. It's the first attempt by a solar plane capable of being airborne day and night without fuel to fly across the U.S, at a speed of about 40 mph. The plane started its flight in Northern California on May 3 and flew to Phoenix. It left Phoenix on May 22 and landed the next day in Texas. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/04/2746240/solar-plane-lands-successfully.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Carbon monoxide detectors, door locks among school facility bills moving on. Lawmakers moved a bill late last week that would require schools to install carbon monoxide warning devices – but narrowed its reach to only new construction coming after January of next year. Meanwhile, legislation was approved by the Senate that requires schools modernizing or upgrading classrooms to install locks that can be triggered from inside as a condition of receiving state funding. Posted. http://www.siacabinetreport.com/articles/viewarticle.aspx?article=3839 Meeting set on new Ark. environmental laws. Legislators passed new air pollution control regulations and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality is to hold a meeting on how to implement the new law. The agency is to conduct a hearing at 1 p.m. Friday at ADEQ headquarters in North Little Rock. The meeting is open to the public but officials have specifically invited parties that will be affected by the new law, along with environmental groups. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Meeting-set-on-new-Ark-environmental-laws-4573874.php#ixzz2VGct06oA OPINIONS High-speed rail project's safety is the latest worry. Take "The Little Engine That Could," remove the hero's underdog charm and the inevitability of a happy ending, and you've got the saga of the California bullet train as the project nears the scheduled start of construction next month. It thinks it can, it thinks it can. Planners think it can get over a mountain of legal, financial and procedural worries, the latest being a red flag about safety and quality in a major contractor's proposal. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_23379271/mercury-news-editorial-high-speed-rail-projects-safety Is Fracking in Orange County's Future? Signal Hill Petroleum — an oil company with drilling operations in Los Angeles County — has been quietly obtaining permits in seven Orange County cities to conduct a geophysical survey that could help identify new oil reserves. Oil extraction is not a new phenomenon in the county. Huntington Beach, for example, has been dotted with oil pumps for decades, some of which are within earshot of City Hall and residential neighborhoods. Posted. http://www.voiceofoc.org/oc_north/article_2aa179b6-cc5d-11e2-910e-0019bb2963f4.html BLOGS Keystone opponent Tom Steyer warns Obama to reject pipeline or face backlash. Billionaire and climate activist Tom Steyer has written an open letter to President Obama, warning him to reject the Keystone XL pipeline or face an organized rebellion from some of his most loyal supporters later this month. On Friday, Canada’s British Columbia province informed a federal review board it opposes the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, which aims to export crude oil from Canada’s oil sand region to Asia via tankers. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/06/03/keystone-opponent-tom-steyer-warns-obama-to-reject-pipeline-or-face-backlash/?wprss=rss_politics http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2013/06/03/tom-steyer-to-obama-nix-keystone-because-were-ready-to-step-up-pressure-on-you/ Microsampling Air Pollution. Near the corner of Tillary and Jay Streets in Brooklyn, Michael Heimbinder stood near a blue mailbox, head down, poking at his smartphone. A graph appeared: a single line plotting ambient carbon monoxide exposure in the neighborhood. Minutes later, he ran over to an idling Honda Pilot and held a small, black sensor to its tailpipe. On his phone, carbon monoxide levels, predictably, jumped off the chart. A woman opened the car door and said, “Can I help you out?” Posted. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/microsampling-air-pollution/ A New Way to Harvest Wind Energy at Sea. With Department of Energy backing, a small offshore wind turbine was launched into Maine waters on Friday. The novelty is that this is the first floating, yet grid connected, offshore wind tower in North America. The platform was designed and built by the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center and some partners. The structure is somewhat similar in concept to floating oil drilling platforms. Matt Wald has more context and details in the story linked in my Twitter item below. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/a-new-way-to-harvest-wind-energy-at-sea/ Putting a collar on carbon prices. When it was launched in 2005, the European Union cap and trade program for greenhouse gases (known as the Emissions Trading System or EU-ETS) was a bold and important step in addressing climate change. But from the beginning, the EU-ETS has often been a painful learning experience, much of the learning by politicians: – A high probability of a price collapse in the first compliance period (2005-2007) was completely foreseeable, because the permits for that period couldn’t be carried over for use in later years (“banked”), so they had no residual value. Posted. http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/putting-a-collar-on-carbon-prices/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 5 Jun 2013 13:33:00 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 5, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 5, 2013. 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 Dim GOP enthusiasm for cap-and-trade bill in 2009 even dimmer now. First in a two-part series on lessons learned from the 2009 "American Clean Energy and Security Act." The carbon dioxide cap-and-trade bill that passed the House in June 2009 did so with scant Republican support -- but if it came to the floor today, the GOP tally might be zero. The five GOP supporters of the measure by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) who are still roaming the halls of the Capitol…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1059982203 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Los Angeles air pollution drops after tailpipe laws. Los Angeles air pollution - and its infamous eye sting - have declined due to California's strict vehicle emission controls, scientists have said. Despite a three-fold rise in the number of vehicles on southern California roads since 1960, air pollution there has decreased, a study found. That includes peroxyacetyl nitrate, known to irritate the eyes, the US government study found. The study "confirms" vehicle regulations worked, its author said. Posted. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22772933 http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/transportation/tailpipe-emissions-changes-make-las-air-better.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jun/04/study-los-angeles-smog-pollution-on-the-decline/ CLIMATE CHANGE Mine-dependent Mongolia to push renewables as climate change bites –president. Mongolia, which is banking on a mining-led investment boom to develop its economy, is aiming to turn itself into a regional renewable energy hub as it tries to fight off the pressures of global warming, the country's president said. "Mongolia is regarded as one of the centres of this region for wind power. We have high mountains and the Gobi. We have great potential to generate power," President Tsakhia Elbegdorj told reporters. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/05/mongolia-mining-idUSL5N0EH11720130605 Shell CEO Calls for Europe Carbon Reduction Target Extension. Royal Dutch Shell Plc Chief Executive Officer Peter Voser said Europe needs to extend its targets for curbing greenhouse gases and promoting renewable energy by a decade through 2030. “To actually change things you need time and we are a little bit concerned if you have a short-term target,” Voser told reporters today in London. “We favor one target, which sets action with greenhouse gas.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-05/shell-s-voser-calls-for-european-renewable-target-extension.html UCR: British researcher says humans changing oceans. Andy Ridgwell, a professor of Earth system modeling in the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, will give a free public talk at UC Riverside on Wednesday, June 5. The hour-long talk — “The geological record of ocean acidification” — will begin at 4 p.m. in Room 205/206, Winston Chung Hall. “Ocean acidification has emerged as one of the top concerns on the long list of human impacts on climate and the environment…Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130604-ucr-british-researcher-says-humans-changing-oceans.ece Democrats change climate message to focus on disaster costs. Freshman Rep. Scott Peters was involved locally in California's ambitious climate efforts before arriving in Congress this year. Now he's willing to set climbing temperatures aside so he can make a case to Republicans and Democrats for increased disaster funding, whatever's causing the catastrophes. The San Diego Democrat believes there are a few patches of common ground in the hyperpartisan House around the impacts of climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982302/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY When it comes to clean technology, the West Coast leads – report. While Congress and the White House remain mostly gridlocked over the best path toward long-term energy security and sustainability, states and metropolitan areas are adopting policies to reduce their residents' dependence on fossil fuels. They are trying to foster an energy economy built around new technology, innovation and efficiency. That's the finding of the latest "U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index," an annual assessment of how states and cities are responding to the country's most pressing energy challenges…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982270/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CO2 emissions cost more than predicted 3 years ago -- White House. Each ton of carbon dioxide released into the Earth's atmosphere carries a heavier cost to the economy, human health and the environment than previously thought, according to an assessment released yesterday by the Office of Management and Budget. The analysis by 12 agencies, including U.S. EPA and the Department of Energy, takes a second look at the federal government's 2010 attempt to estimate the social cost of carbon dioxide, a number that is used when calculating the costs and benefits of carbon dioxide regulations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059982336/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Nevada Votes To Close Coal Plant. The Nevada Assembly voted Monday night to order the shut down of a coal-fired power plant northeast of Las Vegas that supplies the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) with electrical power. The Reid Gardner Generating Station near the Moapa Paiute reservation has long been criticized for its contribution to southwestern air pollution. The Nevada Assembly voted 53-10 to approve SB 123, which would direct NV Energy to shutter the 557-megawatt Reid Gardner plant completely by 2017, with three of the plant's four units closing next year. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/coal/nevada-votes-to-close-coal-plant.html Insight: Clouds gather over Mexico's proclamation of new oil dawn. The vast Ku Maloob Zaap oil field is the jewel in the crown of Mexico's oil industry, pumping one in every three barrels of crude the country produces, at some of the lowest costs in the world. But behind the luster, state oil monopoly Pemex quietly expects a gloomier future for the aging field, leaving a big gap in supply and casting serious doubt on its public proclamations of a new era of oil growth. In the main control center on the KU-S platform…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/05/us-mexico-oil-insight-idUSBRE9540ZB20130605 VEHICLES Indonesia approves cheap, green car tax incentives. Indonesia said on Wednesday it has approved tax exemption for the production of low-cost, low-emission cars, a long-awaited move that should be a significant boost for Toyota Motor Corp and Daihatsu Motor Co Ltd joint ventures in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Both Japanese producers have local tie-ups with Astra International Tbk PT, which dominates Indonesia's fast-growing auto market, and already have production facilities in place for so-called low-cost, green cars, or LCGC. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USL3N0EH2CK20130605 Rush to lightweight cars boosts adhesive makers. From Pritt stick in school bags to Audi sports cars, adhesives have come a long way since natural gums and resins, and new high-tech variations are currently top of the list for carmakers as they seek ways to make cars lighter and tougher. For auto suppliers like Henkel (HNKG_p.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and PPG (PPG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) providing tailor-made adhesives that can absorb the shock of a crash and reduce rattles allows them to push for higher prices - and make more profits. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/05/us-automotive-glue-idUSBRE9540JT20130605 Toyota recalls 242,000 Prius, Lexus hybrids for brake problems. Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it has issued a voluntary recall of about 242,000 of its popular Prius hybrid sedan because of brake pressure parts that could crack and slow down stopping times. The recall includes a small number of the Lexus HS 250h hybrid vehicle. About 91,000 of the cars involved in the recall were sold in North America. The recall involves model year 2010 cars. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-toyota-recalls-prius-hybrid-20130605,0,7143446.story New York And Maine Delay Implementation Of New Catalytic Converter Standards. AAIA received a letter on May 21 from Jared Snyder, assistant commissioner for the Office of Air Resources, Climate Change & Energy in the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), announcing that the agency will delay enforcement of the June 1 implementation of six NYCCR Part 218-7.2 (c), adopted standards for new aftermarket catalytic converters. Posted. http://www.aftermarketnews.com/Item/114366/new_york_and_maine_delay_implementation_of_new_catalytic_converter_standards.aspx GREEN ENERGY Oil-rich Kazakhstan kickstarts 'green revolution' for energy. Oil-rich Kazakhstan will spend 1 percent of annual output every year until 2050 to increase power generation from greener sources, a senior official said, cutting its dependence on coal far faster than some of the world's big polluters. The Central Asian country, the world's ninth largest by area but populated by just 17 million people, holds about 3 percent of the global recoverable oil reserves. However, its fast, oil-propelled growth hinges on high oil prices. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/05/us-kazakhstan-energy-idUSBRE9540VM20130605 Power companies want help on prices to keep clients in Europe. Europe's squeezed utility firms say they cannot cut prices to stop their big industrial clients moving to the United States, where fuel costs around a quarter as much. Losing the business of heavy energy users, such as chemical giants, cement and steel makers, could force the power companies to put up prices for households, hurting consumer budgets and making it harder for Europe to spend its way out of recession. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/05/utilities-cost-idUSL5N0EE04K20130605 Close to Its Home, Walgreen Tests Energy-Saving Ideas. As the Walgreen Company expands its sales items to fresh salads, Redbox DVD rentals and digital photo scanners, among other products, its consumption of power keeps inching up. While the company cannot significantly reduce its electricity use in all stores immediately, it is building an experimental “net zero energy store” just north of Chicago that it hopes will produce more energy than it consumes. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/realestate/commercial/walgreen-builds-a-zero-net-energy-store.html?pagewanted=all Ways to make your rental more 'green'. The "go-green" movement isn’t new to everyone, but the real financial and other positive impacts that simple changes can make is still not common knowledge to many property owners and managers. We all know the conventional steps: turning off the lights, shutting off the faucet in between uses and so forth. But most people don’t realize that there are many other easy ways to cut the excess and maximize savings. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/04/rental-green-energy-costs-cut-reduce-electricity/ UC Merced Connect: Campus' green efforts recognized. UC Merced earned a silver rating under the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System initiative of the Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education. That program tracks the sustainability efforts of campuses across North America. The STARS self-assessment program is the result of an effort to develop a standardized instrument to measure progress toward sustainability goals. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/04/2746079/uc-merced-connect-campus-green.html#storylink=cpy EU Solar Duty May Spur Short-Term Imports as Deal Sought. Tariffs imposed by the European Union on Chinese solar panels are lower than expected and may drive up imports for the next two months while officials pursue a trade agreement, renewable-energy developers said. The European Commission yesterday announced provisional anti-dumping duties of 11.8 percent on photovoltaic products from more than 100 Chinese manufacturers, an initial rate that may increase more than fivefold in August. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-04/eu-solar-duty-may-spur-short-term-imports-as-deal-sought.html Can renewable energy standards be changed to protect against all-encompassing blackouts? State renewable standards could be tools for keeping the power on at critical facilities like hospitals during extreme weather events like Superstorm Sandy, according to a new report. Because 29 states have such standards in place, and there is a precedent for adding adjustments to them, they are an obvious potential choice to establish new mechanisms for improving the nation's outdated infrastructure and vulnerability to blackouts…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982301/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 2012 saw strong solar growth as utilities became major players – report. Reinforcing earlier data on solar energy's promising growth, an upcoming report from the nonprofit Interstate Renewable Energy Council shows that 2012 saw an 80 percent increase in U.S. solar installation capacity over the previous year, and solar accounted for about 12 percent of total new capacity. "Between wind and solar together, about half of the new electric capacity in the United States is renewable generation,"…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982283/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Vernon battery recycler Exide seeks a second chance with toxic regulators (Timeline). A battery recycling plant shut down in April by state regulators wants to reopen. Exide Technologies in Vernon suspended operations by order of the Department of Toxic Substances Control. The agency was concerned about arsenic and lead leaking into the air, water and soil around Exide's plant. At a hearing that begins Monday, Exide will make its case as to why it thinks the department's decision was wrong. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/06/03/37535/vernon-battery-recycler-exide-seeks-a-second-chanc/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 NOAA names new head of Climate Program Office. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration yesterday announced that it had appointed Wayne Higgins as head of the agency's Climate Program Office. Higgins, who will take over the position July 28, said he was looking forward to making the office more effective at addressing what NOAA calls the "societal challenge projects" of climate impacts to water, coasts, marine ecosystems and weather extremes. Higgins hopes to connect the Climate Program Office's activities more closely with the stakeholders that use its research and data. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982285/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS An obscure new rule on microwaves can tell us a lot about Obama’s climate policies. What does zapping a frozen burrito in the microwave have to do with tackling climate change? Quite a bit, it turns out. Last week, the Department of Energy announced a little-noticed update to its energy-efficiency standards for microwave ovens. And there was a surprise buried in the fine print: The agency is now using a significantly higher figure for the “social cost of carbon” in calculating the benefits of the rule. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/05/what-an-obscure-microwave-rule-says-about-obamas-climate-plans/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2013 13:51:06 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for June 6, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 6, 2013. 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 Poor ventilation in California classrooms may make kids ill, researchers say. It's a crisp, clear day, and you decide to throw open the windows to let the fresh air inside. Good thinking, health experts say. But when it comes to public schools, a majority of California elementary classrooms monitored for a new indoor air study failed to meet minimum state health standards for ventilating classrooms. In the largest study of its kind, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers tracked the outdoor ventilation rate in 162 classrooms. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/06/5475120/poor-ventilation-in-california.html Your Place: Dander, black carbon polluting the air. You think tree pollen has been in great quantity this spring? An environmental research firm hired by Honeywell looked into what air purifiers had captured over two months in houses in Los Angeles and New York City and this is what was found: Black carbon - emission sources include diesel engines, vehicles, and residential heating. Heavy metals - trace metals include aluminum, chromium, nickel, tin and lead, a known neurotoxin. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/06/5475948/your-place-dander-black-carbon.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/06/2749800/your-place-dander-black-carbon.html#storylink=cpy http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/06/3330279/your-place-dander-black-carbon.html Options offered to prevent So. Cal fire pit ban. A proposed ban on fire pits at Southern California beaches has made more than a few people hot under the collar. But it may not happen. The Orange County Register ( http://bit.ly/11lEB2n) says regulations that stop short of a ban will be presented this week to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. A board vote could come next month. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/06/5476182/options-offered-to-prevent-so.html#storylink=cpy http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/06/3330363/options-offered-to-prevent-so.html Biomass power plant settles pollution violations. The operator of a biomass power plant on the Mississippi River in Cassville will pay $150,000 to settle air pollution violations. DTE Stoneman and the state Department of Justice have signed the agreement in Grant County Circuit Court. DTE Energy Services, of Ann Arbor, Mich., bought the plant in 2008 and later converted it from coal to biomass, including burning renewable wood waste. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Biomass-power-plant-settles-pollution-violations-4578741.php#ixzz2VSMEnYxP Invention backed by EPA just might make you a regulator. Inventor David Kuller is out to fix the most basic -- and, he says, most flawed -- of human actions. Breathing. "Very few people, outside of those studying yoga, are concerned with their breath," Kuller said. "But there's so much we can learn from the breath about our body. I think there's a movement of people learning how to breathe better, and we want to be at the pilot of that." The Obama administration agrees and has laid down a hefty bet that Kuller can help people breathe smarter. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2013/06/06/stories/1059982419 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE S.D. foundation gets climate-change grant. The San Diego Foundation has received a $425,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation to help fund programs addressing climate change. The money will support workshops, training and technical assistance aimed at helping San Diego communities adapt to projected impacts of shifts in climate. The Kresge Foundation is a $3 billion, private institution working to improve quality of life for future generations in areas such as the environment, arts, health and education. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/06/tp-sd-foundation-gets-climate-change-grant/ Researchers develop tool to set cost and emissions targets for energy sources. Climate change is an intractable problem, but not impossible to solve. There are a number of approaches, from sucking greenhouse gases from the air to switching to zero-emissions energy sources that could avert disaster. Yet the world's population continues to grow and use more energy, so policymakers have to place their bets on what technologies will pan out without bankrupting themselves in the process. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982365/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY USDA launches new efforts to help farmers adapt to climate change. Field-baking droughts, pine-beetle outbreaks, massive wildfires and other consequences of climate change have spurred the Agriculture Department to introduce new measures to cut greenhouse gases and make U.S. agriculture more resilient. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced three new programs to address climate change yesterday, following on actions earlier this year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982384/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Rule Is Working, Study Says, but Threats Loom. California is replacing oil with cleaner-burning fuels in cars and trucks, thanks to a landmark low-carbon fuel rule, according to a recent report. But the rule's fate is uncertain amid legal chaos and a shortfall in the production of clean biofuels. The report, conducted by researchers at the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, said California drivers saved more than two billion gallons of gasoline in the two years since the launch of the rule…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-06/california-s-low-carbon-fuel-rule-is-working-study-says-but-threats-loom.html Natural-Gas Price Break May Aid Motor-Fuel Use: Chart of the Day. Cars, trucks, trains and ships will increasingly run on natural gas after the fuel’s price broke a traditional link with crude oil, according to Edward L. Morse, Citigroup Inc.’s head of global commodities research. As the CHART OF THE DAY shows, the price of gas for immediate delivery dropped 32 percent at the Henry Hub in Erath, Louisiana, since 2010. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-06/natural-gas-price-break-may-aid-motor-fuel-use-chart-of-the-day.html EPA to investigate efforts to reduce methane leaks. The Environmental Protection Agency's Inspector General plans to investigate what actions are being taken to reduce methane leaks from natural gas pipelines. The IG says in memo dated Monday that they will review data and interview EPA staff, environmental groups, industry associations, and scientists. There's no estimate of when the investigation will be complete. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/EPA-to-investigate-efforts-to-reduce-methane-leaks-4579525.php#ixzz2VSLs7615 VEHICLES Lufthansa Tests Electric Taxiing to Reduce Fuel Spending. Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA), Europe’s second-largest airline, is testing electric ground-handling vehicles at Frankfurt airport to help cut a fuel bill that reached a record 7.39 billion euros ($9.7 billion) in 2012. Lufthansa is taking part in a 15.7 million-euro project at the airport, Europe’s third busiest by passenger numbers, to use electric service vehicles such as pusher tugs for plane taxiing, and to upgrade landing gear, Germany’s Transport Ministry said in a statement. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-05/lufthansa-tests-electric-taxiing-to-reduce-fuel-spending.html Oak Ridge lab announces breakthrough with high energy-density car battery. Safe, low-cost, energy-dense batteries are widely considered to be the holy grail in furthering low-carbon energy use. Making high-performance batteries has proved elusive, but scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory claim they've made a breakthrough. The Oak Ridge lab announced yesterday it has designed and tested a completely solid lithium-sulfur battery with about four times the energy density of comparable lithium-ion battery technology. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982380/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL California high-speed rail's choice: Price or quality in building first leg? The leaders behind California's $69 billion bullet train face a stark choice Thursday: Should they save a hundred million dollars or more by hiring a contractor with the poorest qualifications or pick a more expensive firm they think would do a better job? Bullet train critics say the state will pay more in the long run by hiring a Southern California firm that came in with the lowest bid but has a history of cost overruns. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_23398404/california-high-speed-rails-choice-price-or-quality?source=rss&utm_source=feedly GREEN ENERGY Mongolia Opens $122 Million Wind Farm With Aim to Cut Pollution. Mongolia is scheduled to start operations at its first wind farm this month, a $122 million project that’s the biggest power plant in 30 years and part of a government effort to cap pollution cloaking the capital city. The 50-megawatt facility developed by Clean Energy LLC using 31 turbines from General Electric Co. (GE) is located on a wind-raked ridge about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of Ulaanbaatar. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-06/mongolia-opens-122-million-wind-farm-with-aim-to-cut-pollution.html House built by youth expected to achieve highest green standard. AKRON, Ohio -- At one time, the participants of YouthBuild Akron were considered underachievers. Now they're about to attain one of the highest achievements in their field. The young adults recently finished renovating a house on Akron, Ohio's Garfield Street that is expected to achieve LEED Platinum status, the highest level of certification offered under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/06/2750035/house-built-by-youth-expected.html#storylink=cpy Mass. touts high rankings in clean energy tech. A research and consulting firm has ranked Massachusetts second in the country in clean energy technology. California was the only state above Massachusetts in the 2013 U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index's overall clean technology rankings. The rankings are done by Clean Edge Inc., which credited the state for — among other things — its commitment to energy efficiency and early stage technology development. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Mass-touts-high-rankings-in-clean-energy-tech-4578088.php#ixzz2VSIVkGwJ U.S. utilities grow renewable energy but lack incentives for efficiency. Electric utilities in Oregon, California and Texas led the nation last year in green power sales using voluntary programs in which customers pay a premium to receive electricity produced using clean sources, according to Energy Department figures released yesterday. The No. 1 utility for total green power sales was Portland General Electric, with 834,125 megawatt-hours, according to data compiled by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982362/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DuPont extends, expands 2012 agreement with Chinese solar company. DuPont Co., a U.S. chemical company, announced yesterday that it has signed a second one-year, $100 million agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese solar giant Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., which includes the installation of a solar plant at one of DuPont's facilities in China. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982363/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Feds back California on JPMorgan energy trades. In a case with echoes of Enron and the energy crisis, California officials won a fight with a Wall Street power trader Wednesday over millions of dollars’ worth of disputed electricity trades. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that traders at JPMorgan Chase & Co. improperly manipulated California's energy markets between 2009 and 2011. The decision was a victory for the California Independent System Operator, the Folsom entity that runs the state's transmission grid and oversees spot-market electricity trades. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/06/5475151/feds-back-california-on-jpmorgan.html#storylink=cpy The Cap-and-Trade Program & Data Centers: Encouraging Efficiency or Suffocating Investment? The West Coast's Largest Event for the Data Center Industry, DatacenterDynamics Converged San Francisco, Will Explore the Relationship Between California's Cap-and-Trade Program and Data Centers -- Does It Encourage Efficiency or Suffocate Investment? Now in its 8th year, DatacenterDynamics Converged San Francisco has become the largest event for the Data Center industry on the West Coast. Posted. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/cap-trade-program-data-centers-encouraging-efficiency-suffocating-investment-1799140.htm http://finance.boston.com/boston/news/read?GUID=24365873 OPINIONS Solar energy is a poor substitute for carbon tax. Re "Bills advance that could have big impact on solar" (Editorials, June 3): Climate change is one of the most urgent problems in the world. The Bee has written many good articles about the imminent dangers from climate change. However, the action now that is the most important is for Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature to tax carbon. The bills referred to in this editorial regarding solar energy will not make very much impact in reducing carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/05/5471698/solar-energy.html#storylink=cpy Viewpoints: Climate debate is settled; carbon tax is vital. Last month, a team of international citizen scientist volunteers published the results of a survey of more than 12,000 peer- reviewed climate science papers published over the past two decades. They found that among climate research that takes a position on what's causing global warming, 97 percent agree that humans are responsible. Surprisingly, the survey found that the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming had already formed in the early 1990s, and has steadily grown stronger since then. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/05/5471547/climate-debate-is-settled-carbon.html#storylink=cpy An end-run with clean energy funds. Gov. Brown wants to take money from the Clean Energy Job Creation Fund and dole it out to school districts and community colleges without regard to their needs or plans. Approved by voters in November, Proposition 39 is expected to raise close to $1 billion a year by eliminating a tax break enjoyed by some multistate businesses. The money, however, comes with a significant string attached: For the first five years, half of it must be spent on projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse emissions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-prop39-funding-20130602,0,1936247.story Science of global warming not in dispute. Even though fewer and fewer scientists remain skeptical about global warming every year, a letter writer ("Seeing the worst in recent events," May 30) insists that there is no science behind the global warming phenomenon. He has no perception of the time frame to which he refers. Forty years ago, the global cooling trend he refers to was projected to occur after the warming trend, over thousands, perhaps millions of years. Posted. http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Science-of-global-warming-not-in-dispute-4580448.php#ixzz2VSLUtEOo Climate change: let's bury the CO2 problem. How often have you read that we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve the problem of climate change – shortly followed by frustration and disappointment? People might expect me, as a climate scientist, to be disappointed by the failure of the attempt by the MP Tim Yeo to set an ambitious decarbonisation target in Tuesday's debate on the energy bill. But I'm not. Not because I don't think it is possible, or even desirable: get climate policy right… Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/05/bury-co2-problem-capture-store-carbon BLOGS Congress hates carbon pricing. The rest of the world doesn’t. The idea of slapping a price on carbon to reduce emissions and tackle global warming is moribund in Congress for now. But that’s not the case elsewhere in the world. A big new World Bank report (pdf) finds that more than 40 national governments and 20 sub-national governments have either put in place carbon-pricing schemes or are planning one for the years ahead. That includes either carbon taxes or some form of cap-and-trade. Here’s a map of the countries that are planning the latter: Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/04/congress-hates-carbon-pricing-the-rest-of-the-world-doesnt/ United planes to fly on advanced biofuel. United Airlines on Tuesday announced it has committed to buy at least 15 million gallons of cleaner-burning renewable jet fuel from a Los Angeles-based refinery, marking a potentially major breakthrough in the commercial aviation industry’s quest to pare carbon dioxide emissions. United is planning to use the advanced biofuel on flights out of its Los Angeles hub beginning next year. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/06/04/united-planes-to-fly-on-advanced-biofuel-2/ AIR QUALITY: Citizens can now collect pollution data. The implications are huge. Tech-savvy citizens can now bring attention to pollution in neighborhoods, school campuses and other places that might otherwise escape the notice of regulators. I can think of several places in the Inland Empire where community-level data would be help clarify the implications of living with some of the worst air in the United States. I’d first look at data from neighborhoods near freeways, rail yards and factories. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/category/environment/ Not Your Granddaddy's Garbage Burners: Why Burning Waste for Energy Fights Climate Change. When we think of climate change deniers, tea partiers and republicans often come to mind. But some of the most troubling stumbling blocks to reducing greenhouse gases come from urban liberals and left-leaning environmental groups who oppose burning municipal solid waste to produce energy. In California, when new Waste To Energy plants (WTEs) are proposed, they run into buzz saws of liberal opposition. Consequently, California leads the nation in landfilling, at 28 million tons. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shawn-lawrence-otto/why-burning-trash-is-envi_b_3393445.html?view=print&comm_ref=false Wildfire Smoke A Rising Health Concern With Climate Change. Suffocating smoke blew into the streets and schools of Cashmere, Wash., in September -- the billowing byproduct of wildfires blazing in forests surrounding the town and a harbinger of what experts say is a public health threat that increases with climate change. "Everyone was in third period," ninth-grader Hugo Pina told Seattle's KING 5 News. "We were all studying. Students said their heads hurt. They couldn't breathe." Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/05/wildfire-smoke-health-climate-change_n_3391277.html Carbon pricing is catching on around the globe — just not in Washington, D.C. More than 40 national governments and 20 states or other “sub-national” governments are now charging polluters for emitting greenhouse gases, or plan to start in the coming years, according to a new report from the World Bank. The U.S., of course, is not one of the countries with a national cap-and-trade plan or carbon tax, but California and parts of New England are pushing ahead despite Congress’ refusal to act. Posted. http://grist.org/news/carbon-pricing-is-catching-on-around-the-globe-just-not-in-washington-d-c/ Arctic summers could be nearly ice-free in seven years. Everybody get ready to grab your swimsuit and head north. The latest melting projections by government scientists suggest that the Arctic could be nearly ice-free during summer in seven years — or maybe even sooner. But before you get all excited about the novelty of taking a dive into waters that once harbored year-round ice, we should warn you that the seven-year thing is a worst-case scenario. Posted. http://grist.org/news/arctic-summers-could-be-nearly-ice-free-in-seven-years/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2013 12:48:14 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 7, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 7, 2013. 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 EU Proposes Lowest Allowed Limit for Imported Carbon Credits. The European Union’s regulatory arm proposed to set the quota for international carbon credits at the lowest level allowed by law after imports aggravated a record glut of permits in the EU emissions-trading system. Participants in the world’s biggest carbon market will be entitled between 2008 and 2020 to use United Nations’ credits totaling up to 11 percent of the EU permits granted to them for free in 2008-2012, according to a draft regulation published by the European Commission yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-06/eu-proposes-lowest-allowed-limit-for-imported-carbon-credits.html The Cap-and-Trade Program & Data Centers: Encouraging Efficiency or Suffocating Investment? Now in its 8(th) year, DatacenterDynamics Converged San Francisco has become the largest event for the Data Center industry on the West Coast. Speakers will include David Gauthier from Microsoft, Thomas Furlong from Facebook and Jonathon G. Koomey, Ph.D., Stanford University. At the start of this year, California became the first state to put a price on carbon emissions. The Cap-and-Trade program, part of California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), forms a core part of that state's ambitious energy policy targets. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130606-909253.html?mod=googlenews_wsj AIR POLLUTION Aftermarket exhaust systems bring $500,000 fine from California air board. The California Air Resources Board has fined Santa Fe Springs-based Vance & Hines Performance LLC $500,000 for violations of air quality laws related to the sale of illegal aftermarket motorcycle exhaust systems in the state. ARB said a late 2012 investigation found that Vance & Hines sold, advertised and offered for sale motorcycle exhaust systems that replaced original emissions-critical components, such as catalytic converters. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/06/5477150/aftermarket-exhaust-systems-bring.html#storylink=cpy Ameren can't transfer pollution waiver to Dynegy. Ameren Corp. cannot transfer a waiver from pollution controls at five coal-fired power plants when it sells the plants to Dynegy Inc., the Illinois Pollution Control Board said Thursday. Houston-based Dynegy announced in March that it would acquire Ameren's Illinois coal plants, and wanted to assume a pollution-control waiver that gave Ameren a five-year delay in installing soot-control equipment required by state rules. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Ameren-can-t-transfer-pollution-waiver-to-Dynegy-4583735.php#ixzz2VYErPob5 Spare the Air alert called for Friday in the Bay Area. The second Spare the Air alert of the summer season has been called for Friday as high temperatures are expected to brew unhealthy concentrations of smog in the Bay Area. "We are about on track. This is about normal for what we'd see at this time of year," said Lisa Fasano, spokeswoman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. "But with the way the weather pattern is looking this weekend, we're watching it very closely. We may also have to call it for Saturday and Sunday." Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23405549/spare-air-alert-called-friday-bay-area?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23405549/spare-air-alert-called-friday-bay-area?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com CLIMATE CHANGE Washington state hires climate consultant to shrink greenhouse gases. A legislative workgroup chaired by Gov. Jay Inslee voted unanimously Tuesday to hire a Virginia-based climate consultant to examine Washington State’s options for reducing greenhouse gases that are contributing to global climate change. The Climate Legislative and Executive Workgroup is tasked with figuring out the best way for Washington to meet its goal of slashing greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 –…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/06/5476707/washington-state-hires-climate.html#storylink=cpy Deadline near to apply for climate money. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service has set a June 14 deadline for California farmers and land stewards to apply for the Conservation Stewardship Program. The program is designed to provide conservation benefits, including improvement of water/soil quality, wildlife habitat enhancement and adoption of conservation practices addressing climate change. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/07/5478280/deadline-near-to-apply-for-climate.html#storylink=cpy Wash. U gets 300K for climate research. Washington University in St. Louis has been awarded a federal grant of about $300,000 for climate research. The Environmental Protection Agency said in a release Wednesday that Washington University is among 13 institutions receiving a share of $4.3 million for climate research aimed at helping the federal government improve its air quality management and climate change models. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Wash-U-gets-300K-for-climate-research-4586034.php#ixzz2VYEP7skN Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez Advances New Statewide Energy Procurement Policy. Sacramento, California - Today, Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez put forth a legislative proposal for a new coordinated approach to state energy procurement that emphasizes affordability and reliability, while helping the state meet its greenhouse gas emission goals and improve air quality through the enhanced use of renewable energy. “Currently energy procurement in California is guided by multiple policies that have disconnected goals related to greenhouse gas emission reductions, environmental protection, and the economy,” explained Pérez. “The state needs a clear, unified policy that coordinates these goals, while addressing the real system needs of affordability and reliability.” Posted. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/4432-perez-advances-new-statewide-energy-procurement-policy.html A climate scientist and a meteorologist call for linking climate change and extreme weather. In the past few years, the world has seen, as Rutgers climate scientist Jennifer Francis put it, "a smorgasbord of wacky weather." Droughts in England, floods in England. Nor'easter after nor'easter in the U.S. Northeast. Snow extending down to the warm south coast of the Mediterranean. Swimsuit weather in March across the United States last year. Extreme flooding in Europe in past years and this week. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982461/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS COLUMN-Scaling-up shale: Kemp. Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are transformative technologies, but their eventual impact on global oil and gas supplies depends on whether the production techniques pioneered in just a handful of shale plays in the United States can be replicated in others around the world. So far the evidence remains thin. Only a tiny number of shale wells have actually been fractured outside North America. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/07/column-kemp-shale-idUSL5N0EJ23W20130607 Schools Addressing Students' Fossil Fears Without Divesting. Divesting university endowment holdings from fossil fuel companies may be technically and financially difficult, and schools considering doing so in response to student campaigns may want to consider alternatives, investment professionals say. Colleges and universities that have started divesting from fossil fuel companies say despite the difficulties, it is possible and that doing so is consistent with their schools' values even if the action does not directly affect large electric, oil, and gas companies. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-05/fossil-fuel-divestment-difficult-for-schools-yet-alternatives-exist.html Canadian Utility Finds a Use for Detroit’s Pile of Oil Sands Byproduct. In something resembling a bottle return program, Detroit’s enormous petroleum coke pile, a byproduct of Canadian oil sands, is making its way back to Canada. A Canadian electrical power plant, owned by Nova Scotia Power, is chipping away at the three-story-high, blocklong pile of petroleum coke on Detroit’s waterfront. The company is burning the high-carbon, high-sulfur waste product because it is cheaper than natural gas. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/business/huge-petroleum-coke-pile-making-way-back-to-canada.html Californians uneasy about fracking's safety, lack of oversight. More than 70% of voters favor banning or heavily regulating chemical injections into the ground to tap oil and natural gas, a USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll finds. As energy companies seek to plumb vast reserves of underground oil in California through the controversial drilling technique known as fracking, voters are concerned about its safety and uneasy with the state's lack of oversight, according to a new poll. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poll-fracking-20130607,0,7466494.story http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-la-now-live-fracking-poll-20130606-dto,0,4871479.story Oil rises above $95, tracking stock market. The price of oil jumped back above $95 Friday, following stock markets higher after the U.S. government reported that May was another month of steady job growth. In morning trading in New York, benchmark oil for July delivery was up 87 cents to $95.63 a barrel. The oil market's initial reaction to the report from the Labor Department was negative. Oil fell as low as $93.72 a barrel after the jobs numbers came out. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/07/5479145/oil-falls-below-95-after-us-jobs.html#storylink=cpy California Company Launches Industry-First Alternative Fuel for Trucks. The performance of a new clean-burning alternative fuel for heavy duty trucks will soon be tested in California. San-Diego-based Oberon Fuels has developed a process to convert biogas or natural gas into a clean burning fuel called dimethyl-ether or DME. DME is sulfur-free and generates no harmful particulate matter. Oberon will test DME’s performance in heavy-duty commercial Volvo trucks driven by Safeway for operations in the San Joaquin Valley. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/06/06/california-company-launches-industry-first-alternative-fuel-for-trucks/ http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/06/5477332/volvo-trucks-to-commercialize.html#storylink=cpy Court rules California’s LCFS will remain in effect. On June 3, California’s Fifth District Court of Appeal handed down a provisional ruling in the lawsuit filed by Poet LLC against the California Air Resources Board in regard to the state’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) program. According to court documents, the LCFS will continue to operate. Poet originally filed the lawsuit in January 2012. It alleges that the environmental impacts of the LCFS were not adequately studied, and therefore the program should be discontinued. Posted. http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/9921/court-rules-californiaundefineds-lcfs-will-remain-in-effect http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/9147/recent-lcfs-court-ruling-wont-have-much-impact-on-biodiesel Coal may not regain its dominance in the electricity sector – study. While coal consumption by U.S. electric utilities has rebounded from 2012's historic low levels, a new analysis from SNL Financial suggests that coal will not regain its dominance among energy fuels as utilities and independent power producers gravitate toward natural gas, wind, solar and other alternate fuels to meet U.S. electricity demand. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982446/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Drilling damages the environment, groups say; fracking not so much. Environmental groups conceded in comments sent to Congress that there's little or no proof that hydraulic fracturing, defined as one step in the broader process of producing shale oil and gas, has contaminated drinking water. Oil and gas production made possible by the fracturing, or fracking, process, however, has caused widely documented damage to public health and the environment, they said, particularly water contamination. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059982448/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Germany in new push against EU car emissions plan-draft. Germany has put forward a fresh proposal on regulating carbon dioxide limits for cars sold in the European Union, which campaigners say is a last-ditch attempt to dilute a new emissions law. Germany has been pushing for months for greater flexibility in implementing an emissions goal of 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g/km) as an average across new EU vehicles from 2020. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/07/eu-cars-idUSL5N0EI3RP20130607 UPDATE 2-U.S. auto recovery cushions Johnson Matthey profit drop. A recovering U.S. auto market cushioned catalyst maker Johnson Matthey's drop in annual profit, sending its shares to an all-time high as it forecast steady progress due to tougher rules on vehicle emissions. Johnson Matthey, the world's largest maker of catalysts that control vehicle emissions, was badly hit by the impact of weaker metals prices on its division that refines, markets and distributes platinum - used in catalytic converters - and other precious metals. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/06/johnsonmatthey-results-idUSL5N0EI0EG20130606 Plug is pulled on electric car booster's meeting with Obama. Paul Scott got an invitation to a DNC fundraiser in Santa Monica and hoped to tell the president about the merits of electric cars. But the invitation was rescinded and his large donation returned. If history dwells at all on President Obama's trip this week to California, it will probably be because of his Friday meeting in Rancho Mirage with President Xi Jinping of China. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-electric-car-20130607,0,6461561.story?track=rss U.S. trails in building fueling stations for hydrogen-powered cars. Hyundai Motor Co. rolled out the first 15 of its hydrogen-powered ix35 sport utility vehicles headed to Copenhagen this week. But part of the news for U.S. drivers interested in the technology was the fact that the event was in Europe and not here. The reason could be summed up in one word: infrastructure. Europe has it for this kind of demonstration; the U.S. does not. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-hydrogen-fuel-stations-20130605,0,3199910.story Toyota adds some pizazz to its typically plain-vanilla Corolla. The redesigned compact gets more aggressive styling, more room and more standard features as Toyota tries to keep it atop the hyper-competitive small-car segment. What do you do with a car that is approaching sales of 40 million globally since its introduction 47 years ago? Don't mess it up, and don't forget the competition. That sums up the challenge for Toyota in launching the 11th generation of its workhorse Corolla sedan, the economy-car equivalent to Ford's Model T. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-autos-toyota-corolla-20130607,0,2527257.story Strong demand for electric vehicles leaves supplies short. If you've been enticed by the recent spate of cheap lease deals on electric cars, good luck finding one. Southern California dealers are seeing heavy demand for battery-powered cars, now leasing for as little as $199 a month. Fiat's new 500e has waiting lists even though it hasn't hit dealer lots. And Honda dealers have already sold out of the Fit EV since a $259 lease was announced Thursday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-electric-cars-sold-out-20130605,0,2362712.story HIGH-SPEED RAIL California bullet train project lurches ahead as contractor chosen. California moved a step closer to building a high-speed train line on Thursday, when a state commission chose a contractor to handle construction of the route's first leg from Merced to Fresno in the state's breadbasket. The rail line, a major priority of California Governor Jerry Brown, would send passengers hurtling through the state's fertile San Joaquin Valley as they zipped from San Diego to points north, eventually including Sacramento and San Francisco. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/06/us-usa-california-rail-idUSBRE9551BI20130606?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rail-contract-20130607,0,1301519.story?track=rss http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23405434/california-high-speed-rail-approves-cheapest-firm-start?source=rss&utm_source=feedly http://capradio.org/4446?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalPublicRadioLatestNewsRSS+%28Capital+Public+Radio%3A+Latest+News+RSS%29 http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=247570 GREEN ENERGY Bill Would Sweeten Loans for Energy-Efficient Homes. Home buyers purchasing energy-efficient properties could qualify for larger mortgages than their incomes would normally allow under a Senate bill reintroduced Thursday with broad real estate industry support. The measure would allow lenders to include projected energy savings from efficiency upgrades when measuring the borrower’s income against expenses and the value of the home against the debt. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/business/senate-bill-sweetens-loans-for-energy-efficient-homes.html?src=rechp&_r=0 Edison will shut down the San Onofre nuclear plant for good. Southern California Edison announced Friday it would shut down the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant. The move comes 17 months after the San Onofre plant was closed because of problems in steam generator systems. The plant powered about 1.4 million households in Southern California before the outage. Until now, Edison had vowed to restart the plant. But the company released a statement Friday saying it would stop the process to fire up the plant. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-edison-closing-san-onofre-nuclear-plant-20130607,0,7920425.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/07/5479205/calif-utility-says-it-will-retire.html http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Calif-utility-will-close-troubled-nuclear-plant-4586342.php Why is San Onofre nuclear plant closing? How much will this cost? Southern California Edison's decision to close the San Onofre nuclear power plant comes after problems with the steam generators. Q: What was the problem at San Onofre? High vibration and other issues degraded about 8.7% of the tubes in the replacement steam generators at San Onofre and led to a leak of radioactive water in one generator, according to the manufacturer of the generators. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-why-san-onofre-nuclear-plant-closing-cost-20130607,0,885030.story Renewables in progress, but not fast enough. Renewable energy technologies have had their successes. The average cost of a solar power system has fallen by 31 percent in the past two years. Solar now generates six times more electricity in the U.S. than it did a decade ago, and wind produces 14 times more. Most major automakers offer some type of electric vehicle. And this success has come despite the fact that renewable energy’s major benefit — that it doesn’t pollute — is given little or no value in the marketplace because most governments haven’t adopted taxes or penalties for fossil fuel pollution. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/07/tp-renewables-progress-but-not-fast-enough/ Bill would raise renewable energy target to 51% by 2030. California lawmakers are considering a major boost in the state's renewable energy targets. State Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez (D) on Wednesday added language to a bill that would require the state's utilities to get 51 percent of their electricity from renewable energy by 2030. The current target is 33 percent by 2020, which utilities are on their way to meeting (ClimateWire, Jan. 15). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982463/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Calling for compromise around a 'most of the above' energy plan. Instead of an "all of the above" U.S. energy policy as President Obama and others support, what about a "most of the above" strategy? That is the formula advocated by Michael Levi, director of the energy security and climate change program at the Council on Foreign Relations, in his newest book, "The Power Surge." The strategy implies a willingness of energy developers and environmental advocates and their political allies to look for common approaches to the greatest energy and environmental challenges and opportunities, while setting aside less crucial parts of their agendas. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059982468/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Exclusive: John Woolard steps down as CEO of BrightSource Energy. John Woolard is stepping down as CEO of Oakland-based BrightSource Energy, the solar thermal company he has led for seven years. Woolard's departure, effective last Friday, has been under discussion for several months, he and other company officials told this newspaper, and comes as the privately held company pivots from being primarily a developer of California-based projects to a solar thermal technology provider in partnership…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_23404932/exclusive-john-woolard-steps-down-ceo-brightsource-energy CI Climate Science Institute and Camp to Unite Students, Teachers and Climate Experts. CSU Channel Islands (CI) will hold its second Summer Climate Science Institute and Camp, which will bring together NASA scientists, climate science experts, local teachers and students for seven days of learning about climate change and the science behind it. The Teacher Institute kicks off Monday, June 24. Eighteen science teachers from the Oxnard Union High School District…Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jun/07/ci-climate-science-institute-and-camp-to-unite-stu/ Cost of getting Apple employees out of their cars? $35 million. Getting Apple workers out of their cars doesn't come cheap. The Mac maker plans to spend $35 million a year as part of its "transportation demand management" program, according to the economic impact report that set the tech world abuzz yesterday. A TDM is a system companies use to reduce the number of its employees' single-occupancy auto trips. That includes shuttle systems, transit subsidies, bike sharing, and so on. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/06/05/cost-of-getting-apple-employees-out-of.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sanjose+%28Silicon+Valley+%2F+San+Jose+Business+Journal%29 OPINIONS Editorial: State should use carbon funds to cut emissions. Voters have sent a clear message on California's leadership role in reducing energy emissions and costs. By a 22-point margin, voters in 2010 rejected an oil industry-led voter initiative that sought to roll back implementation of the landmark Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The money from four cap-and-trade auctions a year – February, May, August and November…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/07/5477915/state-should-use-carbon-funds.html#storylink=cpy Another View: A sweet deal on solar for consumers. In an editorial ("Bills advance that could have big impact on solar," June 3), The Bee asked again: "Does (California) want to make solar energy available to all residents of the state at reasonable prices, or does it want to side with the utilities, which worry about more change to their business model?" We'd like to set the record straight. PG&E believes that California should absolutely have more solar at reasonable prices. The change we worry about isn't to our business model. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/07/5477918/a-sweet-deal-on-solar-for-consumers.html#storylink=cpy Households should get all proceeds of a carbon tax. Re "Climate debate is settled; carbon tax is vital" (Viewpoints, June 5): It is nothing new that the vast majority (97 percent) of climate scientists agree that fossil fuel pollution is causing climate change around our planet. It is long past time for rational people to support nationwide action to prevent the worst effects of human-caused climate change. The article discusses the advantages of a revenue-neutral carbon tax and dividend approach. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/07/5474942/97-is-nothing-new.html#storylink=cpy Viewpoints: Money grab would hurt state's climate cause. If you listen to Jerry Brown, you'd think he was one of the foremost climate change leaders around. At UC Berkeley's May graduating class speech on May 20, he said, "the changes in our climate are … soon to be irreversible." On May 23, The Bee reported that Gov. Brown "complained bitterly" that "the news media ignores climate change." Naturally, you would think he would proudly lead California's effort to reduce our climate pollution. Right? Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/07/5477910/money-grab-would-hurt-states-climate.html#storylink=cpy Review: Best picks among newly cheap electric cars. What would it take to get you into an electric car today? Forced by state regulators to sell more zero-emission vehicles, automakers are tripping over one another to offer consumers rock-bottom lease deals. For the first time, electric vehicles are penciling out to be cheaper than their gas-powered counterparts. Honda joined the price war last week by dropping the lease on its Fit EV from $389 to $259 a month. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/07/5479028/review-best-picks-among-newly.html#storylink=cpy China and the U.S.: a little big summit. President Obama and China's new leader, Xi Jinping, convene this week in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for their first face-to-face discussion as presidents. It is a summit without precedent in Sino-American relations. Both leaders agreed to informal discussions very different from the highly structured agendas generally associated with presidential meetings. Detached from the diplomatic protocol and elaborate preparations of most summits and physically far removed from both capitals, the two days of meetings have a very different objective. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/07/3332233/china-and-the-us-a-little-big.html BLOGS In Japan, electric vehicles seem to have run out of juice. Japan -- a leader in the development of electrically powered vehicles -- has largely failed to fall for so-called EVs. Not that the Japanese don't care about CO2 emissions. Millions of dollars have been spent by the state to promote greener alternatives to the internal combustion engine, while hybrid car purchases remain the highest in the world. Last year a whopping 40% of Toyota's (TM) sales in Japan were hybrids. Posted. http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2013/06/03/in-japan-electric-vehicles-seem-to-have-run-out-of-juice/ 2014 Ford Fiesta gets fuel economy bump to 41 mpg. The 2014 Ford Fiesta is in showrooms now with refreshed styling and new performance ST model, but it's what isn't yet available that should help the Fiesta stand out from the growing crowd of subcompacts. Aside from the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost model coming later this year, Ford recently told us that a new Fiesta SFE trim level is on the way that should put the updated Fiesta at the top of its class for fuel economy. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/06/07/2014-ford-fiesta-gets-fuel-economy-bump-to-41-mpg/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:50:21 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 10, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 10, 2013. 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 RESOURCES BOARD ARB fines Yamaha Motor Corporation for violating air regulations. California's Air Resources Board (ARB) announced yesterday that it has fined Yamaha Motor Corporation $44,625 to settle violations of California air pollution regulations. The penalties were imposed after Yamaha notified ARB about violations related to portable generators and all-terrain vehicles. The subject equipment may be familiar to Bakersfield residents and those who enjoy off-roading and camping in Kern County's recreational areas. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-fines-yamaha-motor-corporation-for-violating-air-regulations Akrapovic America fined $88,000 for illegally modified motorcycle exhausts. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced yesterday that Akrapovic America LLC, was fined $88,000 for air quality violations related to the sale of illegal aftermarket motorcycle exhaust systems in California. Bakersfield and Kern County racing enthusiasts may be familiar with the Akrapovic brand and its history in motorcycle racing. ARB investigators discovered that Akrapovic sold replacement motorcycle exhaust systems that replaced critical components such as catalytic converters. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/akrapovic-america-fined-88-000-for-illegally-modified-motorcycle-exhausts Motorcycle manufacturer fined $175,000 by Air Resources Board. California's Air Resources Board announced yesterday that it had fined Piaggio Group Americas, Inc. $175,000 for violating state air pollution regulations. The violations were associated with the company's Aprilia brand of motorcycles. Aprilia is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of motorcycles and scooters. According to a quick search of local dealers, however, Bakersfield motorcycle enthusiasts may need to travel to Fresno or Simi Valley to find the nearest Aprilia dealer. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/motorcycle-manufacturer-fined-175-000-by-air-resources-board AIR POLLUTION UN Climate Goals Possible With Efficiency Measures, IEA Says. Improving energy efficiency is among four policies that the International Energy Agency said can help achieve emissions cuts needed to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The measures would reduce energy-industry emissions by about 3.1 billion metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent compared with a business-as-usual scenario, the Paris-based adviser to 28 developed nations said in an e-mailed report. The reduction is about 80 percent of what’s needed by the end of the decade to meet the United Nations goal of keeping global temperatures within 2 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-10/un-2020-climate-goal-possible-with-efficiency-measures-iea-says.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-10/un-2020-climate-goal-possible-with-efficiency-measures-iea-says.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/10/iea-emissions-idUSL5N0EM1V320130610 http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/carbon-dioxide-emissions-rose-14-percent-in-2012-iea-report-says/2013/06/09/35d32bac-d123-11e2-8cbe-1bcbee06f8f8_story.html http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/06/10/report-global-carbon-emissions-hit-record-high http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/10/iea-energy-emissions-rose-to-record-high-in-2012/ L.A.-Long Beach Area Has Worst Ozone Pollution In U.S. Three California cities - Long Beach, Los Angeles and Riverside - once again have the highest level of ozone pollution of any metropolitan area in the country. The Long Beach-L.A.-Riverside metro was No. 1 on the list of Top 10 Most Ozone-Polluted Cities in the American Lung Association's 2013 State of the Air rankings. This metro area has topped the list for the worst ozone pollution in the country for 13 of the 14 years the report has been issued. It came in fourth on the list of the Top 10 Cities Most Polluted by Short-Term Particle Pollution (soot). Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23426074/l-long-beach-area-has-worst-ozone-pollution#ixzz2VpiL3trU French Air Traffic Controllers Set to Strike. Air traffic controllers in France have planned three days of strikes beginning Tuesday, and their counterparts in several other European countries were expected to take more limited labor action this week, to protest a plan by the European Commission to accelerate the integration of air traffic management systems across the Continent. France’s civil aviation authority made contingency plans over the weekend, asking airlines serving the country’s airports in Paris, Lyon, Nice, Marseille…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/business/global/french-air-traffic-controllers-set-to-strike.html?_r=0 PERRIS VALLEY LINE: Environmental group says it’s not trying to kill project. A small Riverside environmental group that persuaded a judge to halt a 24-mile commuter rail line maintains it isn’t trying to kill the $232.7 million project, but make it friendly to the environment and neighborhoods. Three members of Friends of Riverside’s Hills said this week they are willing to negotiate a compromise with the Riverside County Transportation Commission, the regional agency planning the Perris Valley Line, to pave the way for certifying a crucial environmental impact report and launching construction. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130609-perris-valley-line-environmental-group-says-its-not-trying-to-kill-project.ece BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY California Achieves Cleaner Air Despite Having More Cars. Despite a threefold increase in people and cars in the last 50 years, California's strict vehicle emissions standards have managed to significantly clear the state's air, according to new research. The study also found that Southern California's air chemistry has changed for the better. The amount of organic nitrates in the atmosphere -- which cause smog's eye-stinging irritation -- has drastically fallen off, according to federal researchers. Posted. http://www.governing.com/news/state/mct-ca-achieves-cleaner-air-despite-more-cars.html# CLIMATE CHANGE California Summit Leaves Host of Unresolved U.S.-Sino Issues. Xi also must guard against being seen as overly friendly with the American president, Pei says. Zhu Rongji, who set China on its path to become a global trading power, was often criticized by rivals for being too popular in the West. As the summit ended, an agreement was announced to work together on curbing greenhouse gas emissions, which the White House called “an important new step to confront global climate change.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-09/california-summit-leaves-host-of-unresolved-u-s-chinese-issues.html UN Green Climate Fund Signs Agreement to Set Up HQ in S. Korea. The United Nations Green Climate Fund signed an agreement with South Korea to locate its headquarters in Incheon, west of Seoul. The fund chose South Korea from six bidders last year, according to a statement on the fund’s website. The agreement includes privileges for the fund’s staff, Sung Moon Up, deputy director general at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said by phone today, without giving details. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-10/un-green-climate-fund-signs-agreement-to-set-up-hq-in-s-korea.html Sunnylands: Obama and Xi deepen ties, talk climate change. Wide-ranging talks at an unusual two-day summit allowed President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sketch out plans for a stronger relationship, air their differences and try to prevent future conflicts between the world’s two biggest economies. Both governments said the talks provided valuable face time for the leaders, giving them an opportunity to discuss various subjects, including cybersecurity, concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program and efforts to boost economic cooperation. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306080030&nclick_check=1 President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree to wind down production and use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs. The agreement between President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday to wind down the production and consumption of a class of chemicals commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners could mark a key step toward eliminating some of the most potent greenhouse gases. The United States and roughly 100 other countries have already pledged to seek substitutes. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/president-obama-and-chinese-president-xi-jinping-agree-to-wind-down-production-and-use-of-hydrofluorocarbons-or-hfcs/2013/06/08/92e4d79e-d08f-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982542/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Nuclear plant shutdown to increase California's reliance on natural gas. California's growing reliance on natural gas to fuel its power plants will increase and power prices will remain elevated following Southern California Edison's decision to retire a crippled nuclear power plant. Both reactors at the 2,150-megawatt (MW) San Onofre plant will be permanently closed due to uncertainty over the cost and timing of restarting one of the units, said SCE, a unit of California energy company Edison International, on Friday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/09/us-utilities-sanonofre-natgas-analysis-idUSBRE95802620130609 UPDATE 2-Duke's Indiana Edwardsport coal power plant enters service. Duke Energy Corp's 618-megawatt (MW) Edwardsport coal-fired power plant in Indiana has entered service, the power company said on Monday. Edwardsport cost about $3.5 billion, including financing. Duke, the biggest U.S. power company, said it will be able to recover about $2.6 billion of that cost from its 790,000 Indiana ratepayers. The plant uses an advanced integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology to gasify coal, strip out pollutants, and then burn the cleaner gas to produce electricity. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/10/utilities-operations-duke-edwardsport-idUSL3N0EM2G720130610 Abandoned Oil Wells Raise Fears of Pollution. Amid the dry weeds on a 470-acre ranch here, a rusted head of steel pokes up, a vestige of an oil well abandoned decades ago. Across the field stand two huge, old wooden oil tanks, one of them tilting like a smokestack on the Titanic. “Basically I get 61 acres here I can’t do anything with,” said Stuart Carter, the landowner, who is in a legal dispute with the oil producer operating on part of his ranch over who should clean up the site. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/us/abandoned-oil-wells-raise-fears-of-pollution.html?ref=earth A long cooling-off period for San Onofre nuclear plant. Tearing down San Onofre's two nuclear reactors will be a technically complex job completed over decades. It's likely Southern California Edison will first mothball the plant. Southern California Edison built San Onofre's two nuclear reactors in about nine years, but tearing them down will be a technically complex, multibillion-dollar job completed over decades. It is likely that Edison first will mothball the plant, which under federal rules could keep its imposing imprint on the Orange-San Diego County coastline for another half-century. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-san-onofre-nuclear-20130609,0,3498797.story Turning cow dung into electricity. Dairy farmers have been burned by systems that promise to turn manure into power, but a new generation of digesters could revive this segment of the renewable energy field. Dairy farmer Ron Koetsier's 1,200 cows produce roughly 90 tons of manure daily, and for the last three decades, he has tried unsuccessfully to turn the stinky dung into energy to power his 450-acre farm in Visalia. Posted. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/07/business/la-fi-dairy-digester-20130609 VEHICLES Diesel cars and SUVs make a comeback in California. Once derided as dirty and shunned by consumers, diesel cars have made a comeback in California as green machines. While public attention has focused on flashier technologies like all-electric, hydrogen or hybrid vehicles, registrations for diesel cars and sport-utility vehicles jumped 55 percent in California from 2010 to 2012, according to figures compiled by auto information specialist R.L. Polk & Co. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/09/5480758/diesel-cars-and-suvs-make-a-comeback.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY Pentagon green energy award tops $19 billion in May contracts. The Pentagon bucked the automatic budget-cutting trend last month by going green. The U.S. Defense Department kicked off a renewable energy program with a contract that may reach $7 billion as the Obama administration seeks to curb the military’s fossil-fuel use. The agreement, with initial awards to Munich-based Siemens, Chicago-based Exelon’s Constellation Energy Group and three other companies, topped the more than 240 contracts announced by the military in May, according to federal data. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/pentagon-green-energy-award-tops-19-billion-in-may-contracts/2013/06/08/2056810c-cf7f-11e2-8f6b-67f40e176f03_story.html MISCELLANEOUS Rail Project At Los Angeles Port Draws Environmentalists' Ire. In California, a high-profile lawsuit is seeking to halt construction of a new $500 million rail yard next to the Port of Los Angeles. Activists, including a national environmental group that's spearheading the opposition, say the massive project would mean even more pollution for nearby neighborhoods that already have some of the worst air in the country. The planned Southern California International Gateway is part of a multibillion-dollar effort that aims to ensure that L.A.'s sprawling port doesn't lose business once the expansion of the Panama Canal is completed. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/06/10/189279823/rail-project-at-l-a-port-draws-environmental-group-ire?ft=1&f=1025 OPINIONS End obstruction; support Metrolink extension to Perris. Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.” One organization that needs to pay heed to the old adage is the Friends of Riverside’s Hills. Taking NIMBYism to an extreme, this “environmental” organization actually brought a lawsuit to stop a transit project that has been in the works for more than 10 years. Metrolink, one of Southern California’s biggest success stories, has changed lives by offering an environmentally responsible option for long-term commuters, and a significant number of its riders come from Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/local-views-headlines/20130609-opinion-end-obstruction-support-metrolink-extension-to-perris.ece BLOGS Air polluters like to send their emissions across state lines. If you near a state line, you might be getting an unusually heavy dose of pollution from your neighbors across the border. That’s the conclusion of a working paper by political scientists James Monogan, David Konisky and Neal Woods. They report that air polluting facilities in the United States are disproportionately likely to be located near downwind borders. When the breeze picks up, noxious emissions are hustled out of state and become someone else’s problem. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/09/air-polluters-like-to-send-their-emissions-across-state-lines/ With CO2 Cuts Tough, U.S. and China Pledge a Push on Another Greenhouse Gas. As some environmental analysts had hoped, President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China found room to maneuver on global warming in their California desert retreat. They sidestepped the super wicked issues impeding restrictions of the greenhouse gas of greatest concern, carbon dioxide, and staff released a joint statement on plans to cut releases of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, a potent group of heat-trapping gases. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/with-co2-cuts-tough-u-s-and-china-pledge-a-push-on-another-greenhouse-gas/?pagewanted=print Energy Agency Makes Case for Climate-Wise Energy Steps. The International Energy Agency today released a helpful report that charts four climate-wise (if fairly familiar) actions countries can pursue to make a difference in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2020. There’s a low bar to entry, the agency noted, saying these steps “can deliver significant emissions reductions by 2020, rely only on existing technologies and have already been adopted successfully in several countries.” Here are the four core points, followed by a slide show and related links. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/10/energy-agency-makes-case-for-climate-wise-energy-steps/ Airlines Push for Global Measures to Control Carbon Emissions. Despite the unpopularity of a European aviation carbon emission tax, the world’s airlines are ready to discuss global measures. Last week, airlines called on the aviation authorities to find a way to curb emissions after 2020. The announcement, which calls on the International Civil Aviation Organization, the civilian sky’s U.N. regulating body, to adopt an across-the-board, market-based mechanism to offset emissions…Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/10/airlines-push-for-global-measures-to-control-carbon-emissions/ How fracking companies exploit Amish farmers. It’s no secret that fracking companies engage in some shady behavior. But a report in The New Republic reveals just how low they’ll sink in the rush to exploit natural gas: Energy companies in eastern Ohio — home to the world’s largest Amish population and billions of dollars worth of oil and gas reserves — have been convincing Amish farmers to sign away drilling rights to their land for far less than they’re worth…Posted. http://grist.org/news/how-fracking-companies-exploit-amish-farmers/ A drunk person, a child, and a blind man get into a car. Who’s driving? Cars that drive themselves seemed like science fiction just a few years ago, but recent demonstration projects have shown that the technology is already here. Self-driving car technology, pioneered by Google, has advanced so quickly that its ubiquitous presence on city streets is now simply a matter of time. Boosters say that mass-market autonomous cars are only three to five years away; others estimate at least 10 years. No one doubts they are coming. Posted. http://grist.org/article/a-drunk-person-a-child-and-a-blind-man-get-into-a-car-whos-driving/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:33:49 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 11, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 11, 2013. 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 Economist disputes Obama admin's new, high calculation for carbon costs. A seemingly pedestrian Energy Department rule on microwaves caused a stir last week, using a higher number than before to assess the costs of climate change to society. Yesterday, one economist said the administration still isn't getting it right. Frank Ackerman, a member scholar of the Center for Progressive Reform and a senior economist at …Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982629/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Despite a lot more people and cars, California's air is cleaner. The state's strict vehicle emissions standards have made a significant difference, a study finds. The amount of organic nitrates in Southern California's air chemistry has also changed for the better. Despite a threefold increase in people and cars in the last 50 years, California's strict vehicle emissions standards have managed to significantly clear the state's air, according to new research. The study also found that Southern California's air chemistry has changed for the better. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0610-smog-decreases-20130610,0,2037334.story Lawmakers say keep the fire rings. Lawmakers have backed an attempt to keep the bonfire pits on California’s beaches, approving a resolution extolling the virtues of beach life that includes hundreds of the he decades-old, cement fire rings. The measure by Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach, a former surfer, was speedily passed in the Senate on Monday; it was approved earlier in the Assembly. His Assembly Concurrent Resolution 52 is a statement of the Legislature’s view but has no force in law. Posted. http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=11huj6a5gotdqhf&utm_source=feedly U.S. nears the top of 100 biggest U.S. emitters. Researchers have compiled a list of 100 U.S. companies that emit the most greenhouse gases, the top three of which are giant electricity producers. The fourth-largest emitter is the federal government. American Electric Power Co., Duke Energy Corp. and Southern Co., all of which use huge amounts of coal to generate energy for millions of American customers, are identified as the top three producers of carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982615/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Big Apple may get baked as sizzling southern summers move north. Over the next 40 years, the number of sweltering summer days in New York City could double or even triple, making it as hot in 2050 as Birmingham, Alabama, is now. The sea level surrounding New York is also likely to rise by 2 feet (0.6 meter), jeopardizing lower-lying homes and businesses, according to a report commissioned by the city to be released on Tuesday. It is the first time New York City has updated its projections about the impact of climate change since Superstorm Sandy struck seven months ago. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/11/usa-newyork-heat-idUSL2N0EM1V620130611 Elite Flyers Pressure United Airlines On Climate Change. Some of United Airlines’ best customers say the carrier should stop lobbying against policies designed to cut carbon emissions from the industry. The complaints come just as an international group meets to set standards for airline pollution. Several of United’s elite frequent flyers say the airline isn’t doing enough to fight climate change. United sued to fight Europe’s law requiring airlines pay for carbon emissions. Posted. http://capradio.org/4743?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalPublicRadioLatestNewsRSS+%28Capital+Public+Radio%3A+Latest+News+RSS%29 China gives manufacturing regions a break in carbon emissions reduction calculations – study. If China truly wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the government needs to concentrate policies on production-heavy central and western provinces, according to a new study that finds China is shifting rather than curbing its carbon footprint. The study, published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that 4 gigatons, or 57 percent, of China's emissions comes from goods that are consumed outside of the province where they are produced, like steel or cement. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982630/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS U.S. oil and gas reserves up by a third, new report says. Reserves of oil and gas that can be developed using current technology are 35% greater in 2013 than in 2011, according to a new report by the Energy Information Administration, the research branch of the Energy Department. The rise in estimated domestic reserves to 223 billion barrels of oil equivalents, which include crude oil and gas, stems in large part from the inclusion of reserves found in shale formations. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-oil-gas-reserves-20130610,0,6316827,print.story Legislative Battle Over Fracking Not Over. The legislative battle over more stringent regulation of a controversial method of extracting oil and natural gas in California is far from over. Lawmakers will discuss the issue once again this week. The deadline for all bills to pass their chamber of origin or die has already passed. But last-minute Assembly floor amendments on a bill that would expand public disclosure of fracking chemicals sent it back to committee. Posted. http://capradio.org/4712?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalPublicRadioLatestNewsRSS+%28Capital+Public+Radio%3A+Latest+News+RSS%29 Californians Oppose Fracking, but Some Could Be Bribed with Cheap Fuel. Almost half of Calfornians are opposed to more fracking in the state, according to a poll released Friday, but some of those opposed say they could be bought off with cheaper fuel. According to the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences/Los Angeles Times Poll, 45 percent of Californians opposed an increase in fracking in the state -- until pollsters reminded them of the possibility that fracking might lower the cost of gasoline and natural gas. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/natural-gas/californians-oppose-fracking-but-some-could-be-bribed-with-cheap-fuel.html Oil sands waste leaks are among the major threats to Canada's largest river – study. Canada's Mackenzie River Basin faces severe threats from climate change and economic development, a problem with repercussions for global weather patterns and biodiversity, according to a new report from an international team of scientists. The panel of experts from the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, a California-based think tank, concluded that a potential massive breach of waste from tailings ponds in the Alberta oil sands region is the "largest single threat" to the Mackenzie, which is the largest north-flowing river in North America. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982627/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES States look to tax hybrids to recoup road funding. North Carolina is joining a growing number of states exploring new fees for hybrid and electric car owners to help make up for revenue those drivers aren't paying in gas taxes on their fuel-efficient vehicles. The proposal strikes many owners of alternative-fuel vehicles and some advocacy groups as a wrong-headed approach to balancing priorities of promoting U.S. energy independence with sustainable infrastructure funding. Posted. http://hosted2.ap.org/NCGOL/NC/Article_2013-06-09-Hybrid%20Car%20Fees/id-4c9bcfaceeb64e9a9db5690e81472a2e Electric car charging expenses vary widely, still cheaper than gas. People who drive electric cars pay the equivalent of $1.51 per gallon of gas in fueling expense in California but only 83 cents in North Dakota, according to new federal government figures. The Energy Department data show the wide variability between states in the cost savings for charging electric vehicles. The national average is $1.14. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-car-charging-cost-20130611,0,728918.story GREEN ENERGY Bill Would Require Half State's Power be Renewable. A bill introduced into the California Legislature by an Imperial County Assemblyman would require that all California utilities get 51 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2030. AB 177, introduced by V. Manuel Perez, would also require utilities to make energy conservation and efficiency their first priority. The bill is now being considered by the Assembly's Utilities and Commerce Committee. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/utilities/bill-would-require-half-states-power-be-renewable.html San Onofre closure puts Calif. in hunt for zero-carbon electricity sources. The permanent closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California puts the carbon-conscious state in the hunt for replacement supplies of electricity that don't emit greenhouse gases. The facility, located in north San Diego County, produced 2,200 megawatts of zero-carbon power, enough to juice 1.4 million Southern California homes. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982631/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Battery maker Exide Technologies files for bankruptcy protection. In its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Exide cites the forced suspension of operations at its Vernon lead-recycling plant and other economic factors. Battery maker Exide Technologies filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, citing the forced suspension of operations at its Vernon lead-recycling plant and other economic factors. Exide, one of the world's largest makers and recyclers of lead-acid batteries, said in court papers that since the plant's April 24 closure by state regulators…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0611-exide-bankruptcy-20130611,0,7337767.story California car repair costs among highest in nation, analysis finds. California remains one of the nation's three most expensive states for car repairs, according to a new analysis by CarMD. The finding is based on what it costs, on average, when a driver's "check engine" warning light appears. CarMD’s state-by-state ranking of repair costs was based on detailed analysis of 161,350 repairs on model year 1996 to 2012 vehicles last year. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-california-expensive-car-repairs-20130611,0,7896461.story OPINIONS Letters: Paying for San Onofre. Re "Edison should pay for its own mistakes at San Onofre," Column, June 8. As Michael Hiltzik says, the financial debacle perpetrated by Southern California Edison should not fall on ratepayers' shoulders. It is understandable that "acts of God" are not the fault of a utility, but the mess with the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is man-made, the result of gross incompetence. Who should pay for this? Edison shareholders? The contractors who botched the job? Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0611-tuesday-san-onofre-20130611,0,6377636,print.story Projects funded by cap and trade are ready to cut emissions. Re "State should use carbon funds to cut emissions" (Editorials, June 7): We applaud the editorial board for urging the Legislature and the governor to invest cap-and-trade dollars in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions this year. The voters have consistently shown support for AB 32, and the governor has made the fight against global warming a priority. However, his recent action in the budget suggests that climate change may not be his priority this year. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/11/5486353/cap-and-trade-revenue.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS The IEA thinks we can still avoid 2°C of global warming. Here’s how. For anyone who’s in favor of preventing the planet from heating up, there’s bad news and good news in the latest big report from the International Energy Agency. The somber stuff first: Global carbon-dioxide emissions from energy reached a record high in 2012, after rising 1.4 percent over the past year. The U.S. and Europe did reduce their emissions, but those gains were swamped by growth in China and India. If the current emissions pace continues…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/10/the-iea-thinks-we-can-still-avoid-2c-of-global-warming-heres-how/ Climate change causing Pentagon planning shift, says DOD strategist. One of the Pentagon’s top strategists said climate change is fundamentally altering how the Defense Department (DOD) evaluates future conflict areas. Daniel Chiu, the deputy assistant secretary of DOD strategy, said climate change has the Pentagon thinking about impacts on global food and water scarcity, mass migration and the potential for those issues to ignite clashes around the world. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/304151-climate-change-causing-pentagon-planning-shift-says-dod-strategist#ixzz2VvlYDyy5 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:51:33 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 12, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 12, 2013. 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 Obama Quietly Raises 'Carbon Price' as Costs to Climate Increase. Buried in a little-noticed rule on microwave ovens is a change in the U.S. government’s accounting for carbon emissions that could have wide-ranging implications for everything from power plants to the Keystone XL pipeline. The increase of the so-called social cost of carbon, to $38 a metric ton in 2015 from $23.80, adjusts the calculation the government uses to weigh costs and benefits of proposed regulations. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-12/tougher-regulations-seen-from-obama-change-in-carbon-cost.html http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/527510?type=bloomberg Capitol Alert: Cap-and-trade loan in state budget deal irks environmentalists Gov. Jerry Brown and California lawmakers have cleared the air by announcing a budget accord, but environmental groups are choking on a piece of the deal that would borrow half a billion dollars intended for programs to curtail greenhouse gases. California's fledgling cap-and-trade program auctioned off its first permits in November, following through on a landmark 2006 law…Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/06/11/3064285/capitol-alert-cap-and-trade-loan.html#storylink=cpy Brown: Prop. 39 helps justify disputed $500 million cap-and-trade loan. Gov. Brown said his plan to take $500 million from California's cap-and-trade auction funds -- money that was intended to directly further efforts to fight greenhouse gas emissions -- is a "reasonable accommodation" aided in part by voters' approval last year of a measure to raise corporate taxes. "We had Proposition 39 funding for many of these projects," Brown told a Capitol news conference. The $500 million loan is part of the governor's 2013-14 state budget draft, which was approved Monday by a two-house conference committee. Posted. http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=11hxgpj9azshctn&xid=11hxeq3vjeqluqa&done=.11hxgpj9azsqctn# Budget Agreement Diverts Money From Cap-and-Trade. California’s budget agreement borrows $500-million from the state’s cap-and-trade program. Environmentalists say the maneuver neglects polluted communities. Environmentalists say money from the sale of carbon pollution permits is supposed to go to programs that help further reduce emissions. California Governor Jerry Brown and lawmakers say it will, just not this year. “We’re very upset. We’re very disappointed, says Vien Truong with the Greenlining Institute. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/06/11/budget-agreement-diverts-money-from-cap-and-trade/ AIR POLLUTION Pollution-control equipment breaks down at Delaware City Refinery. Officials say a Delaware City Refinery unit is using backup pollution control after a malfunction that sent a dark plume of smoke billowing from a stack at the plant. A Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control alert says the problem at PBF Energy’s refinery began early Tuesday and involves an energy-recovery and pollution-control system linked to a coker, which controls emissions. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/pollution-control-equipment-breaks-down-at-delaware-city-refinery/2013/06/12/27a62db4-d34d-11e2-b3a2-3bf5eb37b9d0_story.html Regional implications of background ozone focus of House science hearing. If U.S. EPA moves to tighten standards for atmospheric ozone to safeguard health, that could throw a large segment of the country into noncompliance and penalize rural areas where ozone levels have little to do with local emissions, a House subcommittee was told today. The House Science Subcommittee on Environment heard mostly from witnesses critical of any plan by the agency to lower the current ozone limit of 75 parts per billion to 70 ppb or below. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059982741/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE US-China climate deal called "breakthrough" but no long-term cuts yet. China and the United States took a major step in the fight against climate change over the weekend, but what was termed a "breakthrough" might not do much in the longer term to lock in legally binding carbon emission cuts from the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. Still, environmental groups and some U.S. and global policymakers said the agreement could give fresh momentum to the United Nations' arduous process of finalizing a global treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by 2015. Posted. http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/06/11/us-china-climate-idINL2N0EN19620130611 Environmental Rules Delayed as White House Slows Reviews. In one of the signature moments of his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama vowed that if Congress failed to act on energy and climate change, he would use his executive powers to do so. Yet even as he was making this pledge, the White House was blocking several Department of Energy regulations to require that appliances, lighting and buildings use less energy and create less global-warming pollution. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/us/politics/environmental-rules-delayed-as-white-house-slows-reviews.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 US-China climate deal was long in the works. Disparate interests ranging from environmental activists to businesses and industry are lining up to support a first-of-its-kind deal between the U.S. and China to phase out a chemical blamed for climate change. Although it took most proponents by surprise, the deal was in the bag before President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the California desert retreat where they announced it over the weekend. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/12/us-china-climate-deal-was-long-in-the-works/ Kan. school board approves new science standards. The Kansas state school board Tuesday approved new, multistate science standards for public schools that treat both evolution and climate change as key concepts to be taught from kindergarten through the 12th grade. The State Board of Education voted 8-2 on for standards developed by Kansas, 25 other states and the National Research Council. The new guidelines are designed to shift the emphasis in science classes to doing hands-on projects and experiments and blending material about engineering and technology into lessons. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Kan-school-board-approves-new-science-standards-4594375.php One scientist's battle to combat climate change. One morning in early February, climate scientist Ken Caldeira stood ankle deep on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, shielded from the glare in a floppy blue sun hat. He and his research team were pumping the equivalent of antacid over a patch of corals that emerges from the sea at low tide, attempting to re-create the conditions before carbon dioxide emissions from cars and factories began altering ocean chemistry. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Warning-from-climate-science-front-lines-4569221.php FUELS Chevron CEO Says Industry Must Deal With Fracking Concern. Energy producers must deal with the “legitimate concerns” that gas development associated with hydraulic fracturing is unsafe by adopting tougher standards, Chevron Corp. (CVX) Chief Executive Officer John Watson said. BP Plc’s 2010 oil spill at its deepwater well in the Gulf of Mexico -- the worst in U.S. waters -- fueled public skepticism of the industry, Watson said today in Washington. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-11/chevron-ceo-says-industry-must-deal-with-fracking-concern.html Could Genetic Engineering Make Renewable Fuel Cheaper? Wood and straw are among the waste products our society produces in the greatest abundance, so it would be great to find a way to turn them into a clean-burning liquid fuel. There's a fungus that breaks down plant fiber into sugar, but it doesn't do so all that efficiently. Could genetic engineering change that? According to the Department of Energy, American farmers generate about 100 million tons of waste plant matter each year from growing grain crops alone. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/biomass/biofuels/could-genetic-engineering-make-renewable-fuel-cheaper.html VEHICLES Electric vehicles become a patriotic move in Indy. For the Republican mayor of Indianapolis, electric vehicles are not about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving the environment. Gregory Ballard, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War who served 23 years as a Marine before taking office in 2008, says electrifying transportation is necessary to reduce dependence on foreign oil, improve national security and keep young Americans from going to war. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/06/12/stories/1059982710 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Lifetime costs of electric vehicles are competitive with conventional cars – study. The lifetime cost of owning an electric car is comparable to that of owning a conventional or hybrid car, if not lower, according to a new study. Since their introduction in late 2010, the market for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) has grown relatively fast. Yet given the high upfront cost of most electric cars, there have been doubts about how well they'll fare in the auto market in coming years. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982687/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Renewable Energy Investments Shift to Developing Nations. Renewable energy investments are shifting to developing nations as countries from Morocco to Chile pursue power sources that wean them off fossil fuel imports, two studies promoted by the United Nations said. China’s $67 billion of investment in wind, solar and other renewable projects led developing nations to $112 billion of spending in 2012, according to an e-mailed statement today from the UN and other groups involved in the studies. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-12/renewable-energy-investments-shift-to-developing-nations.html The bright spot for the U.S. solar market in 2013: home roof tops. The U.S. market is forecast to install 4.4 GW of solar panels this year, a 33 percent increase from 2012, thanks in part by an expected surge in residential installations, according to a report released Tuesday. The country added 723 MW of solar panels in the first quarter of 2013, up 33 percent from the first quarter of 2012, said the report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/the-bright-spot-for-the-us-solar-market-in-2013-home-roof-tops/2013/06/12/aeed3560-d30c-11e2-b3a2-3bf5eb37b9d0_print.html San Onofre closure will remake local power grid, PUC chief says. The head of the California Public Utilities Commission said Tuesday that the permanent closure of the San Onofre nuclear plant leaves significant unanswered questions about the future energy supply for Southern California, particularly for San Diego and southern Orange counties. "How much we pay for power, how much we need, what kind of summers we have for the next couple of years, these are all matters of some uncertainty," CPUC Chairman Michael Peevey said in a meeting with The Times. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-cpuc-chair-20130611,0,3189452.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Puerto Rico waste-to-energy plan gets key permit. The U.S. government approved a key permit Tuesday that helps pave the way for construction of a waste-to-energy plant in Puerto Rico that local environmentalists have long opposed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded New York-based Energy Answers International an air permit to operate a 77-megawatt facility in the northern coastal town of Arecibo. It would be the U.S. territory's largest recycling plant if approved. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/11/puerto-rico-waste-to-energy-plan-gets-key-permit/ Coal power pollution loses Europe millions of working hours a year. The European economy lost five million working days in 2010 because of illnesses, such as asthma and heart attacks, linked to pollution from coal-fired power plants. That is just one of the stark findings contained in a new report by Stuttgart University, commissioned by Greenpeace International, which calls on the European Union to halt the development of 50 new coal power plants and set binding renewable energy targets for 2030. Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/print_article/bg/news/2274299/coal-power-pollution-loses-europe-millions-of-working-hours-a-year California Smashes Solar Record With 2 GW Generated Across State Grid. California has just set a record for solar power generation, shining new light on the role renewables can play in the state’s clean energy future. Late last Friday, grid operator California ISO (Cal-ISO) announced the state set an all-time solar record just before 1:00 pm when it registered 2,071 megawatts (MW) worth of solar electricity system-wide. This record equaled 5% of Friday’s peak demand of 36,000 MW…Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/11/california-sets-solar-record-of-2gw-generated-across-state-grid/ Environmental Groups Question Rush on Solar Power Project. As a developer of a large-scale solar energy project tries to rush approval by a California state agency, a couple of environmental groups are saying "not so fast." In 2012, BrightSource bought the 500-megawatt Palen Solar project in eastern Riverside County from bankrupt developer Solar Millennium, which planned to use parabolic trough concentrating solar technology. It was given the green light by the California Energy Commission before Solar Millennium went under. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/solar-thermal/groups-question-rush-on-palen-solar.html Natural gas, renewable energy will power the future Texas grid – study. The path to low-carbon electricity generation in Texas will likely require the co-development and integration of both natural gas and renewable energy resources like wind and solar power, a new research report commissioned by the Texas Clean Energy Coalition has found. The white paper, prepared by the Brattle Group for the Austin-based nonprofit, states that despite perceived competition between natural gas and renewable energy resources in Texas…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059982682/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Shale gale is blowing business to wind power in Texas – report. Texas' natural gas boom is proving a boon to the state's substantial wind power energy industry as well, a consulting house concludes in a new report. The Brattle Group, commissioned earlier to assess Texas' expanding power grid and electricity market for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), took aim at comparing and contrasting the state's fleet of natural gas power plants and its massive wind farms. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059982688/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS CORONA: Prado Basin mercury spill reported. A mercury spill was discovered in the ecologically sensitive Prado Basin in Corona, but it took almost six months for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to report the toxic discovery to state officials, according to documents released Tuesday, June 11. More than 9 ounces of mercury was found in a former oil field south of Monica Circle, on the southwestern edge of the basin, officials with Riverside County’s Department of Environmental Health said. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130611-corona-prado-basin-mercury-spill-reported.ece#sthash.vyxapDGJ.dpuf OPINIONS Bloomberg’s race to protect NYC from climate change. The Mall has monuments to heroism, freedom and sacrifice. Pretty soon it will also have a monument to failure. Drive on 17th Street NW, just south of Constitution Avenue, and you’ll see concrete footings, a mound of dirt and jersey barriers — all part of an oft-delayed project to build a floodwall to protect downtown Washington from a rising Potomac River. The flood wall, and similar initiatives elsewhere, amount to tacit acknowledgments that the fight against climate change… Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-bloombergs-race-to-protect-ny-from-climate-change/2013/06/11/5f06265c-d2d9-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_story.html 'Unburnable Carbon' or No, Fossil Fuel Companies Face a Climate Catch-22. Long Eaton Coal PlantWhat happens when your most valuable assets become liabilities? International oil, gas and coal companies may be about to find out. This week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a special update to its annual World Energy Outlook, which reveals that governments face severe challenges if they hope to limit the rise in global temperatures to below the internationally recognized 2 °C target. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/mindylubber/2013/06/12/unburnable-carbon-or-no-fossil-fuel-companies-face-a-climate-catch-22/ BLOGS On climate, a short-term bridge, not a long-term plan. The International Energy Agency (IEA) — an autonomous energy research group supported by 28 industrialized countries, including the U.S — reported on Monday that the world is wildly off-target in its effort — if you can call it that — to limit global temperature rise to only 2 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels. Last year saw the highest level of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions ever…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/06/12/on-climate-a-short-term-bridge-not-a-long-term-plan/ G.M. and BMW Adopt D.C. Electric Car Charging. General Motors and BMW say they are moving ahead with technology that can give electric cars an 80 percent charge in 20 minutes. Charging time is a major problem in a car that can travel only 100 miles or less between charges. Today, electric cars almost always use the existing alternating current power grid for charging, which means that the energy must first be converted from A.C. back into the D.C. format car batteries use to store energy. Bypassing the on-board hardware that does that conversion means avoiding a bottleneck and reducing charging time. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/g-m-and-bmw-adopt-d-c-electric-car-charging/ Enviro Groups Slam Budget's Cap-And-Trade Funds Diversion. The budget deal finalized by Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders Monday night borrows $500 million from California’s cap-and-trade auction revenues, as Brown proposed last month. That’s bad news to environmental groups. California League of Conservation Voters CEO said in a statement that the funds grab was "a particular insult to voters." Bill Magavern, policy director at the Coalition for Clean Air, told the Sacramento Bee that the decision was "disappointing and shortsighted." Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/06/11/california-budget-will-borrow-cap-and-trade-auction-money/ Island in the sun: Why are our cities heating up faster than everywhere else? There are hot islands, there are really hot islands, and then there are urban heat islands [PDF] — cities that are hotter, often considerably, than their more rural surrounds. Sound a little strange? Well, you can tell your foil hat-wearing, climate-denying friends it’s nothing new, having been documented as far back as 1810. Simply put, cutting down all the trees, paving over every inch of earth, burying streams in storm drains, and building enormous structures warms things up a bit. Posted. http://grist.org/basics/island-in-the-sun-why-are-our-cities-heating-up-faster-than-everywhere-else/ This is the longest 100 percent recycled bridge in the country. It’s made of 100 percent recycled materials — detergent and shampoo bottles, car bumpers, dashboards. In fact, it’s the longest recycled bridge in the country. OK, it’s still not very long — only 24.6 feet. But it’s sturdy! And it’s 80 percent post-consumer waste! Impervious to insect infestations and exceptionally durable, the 100 percent recycled bridge is made of materials that will not absorb moisture or rot. Posted. http://grist.org/list/this-is-the-longest-100-percent-recycled-bridge-in-the-country/ Here’s how the world can get on track with climate goals. The world is driving itself into a future of climate hell, but experts say it’s not too late to take the off-ramp. Despite declining greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and other developed nations, global emissions broke a new record last year. They were pushed 1.4 percent higher than the year before by rapid growth in China and India, and by Japan turning to fossil fuels instead of nuclear power. Posted. http://grist.org/news/heres-how-the-world-can-get-on-track-with-climate-goals/ SEAT unveils plug-in hybrid prototype based on the new Leon hatchback; smart charging and V2G. SEAT, a Spanish motor company and member of the Volkswagen Group, has unveiled a plug-in hybrid R&D prototype based on the new Leon hatchback. The Leon Verde (“Green”) prototype is the culmination of the four-year Cenit Verde research project in Spain, and was presented at the official closing event of the project. The plug-in hybrid combines a 120 hp (90 kw) 1.4 TSI gasoline engine with a 75 kW electric motor. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/06/seat-20130612.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:20:13 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 13, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 13, 2013. 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. BLACK CARBON Study: state rules have cut black carbon. State diesel rules aimed at improving public health have also reduced levels of black carbon, a potent contributor to climate change, according to a new report commissioned by the California Air Resources Board. The study was led by Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a professor of climate science at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla who collaborated with the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/13/tp-study-state-rules-have-cut-black-carbon/ Emission cuts lead to cleaner Calif. Air. Cuts in diesel emissions have drastically reduced the amount of pollutants in the air that cause global warming in California, potentially valuable information in the fight to save the world's climate from a predicted catastrophe, a study by University of California and government researchers said Wednesday. The study found that regulations limiting emissions from diesel-powered trucks, buses and off-road vehicles have taken the equivalent of 4 million cars off California roads every year since the late 1980s. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Emission-cuts-lead-to-cleaner-Calif-air-4597607.php AIR POLLUTION AQMD to hear from public on fire pit restrictions. Tempers might get a little hot in Southern California as smog regulators consider plans to limit beach fire pits. The South Coast Air Quality Management District will hear public testimony Thursday evening and Friday on proposals to restrict the fire rings. Ideas include a buffer zone between the rings and nearby homes and requiring the use of propane instead of wood fuel. Newport Beach officials sought an outright ban after residents complained that soot and smoke were drifting over their homes. Nearby cities say the rings are a beach tradition that should be preserved. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23451275/aqmd-hear-from-public-fire-pit-restrictions Report details Coachella Valley's health hazards. Communities in the east Coachella Valley face high, unhealthy levels of air and water pollution, especially when compared with the western part of the region, according to a first-of-its-kind report from UC Davis that local activists say validates what they have been saying for years. “Revealing the Invisible Coachella Valley” — conducted by the UC Davis Center for Regional Change with funding from the California Endowment and Building Healthy Communities Eastern Coachella Valley — looks at and maps out a broad range of both cumulative environmental hazards and social vulnerabilities in the valley. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306120030 CLIMATE CHANGE UN Climate-Talks Collapse Piles Pressure on November Summit. United Nations talks on reforms to emissions-market rules stalled this week after members rejected a proposal to reconsider the body’s decision-making rules, putting additional pressure on a climate summit in November. The loss of two weeks’ negotiating time means that items that were due to be discussed in Bonn from June 3 through June 14 may now be revisited at the UN’s annual climate conference in Warsaw at the end of the year, adding to an already-packed agenda that may not be fully addressed, according to a project developers’ group. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-13/un-climate-talks-collapse-piles-pressure-on-november-summit.html Regulatory Nominee Vows to Speed Up Energy Reviews. The White House has blocked several Department of Energy regulations that would require appliances, lighting and buildings to use less energy and create less global-warming pollution, as part of a broader slowdown of new antipollution rules issued by the Obama administration. The administration has spent as long as two years reviewing some of the energy efficiency rules proposed by the Energy Department, bypassing a 1993 executive order that in most instances requires the White House to act on proposed regulations within 90 days. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/us/politics/environmental-rules-delayed-as-white-house-slows-reviews.html?emc=rss&partner=rss Many thriving species at risk from climate change-study. The Amazon rainforest was among the places where ever more types of birds and amphibians would be threatened as temperatures climbed, it said. Common corals off Indonesia would also be among the most vulnerable. Overall, up to 41 percent of all bird species, 29 percent of amphibians and 22 percent of corals were "highly climate change vulnerable but are not currently threatened", the team of scientists wrote in the journal PLOS ONE. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/12/us-climate-species-idUSBRE95B17020130612 Cuba girds for climate change by reclaiming coasts. After Cuban scientists studied the effects of climate change on this island's 3,500 miles (5,630 kilometers) of coastline, their discoveries were so alarming that officials didn't share the results with the public to avoid causing panic. The scientists projected that rising sea levels would seriously damage 122 Cuban towns or even wipe them off the map. Beaches would be submerged, they found, while freshwater sources would be tainted and croplands rendered infertile. In all, seawater would penetrate up to 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) inland in low-lying areas, as oceans rose nearly three feet (85 centimeters) by 2100. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_23444018/cuba-girds-climate-change-by-reclaiming-coasts DIESEL EMISSIONS Court overturns part of port's trucking plan. he Supreme Court has overturned part of the anti-smog program at the Port of Los Angeles. The port tried to restrict the types of trucks that can haul goods in and out of its terminals. But justices voted unanimously Thursday to strike down part of the port's Clean Trucks Program. The port wanted companies to replace thousands of aging big rigs with newer, cleaner-burning models to reduce diesel emissions. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23451336/court-overturns-part-ports-trucking-plan http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-overturn-part-of-port-of-los-angeles-anti-smog-program/2013/06/13/74df18ba-d434-11e2-b3a2-3bf5eb37b9d0_story.html http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_PORT_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT FUELS State investments in clean technology yield many benefits. America is the land of free enterprise. But government investments in infrastructure and technology have fueled private business growth since the dawn of our republic: the interstate highway system, the Internet, and advanced oil and gas drilling technologies all benefited from strategic government investment. In each case, the investments addressed a societal need while also enabling private business growth. Such investments are a win-win. In the last few years, California has been making forward-thinking investments of its own to address air quality needs here in the Golden State. This includes investments in clean, advanced transportation technologies through an advanced vehicle and fuel incentive program known as AB 118, which was originally proposed by San Diego’s Christine Kehoe. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/13/tp-state-investments-in-clean-technology-yield/ VEHICLES Electric cars, plug-ins will help state meet low carbon fuel rule. Consumers have begun to buy fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids in numbers sufficient to help California meet its ambitious Low Carbon Fuel Standard, according to a new report. California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a regulatory program established under then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, requires a 10% reduction in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in the state by 2020. Carbon intensity is a measure of how much carbon dioxide is spewed into the atmosphere from using a fuel. One of the ways to meet that goal is to reduce the use of gasoline and diesel. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-cars-california-20130612,0,3609092.story Marin County school opens electric vehicle charging station. Saint Mark's School will host a dedication ceremony for its new electric vehicle charging station at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13 at the school, 39 Trellis Drive in Terra Linda. It is the first charging station to be installed at a school in Marin and was made possible by a $3,800 grant from Reconnect California, through the California Energy Commission. The electric and cement work was paid for by a donation from the Golden Gate Electric Vehicle Association. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/green-living/ci_23451995/marin-county-school-opens-electric-vehicle-charging-station GREEN ENERGY Passive progressive: Super-efficient housing, long in Europe, making inroads in US. After decades of near silence, a passive voice is making itself heard in American architecture. So-called passive houses, which have been around in Europe but never really caught on in the United States, are basically built around the idea of making houses airtight, super-insulated and energy efficient. The goal: a house that creates nearly as much energy as it consumes. Think of being able to keep your house warm without a traditional big furnace, cool with no air conditioning unit. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/passive-progressive-super-efficient-housing-long-in-europe-making-inroads-in-us/2013/06/12/7986bbf0-d387-11e2-b3a2-3bf5eb37b9d0_story.html Navy revises plan for solar panels on runway. he Navy says it no longer favors covering an historic Hawaii runway with solar panels to meet green energy requirements and will instead place panels on fallow acreage. The plan to cover 28 acres of Ford Island runway had drawn protest from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and others. The Navy in an environmental assessment says 50,000 panels on Waipio Peninsula are preferred and the Ford Island runway remains an alternative site. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Navy-revises-plan-for-solar-panels-on-runway-4598358.php Tariffs Bad for Most Solar Companies. Solar tariffs in Europe started at a low 11% rate last week, but if a deal between Europe, China, and even the U.S. isn't reached by Aug. 6 then they could go up to as much as 68%. This is clearly a negative development for Chinese manufacturers like Yingli Green Energy , LDK Solar , and Trina Solar , but it's not necessarily good for U.S. companies either. First Solar has little presence in Europe right now and SunPower won't see much benefit from tariffs either. In the end, tariffs are bad for nearly everyone, a sentiment Travis Hoium covers in the video below. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Tariffs-Bad-for-Most-Solar-Companies-4598319.php Cleaner ways emerge to turn cow dung into electricity. Dairy farmer Ron Koetsier's 1,200 cows produce roughly 90 tons of manure daily, and for the past three decades, he has tried unsuccessfully to turn the stinky dung into energy to power his 450-acre farm in Visalia, Calif. He installed a nearly $1 million renewable energy system in 1985 that used the methane from manure to create electricity for his farm. In 2002, he replaced that system with newer technology, but he hit a snag when air-quality standards called for expensive retrofits to reduce air pollution; he eventually shut down the system in 2009. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/13/5493506/cleaner-ways-emerge-to-turn-cow.html#storylink=cpy Cheaper solar panels fuel rise in renewable energy. A dramatic drop in the price of solar power technology last year helped the continued growth of renewable energy, according to a U.N.-backed report published Wednesday. Global energy-generating capacity from renewable sources rose by 115 gigawatts in 2012, compared with 105 gigawatts the previous year, the report by the Paris-based think tank REN21 showed. Installed renewable energy capacity rose to over 1,470 gigawatts, equivalent to about 1,500 nuclear reactors. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Cheaper-solar-panels-fuel-rise-in-renewable-energy-4596028.php Website helps track state's progress on renewable energy goals. Ratepayers can monitor the progress of California’s utilities as they move toward meeting the state’s renewable energy goals. The first compliance period is at the end of the year, when utilities are required to purchase an average of 20% of retail energy from renewable resources. The Renewable Portfolio Standards compliance periods: 25% by Dec. 31, 2016; 33% by Dec. 31, 2020; and no less than 33% in all subsequent years. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-renewable-energy-tracking-20130612,0,4932251.story DOE Green Energy Loans: $11.45 million per job and a rounding error’s worth of averted carbon emissions. I have handy cost estimates for three of the solar plants near the top of the list of $10 million-plus jobs. If I factor in the increased cost of electricity, the cost per permanent job literally skyrockets, as promised by candidate Obama in 2008. I generously assumed that the three solar PV plants could achieve a 30% capacity factor (the average is 25%), that they could achieve a levelized generation cost (LCOE) of $144.30 per MWh (DOE’s most recent average for plants coming online in 2018) and that they could remain in service for 20 years. Posted. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/06/11/doe-green-energy-loans-11-45-million-per-job-and-a-rounding-errors-worth-of-averted-carbon-emissions/ OPINION Editorial: Budget is a mixed bag – what we know of it. The state budget deal crafted by legislative Democrats and the governor contains much to praise and much to criticize and much, much more that is unknown. Here is how it all breaks down: The good, Gov. Jerry Brown will succeed in changing how public schools are financed, shifting money to districts with high numbers of disadvantaged students and eliminating many of the "categorical funds" that proliferated over the years. The result will be more local control over education decisions, with less micromanagement and mandates from Sacramento. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/13/5492569/budget-is-a-mixed-bag-what-we.html#storylink=cpy Climate change warnings. The latest word on climate change is not good - world emissions of carbon dioxide from energy use rose 1.4 percent last year to set a new record, according to the International Energy Agency. At this pace, the agency reports, global temperatures could rise a startling 9 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, which would be disastrous for all nations. And yet this latest report has received minimal attention in the United States, at least outside the climate science community and its usual advocates. While House Republicans spin their wheels trying to blame the White House for errant IRS officials, and the Senate just seems permanently gridlocked on any topic of substance, elected officials in Washington appear incapable of grasping the seriousness of the problem. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/13/5493490/climate-change-warnings.html#storylink=cpy Dana Milbank: Too late to avoid climate disaster, D.C., other cities begin to adapt. The National Mall has monuments to heroism, freedom and sacrifice. Pretty soon it will also have a monument to failure. Drive on 17th Street NW, just south of Constitution Avenue, and you'll see concrete footings, a mound of dirt and jersey barriers – all part of an oft-delayed project to build a flood wall to protect downtown Washington from a rising Potomac River. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/13/5492577/too-late-to-avoid-climate-disaster.html#storylink=cpy SADAR: Climate-change hype turns 25. Global-warming hysteria was launched 25 years ago this month. On June 23, 1988, James Hansen of NASA testified before a congressional hearing and the world that “the greenhouse effect is here and is affecting our climate now.” His confidence, sincerity and humble demeanor captured political and environmental opportunists in a big way. Here was a man and a cause that could propel up-and-coming politicians to new heights and fill eco-activist coffers to overflowing. From the beginning, the fix was in, and theatrics took center stage. Then-Sen. Timothy Wirth, Colorado Democrat, and his staff left the hearing-room windows open the steamy night before the proceedings to make sure the room’s air-conditioners were chugging away against the heat during the momentous event. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/13/climate-change-hype-turns-25/#ixzz2W6xA4FJB BLOGS China is testing out cap-and-trade — but will it actually work? It will be impossible for the world to get a grip on climate change unless China, which produces one-fourth of the world’s carbon-dioxide pollution, can rein in its emissions. So it’s worth keeping an eye on China’s efforts there. The latest news: China is getting ready to test out cap-and-trade systems to constrain carbon-dioxide emissions in seven different cities. By the end of 2013, the pilot programs will cover about 7 percent of the country’s pollution. Jane Qiu provides more detail in Nature. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/12/china-is-testing-out-cap-and-trade-but-theres-a-big-potential-flaw/ A Film Presses the Climate, Health and Security Case for Nuclear Energy. “Pandora’s Promise” is a provocative and important new documentary making the case for nuclear power as a safe and large-scale substitute for fossil fuels. There’s a flaw in the film’s approach that undercuts its mission, but I still see it as vital viewing and a refreshing new direction in a tired old battle over the shape of America’s energy future. The film, which opened in New York City Wednesday night and expands to 15 cities on Friday, was bound to generate strong reactions among people long opposed to this energy source. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/a-film-presses-the-climate-and-security-case-for-nuclear-energy/ BEACH FIRES: Air distict backs off on ban. Talk about blowback. In March, officials with the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced plans to ban beach fires along the coast of Orange and Los Angeles counties. Now the air district is backing off, after hearing complaints from coastal communities. Critics say the proposed rules would ruin a tradition that’s a big part of the beach allure. The air district now is proposing less stringent rules that still would allow for beach fires — provided the fire pits are spaced at least 100 feet apart and are at least 700 feet from the nearest home, among other provisions. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/06/12/beach-fires-air-distict-backs-off-on-ban/ Chevron CEO admits fracking raises “legitimate” safety concerns. Is Chevron more clued in to the dangers of fracking than the federal government? It would seem so. The company’s CEO said this week that the industry needs to do a better job of resolving concerns about the safety of the practice. Energy producers must deal with the “legitimate concerns” that gas development associated with hydraulic fracturing is unsafe by adopting tougher standards, Chevron Corp. Chief Executive Officer John Watson said. Posted. http://grist.org/news/chevron-ceo-admits-fracking-raises-legitimate-safety-concerns/ Organic farming sucks (up carbon). We’ve known for a while now that organic agriculture is good for the climate: It does a better job at grabbing carbon from the air and turning it into soil than industrial agriculture, which often does just the opposite. Last year, researchers reexamined all 74 studies that had looked at organic farming and carbon capture. After crunching the numbers from the results of these studies they concluded that, lo and behold, organic farms are carbon sponges. Posted. http://grist.org/food/organic-farming-sucks-up-carbon/ Calif. Energy Commission to award more than $44M for hydrogen refueling and alternative fuel vehicle projects. In two packages of awards, the California Energy Commission approved more than $44 million to expand the hydrogen fueling infrastructure and increase the number of alter alternative fuel vehicles on the road in the state. These awards were made through the Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, created by Assembly Bill 118. For the current fiscal year, the program is slated to invest approximately $90 million to encourage the development and use of new technologies, and alternative and renewable fuels, to help the state meet its climate-change goals. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/06/cec-20130613.html Global warming is a mess. It’s high time we innovate our way out of it. The latest International Energy Agency (IEA) report shows that global carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, notwithstanding efforts around the world to reduce our collective carbon footprint. And it’s not just that we’re making little or no progress on reducing dangerous greenhouse gases – it’s that we’re rapidly approaching a point at which it will be too late to ever reverse the damage to the environment. According to IEA chief economist Fatih Birol, 2020 is looming large as the date when the apocalyptic results of a nine-degree temperature rise from pre-industrial times starts to kick in. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2013/06/12/global-warming-is-a-mess-its-high-time-we-innovate-our-way-out-of-it/ How the World Bank could slash its carbon emissions: Start flying in coach. The seats are bigger, so there are fewer of them on the plane, and a plane with fewer passengers is using more fuel per person who is delivered to their destination. Moreover, the number of business-class seats occupied on a given flight – the load factor – tends to be lower as well, so a smaller percentage of the seats are occupied. And first-class passengers take more luggage, adding more weight to the plane and consuming more fuel. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/13/how-the-world-bank-could-slash-its-carbon-emissions-start-flying-in-coach/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:42:24 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for June 14, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 14, 2013. 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 Brown: Prop. 39 helps justify disputed $500 million cap-and-trade loan. Gov. Brown said his plan to take $500 million from California's cap-and-trade auction funds -- money that was intended to directly further efforts to fight greenhouse gas emissions -- is a "reasonable accommodation" aided in part by voters' approval last year of a measure to raise corporate taxes. "We had Proposition 39 funding for many of these projects," Brown told a Capitol news conference. The $500 million loan is part of the governor's 2013-14 state budget draft, which was approved Monday by a two-house conference committee. It now goes to the floors of the Assembly and Senate for a vote by Saturday, the constitutional deadline to send the budget to the governor's desk. Posted. http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=11hxeq3vjeqluqa AIR POLLUTION Air pollution can cause heart arrhythmias (study). For people with existing heart problems, exposure to high levels of air pollution can trigger the irregular heartbeats that may lead to a stroke or heart attack, according to a new study. Past research has linked air pollution to ventricular fibrillation, electrical confusion in the lower chambers of the heart which can cause sudden death. The new study also finds an association with atrial fibrillation (AF), erratic quivering in the heart's upper chambers and the most common type of irregular heartbeat. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/13/us-air-pollution-heart-idUSBRE95C0UO20130613 http://www.dailynews.com/ci_23459073/air-pollution-can-cause-heart-arrhythmias-study?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23459074/air-pollution-can-cause-heart-arrhythmias-study?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_23459073/air-pollution-can-cause-heart-arrhythmias-study?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com China Vows Fresh Measures to Fight Air Pollution. China on Friday announced a series of measures aimed at cleaning up the nation's badly polluted air, pledging to speed up the elimination of outdated factory equipment and boost the supply of clean energy. "The control of air pollution is not only an important matter concerning people's livelihoods but also an opportunity to upgrade the economy," the State Council, or cabinet, said in a statement posted on the central government website. The authorities will speed up efforts to eliminate outdated equipment and close obsolete plants in key industries, such as steel, cement and electrolytic aluminum, the statement said. These are sectors where China is grappling with overcapacity. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130614-704435.html?mod=googlenews_wsj CLIMATE CHANGE UN climate talks marred by decision-making spat. U.N. climate talks have hit a stumbling block that some delegates say poses a serious challenge to their already slow-moving effort to craft a global response to climate change. As the latest negotiation session ended Friday in the German city of Bonn, one track of the talks was paralyzed by a request by Russia, Ukraine and Belarus to review the decision-making procedure in the two-decade-long U.N. process. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UN_CLIMATE_TALKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/un-climate-talks-marred-by-dispute-over-how-decisions-are-made-in-2-decade-long-process/2013/06/14/61cfd2b0-d50a-11e2-b3a2-3bf5eb37b9d0_story.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/14/2762635/un-climate-talks-marred-by-decision.html US researchers explore deep Caribbean reefs. Scientists with the Smithsonian Institution have discovered at least one new fish species at a deep reef off Curacao while conducting a yearlong project to gather data on temperature and biodiversity for monitoring climate change effects in the Caribbean. The discovery occurred in recent weeks off the southern edge of the Dutch Caribbean island as scientists used a submarine to explore depths up to 1,000 feet (305 meters). Dr. Carole Baldwin, a Smithsonian research zoologist, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the team is studying 25 to 30 other specimens of fish and invertebrates collected during the trip that they believe are new species. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CARIBBEAN_PROTECTING_REEFS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23459651/us-researchers-explore-deep-caribbean-reefs?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.dailynews.com/ci_23459651/us-researchers-explore-deep-caribbean-reefs?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/US-researchers-explore-deep-Caribbean-reefs-4599310.php Climate change could slash snowfall in Southern California mountains. Climate change is likely to wipe a lot of the white from those postcard winter scenes of Los Angeles ringed by snow-capped mountains, according to new research. A UCLA study released Friday projects a significant decline in snowfall on the ranges that provide a dramatic backdrop to urban Southern California. By mid-century, the amount of snow draping the mountains could decrease 30% to 40%, researchers say. If greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, the ranges could lose two-thirds of their snow by century’s end. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-southern-california-snow-20130614,0,1562365.story DIESEL EMISSIONS California's efforts to clean up diesel engines have helped reduce impact of climate change on state, study finds. Reductions in emissions of black carbon since the late 1980s, mostly from diesel engines as a result of air quality programs, have resulted in a measurable reduction of concentrations of global warming pollutants in the atmosphere, according to a first-of-its-kind study examining the impact of black carbon on California's climate. The study, funded by the California Air Resources Board and led by Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, estimates that reductions in black carbon as a result of clean air regulations were equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions in California by 21 million metric tons annually or taking more than 4 million cars off California roads every year. Posted. http://phys.org/news/2013-06-california-efforts-diesel-impact-climate.html http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/06/carb-report-claims-success-with-diesel-emissions-regulations.aspx?prestitial=1 Supreme Court strikes down parts of L.A. port's Clean Truck Program. The Supreme Court handed the American Trucking Assn. a partial victory on Thursday, ruling that drivers don't have to affix the "How am I driving?" placards on its trucks or have off-site parking plans in order to haul goods in and out of the Port of Los Angeles. The trucking association sued the city of Los Angeles, which operates the port, to overturn the Clean Truck Program. The program, enacted in 2008 to curb pollution at the largest port in the country, sought to restrict the types of trucks that carried goods to and from the port. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-supreme-court-partially-strikes-down-port-of-la-clean-truck-program-20130613,0,5318959.story Other related stories: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/06/13/supreme-court-strikes-down-clean-trucks-program-at-port-of-la/ http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/06/13/37706/supreme-court-overturns-part-of-port-of-los-angele/ http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2013/jun/13/high-court-weakens-ports-clean-truck-program/ http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_23453261/port-los-angeles-clean-trucks-program-takes-hit FUELS Study: CA’s low carbon fuel standard will work. To hear the oil industry tell it, California’s “low carbon fuel standard” is a train wreck waiting to happen. The standard, adopted by state air quality regulators in 2009, requires oil companies to cut the greenhouse gas emissions associated with fuel they sell in the state. By 2020, the “carbon intensity” of California fuels is supposed to fall 10 percent. The oil industry has fought back, challenging the standard in court. There aren’t enough advanced biofuels available, the industry argues, to make the system work. The state wants oil companies to rely on products that just aren’t there, at least not in the quantities required. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/06/12/study-cas-low-carbon-fuel-standard-will-work/ VEHICLES Good-bye granola: Hybrid cars go ainstream in California. At least one East Coast stereotype about California may be on the mark: we love our hybrid cars — especially the Prius. Toyota’s iconic gas-electric vehicle became the No. 1 selling car or light truck in California last year, topping perennial winners like the Toyota Camry and Ford F-150 pickup. Prius jumped to the top spot from No. 4 in 2011, a surge fueled in part by the introduction of three new Prius models. BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/print-edition/2013/06/14/hybrid-cars-go-mainstream-california.html?ana=e_sac_rdup&s=newsletter&ed=2013-06-14&u=tHaD45CBIIz237t8xB++mpJf+Dd&t=1371224735 California awards $18 million to build hydrogen fueling stations. Projects supporting California’s hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure will see a hefty boost thanks to more than $18 million in grant funding, the state’s Energy Commission announced this week. The agency’s dollars will go toward installing, or in some cases upgrading, hydrogen fuel stations in several counties around Southern California. Ranging in size from $1.5 million to more than $6.6 million, the five awards come through the Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fuel-cell-grants-20130613,0,520900.story GREEN ENERGY Solar power hits state records. Solar power generation is rising in California, breaking records twice in the past week. On Friday, the state hit an all-time high output of 2,071 megawatts of electrical generation 12:59 p.m. That record was broken again at 12:53 p.m. on Monday, when output reached 2,104 megawatts. It was just last September that California for the first time peaked at 1,000 megawatts. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/06/13/solar-power-hits-state-records.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sacramento+%28Sacramento+Business+Journal%29 OPINION Another View: State shouldn't spend cap-and-trade cash while court cases are under review. Most financial planners would discourage a family from borrowing more money than they may be able to pay back. The same sound advice would also apply to the state of California and its plan to "loan" $500 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to its general fund. The problem is that substantial legal questions still surround how that money was "taxed" and taken from Californians, and whether the process should be stopped and the money collected to date refunded. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/14/5495790/state-shouldnt-spend-cap-and-trade.html Long Beach port at critical crossroads. There have been many critical times in the 100-plus years of the port of Long Beach, but none were more serious than what the port is going through now. The port continues to face increased global competition. To keep pace and move ahead, the port is spending billions on major initiatives like the Middle Harbor container terminal, a new Gerald Desmond bridge and other facility upgrades. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_23446702/long-beach-port-at-critical-crossroads-editorial BLOGS Talking Climate Online With David Roberts of Grist. David Roberts of the green blog Grist and I have a constructive, if sometimes prickly, relationship as nodes in the network of online communicators focused on human-driven climate change. I’m in a camp he sometimes refers to as “Very Serious People” (the capital letters are required and it’s not a compliment most of the time). He’s in a category whose members sometimes call themselves “dirty hippies.” Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/talking-climate-online-with-david-roberts-of-grist/ Global warming appears to have slowed lately. That’s no reason to celebrate. A few things stand out. First, the planet has grown considerably warmer since mid-century, by more than half a degree Celsius. Second, even if the overall trend is upward, there’s a fair bit of variation year to year. Some of that, as we can see, has to do with El Niño and La Niña cycles, which can shift heat into and out of the ocean. There’s a third aspect of this chart, however, that’s getting a barrage of attention lately. The past decade has clearly been the warmest decade on record. But the pace of warming in the last 15 years has been slower than it was in the 20 years before that. And that’s despite the fact that greenhouse gases are piling up in the atmosphere at a record pace. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/14/global-warming-appears-to-have-slowed-lately-thats-no-reason-to-celebrate/ May new-vehicle fleetwide fuel-economy remains at record 23.7 mpg. Former NBA great Shaquille O'Neal retired with a career scoring average of 23.7 points per game. And like Shaq's scoring average, the new-vehicle fleetwide fuel economy mpg number doesn't want to budge, either. May was the third straight month that fleetwide fuel economy stayed at 23.7 miles per gallon, according to TrueCar. That's a monthly record, but year-over-year, fuel economy was up 0.6 mpg, with Nissan and Chrysler having particularly strong gains. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/06/13/may-new-vehicle-fleetwide-fuel-economy-remains-a-record-23-mpg/ Automakers top annual list of greenest global brands. When Interbrand released its report on the greenest global business brands earlier this week, automakers topped the list. But while the industry has made gains, it isn’t a bastion of green policies and often fights the efforts by regulators to reduce emissions. “The question remains as to whether the auto industry continues to invest in fuel economy and zero emission technologies or will they fight back whenever there is a periodic review,” said Simon Mui, director of the California vehicles and fuels office at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ford-sustainability-report-20130614,0,6123667.story ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:30:25 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 17, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 17, 2013. 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 Greenhouse gas credit prices soar. Investors may finally be sensing some money-making opportunities in a state program meant to combat climate change with the help of private market forces. Changes announced this spring in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative program have sparked a surge of interest in the program, which controls greenhouse gas emissions from power plants through the sale of state-issued pollution credits. Begun in early 2009, RGGI covers nine northeastern states and is the first cap-and-trade climate change program in the nation. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Greenhouse-gas-credit-prices-soar-4602912.php Climate talk shifts from curbing CO2 to adapting. Efforts to curb global warming have quietly shifted as greenhouse gases inexorably rise. The conversation is no longer solely about how to save the planet by cutting carbon emissions. It's becoming more about how to save ourselves from the warming planet's wild weather. It was Mayor Michael Bloomberg's announcement last week of an ambitious plan to stave off New York City's rising seas with flood gates, levees and more that brought this transition into full focus. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/15/3344550/climate-talk-shifts-from-curbing.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/15/2763867/climate-talk-shifts-from-curbing.html BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION China announces new measures to curb air pollution. China's Cabinet has announced measures to curb the country's notorious air pollution, one of the many environmental challenges facing the country that are increasingly angering the public. The broad measures approved by the State Council include putting strict controls in place for industries that produce large amounts of waste and pollution, but it will likely be up to local governments to work out the details. In a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, the State Council approved 10 "tough measures to accomplish tough tasks," the council said in a statement on its website late Friday. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_AIR_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23467533/china-announces-new-measures-curb-air-pollution?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/15/us-china-pollution-policy-idUSBRE95E03T20130615 http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/China-launches-pollution-control-effort-4603170.php http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/world/asia/china-sets-new-rules-aimed-at-curbing-air-pollution.html?_r=0 BEAUMONT: Air district raps warehouse analysis. The city of Beaumont should re-do an environmental report that greatly underestimates air pollution and truck traffic that would be generated by a 5 million-square-foot warehouse complex planned near Highway 60, regional air quality officials say. The city inappropriately relied on a 20-year-old environmental analysis for the 284-acre project on the west side of Beaumont between Highway 60 and Oak Valley Parkway, according to a June 4 letter to the city from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The analysis originally was done for a plan that was mostly housing, the letter says. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130614-beaumont-air-district-raps-warehouse-analysis.ece China Smog Measures Seen as Most Aggressive Yet by Deutsche Bank. A Chinese government plan to fight air pollution announced last week marks the country’s “most aggressive” push to address smog to date, according to Deutsche Bank AG. The 10 measures, which include stricter controls on coal-burning emissions and road traffic, will push up the cost of burning the fuel, push energy consumers to use cleaner energy sources and result in more public-transport use, Ma Jun, Deutsche Bank’s chief economist for Greater China in Hong Kong, wrote in a note today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-17/china-smog-measures-seen-as-most-aggressive-yet-by-deutsche-bank.html Speed Bump for Channel Cargo Ships? Two types of titans travel to the Santa Barbara Channel by the thousands. One is the largest mammal on earth: the endangered krill-eating, water-spouting blue whale. The other is the behemoth, oil-burning, smoke-spewing cargo ships that local environmentalists and air quality managers have been lobbying for decades to rein in. Last year, county officials say, cargo ships made about 2,200 trips through the Channel on the 155-mile last leg of a long voyage from the Pacific Rim to Long Beach and Los Angeles, burning oil the consistency of asphalt in engines as big as a small power plant and potentially risking the lives of whales frolicking in and around the Channel, especially in the summer season. Posted. http://www.missionandstate.org/speed-bump-for-channel-cargo-ships/ CLIMATE CHANGE Why Dwindling Snow—Thanks Largely to Climate Change—Might Dry Out Los Angeles. While the national government remains slow to deal with climate change, many cities have been moving ahead. Why the difference? Well, cities tend to be more homogenous politically, which makes any kind of decisive action easier to push through. But the real reason is that city managers know that they will be the first ones forced to deal with the likely consequences of global warming: rising sea levels and flooding, deadly heat waves and water struggles. Posted. http://science.time.com/2013/06/17/why-dwindling-snow-thanks-largely-to-climate-change-might-dry-out-los-angeles/#ixzz2WUi0Pmcr Obama fails to use National Environmental Policy Act despite calls for climate change action. President Barack Obama has vowed to tackle climate change in his second term, but so far has not acted to strengthen a tool that does not require backing from Congress – the National Environmental Policy Act. NEPA, a statute that dates to the Nixon administration, calls on officials to weigh whether projects such as highways, dams or oil drilling could harm the environment. While it does not have the power to block development, NEPA forces officials to consider the environment before approving federal projects, and the White House has proposed that climate change should rank high among those concerns. Posted. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/16/obama-fails-to-use-national-environmental-policy-act-despite-calls-for-climate-change-action/ http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/16/usa-climate-whitehouse-idUSL2N0D21RG20130616 Countries taking action to deal with rising water. From Bangkok to Miami, cities and coastal areas across the globe are already building or planning defenses to protect millions of people and key infrastructure from more powerful storm surges and other effects of global warming. Some are planning cities that will simply adapt to more water. But climate-proofing a city or coastline is expensive, as shown by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s $20 billion plan to build flood walls, levees and other defenses against rising seas. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/17/tp-countries-taking-action-to-deal-with-rising/ http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23472139/beyond-nyc-other-places-adapting-climate-too?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23472139/beyond-nyc-other-places-adapting-climate-too?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/16/2765039/beyond-nyc-other-places-adapting.html#storylink=cpy BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Petaluma father and son to lobby for greenhouse-gas tax in Washington. A Petaluma man and his son will walk the halls of Congress later this month and meet with lawmakers to drum up support for a greenhouse-gas tax and alternative energy choices. Bruce Hagen, who works for Enphase Energy solar energy company in Petaluma, and his son Riley, 23, are part of Citizens Climate Lobby, a national grassroots lobbying group that is descending on Congress this month to make a case for more clean energy. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130616/ARTICLES/130619665/0/SEARCH DIESEL EMISSIONS ARB claims diesel engine controls reducing climate change impact in California. The project was led by Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The study estimated that the black carbon reductions from air regulations also reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 21 million metric tons annually. That's equivalent to removing more than 4 million cars from California's roads every year. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-claims-diesel-engine-controls-reducing-climate-change-impact-california HIGH SPEED RAIL Key green light for California high-speed rail. The California High-Speed Rail Authority won approval Thursday from a federal railroad oversight board to start construction this summer on the first leg of what would be the nation's first bullet train. The ruling removes an important hurdle for the rail authority to start construction of the $68 billion system in the Central Valley. A ruling against the state could have caused substantial delays and cost overruns for the project, which is under tight federal construction deadlines to collect billions of dollars in federal matching grants. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/special-sections/rail/x1028019688/Key-green-light-for-California-high-speed-rail FUELS Obama’s Keystone Silence Is Driving Green-Activists Away. Wendy Abrams’ opportunity came in the photo line. As she stepped up to take her picture with President Barack Obama during a fundraiser last month in Chicago, she made her pitch: How could a president who vowed to tackle climate change possibly approve the Keystone XL pipeline? Obama, she recalled, told her that environmental activists are too focused on the $5.3 billion Keystone project and promised she’d be pleased with his proposals on climate change later this summer. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-17/obama-s-keystone-silence-is-driving-green-activists-away.html Sonoma wades into Keystone XL pipeline debate. The Sonoma City Council, which two weeks ago took a controversial stand in support of an embattled oyster company in Marin County, is diving head first again into a national debate that extends well outside city limits. Mayor Ken Brown will seek council support Monday to send an official letter to President Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry asking them to deny permits for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would convey oil products from Canada southward to the Gulf of Mexico. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130616/ARTICLES/130619663/0/SEARCH Fracking fuels water fights in nation's dry spots. The latest domestic energy boom is sweeping through some of the nation's driest pockets, drawing millions of gallons of water to unlock oil and gas reserves from beneath the Earth's surface. Hydraulic fracturing, or the drilling technique commonly known as fracking, has been used for decades to blast huge volumes of water, fine sand and chemicals into the ground to crack open valuable shale formations. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FRACKING_AMID_THE_DROUGHT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT VEHICLES Automakers Pressed to Sell No-Emission Cars to Reluctant Buyers. Automakers are coming under increasing pressure to sell zero-emission vehicles to U.S. consumers who haven’t shown much interest in them, with more states following California’s lead in setting sales targets. Nine states, including New York and New Jersey, have adopted versions of California’s goal of having electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen-powered models reach 15 percent of its new-car purchases by 2025. Automakers face fines and potentially restrictions on sales for not reaching the targets. One model made to meet the standards, Honda Motor Co. (7267)’s plug-in electric Fit, had total U.S. sales of 83 through May, according to market-researcher Autodata Corp. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-17/automakers-pressed-to-sell-no-emission-cars-to-reluctant-buyers.html GREEN ENERGY Siemens Will Shut Solar Unit on $1 Billion Loss in Two Years. Siemens AG (SIE) will close its solar power unit after struggling to find a buyer following losses of at least 784 million euros ($1 billion) euros since 2011 amid Chief Executive Officer Peter Loescher’s failed push into that business to expand renewable energy offerings. The shutdown of the solar division will affect about 280 workers at Europe’s biggest engineering company. Siemens, based in Munich, will finish several solar projects and the closure will cost a “double-digit million-euro” sum, spokesman Torsten Wolf said via phone. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-17/siemens-will-shut-solar-unit-as-it-loses-1-billion-in-two-years.html The power of uncertainty. A future without nuclear energy has been on the drawing board for Southern California since a radiation leak shut down San Onofre in January 2012. With the recent announcement of the facility’s permanent retirement, diverse architects of the state’s power grid are acting on those plans. Utility executives last week resubmitted a previously spurned application for a major new natural-gas plant on the southern outskirts of San Diego, as engineers look to shore up power supplies across an area larger than the state of Maryland. Any solutions will have to navigate increasing technological challenges and a complex landscape of environmental and clean-energy mandates in California. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/16/tp-the-power-of-uncertainty/ Solar-powered plane lands near Washington. A solar-powered plane nearing the close of a cross-continental journey landed at Dulles International Airport outside the nation's capital early Sunday, only one short leg to New York remaining on a voyage that opened in May. Solar Impulse's website said the aircraft with its massive wings and thousands of photovoltaic cells "gracefully touched down" at 12:15 a.m. EDT after 14 hours and four minutes of flight from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Dulles in Washington's Virginia suburbs. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23477484/solar-powered-plane-lands-near-washington Renewable power has costs that could raise Calif. electric rates. The managers of California's electric power system quickly issued public assurances about avoiding summer blackouts when Southern California Edison announced this month that it would permanently close its troubled San Onofre nuclear plant. It was an easy call because they already knew that San Onofre, which has generated about 5% of the state's electric power, wouldn't be available this summer and had made plans to purchase power from other sources. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/15/3345352/renewable-power-has-its-costs.html MISCELLANEOUS Bloomberg Plan Aims to Require Food Composting. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has tried to curb soda consumption, ban smoking in parks and encourage bike riding, is taking on a new cause: requiring New Yorkers to separate their food scraps for composting. Dozens of smaller cities, including San Francisco and Seattle, have adopted rules that mandate recycling of food waste from homes, but sanitation officials in New York had long considered the city too dense and vertically structured for such a policy to succeed. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/nyregion/bloombergs-final-recycling-frontier-food-waste.html?ref=earth OPINION Viewpoints: Sacramento can lead the way in response to climate change. In my 12 years as a professional basketball player in the NBA, I learned a lot about resilience. You lose a tough game one night, and find a way to come back strong and win the next. Resilience is a quality you have to develop with your team, and as mayor of Sacramento, it's now a key priority for my city. There is a new movement emerging in cities, towns, and counties to become more resilient and able to bounce back from serious disruptions and disasters. If you look at the past two years, it's not hard to see why. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/17/5499998/sacramento-can-lead-the-way-in.html#storylink=cpy What to do about climate change. The International Energy Agency (IEA) last week warned that global carbon dioxide emissions in 2012 were the highest ever. Yet international climate negotiations have floundered. Many Americans and their representatives in Congress still doubt climate change is a problem worth addressing. And as the developing world advances, its peoples are polluting more to obtain higher standards of living. Forget for a moment the ideal or rational response; what’s the bare minimum global leaders could do? The IEA had some useful, if modest, suggestions. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/climate-change-needs-a-rational-response/2013/06/16/00673116-d2db-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html State investments in clean tech a win-win. America is the land of free enterprise. But government investments in infrastructure and technology have fueled private business growth since the dawn of our republic: the interstate highway system, the Internet, and advanced oil and gas drilling technologies all benefited from strategic government investment. In each case, the investments addressed a societal need while also enabling private business growth. Such investments are a win-win. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/12/clean-technology-state-investment/ “Odd Couple” Unites to Facilitate California Fracking. In one of economic history’s rare moments of collaboration between labor unions and Republican energy development entrepreneurs, this unusual, but powerful alliance set California’ anti-business Assembly and Senate super majority back on its heels. In this case, the rock-solid Democrat majority lost 12 of its Assembly members to join 25 Republicans to defeat an anti-fracking (oil and gas hydraulic fracking) bill that would have declared a moratorium against the use of this process throughout the “Golden State.” This defeat of the “greens” extremists is particularly remarkable since the California alliance of the Sierra Club with the “Air Resources Board” has been previously unstoppable. Posted. http://voices.mydesert.com/2013/06/14/odd-couple-unites-to-facilitate-california-fracking/ Plan Bay Area is an attack on a way of life. Plan Bay Area will fundamentally transform the 101 cities and nine counties into urbanized, transit-oriented, high-rise developments. It is a draconian, top-down, 25-year plan conceived by unelected bureaucrats supposedly in response to a problem (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) that will already be solved (per California Air Resources Board) due to transportation technologies such as more fuel-efficient cars, electric cars and telecommuting. The most unsettling parts of the plan deal with imposition of unfunded mandates on cities and counties. It subverts local control of land use and zoning decisions. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_23464661/plan-bay-area-is-an-attack-way-life BLOGS Why Colorado’s Fire Losses, Even with Global Warming, Need Not Be the ‘New Normal.’ As Coloradans grappled with the impact of the state’s latest wildfire disaster, some writers were quick to call this “the new normal” due to greenhouse-driven climate change. Global warming is almost surely contributing to drought and heat in ways that exacerbate fire risk, but the prime driver of losses in these recent fires is a heavily subsidized burst of development in zones of implicit fire danger. And assertions that such losses are the new normal distract from glaring opportunities to cut unnecessary (and costly) exposure to this danger in the West, even as the grander task of curbing emissions of greenhouse gases proceeds. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/why-colorados-fires-even-with-global-warming-need-not-be-the-new-normal/?ref=earth CAFE Rules: Only 1-3 percent of cars need to be electric by 2025. The advent of the electric car is upon us, but despite implications to the contrary, don’t look to Uncle Sam to be as much of a direct driver of this anticipated paradigm shift as some may have previously supposed. In other quarters, there has been much talk of automakers needing to develop electrified cars to help meet 2017-2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules. These are part of federal regulations that stipulate fleet-wide automaker averages of “54.5 mpg” (about low 40s on the sticker) and greenhouse gas (tailpipe) emissions, but today it was said only a small portion of super-efficient, fleet-average-boosting cars will need to be all-electric. Posted. http://www.hybridcars.com/CAFE-rules-1-3-percent-cars-need-to-be-electric/-2025 You want to ration my what? When Stan Cox’s Losing Our Cool questioned America’s fetish for air-conditioning in 2010, some very nasty comments reached his inbox. But Cox, an agricultural researcher at the Land Institute in Salina, Kan., is not one to back down from saying what needs to be said. Now he's poking another cow most sacred: the free market. In his new book, Any Way You Slice It: The Past, Present, and Future of Rationing, he argues that environmental sanity might require something even more dreadful than limiting consumption. Are you ready for this? A sustainable world just might be one in which humans get equal shares of what they need. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/you-want-to-ration-my-what/ How climate change makes wildfires worse. Last year, Colorado suffered from a record-breaking wildfire season: More than 4,000 fires resulted in six deaths, the destruction of 648 buildings, and a half a billion dollars in property damage. Still reeling, Coloradans are once again fleeing in their thousands from a string of drought-fueled fires. So what role is climate change playing in the worsening wildfires? Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/how-climate-change-makes-wildfires-worse/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:10:39 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for June 18, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 18, 2013. 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 China takes cautious step towards carbon emissions trading. China launched its first pilot carbon emissions exchange on Tuesday, though plans for a nationwide roll out and efforts to apply the scheme to some polluting heavy industries could be undermined by a slowdown in the world's No.2 economy. High-emission industries such as aluminium and steel are likely to resist higher costs as they are already battling weak prices due to tepid demand and a persistent supply gut. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/china-carbon-trading-idUKL3N0ET2P220130618 China Introduces Local Program for Reducing Emissions. China unveiled its first pilot carbon emissions exchange Tuesday, though plans for a nationwide rollout and efforts to apply the program to some heavy industries could be undermined by a slowdown in the nation’s economy. High-emission industries like aluminum and steel are likely to resist higher costs as they are already battling weak prices caused by tepid demand and too much supply. “It is a very big concern for Beijing and for local governments — how to strike a balance between controlling emissions and maintaining economic growth, especially amid a general slowdown in the economy,” said Shawn He, a lawyer and carbon specialist at Hualian law firm in Beijing. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/energy-environment/china-introduces-local-program-for-reducing-emissions.html?_r=0 China Test Markets May Help Set Emission Cuts, GreenStream Says. Karl Upston-Hooper, general counsel at GreenStream Network Plc in Helsinki, comments on emissions trading in China, including the nation’s seven test carbon markets and offsetting program called China Certified Emission Reductions, or CCERs. He spoke by phone on June 14. China started today its first test carbon market in Shenzhen.On how China will use its test markets to help determine a trajectory for its own emissions output after 2020: China negotiators will travel to a key United Nations climate conference in Paris near the end of 2015 “knowing what they can achieve. Environmental problems are a potential disruption to social harmony. The government knows it.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-18/china-test-markets-may-help-set-emission-cuts-greenstream-says.html China Carbon Permits Trade 22% Below Europe’s on Market Debut. China traded its first carbon dioxide permits for 22% less than today’s price in Europe as the nation inaugurated the Shenzhen Emissions Exchange as part of its plan to limit heat-trapping gases linked to climate change. The permits were priced from 28 yuan to 30 yuan ($4.90) a metric ton, according to Chen Hai’ou, chief executive officer and president of the exchange. That’s compares with 4.71 euros a ton ($6.30) today for European Union permits on London’s ICE Futures Europe exchange, the world’s biggest carbon market by traded volume. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-18/china-carbon-permits-trade-22-below-europe-s-on-market-debut.html AIR POLLUTION Autism Tied to Air Pollution, Brain-Wiring Disconnect in Studies. Researchers seeking the roots of autism have linked the disorder to chemicals in air pollution and, in a separate study, found that language difficulties of the disorder may be due to a disconnect in brain wiring. Researchers from Harvard University’s School of Public Health found that pregnant women exposed to high levels of diesel particulates or mercury were twice as likely to have an autistic child compared with peers in low-pollution areas. The findings, published today in Environmental Health Perspectives, are from the largest U.S. study to examine the ties between air pollution and autism. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-06-18/autism-tied-to-air-pollution-brain-wiring-disconnect-in-studies http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Autism-Tied-to-Air-Pollution-Brain-Wiring-4606871.php Singapore fumes after pollution hits 16-year high. Singaporeans rolled back military training, kept cough-stricken children indoors and considered wearing protective masks to work Tuesday after a smoky haze triggered by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia caused air pollution to briefly hit its worst level in nearly 16 years. The Pollutant Standards Index, Singapore's main measure to determine air quality, crept into the "unhealthy" classification Monday as smoke from roaring blazes on Indonesia's Sumatra island drifted across the sea and cast a gray pall over the city-state's skyscrapers. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_SINGAPORE_HAZE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/17/5504480/singapore-fumes-after-pollution.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/17/singapore-fumes-after-pollution-hits-16-year-high/ http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Singapore-fumes-after-pollution-hits-16-year-high-4606423.php Sierra wildfires trigger warning of unhealthy San Joaquin Valley air. Local air officials issued a health caution Monday because of smoke from wildfires in the Sierra Nevada. Blazes in the foothills could affect the air quality in eastern parts of Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties, including the foothill and mountain areas, said officials with the San Joaquin Air Valley Pollution Control District. In addition, eastern portions of the Valley floor may be affected during overnight Monday, officials said. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/17/3347344/sierra-wildfires-trigger-warning.html Air officials issue health caution because of smoke from fires. Officials with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued a health caution statement Monday because smoke from two wildfires in the Sierra Nevada is making its way into the air basin. The health caution will be in effect until the fires are out, according to an air district news release. "Our standard is, if you can see smoke and smell smoke, you are being affected," Samir Sheikh, the district's director of air quality analysis, said in the news release. The wildfires are burning in Madera and Mariposa counties. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1028019956/Air-officials-issue-health-caution-because-of-smoke-from-fires CLIMATE CHANGE Obama considers sweeping climate plan. The Obama administration is considering a sweeping initiative to address climate change, including the first-ever limits on carbon dioxide from power plants, the country's biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to people familiar with the discussions. The White House has yet to settle on specific measures, but "we're hearing that existing power plants are definitely in the mix," said a person with knowledge of the deliberations, who, like others, asked not to be identified to talk about White House discussions. An announcement could come by mid-July. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-climate-20130618,0,1769572.story?track=rss Companies from GE to Staples Cash in on CO2 Cuts: Report. General Electric Co. (GE) and Staples Inc. (SPLS) are among companies cited by an environment group for acting to cut emissions tied to global warming after Congress failed to pass climate-change legislation. The World Wildlife Fund issued a report today, written in part by McKinsey & Co., that named GE and Staples as companies that improved by financial performance by tackling climate change. Investing in low-carbon energy sources, curbs on energy use and installation of modern heating or cooling technologies can help both the Earth and corporate balance sheets, according to the report. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-18/ge-to-staples-called-climate-champions-by-wildlife-group.html Algae genome could aid medical, climate research. Cal State San Marcos researchers unlocked the genome for a type of algae found around the globe, a finding they said has potential applications to fields ranging from climate change to dentistry. The study sequenced 13 strains of the phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi, to document the first algal “pan-genome:” a set of genes shared by diverse algal varieties. While the different strains share 70 to 80 percent of their DNA, about 20 to 30 percent of their genes are unique to each strain, allowing them to inhabit virtually all the world’s oceans except the polar seas. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/17/algae-pan-genome-csusm-climate/ DIESEL EMISSIONS China's Sinopec cuts sulphur in diesel to clear urban skies. The refiner cut the sulphur content of its "ordinary" diesel to a maximum 350 parts per million (ppm), bringing it into line with the minimum standard for diesel produced for autos and trucks, it said in a release late on Monday. The new standard also means a quality change in Sinopec's diesel exports, although the refiner is not expected to export any of the fuel in June for the second month in a row. Sinopec is the country's dominate diesel exporter. The fuel upgrade means all diesel produced by Sinopec will be of quality similar to Euro III standards or higher. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/china-diesel-upgrade-idUSL3N0EU22E20130618 GREEN ENERGY Saving energy is great. But how much is actually possible? It’s something we hear from policymakers again and again: The world squanders too much energy. And wringing out that waste should be one of the easiest ways for the United States and other countries to save money and curb pollution. But as it turns out, much of what we know about the topic of energy-efficiency is still fairly hazy. Sure, it’s technically doable to make cars more fuel-efficient or insulate homes to prevent heat from leaking out. But which of these efforts are really the most cost-effective? And if it’s such a no-brainer, why aren’t people already taking these steps? Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/18/saving-energy-is-great-but-how-much-is-actually-possible/ Official: Solar plane to help energy use on ground. The plane parked outside the airport looks more like a giant exotic insect or maybe an outsized balsa wood toy airplane. When it's in flight, there's no roar of jet engines. It's strangely quiet. And as it crisscrosses America, the spindly plane doesn't use a drop of fuel. Day, and even night, it flies on the power of the sun. And it's that fact that has the U.S. energy secretary, and the plane's two pilots and fans around the world, so excited. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SOLAR_PLANE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/17/2766807/official-solar-plane-to-help-energy.html MISCELLANEOUS UC Berkeley to help overhaul green job training for public utilities. The California Public Utilities Commission chose the University of California, Berkeley, to oversee big changes in job training meant to accelerate the state's shift to a green economy. Under a $500,000 contract that runs through spring 2014, the Donald Vial Center for Employment in the Green Economy -- part of Cal's Institute for Research and Labor Employment -- will coordinate changes in training for future workers at state utilities like PG&E Corp. (NYSE: PCG). Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2013/06/17/uc-berkeley-to-help-overhaul-green-job.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sanfrancisco+%28San+Francisco+Business+Times%29 UC Davis professor earns prestigious prize for environmental work. UC Davis professor Daniel Sperling, one of the nation's most influential transportation thinkers and policymakers, is the recipient of the 2013 Blue Planet Prize, sometime called the Nobel Prize for environmental science. The prize, presented by a Japanese foundation, comes with $500,000 award. "I am deeply honored to receive the Blue Planet Prize, and I share it with my many brilliant and passionate collaborators," Sperling is quoted in a university press release. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/18/5505609/uc-davis-professor-earns-prestigious.html OPINION California's Cap-and-Tax Grab. Democrats in Sacramento are taking a victory lap for balancing this year's budget without raising taxes (not counting the $6 billion retroactive hike voters approved at political gunpoint in November). The dirty little secret is they're instead tapping California's new cap-and-trade program. California expects to generate $500 million this year from auctioning off permits to emit carbon, and between $2 billion and $14 billion annually by 2015. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323734304578541822111512316.html?mod=wsj_streaming_stream BLOGS Global Warming and Our Inconvenient Minds. I spent the first 20 years of my climate reporting focused on the buildup of human-generated greenhouse gases as a biogeophysical problem. Fuels and forests burn. Gases rise. Heat flows. Ocean chemistry changes. You get the idea. In 2000, I wrote “Global Waffling: When Will We Be Sure?” — an early attempt to examine why humans have a hard time with looming threats like global warming. But it was only starting in 2006 that I shifted increasingly into exploring behavior and climate and began learning why we split into factions on climate policy shaped more by worldviews than data. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/global-warming-and-our-inconvenient-minds/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:19:37 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 19, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 19, 2013. 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 China Carbon Permits Trade 22% Below Europe on Market Debut. China traded its first carbon dioxide permits for 22% less than today’s price in Europe as the nation inaugurated the Shenzhen Emissions Exchange. The permits were priced from 28 yuan to 30 yuan ($4.90) a metric ton, according to Chen Hai’ou, chief executive officer and president of the exchange. That compares with 4.70 euros a ton ($6.30) today for European Union permits on London’s ICE Futures Europe exchange, the world’s biggest carbon market by traded volume. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-18/china-carbon-permits-trade-22-below-europe-s-on-market-debut.html http://www.manmonthly.com.au/news/china-commences-its-first-carbon-trading-scheme Carbon Rescue Plan Wins Support of EU Parliamentary Panel. A panel of European Union lawmakers approved a watered-down rescue plan for the world’s biggest carbon market, after a record surplus of emission permits pushed prices to an all-time low. Carbon allowances for December fell after the European Parliament’s environment committee voted for a change to EU law that would allow delaying the sale of some carbon permits in an effort to support prices. Posted http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-19/carbon-market-rescue-plan-wins-support-of-eu-parliamentary-panel.html . US firms could save $780bn by cutting carbon emissions. Businesses in the US could save as much as $780 billion (£500bn) in the next 10 years or $190 billion (£121.6bn) in 2020 alone if they act now to cut carbon emissions. A new report released by the WWF and Carbon Disclosure Project (CPD) claims firms need to reduce emissions by an average of 3% every year until 2020 – equivalent to cutting total annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 gigatonnes compared to 1990 levels – to unlock the billions of dollars in cost savings. Posted. http://www.energylivenews.com/2013/06/19/us-firms-could-save-780bn-by-cutting-carbon-emissions/ Cleaning Up Diesel Trucks and Cooking Stoves Could Reduce Climate Change. Zeroing in on black carbon may slow the effects of greenhouse-gas emissions. Cutting our overall use of fossil fuels has proved a daunting challenge, but it might be possible to get some relief from the effects of climate change by selectively reducing the particulate pollution we produce. Recent research suggests that if we can clean up diesel engines and primitive cookstoves in India and China, for example that could delay the effects of greenhouse-gas buildup even if pollution from coal-fired power plants persists. Posted. http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515961/cleaning-up-diesel-trucks-and-cooking-stoves-could-reduce-climate-change/ California Air Board partners with China province to share cap-and-trade strategies. The agency that runs California's carbon cap-and-trade program will team with a Chinese province on strategies to fight climate change. California Air Resources Board (ARB) Chairwoman Mary Nichols yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with Xu Anliang, director of the Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission. The two agreed to share information on their carbon market trading programs. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983101/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Calif.-approved budget borrows from cap-and-trade recipients. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) may have brought California back from the brink of financial instability, but environmental groups are criticizing his use of revenue from the state's first year of carbon trading to help accomplish the feat. The $96.4 billion budget, which Brown and state lawmakers struck a deal last week, contains $500 million in loans from the cap-and-trade program, which is supposed to be used for emissions-reducing activities, particularly in low-income communities. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983095/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION New Effort to Quantify ‘Social Cost’ of Pollution. The Obama administration is making a second attempt to systematically account for the dollar damage from greenhouse gas pollution, even with no consensus on how to forestall global warming or whether to do so. Supporters of the idea acknowledge the tremendous difficulties of trying to translate slippery estimates into a single mathematical factor, difficulties that perhaps help explain why there is little hope of consensus now on climate policy. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/us/politics/new-effort-to-quantify-social-cost-of-pollution.html?_r=0 Study shows LAX does not exceed air pollution standards. Los Angeles International Airport is a focal point of air pollution in Los Angeles County, but the emissions from aircraft and motor vehicles do not exceed state and federal standards, according to a groundbreaking study released Tuesday. The $5.1-million effort -- the first of its kind done at a major commercial airport -- also called attention to the release of ultrafine particles in jet exhaust. The material is a potentially harmful pollutant that could be the next frontier in regulation. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-airport-pollution-study-20130618,0,3344806.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/18/study-lax-does-not-exceed-air-pollution-standards/ Battery recycler closed over pollution can reopen. A Southern California battery recycler has been allowed to reopen weeks after it was ordered to shut down because of concerns that toxic pollution was placing thousands of local residents at risk.Superior Court Judge Luis A. Lavin on Monday granted a restraining order permitting Exide Technologies to resume operations at its Vernon plant until a July 2 hearing on whether they should be halted again, City News Service reported. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/18/battery-recycler-closed-over-pollution-can-reopen/ Capital of Chinese Province With Worst Smog Restricts Car Sales. One of China’s most polluted cities will limit vehicle ownership through a lottery, becoming the latest locality to do so in the world’s largest auto market as air quality and traffic congestion worsen. Shijiazhuang, the capital of steel-producing Hebei province surrounding Beijing, will restrict the number of new vehicles to 100,000 this year and limit households to owning two cars, according to a Shijiazhuang Daily report posted on the local government’s website. That quota will be cut to 90,000 in 2015, with a lottery being used to determine who can buy cars, the report said. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-19/capital-of-chinese-province-with-worst-smog-restricts-car-sales.html First-class ticket: more legroom, more emissions. First-class air passengers have a carbon footprint as much as seven times larger than the average passenger’s; according to a new study from the World Bank. The study comes as airliners push the envelope of luxurious accommodations, while simultaneously aiming to 'green' their operations. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0617/First-class-ticket-more-legroom-more-emissions Germany leans on EU states to weaken car CO2 law. Senior members of the German government have warned EU member states that Germany's automakers could scale back or scrap production plans in their countries unless they support weakened carbon emissions rules, according to diplomatic sources. With EU governments and lawmakers aiming to finalize the rules next week, which most of the 27 member states back…Posted. http://europe.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130619/ANE/306189980/germany-leans-on-eu-states-to-weaken-car-emissions-law#axzz2WgSyNUMb How companies can bridge the 'gigaton gap' and make money – study. U.S. businesses that commit to cutting carbon emissions by 3 percent annually through 2020 could reap as much as $190 billion from reduced energy bills, increased productivity and innovation, and the tapping of new clean energy sources such as solar, a new report from the World Wildlife Fund and CDP has found. But the window of opportunity is closing fast, and failure to begin curbing emissions of carbon dioxide…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983075/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Time to stop arguing about climate change, World Bank says. The world should stop arguing about whether humans are causing climate change and start taking action to stop dangerous temperature rises, the president of the World Bank said on Wednesday. Jim Yong Kim said there was 97 to 98 percent agreement among scientists that global warming was real and caused by human activity. "If you disagree with the science of human-caused climate change you are not disagreeing that there is anthropogenic climate change. What you are disagreeing with is science itself," Kim told a Thomson Reuters Newsmaker event in London. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/uk-worldbank-climate-idUKBRE95I0BN20130619 Obama to Outline Climate-Change Steps in Weeks, Aide Says. President Barack Obama will outline “commonsense” steps to tackle climate change in the weeks ahead, White House energy adviser Heather Zichal said, confirming what the president is telling donors privately. The administration plans include measures that don’t require congressional action, such as pushing energy efficiency standards for appliances, clean-energy production on public lands and regulations to curb carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants, Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-19/obama-to-outline-climate-change-steps-in-weeks-aide-says.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/06/19/obama-to-reveal-plan-to-combat-climate-change-aide-says/ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/science/earth/obama-preparing-big-effort-to-curb-climate-change.html?pagewanted=print Carbon rules for current power plants likely in White House rollout, aide hints. The top White House climate change adviser today stopped just short of saying that carbon dioxide regulations for existing power plants would be included when President Obama rolls out his second-term climate change strategy next month. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983133/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS California senators want more information on oil well 'acid jobs'. California state legislators on Tuesday told regulators and oil industry lobbyists they wanted more information about the use of acid to increase flows in wells in a technique that is used more often in the state than the controversial fracking method. California's century-old oil sector has come in for greater scrutiny as companies make early attempts to tap the Monterey shale, a deep formation that holds an estimated 15 billion barrels of oil - twice that of North Dakota's widely publicized Bakken shale. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-california-oil-acidjobs-idUSBRE95I04320130619?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews Utilities Switch Off Investment in Fossil Fuel Plants. On the outskirts of Scunthorpe in northern England, workers at the large power station known as Keadby 1 are preparing to shut it down at the end of the summer, with the loss of about 40 jobs. Its owner, the British utility Scottish & Southern Energy, says fluctuations in global energy markets have made the natural gas power plant unprofitable despite a multi-million pound renovation, as demand for electricity has plummeted since the financial crisis. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/energy-environment/utilities-switch-off-investment-in-fossil-fuel-plants.html?pagewanted=all Gas Prices Moving Away From Link to Oil. Last month, Mitsui and Mitsubishi, of Japan, and GDF Suez of France said they would join with Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, California, to build a $10 billion liquefied natural gas plant in Hackberry, Louisiana. They joined several other non-U.S. companies, including Korea Gas and GAIL, a large Indian utility, in trying to lock up prospective U.S. exports of abundant, low-cost shale gas. Current low prices may not be the only attraction. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/business/energy-environment/gas-prices-moving-away-from-link-to-oil.html?ref=earth Study raises questions about producing ethanol from natural gas. As natural gas has become more abundant and cheap in the United States, several companies have looked to it, instead of corn and other plant-based materials, to produce ethanol. But a new study by an oil and gas industry-funded research group suggests that converting natural gas to ethanol may not offer any benefits over other feedstocks. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983103/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Corn-based isobutanol maker defeats bugs, resumes commercial production. A major biofuel manufacturer has restarted production at its Luverne, Minn., corn isobutanol plant, having finally tamed the bug that forced an overhaul of the facility's operations. Denver-based Gevo Inc., one of two of the biggest bio-based isobutanol companies in the United States, had to shut down its 18-million-gallon-per-year plant in November to take care of an ongoing bacteria contamination problem. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983076/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Shale's long-term success in the U.S. poses challenges in the interim. By 2016 or 2017, surplus natural gas from U.S. shale plays should be headed away from new export terminals, retirements of older coal-fired generators should accelerate and new billion-dollar cracker installations will begin turning more gas liquids into petrochemical feedstocks, speakers at an energy forum predicted yesterday. The problem for much of the shale gas industry is how to stay healthy until then…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983100/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES All of a Sudden, There Aren’t Enough Electric Cars to Keep Up with Demand. Electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Honda Fit EV used to languish on dealership lots for months. A pricing war with aggressive incentives and cheap lease deals has changed all that. Last year, Nissan sold about half the number of Leafs it had anticipated, marking two years in a row of disappointing sales for the electric car pioneer. One of the factors holding the Leaf back from appealing to the masses has been the upfront price premium drivers have had to pay for the cars, when compared with similar vehicles that run on plain old gas. Posted. http://business.time.com/2013/06/18/all-of-a-sudden-there-arent-enough-electric-cars-to-keep-up-with-demand/#ixzz2WgvBQHsz GREEN ENERGY Free Solar Electricity Service Could Unplug Electron Thievery. Coffee shops and retail stores still tolerate one of the last forms of socially acceptable stealing, to the relief of mobile users everywhere: electricity theft. More than half of Americans have smartphones, and many are as dependent on them as Caitlin MacCrate, 24, a student in New York. "I use it for everything, from my alarm clock, to my calendar, social connectivity, assignment tracking, to my to-do list. It's my all-encompassing tool," she said. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-19/free-solar-electricity-service-could-unplug-electron-thievery.html Making Energy Efficiency Attractive for Owners of Older Seattle Buildings. Switching to less power-hungry light bulbs is relatively easy, and the payoff relatively swift. But replacing furnaces or boilers or reconfiguring the building’s shell involves sinking millions of dollars into an asset that the owner may want to get rid of long before the investment has paid off. In a new twist, some investors, a technology company, a municipal utility and an environmentally oriented foundation have joined forces to show that major energy-efficiency improvements in commercial buildings may provide alluring new revenue to all involved. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/realestate/commercial/making-energy-efficiency-attractive-for-owners-of-older-seattle-buildings.html?ref=earth Palm Springs eyes $18M 'green' upgrade. An $18 million project to replace the city’s aging energy plant, replace incandescent lighting with LED bulbs and install a new irrigation system that can remotely monitor water usage will help the city become much greener and less wasteful, according to a staff report prepared for the City Council. The energy conservation measures will initially save the city an estimated $1 million in utility costs and grow to $2 million a year in savings after 20 years, if the city’s projections prove true. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306180034 Batteries could trigger next solar boom, experts say. Solar energy storage solutions are primed for exponential growth and will help increase the amount of renewable power used by consumers, experts and industry executives said. And the boom, once again, is set to begin in Germany. Solar is already cost competitive at a residential level in many countries, and it takes demand away from previously installed traditional generation at the most valuable part of the day, the peak time. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983096/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Solar-powered boat basks at the foot of Broadway. Solar planes might be all the rage in the Washington, D.C., area this week, but at the foot of Broadway, in New York City's harbor, a solar boat is getting the limelight. For those behind the world's largest solar-powered ship, the MS Turanor PlanetSolar, last year was a good one. In 2012, the hulking Swiss boat successfully completed an around-the-world journey on nothing but sun power, making it the first solar vehicle to do so. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983068/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS L.A. approves ban on plastic grocery bags. The City Council votes 11 to 1 for the ordinance, which would go into effect in 2014. Shoppers can bring reusable bags or pay stores 10 cents per paper bag. Attention Los Angeles shoppers: The plastic bag is disappearing from more than just the supermarket. L.A. on Tuesday became the newest and by far the largest city to back a ban on plastic grocery bags, approving an ordinance that applies not just to food stores and mini marts but also big retail chains with their own line of groceries, such as Target and Wal-Mart. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-plastic-bags-20130619,0,7487365,print.story Police bust ring of alleged catalytic converter thieves. A speeding-car investigation Monday evening led police to a north Stockton home where they discovered 37 stolen, high-value catalytic converters and a loaded handgun. The result was five arrests that could possibly put a crimp in the explosion of such thefts Stockton has experienced in the past year. The Police Department's Community Response Team was patrolling a northeast neighborhood around 8:10 p.m. Monday when officers saw a Mercedes speed by on Fox Creek Drive. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130619/A_NEWS/306190320&cid=sitesearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Edison urges conservation as warm summer months near. As Southern Californians prepare for summer, Southern California Edison is asking customers to be especially conservation-minded to help keep the electric grid stable and reliable during hot weather when energy use spikes, particularly without the power generated from the San Onofre nuclear plant. Last summer, SCE customers saved 300 megawatts through conservation measures -- enough to power about 200,000 homes. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23486501/edison-urges-conservation-warm-summer-months-near?source=rss&utm_source=feedly OPINIONS My life without plastic bags. The reality is that life without plastic grocery bags is entirely doable and a lot better for the environment. But it does require some adjusting. Now that the Los Angeles City Council has tentatively approved a ban on plastic carry-out bags, I'd like to report to you that it'll be easy to live without them. I'd like to say that after a similar ban took effect in my city this year, I had no problem getting my groceries to the car, no problem lining my garbage cans and no moments of annoyance. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-out-here-los-angeles-bans-plastic-bags-20130619,0,1640094.story BLOGS And the Weatherman Says There’s More to Come. If you’re planning a summer break in Europe anytime in the next 10 years, bring an umbrella. Scientists studying unusual weather patterns in recent years have concluded that the pattern of cold springs and wet summers could persist for a decade or longer. The warning came after parts of Europe shivered through one of the coldest springs on record and floods swept across Central Europe, prompting a state of emergency to be declared in the Czech Republic. Posted. http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/and-the-weatherman-says-theres-more-to-come/ China Adds Another Tool to Curb Pollution, Launching First Cap and Trade Program. China launched its first cap and trade program to reduce carbon pollution today, a landmark advance toward fighting climate change. As the world’s largest source of carbon dioxide, China is a notable new player joining California and eight other countries and jurisdictions around the world with such programs. China produces one quarter of the world’s carbon pollution…Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/stanenhaus/china_adds_another_tool_to_cur.html Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse On Climate Change: 'The Eyes Of The World Are On Us'. The effects of climate change, driven by carbon pollution, hit Americans harder each year. Extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires and droughts are growing ever more frequent and severe. Beyond our borders, these changes are hitting developing nations. Since our nation's founding, America has stood as an example for the world. Now, we owe it to ourselves and to other nations, who look to Washington, to lead the way on climate change by putting a price on carbon pollution…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/sheldon-whitehouse-climate-change_n_3466596.html Heartland Institute - the Keystone Cops Of Climate Science Denial - Strike Again. THERE’S a section on the Heartland Institute’s website [1] pointing readers to “Stuff We Wish We Wrote”. After events over the last year or so, the chaps at the fossil fuel-funded “think tank” might want to add a new section with the title “Stuff We Wish We Hadn’t Wrote”. The Heartland Institute [2], for those who don’t know, is a Chicago-based group promoting any view or position that argues we shouldn’t do anything about human-caused climate change. Posted. http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/06/18/heartland-institute-keystone-cops-climate-science-denial-strike-again ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 11:21:51 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 20, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 20, 2013. 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 European parliament committee backs ban on planet-warming F-gases. The European Parliament's Environment Committee backed a sweeping ban on the use in fridges and air conditioners of fluorinated gases - greenhouse gases that are many thousands of times more damaging than carbon dioxide. The plan, which would have to be approved by a plenary session of the parliament and by EU countries before becoming law, goes much further than a proposal from the executive European Commission. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/eu-fgases-idUSL5N0EU33C20130619 Air quality near LAX within state standards, airport study says. The air pollution study is available online at lawa.org/airqualitystudy and also will soon be available at Councilman Bill Rosendahl's district office in Westchester and at public libraries in Westchester, Inglewood and El Segundo. Air quality near Los Angeles International Airport falls within national and California standards for pollutants, according to the results of a study released this week by the airport. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23496929/air-quality-near-lax-within-state-standards-airport?source=rss&utm_source=feedly# CLIMATE CHANGE Obama commits to tough push on global warming. President Barack Obama is planning a major push using executive powers to tackle the pollution blamed for global warming in an effort to make good on promises he made at the start of his second term. "We know we have to do more — and we will do more," Obama said Wednesday in Berlin. Obama's senior energy and climate adviser, Heather Zichal, said the plan would boost energy efficiency of appliances and buildings, plus expand renewable energy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Obama-commits-to-tough-push-on-global-warming-4611718.php Cutting Carbon Can Be a Company's Best Investment. Climate change activists and advocates for greener buildings and commerce haven’t had much luck pushing carbon-capping measures on Capitol Hill, so they are turning to the private sector. And the script is no longer “save the world”; it’s “save your income statement.” The World Wildlife Fund issued a report highlighting massive savings to be wrung out of carbon-reduction measures, from self-dimming lights to factories plastered with solar panels. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-20/cutting-carbon-can-be-a-companys-best-investment Tax code a wash when it comes to curbing carbon – report. Energy tax provisions have become a proxy battle in Washington, D.C.'s political war over climate change in recent years, but they have little real effect on greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new National Research Council study. The study, which was mandated by Congress, asked a team of experts to recommend ways the tax code could be changed to encourage reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983212/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS BP Defends Renewable-Fuel Rule Other Oil Companies Oppose. As Congress considers scaling back or abolishing U.S. rules that mandate the use of renewable fuels, it has the full-throated support of the petroleum industry -- with one major exception. BP Plc (BP/), one of the world’s biggest oil companies by revenue, is part of a joint venture with DuPont Co. (DD) that is set to start producing a new alternative fuel by the end of the year. In order to preserve a market for that fuel…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-20/bp-defends-renewable-fuel-rule-other-oil-companies-oppose.html Norway opens Arctic border area to oil drilling. Norway's Parliament has opened up a new area on the fringe of the Arctic Ocean to offshore oil drilling despite protests from opponents who fear catastrophic oil spills in the remote and icy region. Most of the Norwegian sector of the Barents Sea, which the Nordic country shares with Russia, is already open to petroleum activities. But environmentalists and some opposition lawmakers say the risk to Arctic sea ice is higher…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Norway-opens-Arctic-border-area-to-oil-drilling-4611578.php Ethanol’s Discount to Gasoline Swells as Imports Boost Supply. Ethanol’s discount to gasoline expanded to the widest differential in more than two months after a government report signaled that higher imports of the fuel are replenishing a record-low supply. The spread, or price difference, weakened 2.8 cents to 40.74 cents a gallon after the Energy Information Administration said U.S. imports of the biofuel jumped to 65,000 barrels a day last week from none a week earlier. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-06-19/ethanol-s-discount-to-gasoline-swells-as-imports-boost-supply U.S. boom fuels an energy trade that's 'a match made in heaven'. The North American unconventional oil and gas boom and Asia's energy-hungry future could form a "match made in heaven," according to an energy expert. Mikkal Herberg, research director of the Energy Security Program at the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) and a 20-year veteran of the oil industry, said trans-Pacific ties could usher in a new phase for Asian energy security and North American oil and gas development. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983184/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY It's 'make-or-break day' for EPA's cross-state rule, E15 waiver. The Supreme Court will meet today to consider whether to review two U.S. EPA programs: regulations for air pollution that drifts across state lines and its approval of increased ethanol in gasoline. In their weekly conference, justices will weigh a request from EPA and environmentalists to examine a lower court ruling that threw out the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) as well as petitions from industry challenging EPA's approval of E15, gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983206/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY House prepares natural gas bills, studies Senate work on efficiency – Upton. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will be rolling out a package of bills in the coming months aimed at expanding natural gas infrastructure to promote use of the abundant and inexpensive fuel in cars and trucks, Chairman Fred Upton said today. The Michigan Republican said the legislative package would build on the goals of a pipeline safety bill Congress passed last year and aid the expansion of filling stations for natural gas vehicles. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983196/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Cow innards seen as key to more efficient, less expensive refining. Oklahoma State University researchers might have found the answer to more efficient biofuels production in an unlikely place: a cow's belly. At issue is a fungus of the genus Orpinomyces that thrives in the rumen and gut of herbivores and is capable of both breaking down and fermenting plant materials into biofuels. The fungus, the researchers say, could eliminate the need for expensive pretreatments and enzymes and lower the cost of ethanol production. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983200/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Forget charging stations: Electric automaker Tesla plans to test battery swapping technology. Tesla Motors has announced plans to test battery swapping technology for its electric cars. The maker of the Model S electric sedan will test a system that removes empty electric car batteries and replaces them with full ones in much less time than it takes to recharge the car. Worried about waiting for that electric car to finish charging? Tesla Motors, maker of the Model S electric sedan, may be ready to make range anxiety a thing of the past. Posted. http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/forget-charging-electric-car-tesla-plans-test-battery-swapping-article-1.1377760#ixzz2WmFYwvVq Bosch unveils wireless electric car charging stations. Bosch will produce the first wireless electric vehicle charging system, the technology supplier announced this week. The Plugless L2 System resembles a small launch pad in the middle of the floor (see a photo here). Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf owners — the system isn't compatible with other EV models — would simply drive over the parking pad to start charging their cars. The system includes the parking pad, a vehicle adapter to be installed in the car’s undercarriage…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-wireless-car-charging-20130618,0,2343304.story UMTRI study concludes number of LDVs in the US likely has not yet peaked. A brief study by Dr. Michael Sivak, Director, Sustainable Worldwide Transportation at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) concludes that despite the absolute number of vehicles in the US having reached a maximum in 2008, it is highly likely that—from a long-term perspective—the absolute number of vehicles in the US has not yet peaked. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/06/sivak-20130620.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL GOP targets high-speed rail, transportation grants. House Republicans are pushing to eliminate money for high-speed rail and a popular grant program for transportation projects. The belt-tightening comes as the GOP-led House works on $44 billion measure covering transportation and housing programs. The legislation reflects the austere budget mandated by automatic cuts - fallout from Washington's failure to address the deficit this spring. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONGRESS_SPENDING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT GREEN ENERGY How To Become A Carbon Neutral Business. It seems like there are as many ways for a business to “go green” as there are businesses themselves. From sourcing organic products to electric delivery vehicles, one change can make a business green to a certain degree, but how can you ever know exactly how environmentally sustainable your business really is? When are you truly green? Striving to be carbon neutral is one way to measure your green efforts as a company. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ups/2013/06/18/how-to-become-a-carbon-neutral-business/ Silicon Valley City to be Carbon-Neutral by 2017. The Silicon Valley city of Palo Alto, home to Stanford University and a frillion startups, says it will be run on entirely carbon-neutral electrical power by 2017. The Northern California city's announcement, made by the Palo Alto City Council this week, came on the heels of an agreement to buy power from three utility-scale solar projects in California. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/palo-alto-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2017.html MISCELLANEOUS Mosquito spraying slated for some S.J. County areas. To combat mosquitoes that might carry the West Nile virus, the San Joaquin Mosquito and Vector Control District plans ground spraying in a number of areas. Spraying for adult mosquitoes using Evergreen 60-6 is scheduled for 5 to 7:30 a.m. Friday (same time Monday if weather causes a delay) in south rural Manteca from the Stanislaus River to the east and south, Division Road to the north and Two Rivers Road to the west. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130620/A_NEWS/130619867/-1/a_news Teen's biofuel invention turns algae into fuel. For a fifth-grade science fair, Evie Sobczak found that the acid in fruit could power clocks; she connected a cut-up orange to a clock with wire and watched it tick. In seventh grade, she generated power by engineering paddles that could harness wind. And in eighth grade, she started a project that eventually would become her passion: She wanted to grow algae and turn it into biofuel. After four years of tinkering in her garage for about an hour each day, Sobczak (pronounced sob-chek) has finally figured it out. Posted. http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/budding-scientist-headed-on-a-summer-trip-to-nasa-lab/2126473 OPINIONS The Rationale for Wind Power Won't Fly. Physical limitations will keep this energy source a niche provider of U.S. electricity needs. To understand the folly that drives too much of the nation's energy policies, consider these basic facts about wind energy. After decades of federal subsidies—almost $24 billion according to a recent estimate by former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm—nowhere in the United States, or anywhere else, has an array of wind turbines replaced a single conventional power plant. Nowhere. But wind farms do take up space. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324310104578507242336481504.html?KEYWORDS=wind+power The time for climate action is now. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is among the few officials to recognize that decades of inaction on climate change are shaping the present, not just the future. Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, so it might seem crazy that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced a $20-billion proposal to construct levees and shore up hospitals to protect his city from storms and rising seas. All government leaders should be so crazy. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-climate-change-20130620,0,1379797,print.story Do we need nuclear power plants? No: Toxic waste too dangerous. The 1976 Nuclear Safeguards Act bars new nuclear plants in California until there is a solution to the high-level radioactive waste problem. Thirty-seven years later, there is still none. Two-thirds of a century after the first reactor waste was created, we still don’t know what to do with the toxic garbage. Thankfully, the atomic genie is getting put back in its bottle, and we are all safer for it. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/19/no-toxic-waste-too-dangerous/ Can Obama go post-partisan on climate and offer carbon power plant rules? President Obama will try "depoliticizing" the issue of climate change, his top aide on the issue said yesterday, raising questions about how that can be achieved as his administration appears poised to pursue embattled regulations on carbon. To some observers, the assertion yesterday by Heather Zichal, Obama's deputy assistant for energy and climate change, suggests the president might be planning to launch an appeal to the American people. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983178/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY A Climate Change Compendium. I am on the mailing list for the Neighborhood Energy Network, based in New York City. They regularly send out updates, presentation and movie announcements, and activist opportunities, to a large mailing list. This one, their latest, lists many useful sites on Climate Change, including how to deal with deniers. It is presented here as an aid for those who want to be better informed and to answer critics. Climate change is here, but it is clear there's more to it than just rising CO2 levels…Posted. http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Climate-Change-Compendiu-by-Scott-Baker-130620-688.html BLOGS Singapore Air Pollution Hits Record. Smog in Singapore worsened to a record “hazardous” level Thursday, as smoke from fires in neighboring Indonesia billowed into the island state’s worst-ever air-pollution crisis. According to Singapore’s National Environment Agency, the city’s three-hour Pollutant Standards Index rose to an all-time high of 371 at 1 p.m. local time (0500 GMT) Thursday, surpassing the official “hazardous” designation of 301 or higher. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/06/20/singapore-air-pollution-index-hits-record-high/ House transportation bill denies high-speed rail funding in 2014. Congressional skeptics of California's high-speed rail project make their feelings known in a draft transportation spending bill made public this week. The bill from by the transportation subcommittee of the powerful House Appropriations Committee declares that "none of the funds made available by this act may be used for the California High-Speed Rail Program of the California High-Speed Rail Authority." Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/06/house-transportation-bill-denies-hsr-funding.html#storylink=cpy We work on climate change every day. Everywhere I travel as secretary of state – in every meeting, here at home and across the more than 100,000 miles I’ve traveled since I raised my hand and took the oath to serve in this office – I raise the concern of climate change. I do so not because it’s a pet issue or a personal priority, but because it’s critical to the survival of our civilization, and that means it’s a critical mission for me as our country’s top diplomat. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/we-work-on-climate-change-every-day/ The cap doesn’t fit. ON JUNE 18th, China became the latest and largest country to trade carbon emissions. The southern city of Shenzhen started a pilot emissions-trading scheme (ETS), the first of seven citywide and provincial carbon markets which, when all up and running, will constitute the second-largest in the world, after Europe’s. China needs to cut emissions. It also needs to shift from command-and-control limits on pollution to market-based ones, like an ETS. Posted. http://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2013/06/carbon-emissions ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 11:30:30 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 21, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 21, 2013. 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 Obama Raises the Cost of Carbon Emissions 60 Percent. The U.S. Department of Energy’s new efficiency standards for microwave ovens aren’t exactly a sizzling read. Amid the dry, technical language it’s easy to miss the significance of a few passages that the Obama administration tucked into the obscure regulation without consulting anyone. They amount to a sweeping change in the way the U.S. measures the effects of carbon emissions and will reverberate well beyond the kitchen. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-20/obama-raises-the-cost-of-carbon-emissions-60-percent%23r=rss AIR POLLUTION As Beijing air pollution worsens, some American expats clear out. Business opportunities abound in China, but some U.S. executives working in the capital say the health of their families is more important. After nearly two decades in Beijing, David Wolf knew it was time for a change when his 11-year-old son, Aaron, somberly asked him, "Dad, when you were growing up, did you ever have PE outdoors?" Wolf had grown up in smog-choked Los Angeles in the 1970s, but even that wasn't nearly as bad as Beijing today. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-escape-20130620,0,1354486.story Indonesia plans air tactic as Singapore haze worsens. Air pollution in Singapore soared to record heights for a third consecutive day, as Indonesia prepared planes and helicopters Friday to battle raging fires blamed for hazardous levels of smoky haze in three countries. The blazes in peat swamp forests on Indonesia's Sumatra island have sent massive plumes of smog across the sea to neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, both of which are growing impatient with Indonesia's response to the problem that occurs nearly every year. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/06/21/singapore-air-pollution/2444901/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/singapore-haze-hits-worst-level-yet-indonesia-readies-planes-copters-to-fight-sumatra-fires/2013/06/21/7d07589a-da33-11e2-b418-9dfa095e125d_story.html Science review prompts concerns about another delay for ozone standard. U.S. EPA is currently "working to revise the schedule" for its review of a new standard on ozone pollution, the agency said, prompting concerns from environmentalists that the proposal could come at least a year later than expected. Observers had expected the agency to propose new national ambient air quality standards, or NAAQS, before the end of this year and to finalize them next year. The agency is expected to consider lowering the current NAAQS for ozone -- a major component of smog -- from 75 parts per billion to between 60 ppb and 70 ppb. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983290/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE New Obama climate plan may draw from panel's recommendations. Clues about what to expect in a White House package of climate measures expected within weeks might be found in a report given to the president in March by a blue-chip team of scientists and business leaders. The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), led by President Barack Obama's chief science adviser John Holdren, listed six major components that should be central to the administration's second-term climate change strategy. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-usa-climate-panel-idUSBRE95J19U20130620 May global temperature ties as third warmest on record. Last month was among the hottest Mays in the 134-year global record, tying with 1998 and 2005 as the third warmest. According to an analysis released Thursday by the National Climatic Data Center, May’s combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces was 1.19°F above the 20th century average of 58.6°F. The agency reported that regions experiencing record warmth included north-central Siberia, west-central Australia…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-may-temperature-third-warmest-20130620,0,2256698.story Gov. urges nurses to help fight climate change. Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday challenged his allies in the nation's largest nurses union to look beyond their own immediate concerns and help organize a movement to address global climate change. The Democratic governor enjoyed an enthusiastic reception from a packed room of nurses wearing red shirts at the National Nurses United conference in San Francisco. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_23503232/gov-urges-nurses-help-fight-climate-change http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/20/2771817/gov-urges-nurses-to-help-fight.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jun/20/gov-urges-nurses-to-help-fight-climate-change/ http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/20/gov-urges-nurses-to-help-fight-climate-change/ US energy tax provisions doing nothing to limit GHG emissions: study. Current federal energy-tax provisions are doing almost nothing to reduce US greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a US Treasury Department-sponsored study released Thursday. The study, conducted by the National Research Council, found that roughly $48 billion in energy-sector tax expenditures -- including oil and gas depletion allowances, production tax credits for wind and other renewable energy sources and biofuels provisions -- have had minimal impact. Posted. http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/21188426 Obama aide promises support for Fla., other states threatened by sea-level rise. At a conference that touched on everything from the possible submergence of the Florida Keys to contaminated drinking water wells, President Obama's principal environmental adviser told south Florida officials yesterday that the "next step" in the administration's efforts on climate change involves supporting state and local governments. White House Council On Environmental Quality chief Nancy Sutley did not say whether additional money or…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983263/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Drought is shifting to Four Corners region. The Southwest is shaping up to become the new epicenter of drought this summer, with impacts ranging from uncontrolled wildfires to poor winter wheat yields. Overall, this spring saw a higher-than-average snow cover, but sparse snowfall in May led to the third-lowest rate of snow cover on record for that month, Deke Arndt, chief of the climate monitoring branch at the National Climatic Data Center, said during a teleconference yesterday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983241/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Climate change will fundamentally alter forests, agency says. The 21st century will see U.S. forests fundamentally altered by climate change, both gradually and by more abrupt "disturbances" like fires, insect outbreaks and floods, a new synthesis of research by the Forest Service finds. "Our challenge is that our perception is based on what we have seen in the past," said Dave Cleaves, climate adviser for the Forest Service. "In the future, we're looking towards a combination of stressors and disturbance regime" for which there may be no precedent. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983242/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB: We’re stepping up truck enforcement at border, ports. Trucking companies are used to warning drivers about getting approached at border towns by individuals with cash and offers to haul special freight. But a new effort by the California Air Resources Board is warning them about a new form of illegal activity centered on trucks at border towns and ports: illegal dray offs. In a news release, CARB said it is warning business owners that trucks with freight originating from or heading to a California port or rail facility must meet requirements of the state’s Port Drayage Rule including registration with CARB as drayage trucks. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25361 http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/06/arb-20130620.html FUELS EPA won't confirm fracking-pollution tie in Wyo. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it is dropping its longstanding plan to have independent scientists review its finding that hydraulic fracturing may be linked to groundwater pollution in central Wyoming. The EPA is standing by its findings, but state officials will lead further investigation into the pollution in the Pavillion area. The area has been a focus of the debate over whether fracking can pollute groundwater ever since the EPA's initial report came out in late 2011. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FRACKING_GROUNDWATER_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/EPA-won-t-confirm-fracking-pollution-tie-in-Wyo-4612790.php BP shuns advanced biofuels investment in EU. Oil major BP (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) is directing investment in advanced biofuels to the United States and South America due to uncertainty about the European Union's future regulatory environment, a senior executive said. "At the moment we are not contemplating investing in second-generation cellulosic (ethanol) in Europe simply for the reason that there is not enough certainty on what the market conditions will be like," Phil New, head of BP Biofuels, said in an interview. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/uk-bp-biofuels-idUKBRE95K0N520130621 What you need to know about ethanol in gas. Chances are you don't pay too much attention to the stickers on the gas station pump when you fill up your car except perhaps the one associated with the octane rating you prefer. After all, the worst that could happen are some relatively small differences in performance, right? Not so, if you accidentally put E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, in the majority of the cars on the road today. Posted. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/know-ethanol-gas-100000473.html Food fight as chain restaurants push to end renewable fuel standard. Chain restaurants have once again joined the renewable fuel standard battle, supporting legislation to eliminate the federal mandates. Yesterday, the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) urged Congress to repeal the RFS, saying government-imposed requirements for corn ethanol production have significantly increased business costs for fast food chains. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983247/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Natural gas still 'stubbornly resistant to globalization' – IEA. The world of natural gas is no economist's dream: For all of the world's supply, it struggles to flow where it's wanted. That's the picture emerging from the International Energy Agency's latest outlook for natural gas, issued yesterday: a swelling world stock of the stuff that leaves some regions oversupplied and others hungry. "Gas remains the fuel of contradictions," IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven wrote in the report.” Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983240/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY REFINERY Capitol Alert: Chevron Corp. taking political fire from both right and left. It's been a rough week, politically speaking, for Chevron, one of the state's oldest and largest corporations, as it takes fire from the left and the right. Chevron, which has been dodging political and legal bullets over a 2012 fire at its refinery in Richmond, is under fire from farmers, especially Republican farmers, over hefty political contributions to a group that backs Democrat Leticia Perez in her state Senate battle with Republican farmer Andy Vidak. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/20/3352566/capitol-alert-chevron-corp-taking.html#storylink=cpy VEHICLES Electric car maker Tesla unveils 90-second battery pack swap. Tesla Motors Inc. on Thursday unveiled a system to swap battery packs in its electric cars in about 90 seconds, a service Chief Executive Elon Musk said will help overcome fears about their driving range. The automaker will roll out the battery-swapping stations later this year, beginning along the heavily-traveled route between Los Angeles and San Francisco and then in the Washington-to-Boston corridor. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/tesla-swap-idUSL2N0EW23220130621 http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/forget-charging-electric-car-tesla-plans-test-battery-swapping-article-1.1377760 Chinese City Proposes Vehicle Restrictions to Reduce Smog. One of China’s most polluted cities has proposed to limit vehicle ownership through a lottery, becoming the latest locality to do so in the world’s largest auto market as air quality and traffic congestion worsen. Shijiazhuang, the capital of steel-producing Hebei province surrounding Beijing, will restrict the number of new vehicles to 100,000 this year and limit households to owning two cars, according to a Shijiazhuang Daily report posted on the local government’s website yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-19/capital-of-chinese-province-with-worst-smog-restricts-car-sales.html Panel Adopts New Rules for Taxi of Tomorrow. One month after a judge blocked the Bloomberg administration’s initial plans for a near-uniform fleet of yellow cabs, the Taxi and Limousine Commission on Thursday approved an adjusted set of rules in a bid to introduce its Taxi of Tomorrow as scheduled this fall. The vote, 7 to 1, is likely to prompt another deluge of litigation from yellow taxi operators who have opposed the plan, which would require nearly every cab to be a Nissan NV200. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/nyregion/panel-adopts-new-rules-for-taxi-of-tomorrow.html?pagewanted=print Why Honda's Unloading Electric Cars for Cheap. When Honda Motor (HMC) introduced its all-electric Fit EV in July 2012, it set a modest goal of delivering 1,100 of the lease-only cars in two years. Yet through May, the company had found just 176 takers for the plug-in. Consumers didn’t leap to pay $389 a month for a subcompact that can go only about 82 miles before it needs recharging, especially when the gas-powered version gets 30 miles a gallon…Posted. http://origin-www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/127908-why-hondas-unloading-electric-cars-for-cheap Let’s Hope You’re Not Trying to Sell an Electric Car Anytime Soon. In May 2012, the average trade-in value for a 2011 Nissan Leaf was around $25,000. A year later, that same car’s value had fallen to roughly $15,000. According to a new report from the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), plug-in electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf depreciate in value at a rate much higher than traditional gas-powered cars, as well as hybrids like the Toyota Prius. Posted. http://business.time.com/2013/06/21/lets-hope-youre-not-trying-to-sell-an-electric-car-anytime-soon/#ixzz2Wry8aPeg Honda introduces Accord hybrid and plug-in in Japan; hybrid in US in October. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has introduced the new Accord Hybrid in Japan. Featuring the new Sport Hybrid i-MMD (intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) powertrain, the Accord Hybrid offers fuel economy of 30.0 km/L (70.6 mpg US, 3.33 L/100 km) on the JC08 cycle. The company also introduced the Accord Plug-in Hybrid, with fuel economy (gasoline plus electricity) of 70.4 km/L equivalent (165.6 mpg US, 1.42 L/100 km) on the JC08. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/06/honda-20130621.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL California Rep. Jeff Denham juggles national, local needs on House rail panel. High-speed rail has dominated the transportation debate in California in recent years, but the state has other passenger and freight rail needs that have received less attention, transportation experts say. Supporters of rail investments may have a Washington ally in Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. Posted. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/20/194514/california-rep-jeff-denham-juggles.html#.UcQRcPnvv_Q#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY IEA head economist urges efficiency push in energy sectors. The International Energy Agency's chief economist yesterday cautioned against not taking energy efficiency policies seriously when looking at how energy industries might lower their contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. Speaking at Columbia University, IEA head economist Fatih Birol stressed that energy industries are still the main culprit when it comes to carbon levels in the atmosphere, contributing two-thirds of the planet's output. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983217/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Americans consider the environment in what they buy, survey shows. More than half of Americans consider the effects on the environment of products and services they buy, according to a new national survey. “Consumer behavior has become an important way Americans express their values and concerns, leading to new products and services, creating and destroying markets, and influencing the policies and actions of companies large and small,” according to the report, Americans’ Actions to Limit Global Warming April 2013…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-americans-consider-environment-purchases-20130620,0,4041237.story UC Davis professor earns prestigious prize for environmental work. UC Davis professor Daniel Sperling, one of the nation's most influential transportation thinkers and policymakers, is the recipient of the 2013 Blue Planet Prize, sometime called the Nobel Prize for environmental science. The prize, presented by a Japanese foundation, comes with $500,000 award. "I am deeply honored to receive the Blue Planet Prize, and I share it with my many brilliant and passionate collaborators," Sperling is quoted in a university news release. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/20/5510423/uc-davis-professor-earns-prestigious.html#storylink=cpy Scientists worry over dwindling tri-colored blackbird population in California. The use of pesticides and other farming practices are causing a dramatic decline in the population of what was once one of the state's most populous bird species: the tricolored blackbird. A recent estimate has pegged the population of the small, dark and swift-moving birds at 260,000. That's down from 400,000 birds counted in 2008, according to an Audubon California survey. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/21/5513307/scientists-worry-over-dwindling.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region#storylink=cpy OPINIONS COLUMN-Study opens new cracks in scientific front on climate change: Gerard Wynn. A major recent study has put the cat among the pigeons on climate change, challenging the size of the problem in the near-term and the role of a recent slowdown in warming. The paper, published in the journal Nature Geoscience in May, involved scientists from 14 institutions and calculated that more extreme climate change was now less likely, after taking into account slower warming in the past decade. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/column-wynn-climate-science-idUSL5N0EV2OE20130621 Don't waste tax dollars on uncertain high-speed rail plan. Monday's editorial ("Denham errs with HSR comments") mischaracterized my position regarding rail funding. But that doesn't change the fact the California high-speed rail project is no longer what voters approved in 2008. These stimulus dollars were meant for shovel-ready projects, and to date not one shovel has been turned. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/20/2772339/dont-waste-our-tax-dollars-on.html Why such hysteria over fracking? Studies have shown repeatedly that fracking is fundamentally safe. It creates jobs and cuts dependence on foreign oil. So why is there still such backlash? Is hydraulic fracturing — used for more than 60 years to produce oil and natural gas — safe? The "safe fracking" question has been asked and answered many times over by government regulators, scientists and other technical experts, and they have concluded that hydraulic fracturing is a fundamentally safe technology. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-zierman-california-fracking-moratorium-20130621,0,1007838.story State needs safeguards on fracking. Before fracking becomes a major industry in the California, the last remaining bill providing some oversight should be passed. Less than a month ago, there were several major bills to provide oversight of hydraulic fracturing in California. Most of them died in their respective houses, and now only one is left. The Legislature should pass the remaining bill, SB 4, and Gov. Jerry Brown should sign it into law. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-0621-california-fracking-20130621,0,4240150.story BLOGS With Incentives, There Is New Hope for Smith Electric’s Truck Plant in the Bronx. On a late fall day in 2011, politicians gathered in the South Bronx to celebrate the startling news that Smith Electric Vehicles would open a 90,000-square-foot plant near Hunts Point to assemble electric delivery trucks. “Today is an amazing day in God’s country,” said Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. The plan was for Smith to begin production in the second quarter of 2012. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/with-incentives-there-is-new-hope-for-smith-electrics-truck-plant-in-the-bronx/?_r=0&pagewanted=print Friday rant: Change we can’t believe in edition. This is about you. I will be brief. But first a word about Obama. He’s taking some further action to help curb climate change. That’s good. But about a week ago there was a quote in the paper from an administration official about how when the president talks about climate, the little insta-reaction dial-o-meters (measuring how people are reacting in real time to the speech) “plummet.” Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/tom-toles/post/friday-rant-change-we-cant-believe-in-edition/2013/06/20/860f771e-d9d0-11e2-9df4-895344c13c30_blog.html California’s “ABAG Ghettos” Much of what you hear about California’s leading edge environmental legislation deals with the impact of the new-in-2013 “cap and trade” levies on manufacturing and utilities, the refusal to exploit the Monterrey shale and off shore oil and gas deposits, the rush toward electric cars and solar power, and the relation to fleeing employers. This posting will deal with the emerging picture of what it will do to people living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Posted. http://www.redstate.com/bbowen7/2013/06/20/californias-abag-ghettos/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 13:35:37 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 24, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 24, 2013. 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 RESOURCES BOARD Q&A: UCD prof looks at transportation's future. As an undergraduate, UC Davis professor Daniel Sperling believed the solution to the nation's energy problem was mass transit. "Mass transit accounts for only 2.5 percent of the miles that people travel in the U.S.," he says. "Planes account for 10 percent. Almost all the rest are cars. "There are many reasons to promote mass transit, but energy reduction and greenhouse gas emission reduction are not at the top of the list." Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/24/5518594/qa-ucd-prof-looks-at-transportations.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/24/2776733/qa-ucd-prof-looks-at-transportations.html#storylink=cpy CAP AND TRADE Cap-and-Trade Starts in China. This week takes us from the lows to the highs of Chinese environmental policy. Yesterday we reported on the introduction of the death penalty as a possible punishment for polluters. But on the positive side, China’s first carbon market opened this week in Shenzhen. It is one of seven pilot projects set to start this year or next, drawing in 635 local industrial companies and covering over 30 million tons of carbon dioxide, the New York Times reports. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/06/21/cap-and-trade-starts-in-china/ Australian Factories Meet Carbon Deadline Ahead of Cap-and-Trade. Australian factories and power stations handed in carbon permits and offsets covering 212 million metric tons of greenhouse gases emitted in the past year as the nation prepares for a cap-and-trade program in 2015. Companies were obliged to surrender permits covering 75 percent of their emissions in the year to June 30 by an interim deadline on June 17, data from the nation’s Clean Energy Regulator show. The balance of allowances must be surrendered by Feb. 3. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-06-24/australian-factories-meet-carbon-deadline-ahead-of-cap-and-trade AIR POLLUTION High court to review cross-border pollution rule. The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it would consider the Environmental Protection Agency's bid to save a clean-air regulation that limited power-plant emissions blowing across state lines. A federal appeals court in Washington invalidated the EPA's effort last year, handing a significant defeat to the Obama administration's regulatory approach. The regulation required cuts in emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, both associated with higher rates of heart attacks and respiratory illnesses. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_EPA_DOWNWIND_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES: http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130624-706184.html#printMode http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/24/us-usa-court-pollution-idUSBRE95N0OX20130624 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324183204578565321154823766.html?mod=googlenews_wsj http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23526841/high-court-review-cross-border-pollution-rule?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/24/high-court-to-review-cross-border-pollution-rule/ Stakeholders brace for White House move on power plant emissions. Before President Barack Obama unveils a plan to lower carbon emissions from thousands of existing U.S. power plants, stakeholders on all sides of the issue have attempted to make their mark on the regulations. Electric utilities, environmental groups, large electricity consumers, and states have been working furiously behind the scenes for months to have a say in new rules that will be laid out by the Environmental Protection Agency. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/23/us-usa-climate-epa-lobbying-idUSBRE95M0C020130623 UPDATE 2-Obama to lay out climate change plan in speech on Tuesday. President Barack Obama said on Saturday that he will outline a climate change plan on Tuesday centered around reducing pollution from carbon emissions as he attempts to make good on a pledge for his second term. "This Tuesday, I'll lay out my vision for where I believe we need to go - a national plan to reduce carbon pollution, prepare our country for the impacts of climate change and lead global efforts to fight it," he said in a White House video. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/23/usa-climate-obama-idUSL2N0EZ06520130623 Obama’s EPA Gets Supreme Court Hearing on Coal Pollution. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider reviving an Environmental Protection Agency rule that would curb emissions from coal-fired power plants, in a clash over the Obama administration’s biggest air-quality effort. A federal appeals court threw out the cross-state air pollution rule last year, saying the EPA had gone beyond its powers under federal law. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-24/obama-s-epa-gets-supreme-court-hearing-on-coal-pollution.html Indonesia formally apologizes for smoky haze. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono apologized Monday to Singapore and Malaysia for record-setting pollution caused by forest fires in his country. "For what is happening, as the president, I apologize to our brothers in Singapore and Malaysia," Yudhoyono said. He asked for their understanding and said Indonesia is working hard to fight the fires, which are often set by farmers to clear fields. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/24/indonesia-formally-apologizes-for-smoky-haze/ Singapore air pollution 'worst' in history; fires in Indonesia blamed. Air pollution in Singapore soared to record heights for a third consecutive day, as Indonesia dispatched planes and helicopters Friday to battle raging fires blamed for hazardous levels of smoky haze in three countries. The blazes in peat swamp forests on Indonesia's Sumatra island have sent massive plumes of smog across the sea to neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, both of which have grown impatient with Indonesia's response to the perennial problem. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/06/21/37848/singapore-air-pollution-worst-in-history-fires-in/ 20th-century air pollution may have reduced Atlantic hurricanes – study. It's not often that the pollution generated by industrial activity can be cast in a positive light, but a recent study suggests a potential benefit of the asthma-causing, air-clouding aerosols released by burning fossil fuels. In the study, published yesterday in the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers suggest that aerosols released in the 20th century decreased the frequency of tropical storms in the North Atlantic Ocean. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983342/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Kerry Urges India to Reduce Emissions of Greenhouse Gases. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on India today to join the U.S. in seeking to curb global warming, saying the world’s largest democracy and its oldest democracy are best suited to lead the effort. The top U.S. diplomat used a speech in New Delhi to appeal for an alliance to help curb climate change as he began a three-day visit to meet with Indian officials. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-23/kerry-urges-india-to-reduce-emissions-of-greenhouse-gases.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/24/world/asia/kerry-prods-india-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions.html?pagewanted=print http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-06-23/kerry-urges-india-to-reduce-emissions-of-greenhouse-gases Obama to unveil climate plan in Tuesday speech. President Barack Obama is preparing to unveil his long-awaited national plan to combat climate change in a major speech, he announced on Saturday. "There's no single step that can reverse the effects of climate change," Obama said in an online video released by the White House. "But when it comes to the world we leave our children, we owe it to them to do what we can." Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23518829/obama-unveil-climate-plan-tuesday-speech?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983343/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Report: World facing "climate bomb" of super-greenhouse gases. A "climate bomb" of potent greenhouse gases is set to be released after leading carbon trading markets banned generators from raising credits by destroying the chemical. That is the stark warning from a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which claims producers in China and India are threatening to vent vast amounts of hydroflourocarbon-23 (HFC-23) amidst accusations that a ban on trading the carbon credits…Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/print_article/bg/news/2276886/report-world-facing-climate-bomb-of-supergreenhouse-gases Experts praise Bloomberg's climate plan but worry about his short remaining term. It didn't take long for critics to pounce on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 250 ideas for adapting the Big Apple to more intense storms and floods. But a survey of experts produced a surprisingly unified view: For the most part, they approve. In a campaign-style event last week, the three-term independent with less than 200 days left in office trotted out a 438-page report. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983314/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB Steps Up Border Area Enforcement. The California Air Resources Board says it has stepped up enforcement of its diesel truck regulations to ensure that only vehicles compliant with California's stringent anti-pollution laws travel across the U.S. border into the state. All trucks transporting cargo originating from, or going to a regulated port or rail yard in the state must be compliant drayage trucks. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/owner-operators/news/story/2013/06/carb-steps-up-border-area-enforcement.aspx?prestitial=1 CARB Issues Reefer Compliance Reminder. The California Air Resources Board has issued an advisory recommending transport refrigeration unit (reefer) owners take action to plan and order compliance options to ensure TRU model year 2006 engines, or units manufactured in 2006, comply with in-use performance standards by the end of this year. It says all model year 2005 and older TRU engines, or units manufactured in 2005 or earlier, should be in compliance now. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/06/carb-issues-reefer-compliance-reminder.aspx?prestitial=1 FUELS For Solazyme, a Side Trip on the Way to Clean Fuel. STARTING when they became friends in freshman year at Emory University in Atlanta, Jonathan S. Wolfson and Harrison F. Dillon would take off into the mountains of Wyoming and Colorado for weeks at time. They spent their days hiking in the wilderness and their nights drinking bourbon by the campfire, talking big about how one day they would build a company that would help preserve the environment they both loved. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/business/for-solazyme-a-side-trip-on-the-way-to-clean-fuel.html?pagewanted=al l Boost for cars or bust? Ethanol debate heats up. It's a dilemma for drivers: Do they choose a gasoline that's cheaper and cleaner even if, as opponents say, it could damage older cars and motorcycles? That's the peril and promise of a high-ethanol blend of gasoline known as E15. The fuel contains 15 percent ethanol, well above the current 10 percent norm sold at most U.S. gas stations. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/24/2776785/boost-for-cars-or-bust-ethanol.html#storylink=cpy Methane leaks of shale gas may undermine its climate benefits. If methane leak rates are more than 3 percent of output, fracking of shale gas formations may be boosting greenhouse gas emissions rather than lowering them. Debate about the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing or fracking usually centers around the potential risks to our water supply from contamination by toxic fracking fluids, which are pumped at high pressure over a mile under the ground to break up gas-bearing shale formations. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0623/Methane-leaks-of-shale-gas-may-undermine-its-climate-benefits Supreme Court could consider suit to block sales of high-ethanol gas blend. It's a dilemma for drivers: Do they choose a gasoline that's cheaper and cleaner even if, as opponents say, it could damage older cars and motorcycles? That's the peril and promise of a high-ethanol blend of gasoline known as E15. The fuel contains 15 percent ethanol, well above the current 10 percent norm sold at most U.S. gas stations. The higher ethanol blend is currently sold in just fewer than two dozen stations in the Midwest… Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/24/supreme-court-could-consider-suit-to-block-sales-high-ethanol-gas-blend/print#ixzz2X9RJojYR US CO2 emissions to increase with gas prices. US carbon dioxide emissions have been falling because of inexpensive natural gas, and could increase again if the price of gas rises, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned. President Barack Obama will tomorrow set out his regulatory plans for reducing the country’s output of greenhouse gases, according to the Financial Times. New rules expected to limit emissions from existing power plants – which may force dirtier coal-fired power stations to shut down…Posted. http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/investor-news/renewable-energy-news/us-co2-emissions-to-increase-with-gas-prices.html Greenkraft Nets CARB, EPA Certs for Ford 6.8-Liter CNG Conversions. Greenkraft Inc., a manufacturer of alternative fuel commercial vehicles, says it has received certifications from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board for its compressed natural gas (CNG) conversions of the Ford 6.8-liter V-10 three-valve engine. The engine is generally used in medium-duty (greater than 14,000 lbs. GVW) fleet vehicle applications. Posted. http://www.ngtnews.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.8897#.UcTllpxtyQI Pizza, chips and natural gas -- Frito-Lay unveils first CNG fueling station. Natural gas-fueled vehicles are making inroads in a number of companies, from snack makers to pizza parlors. Frito-Lay, the snack-food subsidiary of PepsiCo, is aiming to expand its lineup of natural gas-fueled tractors to 208 vehicles -- roughly 20 percent of its fleet -- by the end of this year. Frito-Lay also completed its first compressed natural gas refueling station at its plant in Beloit, Wis., last week. The Plano, Texas-based maker of Doritos said it would open seven public CNG stations across the United States. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983346/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Biofuel project in Kenya ignites land, environmental disputes. Foreign firms seeking land in Africa for biofuel crops run into opposition from communities and environmental activists despite promising jobs and development. With its leaf-thatched mud huts, bad roads, chronic unemployment, crushing poverty and vast tracts of "underutilized" land, the Tana River Delta in eastern Kenya seemed the perfect place for a foreign businessman looking to grow crops that could be turned into biofuel. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kenya-biofuel-20130622,0,7673575.story Trash-to-energy plant celebrates 25 years. Luis Rullan's fingers worked the knobs on either side of his seat as he stared intently at two 50-foot mountains of garbage on either side of his glassed-in room on the Wheelabrator Bridgeport plant's fifth floor on a recent day. "The room holds 13,000 tons of trash," said Mike Prutting, the day shift supervisor. "There are about 10,500 or 11,000 tons now. Right?" "Just about," Rullan answered, his fingers maneuvering a large crane…Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23518250/trash-energy-plant-celebrates-25-years?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com#ixzz2X9VmFLo5 Recycled tires help the environment. It may be hard to believe, but rubber roads and tire swings are reducing waste and helping the environment. The Tire-Derived Product Grant Program grants California counties millions to improve roads, playgrounds, parks and other facilities. The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery brought together the state's recycling and waste management programs in hopes of creating a community that reuses the most amount of materials possible. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/watsonville/ci_23519502/recycled-tires-help-environment New inexpensive catalyst for conversion of CO2 to CO could help with storage of renewable energy. Researchers at the University of Delaware have developed an inexpensive bismuth−carbon monoxide evolving catalyst (Bi-CMEC) that can be used in conjunction with ionic liquids to convert CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO) using electricity. CO can then be reacted with H2O via the water−gas shift to generate H2, and this CO/H2 mixture (syngas) can be used to generate synthetic petroleum and liquid fuels using Fischer−Tropsch methods. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/06/rosenthal-20130623.html Solar companies see the Middle East and Africa as fast-growing markets. The solar energy industry, battered by falling subsidies in Europe and anti-dumping duties against Chinese companies, is looking to the scorching deserts of the Middle East and North Africa for salvation. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Algeria are rich in sunshine and in fossil fuels, and so far they've been exploiting only the latter. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983315/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Another View: Bullet train cash is best spent on roads, bridges. On May 28, I conducted an oversight hearing on California's high-speed rail project in Madera where we confirmed the California High Speed Rail Authority is facing a $38 billion budget shortfall, with expectations this number will continue to rise. With the continued lack of a defined business plan, confident ridership numbers or anticipated revenue, the project is a long way from what voters approved in 2008. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/23/5515635/bullet-train-cash-is-best-spent.html Viewpoints Q&A: How climate change may affect Californians. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, the ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, asked the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at UC Merced a series of questions about the effects of climate change on California as background for policy development. The following are some of the responses from Sierra Nevada Research Institute director Roger Bales and senior researcher Norm Miller. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/23/5515648/how-climate-change-may-affect.html?storylink=lingospot_related_articles#storylink=cpy HITS & MISSES: Opening of our new freeway finally in sight. Researchers have made two discoveries on autism: s a link between the baffling disorder and chemicals in air pollution, and a disconnect in brain writing may be to blame for associated language difficulties. While the initial discovery about air pollution and autism was made back in 2006, newer studies have substantiated the findings. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/our-view/x1028020402/Opening-of-our-new-freeway-finally-in-sight GUEST OPINION: Power plan not so clean — on governance. The Sonoma Clean Power Authority promises us renewable, carbon-free electricity at competitive prices, with a choice of providers, local control, local generation and reduced greenhouse gases. The prospect of clean energy in Sonoma County is exciting, but first we must take the steps necessary to ensure a successful public utility is formed. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130622/OPINION/130629880/0/SEARCH President Obama's Global Warming Plan Telegraphs His Administration's Desperation. His poll numbers are plummeting, and his grand speech at the Brandenburg Gate last week had a 95% drop off in attendance. Russia and China are laughing at him over the NSA leaker. He’s under siege for abuse of power and McCarthy-style tactics to intimidate both the press and conservative groups. The majority of Americans now oppose the forthcoming implementation of his signature legislative proposal, Obamacare. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbasile/2013/06/24/president-obamas-global-warming-plan-telegraphs-his-administrations-desperation/ Climate Change: Russia Is Steamed About U.N.'s Kyoto Carbon Credit COP-Out. Representatives of Russia and other Eastern bloc countries at the recent climate talks in Bonn made it clear that they aren’t one bit happy about efforts within the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of Parties (COP) to cap their free Soviet-era carbon credit trading green stamps previously gifted to them under the Kyoto Protocol. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/06/23/climate-change-russia-is-steamed-about-u-ns-kyoto-carbon-credit-cop-out/ BLOGS Supreme Court agrees to review controversial EPA air rule. The Supreme Court announced Monday it would review the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to reverse one of the Obama administration’s signature air quality policies, the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The move cheered environmentalists, who view the rule as a key tool for forcing coal-fired power plants to install stricter pollution controls. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/06/24/supreme-court-agrees-to-review-controversial-epa-air-rule/ Why Phasing Down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol is Good for China and the Global Environment. At their recent summit in California, President Xi and President Obama agreed to work together and with other nations to address climate change by phasing down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of “super greenhouse gases” used widely in air conditioners and refrigeration, via multilateral mechanisms, including the use of the expertise and institution of the Montreal Protocol…Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/alin/why_phasing_down_hfcs_under_th.html India-U.S. Relations: The Search for a Transformative Moment. India and the world have changed dramatically in the past two decades. The relationship between India and the United States has strengthened spectacularly and brought substantive gain to both countries. It has also given birth to great expectations. The management and fulfillment of those expectations is crucial for the dialogue and partnership between the two countries. The India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue 2013 comes at a critical moment. Posted. http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/24/india-u-s-relations-the-search-for-a-transformative-moment/ DRIVING: Site compares costs of driving electric, gas vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy is plugging electric vehicles with a new web site – Energy.gov/eGallon – that allows drivers to compare the costs of driving on volts and gasoline. In California, an electric vehicle can travel as far on $1.51 worth of electricity as a similar vehicle would travel on a gallon of gasoline. As of Friday, June 21, a gallon of gas in Riverside cost at least $4.04…Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/06/24/driving-site-compares-costs-of-driving-electric-gas-vehicles/ BY SUBCRIPTION ONLY ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 14:02:01 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 25, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 25, 2013. 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 U.S. justices to hear EPA appeal over air pollution rule. In a win for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the legality of a controversial Obama administration effort to regulate air pollution that crosses state lines. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/24/us-usa-court-pollution-idUSBRE95N0OX20130624 Air Pollution May Have Suppressed Storms, Research Suggests. To the ever-growing list of ways humanity seems to have altered the earth, add another candidate: Air pollution may have had a major soothing influence on storm cycles in the North Atlantic. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/science/earth/air-pollution-may-have-suppressed-storms-research-suggests.html?_r=0 ARB fines Thermo King Corporation $213,200 for violating air pollution laws. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced today that it has fined Thermo King Corporation $213,200 for violating air pollution regulations. The Minneapolis-based firm was penalized for continuing to sell diesel particulate filters after an ARB approved conditional verification had expired. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-fines-thermo-king-corporation-213-200-for-violating-air-pollution-laws?cid=rss CLIMATE CHANGE Obama aims to tackle pollution, climate change. President Barack Obama declared the debate over climate change and its causes obsolete Tuesday as he announced a wide-ranging plan to tackle pollution and prepare communities for global warming. In a major speech at Georgetown University, Obama warned Americans of the deep and disastrous effects of climate change, urging them to take action before it's too late. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-06-25-14-55-44 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/obama-emissions-plan-seeks-to-revive-climate-initiative.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/ap-sources-obama-to-limit-carbon-at-power-plants-expand-renewable-energy-on-public-sites/2013/06/24/5e486ec4-dd32-11e2-a484-7b7f79cd66a1_story.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/obama-plan-to-cut-greenhouse-gases.html?pagewanted=all http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/AP-sources-Obama-to-limit-carbon-at-power-plants-4619081.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/24/ap-sources-obama-to-expand-renewable-energy/ http://www.insidebayarea.com/politics-government/ci_23532865/obama-announces-sweeping-new-global-warming-plan?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_23532865/obama-announces-sweeping-new-global-warming-plan?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/24/3358610/obama-to-announce-new-rules-aimed.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983415/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Obama May Establish Green Investment Bank, Climate Lobby Says. Anthony Hobley, president of the Climate Markets & Investors Association and head of climate change at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright LLP in London, comments on President Barack Obama’s plan to protect the climate, which is to be announced today. Hobley commented in an e-mailed statement. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/obama-may-establish-green-investment-bank-climate-lobby-says.html Ice mass the size of Greenland overlooked in climate models. Far more of Earth’s water was locked up as ice at the height of the last ice age than previously thought, and current climate change models may need to be adjusted to account for it, according to a new study. The research is the latest salvo from geophysicists who are reexamining assumptions made about Earth’s crust by climatologists calculating ancient sea levels. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-melt-20130624,0,549662,print.story Climate change: Why does President Obama's plan skirt Congress? With Republicans implacably opposed – and some Democrats still wary of fallout at the polls – there's little prospect of getting climate change reform through Capitol Hill. When President Obama lays out his agenda to fight climate change at Georgetown University on Tuesday, there won’t be a grand push for sweeping climate legislation. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0625/Climate-change-Why-does-President-Obama-s-plan-skirt-Congress Environmentalists hope carbon rules on power plants will be achieved in Obama's last term. Environmental groups are hoping a presidential push for carbon regulations could set a clear timeline for a process mired in missed deadlines, political opposition and bureaucracy. Most importantly, they want President Obama to prioritize his resources to tackle the largest sources of emissions -- the fleet of aging electric power plants across the country -- before his term is up. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/06/25/stories/1059983414 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Truck regulation enforcement may doom some. The Air Resources Board is stepping up enforcement of its diesel truck regulations, and some feel that small Mexican companies won’t survive the change. More than 100 people attended an informational session on the issue in Calexico on Thursday. The regulations are to ensure that only vehicles in compliance with state anti-pollution laws travel into the state. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/ivp-truck-regulation-enforcement-may-doom-some-20130622,0,4716288.story#sthash.VHiPONDr.dpuf Purchase order deadlines for TRU compliance near. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recommends that transport refrigeration unit (TRU or reefer) owners take action to plan and order compliance options to ensure TRU model year 2006 engines (or units manufactured in 2006) comply with in-use performance standards by the end of 2013. All model year 2005 and older TRU engines (or units manufactured in 2005 or earlier) should be in compliance now. Posted. http://refrigeratedtrans.com/2010-emissions/purchase_order_deadlines_for_tru_compliance_near_0624/ FUELS Ethanol Fluctuates Against Gasoline on Signs of Increased Demand. Ethanol fluctuated against gasoline on speculation demand for the biofuel will climb while stockpiles are at seasonal record lows. The spread, or price difference, widened 0.13 cent to 29.79 cents a gallon at 11:13 a.m. New York time as the four-week average of gasoline demand has increased 6 percent from this year’s low in January, data from the Energy Information Administration show. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/ethanol-fluctuates-against-gasoline-on-signs-of-increased-demand.html VEHICLES VW Passat diesel gets Guinness trophy for 78 mpg. It's not an official government rating, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless: 78 miles per gallon in a Volkswagen Passat TDI diesel. It was anointed a Guinness World Record, so it's more than your neighbor bragging about his eco-abilities. The team of auto blogger Wayne Gerdes and electronics engineer Bob Winger ran up 8,122 miles, using 104.94 gallons of fuel…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/06/24/volkswagen-passat-tdi-diesel-guiness-record-78-mpg/2453305/ A Fully-Charged Electric Car In 93 Seconds? If this works out in the real world, say goodbye to electric car "range anxiety." At an event in Southern California last week, Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk demonstrated a way his company's Model S electric cars can be "recharged" in less than half the time it takes to fill a 25-gallon gas tank. We say "recharged" in scare quotes because the process doesn't involve pumping power into the car's battery so much as swapping out the drained battery for a fully charged one. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/transportation/a-fully-charged-electric-car-in-93-seconds.html Nissan offers battery replacement plan for Leaf electric car. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. has announced a $100-a-month battery replacement plan for U.S. owners of its electric Nissan Leaf. The plan calls for participants to get a new or upgraded battery once their current battery capacity falls below 70 percent of initial output. Posted. http://www.ydr.com/business/ci_23526424/nissan-offers-battery-replacement-plan-leaf-electric-car GREEN ENERGY Solar Boat Harnessed for Research. Last year, after it became the first solar-powered boat to circumnavigate the globe, the Turanor Planetsolar could have taken its 5,500 square feet of photovoltaic cells and eight tons of lithium-ion batteries and sailed off into the sunset. Instead it is becoming a scientific research ship, at least for the summer. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/science/solar-boat-harnessed-for-research.html BARSTOW: Calico solar plans withdrawn. The developer of a controversial plan to cover as much of six square miles of public land with solar panels east of Barstow has abandoned the endeavor, citing changed market conditions. It is the second massive solar project dropped in the past six months in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130624-barstow-calico-solar-plans-withdrawn.ece BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GE agrees to help China's solar industry expand and meet quality standards. U.S. power systems giant General Electric Co. will lend its power conversion expertise to Chinese solar manufacturers under a memorandum of understanding announced yesterday. The agreement among GE, its Chinese partner Yingda International Leasing Co. and Chinese engineering firm Sinoma International Engineering Co. calls for the firms to "share resources and cooperate closely to develop the solar energy business in China and abroad." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983388/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY San Onofre closure generates mixed feelings. There's relief, sadness, hope and lingering concerns among the San Clemente neighbors of the nuclear power plant. The picturesque beach city of San Clemente has hummed along for decades just up the highway from the ominous concrete domes of the San Onofre nuclear plant. To residents, there were always reminders of their neighbor's presence…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-adv-nuclear-neighbors-20130624-1,0,1477562,print.story OPINIONS Letters: Denying the climate-change deniers. Re "Time to act on climate change," Editorial, June 20. Thank you for your editorial on the need to take action on climate change. With 97% of climate scientists agreeing we have a problem, it is refreshing to see the conversation shift from "is it happening?" to "what can we do?" Anyone not on this bandwagon will drag us all down, so let's go full out focusing on action. In this conversation, there is no space for deniers. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0623-sunday-climate-change-20130623,0,7374417,print.story Obama and Congress must fight climate change like they do terrorism. President Obama is expected to announce steps to limit greenhouse gases today. That's fine, but they are half measures without the help of Congress. Both must take this issue as seriously as they do terrorism. Climate change, too, has killed people and the financial damage is real. For a man with his hands tied, President Obama is offering a decent enough plan to fight climate change. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/0625/Obama-and-Congress-must-fight-climate-change-like-they-do-terrorism Obama climate plan: bold, but will China go along? President Obama's climate plan aims to address climate change with an eye toward global partnerships. Without cooperation from China and the developing world, international climate treaties have fallen short – a shortcoming Obama hopes to remedy with his climate plan. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0625/Obama-climate-plan-bold-but-will-China-go-along Lomborg: Obama should confront climate change fantasies. President's speech promoted policies both brilliant and useless. Here's why. President Obama on Tuesday outlined his new climate policies. It had both brilliant and useless ideas for tackling this real problem. The confusion stems from Obama's unwillingness to confront three climate fantasies: Renewables are a major part of the solution today. No, they are almost trivial. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/06/25/obama-climate-change-georgetown-column/2455723/ BLOGS Obama’s Ambitious Global Warming Action Plan. In advance of President Obama’s speech Tuesday afternoon laying out his three-pronged plan to cut releases of greenhouse gases and the impacts of global warming, White House officials circulated detailed fact sheets and discussed the plans with journalists, including me, last night. They laid out an impressive array of steps, most of which have long been in the pipeline or anticipated and which can be carried out without congressional approval. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/obamas-global-warming-action-plan/ Obama comes out swinging on climate change. President Barack Obama, in his first speech on climate change since his State of the Union address, proposed a broad strategy for reducing atmospheric pollution, including limiting the amounts of greenhouse gasses power plants are allowed to emit, boosting the amount of renewable energy the federal government uses and ending public financing of coal-fired power plants in developing countries. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/06/obama-comes-out-swinging-on-climate.html CLIMATE CHANGE: Obama to address plan to limit emissions. President Obama is expected to announce plans today, June 25, for sweeping limits on greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants. Obama’s climate initiative also calls for increased energy efficiency and promotion of renewable fuels, according to sources cited by Bloomberg news. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/06/25/climate-change-obama-to-address-plan-to-limit-emissions/ Obama Emissions Plan Seeks to Revive Climate Initiative. President Barack Obama will attempt a revival of U.S. efforts to tackle climate change today by announcing a sweeping plan that would impose limits on greenhouse gas emissions from all U.S. power plants. The mandatory reductions by operators of power plants, the biggest single source of carbon-dioxide emissions in the U.S., are the centerpiece of Obama’s initiative…Posted. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/25/poll-americans-not-all-that-concerned-about-climate-change/comment-page-1/ Obama unveiling plan to cut carbon pollution; Colorado efforts already underway. President Barack Obama today will announce a sweeping plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants, following similar moves in Colorado. "Cutting carbon pollution will help keep our air and water clean and protect our kids," according to a fact sheet on the plan issued earlier today by the White House. "Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/earth_to_power/2013/06/obama-to-announce-plan-to-cut-carbon.html Helping the Economic Climate. President Barak Obama is expected to unveil his administration's new strategy on climate change today. The strategy will target three major challenges: (1) how to reduce carbon emissions in the U.S., mostly from power plants; (2) how to protect the U.S. from damage due to climate change; and (3) how to work with other countries to negotiate a global plan for climate protection. Posted. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/06/25/obamas-new-climate-change-plan-will-help-the-economy Supreme Court Won't Reverse EPA E15 Ethanol Rules. The U.S. Supreme Court has been slow to rule on many of the biggest cases on this year's docket. Maybe that's because some of the justices are prone to procrastination, or maybe, like seasoned TV scriptwriters, they're just playing America like a violin, getting us all worked up for a rousing finale. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1085018_supreme-court-wont-reverse-epa-e15-ethanol-rules Justices take up air pollution rules. The Supreme Court will review a lower court decision that nullified Environmental Protection Agency rules aimed at cutting soot- and smog-forming power plant emissions that cross state lines. Monday’s announcement provides new hope for the EPA and green groups that suffered a big defeat in 2012 when an appeals court nixed the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, a pillar of the Obama administration’s air pollution agenda. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/307321-supreme-court-agrees-to-review-nullified-epa-air-pollution-rule ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 14:49:03 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for June 25, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 25, 2013. 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 U.S. justices to hear EPA appeal over air pollution rule. In a win for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the legality of a controversial Obama administration effort to regulate air pollution that crosses state lines. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/24/us-usa-court-pollution-idUSBRE95N0OX20130624 Air Pollution May Have Suppressed Storms, Research Suggests. To the ever-growing list of ways humanity seems to have altered the earth, add another candidate: Air pollution may have had a major soothing influence on storm cycles in the North Atlantic. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/science/earth/air-pollution-may-have-suppressed-storms-research-suggests.html?_r=0 ARB fines Thermo King Corporation $213,200 for violating air pollution laws. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced today that it has fined Thermo King Corporation $213,200 for violating air pollution regulations. The Minneapolis-based firm was penalized for continuing to sell diesel particulate filters after an ARB approved conditional verification had expired. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-fines-thermo-king-corporation-213-200-for-violating-air-pollution-laws?cid=rss CLIMATE CHANGE Obama aims to tackle pollution, climate change. President Barack Obama declared the debate over climate change and its causes obsolete Tuesday as he announced a wide-ranging plan to tackle pollution and prepare communities for global warming. In a major speech at Georgetown University, Obama warned Americans of the deep and disastrous effects of climate change, urging them to take action before it's too late. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-06-25-14-55-44 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/obama-emissions-plan-seeks-to-revive-climate-initiative.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/ap-sources-obama-to-limit-carbon-at-power-plants-expand-renewable-energy-on-public-sites/2013/06/24/5e486ec4-dd32-11e2-a484-7b7f79cd66a1_story.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/obama-plan-to-cut-greenhouse-gases.html?pagewanted=all http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/AP-sources-Obama-to-limit-carbon-at-power-plants-4619081.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/24/ap-sources-obama-to-expand-renewable-energy/ http://www.insidebayarea.com/politics-government/ci_23532865/obama-announces-sweeping-new-global-warming-plan?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_23532865/obama-announces-sweeping-new-global-warming-plan?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/24/3358610/obama-to-announce-new-rules-aimed.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983415/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Obama May Establish Green Investment Bank, Climate Lobby Says. Anthony Hobley, president of the Climate Markets & Investors Association and head of climate change at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright LLP in London, comments on President Barack Obama’s plan to protect the climate, which is to be announced today. Hobley commented in an e-mailed statement. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/obama-may-establish-green-investment-bank-climate-lobby-says.html Ice mass the size of Greenland overlooked in climate models. Far more of Earth’s water was locked up as ice at the height of the last ice age than previously thought, and current climate change models may need to be adjusted to account for it, according to a new study. The research is the latest salvo from geophysicists who are reexamining assumptions made about Earth’s crust by climatologists calculating ancient sea levels. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-melt-20130624,0,549662,print.story Climate change: Why does President Obama's plan skirt Congress? With Republicans implacably opposed – and some Democrats still wary of fallout at the polls – there's little prospect of getting climate change reform through Capitol Hill. When President Obama lays out his agenda to fight climate change at Georgetown University on Tuesday, there won’t be a grand push for sweeping climate legislation. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0625/Climate-change-Why-does-President-Obama-s-plan-skirt-Congress Environmentalists hope carbon rules on power plants will be achieved in Obama's last term. Environmental groups are hoping a presidential push for carbon regulations could set a clear timeline for a process mired in missed deadlines, political opposition and bureaucracy. Most importantly, they want President Obama to prioritize his resources to tackle the largest sources of emissions -- the fleet of aging electric power plants across the country -- before his term is up. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/06/25/stories/1059983414 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Truck regulation enforcement may doom some. The Air Resources Board is stepping up enforcement of its diesel truck regulations, and some feel that small Mexican companies won’t survive the change. More than 100 people attended an informational session on the issue in Calexico on Thursday. The regulations are to ensure that only vehicles in compliance with state anti-pollution laws travel into the state. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/ivp-truck-regulation-enforcement-may-doom-some-20130622,0,4716288.story#sthash.VHiPONDr.dpuf Purchase order deadlines for TRU compliance near. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recommends that transport refrigeration unit (TRU or reefer) owners take action to plan and order compliance options to ensure TRU model year 2006 engines (or units manufactured in 2006) comply with in-use performance standards by the end of 2013. All model year 2005 and older TRU engines (or units manufactured in 2005 or earlier) should be in compliance now. Posted. http://refrigeratedtrans.com/2010-emissions/purchase_order_deadlines_for_tru_compliance_near_0624/ FUELS Ethanol Fluctuates Against Gasoline on Signs of Increased Demand. Ethanol fluctuated against gasoline on speculation demand for the biofuel will climb while stockpiles are at seasonal record lows. The spread, or price difference, widened 0.13 cent to 29.79 cents a gallon at 11:13 a.m. New York time as the four-week average of gasoline demand has increased 6 percent from this year’s low in January, data from the Energy Information Administration show. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/ethanol-fluctuates-against-gasoline-on-signs-of-increased-demand.html VEHICLES VW Passat diesel gets Guinness trophy for 78 mpg. It's not an official government rating, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless: 78 miles per gallon in a Volkswagen Passat TDI diesel. It was anointed a Guinness World Record, so it's more than your neighbor bragging about his eco-abilities. The team of auto blogger Wayne Gerdes and electronics engineer Bob Winger ran up 8,122 miles, using 104.94 gallons of fuel…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/06/24/volkswagen-passat-tdi-diesel-guiness-record-78-mpg/2453305/ A Fully-Charged Electric Car In 93 Seconds? If this works out in the real world, say goodbye to electric car "range anxiety." At an event in Southern California last week, Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk demonstrated a way his company's Model S electric cars can be "recharged" in less than half the time it takes to fill a 25-gallon gas tank. We say "recharged" in scare quotes because the process doesn't involve pumping power into the car's battery so much as swapping out the drained battery for a fully charged one. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/transportation/a-fully-charged-electric-car-in-93-seconds.html Nissan offers battery replacement plan for Leaf electric car. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. has announced a $100-a-month battery replacement plan for U.S. owners of its electric Nissan Leaf. The plan calls for participants to get a new or upgraded battery once their current battery capacity falls below 70 percent of initial output. Posted. http://www.ydr.com/business/ci_23526424/nissan-offers-battery-replacement-plan-leaf-electric-car GREEN ENERGY Solar Boat Harnessed for Research. Last year, after it became the first solar-powered boat to circumnavigate the globe, the Turanor Planetsolar could have taken its 5,500 square feet of photovoltaic cells and eight tons of lithium-ion batteries and sailed off into the sunset. Instead it is becoming a scientific research ship, at least for the summer. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/science/solar-boat-harnessed-for-research.html BARSTOW: Calico solar plans withdrawn. The developer of a controversial plan to cover as much of six square miles of public land with solar panels east of Barstow has abandoned the endeavor, citing changed market conditions. It is the second massive solar project dropped in the past six months in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130624-barstow-calico-solar-plans-withdrawn.ece BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GE agrees to help China's solar industry expand and meet quality standards. U.S. power systems giant General Electric Co. will lend its power conversion expertise to Chinese solar manufacturers under a memorandum of understanding announced yesterday. The agreement among GE, its Chinese partner Yingda International Leasing Co. and Chinese engineering firm Sinoma International Engineering Co. calls for the firms to "share resources and cooperate closely to develop the solar energy business in China and abroad." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983388/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY San Onofre closure generates mixed feelings. There's relief, sadness, hope and lingering concerns among the San Clemente neighbors of the nuclear power plant. The picturesque beach city of San Clemente has hummed along for decades just up the highway from the ominous concrete domes of the San Onofre nuclear plant. To residents, there were always reminders of their neighbor's presence…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-adv-nuclear-neighbors-20130624-1,0,1477562,print.story OPINIONS Letters: Denying the climate-change deniers. Re "Time to act on climate change," Editorial, June 20. Thank you for your editorial on the need to take action on climate change. With 97% of climate scientists agreeing we have a problem, it is refreshing to see the conversation shift from "is it happening?" to "what can we do?" Anyone not on this bandwagon will drag us all down, so let's go full out focusing on action. In this conversation, there is no space for deniers. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0623-sunday-climate-change-20130623,0,7374417,print.story Obama and Congress must fight climate change like they do terrorism. President Obama is expected to announce steps to limit greenhouse gases today. That's fine, but they are half measures without the help of Congress. Both must take this issue as seriously as they do terrorism. Climate change, too, has killed people and the financial damage is real. For a man with his hands tied, President Obama is offering a decent enough plan to fight climate change. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/0625/Obama-and-Congress-must-fight-climate-change-like-they-do-terrorism Obama climate plan: bold, but will China go along? President Obama's climate plan aims to address climate change with an eye toward global partnerships. Without cooperation from China and the developing world, international climate treaties have fallen short – a shortcoming Obama hopes to remedy with his climate plan. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0625/Obama-climate-plan-bold-but-will-China-go-along Lomborg: Obama should confront climate change fantasies. President's speech promoted policies both brilliant and useless. Here's why. President Obama on Tuesday outlined his new climate policies. It had both brilliant and useless ideas for tackling this real problem. The confusion stems from Obama's unwillingness to confront three climate fantasies: Renewables are a major part of the solution today. No, they are almost trivial. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/06/25/obama-climate-change-georgetown-column/2455723/ BLOGS Obama’s Ambitious Global Warming Action Plan. In advance of President Obama’s speech Tuesday afternoon laying out his three-pronged plan to cut releases of greenhouse gases and the impacts of global warming, White House officials circulated detailed fact sheets and discussed the plans with journalists, including me, last night. They laid out an impressive array of steps, most of which have long been in the pipeline or anticipated and which can be carried out without congressional approval. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/obamas-global-warming-action-plan/ Obama comes out swinging on climate change. President Barack Obama, in his first speech on climate change since his State of the Union address, proposed a broad strategy for reducing atmospheric pollution, including limiting the amounts of greenhouse gasses power plants are allowed to emit, boosting the amount of renewable energy the federal government uses and ending public financing of coal-fired power plants in developing countries. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/06/obama-comes-out-swinging-on-climate.html CLIMATE CHANGE: Obama to address plan to limit emissions. President Obama is expected to announce plans today, June 25, for sweeping limits on greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants. Obama’s climate initiative also calls for increased energy efficiency and promotion of renewable fuels, according to sources cited by Bloomberg news. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/06/25/climate-change-obama-to-address-plan-to-limit-emissions/ Obama Emissions Plan Seeks to Revive Climate Initiative. President Barack Obama will attempt a revival of U.S. efforts to tackle climate change today by announcing a sweeping plan that would impose limits on greenhouse gas emissions from all U.S. power plants. The mandatory reductions by operators of power plants, the biggest single source of carbon-dioxide emissions in the U.S., are the centerpiece of Obama’s initiative…Posted. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/06/25/poll-americans-not-all-that-concerned-about-climate-change/comment-page-1/ Obama unveiling plan to cut carbon pollution; Colorado efforts already underway. President Barack Obama today will announce a sweeping plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants, following similar moves in Colorado. "Cutting carbon pollution will help keep our air and water clean and protect our kids," according to a fact sheet on the plan issued earlier today by the White House. "Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/earth_to_power/2013/06/obama-to-announce-plan-to-cut-carbon.html Helping the Economic Climate. President Barak Obama is expected to unveil his administration's new strategy on climate change today. The strategy will target three major challenges: (1) how to reduce carbon emissions in the U.S., mostly from power plants; (2) how to protect the U.S. from damage due to climate change; and (3) how to work with other countries to negotiate a global plan for climate protection. Posted. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/06/25/obamas-new-climate-change-plan-will-help-the-economy Supreme Court Won't Reverse EPA E15 Ethanol Rules. The U.S. Supreme Court has been slow to rule on many of the biggest cases on this year's docket. Maybe that's because some of the justices are prone to procrastination, or maybe, like seasoned TV scriptwriters, they're just playing America like a violin, getting us all worked up for a rousing finale. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1085018_supreme-court-wont-reverse-epa-e15-ethanol-rules Justices take up air pollution rules. The Supreme Court will review a lower court decision that nullified Environmental Protection Agency rules aimed at cutting soot- and smog-forming power plant emissions that cross state lines. Monday’s announcement provides new hope for the EPA and green groups that suffered a big defeat in 2012 when an appeals court nixed the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, a pillar of the Obama administration’s air pollution agenda. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/307321-supreme-court-agrees-to-review-nullified-epa-air-pollution-rule ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:38:55 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 26, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 26, 2013. 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 Climate chief welcomes federal emissions standards, is confident cap and trade will be preserved. California's top climate change official praised President Obama's announcement yesterday that he would direct U.S. EPA to regulate existing power plants' greenhouse gas emissions, saying the state's existing regulations should mesh with federal ones. Mary Nichols, who as head of the California Air Resources Board has pioneered an economywide cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases in the United States…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983491/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Calif. seeks to prevent spike in cap-and-trade permit prices. California must plan ahead to ensure costs don't soar under its fledgling market that limits greenhouse gas pollution, analysts and businesses said yesterday. On the same day that President Obama called for federal action on climate, Golden State officials held an event focused on ways to protect California's cap-and-trade system from toxic developments. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983489/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Conflict of Interest Charges Roil Air Pollution Board. Last year, Santa Barbara’s air quality violated one of California’s benchmark standards only five times. In 1991, the number was closer to 100. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the agency responsible for overseeing Santa Barbara’s air quality — the Air Pollution Control District (APCD) — has been rocked in recent weeks by conflict of interest allegations. Posted. http://independent.com/news/2013/jun/26/conflict-interest-charges-roil-air-pollution-board/ Interior study finds U.S. can store 'enormous amount' of CO2. The United States has the geological potential to store between 2,400 and 3,700 metric gigatons of carbon dioxide in underground formations, the U.S. Geological Study said in an "unprecedented assessment" released this morning. Congress tasked the agency in 2007 with conducting a detailed review of underground carbon storage capabilities across all 36 U.S. basins. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983520/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Obama Puts Legacy at Stake With Clean-Air Act. With no chance of Congressional support, President Obama is staking part of his legacy on a big risk: that he can substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by stretching the intent of a law decades old and not written with climate change in mind. His plan, unveiled Tuesday at Georgetown University in Washington, will set off legal and political battles that will last years. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/science/earth/clean-air-act-reinterpreted-would-focus-on-flexibility-and-state-level-efforts.html?pagewanted=print Obama Outlines Ambitious Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gases. President Obama, declaring that “Americans across the country are already paying the price of inaction,” announced sweeping measures on Tuesday to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and prepare the nation for a future of rising temperatures. Embracing wholeheartedly an issue that could define his legacy but is sure to ignite new political battles with Republicans…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/politics/obama-plan-to-cut-greenhouse-gases.html?pagewanted=print http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-climate-change-20130626,0,6492640.story http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57591088/obamas-adaptability-on-climate-change-and-immigration/ http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/0625/Climate-change-Obama-announces-new-curbs-on-existing-power-plants-video http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983492/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists underscore Obama's concerns about climate change and severe weather. Severe flooding in India and wildfires in Colorado provided a backdrop of recent examples of weather-related disaster yesterday, as scientists and policymakers discussed the science of severe weather events at the American Geophysical Union's annual science policy conference in Washington, D.C. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983464/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Green groups want EPA to act on carbon regs fast. The double-edged sword of climate change and the end of the president's term have environmentalists calling for the quickest course possible to cutting carbon emissions from the nation's power plants. During his speech yesterday at Georgetown University, President Obama made U.S. EPA carbon regulations his top priority in mitigating the effects of climate change in the United States. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983490/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Obama's Climate-change Plan Lags California's. The plan President Obama outlined Tuesday to fight global warming represents a major step forward for the federal government. But by California's standards, it's practically old hat. And the state's efforts to combat climate change remain more ambitious than Obama's plan, unveiled in a speech at Georgetown University. Posted. http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/6/26/obamas_climatechange_plan_lags_californias.htm DIESEL EMISSIONS EPA, CHP check diesel emissions. Intent on impressing the importance of minimizing gas emissions on heavy-duty truck drivers, the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Highway Patrol jointly established a surprise inspection checkpoint Tuesday morning at Abbott Street in Salinas. “California has the worst air quality in the nation, so by making sure our rigs are in compliance with the state regulation laws…Posted. http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20130626/NEWS01/306260018/ http://m.thecalifornian.com/news/article?a=2013306260018&f=1063 FUELS Obama's climate plan takes aim at coal plants. America is slowly moving toward cleaner sources of energy and using less of it overall. President Barack Obama's plan to fight climate change will accelerate those trends. The plan aims to reduce power-plant emissions of carbon dioxide, increase America's reliance on natural gas and renewables and make trucks, homes and businesses more efficient. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/26/2780072/obamas-climate-plan-takes-aim.html#storylink=cpy How shale gas can slow global climate change. Shale gas has done much to reduce US emissions as the nation shifts from coal to natural gas, Holland writes, but the US is exporting record amounts of coal, essentially outsourcing part of the emissions that would otherwise have been produced here. Globalizing the shale revolution could change that. The United States has seen a remarkable run in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions over the last five years…Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0625/How-shale-gas-can-slow-global-climate-change Methane leaks from fracking may cancel out climate advantage for natural gas. It is still uncertain how much methane leaks into the atmosphere during the process of drilling natural gas, and some worry the environmental impact of leaks may be a bigger concern than potential water supply contamination during hydraulic fracturing. Supporters argue that natural gas has been a key element of U.S. carbon emissions reductions because it reduces dependence on coal-burning plants. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983461/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Methane studies need common measures -- White House science office. Uncertainty dogs research when it comes to methane leakage from oil and gas operations. Studies have pointed out leakage rates anywhere from 1.5 percent to 11 percent, a range wide enough to make all the difference between natural gas being beneficial or detrimental to the climate. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983495/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Seeking relevance, alt fuels aim to 'play nice' to avoid infighting. Proponents of alternative fuels yesterday sought to downplay competition among their various factions, from propane autogas to electric vehicles. With 99 percent of new vehicles hitting the road in the United States still powered by conventional gasoline or diesel, speakers at the Alternative Clean Transportation Expo in Washington, D.C., said that there is plenty of opportunity for unconventional fuels to edge into the market without stepping on each other's toes. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983494/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Electric car industry reps cheered by market growth. The electric vehicle network is expanding in both technological advances and new markets, according to representatives from the auto industry and energy community. During a press call Tuesday, Nissan North America and Bosch Automotive Service Solutions highlighted rising sales for electric cars and 240-volt charging stations. “We’re on a roll,” said Brendan Jones, director of EV infrastructure strategy for Nissan. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-car-growth-20130625,0,3879381,print.story Electric car: lease or buy? If you're considering driving an electric car, you may be wondering whether you should lease or buy the vehicle. Buying a car may make sense for drivers who will take their vehicle on extended trips every year, while leasing a car saves you the risk of permanently losing battery capacity. You're considering a plug-in electric car. Should you lease or buy? It's a question that all new-car shoppers face--but for electric cars, there are some special considerations. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/0625/Electric-car-lease-or-buy GREEN ENERGY Vestas Gains as Obama Vows Wind Energy Support: Copenhagen Mover. Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) jumped the most among Copenhagen’s benchmark stocks today after U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to boost investment in renewable energy. Vestas advanced as much as 5.7 percent, the biggest increase in the Nasdaq OMX Copenhagen 20 index, and traded at 76.45 kroner at 9:51 a.m. in the Danish capital with volume at 29 percent of the three-month daily average. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-26/vestas-gains-as-obama-vows-wind-energy-support-copenhagen-mover.html MISCELLANEOUS Ratepayer advocate asks utilities commission to cut San Onofre rates. The ratepayer advocacy arm of the California Public Utilities Commission called on the commission Tuesday to speed up its review of the costs of the outage at the San Onofre nuclear plant and to immediately cut hundreds of millions of dollars from rates. San Onofre was taken offline in January 2012 after a tube in one of the plant's newly replaced steam generators leaked a small amount of radioactive steam. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-ratepayers-20130625,0,4056552,print.story OPINIONS Bittersweet Achievement on Climate. PRESIDENT OBAMA’s announcement on Tuesday that he will use his executive authority to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions from existing power plants, and to finalize rules for plants that have yet to be built, is reason to celebrate — but also an occasion for mourning. The announcement reflects Congress’s refusal to pass serious laws to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/opinion/bittersweet-achievement-on-climate.html?_r=0 At Last, an Action Plan on Climate. President Obama has long believed, as have we, that the surest way to address the threats of climate change is to put a price on the carbon emissions that power plants, cars and other users of fossil fuels emit in great quantities, without cost to the polluters but at great cost to the planet. Congress has refused to enact such a program, so Mr. Obama has now stepped forward with measures he can pursue without Congressional consent. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/opinion/at-last-an-action-plan-on-climate.html Obama's global warming plan: Not enough but better than nothing. The following editorial appeared in The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday, June 25: With this week's heat wave, air quality warnings and severe weather forecasts as a backdrop, President Barack Obama could scarcely have picked a more auspicious moment to reveal his multi-pronged plan to address climate change. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/26/3361139/obamas-global-warming-plan-not.html BLOGS Porsche Electric Vehicle Prototype Goes Up in Flames. It has been a tough year for many in the electric vehicle industry, and the new technology just scored another negative headline. On Tuesday night in the German city of Ludwigsburg, a Porsche prototype with an alternative drive went up in flames due to a technical defect, causing extensive damages, the police said. That’s bad news for the whole industry. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/06/26/porsche-electric-vehicle-prototype-goes-up-in-flames/ Obama’s Ambitious Global Warming Action Plan. In advance of President Obama’s speech Tuesday afternoon laying out his three-pronged plan to cut releases of greenhouse gases and the impacts of global warming, White House officials circulated detailed fact sheets and discussed the plans with journalists, including me, last night. They laid out an impressive array of steps, most of which have long been in the pipeline or anticipated and which can be carried out without congressional approval. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/obamas-global-warming-action-plan/?_r=0&pagewanted=print California Official Welcomes Obama’s Climate Program. President Obama introduced his long-awaited plan to combat climate change in a speech today at Georgetown. He’s directing the EPA to limit greenhouse gas emissions from new and existing power plants, supporting more renewable energy development and expanding efficiency standards for appliances. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2013/06/25/obama-rolling-out-climate-action-plan/ Supreme Court will hear big clean-air case. It’s been a week of refreshing news for fans of unpolluted air. As Barack Obama on Tuesday was calling for greenhouse gas limits on power plants, clean air advocates were also celebrating a decision by the Supreme Court to hear an important case on power-plant pollution. The EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule was designed to cut down on life-threatening power-plant pollution that blows across state borders. Posted. http://grist.org/news/supreme-court-will-hear-big-clean-air-case/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:20:20 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Three cities win awards for efforts by households to reduce greenhouse gas emissions From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/newsrelease.php?id=468 ---------- Three cities win awards for efforts by households to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Davis, Chula Vista, Tracy winners in first-ever CoolCalifornia Challenge to reduce cities’ carbon footprints Release #:13-38 Date:06/27/2013 ARB PIO: (916) 322-2990 CONTACT: Melanie Turner 916-322-2825 melanie.turner@arb.ca.gov Antonio Leaks 916-322-2990 antonio.leaks@arb.ca.gov Three cities were honored today at an award ceremony before the California Air Resources Board, wrapping up a year-long CoolCalifornia Challenge in which thousands of households in cities across the state competed for the biggest citywide carbon footprint reduction. Known for its longtime commitment to environmental sustainability, the city of Davis was crowned the state’s “Coolest California City” by the Air Resources Board out of eight cities that began the competition. Chula Vista and Tracy, which came in second and third respectively, were named “Cool California Cities.” All eight participating cities used novel and creative approaches to engage households to take simple everyday actions to reduce their carbon footprint, and accurately measure the combined greenhouse gas reductions for each municipality. ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols presented the mayors or representatives of all three finalist cities with a special award at the board meeting. “Engaging households and civic groups is an essential part of the state’s ability to achieve the long-term climate goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving us away from our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Nichols. “The CoolCalifornia Challenge helps us learn how cities can motivate individuals and households to voluntarily reduce their carbon footprint, and do it in a way that can be entertaining, fun and fulfilling.” In all, the ARB-sponsored CoolCalifornia Challenge enrolled close to 3,000 participants in the cities of Davis, Chula Vista, Tracy, Sacramento, San Jose, Citrus Heights, Pleasanton and Pittsburg. Chula Vista had the most people involved, with nearly 700 households participating. Together, the 1,000 most engaged households used 50 percent less energy than similar households and cut their energy use another 7 percent during the competition, equivalent to more than 220 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Like all of the cities participating in the first such year-long challenge, Davis successfully engaged hundreds of residents to track and reduce their energy use and miles driven — to collectively reduce the city’s carbon footprint. Davis has set a goal to engage 75 percent of its households in voluntary greenhouse gas reduction activities by 2015. Nearly 450 Davis households signed up for the contest. The city came out on top by earning the most points. While individuals and teams alike helped rack up the city’s overall points, two Davis Community Church teams, among the city’s top teams, contributed a combined 14 percent of the total points. “Climate Change will be defeated by a constellation of individual actions. As the government closest to citizens, cities must play an active role in spurring these actions. The CoolCalifornia Challenge brought Davis together like never before, and has set the stage for our continuing work to have 75 percent of all households engage in aggressive carbon reduction actions — from efficiency, to renewables, to active and electric-drive transportation. In partnership with the state, Davis will reach its goal of citywide carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Davis Mayor Joe Krovoza. Participants earned points for reducing their household energy use and tailpipe emissions — by bicycling instead of driving or hanging laundry to dry instead of using a dryer, for example. They also earned bonus points for beating their own personal benchmarks each month. Cities engaged households in the competition with city-sponsored block parties, at weekly farmers’ markets and through special events like the Cool Davis festival, which spurred ideas for reducing household greenhouse gas emissions with information, entertainment and family activities. A CoolCalifornia.org website, developed through a partnership of ARB, nonprofit Next 10 and UC Berkeley, provided online tools to support the voluntary efforts by local governments and households. Individuals tracked their driving habits and home energy use with easy-to-use online software developed by the University of California, Berkeley for the site. Points earned counted toward a city’s total, and also earned participants raffle tickets toward local prizes. While the winning city gains bragging rights and recognition, ARB takes away valuable information about how to get individuals to voluntarily make changes to curb their carbon footprints and foster sustainability and green economic development. Because voluntary actions are included as elements in California’s climate plan, ARB has developed a variety of tools and resources to support these non-regulatory efforts. The Challenge is part of an ARB-funded research project by the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab at UC Berkeley. The study will help inform future efforts to promote and quantify carbon footprint reductions and help establish best practices for citizen engagement. Challenge participants will be invited to again celebrate their accomplishments at an event set for Sept. 5 on the west steps of the State Capitol. Organizers plan to kick off a second CoolCalifornia Challenge at the celebration. ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:26:13 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 27, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 27, 2013. 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 L.A., Owens Valley settle dispute over dust control. The DWP's actions will include fast-tracking mitigation measures that do not use water. Also, a Native American massacre site will be left undisturbed. Los Angeles and the Owens Valley have reached a settlement in their dispute over new measures to control dust storms that have blown across the eastern Sierra Nevada since L.A. opened an aqueduct a century ago that drained Owens Lake. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dwp-pollution-20130627,0,3310175.story CLIMATE CHANGE Idaho's Simpson to fight Obama over emission regs. The head of a House panel that helps set the Environmental Protection Agency's budget plans to do everything in his power to thwart President Barack Obama's proposed new regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican, is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Idaho-s-Simpson-to-fight-Obama-over-emission-regs-4625920.php Gov. Mead emphasizes coal's importance. Responding to President Barack Obama's pledge to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, the governor of the nation's leading coal-producing state emphasized Wednesday that coal plays a critical role in the nation's energy production. Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said any future federal regulations must still allow the construction and operation of state-of-the-art coal-fired plants. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Gov-Mead-emphasizes-coal-s-importance-4624132.php White House on HFCs could achieve climate results, advocates say. President Obama's reference to a super-greenhouse gas in his climate speech this week signals a growing realization within the administration of the importance of thinking beyond carbon for global warming solutions, analysts say. Speaking at Georgetown University, Obama mentioned a recent agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of greenhouse gases up to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983569/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Schwarzenegger spruces up his public image, with climate change as the centerpiece. Action movie hero and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have fallen out of California's political spotlight -- and movie circuit -- but some believe his work on climate change could hold the key for a comeback. Schwarzenegger's supporters say he set the standard for state and local governments to act when national leaders refuse. Last year, a group of U.N. correspondents named him "global advocate of the year." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983536/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY U.K. lags in reaching emissions reduction targets. The United Kingdom's Committee on Climate Change announced in a report that the nation's carbon emissions went up by 3.5 percent in 2012, casting doubt on whether its climate targets will be met. Even adjusting for exceptionally cold weather and the greater need for coal-powered electricity, emissions fell by only 1 percent instead of the 3 percent the government had aimed for. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983532/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Obama's climate plan takes aim at coal plants. America is slowly moving toward cleaner sources of energy and using less of it overall. President Barack Obama's plan to fight climate change will accelerate those trends. The plan aims to reduce power-plant emissions of carbon dioxide, increase America's reliance on natural gas and renewables and make trucks, homes and businesses more efficient. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE_IMPACT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Coal at Risk as Obama Seeks to Revive Emissions Progress. In his first presidential term, President Barack Obama presided over a sharp decline in U.S. carbon pollution. With the economy depressed, Americans drove less. Low natural gas prices prompted utilities to shutter carbon-heavy coal plants, and burn more gas for electricity. Solar and wind installations soared. This year, coal use and carbon emissions are up…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-26/coal-at-risk-as-obama-seeks-to-revive-emissions-progress.html Obama speech praises natural gas fracking boom. This week, President Barack Obama praised renewable energy, conservation — and fracking for natural gas. His support for fracking is upsetting some environmental groups that otherwise support his climate plan. Deb Nardone, the head of the Sierra Club's Beyond Natural Gas program, says Obama "is taking the wrong path" on natural gas. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Obama-speech-praises-natural-gas-fracking-boom-4625487.php The Future Looks Bleak for Keystone XL. Less than a month after the British Columbia government rejected an Enbridge pipeline proposal, TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline hopes also appear squashed. On June 25, President Barack Obama said the pipeline would only extend from Alberta to Texas if it "doesn't significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution." That casts serious doubts on TransCanada's ability to extend the major project from Canada to southern United States. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/The-Future-Looks-Bleak-for-Keystone-XL-4625525.php In Canada, Pipeline Remarks Stir Analysis. Perhaps it was his choice of words, but a small portion of President Obama’s speech about climate change on Tuesday has attracted a disproportionate amount of attention in Canada. At issue are his remarks about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would send bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. The pipeline requires presidential approval and, for Canadians at least, has become a dominant political issue. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/business/energy-environment/in-canada-pipeline-remarks-stir-analysis.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print Obama's climate plan silent on exports but pledges support for global gas markets. President Obama doubled down this week on using natural gas in place of dirtier fossil fuels like coal, alluding to natural gas exports in a discussion of how the U.S. can help address global greenhouse gas emissions, even as a study published yesterday said renewables are poised to surpass natural gas globally within three years. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983575/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EPA aiming to finalize 2013 renewable fuel targets this summer. U.S. EPA plans to finalize its 2013 renewable fuel standard levels by the end of this summer, a senior agency official said yesterday. The agency is about seven months behind schedule in setting final targets under the standard for conventional ethanol and advanced biofuel production. It released proposed targets in late January and has since been collecting public comments and meeting with stakeholders. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983590/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Advocates push role of natural gas in climate mitigation. Abundant and cheap, natural gas will be a key ingredient in America's energy mix for years to come, and systems that harness both the heat and electricity from burning this fuel can tackle climate change from several angles, according to researchers. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) released a report earlier this month outlining various paths for natural gas to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983570/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Secrecy surrounding Exxon's Pegasus probe fuels questions over Keystone XL plans. Exxon Mobil Corp.'s bid to shield from public view its inspection results for a shuttered pipeline that leaked at least 5,000 barrels of heavy Canadian oil sands crude in Arkansas this spring is galvanizing a debate over transparency and spill readiness that could affect the future of Keystone XL. Federal regulators at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are set to decide as soon as this week…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983546/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Tar sands or oil sands? Obama's comments stoke debate. In the polarized world of pipeline politics, activists see a clear difference between "tar sands" and "oil sands," although both refer to the mix of bitumen and sand that is processed into heavy Canadian crude. President Obama has used both terms in recent years but chose "tar sands" Tuesday while laying out his plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the United States (ClimateWire, June 26). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983535/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES German lobbying delays EU car emissions deal. Forceful German lobbying has halted a compromise deal to enforce stricter rules on carbon dioxide emissions for all new cars in the European Union from 2020, EU sources said on Thursday. The deal was hammered out late on Monday to enforce a limit of 95 grams per kilometre (g/km) as an average across the EU fleet by 2020. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/27/eu-cars-idUSL5N0F32PW20130627 Electric car industry reps cheered by market growth. The electric vehicle network is expanding in both technological advances and new markets, according to representatives from the auto industry and energy community. During a press call Tuesday, Nissan North America and Bosch Automotive Service Solutions highlighted rising sales for electric cars and 240-volt charging stations. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-car-growth-20130625,0,1890296.story Memphis auto exhaust testing ends Friday. Memphis city government has cautioned residents whose auto registration expires in June to get exhaust testing done quickly. The city earlier voted to shut down the emissions testing stations and that will be done permanently at 3 p.m. Friday. A statement from Mayor A C Wharton's office Thursday said that, beginning with July registrations, Shelby County Clerk Wayne Mashburn will renew vehicle registration without the requirement of motor vehicle inspection. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Memphis-auto-exhaust-testing-ends-Friday-4625822.php Are electric cars really cheaper than gas cars? A new website from the US Department of Energy compares the energy costs of driving an electric car relative to gasoline prices. The tool might prove useful, Styles writes, but only as long as it is grounded in the best information we have about the vehicle choices that potential electric car buyers are actually considering. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0627/Are-electric-cars-really-cheaper-than-gas-cars Fiat 500e electric car 'sold out' in California. The market for electric cars in California is doing well, according to Fiat's US chief, who said the Fiat 500e electric car has sold out in California. Fiat has never hidden the fact that its 500e electric car had been developed primarily for compliance reasons, thus there was little surprise when it was announced that sales would be limited to the state of California, at least, initially. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/0627/Fiat-500e-electric-car-sold-out-in-California Rough road for Obama's heavy-duty vehicle standards. New regulations to reduce carbon emissions from large trucks are central to achieving the United States' climate goals, but meeting the ambitious new vehicle standards won't be easy, administration officials said yesterday at the Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Washington, D.C. Christopher Grundler, director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality for U.S. EPA…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983568/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Buying Green Is All About Saving Money, Not the Earth. Is anyone really surprised the results of a Yale University survey showed most "green" behavior is more about saving money than the environment? What does it mean to go "green"? The survey showed half of Americans deliberately bought an energy efficient kitchen appliance with 75% intending to do so with their next purchase. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Buying-Green-Is-All-About-Saving-Money-Not-the-4489677.php Adopting 'smart cities' a tough sell. On the flat-screen monitor on the wall, a simulated college campus operates in seamless efficiency. Sensors pick up minor changes in temperature or humidity that could signal an air-conditioning unit malfunctioning. Motion sensors act as power switches. Building managers use their iPads to see if the lights were mistakenly left on in a lecture hall. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Adopting-smart-cities-a-tough-sell-4625847.php Utility Companies Going Solar. Utility companies are buying into solar power and this is a triple play for these outfits, their customers and investors. Several of the largest U.S. utility companies are moving into the solar power business. While utility companies still lean heavily on coal and natural gas as power sources, the transition into solar and other green technologies is underway. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Utility-Companies-Going-Solar-4625413.php Analysts say 'baggage' may hold back progress despite White House boost. President Obama's new climate plan may not provide a significant boost to carbon capture and sequestration projects on coal-fired power plants, experts said yesterday. Gas prices are too low and the cost of the technology to "clean" coal in the power sector too high for the plan in its current form to do more than incentivize a few large-scale projects, they said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983567/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Growth of clean power a 'bright spot' in otherwise bleak global energy trends. Within the next three years, renewable power could surpass natural gas as the second most prevalent source of electricity generation globally, behind only coal, according to a new forecast by the International Energy Agency. Hydropower accounts for about four-fifths of renewable generation and will continue to dominate the world's renewable portfolio into the foreseeable future, according to the IEA's "Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report" for 2013. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983539/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Davis takes ‘CoolCalifornia’ prize as cities rally to cut carbon emissions. The City of Davis today (Thursday, June 27) was officially named the “Coolest California City,” outscoring seven other cities who lowered their greenhouse gas emissions in a statewide competition run by the University of California, Berkeley, for the California Air Resources Board. Cities competing in the CoolCalifornia Challenge spread the word at community meetings and fairs, where this young energy-saver picked up a reusable shopping bag with the competition’s logo. Posted. http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/27/davis-takes-coolcalifornia-prize-for-cutting-carbon-emissions/ L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signs plastic bag ban, finishes term with a flourish. With only a few days left in his term, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is continuing with a flurry of activity, signing the city's plastic bags ban on Wednesday, pushing to wrap up other major initiatives and planning a whirlwind citywide tour on Friday. From 6 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday, Villaraigosa said he will travel throughout the city to thank residents for the opportunity he was given to serve as mayor. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23547477/l-mayor-antonio-villaraigosa-signs-plastic-bag-ban?source=rss Edison to lay off 600 from San Onofre. Around 600 non-union workers will be laid off from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station over the next two months, Southern California Edison announced Wednesday. The move is the latest in the utility's efforts to reduce its workforce from 1,500 to 400 by next year as it decommissions the nuclear power plant. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/26/san-onofre-edison-layoff-jobs/ Solano transit meeting on reducing air pollution changes location. Today's Solano Regional Climate Action Planning community workshop will be in a new location. The 6-8 p.m. workshop will be held at the Solano County Events Center, 601 Texas St., at Texas Street and Union Avenue in Fairfield. The Solano Transportation Authority is asking Fairfield, Vacaville and other residents in northern Solano County to come with ideas on ways to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_23551048/solano-transit-meeting-reducing-air-pollution-changes-location OPINIONS Climate target No. 1: coal. The nation cannot allow the carbon output of its worst greenhouse gas emitters to continue unchecked. President Obama's omnibus proposal to combat global warming addresses the issue in all its many facets — truck emissions, high-level diplomacy, more federal land for solar and wind projects. Think of it as a target covered with water balloons. The president won't be able to keep all of them from bursting as his opponents in Congress and industry start throwing darts. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-climate-change-obama-20130626,0,3767714.story BLOGS Kerry Proposes U.S.-India Push on Carbon and Climate. Shortly after prodding India in a New Delhi speech to find ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Secretary of State John Kerry sent a “Your Dot” piece emphasizing that he sees this as a partnership between two dynamic, innovative democracies. Here’s Kerry’s fresh pitch, followed by my initial reaction: I was in India this week for the fourth U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue…Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/kerry-proposes-u-s-india-push-on-carbon-and-climate/?_r=0&pagewanted=print ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 17:18:32 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 28, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for June 28, 2013. 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 RESOURCES BOARD ARB competition crowns Davis 'coolest' California city. Davis today was honored by the state Air Resources Board as the "Coolest California City" in an ARB-sponsored competition recognizing efforts by households to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The yearlong CoolCalifornia Challenge involved eight cities statewide, with a goal of attaining the largest citywide carbon footprint reduction. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/27/2782768/arb-competition-crowns-davis-coolest.html#storylink=cpy City named the 'coolest' in air board competition. Davis is the "Coolest California City." So say UC Berkeley researchers who awarded Davis the top prize in the Cool California Challenge for efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Chula Vista and Tracy were runners-up and also were named "Cool California Cities." The three cities were recognized Thursday by the Air Resources Board, which sponsored the competition. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/28/2783644/city-named-the-coolest-in-air.html CAP AND TRADE Germany blocks EU carbon cap to protect automakers. Germany has blocked a European Union agreement on capping car carbon emissions because the deal could have cost jobs and harmed its domestic auto industry, officials said Friday. The blunt admission that Europe's biggest economy put business interests before environmental standards is at odds with Germany's image as a champion of green issues. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_EU_AUTO_EMISSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/germany-blocks-eu-deal-on-carbon-emissions-to-protect-domestic-auto-industry/2013/06/28/b2e56d00-dfea-11e2-8cf3-35c1113cfcc5_story.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23559148/germany-blocks-eu-carbon-cap-protect-automakers?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/28/3364862/germany-blocks-eu-carbon-cap-to.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/28/germany-blocks-eu-carbon-cap-to-protect-automakers/ AIR POLLUTION Beijing Residents Told to Stay In as Smog Exceeds Exposure Limit. Beijing told its 20 million residents to avoid outdoor activities as a U.S. Embassy pollution monitor showed levels of smog surpassing hazardous levels in the Chinese capital. Concentrations of PM2.5, fine air particulates that pose the greatest health risk, rose to 520 micrograms per cubic meter at 3 p.m. near Tiananmen Square from an average of 260 in the past 24 hours…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-28/beijing-residents-told-to-stay-in-as-smog-exceeds-exposure-limit.html Bill extends various fees to fund air programs. The Assembly on Thursday advanced a bill extending a series of fees to pay for programs aimed at improving air quality. Democratic Assemblyman Henry Perea of Fresno said his legislation is needed to continue reducing air pollution. He says more than 90 percent of Californians live in counties with unhealthy air during some parts of the year. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/27/bill-extends-various-fees-to-fund-air-programs/ http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/140/article/78030/ 'Small minority' of coal-fired plants request MATS extension – survey. Just over 10 percent of coal-fired power plants have asked for extra time in meeting U.S. EPA mercury and air toxics limits, and most of those requests are granted, according to a survey of state and local regulators. The National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA), which conducted the survey, said the results show the controversial rules are working. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983686/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Energy Secretary Optimistic on Obama’s Plan to Reduce Emissions. The short-term plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that President Obama outlined this week is achievable with some new programs and better management of existing ones, the new energy secretary, Ernest J. Moniz, said in an interview on Thursday. But he said reaching a longer-term goal would require bigger reductions as well as action from Congress. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/28/us/politics/energy-secretary-optimistic-on-obamas-plan-to-reduce-emissions.html?_r=0 Obama outlines ambitious plan to combat global warming. President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious campaign to address climate change Tuesday, mapping a course that would bypass Congress to cut emissions from hundreds of coal-fired electric power plants and setting the stage for a possible rejection of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline. The effort could shape Obama's presidential legacy and fulfill a key promise of his 2008 campaign. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/27/5527775/obama-outlines-ambitious-plan.html#storylink=cpy New ice age data may alter climate change models. Far more of Earth's water was locked up as ice at the height of the last ice age than previously thought, and current climate change models may need to be adjusted to account for it, according to a new study. The research is the latest salvo from geophysicists who are re-examining assumptions made about Earth's crust by climatologists calculating ancient sea levels. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/New-ice-age-data-may-alter-climate-change-models-4630025.php Climate change grabs the attention of shareholders – study. Concerns over climate change seem to be slowly creeping into people's minds -- even shareholders'. According to a recent study by Ernst & Young, environmental and social concerns such as climate change are becoming the biggest priority for shareholders, amounting to 40 percent of all shareholder proposals for the first half of 2013. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983618/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 2 insiders take the reins on Obama's climate effort. After President Obama laid out his sweeping climate change plan Tuesday, he turned over the keys to two women who will oversee its implementation. Obama climate and energy adviser Heather Zichal, who works out of the White House Domestic Policy Council, appears to be taking the lead on the higher-profile component of the plan, involving efforts to lower carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983688/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB sets diesel course schedule for July, August. It may not lead to any diploma you’ll hang above a desk, but the most powerful state environmental body is offering to help truck owners learn how it enforces diesel regulations. The California Air Resources Board is making courses available for diesel truck owners to learn about exhaust after-treatment devices and how to comply with the Golden State’s web of truck emissions regulations. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25399 FUELS Canada Optimistic on Keystone Approval After Obama Climate Plan. Canadian business leaders say there’s growing optimism that President Barack Obama will approve TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone XL pipeline because thwarting it would cost U.S. consumers and won’t halt development of Alberta’s oil sands. “From my perspective it’s 100 percent that he’s going to approve it,” Scott Saxberg, chief executive officer of Calgary-based oil producer Crescent Point Energy Corp. (CPG), said in a phone interview yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-27/canada-optimistic-on-keystone-approval-after-obama-climate-plan.html Everything You Need to Know About Keystone XL: The Fundamentals. By now, you have probably heard about Transcanada's Keystone XL pipeline. For even the most casual observer of the energy industry, this project has been the spark that has ignited political debates ranging from environmental hazards, emission of greenhouse gasses, and North American energy independence. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-Keystone-XL-4628584.php Federal grant funds project to burn wood for energy in Plumas County. The Sierra Institute for Community and Environment won a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service to develop a wood-to-energy project to help reduce the risk of wildfire and provide economic opportunities in rural Plumas County. The funds will be used to engineer and design a centralized small-scale facility to process woody biomass removed from local forests…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/27/5527633/federal-grant-funds-project-to.html#storylink=cpy Fracking critics unhappy with Obama climate speech. President Barack Obama's speech this week on climate change forcefully rejected some key arguments made by opponents of natural gas fracking, upsetting some environmental groups that otherwise back his climate goals. Obama, in his address Tuesday calling for urgent action to address climate change, praised what he called "cleaner-burning natural gas" and its role in providing safe…Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/27/fracking-critics-unhappy-with-obama-climate-speech/ Obama speech praises natural gas fracking boom. This week, President Barack Obama praised renewable energy, conservation - and fracking for natural gas. His support for fracking is upsetting some environmental groups that otherwise support his climate plan. Deb Nardone, the head of the Sierra Club's Beyond Natural Gas program, says Obama "is taking the wrong path" on natural gas. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/27/obama-speech-praises-natural-gas-fracking-boom/ Alberta crude the more 'ethical' U.S. choice, says Canadian official. Alberta's oil sands crude offers a more "ethical" choice for U.S. refiners, according to Canada's international trade minister, Ed Fast, who wrapped up a visit to Washington on Wednesday. Fast's trip caps off a series of high-profile visits from Canadian officials hoping to curry favor for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project, which would ferry oil sands crude from Alberta to U.S. refineries along the Gulf Coast. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983609/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Researchers see wide variations in methane among shale basins. Reports from earlier this year that oil and gas fields in Utah's Uinta Basin were emitting high amounts of methane come with significant caveats, and the basin could well be an anomaly, preliminary research suggests. Recent measurements in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of Colorado suggest lower concentrations, according to initial results from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983659/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES San Jose gets closer to Green Vision goal with 38 electric cars. San Jose and three other Bay Area cities received 50 battery-powered cars in a deal announced Thursday that was hailed as the largest single all-electric municipal fleet vehicle deployment in the country. San Jose received 38 of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV hatchbacks, putting it closer to the city's lofty "Green Vision" goal of powering its entire fleet with alternative fuels. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23554588/san-jose-gains-38-electric-cars?source=rss http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-area-news/ci_23554587/san-jose-gains-38-electric-cars?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/bay-area-news/ci_23554587/san-jose-gains-38-electric-cars?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Los Angeles' Metro Transportation Authority announced Thursday that it has inked a deal to purchase the first 5 buses of a potential 25 electric bus fleet. In their announcement, Metro said that the first order of zero-emission buses will be put to the test to determine whether the vehicles can live up to "L.A.'s rigorous transit needs." Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/06/27/37958/la-metro-to-purchase-first-fleet-of-all-electric-b/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/06/27/4983038/la-metro-to-purchase-its-first.html GREEN ENERGY Solar project south of Silicon Valley wins a major victory in appeals court. A proposal to build one of the world's largest solar farms south of Silicon Valley took a major step forward this week when a state appeals court rejected a lawsuit by environmental groups who have tried to stop it on the grounds it could harm endangered species. The project, a $1.8 billion, 399-megawatt solar farm, is proposed for Panoche Valley…Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23554919/court-hands-solar-project-south-silicon-valley-major?source=rss http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23554917/court-hands-solar-project-south-silicon-valley-major As Southern California heats up, Edison calls for energy conservation. Temperatures are expected to blow past the century mark in some Southland communities over the weekend, and Southern California Edison is asking customers to conserve energy. Prolonged summer heat can strain the power grid and possibly lead to power outages, company officials said, but when customers take small conservation actions...Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23555728/southern-california-heats-up-edison-calls-energy-conservation?source=rss MISCELLANEOUS Villaraigosa leaves office with his key goals for L.A. accomplished. On his first day as mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa told Los Angeles that it was time to "start thinking big again." New public transit spending could make Los Angeles' bus and rail network worthy of a great metropolis. A bigger police force could make neighborhoods safer. Renewable energy projects could turn Los Angeles into America's "greenest big city." Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-villaraigosa-legacy-20130629-dto,0,5518929.htmlstory OPINIONS US climate plan may boost cap and trade: Wynn. President Barack Obama's climate plan, unveiled this week, may boost regional schemes to cut greenhouse gas emissions, known as cap and trade, four years after the United States failed to pass legislation for a nationwide programme. Unlike Europe, the United States has no national cap and trade scheme to combat carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/26/column-wynn-us-carbon-idUSL5N0F20VD20130626 U.S. takes key climate change steps, but the world must do more. The world is starting to get serious about climate change. This is happening for one major reason: leadership. President Obama’s announcement this week of a broad set of actions to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are changing our climate was very welcome. His plan, largely based on executive orders, will cut carbon pollution in the United States…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/world-bank-president-world-must-do-more-on-climate-change/2013/06/27/e395e758-df5a-11e2-b2d4-ea6d8f477a01_story.html Letters: A climate-change turning point. Re "Obama takes on climate change," June 26. President Obama's speech on climate change marked a turning point for our nation. Sure, it was just a speech, and it didn't even make the front page of The Times. But it declared, at long last, an unequivocal commitment by Washington to combat climate change. Global warming is no longer just an issue for environmentalists. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0628-friday-obama-climate-change-20130628,0,7453527.story High-speed rail will give a boost to California. By the end of this summer, the High-Speed Rail Authority will turn the first shovel to start California and the United States on a road of recovery — a recovery that will revive and maintain our position as a premium player in the world economy. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/27/2783093/richards-high-speed-rail-will.html California high-speed rail plan is flawed. On May 28th, I conducted a Congressional Oversight hearing on California's high-speed rail project in the city of Madera. Since I was elected to Congress, it has been a priority of mine to provide aggressive oversight of the project to ensure voters are getting what they were promised. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/06/27/3364283/high-speed-rail-plan-is-flawed.html Recent Federal and International Developments Good for California Cap and Trade. Plans announced by the White House today (June 25) show a credible pathway to meet targets pledged by the President pursuant to the Copenhagen Accord (reduction of greenhouse gas emissions 17% below 2005 levels by 2020). Relatedly, last month the Obama administration increased the assumed social cost of greenhouse gas emissions used for cost-benefit analysis of proposed regulatory decisions to 35 cents per ton…Posted. http://www.natlawreview.com/article/recent-federal-and-international-developments-good-california-cap-and-trade BLOGS The Myriad Benefits of a Carbon Tax. Few goals in Washington have more bipartisan support, at least in theory, than cleaning up the tax code. Republicans and Democrats say they want a system that is simpler, fairer and more efficient. Put simply, they want a system with fewer special tax breaks and lower rates. Posted. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/28/the-myriad-benefits-of-a-carbon-tax/ Rep. Valadao erects another hurdle to high-speed rail. Using his seat on the House Appropriations Committee, Valadao on Thursday won approval by voice vote of an amendment that says the federal Surface Transportation Board cannot take action on initial construction phases until the board has given final approval to the entire project. The practical effect would be to stop initial construction for at least the foreseeable future…Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/06/rep-valadao-erects-another-hurdle-to-high-speed-rail.html#storylink=cpy ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2013 14:21:47 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 1, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 1, 2013. 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 New Compliance Association Unites California Offset Project Developers. The latest cap-and-trade development to come out of California is reflective of the Golden State’s reputation as the prevailing leader in domestic climate policy. The newly-minted Compliance Offset Developers Association (CODA) is an alliance of six project developers…Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9803§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION Beijing Advises Reduced Outdoor Activities as Smog Blankets City. Beijing advised the young, elderly and ill among its 20 million people to avoid outdoor activities as a U.S. Embassy pollution monitor showed air quality at “unhealthy” levels in the Chinese capital. Concentrations of PM2.5, fine air particulates that pose the greatest health risk…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-01/beijing-advises-reduced-outdoor-activities-as-smog-blankets-city.html California EPA to focus on improving enforcement in target areas. The state Environmental Protection Agency is forming a new working group focused on improving enforcement of environmental laws in communities that face particularly hazardous pollution problems. Secretary Matthew Rodriquez said in a statement Friday that creating the working group will “ensure that California communities disproportionately affected by pollution are given particular consideration.” Posted. http://voices.mydesert.com/2013/06/28/california-epa-to-focus-on-improving-enforcement-in-target-areas/ CLIMATE CHANGE Calif.'s Sierra a 'living lab' for climate change. In parts of California's Sierra Nevada, marshy meadows are going dry, wildflowers are blooming earlier and glaciers are melting into ice fields. Scientists also are predicting the optimal temperature zone for giant sequoias will rise hundreds and hundreds of feet, leaving trees at risk of dying over the next 100 years. As indicators point toward a warming climate…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE_SIERRA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Calif-s-Sierra-a-living-lab-for-climate-change-4637806.php http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23577191/sierra-living-lab-climate-change http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jun/29/califs-sierra-a-living-lab-for-climate-change/#ixzz2XoFa3ji1 Obama says climate change is make-or-break issue. President Barack Obama is trying to frame climate change as a make-or-break political issue, urging Americans to vote only for those who will protect the country from environmental harm. He says people in the United States already are paying a price for climate change, including in lost lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-asks-americans-to-declare-they-wont-vote-for-those-who-dont-act-on-climate-change/2013/06/29/1c5e6e2c-e0a3-11e2-a0de-145598a7b2b7_story.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/29/2785489/obama-make-climate-change-a-must.html#storylink=cpy Germany blocks EU carbon cap to protect automakers. Germany has blocked a European Union agreement on capping car carbon emissions because the deal could have cost jobs and harmed its domestic auto industry, officials said Friday. The blunt admission that Europe's biggest economy put business interests before environmental standards is at odds with Germany's image as a champion of green issues. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_GERMANY_EU_AUTO_EMISSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT El Nino Was Unusually Active in Possible Link to Climate Change. The El Nino weather pattern that can bring drought to Australia and rain to South America was “unusually active” at the end of the 20th century, possibly due to climate change, a University of Hawaii study found. Researchers studied 2,222 tree-ring records as proxies for temperature and rainfall over the past 700 years, the university wrote in an online statement dated yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-01/el-nino-was-unusually-active-in-possible-link-to-climate-change.html Should giant sequoias be watered? Scientists ponder impacts of climate change across Sierra. In parts of California’s Sierra Nevada, marshy meadows are going dry, wildflowers are blooming earlier and glaciers are melting into ice fields. Scientists also are predicting the optimal temperature zone for giant sequoias will rise hundreds and hundreds of feet, leaving trees at risk of dying over the next 100 years. As indicators point toward a warming climate…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/should-giant-sequoias-be-watered-scientists-ponder-impacts-of-climate-change-across-sierra/2013/06/29/e0bc5dda-e0bf-11e2-a0de-145598a7b2b7_print.html Drought conditions threaten Sacramento River salmon. In a sign of growing drought in California, state officials recently took the unusual step of loosening environmental water quality rules in hopes of protecting salmon in the Sacramento River. The move illustrates how drought forces difficult trade-offs in modern-day California, where water supplies are stretched to the limit even in normal years. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/27/5527560/drought-conditions-threaten-sacramento.html#storylink=cpy EPA sends climate rule to White House. EPA just hit the accelerator in its push to fulfill President Barack Obama’s climate promises. The agency has sent the White House a new draft of its proposed greenhouse gas rule for future power plants, POLITICO learned Monday — less than a week after Obama announced he was ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to undertake a huge effort to throttle carbon pollution from the power industry. Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/epa-climate-rules-white-house-93612.html#ixzz2XoxOt2Xa Years of Lobbying Helped Transportation Fuels Industry Win Exemptions From California’s Climate Rules. For four years oil companies, airlines and ground transportation industry groups have petitioned California for exemptions from the state’s cap-and-trade greenhouse gas market, saying consumers would take the hit through higher prices at the pump and in stores. And in court they are still arguing that the state lacks the regulatory authority to compel participation. Posted. http://sfpublicpress.org/climatechange Climate Change for the GOP. It’s time for a conservative alternative to liberal alarmism. President Barack Obama’s climate agenda announced last week represents the latest of many Democratic party efforts to address climate change. Although it includes no new legislation, the president’s plan makes unprecedented use of executive branch powers and offers a great many things that appeal to core Democratic constituencies. Implemented in full, the new power plant carbon rules…Posted. http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/climate-change-gop_738063.html DIESEL EMISSIONS EU Seeks Monitoring of Ship Emissions to Spur Global Curbs. European Union regulators proposed monitoring greenhouse gases from ships starting in 2018 in a plan to encourage global curbs on maritime pollution tied to climate change. The draft law would oblige the owners of ships larger than 5,000 gross tons using EU ports to report annual discharges of carbon dioxide, the main gas blamed for global warming. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-28/eu-monitoring-of-ship-emissions-proposed-to-spur-global-curbs.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/28/eu-shipping-co-idUSL5N0F33VH20130628 FUELS Fracking critics unhappy with Obama climate speech. President Barack Obama's speech this week on climate change forcefully rejected some key arguments made by opponents of natural gas fracking, upsetting some environmental groups that otherwise back his climate goals. Obama, in his address Tuesday calling for urgent action to address climate change, praised what he called "cleaner-burning natural gas"…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_DRILLING_OBAMA_SPEECH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT U.S. says oil market can cope with more Iran export cuts. The top U.S. energy official said world oil markets could cope with further cuts in Iran's oil exports from tighter sanctions over its nuclear program as rising supply from the United States and Iraq offsets the loss. U.S. lawmakers are embarking this summer on a campaign to deal a deeper blow to Iran's diminishing oil exports, and analysts say the ultimate goal could be a near total cut-off. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/01/us-energy-usa-idUSBRE9600EE20130701 U.S. is not waging 'war on coal': Energy Secretary Moniz. The U.S. government is not waging a "war on coal" but rather expects it to still play a significant role, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said on Sunday, rejecting criticism of President Barack Obama's climate change plan. Obama tried last week to revive his stalled climate change agenda, promising new rules to cut carbon emissions from U.S. power plants and other domestic actions including support for renewable energy. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/30/us-energy-usa-coal-idUSBRE95T0J120130630 Analysis: Shale oil storm blows U.S. tanker trade out of doldrums. Thanks to the U.S. shale energy boom, the once-quiet niche of U.S.-flagged oil tankers is in unprecedented flux. A half-dozen vessels that typically carried gasoline to Florida are now rushing crude oil along the Texas coast. Major investment at the port of Corpus Christi, which now exports more than half of all Eagle Ford shale oil, suggests more to come even as new pipeline projects promise further market shifts. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/01/us-usa-tankers-jonesact-analysis-idUSBRE96004K20130701 Report rebuts a concern about Keystone XL tar-sands oil. Tar-sands oil for the Keystone XL pipeline is no more likely to cause leaks than other types, a new study finds. The type of crude oil that would be pumped through the Keystone XL pipeline is no more likely to corrode pipelines or heighten the chance of leaks than other kinds of petroleum…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-keystone-pipeline-20130629,0,2006401.story White House has coal country on the defensive. After several years of taking a beating from the poor economy, new pollution rules and a flood of cheap natural gas, the coal industry was on the rebound this year as mining projects moved forward in the Western U.S. and demand for the fuel began to rise, especially in Asia. But almost overnight, coal is back on the defensive, scrambling to stave off a dark future amid President Barack Obama's renewed push to rein in climate change. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/White-House-has-coal-country-on-the-defensive-4640513.php Fracking near Shafter raises questions about drilling practices. One afternoon last fall, Tom Frantz cradled a video camera in his hand and pointed it at an oil well on the edge of this San Joaquin Valley farm town. Workers shuffled amid trucks and drilling equipment, preparing the site for hydraulic fracturing – fracking, for short – the controversial drilling method that has the potential to spark an economic boom in California and perhaps even free the state from foreign oil. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/30/5534452/fracking-near-shafter-raises-questions.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/06/30/2786458/fracking-near-shafter-raises-questions.html#storylink=cpy New electric system may make carbon capture more efficient – MIT. Using electricity instead of heat, researchers have developed a potentially cheaper, more energy-efficient system to capture carbon dioxide from power plants and factories. The process, called Electrochemically Mediated Amine Regeneration (EMAR), is easier to retrofit on existing fossil fuel generators and industrial emitters than conventional scrubbing methods. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983716/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Obama plan highlights natural gas industry's methane dilemma. When President Obama unveiled plans to address climate change last week, the announcement was widely regarded as a boon for the natural gas industry (EnergyWire, June 26). Obama's plan seemed to accept natural gas as a key intermediary power source as the nation moves away from high-emitting coal. But some are challenging gas's climate benefits. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983705/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Company fleets pave the way for alternative transportation. Neapolitan Express food trucks are fueling New Yorkers with piping hot pizza and now delivering less emissions, too, as they switch from running on diesel to natural gas. Dish Network service vans across the country are similarly lowering their carbon footprint by converting to propane. And today thousands of General Electric employees are getting to work in plug-in hybrid vehicles. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983708/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Column: Are consumers ready to be empowered by smart power meters? Used right, the new generation of smart power meters could cut peak electricity consumption by up to 20 percent, avoiding the need to construct 2,000 new power plants across the United States. Installing them, however, is the easy part. The industry faces years of battling to convince consumers to use them to change the way they use electricity…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/01/us-column-kemp-smart-meters-idUSBRE9600QH20130701 At one Army base, a vision for a new shade of green. Maj. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard, as commander at Ft. Bliss, moves to cut energy use, increase recycling, conserve water and more. To him, it's a matter of security. The endless desert that makes up Ft. Bliss looks a lot like places where the United States fought its recent wars or where it might fight its next one. Tanks are manned by soldiers whose faces are wrapped against the blowing sand. Dust devils rise, stagger and fall to the desert floor. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-green-army-20130701,0,6233025,print.story RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Spending formula created for solar fee. Twenty-five percent of the money gained through fees on Riverside County solar energy projects will be spent in areas directly affected by those projects, according to a new funding formula. The formula unanimously approved by the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 25, calls for 75 percent of the money to go to the county’s general fund, which pays for the bulk of public services. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/politics/jeff-horseman-headlines/20130630-riverside-county-spending-formula-created-for-solar-fee.ece Clean energy leaders see 'loophole' in new energy strategy. Clean energy advocates praised a proposed new World Bank energy financing blueprint that restricts new coal lending but warned that it includes a loophole large enough to allow a controversial lignite-fired power plant in Kosovo to still go forward. The draft strategy obtained by ClimateWire moves on issues long embraced by environmentalists: Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983714/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Obama nominates Colo. energy regulator to FERC. President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated the former head of Colorado's Public Utilities Commission to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Ronald Binz sat on Colorado's utilities commission from 2007 to 2011 and helped oversee efforts to reduce Colorado's reliance on coal-fired utility plants and increase the state's use of renewable energy. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FERC_CHIEF?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Western governors unveil 10-year energy 'vision.' Western governors have unveiled a regional 10-year energy "vision" that stresses cooperation among states in interstate projects such as transmission lines, increased oil production and modernization of pipeline infrastructure. At the same time, the document released by the Western Governors Association calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting wildlife and supporting technologies that reduce water demand. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/30/western-governors-unveil-10-year-energy-vision/ It’s official, Davis is California’s ‘Coolest’ city. Three cities were honored Thursday at an award ceremony before the California Air Resources Board, wrapping up a yearlong CoolCalifornia Challenge in which thousands of households in cities across the state competed for the biggest citywide carbon footprint reduction. Known for its longtime commitment to environmental sustainability, the city of Davis was crowned the state’s “Coolest California City” by the Air Resources Board out of eight cities that began the competition. Posted. http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/davis-tapped-as-coolest-california-city/ OPINIONS COLUMN-China CO2 growth has turned a corner: Gerard Wynn. The relentless growth in China's carbon emissions looks to have peaked and started to slow, in part simply because of a cooling economy but also the result of new targets to curb pollution and climate change. China alone emitted more than a quarter of global carbon dioxide last year, and in the past decade has accounted for two-thirds of the net annual growth in global emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USL5N0F10UD20130701 Storytelling science illuminates climate views. What's the moral of the story? A hero you like seems to shape our understanding of news stories, shows a scientific experiment with climate science news stories. Who's your hero? Superman? Batman? The Environmental Protection Agency?The answer may say something about how you read news stories about climate change…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/vergano/2013/06/29/climate-categories-news/2471945/ Stuck in Purgatory. President Obama’s new regulatory agenda on climate change will face inevitable legal and political challenges. But in all fields — not just energy and the environment but health, safety and labor — one of the most formidable obstacles to reform has been the administration’s own resistance to finalizing new rules, even when it has expressed support for the causes those rules would address. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/opinion/stuck-in-purgatory.html?_r=0 Editorial: Climate protection needs a champion. During his February State of the Union address, President Barack Obama asked Congress to send him legislation to reform immigration, reduce gun violence and combat climate change. Immigration legislation is happening, at least in the Senate. Gun violence legislation has stalled. Congress has done nothing on climate change. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/30/5532833/editorial-climate-protection-needs.html#storylink=cpy On pipeline, obama makes like keystone cop. The key backdrop to the speech is the “brown revolution” — the sharp gains in U.S. fossil-fuel production in recent years. This is primarily due to a newly refined drilling process called hydraulic fracturing, in which underground water cannons guided precisely by advanced sensors blast away rocks and allow access to previously unreachable natural gas and oil reserves. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/01/tp-on-pipeline-obama-makes-like-keystone-cop/ Green Desert: Huge solar project just the start of changes. I was in an aisle seat so it was only by coincidence that I happened to look out of the window of my flight back from San Antonio on Sunday and see BrightSource Energy’s Ivanpah solar project — three 459-foot-tall solar towers, surrounded by 300,000 reflecting mirrors, or heliostats. At 30,000 feet or so, one can’t actually see the towers and mirrors. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013306290015 Obama is right on climate change. The goals President Barack Obama set out Tuesday in his Climate Action Plan -- including cutting pollution from coal plants and aggressively pursuing clean energy alternatives -- won't solve all the challenges of climate change, but they are a big first step in protecting the planet from its worst effects. Posted. http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/28/opinion/field-obama-climate-change Editorial: A war on climate change. Climate change is surely the looming disaster of our time. Scientists say it’s inevitable that sea levels will rise 2 1/2-6 1/2 feet — sufficient to endanger or wipe out many cities. One scientist believes that in the long-term, 69 feet of sea level rise is inescapable. And the source of the swelling oceans — rising temperatures — will stress the nation’s food system…Posted. http://www.freep.com/article/20130630/OPINION01/306300083/climate-change-obama-carbon-cap BLOGS LA orders up to 25 electric buses for transit duty in car-loving city. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has signed a contract with BYD Motors for up to 25 new all-electric buses, of a $30-million clean air bus technology pilot project. This is the first time Metro has purchased and placed into revenue service any all-electric buses and is giving the transit agency an opportunity to determine whether electric buses can meet LA's rigorous transit needs. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/01/la-orders-up-to-25-electric-buses-for-transit-duty-in-car-loving/ Tesla officially gets behind White House petition to allow direct EV sales. A Tesla fan's petition to the White House – asking the federal government to "allow Tesla Motors to sell directly to consumers in all 50 states" – is gaining official traction. Over the weekend, Tesla Motors sent out an email to supporters asking them to add their name. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/01/tesla-officially-gets-behind-white-house-petition/ Reducing Greenhouse Gases and Promoting Sustainability in the Global Economy. When the EPA finally begins to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, as promised by President Obama last week, one impact will be a reduction of coal consumption here in the United States. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that we will mine less coal or burn less of it. Instead of mining coal and burning it locally, we will simply export the coal to China…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/reducing-greenhouse-gases_b_3528216.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2013 12:27:26 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 2, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 2, 2013. 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 An unintended consequence of reduced pollution: More storms. The Clean Air Act, which has benefited breathing in many American cities over the past few decades, may have worsened the weather in some places. New climate simulations suggest that reducing the level of atmospheric aerosol particles produced by human activity might have been the main cause of a recent increase in tropical storm frequency in the North Atlantic. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/an-unintended-consequence-of-reduced-pollution-more-storms/2013/07/01/0853c352-df57-11e2-b2d4-ea6d8f477a01_story.html Laser shows? Air board's offer big dud in S.J. A plan to persuade cities to abandon traditional Fourth of July fireworks shows in favor of cleaner, high-tech laser displays appears to have fizzled. San Joaquin Valley air pollution officials offered $30,000 for cities or organizations willing to make the change. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130702/A_NEWS/307020321&cid=sitesearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Port of Long Beach: Harbor leaders to fund demonstration of pollution-curbing technology. Harbor leaders voted Monday to pay $2 million to test new technology that would essentially vacuum up ship-generated pollution. The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners unanimously agreed to fund the demonstration of a proposed "wharf-based, 'sock on a stack'" Advanced Maritime Emissions Control System. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_23578889/port-long-beach-harbor-leaders-fund-demonstration-pullution#ixzz2XuH40Awq CLIMATE CHANGE Obama Climate Plan Seen by Environmentalists Adding Jobs. President Barack Obama’s plan to use regulations to curb carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants could result in the U.S. economy adding jobs -- not losing them -- as well as lower electricity rates, according to an analysis released by an environmental group that favors the rules. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-02/obama-climate-plan-seen-by-environmentalists-adding-jobs.html G.O.P. Sees Opportunity for Election Gains in Obama’s Climate Change Policy. When President Obama announced strong measures to combat climate change last week, environmentalists who felt he had long soft-pedaled the issue for political reasons rejoiced. But many Republicans were just as gleeful — in the belief they had been handed a powerful issue to use against Democrats in the 2014 midterm elections in energy-rich states from Texas to Minnesota. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/us/politics/gop-sees-opportunity-for-election-gains-in-obamas-climate-change-policy.html Obama Seeks to Reassert U.S. Role in Climate Debate. When President Obama barged into a meeting of leaders from Brazil, China, India and other major emerging economies in Copenhagen in December 2009 that focused on climate change, he managed to extract a last-minute agreement to set a goal to limit the rise in global temperatures. It was the high-water mark of Mr. Obama’s leadership on climate change — even if the deal was less than the Americans or Europeans wanted…Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/02/florida-keys-prepare-for-sea-level-rise/ Greenhouse gases could cause more frequent El Niño and La Niña events – study. Understanding the causes behind El Niño and La Niña is a critical task for climate forecasters. More than 110 million people were affected by the most recent El Niño of 1997 and 1998, according to the U.N. World Meteorological Organization, and approximately 24,000 died in intense storms brought on by this weather phenomenon. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983774/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Big rig goes green. You'd normally give wide berth to an idling big rig, but a small crowd developed around one such truck as it sat in front of the Port of Stockton's administration building last week. There was no need to speak up - the engine noise was closer to a hum than a roar. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130702/A_BIZ/307020312&cid=sitesearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS White House has coal country on the defensive. After several years of taking a beating from the poor economy, new pollution rules and a flood of cheap natural gas, the coal industry was on the rebound this year as mining projects moved forward in the Western U.S. and demand for the fuel began to rise, especially in Asia. But almost overnight, coal is back on the defensive, scrambling to stave off a dark future amid President Barack Obama's renewed push to rein in climate change. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/01/white-house-has-coal-country-on-the-defensive/ http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/01/2788496/white-house-has-coal-country-on.html Coal industry fears for future under proposal. The coal industry was on the rebound this year as mining projects moved forward in the Western U.S. and demand for the fuel began to rise, especially in Asia. But almost overnight, coal is back on the defensive, scrambling to stave off a dark future amid President Barack Obama’s renewed push to rein in climate change. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/viewart/20130701/BUSINESS0302/307010026/Coal-industry-fears-future-under-proposal Fracking survives CA Legislature — for now. After sitting through several recent marathon sessions in the Assembly, it was shocking to witness the powerful California environmental lobby lose its attempt to ban oil and gas hydraulic fracturing. For this, Californians can be thankful. That got me thinking. What if California’s powerful environmental lobby had been as powerful during the 1849 Gold Rush as it is today? Posted. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2013/07/fracking-survives-ca-legislature-for-now/ Diesel Drops Again, Declining 2.1¢ to $3.817; Gasoline Drops 8.1¢ to $3.496. Diesel continued its string of recent downturns, falling 2.1 cents to $3.817 a gallon, the biggest of its six straight declines, while gasoline plunged more than 8 cents, the Department of Energy reported. Gasoline dove 8.1 cents to $3.496 a gallon — its biggest drop this year — led by a 15.2-cent plunge in the Midwest region to $3.394, DOE said Monday following its weekly survey of filling stations. Posted. http://ttnews.com/articles/printnews.aspx?storyid=32363 VEHICLES GM, Honda to jointly develop hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles by 2020. General Motors Co and Honda Motor Co will jointly develop hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles over the next seven years, the latest alliance in an industry-wide effort to cut the technology's costs and meet stricter global emissions rules. The two automakers, which announced their partnership on Tuesday, will also develop a refueling infrastructure that will be crucial for consumer acceptance and the long-term viability of fuel-cell vehicles. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/02/us-autos-fuelcell-hydrogen-idUSBRE9610JO20130702 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/02/gm-honda-to-collaborate-on-fuel-cell-vehicles/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/02/3370536/gm-honda-to-collaborate-on-fuel.html Los Gatos: Five new town vehicles will plug in to fill up. Los Gatos has five new all-electric vehicles that residents may already have seen being driven around town. The Los Gatos vehicles are Mitsubishi i-MiEV models that get approximately 112 MPGe. The "e" stands for equivalent and allows people to compare the fuel efficiency of electric vehicles to gas-powered vehicles. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23580288/los-gatos-five-new-town-vehicles-will-plug GREEN ENERGY Northern California urged to conserve power as heat wave peaks. California's power grid operator on Monday issued a rare plea for customers in the north of the state to conserve energy over the next couple days as a heat wave blanketing the region is expected to peak just as the work week begins. As consumers cranked up their air conditioners to escape the brutal heat, power prices in California markets jumped to at least five-year highs. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/01/us-utilities-california-heatwave-idUSBRE96013620130701 Apple is planning a solar panel farm for its data center in Reno. Apple, working with Nevada utility NV Energy, is planning to build another solar panel farm next to a data center, and this time it’s for its new data center in Reno, Nevada. Apple has already been building two solar panel farms next to its data center in North Carolina, and this latest solar farm in Reno…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/apple-is-planning-a-solar-panel-farm-for-its-data-center-in-reno/2013/07/02/0f3b266e-e2d2-11e2-8657-fdff0c195a79_story.html PNM plans to add more solar, wind to portfolio. New Mexico's largest electricity provider says it has a plan for adding more solar and wind power to its portfolio. Public Service Company of New Mexico unveiled its proposal Monday. It must be approved by state regulators. The plan calls for building three solar generating stations in the Albuquerque area and purchasing more electricity from a wind farm in Cibola County. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/01/pnm-plans-to-add-more-solar-wind-to-portfolio/#ixzz2XuC6dr3C Low-speed, high-tech allure of the 'e-bike.' Robert “Turbo Bob” Bandhauer earned his nickname as a hot-rod enthusiast, souping up Volkswagens and Datsuns in the 1970s. Today he is an expert and advocate for electric bicycles. So-called e-bikes extend the range and usefulness of bicycles without generating air pollution. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/02/turbo-bob-takes-a-ride/ Solar water heaters bloom on China's rooftops but not in the U.S. Row upon row of tilted boxlike containers holding black glass tubes top apartment complexes all over China. These solar water heaters can provide cheap, emissions-free hot water for cooking and bathing to China's rapidly growing urban population. But for something that seems like an obvious solution to curbing emissions, solar heaters haven't caught on at similar scales around the world. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983772/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS Let’s Not Braise the Planet. According to a report released by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last month, we are not running out of fossil fuels anytime soon. Since the dawn of the industrial revolution we’ve used around 1.2 trillion barrels of oil; the report estimates that with current technology we can produce roughly five times that much. Posted. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/lets-not-braise-the-planet/?_r=0 Aruba Promotes Its Sustainable Energy. Energy-conscious travelers may soon find the Dutch island of Aruba high on their list of destinations. The island has announced that it is on track to become the first sustainable energy economy in the world. Posted. http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/aruba-promotes-its-sustainable-energy/ Strong June sales push Chevy Volt ahead of Nissan Leaf for first time since February. The flash report for monthly sales for the two best-selling plug-in vehicles* is here, and it was a big turnaround month for the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid. Chevy's halo car sold no more than 1,626 units in any month this year, so June's sales of 2,698 Volts must be a pleasant surprise for the General. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/02/nissan-leaf-chevy-volt-june-2013-sales/ Obama climate plan: the one thing you need to know. President Obama's plan to address climate change will at most have a slight impact, Cobb writes, but it is nonetheless a brave and even historic move towards slowing the effects of climate change. The one thing you need to know about President Obama's plan to address climate change is that the most it will…Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0701/Obama-climate-plan-the-one-thing-you-need-to-know?nav=92-csm_category-secBlogs These People Are Insane: Using Diesel Generators To Beat Climate Change. Just when you think that the world has had enough nonsense about climate change up comes an idea even more absurd. People and companies in the UK are now being urged to start using diesel generators, a horribly inefficient method of electricity generation, in order to beat climate change. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/06/29/these-people-are-insane-using-diesel-generators-to-beat-climate-change/print/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2013 12:13:00 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 3, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 3, 2013. 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 UPDATE 3-Carbon wins lifeline after tight EU parliament vote. The European Parliament after months of bitter debate backed a plan on Wednesday to boost carbon prices, throwing a lifeline to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the bloc's push for greener energy. EU politicians in Strasbourg voted 344-311 in favour of temporarily removing up to 900 million permits from trade…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/eu-carbon-market-idUSL5N0F91UA20130703 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/business/global/european-parliament-acts-to-support-emissions-trading-system.html?_r=0 EU lawmakers back plan to fix ailing carbon market. The European Parliament on Wednesday backed a rescue plan for the world’s biggest cap-and-trade system for emissions of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent greenhouse gas from human activities. In a 344-311 vote, European lawmakers in Strasbourg, France, approved a proposal to delay an auction of allowances in the EU’s emissions trading scheme. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eu-lawmakers-back-plan-to-fix-ailing-carbon-market/2013/07/03/288aaed4-e3e3-11e2-bffd-37a36ddab820_story.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/03/eu-lawmakers-back-cap-and-trade-fix/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/03/3372194/eu-lawmakers-back-cap-and-trade.html AIR POLLUTION Newport Beach shifts tactics in fire pit ban fight. Newport Beach has withdrawn an application to state regulators to remove five dozen fire rings from the city's beaches, but the bonfire battle isn't over. City Manager Dave Kiff sent a letter to the California Coastal Commission on Tuesday withdrawing the application that sparked a heated debate between residents with environmental concerns and others seeking to maintain a beach tradition. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/02/newport-beach-shifts-tactics-in-fire-pit-ban-fight/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/02/3371799/newport-beach-shifts-tactics-in.html Valley air officials urge firework restraint. For many, one of the highlights of Independence Day is the fireworks show at the end of the night. However, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District officials remind Valley residents that fireworks increase levels of dangerous particulate matter (PM) and pose a health threat. According to air officials, fireworks release large qualities of PM, such as soot, ash and metals. Posted. http://thebusinessjournal.com/news/energy-and-environment/6748-valley-air-officials-urge-firework-restraint http://www.ksby.com/news/local-agency-warns-that-air-pollution-can-diminish-due-to-fireworks/#_ CLIMATE CHANGE World suffered unprecedented climate extremes in past decade: WMO. The world suffered unprecedented climate extremes in the decade to 2010, from heatwaves in Europe and droughts in Australia to floods in Pakistan, against a backdrop of global warming, a United Nations report said on Wednesday. Every year of the decade except 2008 was among the 10 warmest since records began in the 1850s…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/us-climate-extremes-idUSBRE9620HF20130703 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-03/un-charts-unprecedented-global-warming-since-2000.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un-says-1st-decade-shows-accelerated-warming-with-more-climate-extremes/2013/07/03/71a5a46e-e3d6-11e2-bffd-37a36ddab820_story.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/03/3372104/un-says-1st-decade-shows-accelerated.html Blasting heat forecast for U.S. Western states. Residents of western U.S. states awoke on Monday to more scorching heat that was expected to break record highs and grip the region through the early part of the holiday week, meteorologists said. Temperatures were likely to hit well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Centigrade) in Fresno, California, Phoenix and to the north in Boise…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/01/us-usa-weather-heat-idUSBRE95S0AS20130701 Obama Seeks New U.S. Role in Climate Debate. When President Obama barged into a meeting of leaders from Brazil, China, India and other countries at a climate conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, he managed to extract a last-minute agreement to set a goal to limit the rise in global temperatures. It was the high-water mark of Mr. Obama’s leadership on climate change — even if the deal was less than the Americans or Europeans wanted — but it has been downhill ever since. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/us/politics/obama-seeks-to-reassert-us-role-in-climate-debate.html?pagewanted=all Experts See New Normal as a Hotter, Drier West Faces More Huge Fires. One of the deadliest wildfires in a generation vastly expanded Monday to cover more than 8,000 acres, sweeping up sharp slopes through dry scrub and gnarled piñon pines a day after fickle winds and flames killed 19 firefighters. The gusty monsoon winds where the Colorado Plateau begins to drop off into the Sonoran Desert…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/us/experts-see-a-hotter-drier-west-with-more-huge-fires.html?_r=1&&pagewanted=print Ocean satellite dies after 11 1/2-year mission. Jason-1, a satellite that for more than a decade precisely tracked rising sea levels across a vast sweep of ocean and helped forecasters make better weather and climate predictions, has ended its useful life after circling the globe more than 53,500 times, NASA announced Wednesday. The joint U.S. and French satellite was decommissioned this week after its last remaining transmitter failed, according to a NASA statement. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/03/3372411/ocean-satellite-dies-after-11.html#storylink=cpy Spike in greenhouse gas emissions to come from Amazon's dams? Current and future plans to expand hydroelectric power in the Brazilian Amazon are contributing to a sharp rise in carbon emissions from the nation with the third-most greenhouse emissions, scientists claim. The Amazonian dam, Tucuru, produces more greenhouse gases than Brazil's largest city, São Paulo…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983822/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Obama Revamps $8 Billion Coal Program Amid Objections. Under fire from coal producers and lawmakers from coal-producing states, the Obama administration is revamping an $8 billion federal loan-guarantee program to help companies reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. The plan announced yesterday is part of a broader strategy for dealing with the risks of climate change that President Barack Obama unveiled last week. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-03/obama-revamps-8-billion-coal-program-amid-objections.html Oil passes $101 on supply drop in US, worries that Egypt crisis may threaten supplies. The price of oil rose above $102 a barrel for the first time in 14 months on concerns about Middle East supplies and signs of an increase in U.S. demand for fuel. Around midday Wednesday, U.S. benchmark oil was up $1.63 to $101.23. It rose to $102.18 a barrel earlier, a high since May of last year. Oil has not closed above $100 since May 3, 2012. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/oil-rises-near-100-a-barrel-as-egypt-protests-continue-traders-eye-increase-in-us-demand/2013/07/02/597f0dd4-e382-11e2-bffd-37a36ddab820_story.html A monstrous market in the making takes 'all of the above' approach to supply. Rebecca Liebert doesn't worry much about China. It doesn't concern her, for instance, that China makes a relatively small contribution to her business's global portfolio today. UOP, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Honeywell International Inc., sells technology used in various parts of the natural-gas value chain. China has explicitly stated its intention to use more gas. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983843/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla Motors White House petition passes 100K signatures — a small win for electric cars? A White House petition to make it legal for Tesla Motors to sell its revolutionary cars directly to consumers surpassed its goal of 100,000 signatures today — meaning it’ll get an official response from the Obama administration. Many people may not know it, but Tesla is barred from selling its vehicles in many states, which require businesses to obtain a “dealership license” before being able to sell cars en mass to people. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/idUS132668746820130703 UPDATE 1-Toyota to recall 185,000 cars globally, including Yaris. The world's best-selling carmaker, Toyota Motor Corp, said it was recalling around 185,000 vehicles globally, including the Yaris compact, owing to a glitch in the electric power steering system that could make the steering heavier. Models of the Yaris, known in Japan as the Vitz, that were made between November 2010 and March 2012, have been recalled. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/toyota-recall-idUSL3N0F91AT20130703 HIGH-SPEED RAIL Rail authority: State's bullet trains to reduce future greenhouse gases. Operations of California's high-speed rail system between 2022 and 2050 could remove between 27.1 million and 44.9 million tons of greenhouse gases by shifting travelers from automobiles and airplanes to electric-powered high-speed trains. The greenhouse-gas estimates were included in a report this week from the rail agency to the state Legislature Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/02/3371300/rail-authority-states-bullet-trains.html#storylink=cpy Calif. says line will start reducing GHG emissions in 2022. California's planned statewide high-speed rail system will displace the carbon emissions of 31,000 vehicles in its first year of operation, state officials said today. The $68.4 billion rail line, slated to begin construction later this summer, will eventually reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 44.9 million tons by 2050, when it stretches from Sacramento to San Diego. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1059983828/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Solar Groups Seek Tea-Party Support. Renewable-Energy Firms Seek Conservative Backing as Utilities Seek to Trim Price They Pay Homeowners. As the solar-power industry skirmishes with utilities over the growth of the home solar-panel business, it is enlisting a new political ally: tea-party activists and conservative groups. Renewable-energy firms have traditionally sought help from the political left by touting the environmental benefits of greener power. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323689204578573720128231396.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5 Japan Sets Up Clean Energy Fund to Revitalize Regional Economies. Japan’s Ministry of the Environment set up a fund to invest in clean energy projects to support regional companies and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The ministry has set aside 1.4 billion yen ($14 million) for the fund for fiscal 2013, said Kazuhiro Okuma, an official in charge of the fund. The fund will invest in projects with private investors for as much as a half of equity. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-02/japan-sets-up-clean-energy-fund-to-revitalize-regional-economies.html Conservation, cooler temps help California power grid. A second day of conservation efforts and slightly lower temperatures helped the California power grid avoid potential problems on Tuesday as a widespread heat wave across the West begins to moderate. The region's power supply also improved Tuesday afternoon as PG&E Corp's 1,122-MW Diablo Canyon 1 nuclear reactor reconnected to the grid and began to increase output, the utility said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/us-utilities-california-heatwave-idUSBRE96013620130703 Arlington house makes a green statement. Construction is underway in what developers call the first super-energy-efficient single-family home of its kind in Arlington, a four-bedroom, four-bathroom, more than 3,000-square-foot silver-level LEED structure. The house, at 5734 Eighth St. N., is being built with U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification in mind. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/arlington-house-makes-a-green-statement/2013/07/03/2049e834-dd12-11e2-85de-c03ca84cb4ef_story.html State puts Soitec solar projects on fast track. California is streamlining government approvals for two prospective solar farms in East County, giving a boost to the French semiconductor company Soitec as it expands solar manufacturing at a factory in San Diego's Rancho Bernardo neighborhood. Aided by a $25 million grant from the Department of Energy, Soitec outfitted its local factory and ramped up production in earnest this year to supply an initial slate of utility-scale projects. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/03/soitec-solar-fast-track/ MISCELLANEOUS Calif. officials recommend expansion of West’s largest hazardous waste dump. California regulators are recommending allowing a major expansion of the largest hazardous waste dump in the Western United States, even though some residents blame the dump for birth defects and have opposed the expansion, officials said on Tuesday. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control said it has issued a draft expansion permit that would allow the landfill near Kettleman City…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/calif-officials-recommend-expansion-of-wests-largest-hazardous-waste-dump/2013/07/02/cfdbfb7e-e34e-11e2-bffd-37a36ddab820_story.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/02/3371013/calif-recommends-expansion-of.html http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-07-02/calif-dot-recommends-expansion-of-hazardous-dump http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/02/2790209/state-grants-preliminary-ok-for.html#storylink=cpy Decisions on toxic sites spark fury in 2 communities. In Vernon, a judge allows Exide to resume operations that had been suspended for alleged pollution violations. In the Central Valley, a state agency OKs expansion of a hazardous waste dump. A major toxic waste dump near a Central Valley hamlet is poised to expand, and a troubled battery recycler in Vernon has been cleared to reopen according to key decisions Tuesday that sparked fury in nearby low-income communities. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hazardous-waste-dtsc-20130703,0,949753.story OPINIONS COLUMN-Lesser-known CO2 storage idea merits attention: Wynn. Technology that would convert carbon dioxide from a scourge on the climate to beneficial products is inching towards commercial reality and is already cheaper than carbon capture and storage. CO2 can, in theory, be converted in the making of such products as concrete, plastics and minerals. (See Chart 1) There are major problems, however. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/column-wynn-co2-conversion-idUSL5N0F72FC20130703 Viewpoints: Climate action plan will help protect health. Climate change is already affecting our health in California, and the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world. Extreme heat is predicted to affect anywhere from 1.7 million to 28 million Californians by mid- to late-century, and even by conservative estimates, 420,000 will be exposed to coastal flooding. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/03/5541226/climate-action-plan-will-help.html#storylink=cpy See through high-speed smokescreen. Citizens for California High Speed Rail Accountability (CCHSRA) has recently noticed the criticisms by some members of the press over activities to restrict funding to the California High-Speed Rail Project by local congressmen. CCHSRA would like to add factual evidence to support the decisions being made by Reps. David Valadao, Jeff Denham and Kevin McCarthy. Our organization has learned the following over the last two years: Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/02/3371482/see-through-high-speed-smokescreen.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS Why Chevron is suing one of D.C.’s most powerful lobbying firms over…the Amazon jungle? It’s a monumental battle of wills, money and egos. The oil giant Chevron, the third-biggest U.S. Company by revenue, has sued Patton Boggs, the nation’s premier legal and lobbying firm, for concealing and promoting fraudulent information in a case that was born in the jungles of the Amazon. Chevron has also convinced a New York federal judge to allow it...Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/02/why-chevron-is-suing-one-of-d-c-s-most-powerful-lobbying-firms-over-the-amazon-jungle/?print=1 New rules for EV charging etiquette. The EV equivalent of spam is parking an internal combustion vehicle at a spot where there's a charger (also known as getting ICE'd), or leaving your electric vehicle in a charge space long after you've juiced up. Now that plug-ins are going mainstream, and municipalities from San Diego to New York City are installing charging stations in public places we've got to learn to play nice and share. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/03/new-rules-for-ev-charging-etiquette/ Congress could lower alt-fuel requirements in new Open Fuel Standard Act. Congress is considering a revised version of the Open Fuel Standard Act, an Act that was originally introduced two years ago but failed to pass. Representatives Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) introduced a bipartisan bill that would require more and more new vehicles to be able to run on at least some non-petroleum fuels. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/03/congress-could-lower-alt-fuel-requirements-in-new-open-fuel-stan/ LowCVP study identifies cost-effective options for cutting bus emissions. A wide range of technologies can cut carbon emissions from buses and provide a short-term payback at current fuel prices and subsidy levels, according to a new report prepared for the UK’s Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) by Ricardo. Overall, the study indicates that significant improvements in bus CO2 can be achieved in the medium to long term through development, incentivization (or regulation) and implementation of new vehicle technologies and fuels. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/lowcvp-20130703.html Worldwide Prius sales top 3-million mark; Prius family sales at 3.4 million. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced that as of the end of June, worldwide cumulative sales of the Prius gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle (generations I, II and III) passed the 3-million mark. (The figure is based on worldwide cumulative sales through the end of May 2013 plus June sales in the US.) Total global Prius nameplate sales (the expanded Prius family) are at 3.436 million units. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/prius-20130703.html DOE releases draft of $8B loan guarantee solicitation for advanced fossil energy projects. The US Department of Energy (DOE) released a draft for comment of an $8-billion loan guarantee solicitation for innovative and advanced fossil energy projects and facilities that substantially reduce greenhouse gas and other air pollution. The program is part of President Obama’s climate action plan. (Earlier post.) Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/doe-20130703.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2013 11:25:21 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for July 4 - 5, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 4 - 5, 2013. 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 Europe must tackle air pollution, warn UN scientists. The health effects of air pollution have been underestimated and Europe should review its laws to tackle the problem, UN scientists have concluded after a major review of new evidence. Sixty international scientists, commissioned by the World Health Organisation, analysed eight years of studies to see how minute specks of soot, gases such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and other pollutants from road and rail traffic, industry and indoor fires harm human health. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jul/04/europe-tackle-air-pollution-un CLIMATE CHANGE Industry panning Obama's climate change push. President Barack Obama's push to fight global warming has triggered condemnation from the coal industry across the industrial Midwest, where state and local economies depend on the health of an energy sector facing strict new pollution limits. But such concerns stretch even to New England, an environmentally focused region that long has felt the effects of drifting emissions from Rust Belt states. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles: http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23598277/obama-climate-change-push-draws-industry-criticism?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/04/3373650/obama-climate-change-push-draws.html Climate change turning desert green. Findings by the CSIRO reveal that rising levels of carbon dioxide make plants in arid regions like Broken Hill grow bigger leaves. Research scientist Dr Randall Donohue says outback foliage initially expands to trap more water during dry periods. He says the process is extended when increased levels of carbon dioxide actually begin to fertilise the plants. Posted. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-04/climate-change-turning-desert-green/4798930 VEHICLES GM, Honda to work together on hydrogen fuel cells. General Motors and Honda will work together on hydrogen fuel cell research in the latest in a series of auto industry tie-ups designed to bring the technology to market sooner. Together, engineers from both companies will research and design next-generation hydrogen fuel cell powertrains and storage technologies. The goal is to generate technology in “the 2020 time frame,” GM said. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013307040025&nclick_check=1 GREEN ENERGY Solar Plane: Making clean tech sexy, adventurous. In noisy, energetic New York City, the pilots of a spindly plane that looks more toy than jet hope to grab attention in a surprising way: By being silent and consuming little energy. This revolutionary solar-powered plane is about to end a slow and symbolic journey across America by quietly buzzing the Statue of Liberty and landing in a city whose buildings often obscure the power-giving sun. The plane's top speed of 45 mph is so pokey, it would earn honks on the New Jersey Turnpike. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_SOLAR_PLANE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/spindly-all-solar-planes-green-tech-exploration-getting-a-thrill-while-saving-the-planet/2013/07/05/2b5f133e-e54b-11e2-bffd-37a36ddab820_story.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23603709/solar-plane-making-clean-tech-sexy-adventurous?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/05/3374827/solar-plane-making-clean-tech.html#storylink=misearch State Wants More Info On Solar Project's Effects. Staff of the California Energy Commission (CEC) say they need a lot more information from the builder on a project's impacts to wildlife, archaeology, and other resources before they can sign off on it. The proposed Palen Solar Electric Generating System would be built a quarter miles from Interstate 10 halfway between Indio and Blythe in Riverside County. The requests for more information came in the form of the CEC's Preliminary Staff Assessment on the project, now available on the CEC's website. The CEC is evaluating radical changes in the design of the project since a prior approval in 2011. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/concentrating-solar/state-wants-more-info-on-solar-projects-effects.html MISCELLANEOUS California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. to deliver keynote at Intersolar North America opening ceremony. Intersolar North America, the most attended industry exhibition and conference for solar professionals to exchange information and develop business connections in North America, will welcome California Gov. Edmund G. Brown as keynote speaker for Intersolar's 2013 Opening Ceremony on Monday, July 8 at 5:30 p.m at the InterContinental Hotel. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/05/5546718/california-gov-edmund-g-brown.html Scenes from a Melting Planet: On the Climate-Change Novel. That town is Spicewood Beach, a subdivision in the hill country outside of Austin, Texas. In February, 2012, according to the Times, the town’s well ran dry. Four thousand gallons of water still have to be hauled in many times a day. Of course, no single weather event can be linked to the increased concentration of human-produced greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. And yet the increased frequency of extreme weather is a scientifically proven result of those gases. Posted. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/07/scenes-from-a-melting-planet.html BLOGS Climate Change: Summer Bummer For Your Fourth Of July? The Fourth of July in the United States means backyard barbecues, beach outings and fireworks displays for millions of Americans. But thanks to climate change, some of your favorite activities face an uncertain future. Temperatures are rising, drought and wildfire risks are growing and coastal areas face the threat of devastating storm surges. Some of your favorite foods and beverages even face threats due to water shortages and greater losses to U.S. bee populations. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/04/climate-change-summer_n_3541976.html June green-car sales jump 35% over 2012 numbers. June marked the second-fastest year-over-year growth rate for US green car sales for 2013 so far and helped put sales of green vehicles – pure electrics, hybrids and diesels – for the first half of the year about 19 percent ahead of 2012 levels. Americans bought 57,614 advanced-powertrain vehicles last month, up 35 percent from June 2012. Only January's 58 percent year-over-year growth rate was faster than last month's, which represented a bit of an acceleration from May's 30 percent growth rate. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/03/june-2013-green-car-sales-jump-35-over-2012-numbers/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 8 Jul 2013 14:25:58 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 8, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 8, 2013. 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 European, U.S. Climate Policies Trail California’s. As California pushes forward on a wide range of aggressive goals to curb its contribution to climate change, the same solution that’s the centerpiece of the state’s effort — a cap-and-trade market for carbon emissions — is moving forward in a big way on the international stage. The European Union voted Wednesday to strengthen the role of the continental cap-and-trade system. Posted. http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2013-07/european-us-climate-policies-trail-californias AIR POLLUTION Colorado eying air pollution rules for drilling. Air quality is the next frontier in Colorado's oil and gas debate, as state health officials consider new rules to deal with an industry that emits at least 600 tons of contaminants a day. Those emissions are now the main source of volatile organic compounds in Colorado and the third-largest source of nitrogen oxides…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CO_DRILLING_AIR_QUALITY_COOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Colorado-eying-air-pollution-rules-for-drilling-4652269.php To clean the air, Dutch scientists invent pavement that eats smog. What if the solution to smog was right where the rubber meets the road? Scientists in the Netherlands have found that installing special air-purifying pavement on city streets can cut air pollution nearly in half. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology outfitted one block in the city of Hengelo, Netherlands, with paving blocks sprayed with titanium oxide, which has the ability to remove pollutants from the air and turn them into less harmful chemicals. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-smog-eating-street-20130705,0,4941635.story Thermo King pays air pollution penalty. The California Air Resources Board says Bloomington, Minn.-based Thermo King Corp. has paid a $213,200 penalty in connection with violating state air pollution laws. ARB said the temperature-control systems manufacturer sold diesel particulate filters after conditional verification expired in 2011. The filters are used to reduce emissions from auxiliary power units…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/06/5548184/thermo-king-pays-air-pollution.html#storylink=cpy Firefighters warn of extreme fire danger in Fresno County foothills. Nineteen of the country's best firefighters died last week in Arizona defending Yarnell, population about 700 — "where a desert breeze meets the mountain air," as the town's entrance sign reads. It also is where urban living meets wildlands. Firefighters dig in to protect people and property in places like this all over the arid West. Sometimes, nature suddenly takes their lives. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/06/3377237/mountain-towns-in-peril.html Toxic hotspots revealed on state map. Barrio Logan, a port community at the intersection of freeways and industry, is the crossroads of pollution risk for San Diego County, according to CalEnviroscreen, a new state program that ranks communities by their environmental health. The California Environmental Protection Agency recently rolled out the program to highlight areas most affected by pollution. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/07/environment-pollution-hotspots-calepa-barrio-logan/ State program ranks pollution hot spots. Barrio Logan, a port community at the intersection of freeways and industry, is the crossroads of pollution risk for San Diego County, according to CalEnviroscreen, a new state program that ranks communities by their environmental health. The California Environmental Protection Agency recently rolled out the program to highlight areas most affected by pollution. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/08/tp-state-program-ranks-pollution-hot-spots/ CLIMATE CHANGE Water Warming to Boost Hydro, Nuclear-Power Costs: Study. Waterways warmed by climate change will increase electricity prices by as much as a third in southern Europe as producers struggle to cool power stations, a study showed. Countries from Romania to Bulgaria and Slovenia face the biggest price increases, according to research today from the Laxenburg, Austria-based Institute for International Applied Systems Analysis. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-08/water-warming-to-boost-hydro-nuclear-power-costs-study.html Microbes will joust for survival in Earth's warming climate. The meek shall inherit the Earth, and that may not be a good thing, if the meek are cyanobacteria. It turns out that the ancient microbes lowest on Earth's food chain are sensitive sorts. Familiar strains of these organisms that provide "biological services" essential to complex life are about to lose the competition for a viable niche in a world turned warmer and more carbon-rich, according to two new studies. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-microbes-climate-20130702,0,509346.story Industry panning Obama's climate change push. President Barack Obama's push to fight global warming has triggered condemnation from the coal industry across the industrial Midwest, where state and local economies depend on the health of an energy sector facing strict new pollution limits. But such concerns stretch even to New England, an environmentally focused region that long has felt the effects of drifting emissions from Rust Belt states. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Industry-panning-Obama-s-climate-change-push-4646743.php Study challenges king crab 'invasion' as climate change threatens Antarctica. A study published last week challenges the popular academic claim that crabs may have disappeared from Antarctica millions of years ago only to return thanks to warming seas, and one of the authors believes the finding indicates how unprepared scientists are to track the effects of global warming on Antarctic species. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/07/08/stories/1059983972 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Natural Gas Futures Rise on Outlook for Hotter U.S. Weather. Natural gas futures gained in New York for the fourth time in five days on speculation that hotter weather may spur demand for the power-plant fuel. Gas rose as much as 3.5 percent as forecasts showed above-normal temperatures from the Northeast into central and western states through July 22, according to MDA Weather Services in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-08/u-s-natural-gas-gains-amid-forecasts-for-moderating-weather.html Fracking near Shafter raises questions about drilling practices. One afternoon last fall, Tom Frantz cradled a video camera in his hand and pointed it at an oil well on the edge of this San Joaquin Valley farm town. Workers shuffled amid trucks and drilling equipment, preparing the site for hydraulic fracturing – fracking, for short – the controversial drilling method that has the potential to spark an economic boom in California and perhaps even free the state from foreign oil. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/30/5534452/fracking-near-shafter-raises-questions.html#storylink=cpy Fervent foes devote their lives to fracking fight. Big energy companies have been trying for five years to tap the riches of the Marcellus Shale in southern New York, promising thousands of new jobs, economic salvation for a depressed region, and a cheap, abundant, clean-burning source of fuel close to power-hungry cities. But for all its political clout and financial prowess, the industry hasn't been able to get its foot in the door. Posted. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Fervent-foes-devote-their-lives-to-fracking-fight-4650976.php http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/07/fervent-foes-devote-their-lives-to-fracking/#ixzz2YTIBjmsY Refineries slide down GHG priority list. As U.S. EPA begins a long process to cut carbon from the country's electricity, a promise to reduce emissions from oil refineries lies in limbo. EPA missed its November 2011 deadline to propose standards for oil refineries. In the 20 months since, there has been little public discussion from the agency or the environmental groups that asked for the standards in the first place. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983973/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY More churches embracing greener faith. The Boston-based United Church of Christ (UCC) has become the first national religious denomination in the United States to sweep its investment portfolio of companies profiting from fossil fuels in what activists say marks a historic divestment from carbon-heavy energy. The resolution passed last week will deny new investments from fossil fuel companies and unwind existing ones over the course of five years. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983970/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES In Europe, Greener Transit on Existing Infrastructure. Vienna is employing some old-fashioned technology to run shiny new electric buses wending their way through the narrow inner-city streets. The Austrian capital is switching from buses powered by liquefied petroleum gas to a novel, first-of-its-kind fleet of electric buses that run unplugged, go anywhere, and recharge their batteries using the overhead power lines of older trams. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/08/business/energy-environment/greener-transit-in-europe-built-on-top-of-older-infrastructure.html?_r=0 Elements of Omnitrans' SBX rapid-transit line project taking shape. Officials at the public bus agency Omnitrans are touting the latest in their efforts give future riders of its developing transit service a better look at how that service will be different than regular bus service. Crews in the last month have been installing electronic ticket vending machines, security cameras, arrival/departure signs and emergency call lines at the Cal State San Bernardino station of the SBX rapid-transit line, a dedicated route bus service planned to go from CSUSB to Loma Linda. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_23615768/elements-omnitrans-sbx-rapid-transit-line-project-taking#ixzz2YTQgggbs GREEN ENERGY China Seeks EU Solar-Panel Export Cap to Avoid Duties, SSN Says. China is proposing to limit exports of solar panels to the European Union to 10 gigawatts a year to avoid antidumping tariffs, the Shanghai Securities News said. China is asking the EU to reduce or remove duties on panels within the limit and pledged to keep prices at or above 50 euro cents ($64 U.S. cents) a watt, the newspaper said, citing Wang Sicheng, a researcher at the Energy Research Institute, an adviser to the government. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-05/china-seeks-eu-solar-panel-export-cap-to-avoid-duties-ssn-says.html Biomass company excited to be headquartered in Sacramento. Situated amid homes in a quiet, leafy section of midtown Sacramento is the headquarters of one of the nation's leading biomass energy firms. "We're probably No. 4 or 5 in the country right now, but we want to be the largest," says Hugh Smith, president and CEO of Greenleaf Power LLC. Given what Greenleaf has done in short order in the comparatively young biomass power industry, Smith's words don't come off as an idle boast. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/07/5547833/biomass-company-excited-to-be.html#storylink=cpy Geothermal industry poised to heat up. Harnessing heat from the Earth's core often gets buried down the list of U.S. clean energy priorities, according to geothermal industry leaders. President Obama noted in his new climate plan that the United States has doubled the amount of electricity generated from wind, solar and geothermal energy over the last four years. The policy calls for doubling the amount of renewable electricity generation again. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983975/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Glendale tired of butts: 'Smokers will be fed to the bears' "Do not throw cigarette butts on the ground. Our squirrels are getting cancer," reads one sign on the north end of the Catalina Verdugo Trail in Glendale. Yes, it's a real sign installed by the city. Smoking is banned on city trails and parks, but traditional outreach hasn't prevented cigarette butts from piling up and there aren't enough code enforcement officials to patrol every trail. Tired of having stodgy signs ignored, city officials are giving humor a try. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-glendale-tired-of-butts-smokers-will-be-fed-to-the-bears-20130708,0,6562838.story Solar powered plane finishes journey, lands in NYC. A solar-powered aircraft completed the final leg of a history-making cross-country flight Saturday night, gliding to a smooth stop at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Solar Impulse touched down at JFK at 11:09 p.m., completing the final leg of the cross-continental journey that started in California in early May. For Saturday's final leg, the aircraft left Dulles International Airport a little before 5 a.m. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23613822/solar-powered-plane-finishes-journey-lands-nyc?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com RAIL YARD State approves key railyard cleanup plan; owner objects. After years of rewrites and delays, state environmental officials on Wednesday approved a long-awaited plan for toxic cleanup of the central shops section of the downtown Sacramento railyard. The state authorization is seen as a key step in readying the 240-acre railyard for development as an extension of downtown with housing, offices and stores, as well as a major railroad technology museum. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/04/5544278/state-approves-key-railyard-cleanup.html#storylink=cpy Development Plan For Railyards Still Unclear as City Continues Infrastructure. Railroad tracks have been moved. Two bridges have been built with plans for connection to 5th and 6th streets. But, within walking distance of that progress are 200 acres of land in various stages of environmental cleanup. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control has approved three of five remediation action plans for long-time owner Union Pacific to clean up the land, which is now owned by Inland American Real Estate Trust. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/07/08/development-plan-for-railyards-still-unclear-as-city-continues-infrastructure/ OPINIONS Climate change is not the main cause of forest fires. The July 3 news article “Climate change, development and budget cuts fuel upward trend in wildfires” did not fully explore the main cause of this trend. We are feeling the effects of wildfire-suppression policies going back a hundred years. Forest management decisions by the U.S. Forest Service and other federal and state agencies created the unnaturally dense and uniform forests that now cover the western United States. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/climate-change-is-not-the-main-cause-of-forest-fires/2013/07/05/7c9d1d2c-e4b5-11e2-bffd-37a36ddab820_story.html Dan Walters: California oil could boom again. When the Legislature's 2013 session began, one of its hottest topics – as indicated by the number of bills – was hydraulic fracturing, a technique to extract oil from shale thousands of feet below the earth's surface with high-pressure injection of water and chemicals. "Fracking," as it's popularly termed, has ignited an oil boom in other states and California is believed to have the nation's largest shale oil deposits in the Monterey Shale…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/08/5550761/dan-walters-california-oil-could.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters Editorial: California needs comprehensive oil and gas rules. This is the moment of truth for California and extraction of fossil fuels. As The Bee's Tom Knudson reported last Sunday, the oil industry is gearing up to exploit "an enormous buried treasure called Monterey shale," a deep deposit that runs from Los Angeles to Modesto and is thought to contain more than 15 billion barrels of oil. There's nothing wrong with that. Refineries in the Golden State receive most of their crude oil from the Middle East…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/07/5547908/editorial-california-needs-comprehensiveoil.html#storylink=cpy Editorial: A bold goal to cut toxic waste in California. The best way to avoid having to find somewhere to dump hazardous waste is to reduce how much must be put in landfills in the first place. So it should not be lost that accompanying the state's contentious decision last week to grant preliminary approval for expanding the West's largest toxic waste landfill is a new commitment to cut the amount of hazardous waste disposed in California in half by 2025. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/08/5550526/a-bold-goal-to-cut-toxic-waste.html#storylink=cpy Editorial: Upside of heat wave: Smog levels are lower. It may seem like a small comfort after seven consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures, but residents of the Sacramento region are breathing easier this summer than they did during California's last major heat wave. A combination of preferable weather conditions and federal, state and local efforts to reduce ozone emissions have paid off for people who care about their respiratory systems. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/06/5547902/upside-of-heat-wave-smog-levels.html Obama amiss again, this time on climate change. The economy stagnates. Syria burns. Scandals lap at his feet. China and Russia mock him, even as a "29-year-old hacker" revealed his nation's spy secrets to the world. How does President Barack Obama respond? With a grandiloquent speech on climate change. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130708/A_OPINION0602/307080302&cid=sitesearch BLOGS Disruptions: How Driverless Cars Could Reshape Cities. By now, seeing one of Google’s experimental, driverless cars zipping down Silicon Valley’s Highway 101, or parking itself on a San Francisco street, is not all that unusual. Indeed, as automakers like Audi, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz make plans for self-driving vehicles, it is only a matter of time before such cars become a big part of the great American traffic jam. Posted. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/disruptions-how-driverless-cars-could-reshape-cities/ Is ridesharing the future of public transit systems, or the failure of them? Businesses aren’t the only interested parties in the guidance that public utilities regulators will provide about ridesharing services such as Uber, Sidecar and Lyft. Transit policy experts, advocates and environmentalists are watching what happens too. They’re divided about what impact ridesharing will have on the market for mass transit, and by extension the market for fossil fuel-combusting cars, the kind that still dominate the auto industry. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/07/08/14191/is-ridesharing-the-future-of-public-transit-system/ FIREWORKS: Celebratory displays add to pollution woes. Like many Americas, my wife and I joined some friends on the evening of July 4 for a municipal fireworks show. We toted lawn chairs to Riverside’s newly completed Bonaminio Park and watched as the colorful displays exploded over Mount Rubidoux. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/07/05/fireworks-celebratory-displays-add-to-pollution-woes/ BLYTHE AREA: BrightSource gives up on big solar project. The Oakland-based BrightSource Energy Co. has officially pulled the plug on its Rio Mesa project, a 500-megawatt solar plant that was sought for a desert plateau near the Colorado River in eastern Riverside County, according to reports by KCET blogger Chris Clarke and the Desert Sun’s K Kaufmann. On July 1, the company filed a notice with the California Energy Commission to withdraw the project’s certification application, which ended company’s quest to develop the project. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/07/07/blythe-area-brightsource-gives-up-on-big-solar-project/ How to Talk to Your Parents About Climate Change. Maybe it will turn out that human intelligence won't be favored by selection, and we'll soon grow ourselves into oblivion. But no matter what our eventual fate, I think it would do our souls good to at least try to slow down our self-destruction. After all, just because a penchant for murder and Kardashians seem to be inherent human flaws doesn't mean we shouldn't do our best to minimize them. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-vrooman/how-to-talk-to-your-paren_b_3556286.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 9 Jul 2013 13:21:29 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 9, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 9, 2013. 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 Group to explain cap-and-trade lawsuit in Salinas. The Pacific Legal Foundation will hold a briefing Wednesday in Salinas on its lawsuit to stop the state’s cap-and-trade regulation. The PLF is a national organization with an office in Sacramento that provides legal assistance to efforts in support of property rights, free market economics and limited government. Posted. http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20130708/BUSINESS/307080035/Group-explain-cap-trade-lawsuit-Salinas California’s Market for Hard-to-Verify Carbon Offsets Could Let Industry Pollute as Usual. Timber, dairy and chemical companies line up to sell credits to biggest emitters One hot day this spring John Buckley scrambled up a dusty slope of a patch of deforested land in the middle of California’s Stanislaus National Forest in the Sierra Nevada, five miles west of Yosemite National Park…Posted. http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2013-07/californias-market-for-hard-to-verify-carbon-offsets-could-let-industry-pollute-as-usual#sthash.XDXOMc7w.dpuf Fearing 'ripple effect,' national group joins lawsuit contesting cap and trade. A nationwide business group has joined a lawsuit challenging the legality of California's carbon cap-and-trade program. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) yesterday filed a motion to intervene in Morning Star v. California Air Resources Board, a suit arguing that the Golden State's quarterly auctions of greenhouse gas pollution permits create an illegal tax. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984045/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Study: Air pollution cut northern China lifespans. A new study links heavy air pollution from coal burning to shorter lives in northern China. Researchers estimate that the half-billion people alive there in the 1990s will live an average of 5 1/2 years less than their southern counterparts because they breathed dirtier air. China itself made the comparison possible: for decades, a now-discontinued government policy provided free coal for heating, but only in the colder north. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCI_CHINA_AIR_POLLUTION_LIFE_EXPECTANCY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324867904578593202873181028.html#printMode http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/08/china-environment-coal-idUSL6N0FE1W620130708 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/world/asia/pollution-leads-to-drop-in-life-span-in-northern-china-study-finds.html?_r=0 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-air-pollution-20130709,0,6561744,print.story http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/08/2798302/study-air-pollution-cut-northern.html http://www.voanews.com/articleprintview/1697885.html http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/09/news/china-air-pollution/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/08/3378911/study-air-pollution-cut-northern.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23619992/study-air-pollution-cut-northern-china-lifespans U.S. EPA sues OG&E over work at Oklahoma coal power plants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sued Oklahoma Gas and Electric for failure to follow procedures required by the Clean Air Act while upgrading two coal plants in the state. The EPA said in the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on Monday that OG&E, a unit of OGE Energy Corp, failed to estimate emissions resulting from construction projects between 2003 and 2006 at its facilities. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/utilities-oge-epa-coal-idUSL1N0FF0PO20130709 China official defends "embarrassing" environmental protection ministry. China's environment minister said his ministry ranked among the world's "four major embarrassing departments" but defended the agency, saying it was hampered by overlapping functions in government, state media said on Tuesday. The comments by Zhou Shengxian are the latest in a string of blunt admissions by Chinese leaders that the country still has a long way to go in tackling pollution. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/china-environment-idUSL4N0FF1CR20130709 Las Vegas: Wildfire sparks air quality advisory, cancels fundraiser. A large wildfire burning in the mountains northwest of Las Vegas has prompted authorities to issue an air quality advisory through Sunday. Billowing plumes of smoke are visible both from the Strip and downtown Las Vegas. The Clark County Department of Air Quality issued the advisory Monday afternoon, noting in a news release that “unhealthy levels of air pollution are not expected to occur.” Posted. http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-las-vegas-wildfire-air-quality-advisory-20130708,0,2525810,print.story CLIMATE CHANGE Old Tactic in New Climate Campaign. It was a single word tucked into a presidential speech. It went by so fast that most Americans probably never heard it, much less took the time to wonder what it meant. But to certain young ears, the word had the shock value of a rifle shot. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/science/old-tactic-in-new-climate-campaign.html U.S.-China talks aimed at 'practical cooperation' on climate. Climate change and energy analysts say they don't expect major new agreements between the United States and China when leaders meet this week for the fifth annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue. The meeting tomorrow, to be led by Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, comes on the heels of a deal between the United States and China to curb super greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984047/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS ARB researchers evaluate in-use heavy-duty NOx aftertreatment systems, find elevated levels during certain lower-temperature operations. A team from the California Air Resources Board (ARB) reports on their evaluation of the in-use emissions performance of four different heavy-duty diesel engines certified to the MY 2010 or interim MY 2010 NOx standards over a wide range of driving conditions in California in a paper published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/arb-20130709.html FUELS Chevron wants more dialogue on Poland shale gas rules. Energy major Chevron (CVX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday it was committed to shale gas exploration in Poland though it wanted more consultation with the government on draft amendments to rules before they are adopted. Three foreign firms - Exxon Mobil (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/us-poland-shalegas-chevron-idUSBRE9680PS20130709 CSU gas emissions study won't ID polluters. A Colorado State University study of emissions from natural gas transmission pipelines is partially being funded by pipeline companies under an agreement that will keep their individual emissions information secret. The Fort Collins Coloradoan (http://noconow.co/12d6c6K ) reported Monday that six companies and an industry group are paying $150,000 each for the study of gas transmission lines, announced by CSU in June. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/CSU-gas-emissions-study-won-t-ID-polluters-4652301.php Everything You Need to Know About Keystone XL: Why Other Countries Care. By now, you have probably heard about TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline. For even the most casual observer of the energy industry, this project has been the spark that has ignited political debates ranging from environmental hazards, emission of greenhouse gasses, and North American energy independence. In his recent speech on climate change, President Barack Obama made a point to speak about Keystone XL and what it means for the U.S. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-Keystone-XL-4652758.php Emissions regs could fuel a new LNG market for shippers in the U.S. As natural gas expands its customer pool among power generators and fleet operators, experts expect inland and coastal shippers will form a new market in the United States. Though fairly uncommon today, the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for powering ships is increasing in Europe, and the market growth there is beginning to pick up speed. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984015/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DOE to modify rule phasing out fossil fuels in buildings, get appliance standards on track. The Department of Energy this fall plans to roll out changes to a stalled rule that would phase out the use of coal, natural gas and oil to power new and renovated federal buildings, according to a recently released regulatory plan that outlines the department's top priorities for the coming year. In addition to modifying the fossil fuel phaseout…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059984069/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES UPDATE 1-EU warns Germany over Mercedes car coolant. The European Commission has warned Germany it faces possible action over Daimler's refusal to remove a banned refrigerant from new cars, after France moved to block most Mercedes sales within its borders. France has halted registrations of non-compliant Mercedes models, the EU executive also confirmed on Tuesday, the latest sign of tension between Germany and its European partners over the direction of auto industry policy and regulation. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/eu-germany-daimler-idUSL6N0FF3RX20130709 In Europe, Greener Transit on Existing Infrastructure. Vienna is employing some old-fashioned technology to run shiny new electric buses wending their way through the narrow inner-city streets. The Austrian capital is switching from buses powered by liquefied petroleum gas to a novel, first-of-its-kind fleet of electric buses that run unplugged, go anywhere, and recharge their batteries using the overhead power lines of older trams. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/08/business/energy-environment/greener-transit-in-europe-built-on-top-of-older-infrastructure.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y Nissan to expand Leaf quick-charger program at dealerships. Nissan will outfit dealerships in 21 markets with fast electric car chargers to serve drivers of its Leaf. The DC quick charger is a significant upgrade to ChargePoint America’s Level 2 stations, which can take about four hours to fully recharge the car. Level 1 charging -- plugging into a standard household outlet -- takes between eight and 16 hours. But the DC units are expected to get an electric car back up to 80% capacity within 30 minutes. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-nissan-charger-dealership-20130708,0,7611407.story GM says new Corvette to get 29 mpg on highway. General Motors says the new Chevrolet Corvette sports car will get 29 miles per gallon of gas in highway driving. The 2014 Corvette Stingray has a 455 horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 engine that can take the car from zero to 60 mph in under four seconds. GM says the car can get up to 30 mpg in "Eco" mode. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23625358/gm-says-new-corvette-get-29-mpg-highway#ixzz2YZ8PowYK GREEN ENERGY Solar hydrogen production generates favorable energy payback – study. Mimicking photosynthesis in plants, researchers are working on ways to use sunlight to generate fuel from water. There are several approaches already in the works, but developers want to ensure that such devices are a net positive for the environment through improving efficiency, displacing fossil fuels or requiring less energy to make. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984046/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation Set Up To Preserve Electric-Car History. With more than 100,000 electric cars on U.S. roads--and thousands more added each month--advocates and historians are turning their attention to the last time cars with plugs rolled out of U.S. factories, almost 100 years ago. But as far as we know, there's no single museum or entity in the U.S. whose sole mission is to present the history of plug-in electric cars. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1085434_historic-electric-vehicle-foundation-set-up-to-preserve-electric-car-history OPINIONS COLUMN-An environmental compromise for investors: natural gas. Americans are continually encouraged to raise their environmental awareness, but applying green principles to investing isn't easy - at least if making money remains a goal. Producing energy from renewable sources like wind and solar is notoriously unprofitable. But it may be possible to shrink your carbon footprint without shrinking your net worth if you compromise a bit…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/column-investing-gas-idUSL1N0FE0Q620130709 U.S. Frackers Can Save Millions of Chinese Lives. For years Chinese have been told that the blinding, sooty haze choking Beijing and other cities is the price of progress. All rapidly industrializing economies have endured appalling levels of pollution, officials say. They insist that the only alternative is to slam the brakes on China’s economy and consign tens of millions to poverty. Yet China’s appetite for energy is literally killing its people. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-08/u-s-frackers-can-save-millions-of-chinese-lives.html A Vote for a Carbon Tax. “Let’s Not Braise the Planet,” by Mark Bittman (column, July 2), makes an essential point: we humans must aggressively phase out our promiscuous use of fossil fuels. A way to do this that is gaining bipartisan support is a steadily increasing, revenue-neutral carbon tax. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/opinion/a-vote-for-a-carbon-tax.html Obama must walk a climate tightrope. The president's plan is pragmatic, hemmed in by Congress' unwillingness to act and the limitations of the law. President Obama had barely announced his new climate strategy late last month when the criticism began. The plan, which will regulate carbon pollution from the nation's power plants for the first time, is an important step in addressing global warming. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-freeman-obama-climate-change-20130709,0,2025646.story Don't Fear New Coal Rules. President Obama has announced new efforts to combat climate change, many of which will be directed at limiting the use of coal. That's a headwind for the coal industry, but new rules won't be as detrimental as many think. A Useful Point For example, the U.S. coal fired fleet is running at about 55% of capacity, according to coal miner Peabody Energy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Don-t-Fear-New-Coal-Rules-4652816.php CARB is again crippling the California trucking industry. Just when it seems California's economy is turning around, the California Air Resources Board has found another way to cripple our fragile recovery. This unelected agency is determined to proceed with enforcing a regulation -- the Low Carbon Fuel Standard -- that could make fuel costs skyrocket and cause severe supply shortages. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23619630/carb-is-again-crippling-california-trucking-industry http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23621548/carb-is-again-crippling-california-trucking-industry?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com BLOGS CarLab Mixes Natural Gas and Gasoline for More Efficient Vehicle. When engineers convert gasoline cars to run on natural gas as well, they typically install a large pressurized tank and figure that the driver will go 100 miles or more, use up the gas and then switch back to gasoline. But for cars in the United States, the idea hasn’t caught on. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/carlab-mixes-natural-gas-and-gasoline-for-more-efficient-vehicle/ Whatever happened to “green jobs”? If you watched President Obama’s major speech on climate change, you may have noticed a recurrent phrase: “our children.” The president said the word “children” 15 separate times in the speech. He also spoke repeatedly about “future generations” and how a sweltering planet imperils them. The threat of climate itself, meanwhile, garnered considerable scientific detail in the speech…Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/whatever-happened-to-green-jobs/ Efficient Cars: Emerging Clean Diesels May Give Electric Vehicles A Jolt. The beauty of efficient cars these days is that progress is being made on so many fronts. It’s a little like a horse race: first one technology surges, then another. Just when it begins to look like the future of personal transportation may be the electric vehicle, The Economist warns us not to jump to premature conclusions: the advanced (and clean) diesel engine is about to land on U.S. shores. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdetwiler/2013/07/09/efficient-cars-emerging-clean-diesels-may-give-electric-vehicles-a-jolt/print/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 15:27:54 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 10, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 10, 2013. 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 China to Report Air Pollution Data in 116 More Cities. China widened its air-quality monitoring rules, asking more cities to report data as the nation seeks to combat high levels of pollution. A State Council notice told 116 more of its cities to disclose air quality monitoring data, including readings for pollutants such as PM2.5 and ozone, adding to 74 cities that already do so. PM2.5 refers to fine air particles that pose risks for lung and heart diseases. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-10/china-to-report-air-pollution-data-in-116-more-cities.html China Seen Widening Car-Purchase Limits to Fight Pollution. China, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, plans to widen the number of cities curbing auto purchases to fight pollution and congestion, threatening vehicle sales, the government-backed car association said. Eight cities -- Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin and Wuhan -- will probably introduce measures limiting auto purchases…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-10/china-to-widen-car-purchase-curbs-to-fight-pollution-group-says.html EPA likely tweaked emission standards in new power plant rule. There's a growing belief that U.S. EPA's second proposal for curbing carbon dioxide from future power plants has changed emission limits. Those who are closely tracking the rule now say coal and natural gas might be treated separately under the proposal EPA sent to the White House for review last week. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059984169/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE NMFS denies ribbon seal endangered species listing. The federal government has rejected an endangered species listing for a seal species that relies on sea ice for molting and reproducing. The National Marine Fisheries Service announced Tuesday that it has rejected listing ribbon seals as a threatened or endangered species despite evidence that its habitat is impacted by climate change. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_RIBBON_SEALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/09/3380801/nmfs-denies-ribbon-seal-endangered.html Small birds may be able to cope with climate change, study says. Despite the potential havoc wreaked by climate change, it’s not all doom and gloom for our planet. A new study projects that certain types of short-lived, small birds will easily withstand global warming throughout this century, even under worst-case carbon emissions scenarios. Most studies predicting species’ fates due to global warming rely…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-birds-climate-change-20130709,0,259777.story Wildfires may have bigger role in global warming, study says. Wildfires such as the Yarnell Hill blaze in Arizona may be warming Earth’s atmosphere far more than previously thought, according to a study by Los Alamos National Laboratory. Researchers at the Department of Energy facility normally chase fires throughout the western U.S., to measure their atmospheric effects. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-wildfires-climate-20130709,0,2934189.story Steep drop in coastal fish found in California power plant records. Fish populations in Southern California have dropped 78% over the last 40 years, according to a new study. Scientists consulted an unlikely source, sifting through records of fish caught up in the cooling systems of five coastal power plants from northern San Diego County to Ventura County. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-fish-decline-southern-california-20130709,0,866454.story Tree plantings anticipate climate change. A team of researchers will be planting thousands of red oak trees in northern Minnesota over the next two years in an experiment designed to help the north woods adapt to future climate change. Researchers fear that as winters become warmer the boreal forest could decline, and they are predicting that the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness could look more like southern Minnesota or Iowa by the end of the century. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Tree-plantings-anticipate-climate-change-4654482.php Energy Producers Are off the Hook. A recent report issued by Organizational Studies suggests that global warming isn’t really an issue. Fewer than half of the geoscientists and engineers who participated in a survey maintain that global warming is a man-made phenomenon. What’s more is that the lion’s share of survey participants blame the earth’s warming on natural causes, suggesting that global warming isn’t posing a serious threat. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Energy-Producers-Are-off-the-Hook-4656692.php Baucus sends Obama letter over climate change. U.S. Sen. Max Baucus is asking President Barack Obama to consider Montana as the administration develops its policy to deal with climate change. The president has said rules are needed to curb greenhouse gases. Baucus sent a letter to Obama on Tuesday asking him to reach out to individual states and avoid a one-size-fits-all solution. He outlined 15 priorities for Montana. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Baucus-sends-Obama-letter-over-climate-change-4655357.php Climate change's heat intensifies drought in the USA. (VIDEO) In this browning patch of land in central Texas, C.J. Teare could be fined for using fresh water to keep her decades-old oak trees alive so she relies on soapy water left over from washing clothes. "I've never seen it like this before," says Teare, a grandmother who has lived in her modest Lakeside Beach ranch for 20 years. Her community has been under emergency water restrictions since January 2012, when it became the first to run dry during Texas' ongoing three-year drought. It stays afloat with six daily truckloads of water. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/09/climate-change-drought-texas/2451409/ FUELS Tradition and temptation as Amish debate fracking. In parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania where horse-drawn buggies clip-clop at the pace of a bygone era, Amish communities are debating a new temptation - the large cash royalties that can come with the boom in oil and gas drilling. In some ways, Amish attitudes toward hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are as different from the outside world as their clothes and traditions. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/09/tradition-and-temptation-as-amish-debate/#ixzz2YeuE3532 VEHICLES Electric vehicle sales grow in Sonoma County. Once the bailiwick of tinkerers and hobbyists, electric vehicles are popping up all over Sonoma County as green-minded and tech-savvy drivers warm up to plug-in cars. The market for EVs has expanded dramatically since December 2010, when the Nissan dealership in Petaluma became the first car dealer in the nation to sell the Leaf, the world's first mass market all-electric car. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130709/BUSINESS/130709555/0/SEARCH More details on BMW’s i3; electric and connected. With the launch of the production BMW i3 battery-electric vehicle (also available with a range extender) looming, the BMW Group provided more details about the first series-produced model from its new i brand, offering customers electric mobility in a premium small car package. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/bmwi3-20130710.html GREEN ENERGY RIVERSIDE COUNTY: No more mines in solar energy development zones. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has issued a 20-year ban on new mining on nearly 304,000 acres in six Western states to promote solar energy development. In an effort to avoid potential conflicts with energy development, the agency will not accept new mining claims in 17 areas identified for solar development in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130709-riverside-county-no-more-mines-in-solar-energy-development-zones.ece Marin Clean Energy details greenhouse gas reduction estimates. Marin Clean Energy's most optimistic forecast for cutting greenhouse gases assumes that - as it successfully draws customers from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. - the utility will be forced to reduce use of costly generators that burn natural gas. Its business strategy is to capture 80 percent of PG&E's customers in the first phase of the initiative, and it expects 20 percent of those customers will be willing to pay extra for 100 percent renewable energy. Posted. http://www.marinij.com/ci_15024523 Coca-Cola announces environmental goals for 2020. The Coca-Cola Co. increased its sustainability targets yesterday, raising the bar for water efficiency, greenhouse gas savings and the use of renewable plastics for its bottles. With the help of the World Wildlife Fund, the company successfully met its goal of cutting water use by 20 percent by 2012, said Jeff Seabright, Coca-Cola's vice president of environment and water resources. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984112/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Bay Area Air Quality Management District convenes panel to discuss ways to improve pollution monitoring. New approaches to monitoring air pollution from oil refineries and chemical plants will be discussed by a panel of experts Thursday during an all-day free forum. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District invites the public to attend the forum from 9:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Thursday at the air board meeting room, 939 Ellis St. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/ci_23629612/oil-refinery-pollution-monitoring-discussed-at-thursday-forum Bike-share program coming to San Diego. A new bike-sharing program that will make at least 1,800 bicycles available for self-service use citywide will launch early next year in San Diego at no cost to taxpayers. The City Council unanimously approved a 10-year partnership with private firm DecoBike to install between 180 and 220 bike-sharing stations throughout the city, a capital investment of about $7.2 million paid entirely by the company. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/09/bike-sharing-program-coming-san-diego/all/?print Truckers' blown tires are roadway hazards. It seems like you can barely drive a mile without seeing them: the shredded remnants of truck tires on the highway. They can be a hazard, especially to motorcyclists. And with temperatures peaking, tire debris from 18-wheelers – called "gators" in the trucking industry – are becoming a more common sight on Sacramento's freeways. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/10/5556194/truckers-blown-tires-are-roadway.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS Climate Change: How Has the Market Responded? John Vechey of PopCap Games recently joined The Motley Fool for a climate change summit. His first panel guests were Dr. Rachel Cleetus and Dr. Joe Casola. Dr. Cleetus is a climate economist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, where she advocates for effective global warming policies at the state, regional, federal, and international levels. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-Change-How-Has-the-Market-Responded-4656668.php BLOGS The Global-Warming Debate: Matt Ridley Responds. A post on slate.com criticized Matt Ridley’s Mind & Matter column, “Science Is About Evidence, Not Consensus,” in the Saturday-Sunday Review section of the Wall Street Journal. Below, Mr. Ridley responds: Sadly, Phil Plait’s understanding of the literature in this area is very superficial and out of date. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2013/07/09/the-global-warming-debate-matt-ridley-responds/ You can’t deny global warming after seeing this graph. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 1998. But forget individual years. That data is noisy. A single year can see its temperatures rocket for reasons having little to do with climate change. Look, instead, at decades. There, the data is a little clearer, as the idiosyncrasies of any one year are balanced by its nine compatriots. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/09/you-cant-deny-global-warming-after-seeing-this-graph/?print=1 Bad news: The world’s energy supply isn’t getting any cleaner. We’ve seen plenty of charts over the past few years showing that wind and solar power are growing at astronomical rates — not just in the United States, but around the world. That seems like an encouraging sign for efforts to tackle global warming. But here’s a sobering counterpoint. Roger Pielke, Jr., an environmental studies professor at the University of Colorado, has charted data on the share of carbon-free energy…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/10/bad-news-fossil-fuels-are-more-than-keeping-up-with-clean-energy/ EPA nominee Gina McCarthy to miss Mexico jaunt. Gina McCarthy, President Obama’s pick to head the EPA, has a new reason to be irritated about having her nomination held up in the Senate: it’s causing her to miss out on what sounds like a fantastic conference in scenic Los Cabos, Mexico. It will be acting director Bob Perciasepe, instead, who participates this week in the meeting with leaders from Canada and Mexico to talk about environmental issues. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/post/epa-nominee-gina-mccarthy-to-miss-mexico-jaunt/2013/07/09/7d702dca-e8b6-11e2-a301-ea5a8116d211_blog.html Fiddling While the World Warms. While a student at the University of Minnesota was creating a cello composition around the last 130 years of global temperature change, a couple of researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were producing a similar composition, for digital violin and with a much longer score — charting more than 600 years of climate variations and recent warming. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/fiddling-while-the-world-warms/?ref=earth Global Warming? No, Satellites Show Carbon Dioxide Is Causing 'Global Greening'. Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are bolstering plant life throughout the world, environmental scientists report in a newly published peer-reviewed study. The findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters, are gleaned from satellite measurements of global plant life, and contradict assertions by activists that global warming is causing deserts to expand, along with devastating droughts. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/07/10/global-warming-no-satellites-show-carbon-dioxide-is-causing-global-greening/ Why Republicans want to tax students and not polluters. A basic economic principle is government ought to tax what we want to discourage, and not tax what we want to encourage. For example, if we want less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we should tax carbon polluters. On the other hand, if we want more students from lower-income families to be able to afford college, we shouldn’t put a tax on student loans. Posted. http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2013/07/10/why-republicans-want-to-tax-students-and-not-polluters/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 11:45:34 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July11, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July11, 2013. 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 China plans to further restrict car purchases. China plans to increase the number of cities that restrict vehicle purchases in a bid to fight pollution and traffic congestion, state media reported Thursday. With more than 13 million cars sold in China last year, motor vehicles and their emissions have emerged as the chief culprit for the air pollution in large cities. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/China-plans-to-further-restrict-car-purchases-4658926.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/11/china-plans-to-further-restrict-car-purchases/ NY sets hearings on plan to reduce carbon cap. New York regulators have scheduled a series of hearing on a proposal to reduce the volume of carbon dioxide emissions allowed in a nine-state region. The state is part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which announced in February plans to cap emissions at 91 million tons each year starting in 2014, down about 45 percent from the current 165 million-ton cap. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/NY-sets-hearings-on-plan-to-reduce-carbon-cap-4658817.php CLIMATE CHANGE US-China make progress on climate change. Top U.S. and Chinese officials are wrapping up annual strategic and economic talks that have yielded greater cooperation on reducing greenhouse gases but again exposed Washington's frustration over cyber theft it says is emanating from the emerging Asian power. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_US_CHINA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/US-China-make-progress-on-climate-change-4658747.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/10/us-china-make-progress-on-climate-change/ http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/us-china-agree-on-carbon-cutbacks-20130711-2pr5v.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23639300/us-china-make-progress-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23639300/us-china-make-progress-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Report: Climate change causing energy disruptions. A new government report says climate change and extreme weather already are causing disruptions in the U.S. energy supply that are likely to get worse as more intense storms, higher temperatures and more frequent droughts occur. The report, released Thursday by the Energy Department, says blackouts and other problems caused by hurricanes, such as Superstorm Sandy…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/us/climate-change-will-cause-more-energy-breakdowns-us-warns.html?_r=0 http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Report-Climate-change-causing-energy-disruptions-4659334.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/11/5560345/report-climate-change-causing.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/11/report-climate-change-causing-energy-disruptions/ http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23640552/report-climate-change-causing-energy-disruptions?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Some Trees Use Less Water Amid Rising Carbon Dioxide, Paper Says. The fate of the world’s forests on a warming planet has long been one of the great unanswered questions about climate change. Now, new research is complicating the picture further, suggesting that big shifts are already under way in how forests work. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/science/earth/some-trees-use-less-water-amid-rising-carbon-dioxide-paper-says.html Consider Climate Change When Selecting Stocks. Our warming planet poses an increasing risk to business operations, and some companies are managing better than others. For instance, NRG Energy and some other utilities are rethinking the entire electrical grid in the wake of repeated storm destruction. Wal-Mart is pursuing new efficiency mechanisms to make its supply chain more resilient to shocks. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Consider-Climate-Change-When-Selecting-Stocks-4659357.php Climate Change and the Bottom Line. Did you know that you, personally, are paying a lot of money for climate change? As the planet warms, extreme weather events become more frequent and severe. You pay the price through your taxes and your insurance premiums. Don't think this is a real issue? Consider the following responses to a survey of insurers regarding their approaches to climate change. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-Change-and-the-Bottom-Line-4657557.php A Scientific Storm is Brewing Over the Hurricane-Climate Connection. It's the month of July, right before the Atlantic hurricane season really gets chugging. And there are already signs that a busy year might be on the way, chief among them the unusual early appearance of a "Cape Verde-type" storm. These storms are typically sparked by atmospheric waves traveling all the way from the coast of Africa, and generally don't appear until later in the hurricane season. Posted. http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2013/07/hurricanes-global-warming-kerry-emanuel ILUC factors could jeopardise how we measure the carbon footprint of a product. As the European Union seeks to address whether biofuels production increases greenhouse gas emissions and whether to tackle the issue by including indirect land use change (ILUC) factors in the environmental assessments, it has ignored the fact that ILUC can neither be observed nor measured and is therefore not a scientifically robust solution, says Matthias Finkbeiner. Posted. http://www.euractiv.com/science-policymaking/iluc-factors-jeopardize-measure-analysis-529241 Warming already wreaking havoc on U.S. energy system – DOE. Rising temperatures, decreasing water availability, more severe storms and rising seas stemming from climate change are already affecting every part of the country's energy sector, and those threats will only grow more severe in years to come, the Energy Department said today. DOE in a new report outlines the effects a warming world with more chaotic and damaging storms…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059984249/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB clarifies extension for Truck and Bus Rule compliance. The California Air Resources Board is allowing some truck owners additional time to comply with its expensive Truck and Bus Regulation. The move comes after some diesel equipment manufacturers have had difficulty keeping up with orders. In an advisory mail-out, CARB is clarifying just how truck owners may obtain additional time and remain in compliance with the rule. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25435 FUELS Use of coal to generate power rises; greenhouse gas emissions next? Power plants are burning coal more, relying less on natural gas, a report says. That may hurt Obama's effort to cut greenhouse gases. Power plants in the United States are burning coal more often to generate electricity, reversing the growing use of natural gas and threatening to increase domestic emissions of greenhouse gases after a period of decline, according to a federal report. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-coal-electricity-20130711,0,1786862.story Can New Technology Save Tar Sands? Tar sands exploitation generates significant carbon emissions at a time when the Americas are getting more serious about addressing climate change. Watch the video below to see what some companies are doing to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Oil from tar sands isn't the only recent energy development. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Can-New-Technology-Save-Tar-Sands-4657295.php Has This Giant Bottomed Out? Low coal prices have been the major culprit behind a waning coal industry. Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private coal company, has been no exception to the declining coal sector. On July 3, 2013, Peabody’s shares closed at a mere $14.65, showing a 43% fall on a year-over-year basis. With Peabody’s share price plummeting, two key questions come into mind: Has Peabody Energy bottomed out? When will it rise again? Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Has-This-Giant-Bottomed-Out-4657033.php Shell to spend $115 million on pollution control. Shell Oil has agreed to spend at least $115 million to cut harmful pollution at a Houston-area refinery. The oil giant will also pay a $2.6 million civil penalty under the settlement announced Wednesday. Shell settled with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice after it was accused of violating the federal Clean Air Act. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/10/shell-to-spend-115-million-on-pollution-control/ EPA releases long-awaited response on fracking regulation. U.S. EPA has spent the past year and a half considering rulemaking to regulate chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in response to a petition filed by environmental groups in 2011. Yesterday the agency finally published its response to the petition in the Federal Register, which has led environmental groups to question why the process is taking so long. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984193/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Enviros challenge Calif. drilling project, citing possible impacts to water, condors. The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against a central California county over its approval of an oil-drilling project that the environmental group says could have big effects on endangered condors and drinking and irrigation water in the Salinas Valley. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984197/print BY SUBSCRIPTIO ONLY VEHICLES Ford cuts $4,000 from Focus electric price. Ford Motor is slicing $4,000 from the base price of its Focus electric car, beginning with 2014 models that arrive at dealers within a few weeks. That cuts the Focus EV's base price to $35,995 including shipping. Some buyers qualify for a $7,500 credit on federal income taxes, and states often have their own incentives for buying battery cars. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/07/10/ford-focus-electric-price-chevrolet-volt-nissan-leaf/2506693/ PEVs combined with green energy packages could increase EV demand, claims new study. Combining the purchase of a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) with a green electricity programme could increase consumers’ interest in electric cars, claims a new study. According to the research, when a sales offer includes both a PEV and a green electricity scheme to charge the car, a 23% increase in demand for PEVs among buyers of conventional vehicles was observed. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5517 GM to put 500,000 EVs on the road in next 5 years. The electric car charger at front and center on General Motors Co.'s new sustainability report is more than just a pretty image. According to Director of Sustainability David Tulauskas, it symbolizes the U.S. automaker's commitment to electrifying transportation and to a new way of doing business. In the report, released today, the company makes bold commitments to sell more electric vehicles (EVs)…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984214/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Without San Onofre, San Diego and south O.C. power could be tight. The energy landscape of Southern California will look vastly different without San Onofre, officials said in a state Senate committee hearing Wednesday, the first in a series of public discussions on life without the nuclear plant. The 2,200-megawatt behemoth in northern San Diego County brought a steady supply of power to about 1.4 million homes…http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-planning-20130710,0,1146367.story Mass. officials propose commercial food waste ban. Gov. Deval Patrick is pushing a plan to ban commercial food waste, instead requiring that any leftovers be used for renewable energy instead. Environmental officials say the ban would take effect next July and would force any company that disposes of at least one ton of organic waste per week to donate or reuse any useable food. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Mass-officials-propose-commercial-food-waste-ban-4658828.php Nevada Solar Factory Canceled. A project that would have included a solar power station and a million-square-foot solar panel factory a few miles from the California state line won't be built, its backers announced last month. The $5 billion, Chinese-backed ENN Mojave Energy project at the southernmost corner of Nevada couldn't find utilities that wanted to buy its power, either in Nevada or across the line in California. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/nevada-solar-factory-canceled.html UW-Oshkosh works with big dairy farm on digester. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh has started construction on a $7 million digester and public education center at the state's largest dairy farm. The digester at Rosendale Dairy will use livestock waste to produce methane that can be burned for power. It is expected to produce enough energy to operate the equivalent of 1,200 homes, according to Oshkosh Northwestern Media. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/10/uw-oshkosh-works-with-big-dairy-farm-on-digester/#ixzz2YkmDrRQR Old power plants might get new life as Calif. scrambles to replace San Onofre. The closure of California's San Onofre nuclear power plant could keep other power plants that kill marine life operating longer than state rules allow, the state's grid operator said yesterday. Grid operators are discussing extending the deadline for power plants to comply with new regulations as a result of Southern California Edison's decision last month to permanently shutter San Onofre after a small radiation leak in 2012. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059984239/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS CEQA reform could get tricky. Reform of the state of California's landmark and controversial environmental law, CEQA, is starting to get more complicated. The California Economic Summit, a nonpartisan working group of different state regions, posted an interesting item Tuesday on legislative efforts to update the California Environmental Quality Act. Known as CEQA, the act requires local agencies to analyze the environmental impact of new development. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/07/10/calif-environmental-quality-act-reform.html Grants From Tire Recycling Fee Awarded to Recycling Programs. Nearly two million dollars in tire recycling fees have been redistributed to California cities and counties to encourage recycling. Five million tires end up in California landfills every year. One-point-eight million dollars from the California tire recycling fee will go to 45 agencies in 29 counties that applied for grants from Cal Recycle. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/07/10/tire-recycling-fee-awarded-to-recycling-programs/ IEA Report Offers Prescription to Ease Urban Transit Congestion. City dwellers accustomed to regular traffic jams and road rage may shudder at the prospect of the world's urban areas getting even more crowded. Nonetheless, such growth is assured: The percentage of people living in cities is expected to reach 70 percent by 2050, and roadway occupancy levels could increase sixfold in some countries, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Posted. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/07/130710-iea-report-urban-transport/ OPINIONS Gas Stations Versus Charging Stations. Perhaps oil and gas investors who have been following the growth of the electric vehicle, or EV, space might have been a little worried that the oil and gas industry would collapse by the time the EV industry starts living its dream of making the whole world go all-electric. I, on the other hand, don't believe this would be the case. Nobody wants to go out of business. Oil and gas companies can't have it as an option. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Gas-Stations-Versus-Charging-Stations-4659432.php Fracking is not worth the cost. Re "California oil could boom again" (Dan Walters July 8): Fracking results in leakage of huge amounts of methane, the principal component of natural gas and more than 72 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in our atmosphere. Fracking requires millions of gallons of precious water for each well. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/11/5552516/fracking-in-california.html#storylink=cpy Letters: Sassing smokers. Re "Confronting smokers with a whiff of whimsy," July 9 There was a time when rules and laws meant something. But, in the words of the Virginia Slims cigarette ad slogan, "You've come a long way, baby." Yes, we certainly have, but in the wrong direction. An avalanche of legal rights has washed over Americans, generating attitudes infested with the stench of inconsideration and entitlement. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0711-thursday-cigarettes-20130711,0,6600680.story California Cap-And-Trade Auction is An Illegal Tax. Earlier this week, NFIB filed a lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board (CARB) challenging CARB’s decision to promulgate regulations that are not authorized by the Global Warming Solutions Act (“AB 32”). The challenged “auction regulations” impose greater burdens on the regulated community and will ultimately impose higher costs on small businesses who must pay higher costs for essential goods and services. Posted. http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2013/07/california-cap-and-trade-auction-is-an-illegal-tax/ Don't breathe easy, California. E.B. White wrote, in Charlotte’s Web, that crickets chirped “Summer is dying, dying.” That’s one of the reasons I never invite any of those bugs to my parties. They’re so maudlin. That, and they tend to not use coasters. But here we are, post-heat-wave, post-fireworks. Sunburned skin has either deepened to a tan or is peeling and flaking away. Baseball players are rounding third. Posted. http://www.santamariasun.com/canary/10053/dont-breathe-easy-california/ BLOGS Air Pollution May Raise Appendicitis Risk. Air pollution slightly increases the risk for appendicitis, according to a new report. Researchers studied 35,811 patients hospitalized for appendicitis in 12 Canadian cities between 2004 and 2008. They used air pollution data from monitors in each city to calculate daily maximum concentrations of ozone, a normal component of the earth’s upper atmosphere that becomes a danger when concentrated at ground level. Posted. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/air-pollution-may-raise-appendicitis-risk/ How should California make up for power loss from San Onofre? A State Senate committee pondered Wednesday how to make up for the power loss from the permanent closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). Replacing the energy the plant produced isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. Not when California is gunning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of renewable fuels. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2013/07/10/14218/how-should-california-make-up-for-power-loss-from Electric vehicles prove more popular when green energy is available. OK, so this isn't exactly a "man-bites-dog" type of story, but it's still worth noting that electric vehicle buyers enjoy green energy. Turns out, folks are more likely to buy a plug-in vehicle if they know the electricity that will power the car, or at least some of it, will come from a renewable energy source. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/10/electric-vehicles-prove-more-popular-when-g0reen-energy-is-availa/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 12:25:03 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 12, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 12, 2013. 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 Salinas growers asked to oppose AB 32. Salinas was the stop Wednesday for an activist’s road show against California’s “cap and trade” emissions regulation. The Pacific Legal Foundation, a national nonprofit that advocates for limited government, made a stopover in Salinas to brief mostly agricultural interests on its lawsuit to halt implementation of Assembly Bill 32, the state law that established so-called carbon credits for emitters of greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20130711/BUSINESS/307110014/Salinas-growers-asked-oppose-AB-32?nclick_check=1 AIR POLLUTION Hong Kong Pollution Kills 1,600 Prematurely: Study Finds. Hong Kong’s air pollution caused more than 1,600 premature deaths in the first half of the year, almost 40 times the number of fatalities attributed to the H7N9 avian flu virus, according to a study by the Clean Air Network. The air pollution also cost HK$18.7 billion ($2.4 billion) in the six months ended June 30…Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-07-11/emissions-a-concern-after-nuclear-plant-shutdown Study: Air pollution causes over 2 million deaths a year. Global air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of more than 2 million adults each year, according to new research. In a study published Friday in the journal Environmental Research Letters, scientists used a number of mathematical models to estimate the effects of fine particulate matter -- tiny particles, or soot, that penetrate deep into the lungs -- and ozone, the main component of smog. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-air-pollution-causes-more-than-2-million-deaths-a-year-20130711,0,3387516.story# Emissions a concern after nuclear plant shutdown. The first legislative hearing on the permanent closure of the San Onofre nuclear power plant focused on the shutdown's impact on California's greenhouse gas emissions, leaving discussion on how the plant will be safely decommissioned for future meetings. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-07-11/emissions-a-concern-after-nuclear-plant-shutdown S. Cal smog agency to consider fire pit regs. Sparks may fly Friday as Southern California's regulators decide whether to restrict beach fire pits. The South Coast Air Quality Management District board is scheduled to consider a staff proposal to prohibit fire rings within 700 feet of homes. That would force relocation or removal of dozens of rings but it's an alternative to completely banning them. The proposal also would include a pilot program to fuel the rings with gas instead of wood. There are more than 750 beach fire pits in Los Angeles and Orange County. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/12/3384590/s-cal-smog-agency-to-consider.html#storylink=cpy http://www.voiceofoc.org/countywide/this_just_in/article_e0528086-e9f7-11e2-96ec-0019bb2963f4.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/12/s-cal-smog-agency-to-consider-fire-pit-regs/ CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change report: Weather, rising seas imperil power plants. Power plants across the country are at increased risk of temporary shutdown and reduced power generation as temperatures and sea levels continue to rise and water becomes less available, the Energy Department said Thursday. By 2030, there will be nearly $1 trillion in energy assets in the Gulf Coast region alone at risk from increasingly costly extreme hurricanes and sea level rises, according to an Energy Department report on the effects of climate change on energy infrastructure. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-pn-climate-change-weather-energy-20130711,0,3279077.story Climate change will disrupt energy supplies, DOE warns. How does climate change affect energy supplies? A new government report says rising temperatures make it more difficult for some power plants to operate and sea level rise threatens others. U.S. energy supplies will likely face more severe disruptions because of climate change and extreme weather, which have already caused blackouts and lowered production at power plants, a government report warned Thursday. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/11/climate-change-energy-disruptions/2508789/ Prominent Dem prepares climate bill as others seek business support for carbon tax. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is crafting a climate bill that would cap greenhouse gases on upstream emitters while providing payments to the U.S. public, a design that's meant to deflate attacks about its effect on rising energy prices. The cap-and-dividend bill will be similar to a measure that Van Hollen introduced at the height of climate action in 2009…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984277/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Past is prologue for climate threats to energy – report. Energy and climate change are intertwined, a fact that the Obama administration recently acknowledged with plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from generators. Experts note, however, that shifting rainfall, heat waves and storms have severe consequences for the energy sector, as well. The Department of Energy issued a report yesterday definitively linking certain energy infrastructure…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984293/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS EPA Delay on Greenhouse Gas Biofuel Rules Tossed by Court. A decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to delay for three years making rules to curb carbon dioxide emissions from biofuels was thrown out by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington. The EPA failed to spell out what the delay, known as the deferral rule, would accomplish, according to a 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-12/epa-delay-on-greenhouse-gas-rules-for-biofuels-tossed-by-court.html Natural Gas Gains in Survey on Outlook for Hotter U.S. Weather. Natural gas futures may climb next week as hotter weather boosts demand for the power-plant fuel, a Bloomberg survey showed. Seven of 14 analysts, or 50 percent, predicted that futures will advance on the New York Mercantile Exchange through July 19. Six, or 43 percent, said gas will decline and one predicted prices will stay the same. Last week, 42 percent of participants said gas would fall. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-12/natural-gas-gains-in-survey-on-outlook-for-hotter-u-s-weather.html Brazil Ethanol Producers Get $167 Million Aid to Combat Drought. Brazil is preparing to disburse 380 million reais ($167 million) of subsidies to ethanol mills in the northeast by 2014 to renew sugar-cane crops and help growers recover from the worst drought in five decades. Companies in the region will be eligible for 20 centavos of government funds for every liter of fuel they sold in the domestic market during the 2011-12 harvest season…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-12/brazil-ethanol-producers-get-167-million-aid-to-combat-drought.html Ethanol Strengthens Against Gasoline on Higher Production Costs. Ethanol strengthened against gasoline on concern that higher pre-harvest corn prices are boosting production costs for producers of the biofuel. The spread, or price difference, narrowed 2.15 cents to 55.24 cents a gallon as corn for July delivery rose to the highest level since February. The grain is the primary ingredient used to make ethanol in the U.S., with one bushel making at least 2.75 gallons of the fuel. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-11/ethanol-strengthens-against-gasoline-on-higher-production-costs.html State regulator says oil industry's use of acids to unlock shale reserves is safe. The state’s top oil regulator told lawmakers Tuesday that Californians have nothing to fear about an oil production stimulation practice known as acidization that is expected to become much more broadly used as producers seek to extract billions of barrels of previously unrecoverable shale oil reserves. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jun/18/state-regulator-says-oil-industrys-use-of-acids/?print=1 California considers tighter safety standards for oil refineries. California might tighten regulations on how oil refineries are run if the state follows through on a 257-page report prompted by the August 2012 explosion and fire at Chevron Corp’s refinery in Richmond, east of San Francisco. The fire created a vaporized plume that spread to surrounding communities. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/templates/print.cfm?ID=23796 Fracking and energy exploration connected to earthquakes, say studies. The rivers of water pumped into and out of the ground during the production of natural gas, oil and geothermal energy are causing the Earth to shake more frequently in areas where these industrial activities are soaring, according to a series of studies published today. While the gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing (aka "fracking") causes some small quakes…Posted. http://www.nbcnews.com/science/fracking-energy-exploration-connected-earthquakes-say-studies-6C10604071 Texas regulators take to the skies to monitor oil and gas emissions. Environmental regulators in Texas are conducting flyovers across 22 counties in a summer sweep of oil and gas producers. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is deploying helicopters laden with infrared video equipment designed to detect volatile organic compounds and other hydrocarbons. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984256/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES GM promises higher-mileage vehicles, emissions cuts. General Motors pledged Thursday to double its number of models that get at least 40 miles per gallon on the highway by 2017 and said it would cut the emissions its U.S. vehicles produce 15% by 2016. The efforts are part of GM's broader push to become a more environmentally sustainable company. The company surprised environmental groups earlier this year when it became the first automaker to sign a declaration asserting that going green is good for business. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/07/11/gm-higher-mileage-lower-emissions/2510145/ GREEN ENERGY House Passes $30.4 Billion Energy-Water Spending Measure. Government spending on renewables and other green energy programs would be halved and incandescent light bulbs dropped from federal regulation under the fiscal 2014 Energy-Water Development appropriations bill passed today in the House. The 227-198 vote on H.R. 2609 was largely along party lines. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-11/house-passes-30-4-billion-energy-water-spending-measure.html States Defend Clean-Energy Mandates Targeted by Conservatives. State legislatures from North Carolina to Kansas rejected efforts to repeal or reduce renewable-energy mandates sought by conservative groups funded by oil companies and utilities. None of the 26 bills to roll back requirements passed before most state legislature sessions ended, according to a July 9 report from Colorado State University’s Center for the New Energy Economy. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-11/house-passes-30-4-billion-energy-water-spending-measure.html EU Offshore Wind Installation Rate Doubles as Siemens Leads Way. The installation rate of offshore wind turbines in Europe doubled in the first half of the year, with Siemens AG (SIE) machines taking the bulk of the market. A total of 1,045 megawatts of capacity of wind turbines were connected at sea, compared with 523.2 megawatts in the year-earlier period, the European Wind Energy Association said today in an e-mailed report. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-12/eu-offshore-wind-installation-rate-doubles-as-siemens-leads-way.html OPINIONS Do Unto Exxon as You Would Do Unto Yourself. Last week’s resolution on climate change by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ has garnered mostly admiring attention from the news media. But I must admit to a degree of perplexity and sorrow over the document, which seems to place the blame for our heavy use of fossil fuels on the companies that produce them -- not the consumers who demand them. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-11/do-unto-exxon-as-you-would-do-unto-yourself.html The E.P.A. May Get a Boss After all. Earlier this week, Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, said that he would drop his threat of a filibuster and allow an up-or-down vote on Gina McCarthy, President Obama’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. This is welcome news, not just for the agency but for the planet. More than any other federal official, Ms. McCarthy will be responsible for carrying out Mr. Obama’s promise to confront the threat of climate change. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/opinion/the-epa-may-get-a-boss-after-all.html?pagewanted=print California state government fixes the heat wave! Having just recently concluded my first stretch of 100 degree plus weather in Sacramento (today it's only 99), people have asked me how I've been holding up. Being from Portland, Oregon most recently, this kind of heat is a rumor. In fact, I would say that the typical summer temperature in Portland is 66, a number that is just warm enough to make you sweat in a fleece, but makes you cold if you don't have a fleece. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/09/5555751/california-state-government-fixes.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS How climate change makes it harder to keep the lights on. Coal plants are shutting down because of a lack of cooling water. Hydropower dams are struggling to generate electricity because reservoir levels are dropping. Western wildfires are damaging power lines, causing blackouts in cities like San Diego. A recreational boat cruises Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/11/heres-how-climate-change-will-make-it-harder-to-keep-the-lights-on/ Worldwide Air Pollution Deaths Per Year Number Over 2 Million, New Study Claims. Air pollution may be responsible for more than 2 million deaths around the world each year, according to a new study. The study estimated that 2.1 million deaths each year are linked with fine particulate matter, tiny particles that can get deep into the lungs and cause health problems. Exposure to particle pollution has been linked with early death from heart and lung diseases, including lung cancer, the researchers said; meanwhile…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/12/outdoor-air-pollution-deaths-yearly-annually_n_3586153.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:53:36 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 15, 2013. 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 Business group joins case against cap-and-trade auction. Business groups have been busy getting ready for the first hearing in a lawsuit challenging California’s cap-and-trade emissions auction. The National Federation of Independent Business filed a motion this week to intervene in the case, which was filed by a group of firms led by Morning Star Packing Company in Sacramento Superior Court. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/07/12/nfib-joins-case-against-cap-trade-auctio.html Cap-and-trade impact on Cali data centers will be small. California's cap-and-trade program will have little if any impact on the state's data center industry, because even the largest data centers do not consume nearly enough power to be considered “covered entities” by the state's law, designed to combat climate change. Posted. http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/focus/archive/2013/07/cap-and-trade-impact-cali-data-centers-will-be-small AIR POLLUTION City in Russia Unable to Kick Asbestos Habit. This city of about 70,000 people on the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains is a pleasant enough place to live except for one big drawback: when the wind picks up, clouds of carcinogenic dust blow through. Asbest means asbestos in Russian, and it is everywhere here. Residents describe layers of it collecting on living room floors. Before they take in the laundry from backyard lines, they first shake out the asbestos. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/business/global/city-in-russia-unable-to-kick-asbestos-habit.html?pagewanted=print California Coastal Commission: Bill could give commission teeth to fine polluters. Facebook billionaire Sean Parker's extravagant wedding last month made international headlines when he agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle violations of California's coastal laws for building rock walls, a stone bridge, a cottage, dance floor and other structures in a sensitive Big Sur forest without permits. But it turns out the case is the exception rather than the rule. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23653228/california-coastal-commission-bill-could-give-commission-teeth?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23653228/california-coastal-commission-bill-could-give-commission-teeth?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Court's biomass ruling could require more from newly permitted plants. Industry groups and environmentalists are debating how a federal appeals court ruling that struck down a U.S. EPA greenhouse gas rule exemption for the biomass industry will affect biomass-burning power plants with significant carbon emissions. Friday's decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit invalidated EPA's three-year deferral for biomass facilities under its tailoring rule for greenhouse gas emissions (Greenwire, July 12). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059984404/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE For Obama's climate plan, devil is in the details. Frustrated by a recalcitrant Congress, President Barack Obama has vowed to take climate change into his own hands. Now he has to deliver. Three weeks after giving an ambitious speech to outline his proposal, the president begins the arduous task of executing it. Obama's plan is a complicated mix of rule-making and federal permitting that's tough to encapsulate in a neat sales pitch - and may be even tougher to put into action. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/For-Obama-s-climate-plan-devil-is-in-the-details-4665400.php http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/15/3387794/for-obamas-climate-plan-devil.html Dunes, reefs protect U.S. coasts from climate change. As climate change brings higher sea levels, can sand dunes and coral reefs really protect U.S. coastlines? Yes, indeed, they help defend 67% of them, says a new study by Stanford scientists. Rising sea levels and extreme weather put 16% of U.S. coastlines at "high-hazard" risk and the number of threatened residents could double if natural habitats -- sand dunes, coral reefs, sea grasses, mangroves -- aren't protected…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/14/dunes-reefs-protect-us-coastlines-from-climate-change-storms/2513299/ ARB fines EXXON, PG&E, and 7 others for GHG emissions reporting violations (Photos). The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced today that it has fined nine companies for violating the state’s Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting rule. The rule requires that certain facilities report GHG emissions every year. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-fines-exxon-pg-e-and-7-others-for-ghg-emissions-reporting-violations http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984371/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Near-term climate forecasters still trying to find the right formula. Near-term forecasts have caught on among many climate modelers, who are trying to predict how global conditions will evolve over the next several years and beyond. Eventually, they hope to offer forecasts that will enable humanity to prepare for the decade ahead just as meteorologists help people to choose their clothes each morning. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984346/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS New England's love affair with natural gas cools. New England's love affair with natural gas appears to be showing strain as the regional power grid operator voices worry about too much demand on limited supplies and a leading environmental group criticizes the fuel it once supported. The changing mood follows more than a decade of explosive growth in the use of natural gas to heat and especially to power the six-state region's homes and businesses. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/New-England-s-love-affair-with-natural-gas-cools-4663419.php HIGH-SPEED RAIL Valadao's opposition to high-speed rail starts at his Kings County dairy. Republican House members up and down the San Joaquin Valley are squarely opposed to California's high-speed rail project, for which construction could begin this summer. But while the issue is largely one of political philosophy for other GOP representatives, it hits much closer to home for Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, whose family's Valadao Dairy owns property that stands to be affected by either of two high-speed routes being studied in Kings County. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/13/3386679/valadaos-opposition-to-high-speed.html GREEN ENERGY EU Offshore Wind Installation Rate Doubles as Siemens Leads Way. The installation rate of offshore wind turbines in Europe doubled in the first half of the year, with Siemens AG (SIE) machines taking the bulk of the market. A total of 1,045 megawatts of capacity of wind turbines were connected at sea, compared with 523.2 megawatts in the year-earlier period, the European Wind Energy Association said today in an e-mailed report. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-12/eu-offshore-wind-installation-rate-doubles-as-siemens-leads-way.html MISCELLANEOUS Outdoor clothing makers strip environmental nasties from their kit. Makers of outdoor clothing are bowing to pressure to get rid of many of the chemicals in their kit that help keep hikers and climbers warm and dry but are also harmful to the environment. Previously a niche part of the sporting goods market, the outdoor segment has expanded so rapidly over the past decade that it now accounts for about 20 percent of the global sportwear market. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/us-outdoor-environment-idUSBRE96B0NY20130712 Bangladesh Pollution, Told in Colors and Smells. On the worst days, the toxic stench wafting through the Genda Government Primary School is almost suffocating. Teachers struggle to concentrate, as if they were choking on air. Students often become lightheaded and dizzy. A few boys fainted in late April. Another retched in class. The odor rises off the polluted canal — behind the schoolhouse — where nearby factories dump their wastewater. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/world/asia/bangladesh-pollution-told-in-colors-and-smells.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Hazardous lead paint: Legal battle comes to trial in California. >From old cottages in Berkeley and Palo Alto to ranch-style homes in Silicon Valley, the remnants of a hazardous past can lurk in the walls -- lead paint. And now 10 California cities and counties will finally get to try to make the powerful paint industry pay dearly to remove those poisonous ghosts from millions of homes around the state. In a trial set to begin Monday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, a 13-year…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_23660237/hazardous-lead-paint-legal-battle-comes-trial-california?source=rss Hosting fundraiser for climate-change denier puts Google in hot water. Mountain View-based Google is taking some heat for hosting a fundraiser for a U.S. senator who is an outspoken disbeliever in man-made climate change, despite the company's green rhetoric. Google's Washington, D.C., office will host a lunch Thursday, at $250 to $2,500 per plate, to benefit Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., just a month after Google chairman Eric Schmidt said those who deny climate change and global warming are liars. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/bay-area-news/ci_23657406/political-blotter-hosting-fundraiser-climate-change-denier-puts?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-area-news/ci_23657406/political-blotter-hosting-fundraiser-climate-change-denier-puts?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com OPINIONS California, catch the next big energy wave. 'Blue' projects that harness ocean energy are taking off elsewhere. Why not here? The first U.S. offshore wind turbine hooked into the U.S. power grid in June, but not in the "green" state of California. It happened on the opposite side of the continent, off the coast of Maine, using a floating wind-generator prototype well suited for the deep ocean water typically found off the coast of California. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-helvarg-ocean-energy-california-20130714,0,3623782.story Viewpoints: Energy time bomb is ticking. A final round of regulations to put finishing touches on California's greenhouse gas cap and trade program is under way. Everyone is watching to see if the California Air Resources Board will make the right decisions to lower emissions while protecting consumers and jobs. There is good reason to worry because the ARB's actions so far have failed to strike the right balance. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/14/5563661/energy-time-bomb-is-ticking.html#storylink=cpy Hinkley: No Hollywood ending for Erin Brockovich's tainted town. Despite the polluted water in her beloved town, Reanna Banks has been a devoted Hinkley resident for most of her adult life. But time is taking a heavy toll on her devotion. "I should have listened to my brain and not my heart," Banks said of the decision to build a dream house on family land in Hinkley. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_23649050/hinkley-no-hollywood-ending-erin-brockovichs-tainted-town What's in the smoke? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control and the Army say the smoke from the controlled burns is no more hazardous than any burning vegetation. It may be a good idea for people with respiratory illness or those sensitive to smoke to stay indoors or go out of town during the burns, according to a study by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Posted. http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_23650581/what-is-smoke BLOGS These maps show the best places to put solar and wind power. (It’s not where you think.) At first glance, it might seem obvious where the United States should focus on building more renewable energy. Stick the solar panels in sunny Arizona and hoist up the wind turbines on the gusty Great Plains, right? Well, maybe not. A recent study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University offered another way to look at the issue. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/15/these-maps-show-the-best-places-to-put-solar-and-wind-power-its-not-where-you-think/ Cultural Programs to Focus on Climate Change. In his best-known works, Robert Rauschenberg used nontraditional materials, including found objects, to produce provocative pieces that he called combines. Now the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, which he set up to provide support for causes that were important to him, is joining forces with two other like-minded organizations to present a series of exhibitions, panel discussions and performances that will explore climate change. Posted. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/cultural-programs-to-focus-on-climate-change/ Renault study proves, again, EVs are cleaner than gas or oil burners. When it comes to the environmental impact of producing electricity, Renault is probably hoping that things haven't changed too much over the past 21 months. That's because we're just now getting to see some numbers that the company was using almost two years ago. The French automaker, which along with sister company Nissan has invested about $5 billion in electric-vehicle technology advancements…Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/12/renault-study-proves-again-evs-are-cleaner-than-gas-or-oil-bur/ Dangerous global warming could be reversed, say scientists. Global warming could be reversed using a combination of burning trees and crops for energy, and capturing and storing carbon dioxide underground (CCS), according to an analysis by scientists. But experts cautioned that trying such an approach after temperatures had passed dangerous levels could be problematic, as climate change reduced the number of trees available for “bioenergy.” Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/dangerous-global-warming-could-be-reversed-say-scientists/ The Price of Polluted Runoff. Polluted stormwater runoff is the number one source of contamination to California's renowned waters. When it rains, water flows over streets, lawns, and parking lots, carrying a toxic soup of copper, lead, zinc and other heavy metals, oils and car fluids, bacteria, viruses and other harmful materials -- untreated -- to our rivers, lakes and coastal waters. And when the beaches, rivers and lakes that we use and enjoy for swimming, fishing and drinking are polluted…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-aminzadeh/polluted-stormwater-runoff_b_3587569.html Mandatory Cap And Trade Worldwide Can Mitigate Climate Change? The best way to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change is through the use of a European-style cap-and-trade scheme, according to a paper by business school scholars. The academics monitored the effectiveness of the European Climate Exchange (ECX) carbon trading platform and found it to be as efficient as Europe's two biggest exchanges…Posted. http://www.science20.com/news_articles/mandatory_cap_and_trade_worldwide_can_mitigate_climate_change-116371 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:00:01 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 16, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 16, 2013. 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 Australian PM changes carbon tax ahead of election. Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Tuesday a deeply unpopular carbon tax will be replaced by a less-severe emissions trading scheme a year ahead of schedule, in a bid to lower power bills for households as a tight national election looms. The carbon tax on Australia's worst industrial polluters, including its coal-reliant power producers, went into effect in July 2012 and was supposed to remain in place until 2015. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_CARBON_TAX?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/16/australia-carbon-idUSL4N0FM05620130716 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/world/asia/australian-leader-scraps-tax-on-carbon-emissions.html?_r=0 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/15/australian-pm-changes-carbon-tax-ahead-of-election/ http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-16/rudd-cuts-spending-to-accommodate-early-australian-carbon-trade.html Court sidesteps irony, upholds state’s greenhouse gas law. California’s greenhouse gas law – AB 32 – has been upheld in principal by the California 5th District Court of Appeal but implementation of aspects of the law needs to be fixed. To reduce emissions from transportation, the California Air Resources Board adopted a number of regulations, including the Low Carbon Fuel Standards that require the reduction of the carbon content of transportation fuels sold, supplied or offered for sale in California. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=23812 Appeals court orders Calif. to fix low-carbon fuel standard. A California appeals court yesterday ordered the state to fix its first-in-the-nation program to lower the carbon content of transportation fuels but allowed the rule to remain in force. The 5th District Court of Appeal ruled that the California Air Resources Board (ARB) violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the state Administrative Procedures Act (APA) when it approved the program…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/07/16/stories/1059984454 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Car makers shrug off new China sale restrictions. China plans to restrict vehicle sales in eight more cities to curb traffic congestion and pollution, but car manufacturers are not worried, since they expect organic growth in the world's biggest auto market to outweigh any restrictions. And, environmentalists say, any such measures are unlikely to make much of a dent in air pollution. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/16/us-china-autos-idUSBRE96F09P20130716 Planners Claim Reduction in Car Pollution, But Details Show Overall Increase. Bay Area planning officials say efforts to encourage dense development will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. But what they rarely mention publicly is that their goal, a 15 percent per capita reduction of carbon dioxide from cars and light trucks by 2035, actually represents an overall emissions increase. Essentially, it’s a math trick:…Posted. http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2013-07/planners-claim-reduction-in-car-pollution-but-details-show-overall-increase#sthash.m8InoOh1.dpuf Holliston Firm Clinches $3M For Clean Air Biz. Businesses often find federal standards for clean air cumbersome, but one Holliston company is thriving with them. Rypos, a clean air technology company that makes self-cleaning filters for diesel engines that provide backup power to large facilities, freight refrigerators and cargo port cranes , is a fairly young firm with a steep growth trajectory. Posted. http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20130715/METROWEST01/130719949 California assembly to consider six tire-related bills. The California legislature will consider a total of six tire-related bills when it reconvenes in August, according to the July 12 issue of "CA Tire Bulletin." The bills include: Assembly Bill 501, which would define a "tire broker" officially as "a person that arranges for the shipment of used or waste tires to or from a site located within the state, or through the state." Posted. http://www.rubbernews.com/article/20130715/NEWS/130719969/califorinia-assembly-to-consider-six-tire-related-bills REFINERY California panel urges stringent refinery safety oversight after Richmond Chevron fire. Firefighters douse a flame at the Chevron oil refinery in in Richmond, California in this file photo taken August 6, 2012. (Reuters / Josh Edelson)RICHMOND - A state panel convened in the wake of last year's Chevron refinery fire has recommended the creation of a refinery safety task force, with broad powers to impose stiffer penalties and improve air-quality monitoring standards. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_23664107/california-panel-urges-stringent-refinery-safety-oversight-after http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_23664107/california-panel-urges-stringent-refinery-safety-oversight-after http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_23668197/state-panel-urges-more-refinery-safety-oversight http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/state-panel-urges-more-oversight-oil-refineries/nYrRc/ CLIMATE CHANGE Seas may rise 2.3 meters per degree of global warming: report. Sea levels could rise by 2.3 meters for each degree Celsius that global temperatures increase and they will remain high for centuries to come, according to a new study by the leading climate research institute, released on Monday. Anders Levermann said his study for the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research was the first to examine evidence from climate history and combine it with computer simulations of contributing factors to long-term sea-level increases: …Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/15/us-climate-ice-study-idUSBRE96E0GQ20130715 News Summary: Tough task for Obama on climate plan. President Barack Obama has vowed to take climate change into his own hands. Now he has to deliver on a plan that is a complicated mix of rule-making and federal permitting. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/15/news-summary-tough-task-for-obama-on-climate-plan/ DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB explains how to legally use electric, hybrid reefer. Truck drivers using electric or hybrid reefers in California will want to be sure their refrigeration units meet specific standards set up by the California Air Resources Board. If they don’t, a series of checks has been set up to nab potential emissions offenders. CARB Board is warning reefer owners that they will be auditing companies that claim to use electric standby or hybrid electric reefer units to comply with the state’s Transportation Refrigeration Unit regulation. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25455 FUELS Oil exec wants U.S. biofuel mandate reviewed as gas prices rise. As U.S. gasoline prices spike for the second time this year, oil industry officials will tell Congress on Tuesday that easing a mandate for the use of renewable fuels and other measures could help stabilize gas prices. Despite rising domestic oil production, the average U.S. regular gasoline price jumped nearly 15 cents from a week ago to $3.64 a gallon on Monday, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/16/congress-gasoline-hearing-idUSL1N0FL1BD20130716 Gasoline lifts U.S. consumer inflation in June. U.S. consumer prices rose more than expected in June as gasoline prices jumped, but underlying inflation pressure remain benign against the backdrop of lukewarm domestic demand. The Labor Department said on Tuesday its Consumer Price Index increased 0.5 percent, the largest increase since February, after nudging up 0.1 percent in May. Gasoline prices accounted for about two thirds of the increase in the CPI. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/16/usa-economy-prices-idUSL1N0FL1CQ20130716 http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-consumer-price-index-cpi-inflation-gasoline-economy-20130716,0,2298597.story Keystone pipeline may add 40 cents to Midwest gas prices, report says. The fiercely debated Keystone XL pipeline could raise gasoline prices in the Midwest by as much as 40 cents a gallon, according to a new report by Consumer Watchdog. That’s because the pipeline would allow oil companies in Canada to export crude oil to a range of markets in the U.S. and abroad, leading to possible increases in the prices paid in areas that are already heavily dependent on that oil, according to the Santa Monica consumer group’s report released Tuesday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-keystone-pipeline-20130716,0,6339875.story Dominion converts 1st of 3 coal plants to biomass. Dominion Virginia Power's Altavista power station is now running on renewable biomass as part of a previously announced plan to convert three of its coal-fired power plants in the state to burn mostly waste wood left from regional timbering operations as fuel, the energy provider said Monday. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/15/dominion-converts-1st-of-3-coal-plants-02/#ixzz2ZDw9q6fY Canada has world's top reserves when risk is a factor. Canada, Australia and the United States lead the other nations of the world in the quantity of shale oil and gas that can be extracted with minimal risk, according to an analysis by PFC Energy. The analysis is a spin on the Energy Information Administration's earlier ranking of 42 nations in the world according to their shale oil and gas potential. The EIA ranked Russia first, since it has 75 billion barrels of technically recoverable shale oil. The United States was ranked second, with 58 billion barrels. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984423/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Sapphire Energy and Linde Group Expand Partnership. Companies Partner to Commercialize Hydrothermal Treatment Technology Used to Upgrade Algae into Crude Oil. Sapphire Energy, Inc., one of the world leaders in algae-based Green Crude oil production, and the technology company The Linde Group today announced they will expand their partnership to commercialize a new industrial scale conversion technology needed to upgrade algae biomass into crude oil. Posted. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sapphire-energy-and-linde-group-expand-partnership-2013-07-16 VEHICLES With i3 Electric Car, BMW Tries to Ease Range Anxiety. Since BMW began the slow debut of its battery-powered car more than two years ago, the engineers from Bavaria promised that the i3 would be as fun to drive as a conventional BMW. What if it was even more fun to drive? Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/business/with-i3-electric-car-bmw-tries-to-ease-range-anxiety.html GREEN ENERGY China pushes Europe to lower hurdles to solar deal – document. China is pushing hard for only limited restrictions on its solar panel exports to the European Union, complicating talks aimed at avoiding hefty tariffs on Chinese firms and a possible trade war, a document obtained by Reuters showed on Tuesday. The European Commission, the EU's executive, accuses China of flooding Europe with billions of euros of cheap solar panels sold at below the cost of production…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/16/eu-china-solar-idUSL6N0FM1KD20130716 Sonoma council votes unanimously to join clean power authority. The Sonoma City Council overcame its previous division Monday and voted unanimously to join the Sonoma County Clean Power Authority.The vote is the latest in a series of 11th-hour decisions by cities on whether to join the county's fledgling public power program. Sonoma became the fifth city to join. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130715/ARTICLES/130719684?title=City-of-Sonoma-joins-county-power-agency CA Wins for Recycling, Renewable Energy. If you’re looking for real estate investments in states with high sustainability practices, you might consider California. The Golden State is the #1 state in the country for recycling and earned high ratings for both renewable energy and an overall “best” rating for “green” practices, according to mphonline.org, a website devoted to information about Master’s in Public Health degree programs. Posted. http://www.globest.com/news/12_648/orangecounty/asset_management/CA-Wins-for-Recycling-Renewable-Energy-335505.html MISCELLANEOUS Hazardous lead paint: Legal battle comes to trial in California. SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT (publ. 7/16/2013, page A2) A story on a legal battle against the lead paint industry incorrectly reported that California's attorney general is part of the challenge. The case is being brought by 10 cities and counties, not the attorney general. >From old cottages in Berkeley and Palo Alto to ranch-style homes in Silicon Valley, the remnants of a hazardous past can lurk in the walls…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_23660237/hazardous-lead-paint-legal-battle-comes-trial-california?source=rss OPINIONS COLUMN-How much back up does wind power need?: Wynn. Winds are notoriously footloose and hard to predict, but for grid operators keen to keep their customers' lights on and hold down costs, agreeing on a method to measure the reliability of the fast-growing electricity source is vital. Policymakers and operators around the world have come up with a range of ways to estimate wind power and a bunch of terms to measure wind power reliability, including capacity credit, capacity value and availability factor. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/16/column-wynn-wind-reliability-idUSL6N0FL11720130716 Time has come to ban plastic bags. “Paper or plastic?” It’s a question we hear from clerks just about anytime we go shopping. But before long, that question should change to “Did you bring a reusable bag?” Based on indisputable evidence showing that the proliferation of single-use plastic bags is doing substantial harm to the environment, city and county officials are finally poised to approve a countywide ban on carryout plastic bags at grocers and retailers. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130715/COMMUNITY/130719986?Title=Time-has-come-to-ban-plastic-bags ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 18:47:07 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 17, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 17, 2013. 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 Australia Carbon Link May Spur EU Panel, Accenture Says. Linking with Australia’s carbon market may spur the European Union to set up an independent panel to help manage demand and supply in its own program, improving governance, according to Accenture Plc. (ACN) The structure would need to be independent of nations while including input from governments and national or European agencies, Mauricio Bermudez Neubauer, a London-based lead consultant on carbon markets at Accenture, said July 15 in a phone interview. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-17/australia-emissions-link-may-spur-eu-carbon-bank-accenture-says.html AIR POLLUTION EPA air and CO2 rules for utilities likely to cluster in 2 years. The year 2015 is likely to be a pivotal time for utilities as they prepare to comply with existing rules and prepare for expected standards from greenhouse gases to ozone, industry officials have said. Environmentalists are eager to see Gina McCarthy finally lead U.S. EPA as administrator for a good reason: She has a lot of work ahead. Many utilities are expected to enter compliance with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule in 2015…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984536/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE World Bank approves landmark coal restrictions. The World Bank board of directors yesterday embraced strict limitations on financing new coal plants, effectively closing the door on an issue that has vexed the global development lender for years as it struggled to balance its mission of eradicating poverty with a growing concern for climate change. The new policy endorsed by the United States, China, India and others instructs the World Bank Group to provide financial support for new coal projects "only in rare circumstances." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984538/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Swift approval sought for Midwest oil pipeline. A Canadian company's plan to build an oil pipeline that will stretch for hundreds of miles through the Midwest, including through many sensitive waterways, is quietly on the fast-track to approval — just not the one you're thinking of. As the Keystone XL pipeline remains mired in the national debate over environmental safety and climate change, another company, Enbridge Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, is hoping to begin construction…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/17/5572129/swift-approval-sought-for-midwest.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/17/swift-approval-sought-for-midwest-oil-pipeline/ Delaware panel dismisses appeal of refinery permit. Environmental groups on Tuesday lost an appeal of a state-issued permit for a new crude oil transfer station at the Delaware City refinery. Members of Delaware's Coastal Zone Industrial Control Board voted unanimously to dismiss the appeal by the Sierra Club and the Delaware Audubon Society, ruling that they had no standing to challenge an air quality permit granted to PBF Energy in May. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/16/delaware-panel-hears-appeal-of-refinery-permit/#ixzz2ZJkRE6eq State Dept. approves ND-to-Alberta gas pipeline. The U.S. State Department has approved construction of the North Dakota portion of a gas pipeline from Tioga into the Canadian province of Alberta, Sen. John Hoeven said Tuesday. The proposed $300 million, 430-mile Vantage Pipeline is slated to supply ethane from North Dakota's oil patch for Alberta's petrochemical industry beginning later this year, the Republican lawmaker said in a news release. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/16/state-dept-approves-nd-to-alberta-gas-pipeline/#ixzz2ZJknVhhG Americans Support the Keystone XL Pipeline by Wide Margin. While the Obama administration mulls whether to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Americans are already decided. They support the project by a wide margin, prioritizing potential economic benefits over possible environmental consequences. The latest United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll finds that more than two-thirds of respondents…Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressional-connection/coverage/americans-support-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-by-wide-margin-20130716 Refining reports fuel questions on oil-gasoline price ties. Midwestern refiners reaped upward of 50 percent more profits per barrel of oil last year compared with their Eastern and Gulf Coast counterparts thanks to cheaper crude that was "not proportionally reflected" in lower pump prices, according to a recent Congressional Research Service analysis. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984541/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Nissan Holds Off on First Luxury Electric Car. Auto Maker Bets More Advanced, Cheaper Technology Soon Will Be Available. NEW DELHI—Nissan Motor Co. temporarily halted development of the first electric car for the Infiniti luxury brand, a bet that more advanced and cheaper technology soon will be available, company executives said. The Japanese auto maker showed the battery-powered Infiniti LE concept at the New York International Auto Show in April 2012…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323394504578609614137298372.html#printMode Ford Offers Fix After Hybrid Mileage Comes Up Short. Ford Motor Co. (F) is offering free software upgrades to owners of its 2013 model-year hybrid vehicles intended to improve fuel economy after the models fell short of projected mileage levels. Ford is sending notices about the voluntary upgrades to owners of the C-Max, Fusion and Lincoln MKZ hybrids, Group Vice President Raj Nair, the company’s product-development chief, told reporters yesterday in Dearborn, Michigan. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-16/ford-says-it-s-boosting-fuel-economy-of-2013-hybrids.html APNewsbreak: Andretti to run electric car series. Andretti Autosport announced Wednesday it has signed on as the third team to compete in the environmentally friendly FIA Formula E championship, which will feature electric cars racing in 10 cities around the world beginning in 2014. Michael Andretti's two-car operation will join China Racing and British-based Drayson Racing as organizations already committed to a field that will have 10 two-car teams competing in each e-Prix. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/17/apnewsbreak-andretti-to-run-electric-car-series/ Tesla stock falls sharply on lower sales forecast. The soaring stock price of Tesla Motors Inc. tumbled yesterday as a financial analyst suggested that the electric vehicle maker is overvalued. Share cost for the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company skidded 14.3 percent to $109.05, the biggest one-day decline since January 2012, when it fell nearly 20 percent. The stock even after the latest drop has more than tripled in price in a year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984535/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Battery Seen as Way to Cut Heat-Related Power Losses. As scorching weather envelops the Northeast and the Midwest, electric utilities are scrambling to keep the power on while air-conditioners strain utilities’ capacity. By Tuesday afternoon in New York City and Westchester County, for instance, Consolidated Edison had logged nearly 7,700 interruptions since the heat arrived on Sunday, and it had dispatched crews to restore almost all of the power. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/business/energy-environment/battery-seen-as-way-to-cut-heat-related-power-losses.html CA Signs Off On Controversial Project Next to Joshua Tree Nat'l Park. A giant energy project that would turn an abandoned open pit mine near Joshua Tree National Park into two hydroelectric storage reservoirs got a thumbs-up from California's main water quality agency this week. The Eagle Mountain Pumped Storage Project, which would use off-peak electrical power to pump water to an upper reservoir, then generate electricity by letting the water flow through turbines during peak demand times, would generate a maximum of 1,300 megawatts of power. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/the-grid/hydroelectric-energy-joshua-tree-national-park-eagle-mountain.html Groups attempt to move energy-efficient buildings into mass markets. To rapidly scale up the construction of green buildings in emerging markets and help mitigate climate change pollution, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and the International Finance Corp. (IFC) yesterday announced a new strategic partnership. Through the collaboration, WorldGBC's regional councils will apply the new "IFC EDGE" online tool that can identify ways to reduce the water, energy…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984539/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS S.F. experiment to create parking for car sharing. As many as 900 on-street parking spaces in San Francisco will be reserved for car-sharing vehicles as soon as January under a two-year experiment approved Tuesday by the Municipal Transportation Agency. The test, which aims to increase the number of people using car sharing and expand it to all neighborhoods of the city…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-experiment-to-create-parking-for-car-sharing-4669388.php Dole, Gerber Don’t Have to Warn of Lead Under California Law (1). Dole Food Co. (DOLE:US) and Nestle SA (NESN)’s Gerber unit don’t have to warn consumers about lead contained in their baby food, packaged fruit and juices, a state court judge said in a tentative ruling. Judge Stephen Brick in California Superior Court in Oakland said that the companies, and other food makers facing a state lawsuit…Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-16/dole-gerber-don-t-have-to-warn-of-lead-under-california-law-1 OPINIONS COLUMN-Australia's carbon mess a warning to the world: Clyde Russell. Any government thinking of introducing policies to limit carbon emissions should look at Australia for an example of how not to do it. Australia's efforts to combat climate change have been poison to politicians from all sides of the debate, contributing so far to the demise of two prime ministers and an opposition leader, and there may be more to come. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/column-russell-carbon-australia-idUSL4N0FN0ER20130717 COLUMN-Cutting the cost of more wind power: Gerard Wynn. Wind power is one of most favoured and fastest growing sources of electricity in Europe, and that creates a problem for grid operators and policymakers who aim to keep the lights on. The supply of wind power depends on the weather, varying from day to day or even hour to hour, and that variability means its reliability is less at any given moment than power from plants that burn fossil fuels. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/column-wynn-eu-wind-idUSL6N0FM1SX20130717 California's Cap-and-Trade Program Has Learned From Europe. Despite claims to the contrary, the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme is not dead. It will survive, but in the meantime the international community must keep moving forward with other efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, California has been able to learn from the pioneering efforts in Europe, and as a result the state is poised to be a major player in the effort to fight climate change. Posted. http://www.energybiz.com/print/320169 Judge a carbon market by its cap, not its prices. No one questions the very existence of stock markets when prices rise or fall. Not so for carbon markets. In April, prices in the EU’s emissions trading scheme fell to record lows of below €3 a tonne of carbon dioxide, after an unsuccessful vote in the European parliament to prop up prices. Observers wrote obituaries. This month, in its second vote, the parliament approved a plan to “backload” carbon allowances and thus limit supply temporarily. Posted. http://www.ft.com/home/us BY SUBCRIPTION ONLY A mixed bag: Are California's bans on plastic bags working? An employee gathering carts from the sunny parking lot at a Santa Cruz Safeway said shoppers are warming up to Santa Cruz's ban on single-use plastic bags. But some still miss the bags' convenience. "I used to be able to carry so many at a time," a senior woman remarked. "Wrong thing to do," said a middle-aged man of the ban. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_23474167/mixed-bag-are-californias-bans-plastic-bags-working?IADID=Search-www.santacruzsentinel.com-www.santacruzsentinel.com BLOGS AIR POLLUTION: Mountain fire adds to smog season woes. We were already in the midst of an unrelenting smog season when the Mountain Fire broke out Monday, July 15, near Idyllwild and made air quality even worse in some parts of Riverside County. The smoke plume on Tuesday, July 16, was moving to the north and east and was falling in portions of the Coachella Valley. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/07/16/air-pollution-mountain-fire-adds-to-smog-season-woes/ BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY So far in 2013, EVs beating plug-in hybrids in sales. During the past two years, plug-in hybrid and extended range electric vehicles like the Toyota Prius Plug-In and Chevy Volt were beating battery electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV in sales volume. That changed for the first time in the first half of 2013, with battery EVs beating plug-in hybrids by thousands of units. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/17/so-far-in-2013-evs-beating-plug-in-hybrids-in-sales/ Close to Home: Things Climate Change May Ruin. The evidence from real-world observations, sophisticated computer models, and analytical work in hundreds of different fields continues to pile up: Human-caused climate change is already occurring and will continue to get worse and worse as greenhouse-gas concentrations continue to rise. Because the climate is connected to every major geophysical, chemical, and biological system on the planet…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-h-gleick/close-to-home-things-clim_b_3606163.html Is This the Gas Station of the 21st Century? If you drive an electric car, you’re probably familiar with ChargePoint. But even if you're still driving an old-fashioned gas-guzzler, maybe it's time you got to know the Campbell, Calif.-based startup. ChargePoint is the largest operator of electric-vehicle charging stations, with some 12,000 publicly accessible chargers across 14 countries, including about 70 percent of all U.S. chargers. Posted. http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/07/16/chargepoint_ct4000_ev_charger_the_gas_station_of_the_21st_century.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 15:57:40 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 18, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 18, 2013. 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 PG&E, Wildlife Group Unite to Back Foreign Offsets in California. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Southern California Edison and the Wildlife Conservation Society joined forces today to endorse a plan that would allow California companies to use credits from forestry projects overseas to comply with state emissions limits. An advisory panel is issuing recommendations today on how to implement the plan. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-18/pg-and-e-wildlife-group-unite-to-back-foreign-offsets-in-california Northeast cuts power plant polluting allowances. Less carbon dioxide is polluting the air in the Northeast, prompting state environmental officials to cut allowances for emissions in one of only two cap-and-trade programs in the United States. Officials in all six New England states and Delaware, Maryland and New York are putting in place new rules, adjusting the limit on emissions for 2014 to 91 million tons of carbon dioxide from 165 million tons. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/AP1c80104f3fb9431ebdb29eac3ac2dae4.html#printMode Cap-and-trade officials float the possibility of more free allowances for industry. California officials are planning to give more emissions permits away for free to refineries, metal manufacturers and other industries that are vulnerable to competition from outside the state, according to proposed changes to the nation's largest trading program for greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984616/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Conservatives attack each other over carbon tax plans. Conservative critics of taxing carbon launched a campaign yesterday to discredit Republican voices that describe the climate policy as a winning solution for the party and the economy. In related maneuvering, Republican energy lobbyists are urging House leaders to vote on a resolution that denounces a carbon tax before the August recess. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984618/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION INTERVIEW-China asks EU for aid in curbing pollution - EU environment chief. China has asked the European Union to help it tackle some of its most severe pollution problems, the EU's environment commissioner said on Thursday, underscoring Beijing's concerns about addressing a key source of social discontent. The European Union and China, the world's biggest carbon dioxide emitter, have frequently clashed over climate policy. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/18/china-eu-environment-idUSL4N0FL0VB20130718 More EU states could block Daimler sales in coolant row. More European Union countries could join France in blocking registrations of new Daimler AG vehicles using a banned coolant, after EU governments agreed on Wednesday to take action against the German carmaker. France has halted registrations of Mercedes A-Class, B-Class and SL cars assembled after June because of Daimler's refusal to stop using the refrigerant R134a, which was banned throughout the bloc from the start of this year. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/eu-daimler-coolant-idUSL6N0FN3PP20130717 CLIMATE CHANGE State receives a menu of climate change options. Washington now has a list of programs worldwide from which to steal, or borrow, as a legislative panel tackles climate change in this state. The panel's consultant — Science Application International Corp. of Virginia — has done some initial sifting through worldwide climate change fix-it ventures to study, and SAIC presented that list to a panel of two Republican and two Democratic legislators led by Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday. Posted. http://crosscut.com/2013/07/18/environment/115604/state-has-menu-climate-change-options/ As ice melts, U.S. remains unprepared to police open sea. Last year, 46 vessels traversed Arctic waters, 10 times the number in 2010. Sea ice extent in the Arctic has declined by roughly 3 percent a decade since the 1970s. By 2060, open-water vessels may regularly travel the Northwest Passage, according to a study this year. With those numbers in mind, federal and military officials said yesterday that there is a massive need for additional research and mapping of Arctic areas to improve safety for drillers and commercial and military boats…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984615/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists see runoff accelerating the surprising melt in Greenland's interior ice. In an Arctic battle between water-as-liquid and water-as-ice, liquid seems to be winning. At least that's what researcher Thomas Phillips, a glaciologist from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, has found. Phillips studies melting on the Greenland ice sheet. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984617/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY As CO2 concentrations increase, so does wetlands' ability to absorb it. A study carried out over nearly two decades in a Maryland marsh shows that wetland ecosystems might be able to absorb more carbon dioxide in the future if greenhouse gas levels continue their relentless rise. Beginning in 1987, when the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was only at 340 parts per million (it surpassed 400 ppm in May)…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984592/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Spike in allergy symptoms may be linked to global warming. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, are studying the links between global warming and a recent spike in people suffering from allergies. Rising temperatures are causing plants to flower earlier, lengthening the allergy season by two to three weeks, and increased levels of carbon dioxide are leading to greater pollen creation. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984588/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS California officials wrestle with handling trade secrets on fracking. State officials have been flooded with more than 20,000 comments and suggestions regarding proposed regulations of a controversial oil and gas drilling technique known as fracking, officials said Wednesday. Members of the California Water Commission voiced concerns of their own Wednesday about whether the state should treat the recipes for some fracking liquids as trade secrets, not to be disclosed to the public. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-fracking-rules-developing-20130717,0,2605370.story?track=rss Air Force Considers More Drilling Off California Coast. The U.S. Military has taken the lead in getting the nation off fossil fuels and onto renewable energy in a series of well-thought-out programs over the past few years. This isn't one of them. In an announcement Wednesday, the Air Force announced it would be studying the possibility of drilling slantwise from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc into oil reserves off the California coast. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/petroleum/air-force-considers-more-drilling-off-california-coast.html Is Arctic oil exploration dead in the U.S.? A year ago this September, Royal Dutch Shell PLC began the first new oil drilling in U.S. Arctic waters in more than two decades. The company spent $5 billion and dispatched an armada of ships and equipment to offshore Alaska to evaluate the energy resources on its federal leases. From the beginning, however, Shell's operation faced a multitude of problems -- everything from lingering sea ice to a damaged oil spill containment dome. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984582/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AAA chapter says oil group's ad misrepresents ethanol position. A state chapter of North America's largest motor club is accusing the oil and gas industry's largest trade group of misrepresenting its position on ethanol in a new ad campaign seeking repeal of the renewable fuel standard. The television ad by the American Petroleum Institute began airing in several states and Washington, D.C., early this week and features a mechanic discussing the alleged pitfalls of increasing the amount of ethanol in gasoline. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059984650/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONL VEHICLES Exclusive: GM delays Chevy Cruze debut by a year – sources. General Motors Co has delayed the launch of the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze by a year due to engineering changes and a desire to squeeze more sales from the small car before it is redesigned, people familiar with the U.S. automaker's plans said. The next version of the Cruze, which had originally been scheduled to debut in late 2014, will now begin production in December 2015, said the sources, most of whom asked not to be identified in discussing GM's plans. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/us-autos-gm-cruze-idUSBRE96G1F720130717 http://www.freep.com/article/20130718/BUSINESS0103/307180029/chrysler-fiat-500E-hybrids-electric-vehicles L.A. Expands Electric Car Charger Program. An effort by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to promote customer installations of chargers for electric cars was so successful that the utility is expanding it. LADWP will be offering rebates up to $750 for residents and businesses in its service area who install fast charging stations. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/transportation/dwp-boosts-subsidies-for-personal-car-chargers.html GREEN ENERGY SoftBank Forms a Fuel Cell Venture With a Silicon Valley Start-Up. When Masayoshi Son, SoftBank’s chief executive, first visited the Silicon Valley fuel cell start-up Bloom Energy late last year, one word came to his mind: crazy. But the fuel cell technology — which promised efficient, cleaner and increasingly inexpensive “energy in a box” — intrigued him. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/18/business/global/softbank-forms-fuel-cell-venture-with-silicon-valley-start-up.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Seattle's cost-saving pilot program may help commercialize energy efficiency. The first commercial application of metered energy efficiency, a pilot program at an early stage in Seattle, was highlighted as a prime case study during a forum at the World Bank this week. The meeting between the Energy Efficiency Community of Practice and the International Finance Corp. explored upcoming models in energy efficiency …Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984614/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Sierra Club victory halts plans for trash-burning plant. The Superior Court of Arizona has ruled in favor of the Sierra Club in a move that blocks plans for a trash-burning power plant west of Phoenix. The Arizona Corporation Commission requires utilities to get 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. Originally, the rules did not count trash burning as a form of renewable energy. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059984640/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Curiosity rover confirms Martian air is mostly CO2. The Curiosity rover has tasted Mars' air: It's made mostly of carbon dioxide with hints of other gases. The measurements by the most advanced spacecraft to land on the red planet closely match what the twin Viking landers detected in the late 1970s and what scientists have gleaned from Martian meteorites — rock fragments that fell to Earth. Mars' atmosphere is overwhelmingly dominated by carbon dioxide, unlike Earth's air, which is a mix of nitrogen and oxygen. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Curiosity-rover-confirms-Martian-air-is-mostly-CO2-4672716.php Water Birds Turning Up Dead at Solar Projects in the Desert. Big desert solar installations have a problem: They seem to be imperiling water birds. A ReWire investigation has revealed that since mid-March, two large industrial solar power plants in California's remote, arid desert may have killed or injured more than 20 birds commonly associated with lakes or wetlands rather than the open desert surrounding the projects. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/water-birds-turning-up-dead-at-solar-projects-in-desert.html OPINIONS UN joins global warming craze, blames 'humanity's emissions'. The United Nations agency that charts worldwide weather has charged that "human-caused climate change" helped make the last decade the hottest on record, due to "humanity's emissions" of carbons and other chemicals into the atmosphere. The World Meteorological Organization, the U.N.'s Swiss-based weather outfit, said in a new report of climate extremes from 2001-2010 that nature played a role, but that man and worldwide development are responsible for the trend up in temperatures. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2533200 Oil Industry Should Blame Itself For Federal Fracking Rules. When it comes to regulation, the oil and gas industry needs rules that encourage best practices. Too often, it settles for guidelines that support the lowest common denominator. That seems to be what U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell was getting at in defending federal rules on hydraulic fracturing before the House Natural Resources Committee. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorensteffy/2013/07/18/oil-industry-should-blame-itself-for-federal-fracking-rules/ The Real Keystone 'Atrocity:' Environmental Hyperbole. Regardless of how much oil the Keystone XL pipeline actually moves someday, it has already tapped into an unlimited reservoir of rhetoric from the environmental community. The latest comes from former Vice President Al Gore, who declared that the pipeline is “an atrocity” and called on President Obama to veto it.Gore’s hyperbole follows that of Robert Redford, who last year called Keystone “one of the most nightmarish fossil fuel projects of our time.” Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorensteffy/2013/06/17/the-real-keystone-atrocity-environmental-hyperbole/ BLOGS A U.S. Battery Recycler Says We Should Keep the Lead In. Building on a recent guest post describing how exports of old car batteries from the United States are creating a toxic trail in poorer nations, here’s a “Your Dot” contribution from Robert E. Finn, the president of RSR Corporation, a company that smelts recycled lead here at home. Finn focuses on the need to improve the environmental performance of his industry. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/18/a-u-s-battery-recycler-says-we-should-keep-the-lead-in/?partner=rss&emc=rss Unpacking ARB's Proposed Cap-and-Trade Amendments. The California Air Resources Board just released a sweeping set of proposed amendments to the cap-and-trade program, a key element of the state’s comprehensive effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions under AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. The amendments offered earlier this week cover a wide range of issues that are the subject of a workshop today (July 18). Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ajackson/unpacking_arbs_proposed_cap-an.html Climate change forces US Forest Service to shift its strategy on larger fires. Climate change is forcing the US Forest Service to rethink how it fights large wildfires. Global warming has increased the intensity of fires, forcing the USFS to spend more and more of its money fighting them. Now the agency has decided that it should be less aggressive in attacking big blazes, so long as they are not threatening property. In 1991, the US Forest Service’s spent 13 percent of its budget on fire management. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/07/17/14287/climate-change-forces-us-forest-service-to-shift-i/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 How Fracking Affects Your Farmer's Market. As we become more careful about what we put into our bodies, options and opportunities to be more health conscious abound: organic, non-GMO, gluten free...the list goes on. Will we soon be adding frack-free to this growing list? And even if we wanted to, would we have enough information to be able to? As a quick reminder, fracking is a drilling technique that involves the fracturing of rock through the use of high-pressure…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/how-fracking-affects-your_b_3613373.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 14:39:18 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 19, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 19, 2013. 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 Carbon’s Longest Rally to Persist on Supply Crunch. The longest-ever rally in United Nations carbon prices shows little sign of easing as traders bet companies running emission-reduction projects will stop creating credits because it’s no longer profitable to do so. UN-approved Certified Emission Reductions, or CERs, for December have more than doubled to 49 cents (64 U.S. cents) from a record low in April on the ICE Futures Europe exchange. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-18/carbon-s-longest-rally-to-persist-on-supply-crunch.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-18/carbon-supply-crunch-set-to-extend-longest-rally-energy-markets Scientific Advisory Panel Offers Blueprint For California REDD. After more than two years of open consultations among indigenous leaders, environmentalists, and governmental representatives, the REDD Offsets Working Group (ROW) on Thursday offered its final recommendations for incorporating international REDD offsets into California’s cap-and-trade program. The recommendations have been endorsed by a diverse array of environmental groups, green-minded corporations…Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9846§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION Beijing Tells Residents to Reduce Time Outdoors on Air Pollution. Beijing advised the young, elderly and ill among its 20 million residents to reduce time spent outdoors as a U.S. Embassy pollution monitor showed air quality in the Chinese capital at “heavily polluted” levels today. Concentrations of PM2.5, fine air particulates that pose the greatest health risk, rose to 241 micrograms per cubic meter as of noontime near Tiananmen Square from an average of 124 in the past 24 hours…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-18/beijing-tells-residents-to-reduce-time-outdoors-on-air-pollution.html Chevron pays $425,000 to settle air pollution violations with ARB (Photos). The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced today that Chevron U.S.A. Inc. has paid $422,500 in penalties for supplying gasoline and diesel fuel in violation of California air pollution control regulations. The agreement was part of three separate settlements with ARB. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/chevron-pays-425-000-to-settle-air-pollution-violations-with-arb http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/07/19/chevron-violates-air-rules-pays-422500/ http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/07/carb-fines-chevron-422-500-for-selling-non-compliant-gasoline-and-diesel-in-california.aspx?prestitial=1 APCD considers charging for air monitors. New fees will be imposed on the California State Parks Department if they are approved by the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District board at its meeting next week. But at least one board member is privately campaigning against the proposal. The fees to be added to APCD’s Rule 302 would cost State Parks a minimum of $49,240 a year for meeting the district-imposed requirements for controlling dust from the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Posted. http://www.theadobepress.com/articles/2013/07/18/news/news51.txt CLIMATE CHANGE Obama's unlikely climate change partner: China. President Barack Obama has stumbled on an unusual partner in his quest to combat climate change: China. The world's two biggest emitters of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are finding common cause in efforts to reduce global warming, cooperation the U.S. says could clear the way for other developing nations like India and Brazil to get on board, too. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Obama-s-unlikely-climate-change-partner-China-4673303.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/18/2813378/obamas-unlikely-climate-change.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/18/3393721/obamas-unlikely-climate-change.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23687908/obamas-unlikely-climate-change-partner-china?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23687908/obamas-unlikely-climate-change-partner-china?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Sen. Boxer sets committee hearing on climate change. Sen. Barbara Boxer sought Thursday to rally support for federal action to curtail greenhouse gas emissions, eliciting testimony that catastrophic climate change is under way and Republican denials that the atmosphere is warming. At the helm of the Environment and Public Works Committee…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Sen-Boxer-sets-committee-hearing-on-climate-4673955.php http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-democrats-new-climate-change-action-20130718,0,4590908.story Continuing heat, drought and flooding make up this year's weather story – NOAA. Global average temperatures in June were the fifth highest on record, as above-average heat conditions continued a multidecade streak, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported yesterday. June marked the 340th consecutive month -- a span of time more than 28 years -- that global temperatures surged above the 20th century average, according to the agency. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984695/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Higher cost assigned to CO2 emissions not 'generated in a black box,' White House official says. A federal official yesterday defended the new, higher dollar amount assigned to future damages to society associated with climate change, saying that the increase could be blamed on improvements to the scientific models used to determine the updated price tag. Because these models are constantly subject to peer review…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984698/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Some small businesses say they can't afford to support Obama's climate plan. President Obama's new climate plan centers on establishing tight pollution regulations on the country's coal plants, and since coal currently provides 40 percent of the country's electricity, the regulations stand to affect a lot of people. In a hearing yesterday morning, the House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade tried to draw attention to the possible impacts of the regulations on small businesses. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984696/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS DTF: Diesel will keep driving freight transportation. Advocacy group firm that diesel will help reduce emissions, improve air quality and save fuel. hat diesel power will continue to drive the “expansion of freight transportation and the continued growth of the U.S. economy” is the strong contention of Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum advocacy group. Posted. http://fleetowner.com/running-green/dtf-diesel-will-keep-driving-freight-transportation FUELS Nampa sugar plant aims to cut gas emissions. Executives of a sugar processing plant in southwest Idaho say they will invest in new equipment designed to reduce gas emissions blamed for creating haze in the region. But officials with Amalgamated Sugar Co. in Nampa say the new equipment will not reduce the odor emitted from the facility where sugar beets are converted into raw sugar. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ID_SUGAR_PLANT_EMISSIONS_IDOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT TransCanada Rebuffs EPA’s Call for Keystone Clean Energy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says TransCanada Corp. (TRP) should be required to buy renewable power to run pumps along the route of its proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a measure the company said is unworkable and unnecessary. In a July 17 letter to the U.S. State Department, the Calgary-based company said the EPA suggested it buy renewable energy to run pumping stations from Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-19/transcanada-rebuffs-epa-s-call-for-keystone-clean-energy.html First-ever federal study finds natural gas fracking chemicals didn’t spread. A landmark federal study on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, shows no evidence that chemicals from the natural gas drilling process moved up to contaminate drinking water aquifers at a western Pennsylvania drilling site, the Department of Energy told The Associated Press. After a year of monitoring, the researchers found that the chemical-laced fluids used to free gas trapped deep below the surface…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/apnewsbreak-first-ever-federal-study-finds-natural-gas-fracking-chemicals-didnt-spread/2013/07/19/85b75e4e-f03c-11e2-8c36-0e868255a989_story.html VEHICLES RIVERSIDE: Grant provides electric car charging stations. Western Municipal Water District has taken another step to reduce its carbon footprint by installing two electric car charging stations at its office near Interstate 215 and Alessandro Boulevard. The stations are available to the public 24 hours a day for a small fee. “Already a Silver LEED certified building, adding electric charging stations to our Meridian office is a nice complement to the building’s green components,” said Board President Tom Evans. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130719-riverside-grant-provides-electric-car-charging-stations.ece BY SUBSCRIPTION Cars Are Getting Cleaner, Could Greener Roads Be Next? It was the terrible smog of cities like Los Angeles in the 1970s that prompted a huge change in the efficiency and pollution controls of automobiles. Today, cars are many orders of magnitude cleaner than their counterparts from previous decades. But what if our roads could help further? No, not by reducing congestion (though that would be nice), but by swallowing up the pollutants pumped out by cars. The sidewalks in one Dutch neighborhood are doing just that. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1085660_cars-are-getting-cleaner-could-greener-roads-be-next MISCELLANEOUS Senate confirms McCarthy as chief environmental regulator. The Senate confirmed Gina McCarthy on Thursday to head the Environmental Protection Agency, a long-awaited move that could help President Barack Obama revive his plans to fight climate change. The Senate voted 59 to 40 for McCarthy, who oversaw rules on mercury and soot pollution from power plants in her prior job as the EPA's top air official, a position she held since 2009. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/18/us-usa-senate-epa-idUSBRE96H18W20130718 http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Senate-approves-Obama-pick-McCarthy-to-head-EPA-4671783.php Fertilizer industry grows despite safety concerns. In years past, Brian Moody's efforts to bring economic development to his small Illinois town focused on modest projects: merging an old hardware store whose owner was retiring with another shop to preserve 30 jobs or pointing artists to a vacant downtown building. Now he has a bigger prospect. Cronus Chemicals wants to build a $1.2 billion plant on a nearby cornfield that would manufacture nitrogen-based fertilizer…Posted http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Fertilizer-industry-grows-despite-safety-concerns-4671819.php . OPINIONS What’s Cooler Than Cool? 78 Degrees on the A.C. For the past several years, I’ve spent some portion of the summer on a lake in the South, where the regularity of high temperatures leaves the heat rarely a subject of discussion. It is not considered a mark of lunacy, for instance, to play golf in the middle of the afternoon when it is 95 degrees with a humidity level that feels Amazonian; country clubs ventilate their greens with huge standing fans. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/nyregion/whats-cooler-than-cool.html?_r=0 RICK FARINELLI: Fuel 'experiment' puts communities at risk. When you think about county government, you usually think about things like parks, libraries, building codes and other services and rules for which your elected representatives are responsible. One thing you probably don't think of is the enormous amounts of fuel it takes keep things humming in your community. Local governments are among the largest fuel users in California. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/17/3392103/fuel-experiment-puts-communities.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS Climate Change Conundrum. The need to address climate change and reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the most prominent international policy issues of the last two decades. Governments around the world have legislated in an attempt to address this challenge, and many of these legislative measures have come at a huge cost. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/badr-jafar/climate-change-conundrum_b_3610672.html Climate Change Takes Center Stage. Climate change took center stage this week as the Senate confirmed climate and clean air champion Gina McCarthy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with strong bipartisan support. Just a few days ago, climate hero Ed Markey was sworn in as the junior Senator from Massachusetts, marking a historic week that shows growing momentum in the fight to tackle the climate crisis. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gene-karpinski/climate-change-takes-cent_b_3622973.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 12:21:55 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 22, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 22, 2013. 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 Carbon programs’ backlash in Australia, EU bode ill for U.S. efforts to fight climate change. Recent stumbles in Europe and Australia to implement ambitious climate change programs are providing a “cautionary tale” for the Obama administration and U.S. lawmakers as they consider how to fulfill President Obama’s drive to reduce U.S. greenhouse gases. A popular backlash against a carbon tax in Australia and major implementation problems with the European Union’s “cap-and-trade” carbon emissions trading program are…Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/18/carbon-programs-backlash-in-australia-eu-bode-ill-/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS#ixzz2ZnUVH4EB Morning Star joins AB 32 lawsuit; claim cap-and-trade auction is unconstitutional. Morning Star Packing Co. is one of 12 plaintiffs suing the California Air Resources Board over the state's cap-and-trade auction program enacted by the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known as AB 32. The company is represented by Pacific Legal Foundation, which filed suit in April. The state submitted its opening brief on Tuesday and the Pacific Legal Foundation will reply by Aug. 7. The next hearing is on Aug. 29. Posted. http://www.colusa-sun-herald.com/articles/star-11000-morning-auction.html Durham meeting to explain lawsuit over AB32. A free briefing is going to be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Durham Memorial Hall to explain the Pacific Legal Foundation's lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board. The suit lists Ron Cinquini Farming as one of 12 plaintiffs. The Morning Star Packing Co., located in Woodland, is the main plaintiff, but the law firm has gathered businesses and individuals throughout the state. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_23702445/durham-meeting-explain-lawsuit-over-ab32 U.S. and European Climate Policies Trail California’s. As California pushes forward on a wide range of aggressive goals to curb its contribution to climate change, the same solution that’s the centerpiece of the state’s effort — a cap-and-trade market for carbon emissions — is moving forward in a big way on the international stage. The European Union voted this month to strengthen the role of the continental cap-and-trade system. Posted. http://highbrowmagazine.com/2631-us-and-european-climate-policies-trail-california-s AIR POLLUTION Smoke plumes from Mountain fire not expected to affect Ventura County air quality. Occasional smoke plumes from Mountain fire near Idyllwild this weekend are not expected to affect Ventura County’s air quality, officials said. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District reported subtropical flow from Mexico and Arizona is causing smoke to blow overhead occasionally, but it is not expected to impact air on the ground. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/20/smoke-plumes-from-mountain-fire-near-idyllwild/ Bay Area Plan to Accommodate Population Growth, Cut Pollution Approved. A coalition of Bay Area leaders late Thursday night approved a long-term regional plan meant to accommodate population growth over the next few decades while meeting state mandates for cutting air pollution and improving access to public transportation. Posted. http://campbell.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/bay-area-plan-to-accommodate-population-growth-cut-pollution-approved_5a16a1cd CLIMATE CHANGE Folsom Lake, American River levels to hit 5-year lows. Water levels in Folsom Lake and the American River this fall will drop to levels not seen in five years as California verges on another extended drought period. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Folsom Dam, estimates the lake will fall to a storage level of 241,000 acre-feet by December. That is about one-fourth of total capacity. The lake has not reached such lows since December 2008, the last extended drought period, when it fell to as low as 199,000 acre-feet. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/22/5584513/folsom-lake-american-river-levels.html#storylink=cpy First climate rule imposed on insurers expands after a stormy start. A rare climate regulation on the U.S. insurance industry is being expanded to include additional companies, and smaller ones, in Democratic states where officials see climbing temperatures as a growing threat to the trillion-dollar sector. For the past two years, the measure required insurers that sell more than $300 million in annual premiums to disclose details about their climate preparedness to regulators in California, New York and Washington State. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984790/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Poll finds growing Republican support for Obama's climate change plan. A bipartisan national poll conducted for the Natural Resources Defense Council found that two-thirds of registered voters approve of the most controversial proposal in President Obama's recent climate change action plan. "This is something the American people are strongly behind," said Peter Altman, director of the NRDC's climate and clean air campaign. "They're behind it from both parties." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984749/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Fracking films reflect twists in drilling debate. The boom in natural gas drilling has cast two opposing documentary filmmakers in unlikely roles. Josh Fox, a liberal environmental activist, finds himself at odds with President Barack Obama. Phelim McAleer, a free-market conservative, is echoing the Democratic president's support for natural gas. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Fracking-films-reflect-twists-in-drilling-debate-4677937.php California Fracking Regulations Near Approval. For the first time in 60 years, California may be moving to pass a law to regulate the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking”. A proposal in Sacramento to change state law to monitor, regulate and track every well that uses hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has moved closer to becoming state law. Posted. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/California-Fracking-Regulations-Near-Approval-216240791.html GREEN ENERGY Advocates welcome Va. offshore wind 'milestone'. Gov. Bob McDonnell and environmental advocates are calling the auction of a leasing area off Virginia's coast for the development of wind power a milestone. The federal government scheduled the Sept. 4 auction on Monday. Eight energy companies are expected to bid on the 112,800-acre leasing area set aside for the development off wind farms. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Advocates-welcome-Va-offshore-wind-milestone-4679289.php With push from tax break, wind industry slowly moves out of the doldrums. More than six months after Congress extended a vital tax break for U.S. wind energy developers, the industry is showing signs of strengthening as electric utilities and high-profile companies such as Wal-Mart, Google, Microsoft and Apple chart their growth strategies around the use of wind and other renewable energy resources. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984746/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Carson to declare emergency stemming from Carousel tract contamination. Carson is on the verge of declaring a local emergency to spur more rapid cleanup of its environmentally contaminated Carousel housing tract, which sits on a former oil tank farm that left untold amounts of petroleum just a few feet below the neighborhood's 285 homes. The city filed a claim for damages this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Shell Oil Co. is trespassing and creating a public nuisance that is causing injury. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_23695206/carson-declare-emergency-stemming-from-carousel-tract-contamination Kettleman City toxic landfill fight might turn on finances. At the doorstep to the largest hazardous waste landfill in the West, Kettleman City has some of California's biggest pollution burdens, the state Environmental Protection Agency says. Yet a different state agency is poised to allow expansion of the hazardous waste landfill 3.5 miles west of town — a move local activists say they will fight to the end. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/20/3397933/kettleman-toxic-landfill-fight.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS Analysis: Lawyers gear up to lobby, sue as McCarthy heads to EPA. When Gina McCarthy steps into her new role as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency she will face an army of lawyers trying to sway the agency as it writes rules on power-plant emissions that will form the centerpiece of the Obama administration's climate-action plan. At least some of those lawyers are likely to lead legal challenges against the rules once they are issued. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/19/us-usa-climate-epa-lobbying-analysis-idUSBRE96I0Y120130719 Analysis: U.S. fuel export surge gives refiners surprise summer blockbuster. In the middle of July, U.S. refiners are normally doing a brisk business selling their fuel close to home, revving up output to meet peak driving demand. This year, however, they are in the midst of an unprecedented summer surge in exports of gasoline, diesel and other fuels, as the combination of cheaper shale crude and record-high biofuel credit costs open up new markets overseas. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/19/us-usa-fuel-exports-analysis-idUSBRE96I05220130719 Commentary: More voices need to be heard when setting green standards. It takes scientific know-how, investment and innovation to produce the energy efficient buildings that increasingly dot our nation’s skylines as they advance from the design table to occupied homes, offices and facilities. Chemistry and thousands of cutting-edge products, materials and innovations play leading roles in making these high- performance buildings possible. Yet this contribution is frequently overlooked or misunderstood. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/commentary-more-voices-need-to-be-heard-when-setting-green-standards/2013/07/19/4fd8200a-ed63-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html Putting more wind power on the grid. Wind farms should get a big share in the energy development zones in the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Wind turbines tend to be overshadowed by solar power projects, which get most of the attention from the public and policymakers. That's the case again in a new government plan for renewable energy projects in the California desert. Though the wind industry shouldn't get all the land it wants, the desert master plan should provide more and better space for wind farms. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-wind-energy-california-20130722,0,4212705.story Another View: Toxic waste watchdog rewards serial polluter. The state's top toxics regulator just pulled a fast one on a farming community suffering birth defects and infant deaths. The Department of Toxic Substances Control signaled it would grant a serial toxic polluter – Chemical Waste Management – a permit to expand its operations greatly at the controversial Kettleman City hazardous waste dump. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/21/5581115/toxic-waste-watchdog-rewards-serial.html#storylink=cpy The state's self-imposed fuel embargo. Our family has been in the retail gasoline business for four generations. During that time, we’ve met a lot of challenges, not the least of which were the gas lines and odd-even rationing days of the 1970s Arab oil embargo. Now we’re facing an embargo of another kind, from a source much closer to home. This time, the threat isn’t from Middle East oil sheiks but from Sacramento, in the form of the California Air Resources Board’s low- carbon fuel standard. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130721/OPINION/130719451?title=GUEST-OPINION:-The-state%27s-self-imposed-fuel-embargo California Again Leads The Way, This Time With Forest Carbon Offsets. Californians are known as innovation leaders, and once again, we are on the verge of demonstrating critical leadership. Only this time it isn’t about the Internet, social networking, reality television, venture capital or electric cars. It is about stopping tropical deforestation and supporting local communities. ‘What!?’ you say? How is the great state of California…Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2013/07/22/california-again-leads-the-way-this-time-with-forest-carbon-offsets/ BLOGS Electric vehicle sales are skyrocketing. Americans bought 40,000 new electric vehicles in the first six months of this year — more than twice the number purchased during the same period last year. And that was after sales of plug-in cars tripled from 17,000 in 2011 to 52,000 last year. Why are Americans so gung-ho on EVs? Caring about the environment is one reason. But the Energy Department highlighted another good reason on Friday when it released the plug-in sales data. Posted. http://grist.org/news/electric-vehicle-sales-are-skyrocketing/ AIR POLLUTION: CBS correspondent calls Riverside nation’s worst. As Ellen Currie watched CBS Evening News last week, up popped a comprehensive report (3 minutes, 4 seconds) on air pollution in China: Footage of murky smog. Adults and children walking the streets of Beijing in the Chinese equivalent of the burqa: Little masks covering their noses and mouths. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/07/21/air-pollution-cbs-correspondent-calls-riverside-nations-worst/ Los Angeles Becoming Electric Vehicle Rebate Heaven. Tax credits and incentives for enticing American drivers to buy electric vehicles are in the thick right now. In Los Angeles, California, in particular, you’ve got access to the $7,500 federal credit, $2,500 state rebate and now expanded and improved electric vehicle charger rebates for home, workplace and public charging through the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Posted. http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/07/los-angeles-becoming-electric-vehicle-rebate-heaven/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 16:13:33 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 23, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 23, 2013. 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 Chiapas State Government Says REDD. Is Alive And Well And Far >From 'Cancelled'| Amigos de la Tierra México, the Mexican affiliate of Friends of the Earth, sent a ripple of confusion through the environmental community on Thursday when its Chiapas office posted an error-riddled story that implied the Mexican state had “cancelled” its plans to develop a statewide regulatory regime for generating carbon credits by saving endangered rainforest. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9848§ion=news_articles&eod=1 Mexican state cancels forest offset project as Calif. mulls linkage. A controversial model for forest protection is raising concerns among environmentalists about its potential inclusion in California's cap-and-trade program. Carbon offsets, which businesses can use in place of state-issued allowances under California's economywide, first-in-the-nation trading system for greenhouse gases, are seen as a way to lower the cost of compliance by expanding the pool of potential emissions reductions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984871/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Federal court upholds Bush-era smog standard. A federal court has upheld a 2008 air pollution standard the Obama administration vowed to strengthen, but later reversed itself and kept in place. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington on Tuesday rejected arguments that the ozone standard for public health set by former President George W. Bush was either too weak or too strong. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EPA_SMOG_STANDARD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/us-usa-courts-environment-idUSBRE96M0LF20130723 Battles won, but war on smog is far from over. Most everyone who lived here in the 1950s and 1960s has teary-eyed smog stories. Ed Camarena remembers how upset his 5-year-old daughter was when she ran inside one smoggy day in 1964. They had just moved to Orange several weeks before. "She yelled, 'Who put those hills there?' pointing to some hills, only 1½ miles away," he said. They had been hidden in a veil of smog for all the time they had lived there. Posted. http://www.dailybulletin.com/ourpast/ci_23709874/battles-won-but-war-smog-is-far-from?source=rss CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change could mean extinction for Iberian lynx in 50 years. The world’s most endangered feline species may become extinct in the wild within 50 years, researchers say, a victim of climate change. A new report projects that Iberian lynx could become the first cat species in at least 2,000 years to become extinct, researchers found, largely because of the decline of the European rabbit, which makes up 80% of the cat’s diet. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-lynx-extinction-climate-change-20130722,0,7785805.story Alaska Looks for Answers in Glacier’s Summer Flood Surges. The idea that glaciers change at a glacial speed is increasingly false. They are melting and retreating rapidly all over the world. But the unpredictable flood surges at the Mendenhall Glacier, about 14 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska’s capital, are turning a jog into a sprint as global temperatures and climate variability increase. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/us/alaska-looks-for-answers-in-glaciers-summer-flood-surges.html?_r=0 Alaska's boreal forests burning more with climate change. The largest U.S. wildfires in the last decade of record-breaking blazes have been in the wilds of Alaska, where fires have blackened more than a half-million acres at a time. A new study predicts more of the same for North America’s boreal forests, the Far North belt of spruce and fir trees that extends from interior Alaska across Canada. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-alaska-boreal-forests-wildfire-20130722,0,383693.story Analysis shows heat lingering into nighttime more common in US Northwest. Most Northwest heat waves are bearable, thanks to the cool breezes that blow in at night. But according to a new analysis from the University of Washington, hot spells that linger after dark are becoming more common across the region. According to more than a century's worth of data from 39 stations across western Washington and Oregon…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/20/5582566/analysis-shows-heat-lingering.html#storylink=cpy Climate change 10,000 times faster than evolution rate. A new study finds that many vertebrate species will have to speed up their ability to evolve by 10,000 times to adapt to global warming. The scientists observed when species split into new species based on genetic data, which is a measure of their rate of evolution. John Wiens, an ecology and evolutionary biology professor at the University of Arizona, and Ignacio Quintero…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984845/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Poison ivy growing bigger and faster due to climate change. Higher temperatures and greater carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are causing poison ivy to grow faster and bigger. The plant's shiny green leaves, a staple food source for deer, bears and other animals, are becoming increasingly threatening to humans. The leaves' lacquerlike oil, called urushiol, can cause scratching and agony at the slightest contact. Poison ivy's potency has doubled since the 1960s. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984842/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Port Power Project to Reduce Greenhouse Emissions. The Port of Hueneme reached a milestone in its Shoreside Power Project when the Board of Harbor Commissioners approved a key funding agreement to help vessels plug into electrical power at berth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “This is a model of strong public policy working for the betterment of our community and region. The execution of the contract ensures the success of the project and will keep commerce moving while improving our air and quality of life…Posted. http://www.marinelink.com/news/greenhouse-project-reduce356872.aspx FUELS John Swire Buys U.K. Maker of Diesel from Used Cooking Oil. John Swire & Sons Ltd., a company that provides storage to industries including aviation and agribusiness, bought Argent Energy Group Ltd., a Scottish producer of clean diesel from used cooking oil and waste. The deal will enable Argent to replicate its business in other parts of the world, according to an e-mailed statement today from Motherwell-based Argent. The company declined to disclose the value of the purchase. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-23/john-swire-buys-u-k-maker-of-diesel-from-used-cooking-oil.html Ethanol Plummets Versus Gasoline as Returns Boost Production. Ethanol declined versus gasoline on speculation higher returns to make the fuel from a bushel of corn in the U.S. will boost production. The spread, or price difference, expanded 3.39 cents to 65.9 cents a gallon as the December corn contract on the Chicago Board of Trade touched the lowest level for a most-active contract since October 2010. One bushel of the grain makes at least 2.75 gallons of ethanol. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-07-23/ethanol-plummets-versus-gasoline-as-returns-boost-production.html Chevron to Spend $844 Million on Remote Projects. Chevron said on Tuesday that it had awarded contracts worth more than £550 million, or more than $844 million, on its planned Rosebank and Alder oil and gas development projects in British waters. If the company decides to proceed with the projects to produce oil and gas from the fields, it would wind up spending billions of pounds on platforms, drilling equipment and undersea systems. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/business/energy-environment/chevron-to-spend-770-million-on-remote-projects.html?pagewanted=print Mike Collins was raised in oil country but dreamed of living at the beach. As a young boy in Bakersfield, he accompanied his father to dusty fields dotted with derricks where he repaired the motors on oil rigs. On his bedroom wall hung a poster of a house perched atop a cliff, overlooking the ocean waves. "Justification for higher education," his mother called it. Now a psychologist, Collins bought his dream house four blocks from the seashore in tiny Hermosa Beach nearly five years ago. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hermosa-beach-oil-20130722,0,812909.story Calif. coal project has 'significant' environmental impacts – report. A proposed project in California that would capture up to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions from a coal generator has "significant" and "unresolved" issues with water use, waste management, protected species and other environmental issues, according to a document announced yesterday from the Department of Energy. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984869/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Burning all fossil fuels spells doom for humans -- Hansen report. Burning all available deposits of fossil fuels, including coal and unconventional oil and gas, will make the world unsuitable for humans, according to a new study released by James Hansen, formerly with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University Earth Institute, New York. "Burning all fossil fuels, we conclude, would make much of the planet uninhabitable by humans…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059984827/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Costa Rica slashes tax rate on hybrid vehicles. Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla signed a bill on Monday to slash taxes on hybrid cars by 20 percentage points, in a bid to cut fuel emissions in the Central American nation. The 2006 tax will be cut to 10 percent, well below the 30 to 53 percent tax rates levied on vehicles fueled exclusively by gasoline and diesel but still higher than the zero-tax status enjoyed by electric vehicles. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/costarica-autos-idUSL1N0FT01X20130723 Renault-Nissan sells its 100,000th electric car. The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 100,000th electric car globally. Renault-Nissan has sold more zero-emission cars than all other major automakers combined, the automakers noted. More than 71,000 people worldwide have bought Nissan LEAF, which made its debut in 2010; LEAF makes up more than half of all global sales of pure electric cars. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/ennissan-20130723.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Calif. seeks firms to scout high-speed rail route. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has put out a call for firms to handle engineering and surveying for its prospective route from Fresno to Bakersfield. The Fresno Bee reports (http://bit.ly/15EKPxr ) the agency issued a request last week for companies to submit their qualifications in anticipation of awarding a contract of up to $1.5 million. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588196/calif-seeks-firms-to-scout-high.html RAILYARD Sacramento's downtown railyard nears sale to local developer. Sacramento's dormant downtown railyard is on the verge of changing hands again – this time to a local developer who said he intends to finally realize the city's longtime vision of turning the former industrial hub into a major extension of downtown. The investment company that owns the yard revealed Monday it is in final talks to sell the property to a group led by Larry Kelley…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/v-print/5587390/sacramentos-downtown-railyard.html GREEN ENERGY US announces September auction date for 8 energy companies to bid on offshore wind farms. Eight energy companies will bid Sept. 4 on a lease for a vast expanse of ocean off Virginia’s coast set aside for the development of wind farms.The Bureau of Ocean Management on Monday announced the scheduled auction of 112,800 acres on the Outer Continental Shelf, 23.5 miles east of Virginia Beach. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/us-announces-september-auction-date-for-8-energy-companies-to-bid-on-offshore-va-wind-farms/2013/07/22/369fa590-f2db-11e2-8464-57e57af86290_story.html 2 wind farm projects announced in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is adding two new wind farms that will provide a combined 250 megawatts of wind energy to utilities in Arkansas and Nebraska, developers said. Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. said it's reached an agreement to sell 150 megawatts of wind energy to Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp., which is part of a cooperative that provides electricity for more than 500,000 customers. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588181/2-wind-farm-projects-announced.html#storylink=cpy EDC board OKs grant for hydropower project study. Rhode Island's economic development agency has approved a $200,000 grant for a North Kingstown company developing a hydropower project. The board of directors of the Economic Development Corp. on Monday approved the grant for JAL Hydro LLC through the agency's Renewable Energy Fund. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588473/edc-board-oks-grant-for-hydropower.html#storylink=cpy Board approves Port land acquisition. The board of commissioners of the Port of Lake Charles has approved the acquisition of nearly 19 acres of land near the Industrial Canal and west of the proposed G2X Energy lease site. The American Press reports (http://bit.ly/cseYHv ) the acreage was purchased from St. Luke Simpson Methodist Church for $300,000. The property is close enough to the ship channel for possible expansions by Houston-based G2X. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588180/board-approves-port-land-acquisition.html#storylink=cpy Researchers propose harvesting CO2 mixing energy to generate electricity. Researchers in The Netherlands are proposing a new method for harvesting electricity from CO2 emissions. In a paper in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS’) newly launched journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, they describe an approach to harvesting the mixing energy from combining the CO2 in combustion gases with air in contact with an aqueous electrolyte. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/haemlers-20130723.html Biofuels could draw $69B in investment over decade. Production of biofuels around the world is growing more slowly than anticipated, due to delays in development of some types of fuels and a fossil fuel boom in key markets, according to a new report from Navigant Research. Still, Navigant sees major growth ahead for biofuels, projecting that they will attract $69 billion in capital investment over the next 10 years. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/blog/morning-edition/2013/07/biofuels-could-draw-69b-in-investment.html MISCELLANEOUS Shuttle diplomacy under way on global aviation emissions deal. Diplomatic talks on a deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions from the global aviation industry have intensified recently as EU and U.S. officials try to stave off the threat of a trade war, lawmakers and observers said. Peter Liese, a member of the European Parliament from the conservative German Christian-Democratic Union, led a delegation to meet with Obama administration officials in Washington last week to discuss the issue. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/22/eu-aviation-emissions-idUSL1N0FS11620130722 FDA: Menthol cigarettes likely pose health risk. A Food and Drug Administration review concludes that menthol cigarettes likely pose a greater public health risk than regular cigarettes but does not make a recommendation on whether to limit or ban the minty smokes — one of the few growth sectors of the shrinking cigarette business. The federal agency released the independent review on Tuesday and is seeking input from the health community…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/23/5588641/fda-menthol-cigarettes-likely.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS RPT-COLUMN-Technology vanquishes the peak-oilers, again. The decision to shutter "The Oil Drum", the leading website devoted to peak oil, has come to symbolise the end of an era - and sparked a furious debate about whether the theory was all along based on a fundamental mistake. The site's authors and editors blamed the decision to archive it on the "scarcity of new content caused by a dwindling number of contributors," according to a statement on July 3. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/23/column-kemp-peak-oil-idUSL4N0FS39120130723 Putting more wind power on the grid. The following editorial appeared in the Los Angeles Times on Monday, July 22: Wind turbines tend to be overshadowed by solar power projects, which get most of the attention from the public and policymakers. That's the case again in a new government plan for renewable energy projects in the California desert. Though the wind industry shouldn't get all the land it wants, the desert master plan should provide more and better space for wind farms. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/23/3401056/putting-more-wind-power-on-the.html Obama's Climate Change Math Doesn't Add Up. The president's plan is about wealth distribution from red to blue states, not about carbon dioxide. All we need to know about the president's speech on climate change is revealed by what's missing: Nowhere did he tell us what effects on future temperatures or climate can be expected from his policy proposals on greenhouse gases (GHG). So let's do that math. U.S. GHG emissions are about 17 percent of global emissions. Posted. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/07/22/obamas-climate-change-plan-doesnt-add-up A Necessary Plan for Climate Action. The president understands the country can't afford to delay. Like thick smog hanging stubbornly overhead, many of the arguments against President Obama's climate change policy are stagnant, potentially dangerous and pose a serious, long-term threat to America's future. The naysayers have called the president's plan everything from "sheer fantasy" to "massive sacrifice," but they are tethered to antiquated, 20th century mindsets. Posted. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/07/22/president-obamas-climate-change-plan-is-necessary-and-timely Fireworks Causing Pollution and Bad Air. If you found yourself coughing and wheezing your way through this month, there's good reason. Our state sees some of its worst air days during the month of July and even though air managers know exactly what's causing the bad air spikes, there is no effort to stop it. Air quality managers say fireworks take a big toll on our air quality, but everything they dump into the air is protected by law. Posted. http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_5950.shtml BLOGS Jim Hansen Presses the Climate Case for Nuclear Energy. I encourage you to watch this short video interview with climate scientist and campaigner James E. Hansen, posted by the folks who brought you “Pandora’s Promise,” the flawed but valuable film arguing for a substantial role for nuclear energy in sustaining human progress without disrupting the climate. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/jim-hansen-presses-the-climate-case-for-nuclear-energy/ The Kitchen as a Pollution Hazard. By midmorning, the smell of hot peanut oil dissipated and inside the tightly sealed laboratory known as Building 51F, a pink hamburger sizzled in a pan over a raging gas flame. Overhead, fans whirred, whisking caustic smoke up through a metallic esophagus of ductwork. Woody Delp, 49, a longhaired engineer in glasses — the Willie Nelson of HVAC — supervised the green bean and hamburger experiments. Posted. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/the-kitchen-as-a-pollution-hazard/ Australian Carbon Tax to Go – What Lessons Can Be Learned? There are three things governments can do in order to address carbon emissions. Firstly, they can do nothing, which is the position the U.S. Federal government has taken, since the U.S. Congress has no appetite for pricing carbon. Secondly, governments can create a carbon marketplace, such as the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), and California’s cap and trade program…Posted. http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/07/australian-carbon-tax-abandoned/ Solar and wind surge, but dirty energy still dominates, as this nifty chart shows. Solar energy production in the U.S. jumped by 49 percent last year, and wind energy by 16 percent. But these clean sources of energy are still just thin lines on this cool flowchart that shows how America’s energy was produced in 2012, reminding us how much work lies ahead in shifting to a renewable and clean economy…Posted. http://grist.org/news/solar-and-wind-surge-but-dirty-energy-still-dominates-as-this-nifty-chart-shows/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:13:17 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 24, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 24, 2013. 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 RESOURCES BOARD State fines firms for gas report violations. Nine companies have been fined nearly $300,000 by the California Air Resources Board for violations of the state's mandatory greenhouse gas reporting rule. The rule requires facilities, including those covered by California's cap-and-trade regulation, to report greenhouse gas emissions. Facilities that emit more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually must report. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/24/5590498/state-fines-firms-for-gas-report.html#storylink=cpy HIGH SPEED RAIL Watchdog questions ethics of Valadao's opposition to high-speed rail. A Washington watchdog organization wants the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate Hanford Republican David Valadao over his moves to oppose California's high-speed rail project. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/23/3402256/citizens-group-seeks-ethics-investigation.html#storylink=cpy AIR POLLUTION State fines firms for gas report violations. Nine companies have been fined nearly $300,000 by the California Air Resources Board for violations of the state's mandatory greenhouse gas reporting rule. The rule requires facilities, including those covered by California's cap-and-trade regulation, to report greenhouse gas emissions. Facilities that emit more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually must report. ARB said the reporting compliance rate for 2012 was 97 percent. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/24/5590498/state-fines-firms-for-gas-report.html#storylink=cpy Bakersfield pollution again ranked nation's worst. American Lung Association executives delivered perennial bad news Tuesday but with a dose of encouragement: Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley still have some of the nation's worst air quality, but there are points of improvement. Bakersfield-Delano ranked first in the nation for short-term and annual particle pollution, and third in ozone pollution in the Lung Association's "State of the Air 2013" report. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/health/x411129616/Bakersfield-pollution-again-ranked-nations-worst Indonesia Prepares Cloud Seeding as Haze Returns. Indonesia has prepared planes to artificially induce rain as neighboring Singapore and Malaysia raised concern that a resurgence in Sumatran forest fires has begun engulfing parts of Southeast Asia with haze again. Satellite images showed the number of fire hotspots in the Sumatran province of Riau rose to 185 today from 165 yesterday, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster management agency, said by text message. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-23/indonesia-prepares-cloud-seeding-as-haze-returns.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324144304578623484141089730.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution Cleaner air, but Lafarge kiln project put off until 2017. Lafarge, which operates a large cement factory in Ravena, will be allowed to delay the construction of new pollution control systems in exchange for agreeing to cut emissions even more than it had previously promised. More than two years ago, Lafarge reached a legal settlement with both state and federal officials to dramatically reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide at its plants in Ravena and elsewhere in the state. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Cleaner-air-but-Lafarge-kiln-project-put-off-4682470.php CLIMATE CHANGE Arctic Ice-Melt Cost Seen Equal to Year of World Economic Output. The cost to the world from melting Arctic ice is equal to almost a year of global economic output as releasing methane trapped in the frozen continent leads to extreme weather, flooding and droughts, scientists said. The methane emissions are an “economic time-bomb” that may cost $60 trillion from effects on the climate, according to research published today by the University of Cambridge and the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-24/arctic-ice-melt-cost-seen-equal-to-year-of-world-economic-output.html 'Don't Fund Evil': Google HQ Targeted for Climate Change Protest. In the wake of recent revelations that Google, the Bay Area-based search engine giant, is supporting one of the most stubborn climate change denialists in the Senate, climate activists plan are planning a demonstration Wednesday at Google's headquarters in Mountain View. Their message will be a poke at Google's much-vaunted informal corporate credo: "Don't Fund Evil." Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/climate-change/climate-protest-to-remind-google-dont-fund-evil.html China Weighs Environmental Costs. China is rethinking how it manages its economy, as mounting evidence reveals the heavy toll that unbridled growth has had on the environment and on health.The government said recently it would name and shame China's dirtiest cities as well as force factories to disclose environmental standards publicly, in an attempt to bring them into line. It also set a target of cutting emissions intensity in key industries by 30% by 2017's end. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324879504578597462908226052.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution FUELS U.S. Natural Gas Futures Decline the Third Time in Four Days. Natural gas futures declined for the third time in four days in New York. Gas for August delivery fell as much as 0.7 percent to $3.717 per million British thermal units in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $3.720 at 11:31 a.m. Singapore time. The contract rose 1.8 percent yesterday to $3.743 on speculation that a heat wave last week reduced U.S. stockpile gains. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-24/u-s-natural-gas-futures-decline-the-third-time-in-four-days.html Chevron Draws Europe Toward Natural Gas Independence: Energy. Chevron Corp. (CVX) is betting it can win over eastern Europeans with the idea of energy independence even after dry wells and government delays led Exxon Mobil Corp. and Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM) to scrap efforts to tap natural gas deposits in Polish shale. Bringing shale drilling to Europe from North America promises to help the region ease years of dependence on Russian fuel and hurts the Kremlin’s ambition to secure the country’s future as an energy superpower. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-23/chevron-anticipates-europeans-prefer-fracking-to-putin-energy.html VEHICLES Ford plans own truck hybrid system after split with Toyota. Ford Motor Co., gaining on hybrid car sales leader Toyota Motor Corp., said Tuesday it will end a partnership with Japan's largest automaker to develop gasoline- electric systems for pickups and sport-utility vehicles. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_23722002/ford-plans-own-truck-hybrid-system-after-split?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com GREEN ENERGY Renewable Energy Systems Wins Approval for U.K. Biomass Plant. Renewable Energy Systems Ltd., a power plant developer, won approval from the U.K. government to build a 99.9 megawatt biomass facility at Blyth Harbor in Northumberland. The Department of Energy and Climate Change said the unit developed by the company’s subsidiary North Blythe Energy Ltd. will generate enough electricity for 170,000 homes a year, the equivalent of all the homes in Northumberland. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-24/renewable-energy-systems-wins-approval-for-u-k-biomass-plant.html Navy's Clean-Energy Push to Get Focus at Hearing. The Navy's efforts to wean itself off oil, boost renewable energy and deal with climate change will come under sharp scrutiny Thursday as the nominee to be in charge of Navy energy affairs goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Retired Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn was tapped in early July to become the Navy's assistant secretary of energy, installations and the environment. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323971204578626064086241422.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Houses of the rising sun: Developers build homes that make more energy than they take. These “zero-net energy” homes will feature thick walls, solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling systems, meaning families should be able to generate more energy over a year than they consume. These homes under construction 70 miles north of New York City have costly green features. But the builders believe they are in tune with consumers increasingly concerned about the environment and fuel costs. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/houses-of-the-rising-sun-developers-build-homes-that-make-more-energy-than-they-take/2013/07/24/ddf4d6da-f42a-11e2-81fa-8e83b3864c36_story.html O’Malley expected to propose aggressive new standards for renewable energy use. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) will propose more-ambitious targets for renewable-energy use in a speech on climate change Thursday, according to people who have seen drafts of his plan. O’Malley is expected to propose boosting the state’s renewable portfolio standard, requiring utilities to make renewables 25 percent of their mix of electricity generation by 2020, up from the current target of 20 percent by 2022. Posted.http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/omalley-expected-to-propose-aggressive-new-standards-for-renewable-energy-use/2013/07/23/f8d55080-f3c9-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story.html MISCELLANEOUS Louisiana Agency to Sue Energy Companies for Wetland Damage. Louisiana officials will file a lawsuit on Wednesday against dozens of energy companies, hoping that the courts will force them to pay for decades of damage to fragile coastal wetlands that help buffer the effects of hurricanes on the region. “This protective buffer took 6,000 years to form,” the state board that oversees flood-protection efforts for much of the New Orleans area argued in court filings, adding that “it has been brought to the brink of destruction over the course of a single human lifetime.” Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/us/louisiana-agency-to-sue-energy-companies-for-wetland-damage.html?ref=earth OPINION A Carbon Tax by Any Other Name. The headlines last week were dramatic: Australia abandons its carbon tax. The move seemed to confirm suspicions that putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions is politically toxic. The reality, experts say, is more nuanced. Australia has not abandoned its commitment to reducing climate-warming emissions. And carbon tax systems, while rare and rife with controversy, retain a firm foothold in a number of advanced economies. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/business/global/a-carbon-tax-by-any-other-name.html?_r=0 BLOGS Jim Hansen Presses the Climate Case for Nuclear Energy. I encourage you to watch this short video interview with climate scientist and campaigner James E. Hansen, posted by the folks who brought you “Pandora’s Promise,” the flawed but valuable film arguing for a substantial role for nuclear energy in sustaining human progress without disrupting the climate. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/23/jim-hansen-presses-the-climate-case-for-nuclear-energy/?ref=earth SOLAR POWER: Local projects recognized. Western Municipal Water District unveiled 4,000 solar panels at its operations facility off El Sobrante Road in Riverside earlier this month. The system, which will produce almost 1 megawatt of electricity, is expected to save about $4.6 million over 20 years and eliminate annual carbon dioxide emissions equal to 3,560 cars. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/07/24/solar-power-local-projects-recognized/ BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 14:19:23 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 25, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 25, 2013. 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 Trading Halt Shows UN Carbon System in Jeopardy: Energy Markets. An unprecedented freeze in United Nations carbon trading is fanning speculation the five-year-old market designed to combat greenhouse-gas emissions in poor countries is in danger of becoming superfluous. Not a single UN Certified Emission Reduction, or CER, changed hands on July 22 and July 23, according to data from ICE Futures Europe, keeping the market on course for the lowest monthly aggregate volume since March 2008. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-25/trading-halt-shows-un-carbon-system-in-jeopardy-energy-markets.html AIR POLLUTION State newspaper says China will spend $275 billion to cut pollution in Beijing, nearby areas. China will spend $275 billion to tackle air pollution over the next five years, a state newspaper reported Thursday, highlighting how the issue has become a priority for the leadership. The amount is more than the total economic output of Hong Kong last year and underlines how the government is eager to bring about a visible improvement in China’s bad air…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/state-newspaper-says-china-launches-275b-effort-to-cut-air-pollution-in-beijing-nearby-areas/2013/07/25/14d8c5ca-f50d-11e2-81fa-8e83b3864c36_story.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/25/2825140/state-newspaper-china-to-spend.html#storylink=cpy http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57595510/china-says-it-will-spend-$275b-to-tackle-pollution/ Delaware refinery faces penalty for air pollution. Delaware's environmental secretary has issued more than half a million dollars in penalties against the Delaware City oil refinery for air pollution violations. An order announced Wednesday calls for a cash penalty of $460,200 and another $69,000 to reimburse the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for investigation expenses. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/24/2823649/delaware-refinery-faces-penalty.html#storylink=cpy Appeals court rules EPA notice of violation not enough to deny plant permit. A preliminary U.S. EPA notice of violation of the Clean Air Act is not sufficient grounds for a citizens group to force the agency to deny a power plant its operating permit, federal judges ruled this week in a case involving a large coal-fired unit in Colorado. At issue in the case before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is Xcel Energy Inc.'s permit for its Pawnee plant in Morgan County, Colo. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059985064/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Models tell an incomplete carbon story, says scientist. A new study suggests that global carbon models are getting it wrong when it comes to soil carbon. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is expected to rise steadily through the end of the century. This is good news for plants and trees, which thrive on CO2 and can serve as important sinks to absorb carbon and mitigate climate change. But a higher level of carbon dioxide is likely to have the opposite effect on carbon stored in soils…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985012/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Beijing's bad air could open the door for climate change agreements -- State Department. The dark haze of record-setting air pollution that has choked Beijing for months could provide an inroad for further U.S.-China negotiations on climate change, a top Department of State official said yesterday. Testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Daniel Reifsnyder…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985039/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Antarctica permafrost melt spurred by solar radiation boost. Accelerated melting of buried ice in a dry valley of Antarctica may be a harbinger for widespread thawing of permafrost at Earth’s far latitudes as worldwide climate patterns change, according to a new study. The tenfold increase from ancient melt rates evident in a dry valley near McMurdo Bay over little more than a decade comes despite a local two-decade cooling trend. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-antarctica-ice-melt-20130724-dto,0,2931766.htmlstory O'Malley to release greenhouse gas reduction plan. Gov. Martin O'Malley is scheduled to release a greenhouse gas reduction plan. The governor is attending a summit on climate change in Linthicum Heights on Thursday. O'Malley, a Democrat, hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent in the state by 2020. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/24/2824959/omalley-to-release-greenhouse.html#storylink=cpy Global warming could spell more bad news for baby seals. New research shows that male baby harp seals are particularly vulnerable to strandings that sweep them from the Arctic down to the US East Coast. Researchers have delivered more bad news for the harp seal – this time for male babies. Harp seals, with their wide, amused-looking black eyes and earless, white faces, are often poster children for the toll that climate change is taking on the world. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0725/Global-warming-could-spell-more-bad-news-for-baby-seals FUELS Natural gas fire continues to burn after well blowout. A fire from a natural gas well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico may keep burning for several days. Some officials say any environmental damage is likely to be minimal. Fire, fueled by a natural gas well blowout about 55 miles off the Louisiana coast, burned into the evening Wednesday, as emergency workers assessed how to stem the out-of-control leak and extinguish the blaze that collapsed part of the rig. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gas-well-leak-20130725,0,5223415,print.story http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-louisiana-gas-rig-flames-ease-20130725,0,1533482.story http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985010/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Lawmaker, others say state oversight of oil field fracking is lacking. Environmentalists including a lawmaker criticized state regulators Wednesday for not adequately tracking and overseeing fracking activity in California oil fields. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves the injection of water and chemicals into the ground to stimulate production in oil wells. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-lawmaker-others-blast-state-oversight-of-fracking-20130724,0,3203489.story Is the future bright for shale oil? Depends on whom you ask. Has the shale oil boom fundamentally changed the nation's energy supply, or is it just a temporary blip in a longer trend of declining production? There are plenty of experts on either side of this debate, all armed with statistics and anecdotal evidence to back up their claims. But it's an argument that's likely to continue so long as the U.S. oil and gas industry struggles to understand the long-range decline profile of the thousands of new shale and tight oil wells it is drilling. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985001/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Battery-powered cars will be the cheapest to own within a decade – report. The cost of batteries for electric vehicles is expected to drop by half and battery electric vehicles with 100-mile range will be the cheapest car to own and operate in less than a decade, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the Electrification Coalition. The study on the state of the electric vehicle (EV) market projects that lithium-ion batteries, the most expensive component of EVs…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059985068/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Southwestern solar development heats up. Arizona-based First Solar Inc. will build three new utility-scale solar arrays for New Mexico's largest power provider, boosting Public Service Co. of New Mexico's total solar capacity to 67 megawatts, or enough to power roughly 16,000 homes in the state. The new plants, expected to come online in 2014, will add 23 MW of solar energy to PNM's grid. They also will boost the number of utility-scale solar plants owned by PNM to eight, accounting for 44 MW of capacity, according to the Albuquerque-based utility. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985011/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Alberta beset by lax enforcement of environmental rules – report. Less than 1 percent of the violations by oil sands producers get penalized by regulators in Alberta, according to a new report put out by an environmental group that examined 9,000 environmental contamination cases in the province between 1996 and 2012. Over this period, oil sands facilities violated laws or their permit requirements at least 4,063 times, with two facilities…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985045/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS LA gets the bragging rights on snagging federal transportation dollars. Last year’s multi-year transportation bill includes a billion dollars a year in new loans. Today, transportation officials from around the country asked Congress: Where’s the money? But Southern California need not worry: transit projects here are sitting pretty. Texas officials complained to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that the Department of Transportation is taking too long to hand out the money…Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2013/07/24/14352/la-gets-the-bragging-rights-on-snagging-federal-tr/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 12:11:59 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 26, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 26, 2013. 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 Can California Cap and Trade if Brussels Stumbles? Last week, the European Parliament rejected a proposal to reduce the quantity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions allowances in order to fix a supply-demand imbalance in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Some view this as the beginning of the end of the European Union’s ten-year carbon cap-and-trade experiment. A high profile failure of the EU ETS is likely to provide ammunition to critics California’s cap-and-trade program. Posted. http://www.natlawreview.com/article/can-california-cap-and-trade-if-brussels-stumbles Carbon price unlikely to pass Congress but necessary to drive clean technology, experts say. Pricing carbon may be the single most important thing the government can do to drive clean technology and is a necessary but not sufficient condition for mitigating climate change, according to experts. Many of the emerging systems that curb greenhouse gas emissions and displace fossil fuels show promise in the laboratory and at small scales but are too expensive for prime time. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985112/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Proposal addresses pollution at Navajo coal plant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants haze-causing nitrogen oxide emissions reduced by 84 percent at a coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Nation, but a group meeting over the past few months on the proposal says it can do better. An alternative plan to be submitted Friday to the EPA would shut down one of three 750-megawatt units at the Navajo Generating Station near Page by 2020, cutting pollution beyond what the EPA has proposed. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/26/5597403/proposal-addresses-pollution-at.html#storylink=cpy State amends GPC lawsuit over pollution controls. The state has amended a lawsuit filed against Grain Processing Corp. in Muscatine with additional allegations the company failed to obtain certain air permits or and didn't report all air pollutants. Attorney General Tom Miller said Thursday that a trial begins in September on the lawsuit originally filed in December 2011. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/25/5596813/state-amends-gpc-lawsuit-over.html#storylink=cpy State targets off-road vehicle smog. The California Air Resources Board Thursday moved to tighten pollution controls on most new off-road vehicles even while they sit idle in the garage. The regulation will start with 2018 models and is to be phased in over four years, potentially costing buyers 4 percent to 9 percent more. Existing vehicles are exempt. San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who also sits on the state air board, voted to support the regulation. It passed unanimously. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/25/air-board-targets-off-road-vehicle-smog/ Heatwaves increase ozone pollution danger, study finds. With more ozone pollution in the air from reduced absorption from plants, the study by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)’s York Centre estimates that this cost the lives of 460 people in the UK during the hot summer of 2006. The research found that ozone pollution from traffic fumes, industrial processes…Posted. http://www.airqualitynews.com/2013/07/26/heatwaves-increase-ozone-pollution-danger-study-finds/ EPA identifies 29 nonattainment areas for SO2 standard. U.S. EPA has designated 29 areas in 16 states as "nonattainment" areas for being in violation of the national air quality standard for sulfur dioxide. The areas were found to be in violation of the 2010 SO2 rule, which set a limit of 75 parts per billion averaged over an hour. Those areas must now develop a state implementation plan within 18 months to reduce the pollution and get below the standard. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059985133/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Deal struck for slashing emissions at West's largest coal-fired power plant. Operators of the largest coal-fired power plant in the West announced an agreement today with the Department of the Interior and environmental groups that will reduce air pollution by quantities greater than U.S. EPA had sought. Under the proposal by a technical working group, the 2,250-megawatt Navajo Generating Station in Arizona will close one coal-fired unit at the power plant by 2020…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059985144/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE What Can Plants Reveal About Global Climate Change? Recently, climate change, including global warming, has been a "hot" news item as many regions of the world have experienced increasingly intense weather patterns, such as powerful hurricanes and extended floods or droughts. Often the emphasis is on how such extreme weather impacts humans, from daily heat index warnings to regulating CO2 emissions. Posted. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130726112209.htm Dems’ recess game plan: Push climate message. The White House, congressional Democrats and their allies are plotting an August recess offensive to promote President Barack Obama’s climate change plan and head off Republican opposition. The full-court press shows that liberals have learned from past August congressional recesses, when Republicans, aided by the tea party, out organized Democrats and managed to demonize cap and trade and blame them for high gas prices. Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/dems-recess-game-plan-push-climate-message-94773.html#ixzz2aAoM3UJh Appeals court rejects Texas, industry challenge to EPA's GHG implementation rules. Federal judges today rejected arguments from Texas and industry groups that U.S. EPA unlawfully forced states to adopt its greenhouse gas rules on an inappropriately short timeline. In two cases, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that EPA was only carrying out a "self-executing" part of the Clean Air Act that was triggered when greenhouse gases were added to the program as a pollutant. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059985141/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Pollution regulators set sights on off-road vehicles. The California Air Resources Board Thursday moved to tighten pollution controls on most new off-road vehicles even while they sit idle in the garage. The regulation will start with 2018 models and is to be phased in over four years, potentially costing buyers 4 percent to 9 percent more. Existing vehicles are exempt. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/26/tp-pollution-regulators-set-sights-on-off-road/ Some reefer owners are eligible for time extension. Some reefer owners may be eligible for a time extension in order to comply with the latest emissions requirements enforced under California’s Transportation Refrigeration Unit Regulation. The California Air Resources Board recently notified reefer owners that owners of reefers or TRU gen sets can apply for a compliance deadline extension in order to meet California’s Ultra-Low-Emission TRU (ULETRU) requirements for model year 2003 and older engines. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25496 FUELS Oil falls back to near $104 a barrel. The price of oil surrendered some of its recent gains Friday, falling back to near $104 a barrel, as concerns over China's decision to press ahead with painful economic restructuring offset upbeat U.S. economic news. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for September delivery was down $1.19 to $104.30 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 10 cents to $105.49 on Thursday. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Canada Oil Firm Still Unable to Stop Leaks. Four Separate Leaks Reported at Air-Force Base in Alberta. Canada's largest independent oil producer has been unable to stop a series of leaks from underground wells, according to regulators in Alberta, raising questions about a technology the industry has championed as less environmentally disruptive than the open-pit mining of oil sands. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323971204578626273811559896.html Fracking fuels opportunity in Mexico. Parent company Sempra and Mexico’s IEnova well positioned to profit from natural gas transport. Mexico’s energy landscape is rapidly being transformed by the boom in U.S. natural gas production — and no company may be better poised to profit than a Mexico unit of San Diego-based utility holding company Sempra Energy. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/26/fracking-fuels-opportunity-Mexico/ Calif. needs rules that learn from problems elsewhere – experts. California must act now to protect water, land and residents before unconventional oil and gas drilling expands significantly, experts said yesterday at a Los Angeles forum. The Golden State has been behind the curve, with no current regulations in place to monitor hydraulic fracturing. That is expected to change in the coming months, so advocates need to press for what they want…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985118/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Rosy outlook for natural gas in EIA report. Natural gas will be the world's fastest-growing fossil fuel through 2040, according to an Energy Information Administration report released yesterday. The EIA's "International Energy Outlook 2013" predicted a 1.7 percent annual increase in worldwide gas consumption over the next 27 years, meaning the fuel will continue to represent about a quarter of overall energy use. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985096/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Natural gas vehicles make inroads in Canada. Canada's first liquefied natural gas station opened just four months ago, but the alternative fuel has already turned heads in the country's trucking sector. Natural gas prices have plunged since the North American shale renaissance unlocked vast new supplies in the late 2000s, leaving per-gallon-equivalent prices at the pump up to $2 cheaper than oil-based fuels. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985095/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY USDA to roll out controversial sugar purchase program. The Agriculture Department on Monday will roll out a program that allows the government to buy up excess sugar in the marketplace and sell it to ethanol producers. The Feedstock Flexibility Program is one of several actions the department is taking this year to combat sugar prices that have fallen nearly 12 percent since December. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059985138/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Electric cars could be cost-competitive with gas-powered in 2017. The cost of owning an electric car is wriggling its way down to becoming competitive with its gas-powered peers, according to new projections by the Electrification Coalition. Representatives from the Washington, D.C., advocacy group said during a conference call Thursday that short-range plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are already cost competitive with cars powered by internal combustion engines, as well as hybrid electric vehicles. The recent analysis assumed five years of ownership and about 14,000 miles driven each year. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-car-ownership-2017-20130725,0,6639649.story Valley air district offering grants to buy low-polluting vehicles. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is accepting applications for grants to help public agencies purchase alternative-fuel vehicles. Cities, counties and public education institutions, along with water and irrigation districts in the Valley, can receive up to $20,000 per vehicle and up to $100,000 a year from the air district. Posted. http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20130726/NEWS01/307260021/Valley-air-district-offering-grants-buy-low-polluting-vehicles GREEN ENERGY Californians Consider a Future Without a Nuclear Plant for a Neighbor. Residents of this quiet Orange County beach community often all but forgot about the hulking nuclear plant just south of the city limits. But reminders, while infrequent, were jarring. The governor’s office mailed residents potassium iodide pills, to take in case of a radioactive leak. Emergency sirens occasionally sounded in the middle of the night (false alarms, residents were told). Posted. . http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/us/californians-consider-a-future-without-a-nuclear-plant-for-a-neighbor.html?ref=science&pagewanted=print Camarillo reaffirms partnership with energy alliance. The Camarillo City Council reaffirmed its partnership with the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance on Wednesday, allowing the city to continue participating in energy conservation and education programs. The alliance is run by a joint powers authority consisting of representatives from the county and Fillmore, Oxnard, Santa Paula…Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/25/camarillo-reaffirms-partnership-with-energy/?print=1 Here's how some states are trying to bolster the energy grid. Kansas is undoubtedly a windy state, but it is not yet the “Saudi Arabia of Wind' that Republican Gov. Sam Brownback wants it to be. Kansas has more wind energy potential than any state except Texas, but eight states generate more total megawatts of wind power — even as Brownback and his legislature have taken steps to boost Kansas's wind industry. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_23737278/heres-how-some-states-are-trying-bolster-energy?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_23737278/heres-how-some-states-are-trying-bolster-energy?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Mojave Mirrors: World's Largest Solar Plant Ready to Shine. The Ivanpah Valley of the Mojave Desert in California is home to spiky yucca trees, long-nosed leopard lizards, loggerhead shrikes, and a rare species of tortoise—and soon, the largest solar thermal energy plant in the world. More than six years in the making, the Ivanpah plant is now slated to begin generating power before summer's end. Posted. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/07/130725-ivanpah-solar-energy-mojave-desert/ MISCELLANEOUS California power prices up 59 percent after nuke shutdown. Federal number crunchers say the shutdown of the seaside San Onofre nuclear plant is partially to blame for a 59 percent increase in wholesale electricity prices for California during the first half of the year. The Energy Information Administration says the closure also caused a "large and unusual separation" in power prices between the northern and southern parts of the state. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_23729799/california-power-prices-up-59-percent-after-nuke?source=rss Car cleanup event slated for Saturday. Valley CAN (Clean Air Now) and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District will hold a Tune In and Tune Up car cleanup event Saturday, including emissions testing and vouchers for vehicles that do not pass. The event does not take the place of a legally required smog test, but it does give residents some idea if their vehicle is likely to pass the real test, and if not, they will be eligible for as much as $500 in financial assistance to make needed repairs. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130726/A_NEWS/307260313 MIC on CARB OHV Evaporative Emissions. Today, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted regulations to control evaporative emissions from off-highway recreational vehicles (OHRVs), including off-highway motorcycles (OHMs), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs), sometimes called UTVs or side-by-sides. For the past seven years while these regulations were being developed…Posted. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/669/16719/Motorcycle-Article/MIC-on-CARB-OHV-Evaporative-Emissions.aspx OPINIONS Reduce U.S. Carbon Emissions To Zero, And The Temperature Decrease By 2100 Will Be Undetectable. A year ago former Republican congressman Bob Inglis famously predicted the facts on global warming will “overwhelm” GOP resistance to climate change action, and alter the party’s stance. In response, he proposed a carbon tax. Thanks to this, we provide you with a calculator that may overwhelm the entire notion. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmichaels/2013/07/25/reduce-u-s-carbon-emissions-to-zero-and-the-temperature-decrease-by-2100-will-be-undetectable/ BLOGS The positive economic impact of a carbon tax in, uh, hang on … 10 charts. There is no federal carbon tax coming to the U.S. any time soon, not as long as a revanchist, reactionary bunch of fruitbats runs the Republican Party and gerrymanders itself a decade-long House majority. (Ahem.) But just as an intellectual exercise, if nothing else, let’s take note of the fact that warnings about the calamitous effects of a carbon tax are nonsense. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/the-positive-economic-impact-of-a-carbon-tax-in-uh-hang-on-10-charts/ Refocusing the Debate in Congress on Climate Change. Nobody wants climate change to be real. It's scary. It's hard. We would all much rather it wasn't happening. But denial is a costly proposition. Just ask the insurance industry. Last week, at the Senate's first hearing on the issue since President Obama rolled out his comprehensive plan to respond to climate change, insurance representatives voiced concern about the recent spike in severe weather. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phaedra-ellislamkins/refocusing-the-debate-in_b_3655194.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 12:49:33 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 29, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 29, 2013. 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 Carbon Capture and Storage: Is There a Future? And is it all about the money? Carbon dioxide emission reduction is moving to the forefront of priorities in many jurisdictions to combat climate change and maintain environmental stability. In the European Union, the major goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% compared to the 1990 levels in all 28 Member States by 2050. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/07/29/carbon-capture-and-storage-is-there-a-future/ AIR POLLUTION Sacramento area passes federal standard on air particulates. The Sacramento region complies with the federal air quality standard for fine particle pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined this month. After the federal agency tightened its fine particle standard in 2006, Sacramento became one of the few areas in the country with dirty air under EPA rules. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/27/5600477/sacramento-area-passes-federal.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/27/2829184/sacramento-area-passes-federal.html#storylink=cpy Settlement reached in Fairbanks boiler dispute. The smoke has cleared in a court battle over two wood boilers across the street from a Fairbanks elementary school. Andrew and Gloria Straughn have agreed to a settlement with the state in which they will pay a $12,000 penalty and replace the wood boilers with oil-fired boilers, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Saturday (http://is.gd/aYIID7). Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Settlement-reached-in-Fairbanks-boiler-dispute-4690985.php CLIMATE CHANGE After Delayed Vote, E.P.A. Gains a Tough Leader to Tackle Climate Change. When Lisa P. Jackson announced at the end of last year that she was stepping down as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, President Obama faced a choice. He could play it safe by appointing her deputy or he could confront Congress head-on and signal a strong commitment to tackling climate change by appointing the agency’s head of air quality, Gina McCarthy. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/us/politics/after-delayed-vote-epa-gains-a-tough-leader-to-tackle-climate-change.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Al Gore training thousands of 'climate leaders' to fight global warming. The nation's leading climate change advocate, former Vice President Al Gore, is creating a mini army of "climate leaders" to push governments and companies around the world to adopt policies aimed at reducing global warming. On Wednesday in Chicago Gore will host his second "climate reality leadership corps training" this year where his Climate Reality Project will show supporters how to talk about the issue and push for solutions to carbon burning. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/al-gore-training-thousands-of-climate-leaders-to-fight-global-warming/article/2533610 New EPA chief to speak at Harvard Law. The Environmental Protection Agency says its new administrator will be at Harvard Law School to make her first public remarks since the U.S. Senate confirmed her appointment. EPA Chief Gina McCarthy will speak at the school on Tuesday morning. She is expected to talk about her commitment to President Barack Obama's plan to reduce carbon pollution and address the impacts of climate change. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/New-EPA-chief-to-speak-at-Harvard-Law-4693083.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/29/5604880/new-epa-chief-to-speak-at-harvard.html Previous rapid sea-level rise may show 'tipping point' for accelerated ice shelf melt. A few hundred thousand years ago, scientists know that global temperatures were similar to today's -- maybe a bit warmer. While researchers understand a fair amount about global temperatures and carbon dioxide during that period, called the last interglacial period, they understand less about the higher sea levels that were present during that time. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985164/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Traditional climate models neglect important soil carbon factors – study. Imagine a bowl of candy in front of a house on Halloween night. It could be filled with tasty chocolate bars or stale candy corn. There could be 10 children trick-or-treating in the neighborhood or 100. And the weather may be a balmy 75 degrees, or it could be raining heavily. The speed at which the candy bowl empties depends on all of these factors. It's also an analogy for soil carbon pools…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985172/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists puzzle over the changing rate of emission from thawing permafrost. The rate at which the Arctic region releases massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere may hinge on the amount of water within thawing permafrost, according to a new study. The repercussions of the findings are broad: The polar region is warming faster than the rest of the globe, allowing long-stored carbon in soil to reach the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. About 50 percent of estimated below-ground organic carbon sits in Northern Hemisphere permafrost. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985202/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS UPS rolls out 40 new zero-emissions delivery trucks in CA. The UPS San Bernardino Distribution Center unveiled one of the largest deployments of zero-emissions delivery trucks last week. A partnership that includes Electric Vehicles International, UPS and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, as well as representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, West Coast Collaborative, California Energy Commission and the California Air Resources Board, celebrated the arrival of the 40 new zero-emissions delivery trucks at the distribution center on July 16. Posted. http://fleetowner.com/running-green/ups-rolls-out-40-new-zero-emissions-delivery-trucks-ca FUELS Obama Says He’ll Evaluate Pipeline Project Depending on Pollution. President Obama said in an interview that he would evaluate construction of the Keystone XL pipeline on the basis of whether it would significantly contribute carbon to the atmosphere. But he mocked Republicans’ arguments that the approval of the pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast, would create many jobs in the United States. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/us/politics/obama-says-hell-evaluate-pipeline-project-depending-on-pollution.html?ref=earth Internal EPA report highlights disputes over fracking and well water. An EPA staff report suggests methane from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, contaminated wells near Dimock, Pa., but the agency says the water's safe to drink. One year ago, the Environmental Protection Agency finished testing drinking water in Dimock, Pa., after years of complaints by residents who suspected that nearby natural gas production had fouled their wells. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-epa-dimock-20130728,0,4847442.story Hydraulic fracturing proposal draws attention. A proposal to drill as many as 500 wells in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula by using hydraulic fracturing is attracting attention and criticism from environmentalists. Encana Corp., which has drilled about a dozen wells since 2009, has proposed the new wells, The Detroit News reported (http://bit.ly/1aSiZB5 ), and spokesman Doug Hock says the company is "in the early stages" of new drilling in Michigan. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Hydraulic-fracturing-proposal-draws-attention-4692992.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/29/5604556/hydraulic-fracturing-proposal.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/29/2832528/hydraulic-fracturing-proposal.html#storylink=cpy Some say industry arrogance fueled fracking anger. The boom in oil and gas fracking has led to jobs, billions in royalties and profits, and even some environmental gains. But some experts say arrogance, a lack of transparency and poor communication on the part of the drilling industry have helped fuel public anger over the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. "It's a big issue for the industry. I have called for greater transparency. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Some-say-industry-arrogance-fueled-fracking-anger-4691823.php China opens pipeline to bring gas from Myanmar. China has switched on a pipeline bringing natural gas from Myanmar, a state company said Monday, in a project that has raised concerns in Myanmar's nascent civil society about whether its giant neighbor's resource grabs will benefit local people. The 793-kilometer (493-mile) pipeline connects the Bay of Bengal with southwest China's Yunnan province and is expected to transfer 12 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China annually…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/China-opens-pipeline-to-bring-gas-from-Myanmar-4692797.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/28/china-opens-pipeline-to-bring-gas-from-myanmar/ Texas oilman, fracking pioneer Mitchell dies at 94. George P. Mitchell leveraged a penchant for hard work, an appetite for risk and dogged persistence in the face of futility into a technological breakthrough that reshaped the global energy industry and made the wildcat oilman a billionaire. Mitchell, the developer and philanthropist who also is considered the father of fracking, doggedly pursued natural gas he and others knew were trapped in wide, thin layers of rock deep underground. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Texas-oilman-fracking-pioneer-Mitchell-dies-at-94-4689483.php http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Mitchell-s-tenacity-led-to-US-energy-boom-4689944.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/28/tp-billionaire-oilman-from-texas-pioneered/ Pipeline plan through Pinelands draws opposition. A plan to build a natural gas pipeline through part of New Jersey's Pinelands is drawing some vocal opposition. A few dozen people voiced their anger at Friday's monthly meeting of the Pinelands Commission's policy and implementation committees. The Philadelphia Inquirer (http://bit.ly/18F7hc6) reports the proposed 22-mile pipeline would go from…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Pipeline-plan-through-Pinelands-draws-opposition-4690873.php Earthquakes: Another source of global-warming gas, scientists say. A team of scientists has linked a major earthquake in southwest Asia in 1945 to the ongoing release of methane gas from the Arabian seafloor. A devastating earthquake in 1945 sent millions of cubic feet of methane bubbling up to the earth’s surface, scientists have found, in new research that could add another source of the greenhouse gas to future climate models. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0729/Earthquakes-Another-source-of-global-warming-gas-scientists-say VEHICLES BMW Electric Offered With Spare SUV to Ease Range Anxiety. To avoid the fate of other slow-selling electric vehicles, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) will offer the new i3 -- a battery-powered compact car -- with a unique option: the use of a sport-utility vehicle. Customers of BMW’s first electric model can book a conventional auto like the full-sized X5 SUV for several weeks a year for family trips or as a backup. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-28/bmw-electric-offered-with-spare-suv-to-ease-range-anxiety.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/BMW-pulls-wraps-off-i3-electric-car-4693100.php Japan Automakers Team Up to Add Number of Electric Chargers. Japanese automakers led by Nissan Motor Co. (7201), the producer of the zero-emission Leaf car, said they’ll cooperate to increase the number of the charging stations in the country to speed up adoption of electric cars. Nissan, Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Honda Motor Co. (7267), and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211) agreed to share costs to help build an additional 12,000 charging stations…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-29/japan-carmakers-team-up-to-hasten-buildup-of-electric-chargers.html Tesla hopes to find electric car demand in China. Tesla Motors all-electric Model S sedan has been well received in the United States, and deliveries have just begun in Europe. Now Tesla is getting ready to take on the world's largest auto market: China, which CEO Elon Musk has described as a "wild card" in the company's future. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23749112/tesla-hopes-find-electric-car-demand-china#ixzz2aSFA8TdJ GREEN ENERGY Europe and China Agree to Settle Solar Panel Fight. The European Union’s trade chief said on Saturday that a deal had been reached with China to settle a dispute over exports of low-cost solar panels that had threatened to set off a wider trade war between two of the world’s largest economies. The settlement essentially involves setting a fairly high minimum price for sales of Chinese-made solar panels in the European Union to try to prevent them from undercutting European producers. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/business/global/european-union-and-china-settle-solar-panel-fight.html?ref=earth PSNH to end renewable energy rate program. After two years with low enrollment, New Hampshire's largest electric utility is phasing out a program that allows customers to pay more to support renewable energy. Utilities are required by law to offer customers the opportunity to support renewable energy by paying a higher rate — usually about 30 percent. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/29/2832921/psnh-to-end-renewable-energy-rate.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Trash talk and the real dirt on a 'toxic tour' of Los Angeles. A 'toxic tour' past rail yards, smokestacks and refineries aims to show officials the consequences of their decisions in low-income, predominantly Latino communities in southeast L.A. You won't find any homes of the stars on this tour bus as it shuttles rubber-necking sightseers through Los Angeles. You may not even see the Hollywood sign through the haze from the smokestacks, rail yards and refineries along this "toxic tour" through neighborhoods southeast of Los Angeles. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-toxic-tour-20130728,0,7429867,print.story Landmark California regulations under federal fire. Companies are going through Congress to fight California's stricter workplace, consumer and environmental laws. Gridlock and sympathetic Republicans in the House could work in their favor. California has a reputation for having some of the nation's most aggressive rules on workplace safety, consumer protection and environmental quality …Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-california-targeted-20130728,0,113871.story Scientists collect water near site of blown well. Scientists from several universities are working to learn whether a gas well that blew wild last week off the Louisiana coast is polluting the Gulf of Mexico. Joseph Montoya, a biology professor with Georgia Tech, was performing tests aboard a vessel near the site of the 2010 BP oil spill when the Hercules 265 well blew Tuesday and caught fire. All 44 people on the rig were evacuated and not hurt. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Scientists-collect-water-near-site-of-blown-well-4692887.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/29/5604392/scientists-collect-water-near.html Action on EPA head typical of U.S. Senate. The long overdue confirmation of Gina McCarthy to head the federal Environmental Protection Agency ends yet another discouraging example of dysfunction in the U.S. Senate. She was finally confirmed, 59-40, on July 18 after a record 136-day confirmation fight during which she became the personification of President Obama's position on climate change. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Action-on-EPA-head-typical-of-U-S-Senate-4690063.php San Carlos Airport fuel facility makes county an unlikely posterchild for air quality. San Mateo County supervisors opened Pandora's box when they decided to refresh the bidding process for a fuel facility and office suite outside the San Carlos Airport — a move made after critics decried its previous lease agreement with Mountain West Aviation. Because Mountain West had offered to be both a fuel vender and an office renter, public works officials lumped those two leases together without opening the fuel facility contract to the public. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/san-carlos-airport-fuel-facility-makes-county-an-unlikely-posterchild-for-air-quality/Content?oid=2522934 OPINIONS China: Getting Serious About Air Pollution? Sunday looked like a pretty clear day when I woke up yesterday in Beijing — one of the best we’ve had in a few weeks. However, when I checked my Air Quality Index (“AQI”) application, one that nearly all Beijingers have now installed on their cell phones, it stood at a decidedly “unhealthy” 145. So much for that leisurely al fresco lunch! Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jackperkowski/2013/07/29/china-getting-serious-about-air-pollution/ Rethinking the Role of Carbon Prices in Climate Change Policy. Why Carbon Revenues Might Be More Important Than Carbon Prices. I recently had an interesting conversation on Twitter and via email that got to the heart of why I hold what many consider an unorthodox view on the role of a carbon price in climate policy. While most academic economists and conventional climate policy analysts hold that addressing climate change is first and foremost about putting "the right price" on carbon pollution via a carbon tax or emissions cap and trade program…Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/jessejenkins/252106/rethinking-carbon-prices-climate-change-policy BLOGS The Insiders: The consequences of affordable green-energy options. Is the electricity industry next in line to be disrupted? And are the disruptors the next powerful political grass-roots movement? As the cost of green energy such as solar and geothermal has come down, in part due to government subsidies and in part due to technological advancement, traditional utilities are starting to cast a wary eye toward customers who are unplugging from their traditional energy sources. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/07/29/potential-consequences-of-affordable-green-energy-options/ UPS cuts emissions by 2.1% last year while shipments rose. UPS' gains on the emissions-reduction front may be more in the air than on the ground, but the massive shipping company does continue to make strides when it comes to reducing pollution with its vehicles. The company's sustainability report stated that UPS reduced its greenhouse-gas emissions by 2.1 percent last year, despite increased shipments. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/27/ups-cuts-emissions-2-1-last-year-while-shipments-rose/ Does Your Range Hood Suck? Cooking Spikes Indoor Air Pollution. The summer season often brings outdoor air pollution alerts, but it turns out the air inside your kitchen can sometimes be just as harmful. Several of the same pollutants found in smog come from cooking dinner. Range hoods are designed to capture these cooking fumes, but even some expensive models aren’t very effective. So researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab are trying to fix that. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/does-your-range-hood-suck-cooking-spikes-indoor-air-pollution/ EPA and the Cost of Climate Change. To tackle climate change without the help of Congress, the Obama Administration will have to estimate how much it costs society -- in damaged crops, wildfires, floods, and a cascading list of other harms -- when a ton of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Obama's administrators estimate the cost to be $38 per ton. In a recent post on Slate, Professor Eric Posner argues that this number is based on a "dubious set of calculations. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-l-revesz-and-michael-a-livermore/epa-and-the-cost-of-climate_b_3668489.html?view=print&comm_ref=false Carbon Dioxide Power Plants: Could The Greenhouse Gas Be Used To Generate Electricity? Here's an interesting idea: What if the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by power plants while they generate electricity could be converted into a source of additional electricity? That's the idea behind a new paper published this week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/27/carbon-dioxide-power-plants_n_3660989.html California Plug-in Rebate Program Running Out of Money. The California Air Resources Board’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program (CVRP) is running out of money again. The program provides up to $2,500 toward the purchase of plug-in electric vehicles in the state and has been a big success—so big that it’s projected to run out of funds by October. In February, the California Energy Commission awarded $4.5 million to keep the program running, which was followed by an additional $6 million one month later. Posted. http://www.plugincars.com/california-plug-rebate-program-running-out-money-127831.html EV market threatened by spat over charger standards. It’s like a rerun of the 1980s clash between VHS and Betamax. The nascent electric-vehicle market is being served by two incompatible styles of rapid chargers. There’s the Japanese-developed CHAdeMO standard, favored by Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Toyota. And then there’s the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) International J1772 Combo standard, which is backed by GM, Ford, Volkswagen, and BMW. Posted. http://grist.org/news/ev-market-threatened-by-spat-over-charger-standards/ Reuters' climate-change coverage 'fell by nearly 50% with sceptic as editor' A former Reuters staffer has claimed that climate-change coverage declined under the influence of David Ingrassia. Reuters' climate-change coverage fell by nearly 50% after a climate sceptic joined the news agency as a senior editor, a study has found. The sharp decline in coverage since 2011, recorded by the Media Matters for America advocacy group, reinforces charges from a former staffer that Reuters cut back on climate stories under the influence of Paul Ingrassia, who is now the agency's managing editor. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jul/26/reuters-climate-change-scepticism-coverage ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:13:22 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 30, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 30, 2013. 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 Carson poised to declare contamination 'emergency'. The Carson City Council is poised to vote Monday on declaring a "local emergency" as part of an effort to speed the cleanup of a residential neighborhood that sits atop an old oil tank farm. The resolution cites the presence of "explosive methane gas, carcinogenic benzene and other chemicals of concern" in the yards of the 285 homes in the Carousel tract, where investigators discovered benzene and methane gas in 2008. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-carson-contamination-emergency-20130729,0,4126522.story AQMD cites Santa Fe Springs treatment plant for foul odors. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a violation notice to a waste water treatment plant in Santa Fe Springs on Monday after receiving more than 100 foul odor complaints from residents and businesses. Air quality inspectors traced the problem to a waste water storage tank on the property of Ridgeline Energy Services USA, according to AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-aqmd-santa-fe-springs-20130729,0,2931933.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/29/5607016/southern-california-city-hit-with.html#storylink=cpy http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_23756838/southern-california-city-hit-putrid-stench http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/29/3413824/southern-california-city-hit-with.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/29/southern-california-city-hit-with-putrid-stench/ Unhealthy air advisory in Bay Area due to Oregon wildfires. Smoke from wildfires burning in Oregon drifted across the Bay Area on Monday, prompting air quality officials to issue a health advisory for the region. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District urged the public to limit their exposure to smoke by staying indoors if possible with windows and doors closed, and setting air conditioners and car vents to recirculate. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_23756253/unhealthy-air-advisory-bay-area-due-oregon-wildfires?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com State groups worry over environmental law reform. A coalition of business, housing and local government leaders is warning California legislative leaders that a plan to rewrite the state's landmark environmental law could lead to more lawsuits and make it harder to approve responsible projects — the opposite of what lawmakers seeking the overhaul hope to achieve. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130729/A_NEWS/130729871&cid=sitesearch BY SUBSCRIPTION Indoor air pollution in the developing world: The silent killer. Sometimes clean air is a luxury. A recent study linked outdoor air pollution to 2.1 million deaths annually around the world. Now a new study finds that indoor pollution from unsafe household cookstoves may be even worse, killing as many as 4 million people every year. The toll is especially high in the developing world, where families are exposed on a daily basis to smoke, particulate matter…Posted. http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/indoor-air-pollution-in-the-developing-world-the-silent-killer Something in the air: how global warming is spreading toxic dust. When Rose Eitmiller found a new house on Sweet Pea Lane in Dewey-Humboldt, Ariz., population 3,613, she felt at home. She was still mourning the death of a daughter whom she always called "Sweetpea," and the place seemed right to her. But that move in 2004 only brought more heartache for Eitmiller. Four years later, U.S. EPA dug up her front lawn in a successful search for arsenic, and Dewey-Humboldt soon became a Superfund site. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985250/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Olympic-size 'North Pole Lake' once again turns to ice. Images of a scientific observation buoy floating in what appeared to be an Arctic lake near the North Pole lit up the online world in the past week, sparking questions about whether this was a sign of global warming. On Monday, the scientist who installed the buoy gave a succinct answer: No. Also, the buoy was never quite at the North Pole, oceanographer James Morison said in a telephone interview. Its most recent location is about 300 miles away. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/29/us-northpole-lake-idUSBRE96S16620130729 Mayor's climate panel pick questioned. Environmentalists are protesting one of Mayor Anthony Silva's proposed new appointees to a dormant city committee that is supposed to plan how Stockton grows for decades into the future. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the matter tonight. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130730/A_NEWS/307300318&cid=sitesearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Australia and California: The climate action conversation. Action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the US and China means that Australian climate change policy thinking is increasingly linked to the global scene. In North America, state-level action to implement emissions trading, reduce transport emissions and increase renewable energy has influenced national policy, and helps build momentum for global action. Posted. http://www.eco-business.com/events/australia-and-california-the-climate-action-conversation/ FUELS UPDATE 1-Cars and gasoline push Canada industrial prices higher. Canadian producer prices rose 0.3 percent in June from May, the first increase since February, thanks to higher prices for gasoline and motor vehicles, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had expected the industrial product price index to remain flat in the month, as it was in May. The unexpected increase was due mostly to a 0.8 percent rise in motor vehicles and other transportation equipment as auto prices jumped 1 percent. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/30/canada-economy-prices-idUSL1N0G00ED20130730 Energy secretary: Obama committed to role for coal. President Barack Obama and the U.S. Department of Energy are committed to a role for coal in a national energy strategy, and they've backed it up with research spending, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Monday. In a visit to the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown — the only one of the federal government's 17 national labs dedicated to fossil fuels — Moniz said the administration has spent $6 billion on clean-coal technology with an emphasis on the capture, storage and reuse of carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Energy-secretary-Obama-committed-to-role-for-coal-4692786.php VEHICLES Lifecycle analysis of energy use and pollution from gasoline, CNG and electric vehicles in 6 southwestern states highlights variability of benefits. A report for policymakers issued by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) has found that in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada, electric vehicles offer the cleanest ride, while in New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming that’s not necessarily the case. SWEEP promotes greater energy efficiency in a six-state region that includes Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/sweep-20130729.html GREEN ENERGY With EU sales likely capped, China solar firms will need new markets. A weekend deal between Beijing and Brussels to regulate trade in solar panels will limit Chinese firms' growth prospects in the European Union, the world's largest solar market, and force them to step up sales to 'emerging' markets at home and in the United States and Japan. News of a deal - which had threatened to boil over into a wider trade war covering wine and steel - helped push up shares in Shanghai-listed solar panel makers Hareon Solar…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/29/eu-china-solar-markets-idUSL4N0FZ15V20130729 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-29/china-eu-solar-panel-deal-seen-hurting-large-scale-projec.html U.K. Green Bank Invests in Wood-to-Power Through Foresight Fund. A fund backed by the U.K.’s Green Investment Bank channeled 20 million pounds ($30.6 million) into an energy project in Northern Ireland that will turn wood into electricity and heat. The money from the U.K. Waste Resources & Energy Fund, managed by Foresight Group LLP, will help finance an 81 million-pound facility in Lisahally that will produce enough electricity for more than 25,000 homes a year, the GIB said today in an e-mailed statement. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-30/u-k-green-bank-invests-in-wood-to-power-through-foresight-fund.html China’s Spending on Renewable Energy May Total 1.8 Trillion Yuan. China’s spending to develop renewable energy may total 1.8 trillion yuan ($294 billion) in the five years through 2015 as part of the nation’s efforts to counter climate change, according to a government official. China may invest another 2.3 trillion yuan in key energy-saving and emission-reducing projects, Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, said today at a conference in Beijing. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-30/china-s-spending-on-renewable-energy-may-total-1-8-trillion-yuan.html UCSD gets $7.2m for trimming energy waste. The University of California San Diego is being rewarded for wasting less energy, accepting $7.2 million in energy efficiency incentives funded by local utility customers. The incentives apply to 30 assorted projects at UC San Diego. Associated energy savings are the equivalent of taking 5,000 cars off the road and cutting power to 4,000 homes, said San Diego Gas & Electric, the utility that administers state efficiency incentives for San Diego and southern Orange counties. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/30/tp-ucsd-gets-72m-for-trimming-energy-waste/ MISCELLANEOUS EarthTalk: States create their own transportation plans. Dear EarthTalk: Three regions in California recently implemented transportation plans as part of a statewide strategy for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Can you explain? -- Bill Oakes, Reno, Nev. Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about global warming even as Washington politicians continue to debate whether or not to mandate emissions cutbacks. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EarthTalk-States-create-their-own-transportation-4695220.php CEQA Overhaul Supporters Not Happy with Current Proposal. As negotiations over a potential overhaul of California’s landmark environmental law enter their final weeks, supporters of rewriting the California Environmental Quality Act say the current proposal falls short of reform. Democratic Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg has promised to find the right balance as he rewrites the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. He wants the law to continue to protect the state’s environment, as supporters urge, but no longer be abused, as critics complain. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/07/29/ceqa-overhaul-supporters-not-happy-with-current-proposal/ OPINIONS Ethanol, Fuel Prices, Consumers and Regulatory Cost. Ethanol RINs don't raise the cost of gasoline but new EPA sulfur standards will. Regarding your editorial "The Ethanol Tax" (July 20): Renewable Identification Numbers aren't raising gas prices because RINs are free. RINs are the compliance mechanism oil companies use to demonstrate they have met their renewable fuel obligation. Refiners receive a free RIN for every gallon of ethanol purchased by a producer. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323829104578622674169974506.html The drying of the West. Dams and other engineering helped provide water throughout the arid region for decades. It's no longer enough. John Wesley Powell, whose legendary descent of the Colorado River in 1869 brought the one-armed explorer fame and celebrity, worried about America's westward migration. The defining characteristic of Western lands was their aridity, he wrote, and settlement of the West would have to respect the limits aridity imposed. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-debuys-colorado-river-20130730,0,1587847.story Hey corporations and your D.C. lackeys -- mitts off California. Oh, how they love that siren song of states’ rights -- until they don’t like hearing us singing it. In a disturbing story, my Washington colleague Evan Halper chronicles how some D.C. regulators and big corporations -- like the ones that pollute the air and the water in the name of unfettered capitalism, the ones that are cavalier about worker safety and animal welfare…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-corporations-dc-lackeys-mitts-off-california-20130729,0,3323058.story Smoking: The menthol debate misses the point. Nearly every attempt to regulate cigarettes is frustrated by the tenet that smoking is a choice adults should be granted. In 2009, a new law authorized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate cigarettes and reduce their terrible toll on the nation's health. Even though less than 20% of adult Americans smoke, it's still the No. 1 cause of preventable death. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-smoking-20130726,0,6367429.story Letter: No comparison in debate on climate. Malcolm J. Sherman's letter ("Models don't show climate emergency," July 16) argues: "The failure of climate models to predict the last 15 years supports those who have been saying we don't face a climate emergency." Sherman quotes German meteorologist Hans von Storch saying, "If things continue as they have been, in five years at the latest, we will need to acknowledge that something is fundamentally wrong with our climate models. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letter-No-comparison-in-debate-on-climate-4692367.php Reform the ethanol mandate. The federal corn ethanol mandate is prima facie evidence that the law of unintended consequences is always in effect. Once heralded as a way to help farmers, reverse climate change and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, the mandate to blend up to 15 billion gallons of corn ethanol into gasoline every year has hurt more farmers than it has helped, increased greenhouse gas emissions and been rendered irrelevant by new fuel efficiency standards. Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/reform-theethanol-mandate-94876.html#ixzz2aY0kO1E4 Congress should not oppose biofuels. They create jobs and help the environment. No fuel at scale today comes close to equaling ethanol’s ability to prevent American cars and trucks from spewing pollutants from their tailpipes. Unfortunately, one of the most important incentives for the growth of biofuels is now under attack by misguided lawmakers and Big Oil. If Americans are serious about curbing climate change, they need to use less gasoline and more clean-burning biofuels, such as ethanol. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/0730/Congress-should-not-oppose-biofuels.-They-create-jobs-and-help-the-environment Why methane hydrate could soon become more controversial than fracking. Natural gas buried in Arctic permafrost could be an economic boon — but it could also drastically accelerate climate change. Asia's seemingly unquenchable thirst for energy — lead by China's industrial expansion and Japan's quest to replace nuclear — has scientists constantly rooting around for new sources. Now, the region is zeroing in on methane hydrate, a crystalline form of natural gas buried in…Posted. http://news.yahoo.com/why-methane-hydrate-could-soon-become-more-controversial-124600611.html BLOGS Another View on Gas Drilling in the Context of Climate Change. I’ve received a “Your Dot” contribution on gas leaks and global warming from Louis A. Derry, an associate professor in the earth and atmospheric sciences department at Cornell University. It’s a critique of one element in “Gangplank to a Warm Future,” an Op-Ed article by Anthony R. Ingraffea, a professor of engineering at Cornell who is a prominent foe of expanded gas drilling using the bundle of methods commonly known as “fracking.” Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/another-view-on-fracking-in-the-context-of-climate-change/?_r=0 Ford Recalls 33,000 C-Max Cars. Ford said it would recall about 33,000 of its 2013 C-Max models after tests by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the vehicles did not meet federal safety standards for head protection in a crash. The vehicles affected by the recall – hybrid and electric models – were built in Wayne, Mich., between Jan. 19, 2012, and June 26, 2013, and do not have the optional panoramic roof. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/ford-recalls-33000-c-max-cars/ ChargePoint debuts multiple-port EV charging station. Electric-vehicle charging-station maker ChargePoint continues to edge its way closer to the gas-station model with its debut of the CT4000 model, which the company says can serve multiple vehicles working off of a single circuit. ChargePoint, formerly known as Coulomb Technologies, says its new product can supply electricity to more vehicles and is cheaper to install than previous units. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/29/chargepoint-debuts-multiple-port-ev-charging-station/#continued GM execs fired over fraudulent India emissions testing. General Motors hadn't had a recall in India since 1995. That changed when it was discovered that certain employees were playing tricks with local emissions testing in order to ensure passing grades for engines. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/29/gm-executives-fired-for-auto-emissions-cheating-in-india/ Our Shared Stake in Clean Air, Livable Climate. President Obama's plan to take action on climate change is a critical step in protecting communities and our health. It is also a moral obligation we have to our children and future generations. We commend his leadership in putting forth his climate plan and especially for directing his administration to control industrial carbon pollution from power plants. Reducing carbon pollution from its largest source is not only common sense…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/trip-van-noppen/our-shared-stake-in-clean_b_3671373.html Could greenhouse gases turn Earth into Venus? How will the world end? A giant meteor? Zombie apocalypse? Death Star target practice!? One scientist thinks our planet’s death knell is going to be climate change, on an epic, terrifying scale … but, fortunately, not the kind we need to worry about. The “runaway greenhouse” — which is thought to have happened on Venus in the past — is basically a climate change worst-case scenario…Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/could-greenhouse-gases-turn-earth-into-venus/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 12:56:11 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 31, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for July 31, 2013. 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 and Australia bolster carbon trading ties. California and Australia have agreed to step up efforts to work together to link their respective carbon markets, just weeks after Australia's prime minister announced he would accelerate plans to replace the country's carbon tax with an emissions trading scheme. California's Air Resources Board and Australia's Clean Energy Regulator yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding… Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/print_article/bg/news/2285943/california-and-australia-bolster-carbon-trading-ties http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/07/31/policy-enforcement-briefing-carbon-markets-epa-budget-efficiency-bill/ http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-enters-into-agreement-with-aussies-to-combat-climate-change http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985368/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Carbon Drops to Two-Week Low as Weak Power Price Saps Demand. European Union carbon permits for December dropped the most in three weeks as record-low power prices in Germany reduced demand for emission allowances. The benchmark carbon contract fell as much as 4 percent to 4.12 euros ($5.49) a metric ton on ICE Futures Europe exchange, and traded at 4.13 euros at 12:47 p.m. in London. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/carbon-drops-to-two-week-low-as-weak-power-price-saps-demand.html Critics of offsetting emissions with credits to address desal skeptics in Santa Cruz. Two experts in the controversial practice of buying credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions will address seawater desalination skeptics in Santa Cruz, where two water agencies have pledged to design their water supply project as net-carbon neutral. Barbara Haya, a research fellow specializing in climate change at Stanford Environmental Law Clinic…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/central-coast/ci_23763723/critics-offsetting-emissions-credits-address-desal-skeptics-santa Farmers voice concern over Cap-and-Trade Program. Tuesday morning, some members of the Pacific Legal Foundation met at the Kern County Farm Bureau with members of the local farming community to lay out their efforts to stop the state's Cap-and-Trade Program. California’s Cap-and-Trade Program took effect in early 2012, according to the Air Resources Board. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/business/Local-farmers-voice-concern-over-pending-cap-a-trade-law-suit-217679921.html AIR POLLUTION China Air Pollution Triple WHO Recommended Levels in First Half. Air pollution in China’s largest cities, as measured by the concentration of fine particulates that pose the greatest health risk, was three-times worse in the first half of the year than levels advised by the World Health Organization. The average concentration of PM2.5 particulates in 74 cities monitored by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection was 76 micrograms …Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/china-air-pollution-triple-who-recommended-levels-in-first-half.html San Joaquin Valley air gets double whammy of soot, ozone. Wildfire smoke pouring into the San Joaquin Valley caused soot levels to spike Tuesday above the federal standard in Madera, Merced and Stockton. On Wednesday, meteorologists with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District reported a layer of marine air should ease air quality problems a little, but soot and ozone levels are expected to climb again by the weekend. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/31/3416606/san-joaquin-valley-air-getting.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/30/2836489/smoke-from-wildfires-clogging.html#storylink=cpy Santa Fe Springs facility creating odor has history of citations from Air Quality. Lakeland Processing Co., is in hot water with the Air Quality Management District after it received a fourth citation in the past two months. The wastewater-treatment facility is the source of the foul odor that's been blanketing the city and surrounding areas, as far as the San Gabriel Valley and Fullerton. Posted. http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_23761189/air-quality-management-district-has-issued-violations-odorous#ixzz2adwCfV2R http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_23761189/air-quality-management-district-has-issued-violations-odorous Foundation says air measure component is illegal. Representatives of the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is suing the state over its "cap and trade" program, have been making the rounds up and down the state educating business people and average citizens about what they say is a harmful hidden tax rather than a simple regulatory scheme to improve the environment. Tuesday they spoke to the Kern County Farm Bureau in front of a group of about 40 people. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/local/x2042022070/Foundation-says-air-measure-component-is-illegal Is natural gas more climate-friendly? Researchers map thousands of leaks in Washington, D.C. Bob Ackley may be the only person who has driven up and down every single street -- 1,500 miles total -- in Washington, D.C. While Ackley, a plain-speaking New Englander, enjoyed exploring the nation's capital, which he described as "beautiful," this was serious business. He was measuring leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is also the main component of natural gas. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985330/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE New EPA chief: Climate controls will help economy. President Barack Obama's top environmental official wasted no time Tuesday taking on opponents of the administration's plan to crack down on global warming pollution. In her first speech as the head of EPA, Gina McCarthy told an audience gathered at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass., that curbing climate-altering pollution will spark business innovation, grow jobs and strengthen the economy. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EPA_CHIEF?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-new-epa-head-gina-mccarthy-vows-to-act-on-climate-change/2013/07/30/dea868e0-f86b-11e2-8e84-c56731a202fb_story.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/30/new-epa-chief-climate-controls-will-help-economy/ EPA chief vows to tackle climate change. The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency told an audience at Harvard Law School on Tuesday that cutting carbon pollution will "feed the economic agenda of this country" and vowed to work with industry leaders on shaping policies aimed at curbing global warming. "Climate change will not be resolved overnight," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy told the 310-member audience. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23766076/epa-chief-vows-tackle-climate-change#ixzz2adgwneXs When would global warming destroy life on Earth? Study hazards a guess. Two new studies look at when a runaway greenhouse effect makes a planet uninhabitable. For Earth, the data suggest that time is still distant, even with current levels of global warming. A runaway greenhouse effect – where a planet's atmosphere traps so much heat that temperatures rise to life-snuffing levels – may be easier to achieve than previously believed. And there may be more than one way to drive the increase. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0730/When-would-global-warming-destroy-life-on-Earth-Study-hazards-a-guess Why It Finally Makes Political Sense to Talk About Climate Change. New polls show that voters increasingly view climate global-warming deniers as cranks. The White House is paying attention. In the summer of 2009, a dozen Democratic members of Congress took a deep breath and put their political futures on the line, voting for historic global-warming legislation President Obama had told them was a top priority. After the bill squeaked through the House, Democrats pleaded with the White House: Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/why-it-finally-makes-political-sense-to-talk-about-climate-change-20130725 DIESEL EMISSIONS SMUD encourages truckers to plug in, reduce air pollution. To achieve a more environmentally friendly - and cost-effective - alternative to truck idling, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is providing utility power at a Sacramento rest stop. SMUD recently installed more than 30 electrical hookups at the Sacramento 49er Truck Travel Plaza truck stop on Interstate 80. The 18-month demonstration project is part of a greater national effort, and if successful, the project will go commercial. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/31/5611894/smud-encourages-truckers-to-plug.html#storylink=cpy FUELS Los Angeles Diesel Gains to Two-Week High as Refineries Flare. California-blend diesel in Los Angeles advanced to the highest level against futures in two weeks after Tesoro Corp. (TSO) and Phillips 66 reported flaring at their refineries in Southern California. Tesoro’s 266,000-barrel-a-day Carson plant reported flaring after a compressor trip yesterday, a notice to state regulators shows. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-30/los-angeles-diesel-gains-to-two-week-high-as-refineries-flare.html Ford to Offer Natural Gas Fuel Systems for F-150 Pickups. Ford Motor Co. (F), the second-largest U.S. automaker, plans to begin offering compressed natural gas fuel systems for its F-150 pickups to meet growing demand from business fleets and attract retail buyers. Fuel packages similar to what Ford has offered on large commercial vehicles since 2009 will be available starting this year with the 2014 F-150, said Kevin Koswick, head of its fleet operations. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/ford-to-offer-systems-for-f-150-pickups-to-run-on-natural-gas.html Milestone Claimed in Creating Energy From Waste. After months of frustrating delays, a chemical company announced Wednesday that it had produced commercial quantities of ethanol from wood waste and other nonfood vegetative matter, a long-sought goal that, if it can be expanded economically, has major implications for providing vehicle fuel and limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/business/energy-environment/company-says-its-the-first-to-make-ethanol-from-waste.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Fight Over Plan for Natural Gas Port Off Long Island. Some fishermen call the waters some 20 miles off the coast of Jones Beach on Long Island a no man’s land. With its flat, barren bottom, the area is a passageway for sea life like bluefish, flounder and squid. It has also become a battleground over future energy sources in the region. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/nyregion/plans-for-a-natural-gas-port-stir-concerns-on-long-island.html PG&E's CEO says tougher rules are needed on fracking. Highlighting varying views in the energy industry over one of the nation's most controversial environmental issues, the head of California's largest utility on Tuesday said that tougher rules are needed on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a position advocated by environmental groups. Anthony Earley, chairman and CEO of PG&E Corp., said in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News editorial board that companies using fracking…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23763746/pg-es-ceo-says-tougher-rules-are-needed?source=rss VEHICLES Not a car or bicycle, but a blend — an ELF vehicle. Mark Stewart turns quite a few heads as he zips through the streets on his neon green ELF bike. With each pedal, his feet take turns sticking out from the bottom while a gentle motor hums in the background. What he's driving looks like a cross between a bicycle and a car, the closest thing yet to Fred Flintstone's footmobile, only with solar panels and a futuristic shape. It's a "green" option for today's commuters. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ELF_BIKE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/car-bicycle-blend-known-as-an-elf-vehicle-is-making-1200-mile-trip-along-east-coast-trail/2013/07/31/68f03972-f9f9-11e2-89f7-8599e3f77a67_story.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Not-a-car-or-bicycle-but-a-blend-an-ELF-4697728.php Central California pollution district funds grants for fuel efficient vehicles in Kern County. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has started a grant program to fund alternative fuel vehicles to public agencies in the central California area. The grants award public agencies either $20,000 per car or $100,000 a year to buy alternative fuel vehicles. Bakersfield College officials are one of many agencies who have applied for the grant and have been awarded money. Posted. http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/central-california-pollution-district-funds-grants-for-fuel-efficient-vehicles-in-kern-county GREEN ENERGY Trade Fight Over Solar Benefits a Bystander. The long-running trade conflicts over solar panels between China and the United States and Europe have sown dissatisfaction all around, leaving many manufacturers of solar materials complaining that the market is still unfair. But one country not involved in the disputes has already benefited from them and, with Saturday’s agreement between China and the European Union, stands to benefit again: Taiwan. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/business/global/solar-trade-dispute-leaves-taiwan-the-clear-winner.html?pagewanted=all L.A. start-up's plasma lights help turn film and TV shoots green. Hive Lighting's energy-saving plasma lights are part of a conservation movement within the film production industry. Rob Rutherford looked up from his workbench, order receipts and debris from Hive Lighting's products strewn around his laptop. "The bulbs shipped," he said to business partner Jon Miller. Both grinned. More bulbs meant more business: new film, TV and commercial sets to be illuminated by Hive's energy-saving plasma lights…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-onlocation-hive-lighting20130731,0,2475194.story Wind power industry catches fresh economic breeze after tough half-year. The U.S. wind energy industry's growth engine badly sputtered and then stalled in the first half of 2013, with only 1.6 megawatts of new wind power coming online between January and June, according to data released yesterday by the American Wind Energy Association. During the second quarter of the year, no new wind turbines were built anywhere in the country, AWEA said, a circumstance few would have predicted one year ago…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985367/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Some see Obama's plan on taxes as an opening for carbon levy. President Obama has distanced himself from a carbon tax, but his proposal yesterday to cut the corporate tax rate is a key piece in a complicated puzzle that could lead to discussions about a fee on emissions. By renewing his call to reduce the corporate rate by 7 points, to 28 percent, Obama also raises the central question of how he'll pay for it. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985348/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Gale Banks: Automotive legend has changed the face of the industry. Gale Banks knows a thing or two about power. And to say he's had a profound effect on the U.S. auto industry would be an understatement. His Azusa-based company, Gale Banks Engineering, is known for designing and selling aftermarket turbocharge systems for gas- and diesel-powered cars, boats, RVs and high-performance pickup trucks. Banks turbocharge systems have also been used to set land-speed records with a variety of street-legal vehicles. Posted. http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_23764054/gale-banks-automotive-legend-has-changed-face-industry Editorial: Trouble for CEQA revamp. Demonstrating just how difficult it will be to reach any political consensus on reforming the California Environmental Quality Act, some interesting opposition to the effort popped up this week. Was it environmentalists, unions or the liberal Democrats who have been arguing that changes to the act would no doubt weaken valuable protections against pollution, environmental damage and health threats to residents that have been in place for more than 40 years? Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/ci_23763832/editorial-trouble-ceqa-revamp BLOGS EVTV kicks off 3rd Electric Vehicle Conversion Convention next week. Ever since lithium batteries first became available to the general public, the popularity of converting gas-powered cars to run on electricity has been on the rise. This is something we can get behind, since not only does recycling previously-manufactured vehicles make environmental sense, it's also great to see classic automotive metal get a new, improved lease on life. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/30/evtv-kicks-off-3rd-electric-vehicle-conversion-convention/ Will California And Australia Trade Carbon Credits? California's greenhouse gas cap and trade program will basically merge with a similar program in Quebec in January. If a Tuesday announcement by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is any indication, Australia may be next. The announcement comes in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CARB, which manages the state's greenhouse gas emissions credit auction and trading program…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/climate-change/will-california-and-australia-trade-carbon-credits.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2013 13:45:11 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 1, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 1, 2013. 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 says no to linking emissions schemes. The head of the Californian emissions trading scheme – which will ultimately become the world's third largest – says the US state has no plans to link with Australia's carbon price. Mary Nichols, chairman of the California Air Resources Board and recently named one of TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, said the state introduced a scheme this year to place a limit on its greenhouse gas emissions…Posted. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/california-says-no-to-linking-emissions-schemes-20130801-2r0wi.html#ixzz2ajhcJsvD http://www.eco-business.com/news/california-says-no-linking-emissions-schemes/ AIR POLLUTION Air quality from California wildfire could deteriorate by weekend, officials say. FRESNO, Calif.-Wildfire smoke continues to drift into California's San Joaquin Valley, causing soot levels to climb, but the problem could get worse by the weekend, local air-quality leaders say. A high pressure system is expected to settle into the region by Saturday, possibly allowing soot and ozone levels to spike as they did earlier this week, according to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/31/5613674/air-quality-from-california-wildfire.html#storylink=cpy http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/31/3417489/wildfire-smoke-spreads-in-valley.html http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/health/Wildfires-to-the-north-causing-unhealthy-air-in-Kern-County-217808341.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_23768352/ http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130731/A_NEWS/130739981&cid=sitesearch Oregon smoke affecting air quality. Air quality in San Luis Obispo County is being affected by smoke from wildfires burning in Southwestern Oregon, according to a warning issued Wednesday by the County Air Pollution Control District. APCD officials said smoke traveling down the coast from Oregon is impacting California coastal communities. The greatest impacts in San Luis Obispo County are along the coast, where the air quality index was at the moderate…Posted. http://www.lompocrecord.com/mobile/article_355c3eb0-fa6e-11e2-a5be-0019bb2963f4.html http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52634719/ns/local_news-san_luis_obispo_ca/t/prescribed-burn-postponed-due-poor-air-quality/ Chevron fined $284K for pollution law violations. Chevron has agreed to pay a $284,000 fine and help buy four clean-running school buses after inspectors found pollution law violations at a Salt Lake City refinery. The Environmental Protection Agency announced the settlement with the company Wednesday. Inspectors say the refinery's equipment was producing higher levels of nitrogen oxide, which contributes to acid rain and the destruction of ecosystems. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23774794/chevron-fined-284k-pollution-law-violations#ixzz2ajewaO97 US bank sued over pollution from coal exports. Environmental activists sued the federal government Wednesday over the exports of Appalachian coal to Europe and Asia, arguing it approved a $90 million loan guarantee to one company without considering the implications for air and water pollution along the transportation route. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco says communities near the mines, ports and railways that connect them are all affected…Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-08-01/us-bank-sued-over-pollution-from-coal-exports http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/31/us-bank-sued-over-pollution-from-coal-exports/#ixzz2ajWGWpCd CLIMATE CHANGE A Climate Catch-22: How a Carbon Tax Could Save Coal. Here's coal's Catch-22: A tax on carbon dioxide emissions, which are driving global climate change, would raise the costs of coal-fired power, negating the fuel's price advantage over cleaner sources, like wind and solar power, and reduce its use. On the other hand, a tax could provide the impetus for investing in technologies to capture and store carbon that have largely floundered in the marketplace. That could save coal. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-01/a-climate-catch-22-how-a-carbon-tax-could-save-coal.html Capitol Alert: Poll finds Californians back climate change fight, skeptical on fracking. An overwhelming majority of Californians believe the state should act to curtail greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new poll, while residents narrowly oppose hydraulic fracturing and support construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Climate change represents a concrete threat for a majority of Californians…Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/31/2839363/capitol-alert-poll-finds-californians.html#storylink=cpy http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/01/tp-californians-are-committed-to-global-warming/ http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_23769755/new-poll-californians-want-more-action-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/politics-government/ci_23769755/new-poll-californians-want-more-action-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/31/3418644/capitol-alert-poll-finds-californians.html http://www.capradio.org/7840 http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/08/01/38474/poll-californians-like-brown-want-action-on-climat/ http://www.sgvtribune.com/california/ci_23769755/new-poll-californians-want-more-action-climate-change Report: Climate change and California's rising sea levels. More Californians than ever say the state should take action immediately on climate change, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California. Many of those surveyed believe the effects of climate change are already here, with a quarter of Californians saying their biggest weather worry is flooding or rising seas. Scientists studying sea level rising are working hard to get the rest of society to pay more attention to the issue. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/08/01/33012/report-climate-change-and-california-s-rising-sea/ DIESEL EMISSIONS Hollande Seeking $10.6 Billion From Diesel Irks Carmakers. As heat waves blanket France this summer, pollution made worse by diesel exhaust is adding to the woes of sweaty Parisians. For six days in July, smog levels hit “highs,” according to Airparif, which monitors air quality around the French capital. Among the culprits: emissions from engines running on diesel, by far the most widely used fuel for vehicles in France and the focus of growing debate about whether it should continue to be taxed less than gasoline. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/hollande-seeking-10-6-billion-from-diesel-irks-carmakers.html Emission regulations classes offered in Lompoc. During the month of August, Allan Hancock College is offering two free courses at the college’s Lompoc Valley center. The college and the Central California Environmental Training Center are offering the classes in collaboration with the California Air Resources Board. Fundamentals of Enforcement, or “Smoke School,” is a three-day course that provides a basic overview of air pollution. Posted. http://www.santamariasun.com/school-scene/10146/emission-regulations-classes-offered-in-lompoc/ FUELS As Keystone stalls, TransCanada OKs bigger East Coast line. TransCanada Corp gave the green light to building a $12 billion oil pipeline to ship Canada's Western oil sands crude to refiners on its east coast and beyond, scaling up the project as its U.S.-bound Keystone XL line remains stalled in Washington. The company said it would move forward with building a 1.1 million barrel per day Energy East Pipeline after "strong market support." Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/01/us-transcanada-pipeline-idUSBRE9700OZ20130801 HIGH-SPEED RAIL EDC launches high-speed rail business support program. The Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County has launched a program to give information and assistance to businesses affected by California's high-speed rail project. The new High-Speed Rail Business Support Program comes out of a joint effort by the EDC and both the city and county of Fresno. Posted. http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/transportation/7100-edc-launches-high-speed-rail-business-support-program GREEN ENERGY Wind farm back with fix for fallen blade. A desert wind farm supplying electricity to San Diego is back online after the conclusion of a probe into a fallen turbine blade. Turbine manufacturer Siemens found that the detachment of a 170-foot blade at the Ocotillo Wind power plant in May, along with a second blade at an Iowa wind farm April, were the result of insufficient adhesive bonding. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/31/ocotillo-wind-farm-returns/ What's the state of solar energy in California? The future of solar energy in California is bright and uncertain. As more and more residential and commercial panels go up, increased energy goes into the small solar-power grid. This has the state’s big utilities worrying about how to pay for the big master grid in years to come. Even though the market for solar power has never been better, the future is still uncertain as the state’s energy policy undergoes major reconstruction this summer. Posted. http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/what-39-s-the-state-of-solar/content?oid=10848214 U.S. concentrated solar technology launches in China. BrightSource Energy Inc. announced a deal with multiple Chinese groups yesterday to supply Shanghai with the country's first-ever commercial-scale concentrated solar thermal power technology (CSP) project. The deal forms partnerships between BrightSource, located in Oakland, Calif., and the utility China Power Investment Corp. (CPI) and the China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute (CREEI). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985444/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Barbara Boxer pushes ahead on chemical safety law. Sen. Barbara Boxer seized control of a major overhaul of chemical safety law Wednesday, putting Republicans and moderate Democrats on the defensive and demanding tougher regulation of thousands of industrial chemicals blamed for rising rates of cancer, asthma, early puberty and other maladies. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Barbara-Boxer-pushes-ahead-on-chemical-safety-law-4699870.php OPINIONS Methane Gas Emissions. To the Editor: Anthony R. Ingraffea’s most recent attack on natural gas (“Gangplank to a Warm Future,” Op-Ed, July 29) is based on flawed research. As Mr. Ingraffea hangs onto his 2011 paper’s assertions about methane controls, science has emerged and passed him by. He conveniently does not mention the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory, released in April of this year, which confirms that natural gas production-related methane emissions have actually declined as shale production skyrocketed. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/opinion/methane-gas-emissions.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Viewpoints: Drill for energy? Yes, for more geothermal. The age of natural gas fracking is upon us, and the debate about how hydraulic fracturing will be done in California has begun. Even assuming conservative estimates of natural gas reserves in the lower 48 states, the United States could easily move from a coal-based electrical portfolio to one that is based on natural gas. So why invest in renewable energies when natural gas is so cheap and for the time being, plentiful? Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/01/5613899/drill-for-energy-yes-for-more.html#storylink=cpy California energy efficiency efforts have saved billions. Re "Economist eviscerates a big boast" (Dan Walters, July 29): Citing a recent economic working paper, Dan Walters' column asserts that California's energy conservation rules have had relatively little to do with California's per-capita power use remaining roughly unchanged since 1973, while United States per capita use rose by 50 percent. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/31/5612215/california-energy-efficiency.html#storylink=cpy Two-Stroke Motorcycle Engines. ON THE road, I often see tricycles emitting smoke like an anti-dengue fogging machine. Sometimes these polluters leave a cloud of smoke that result in almost zero-visibility, making the road dangerous for motorists. Worst, the drivers don’t seem to care. How in the world did they pass the LTO emission test? The pollution caused by tricycles cannot be ignored. In fact, a study conducted by the World Bank entitled “Improving Urban Air Quality in South Asia by Reducing Emissions …Posted. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/opinion/2013/08/01/pena-two-stroke-motorcycle-engines-295593 Riding to the rescue. ALL through Kings County, in central California, signs cry out: “No to high-speed rail”. They reflect the intensity of opposition across much of the San Joaquin Valley to the $68-billion proposal, the largest-ever infrastructure scheme in a state with a fondness for them, and one of America’s last high-speed-rail plans to survive the age of austerity. The rail link, if completed, is meant to zip between Los Angeles and …Posted. http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21582556-can-huge-public-works-project-save-san-joaquin-valley-riding-rescue BLOGS The Daily Startup: Carbon Venture Partners to Ride California Cap-and-Trade. Carbon Venture Partners, which opened its doors in April, will aim to help startups and public companies alike navigate the regulatory and legal landscape that has come about with California’s changing environmental laws. The firm is looking to provide funding rounds in return for equity in as many as 20 startups with environmentally friendly technologies over the next year…Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2013/08/01/the-daily-startup-carbon-venture-partners-to-ride-california-cap-and-trade/tab/print/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2013 10:53:07 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for August 2, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 2, 2013. 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 Climate Change Policy and the Importance of Getting it Right in California. Why should sub-national climate policies exist? In the case of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), the answer flows directly from the very nature of the problem — global climate change, the ultimate global commons problem. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) uniformly mix in the atmosphere. Therefore, any jurisdiction taking action — whether a nation, a state, or a city — will incur the costs of its actions, but the benefits of its actions (reduced risk of climate change damages) will be distributed globally. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/robertstavins/255296/importance-getting-it-right-california California calling: Australia isn't alone on carbon action. Australia will not be linking its emissions trading scheme to California any time soon. But Australia will have to increase its emissions reduction targets to between 15-25 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020, following climate action by the European Union, US, Canada, and China. At a public seminar hosted by Grattan Institute earlier this week, the chairman of the California Air Resources Board destroyed two myths. Mary Nichols, one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people, demonstrated that the world is moving on climate change and that cap-and-trade emissions trading schemes are well and truly alive. Posted. http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/8/2/carbon-markets/california-calling-australia-isnt-alone-carbon-action AIR POLLUTION Chevron's Richmond refinery pays $192,000 in air pollution penalties. The Chevron oil refinery in Richmond has agreed to pay $192,000 in fines to settle 19 air quality violations that occurred over a two-year period and are unrelated to the big fire at the plant on Aug. 6 last year. The infractions covered a range of problems, from inadequate record keeping and maintenance to excessive emissions from plant flares, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_23778753/chevrons-richmond-refinery-pays-192-000-air-pollution?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_23778753/chevrons-richmond-refinery-pays-192-000-air-pollution?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23778752/chevrons-richmond-refinery-pays-192-000-air-pollution?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com Wildfires top Californians’ climate-change fears, survey shows. California residents’ No. 1 fear about climate change is that it will cause more severe wildfires, according to a survey released Wednesday, July 31. A majority of residents also say state government should act right away to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rather than wait until the economy improves, found the report by the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan research group based in San Francisco. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130731-region-wildfires-top-californians-climate-change-fears-survey-shows.ece APCD won’t apply permanent monitors fee to temporary sites. A $4,080 fee for oversight of two permanent air pollution monitors will not be applied to 22 temporary monitors that track dust from the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. An article about the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District’s proposed Rule 302 published in the July 19 issue incorrectly indicated the $4,080 fee would be assessed on the temporary monitors. Posted. http://www.timespressrecorder.com/articles/2013/08/01/news/news56.txt Houseplants Natural filters for indoor air pollution. We all know the air outdoors is not without pollution but how many of us really think about air pollution indoors? According to the book “How to Grow Fresh Air” by Dr. B.C. Wolverton, it is becoming more and more of a concern as the newer, “greener” houses are being built to reduce fuel and energy consumption by adding more insulation, caulking, weather stripping, etc. Posted. http://www.vvdailypress.com/articles/pollution-41612-air-indoor.html CLIMATE CHANGE Sediment behind dams creates greenhouse gas 'hot spots,' study finds. Hydroelectric dams may be known as a relatively clean and low-cost energy source, but a new study says that the sediment trapped behind them makes them hot spots for greenhouse gas emissions. A team of European scientists found that methane, which is produced by organic matter in the sediment that collects behind the impoundments, bubbles up through the water and contributes more of the greenhouse gases driving climate change than previously thought. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-dams-greenhouse-gas-hot-spots-20130801,0,6075254.story Study: Hotter temperatures lead to hotter tempers. As the world gets warmer, people are more likely to get hot under the collar, scientists say. A massive new study finds that aggressive acts like committing violent crimes and waging war become more likely with each added degree. Researchers analyzed 60 studies on historic empire collapses, recent wars, violent crime rates in the United States, lab simulations that tested police decisions on when to shoot and even cases where pitchers threw deliberately at batters in baseball. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_WARMING_TEMPERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related stories: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-climate-change-conflict-20130802,0,3466600.story http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/01/climate-change-and-violence_n_3692023.html http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/01/us/climate-change-violence/index.html Report: Climate change and California's rising sea levels. More Californians than ever say the state should take action immediately on climate change, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California. Many of those surveyed believe the effects of climate change are already here, with a quarter of Californians saying their biggest weather worry is flooding or rising seas. Scientists studying sea level rising are working hard to get the rest of society to pay more attention to the issue. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/08/01/33012/report-climate-change-and-california-s-rising-sea/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 DIESEL EMISSIONS Calif. issues statement clarifying renewable diesel questions. California Air Resources Board and the State Water Resources Control Board issued a joint statement July 31 to clarify questions raised over the status of renewable diesel, including storing the biomass-based diesel in underground storage tanks. “We consider renewable diesel to be a ‘drop-in’ fuel that can be blended with conventional CARB diesel in any amount and used with existing infrastructure and diesel engines,” the statement said. Posted. http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/9251/calif-issues-statement-clarifying-renewable-diesel-questions FUELS How a company found a business in measuring leaking methane. A few weeks ago, a strange-looking vehicle could be seen meandering through the natural gas wells and compressor stations in Bakersfield, Calif. The car, a Toyota SUV outfitted with instruments by the Santa Clara, Calif., company Picarro Inc., looked a bit odd. It had a 12-foot rod attached to its front that stuck straight into the air and another smaller rod mounted on its top. As the car drove past the oil and gas fields, the front rod swept through the air. It was "sniffing" for methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a warming potential about 25 times greater than carbon dioxide. BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985507 NY manufacturer to make fuel from Crayola castoffs. All those markers being bought up for the new school year will eventually run dry, but a Niagara Falls company says that doesn't have to be the end of their usefulness. The company, JBI Inc., announced a deal with Crayola this week to take in the castoffs from schools and the crayon-maker and convert them to fuel. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/02/2841654/ny-manufacturer-to-make-fuel-from.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL State high-speed rail seeks to reassure on safety. California high-speed rail officials sought Thursday to reassure the public about safety in the wake of deadly European train crashes this summer. An eight-car train that crashed in northern Spain last week, killing 79 passengers, was not operating on a system like the one planned for California, and it was not part of the country's high-speed rail network, members of the board that oversees the California project said at their meeting Thursday. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130801/A_NEWS/130809993 GREEN ENERGY Sonoma Clean Power board maps out agency's future. With five newly seated city representatives, an expanded board of directors for Sonoma County’s startup public power agency got to work Thursday, reviewing a preliminary first-year budget and a timeline geared toward a power purchase deal, plus various staffing and financial decisions looming over the next four months. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130801/articles/130809939 MISCELLANEOUS 1980 Century City smog. Oct. 1, 1980: The towers of Century City peek through the murk at 4:15 p.m. in aerial photo looking toward the northwest. Staff writer Ted Thackrey Jr. reported in the next morning’s Los Angeles Times: Smog set a new record for the year in Southern California Wednesday, but the Air Quality Management District said it could have been a lot worse. Posted. http://framework.latimes.com/2013/08/02/1980-century-city-smog/ Interactive web app lets users map forest carbon emissions activities. A new online portal for monitoring, reporting and verifying (MRV) carbon emissions allows researchers and practitioners to better manage forest inventories, its creators say. The Forest Carbon Database (FCDB) can be used to share measurements of carbon pools — reservoirs with the capacity to store and release carbon, the chemical basis of all known life and climate warming gases. Posted. http://www.trust.org/item/20130802052754-plavb/?source=hppartner Cap and Trade board game explains California's greenhouse gas reduction plan. California’s cap and trade program creates a market place to buy and sell the rights to pollute. The system sounds simple, but there are some complex rules that must be followed. San Francisco Public Press have taken it upon themselves to break it all down and simplify what cap and trade means and how it really works. And what better way to simplify a complex system than turn it into a board game? Posted. http://www.kalw.org/post/cap-and-trade-board-game-explains-californias-greenhouse-gas-reduction-plan BLOGS Two Climate Analysts Fault Gas Leaks, but Not as a Big Warming Threat. Two prominent analysts of human-driven global warming have offered fresh criticisms of the way Anthony Ingraffea, a Cornell University engineering professor, has been portraying the contribution of natural gas leaks to climate change. The researchers are Raymond Pierrehumbert, a climate scientist at the University of Chicago, and Richard A. Muller, a physics professor at the University of California, Berkeley who is best known of late for his research corroborating the extent of recent climate warming. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/two-climate-analysts-fault-gas-leaks-but-not-as-a-big-warming-threat/?_r=0 Don’t let the mustache fool you: That’s just an unregulated cab. They’ve been around since 2010, but over the last year, “ridesharing” services such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar have established themselves as serious transportation players in major American cities. But the road has been a bumpy one — and so far, this part of the “sharing economy” looks less like an altruistic act, and more like a shadow service industry with few consumer or worker protections. Posted. http://grist.org/cities/dont-let-the-mustache-fool-you-thats-just-an-unregulated-cab/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2013 15:03:11 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 5, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 5, 2013. 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 Australian opposition pledges carbon tax will go. Australia's conservative opposition party is casting the looming election as a referendum over a contentious carbon tax, pledging on Monday that scrapping the tax would be its first priority if it regains power. The major political parties as well as the public are bitterly divided over whether Australian industrial polluters should be forced to pay for the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases they produce. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_ELECTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/03/2844561/ap-news-alert.html#storylink=cpy Judge denies national business group's bid to intervene in Calif. Lawsuit. A business group trying to participate in a lawsuit against California's cap-and-trade program was rebuffed by a state judge. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) had tried to intervene in Morning Star v. California Air Resources Board, a suit seeking to invalidate the state's quarterly auctions on the grounds that they amount to an illegal tax. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985598/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY House Republicans pass ban on carbon tax with help from some Democrats. The House delivered a message of caution to lawmakers interested in pursuing climate change legislation by adopting a measure Friday that prevents U.S. EPA from taxing carbon emissions. The amendment's supporters described the measure as a clear statement that Congress is not interested in curbing greenhouse gases if it raises energy prices and threatens blue-collar jobs in coal mines and factories. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985597/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Wildfire smoke fouls Valley air. Smoke from distant wildfires could remain a problem in the north San Joaquin Valley through the weekend, air quality officials said Friday. The Aspen Fire near Huntington Lake is spewing smoke primarily into the south Valley, but fires in far Northern California and Oregon have the potential to send smoke to San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District said. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130803/A_NEWS/130809966/-1/NEWSMAP Motorcycle parts suppliers Tucker Rocky and Biker's Choice fined $500,000 by ARB. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced Friday that it has fined Ed Tucker Distributor, Inc., $500,000 for violating California air pollution control laws. The fines involved the sale of illegal aftermarket "emissions critical" parts in California. The fines arose after ARB investigators learned that two Tucker companies, Tucker Rocky Distributing and Biker's Choice, were selling parts that replaced original emissions-critical components, such as catalytic converters, on highway motorcycles. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/motorcycle-parts-suppliers-tucker-rocky-and-biker-s-choice-fined-500-000-by-arb Fee won’t be applied to all dust monitors. A $4,080 fee for oversight of two permanent air pollution monitors will not be applied to 22 temporary monitors that track dust from the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. An article about the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District’s proposed Rule 302 published recently incorrectly indicated the $4,080 fee would be assessed on the temporary monitors. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/fee-won-t-be-applied-to-all-dust-monitors/article_d22f55e6-fb3c-11e2-afb9-001a4bcf887a.html?comment_form=true How a company found a business in measuring leaking methane. A few weeks ago, a strange-looking vehicle could be seen meandering through the natural gas wells and compressor stations in Bakersfield, Calif. The car, a Toyota SUV outfitted with instruments by the Santa Clara, Calif., company Picarro Inc., looked a bit odd. It had a 12-foot rod attached to its front that stuck straight into the air and another smaller rod mounted on its top. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985507/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Californians want more done about global warming, fail to do things themselves. A new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California is encouraging. It points out that state residents are concerned about global warming and want the government to do more to cut air pollution. But the same survey is discouraging when it comes to residents' actions that could lead to change. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/californians-want-more-done-about-global-warming-fail-to-do-things-themselves/Content?oid=2535196 Australia's Climate Change Authority to raise emissions reduction target to 15% A leaked report from Australia's Climate Change Authority calls for the nation to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent from 2000 levels by 2020. The advisory board said the target should escalate to a 40 percent reduction by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985583/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Arctic ice close to record lows, with major ripple effects. The dramatic retreat of Arctic sea ice in recent years is changing disease patterns, altering the local food web and lowering the region's ability to reflect sunlight, according to two new studies. The research in Science and Nature Climate Change, although on two different topics, fits into a growing body of knowledge about the side effects of ice loss. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985599/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CHEVRON REFINERY 210 arrested at Chevron refinery protest. More than 200 people were arrested Saturday outside Chevron's Richmond refinery during a protest over safety issues at the plant and the company's global environmental practices. The arrests came hours into a protest that began with a rally Saturday morning outside the Richmond BART Station and a march west to Chevron's gates. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/210-arrested-at-Chevron-refinery-protest-4705509.php http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23790772/big-protest-at-chevron-richmond-refinery-is-latest http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Richmond-sues-Chevron-over-refinery-fire-4703370.php http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23790772/big-protest-at-chevron-richmond-refinery-is-latest?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com FUELS Analysis: TransCanada's East Coast oil pipeline to change trade dynamics. TransCanada Corp's (TRP.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plan to build one of the world's longest oil pipelines has reverberations far beyond Canadian shores. The planned 2,700 mile pipeline, which will bring crude from Canada's energy capital of Alberta to refineries and ports on the East Coast, has the potential to upturn the dynamics of the North Atlantic oil trade squeezing out some imported crude to North America and revitalizing once-ailing refineries. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/05/us-transcanada-pipeline-east-analysis-idUSBRE97403H20130805 Natural Gas Fluctuates Near Five-Month Low on Mild U.S. Weather. Natural gas fluctuated in New York after dropping to a five-month low as the outlook for unusually mild weather signaled reduced demand for the power-plant fuel. The swung between gains and losses on forecasts that the Northeast and Midwest will see below-normal temperatures from Aug. 10 through Aug. 19, according to Commodity Weather Group LLC in Bethesda, Maryland. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-05/natural-gas-drops-for-third-day-as-mild-weather-cuts-demand.html Violence will rise as climate changes, scientists predict. UC Berkeley researchers pull together data on ancient wars, road rage and more, and conclude that violence may increase between now and 2050 because of higher temperatures and extreme rainfall patterns. Long before scientists began to study global warming, author Raymond Chandler described the violent effects of dry, "oven-hot" Santa Ana winds gusting through the city of Los Angeles. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-climate-change-conflict-20130802,0,3466600.story Oil companies frack in coastal waters off Calif. Companies prospecting for oil off California's coast have used hydraulic fracturing on at least a dozen occasions to force open cracks beneath the seabed, and now regulators are investigating whether the practice should require a separate permit and be subject to stricter environmental review. While debate has raged over fracking on land, prompting efforts to ban or severely restrict it…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Oil-companies-frack-in-coastal-waters-off-Calif-4704820.php http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/BLM-launches-assessment-of-Calif-oil-gas-leasing-4703487.php http://www.bna.com/workers-silica-exposure-n17179875594/ Sacramento gas prices take a mid-August dip. Sacramento-area gasoline prices, which have been declining ever-so-slowly of late, fell another 3.1 cents over the past week. The average retail price of gas in the Sacramento area is $3.79 a gallon, according to today's weekly report by national price tracker GasBuddy.com, which surveys 720 stations in the area. Area prices are now 5.3 cents higher than one year ago but 0.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/05/5624714/sacramento-gas-prices-take-a-mid.html#storylink=cpy The Buzz: Californians narrowly oppose fracking, support Keystone XL pipeline, poll finds. Climate change represents a concrete threat for a majority of Californians, according to a recent poll, but those surveyed were less certain about issues at the intersection of energy and the environment. Residents narrowly oppose hydraulic fracturing, and they narrowly support construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/05/2845749/the-buzz-californians-narrowly.html#storylink=cpy VEHICLES Buffett-Backed BYD Seeks to Boost U.S. Electric-Bus Sales. BYD Co. , the Warren Buffett-backed Chinese auto-and-battery maker, is seeking to increase overseas sales of its electric bus as billionaire founder Wang Chuanfu predicts a “second takeoff” for the company this year. Shenzhen-based BYD has signed contracts this year to supply a total of 35 K9 electric buses to Long Beach and Los Angeles for use in public transportation. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-04/buffett-backed-byd-seeks-u-s-electric-bus-sales-as-shares-surge.html Number of hybrid vehicles in California triples in five years. With gas prices hovering near $4 a gallon for the past several years, the appetite for hybrid vehicles in California has grown. About 585,000 hybrid vehicles were registered in the state on the first day of 2013, according to the latest figures from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. That's up from 218,000 hybrid vehicles registered on the first day of 2008. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/02/5619882/number-of-hybrid-vehicles-in-california.html#storylink=cpy Convention on electric cars set in Cape Girardeau. A convention designed to help people convert cars to run on electricity is scheduled this week in Cape Girardeau. About 150 people are expected to attend the Electric Vehicle Conversion Convention, which runs Tuesday through Sunday. Organizers say educational sessions and hands-on work will be held at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/05/2846048/convention-on-electric-cars-set.html#storylink=cpy Tesla profits could be challenged by Calif. credit-rule change. A pending rule change by the California Air Resources Board could limit Tesla Motors' ability to earn money by selling zero-emissions credits -- a key factor in the company's first-quarter profit. The agency is evaluating whether to eliminate the "fast-refueling" rule that allows electric vehicles with quick-swap batteries to gain bonus credits under CARB's regulations. Posted. http://www.autonews.com/article/20130805/OEM11/308059945#ixzz2b8DuxY2k HIGH-SPEED RAIL Economist: In the Appalachia of the West, the same old problems. Away from the California of the popular imagination, far from the beaches and glamour of Los Angeles and the technological innovations of Silicon Valley, sits the Central Valley, a 450-mile stretch of mainly agricultural flatlands enclosed by mountains to the east and west. The valley's geographical seclusion has bred other forms of disconnect. Here you encounter habits, such as listening to country music and voting Republican, that are virtually extinct in the rest of the state. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130804/wire/130809882?title=Economist:-In-the-Appalachia-of-the-West,-the-same-old-problems#page=0 GREEN ENERGY Review: Texas leads the way in wind energy. Millions of people are asking how or if the country can transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy—and ironically Texas is leading the way in actually doing it. In "The Great Texas Wind Rush," Kate Galbraith and Asher Price tell the strange, inspiring and at times funny story of how a culture known for Big Oil came to embrace Big Wind. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BOOK_REVIEW_WIND_RUSH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles: http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23797030/review-texas-leads-way-wind-energy?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/review-ironically-texas-embraces-renewable-energy-in-the-great-texas-wind-rush/2013/08/05/e5499c72-fdcb-11e2-8294-0ee5075b840d_story.html European Commission Approves Chinese Solar-Panel Pact. The European Commission approved trade chief Karel De Gucht’s plan for curbs on Chinese solar panels, allowing import tariffs to be removed in three days in Europe’s largest dumping dispute. The commission, the European Union’s executive arm, yesterday endorsed a negotiated settlement with China that sets a minimum price and a volume limit on EU imports of Chinese solar panels until the end of 2015. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-02/eu-solar-panel-accord-with-china-approved-by-european-commission.html Newly available wind power often has no place to go. The windswept prairies of the Midwest are undergoing an energy transformation the electric grid can’t handle. Wind turbines tower over rural vistas in the heartland, where the clean energy source is becoming increasingly popular with utility companies that face state-mandated renewable energy standards. Unfortunately, the nation’s aging power grid is hampering those efforts. Posted. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/08/05/v-print/198428/newly-available-wind-power-often.html MISCELLANEOUS Scientists serve up lab-made burger from cow cells. For a hamburger that cost more than $300,000, you might expect it to come with fries and a shake. But this is no ordinary burger. At a public tasting in London on Monday, scientists will serve up the first-ever hamburger grown in a laboratory from stem cells of cattle. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/05/scientists-serve-up-lab-made-burger-from-cow-cells/ OPINIONS Life in a Toxic Country. I RECENTLY found myself hauling a bag filled with 12 boxes of milk powder and a cardboard container with two sets of air filters through San Francisco International Airport. I was heading to my home in Beijing at the end of a work trip, bringing back what have become two of the most sought-after items among parents here, and which were desperately needed in my own household. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/sunday-review/life-in-a-toxic-country.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 A Republican Case for Climate Action. EACH of us took turns over the past 43 years running the Environmental Protection Agency. We served Republican presidents, but we have a message that transcends political affiliation: the United States must move now on substantive steps to curb climate change, at home and internationally. There is no longer any credible scientific debate about the basic facts: our world continues to warm, with the last decade the hottest in modern records…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/02/opinion/a-republican-case-for-climate-action.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=1&&pagewanted=print Letters: Raymond Chandler and climate change Re "Violence linked to climate change," Aug. 2 Who needs data when we have the truthiness of Raymond Chandler's beautiful writing from his novel "Red Wind": "There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0804-sunday-climate-change-violence-20130804,0,602112.story Editorial: Senate should leave California's laws as they are. We Californians should overhaul our initiative system. We should update and perhaps scrap some initiatives California voters approved years ago. Additionally, we Californians should take second looks at some of the environmental laws approved by past legislatures to make certain they make sense in 2013. The operative words are "we Californians" – definitely not some United States senator from, of all places, Louisiana. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/05/5624029/senate-should-leave-californias.html#storylink=cpy Scientists assert there is less weather variability, globally, than most people believe. Climate change is a broad and complicated topic, often too complicated for the average person. Instead, most of us get our grasp of climate change by looking out the window or stepping out the front door. It explains why many people in North America and Europe -- recent victims of sweltering heat waves, droughts, floods and other extreme weather events -- believe climate change is causing ever more drastic weather extremes (ClimateWire, July 24). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985592/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS CLIMATE CHANGE: Timeline highlights extreme weather events. Weather extremes go far beyond last month’s record temperature in Death Valley of 129 degrees. The folks at World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank based in Washington, D.C., have laid out the year’s extreme events that the group says points to climate change. Extreme Weather & Climate Events 2013. http://blog.pe.com/2013/08/03/climate-change-timeline-highlights-extreme-weather-events/ Greenhouse gas emissions explained, in seven balloons. In 2010, human activity caused 50 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent in emissions. The emissions were 76 percent carbon dioxide, 16 percent methane, 8 percent nitrous oxide, and 2 percent F-gases. The biggest emitters were China (23 percent), the U.S. (14 percent), Europe (10 percent), India (5 percent), and Russia (5 percent). Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/greenhouse-gas-emissions-explained-in-seven-balloons/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2013 12:44:39 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 6, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 6, 2013. 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 Poll: What do you expect from California's newly inaugurated cap-and-trade program for carbon dioxide? Posted. http://www.redding.com/polls/2013/jul/poll-capandtrade/results/ California Carbon Trading Would Counteract Emissions From Expanded Chevron Refinery, State Says. The hundreds of activists on hand Saturday at Chevron’s Richmond refinery to protest its contribution to global warming might be surprised to learn that California says it has found a way to control the company’s carbon footprint within the state, despite its plans to expand. Posted. http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2013-08/california-carbon-trading-would-counteract-emissions-from-expanded-chevron-refinery-state-says More Hinkley homes in toxic plume's path. Four new homeowners have been included in the one-mile buffer zone of the toxic groundwater plume after the release of the latest data from Pacific Gas and Electric’s monitoring, according to PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith. Homeowners in the zone receive the option of a buyout offer from PG&E or a whole-house water purification system. Posted. http://www.desertdispatch.com/articles/hinkley-14882-homes-path.html AIR POLLUTION China Battery Maker Investigating Pollutions Claims. One of China's biggest suppliers of batteries for electric vehicles suspended its shares from trading Monday in the wake of allegations from state media reports that pollution from one of its factories had sickened children and contaminated land. Hong Kong-listed Tianneng Power International Ltd. told the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it and its subsidiaries have taken note of recent media reports regarding the company's plant in Jiangsu province's Shuyang County. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323420604578649560853437652.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution Foul odor in Santa Fe Springs caused by hydrogen sulfide. After receiving more than 330 complaints about a foul odor wafting across Santa Fe Springs last week, air quality officials said Monday they had pinpointed the smell to increases in the amount of hydrogen sulfide in the air. "Hydrogen sulfide does give you that rotten-egg type smell," said Sam Atwood of the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-foul-odor-in-santa-fe-springs-20130805,0,4555.story BLM to re-examine impacts of western Colo. Wells. In a settlement with environmental groups, the Bureau of Land Management has agreed to take another look at potential air pollution associated with more than 1,300 oil and gas wells proposed in the Garfield County area. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/05/5625620/blm-to-re-examine-impacts-of-western.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Investors See Climate Change as Risk That Influences Decisions: Report. Climate change remains a material risk for a majority of investors and, in many cases, it is increasingly influencing their investment activities, according to a report released Aug. 5 by a coalition of global investor groups. About 81 percent of asset owners and 68 percent of asset managers said they view climate change as a material risk across their entire investment portfolio in the third annual Global Investor Survey on Climate Change. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-06/investors-see-climate-change-as-risk-that-influences-decisions-report.html Climate Change Seen as Threat to Iberian Lynx. After 20 years and more than $100 million spent, the effort to save the endangered Iberian lynx is at risk because it fails to factor in the effects of climate change, scientists say. The lynx is a spotted, yellow-eyed feline from Southern Europe that has long faced a dwindling food supply. Its preferred prey, the European rabbit, suffers from disease and over-hunting. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/science/weather-seen-as-threat-to-iberian-lynx.html?_r=0 New Mexico is the driest of the dry. Scientists in the West have a particular way of walking a landscape and divining its secrets: They kick a toe into loamy soil or drag a boot heel across the desert's crust, leaning down to squint at the tiny excavation. Try that maneuver in New Mexico these days and it yields nothing but bad news in a puff of dust. Across the West, changes in the climate are taking a toll. Almost 87% of the region is in a drought. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-parched-20130806-dto,0,5922502.htmlstory Study Questions Nature's Ability to 'Self-Correct' Global Warming. Forests have a limited capacity to soak up atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), according to a new study from Northern Arizona University. The study, available online in the journal New Phytologist, aimed to explore how rising atmospheric carbon dioxide could alter the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content of ecosystems. Posted. http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/08/06/5088960/study-questions-natures-ability.html#storylink=cpy DIESEL EMISSIONS Retrofit-DPF sales to satisfy California regulations lag. Sales of diesel particulate filter retrofits for in-use, on-road, heavy-duty diesel vehicles operating in California remain lower than the state’s projections, according to the results of a survey released today by the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA). The total number of verified DPFs sold by MECA member companies for diesels operating in California in the first half of 2013 was 3,508 and includes both passive and active DPFs. Posted. http://www.overdriveonline.com/retrofit-dpf-sales-to-satisfy-california-reglulations-lag/ CARB Publishes Q&A for TRU Generator Sets. The California Air Resources Board has published a series of frequently asked questions and answers for transport refrigeration unit generator sets regarding compliance with the TRU regulation requirements for brokers, shippers, receivers, carriers, and drivers at California port terminals and depots. TRU gensets are generator sets that are designed and used to provide electric power to electrically driven refrigeration units of any kind. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/08/carb-publishes-q-a-for-tru-generator-sets.aspx?prestitial=1 FUELS White House May Cut Ethanol Mandate. The Obama administration is set to announce that it will propose changes to the U.S. ethanol mandate next year, according to people briefed on the matter, opening the door to a first-ever reduction of the requirement. The statement could come as early as Tuesday and would be as part of the rollout of an Environmental Protection Agency rule finalizing this year's ethanol requirement, these people said. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323968704578652011231792732.html?KEYWORDS=fuels U.S. and Canada Vie for Big Gas Projects. Some of the world's largest energy companies are racing to transform backwaters like this hamlet of 544 people into boomtowns. The energy giants are proposing half a trillion dollars in projects to export vast new finds of North American natural gas. Western Canada and the U.S. Gulf Coast are competing to see which region receives the lion's share of the investment. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324260204578585883862305950.html Fuel deal reached for NH natural gas station. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. of Newport Beach, Calif., on Tuesday announced a 10-year fueling agreement with NG Advantage of Colchester, Vt. Under the agreement, NG Advantage has agreed to purchase an amount of compressed natural gas equal to at least 10 million gallons of gasoline each year, more than double the volume supplied by Clean Energy Fuel's highest volume station. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/06/fuel-deal-reached-for-nh-natural-gas-station/ Obama administration defends fracking safety — again. For years, the most common rap used to discredit hydraulic fracturing — the sharply improved drilling process that uses precisely targeted underground water cannons to free up oil and natural gas reserves a mile or more below ground — is that it triggered environmental nightmares in Pennsylvania. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/06/tp-obama-administration-defends-fracking-safety/ Uinta Basin gas leakage far worse than most believe. Gas production » New study says up to 12 percent of basin’s methane escapes. Between 6 percent and 12 percent of the Uinta Basin’s natural gas production could be escaping into the atmosphere, far more than commonly estimated, according to a new study led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Posted. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56692751-78/basin-carbon-emissions-gas.html.csp CHEVRON REFINERY Chevron to pay $2 million for refinery fire. A day before the first anniversary of the destructive fire at Chevron's oil refinery in Richmond, the company pleaded no contest Monday to six criminal charges arising from the incident. As part of the deal, Chevron agreed to pay $2 million in fines and restitution and accept additional oversight and inspection of its operations during a 3 1/2-year probation period, authorities said. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Chevron-to-pay-2-million-for-refinery-fire-4707675.php VEHICLES GM cutting Chevrolet Volt's sticker price by $5,000. The price cut will make the plug-in hybrid 2014 Chevy Volt more competitive with other rechargeable cars. Sales haven't been speedy. In an effort to juice up tepid sales of its 2014 Chevrolet Volt, General Motors Co. will slash the sticker price by $5,000, to $34,995, including shipping. The price cut makes the plug-in hybrid Volt more competitive with other rechargeable cars…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-chevy-volt-price-drop-20130806,0,4503689.story http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23803647/gm-knocks-12-5-percent-off-volt-price#ixzz2bCvfgGHh Data Center: Number of hybrid vehicles in California triples in five years. With gas prices hovering near $4 a gallon for the past several years, the appetite for hybrid vehicles in California has grown. About 585,000 hybrid vehicles were registered in the state on the first day of 2013, according to the latest figures from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. That's up from 218,000 hybrid vehicles registered on the first day of 2008. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/05/3424926/data-center-number-of-hybrid-vehicles.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Perea advocates high-speed rail at forum. Henry Perea, chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, left no doubt of his support for high-speed rail Friday as he spoke as a panelist at the Fresno Grizzles’ Farm Forum at Chukchansi Park. Perea said the need for additional transportation and jobs in the area make it a winning plan, even at a high price tag. Posted. http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/transportation/7154-perea-advocates-high-speed-rail-at-forum GREEN ENERGY More homeowners going solar for electricity, but uncertainty and cost stops others. Ben Kunz wanted to do “the green thing” and save on his electric bill without paying a lot of money up front. So instead of buying a solar system for his house in Cheshire, Conn., he leased one. “I thought it was a pretty good deal,” he said. “I lean a little environmentalist so I’m concerned about global warming.” Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/more-homeowners-going-solar-for-electricity-but-uncertainty-and-cost-stops-others/2013/08/06/93e22d7a-fe9f-11e2-8294-0ee5075b840d_story.html Edison International acquires solar developer SoCore. California-based Edison International has acquired solar developer SoCore Energy in a move that will expand the utility company's ability to install and operate rooftop solar installations for commercial and industry customers. Edison said the Chicago-based SoCore will become a wholly-owned subsidiary. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-edition-solar-panels-20130805,0,6121402.story?track=rss Solar dilemma: Wash rooftop panels? It is a question gnawing at people who live and toil beneath rooftop solar panels: To wash or not to wash away accumulating dust? The answer is don't bother hiring a panel washer to let in the sunshine, according a study by a team of engineers at the University of California San Diego. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/05/dirty-solar-dilemma/ Move state green power mandate to 90%, and technology will follow, advocates say. California needs to set more aggressive targets for renewable energy, aiming to mandate as much as 90 percent of power by 2050, community advocates said here yesterday. A state official, however, said it's not feasible. Members of a committee representing low-income and minority populations, which is advising the California Air Resources Board as it plans future moves…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985646/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Europe explores floating wind turbines to expand offshore power, study says. Massive wind turbines that float far out into deep ocean waters could go from fantasy to reality in as little as four years, a new study says. Floating turbine designs are comparable in cost with fixed-bottom designs in waters more than 50 meters (164 feet) deep and will be key to unlocking a huge untapped energy potential in remote locations with excellent wind conditions concludes the study…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985633/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Environmental groups say radioactive waste is going to landfills. A coalition of environmental groups accused state regulators Monday of allowing low-level radioactive waste from the former Santa Susana Field Laboratory to be illegally disposed of in landfills not licensed to receive such material. Consumer Watchdog, the Center for Race Poverty and the Environment, and others said debris from six structures from the former nuclear research facility already had been delivered to municipal landfills and metal and concrete recyclers. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-radioactive-waste-20130805,0,662324.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29 Still no agreement on Prop. 65 reform. Stakeholders working to reform Proposition 65, California’s 1986 voter-approved initiative on warnings for toxic chemicals, still haven’t agreed on changes to the law despite several meetings over the past month. The groups, which include business leaders, environmentalists, attorney’s groups, consumer organizations and representatives from Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration…Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/08/05/still-no-agreement-on-prop-65-reforms.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sacramento+%28Sacramento+Business+Journal%29 OPINIONS California’s ‘truck-n-bus’ fiasco. Think the Golden State has come up with every possible regulation known to man? Not quite yet. As the California Air and Resources Board’s 2008 global warming regulations begin to phase in, California’s trucking industry will be virtually exterminated. The state’s top-down public policies have made California one of the worst states to live and own a business. Posted. http://dailycaller.com/2013/08/05/californias-truck-n-bus-fiasco/ BLOGS Scientists declare: 'Human activities are changing Earth's climate'. With more confidence than ever before, a prominent scientific body put the blame for global climate change squarely at the feet of humanity's insatiable appetite for fossil fuels, which release heat-trapping gases when burned. "There is only one thing that is going straight up … that is the greenhouse gases that we are just pumping at an exponential rate," Gerald North...Posted. http://www.nbcnews.com/science/scientists-declare-human-activities-are-changing-earths-climate-6C10853219 Car wars. FRANCE has banned imports of some Mercedes cars, claiming they fail to meet European technical standards for emissions of global-warming gases. It looks like an arcane technical dispute, but it is an early skirmish in what could become a trade war within Europe’s single market. The casus belli is ever-tighter European Union (EU) rules on car emissions of carbon dioxide. Posted. http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/08/european-infighting-0 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2013 14:47:21 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 7, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 7, 2013. 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 Long Beach hopes mulch wall will make Hudson Park a healthier place. City of Long Beach is testing a 12-foot-high, 600-foot-long mulch wall as a sound and pollution barrier along a busy truck route. Long Beach has erected a new fortification in the battle against freeway noise and air pollution, and it's decidedly low-tech. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mulch-wall-20130807,0,2781152.story Heavy smoke in Lode may pose health risks. Mother Lode fitness buffs may want to reconsider their morning workouts for the next few days. Mornings are when unhealthy levels of smoke are likely to be the worst in communities such as Angels Camp and Murphys thanks to a fire in Tuolumne County. The Power Fire, burning in the Stanislaus National Forest northeast of Beardsley Reservoir, was at 500 acres and growing Tuesday afternoon, according to National Forest representatives. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130807/A_NEWS/308070320&cid=sitesearch Manage Your Environment with Air Pollution Control Equipment. Pollutants are an inescapable side effect of doing business in nearly every industry. With the environment serving as a constant issue in the news, minimizing your company’s impact is a necessity. But managing these products at an industrial grade is different from how we handle these issues at an individual level and requires a greater scale of machinery. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/manage-your-environment-with-air-pollution-control-equipment CLIMATE CHANGE Investors See Climate Change as Risk That Influences Decisions: Report. Climate change remains a material risk for a majority of investors and, in many cases, it is increasingly influencing their investment activities, according to a report released Aug. 5 by a coalition of global investor groups. About 81 percent of asset owners and 68 percent of asset managers said they view climate change as a material risk across their entire investment portfolio in the third annual Global Investor Survey on Climate Change. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-06/investors-see-climate-change-as-risk-that-influences-decisions-report.html 2012 one of 10 warmest years on record, report says. Arctic sea ice reaches record lows and greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports. Last year was one of the 10 hottest since global average temperatures have been recorded, according to an assessment of worldwide climate trends by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-noaa-heat-20130807,0,2695081.story Noaa finds heat is on as earth continues to warm. A new massive federal study says the world in 2012 sweltered with continued signs of climate change. Rising sea levels, snow melt, heat buildup in the oceans, and melting Arctic sea ice and Greenland ice sheets, all broke or nearly broke records, but temperatures only sneaked into the top 10. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/07/tp-noaa-finds-heat-is-on-as-earth-continues-to/ Earth Scientists Pin Climate Change Squarely On 'Humanity'. The weather is one of those topics that is fairly easy for people to agree on. Climate, however, is something else. Most of the scientists who study the Earth say our climate is changing and humans are part of what's making that happen. But to a lot of nonscientists it's still murky. This week, two of the nation's most venerable scientific institutions tried to explain it better. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/08/06/209462713/earth-scientists-pin-climate-change-squarely-on-humanity International climate talks could fail without more national actions – report. There will be no new climate change treaty in 2015 unless more nations develop domestic legislation to address rising greenhouse gas levels, a new study concludes. In reviewing countries' laws to reduce carbon emissions, researchers with the Global Legislators Organization (GLOBE) argue that domestic goals must come before, not after, an international deal. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985701/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS New Tools Pinpoint Natural Gas Leaks, Maximizing a Fuel’s Green Qualities. Natural gas is hailed as green and safe, but its environmental benefits and ability to temper climate change are reduced by its tendency to leak into the air undetected. Now, laser technology, some of it borrowed from the telecommunications industry, is giving engineers and scientists crucial new tools to measure leaks and track them to their source. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/business/energy-environment/new-tools-pinpoint-natural-gas-leaks-maximizing-a-fuels-green-qualities.html?pagewanted=all Goals Collide in Drilling Protests. On Aug. 1, six friends drove a 1970s-era fire engine to the village of Balcombe, south of London, and used it to block the entrance of a site where Cuadrilla Holdings, a leader in the fledgling British shale gas industry, was about to commence drilling. Eventually, the police arrested the group and impounded the vehicle, which some of the protesters had bought for the occasion. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/business/energy-environment/08iht-green08.html EPA relaxes biofuel standards through 2014. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday extended the deadline for meeting biofuel goals this year and will lower renewable fuel targets for 2014, a move designed to give oil refineries more flexibility. The 2013 rules, months late in coming, mandates that 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into the U.S. gas and diesel supply, up from 15.2 billion gallons last year. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-epa-renewable-fuel-20130806,0,6599658.story In a Utah gas field, potent quantities of a greenhouse gas rise into the atmosphere – study. Methane is being emitted from a natural gas field in Utah at a rate of 6.2 to 11.7 percent of production, according to research accepted for publication in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The research adds one important data point to the ongoing question of how much methane, a greenhouse gas with a warming potential 25 times that of carbon dioxide, is emitted in the life cycle of natural gas production, transport and use. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985703/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Prospect of ethanol hitting 'blend wall' could shake up EPA's RFS in 2014. U.S. EPA lowered the required gallons for cellulosic biofuels for this year yesterday, but it also gave clues on how the agency might use its flexibility to conform with changing realities since the federal renewable fuel standard was approved by Congress six years ago. Yesterday, EPA cut the volume for cellulosic biofuels -- fuels made from grasses, wood, corncobs, trash and other low-impact sources…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985704/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Billions stand to be made in coal plant decommissioning. Winding down coal plants could account for a multibillion-dollar global business by the end of the decade, according to new research. Analysts at Navigant Research, a division of the consulting firm by the same name, believe the coming wave of coal plant retirements creates a market opportunity for cleanup firms. Between now and 2020, they said in a report released yesterday, companies that smash buildings, haul away debris and salvage polluted land could rake in more than $5 billion. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985699/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Texas researchers release more detail on Barnett Shale production. University of Texas researchers released more detail yesterday on their study of the Barnett Shale play in north Texas, which they estimate holds 45 trillion cubic feet of "economically recoverable" natural gas, making it a major contributor to the nation's gas supplies through 2030, they said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985707/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY ConocoPhillips spends $600M to get out of gas export terminal. Oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips Co. will pay $600 million to unwind its involvement in a Freeport, Texas, liquefied natural gas import terminal, it said last week. The agreement, which hinges on the facility's redevelopment for export use, would end ConocoPhillips' contract as a customer of Freeport LNG and turn over its 50 percent ownership share in a management company, Freeport LNG-GP Inc., that runs the facility's operations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985700/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Green Price War Breaks Out to Spark Interest in Electrics. As the auto industry struggled to recover from the recession, it swore off the deep discounting that destroyed profits and led to disaster. Now, a price war has erupted in the industry’s smallest segment: electric cars. General Motors Co. (GM)’s $5,000 price cut yesterday on its Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle came in response to rapid-fire discounting on battery-powered models this year. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-07/green-price-war-breaks-out-to-spark-interest-in-electrics.html BAE Systems Sees Demand Rise for Hybrid-Electric Combat Vehicle. BAE Systems Plc (BA/), Europe’s largest defense company, may upgrade its CV90 armored vehicle with a hybrid-electric propulsion system as armies look to cut expenses for fuel that can be many times the price paid at a civil gas station. “A requirement we are seeing more and more often is environmental issues in terms of fuel economy,” Dan Lindell, CV90 platform manager, told reporters yesterday at a briefing in London. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-07/bae-systems-sees-demand-rise-for-hybird-electric-combat-vehicle.html Range Resources purchases 180 natural gas vehicles. Range Resources Corp. has purchased 180 natural gas powered vehicles to serve operations in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and other states. The Fort Worth, Texas-based gas drilling company says in a Wednesday release that it purchased Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and Ram 2500 pickup trucks from the manufacturers. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/07/2849957/range-resources-purchases-180.html#storylink=cpy Hybrid, EV car sales ramping up — slowly. Herlica Garcia can still remember her daily commute from Downey to Rancho Cucamonga. In her Nissan Murano, the 90-mile roundtrip was costing her $70 a week. But that was before she bought her 2010 Toyota Prius III, which whittled that down to about $10 to $15 a week. The 31-year-old Downey resident, who now works in Torrance, said her hybrid has made all the difference. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_23807227#ixzz2bIlbceYn New survey tells you what a new car costs to drive. Every new car window sticker shows the estimated cost of fuel for a year, but that figure may not reflect the miles you drive. A new survey does that math for you. GasBuddy.com, a website that uses data from volunteers, gas stations and other sources to keep track of gas prices nationwide, ranked more than 750 vehicles from the 2013 model year based on the cost of fuel per mile driven. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_23813952/new-survey-tells-you-what-new-car-costs?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com SMUD to install fast electric car chargers. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District will be deploying four or five fast electric car chargers that can recharge the most modern electric vehicles in 30 minutes. There will be one installed at SMUD’s headquarters and at locations at the edges of the county, such as off Interstate 80 near Citrus Heights, off Interstate 5 in Elk Grove, off Highway 50 in Folsom and up north on Interstate 5. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/08/06/smud-to-install-fast-electric-car-charge.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sacramento+%28Sacramento+Business+Journal%29 Exclusive interview with Bryan Batista, EU sales director, Tesla Motors. Bryan Batista: The car is shipped in parts: the chassis, the body interior, wheels, the battery and the drive train. The parts have already been arriving in Europe since early July. They are delivered in Tilburg, in the south of the Netherlands, where our assembly facility is. European customers will start to receive their Model S in August. cars21.com: In terms of volume, can we already know how many cars in Europe you expect to deliver for this year? Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5553 GREEN ENERGY Leasing solar a cost-saving option for homeowners. Ben Kunz wanted to do "the green thing" and save on his electric bill without paying a lot of money up front. So instead of buying a solar system for his house in Cheshire, Conn., he leased one. "I thought it was a pretty good deal," he said. "I lean a little environmentalist so I'm concerned about global warming." Increasing numbers of U.S. homeowners are relying on the sun to meet much of their hot water and electricity needs. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/living/article/Leasing-solar-a-cost-saving-option-for-homeowners-4709210.php What are the greenest airlines in the world? Want to fly with a green conscience? Fly United Airlines, airberlin, Qantas or Air Canada. Because according to the 2013 Eco-Aviation Awards hosted by Air Transport World, these are the greenest airlines in the world, whether it be for building a fuel-efficient fleet, making concerted efforts to reduce fuel burn or exploring sustainable fuels. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23805800/what-are-greenest-airlines-world#ixzz2bIlxPNLl Google pushes ahead with renewable energy. Google stops short of bold proclamations about a grand vision for its sustainability strategy, but on one critical metric, at least, Google is leagues ahead: greening the energy it uses to power its way to billion-dollar revenues. "We ask, what can we do to get us to a place where clean energy is an option for everyone?" said Rick Needham, director of energy and sustainability. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985694/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Poor preparation before hurricanes leads to pollution afterward – report. Petroleum refineries along the Gulf Coast are not prepared to handle hurricanes, and the operators use weather as an excuse for polluting air and water, according to a new report. Hurricane Isaac, a Category 1 storm, made landfall on Aug. 28, 2012, on a coast crowded with petrochemical, oil, gas and coal facilities. The facilities later released 12.9 million gallons of oil, chemicals and untreated wastewater, and 192 tons of gases and other materials. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985690/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS Volkswagen Reveals Cleaner, More Powerful Diesel Engine. In the United States, Volkswagen has been one of the few automakers to consistently offer diesel-powered passenger cars over the past several decades. But with more manufacturers – even American ones – stepping up to the diesel plate, VW is ratcheting up its game with a new line of diesel engines. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/volkswagen-reveals-cleaner-more-powerful-diesel-engines/?_r=0 SOLAR HOMES: Pardee VP a judge in China’s 1st solar decathlon. Joyce Mason, vice president of marketing for Pardee Homes, is one of 15 judges in China’s inaugural Solar Decathlon. The event, organized by Peking University in the Shanxi Province, is a first on the Asian continent. Twenty homes, created by college and university student teams from nations in six continents will be showcased in the Aug. 2-13 decathlon event. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/08/06/solar-power-pardee-homes-vp-a-judge-in-chinas-1st-solar-decathlon/ SoCal Edison says electric vehicle surge has not overtaxed its grid —yet. Southern California Edison on Tuesday issued its first report on how the growth in the use of electric vehicles in its territory has affected its grid, and the news — at least according to the investor-owned utility — is good. Despite initial fears that the popularity of the plug-in vehicles might overtax the utility's grid that has not yet happened. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/08/06/14446/so-cal-edison-says-electric-vehicle-surge-has-not/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 Feds Report Record Growth In Wind Industry, Some Surprising Results. According to new reports from the U.S. Department of Energy, the nation's wind power sector is growing faster than ever before. Wind power was the United States' single largest source of new electrical generating capacity installed in 2012, and nearly three quarters of wind turbine parts installed that year were made domestically. That's a tripling of domestic production over figures from 2006. And some of the growth comes in a sector that surprised us. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/wind/feds-report-record-growth-in-wind-industry.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2013 13:30:32 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 8, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 8, 2013. 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 In China, Air Pollution Rules Spur Big Car Purchases. As more Chinese cities propose license-plate lotteries and other ways of limiting the number of cars on the road, consumers are responding by buying more expensive automobiles with bigger engines. In Shanghai, one of four major Chinese cities with policies designed to reduce car purchases to ease pollution and traffic congestion, between 9,000 and 10,000 plates are auctioned monthly, fetching an average of 82,000 yuan ($13,400) so far this year. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323420604578651471077993746.html CLIMATE CHANGE Report: Climate change is impacting California. Coastal waters off California are getting more acidic. Fall-run chinook salmon populations to the Sacramento River are on the decline. Conifer forests on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada have moved to higher elevations over the past half century. That’s just a snapshot of how climate change is affecting California’s natural resources, a report released Thursday found. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_CALIFORNIA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES Climate change woes already widespread in California, study says. California is feeling the effects of climate change far and wide as heat-trapping greenhouse gases reduce spring runoff from the Sierra Nevada, make the waters of Monterey Bay more acidic and shorten winter chill periods required to grow fruit and nuts in the Central Valley, a new report says. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-change-effects-california-20130807,0,7293516.story Clarity, climate change at forefront of Lake Tahoe research by UC Davis. Lake Tahoe's clarity improved for the second straight year in 2012, according to a report released Wednesday by UC Davis researchers. But long-term trends indicate climate change is working against that clarity. The lake's annual "health exam" included predictions for Tahoe in the 21st century, which researchers say could be used to estimate conditions for other lakes in the western United States. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/08/5632546/clarity-climate-change-at-forefront.html Agency finds climate change taking toll on California. California lakes are warming, sea levels are rising, wildfires are spreading, and mountain plants and animals are migrating to higher ground as the impact of climate change takes hold throughout the state, a new report says. The evidence of the effects of the warming trend emerged in an analysis of 36 "indicators" - warning signs of changes - that are detailed in the 240-page report released Wednesday by the state's Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Agency-finds-climate-change-taking-toll-on-4716422.php Global warming already having dramatic impacts in California, new report. Rising ocean waters. Bigger and more frequent forest fires. More brutally hot summer days. These aren't the usual predictions about global warming based on computer forecasts. They're changes already happening in California, according to a detailed new report issued Thursday by the California Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23819150/global-warming-already-having-dramatic-impacts-california-new CALIFORNIA: State tracks climate change consequences. The fires that have been burning in Riverside County — including the Silver Fire still out of control south of Banning —- are vivid evidence of the consequences of climate change described in a new state report that found significant changes in temperatures and water supply just since 2009. The state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, part of the California Environmental Protection Agency, issued the report today, Aug. 8, to help state agencies plan for further changes. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130808-california-state-tracks-climate-change-consequences.ece Report: Climate change is impacting California. Coastal waters off California are getting more acidic. Fall-run chinook salmon populations to the Sacramento River are on the decline. Conifer forests on the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada have moved to higher elevations over the past half century. That’s just a snapshot of how climate change is affecting California’s natural resources, a report released Thursday found. http://www.boston.com/news/science/2013/08/08/report-climate-change-impacting-california/1e8qbx2ZADZizBrsFO13cL/story.html Report: Climate change and California's rising sea levels. More Californians than ever say the state should take action immediately on climate change, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California. Many of those surveyed believe the effects of climate change are already here, with a quarter of Californians saying their biggest weather worry is flooding or rising seas. Scientists studying sea level rising are working hard to get the rest of society to pay more attention to the issue. http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/08/01/33012/report-climate-change-and-california-s-rising-sea/ State report: From Point Reyes to Sausalito, climate change impact is real. The report, "Indicators of Climate Change in California," issued by the state's Environmental Protection Agency, tracks 36 indicators of climate change. Its conclusion: The indicators show that climate change is occurring now throughout California, from the coast to the Central Valley to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. http://www.marinij.com/sausalitoandmarincity/ci_23818041/state-report-from-point-reyes-sausalito-climate-change CALIFORNIA: State tracks climate change consequences. The fires that have been burning in Riverside County — including the Silver Fire still out of control south of Banning —- are vivid evidence of the consequences of climate change described in a new state report that found significant changes in temperatures and water supply just since 2009. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130808-california-state-tracks-climate-change-consequences.ece California environmental advocate invests in Virginia governor's race. California billionaire and clean energy philanthropist Thomas Steyer is spending $400,000 on television ads critical of Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, the latest effort by the former hedge-fund-manager-turned-environmental activist to inject climate change into statewide elections. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-steyer-virginia-20130808,0,1783428.story Killer bee season underway with a vengeance. Summer’s here, bringing climbing temperatures, rising humidity in some areas and the renewed threat from killer bees. So far this season a colony of 100,000 Africanized honeybees have taken up residence in a Houston home and a similar sized swarm attacked two park workers in Florida. At least one death has been reported in Central Texas as well as attacks on humans and animals elsewhere. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-killer-bee-season-houston-20130807,0,3883817.story FUELS EPA Revisits Ethanol Mandate as Fuel Use Slips. U.S. regulators said they would propose for the first time lowering the mandated consumption of alternative motor fuels, a reversal in policy that puts the powerful ethanol industry on the defense. The move could shrink demand for alternative fuels whose use is required by the U.S. mandate. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323968704578652011231792732.html?KEYWORDS=fuels California lawmakers call for review of offshore fracking. A group of state lawmakers is calling for an investigation by federal regulators into reports of oil companies engaging in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, off the California coast. Assemblyman Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) wrote the letter signed by seven other state legislators and sent to the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. The lawmakers call for federal officials to consider new regulations for fracking under the seabed. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-california-offshore-fracking-20130806,0,6443210.story EPA sets 2013 percentages for Renewable Fuel Standard; anticipating adjustments to 2014 volume requirements. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the 2013 percentage standards for four fuel categories that are part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. The final 2013 overall volumes and standards require 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be blended into the US fuel supply (a 9.74% blend). Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/epa-20130806.html Noting 'climate change has no border,' Calif. air district votes to oppose pipeline. Bay Area air regulators weighed in yesterday against the Keystone XL pipeline, passing a resolution urging President Obama to reject the Canada-to-Nebraska leg of the project for its potential effects on climate change and air pollution. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District voted 11-4 to approve the resolution…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985766/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES 350,000 Electric Cars in SoCal by 2020? SoCal Edison is Getting Ready. About a tenth of electric vehicles operating in the United States are charged up by power provided by Southern California Edison (SCE), according to a whitepaper the utility released Tuesday. The whitepaper, a slick if wonky piece of PR, details how SCE is trying to ready itself to serve an estimated 350,000 plug-in electric vehicles by 2020. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/transportation/socal-edison-says-its-getting-ready-for-electric-cars.html GREEN ENERGY Solar Shipments Surge in Second Quarter as Asia Demand Rises. Solar-panel shipments in the second quarter from three of the four largest producers exceeded projections by as much as 32 percent as demand in Asia surged. Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) shipped 455 megawatts in the second quarter, compared with a May forecast of 380 megawatts to 420 megawatts, the Guelph, Ontario-based company said in a statement today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-08/solar-shipments-surge-in-second-quarter-as-demand-in-asia-swells.html BLOGS Energy Journal: Schwarzenegger Calls for American Leadership. Last month President Barack Obama proposed sweeping new measures aimed at curbing carbon emissions from power plants. This was immediately pronounced a “carbon tax.” While the Hill bickers, actual carbon extraction in the U.S. continues to rise, the Guardian says—although emissions have fallen as natural gas is burned instead of coal and surplus coal is exported…Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/08/07/energy-journal-schwarzenegger-calls-for-american-leadership/?KEYWORDS=emissions Korean Electric Buses Go Wireless. South Korea is fielding wireless electric buses in the southeastern city of Gumi, in the world’s first test run of the technology on public roads. The city will run two of the On-Line Electric Vehicles, or OLEV, on existing bus routes 10 times a day from this week. The buses will cover a distance of 24 kilometers, or 15 miles. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2013/08/08/korean-electric-buses-go-wireless/?KEYWORDS=vehicles Making History on Climate Change. In 2006, California made history with the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), which committed my home state to a landmark effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Despite strong opposition from the fossil fuels industry, including repeated efforts to gut the law, California's groundbreaking effort to clean our air, protect our climate and grow a clean-energy industry that produces good, career-path jobs is moving forward. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/preeti-vissa/making-history-on-climate-change_b_3721952.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2013 13:15:59 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 9, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 9, 2013. 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 system issues new types of carbon credits. California’s controversial cap-and-trade system may be fighting two different lawsuits, but the state is still forging ahead with important changes to the program. Earlier this week the American Carbon Registry issued the state’s first compliance offset credits to a company called Environmental Credit Corp. Each offset credit counts toward one metric ton of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/08/08/cap-and-trade-new-carbon-credits.html AIR POLLUTION Pa. county paying bounty for wood-burning boilers. The Allegheny County Health Department is offering a "bounty" to residents of Pittsburgh and surrounding towns who surrender wood-burning stoves and outdoor boilers that don't meet new air pollution rules. A county ordinance that took effect two months ago has stricter emissions limits for wood-burning devices than a state law passed in 2010. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Pa-county-paying-bounty-for-wood-burning-boilers-4720181.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/09/5636810/pa-county-paying-bounty-for-wood.html Tribe files lawsuit over Vegas-area coal plant. Environmentalists and Native Americans filed a lawsuit Thursday asking a federal court to order utility company NV Energy Inc. to clean up land and water they say has been contaminated by an aging coal-fired power plant slated for closure outside Las Vegas. Sierra Club and the Moapa Band of Paiutes officials said they want a judge to declare that for years the publicly traded company endangered the public health…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Tribe-files-lawsuit-over-Vegas-area-coal-plant-4718803.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/08/5635432/tribe-files-lawsuit-over-vegas.html Louisville air monitoring fails state audit. A state audit has found serious flaws in how the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District monitored soot, leading Mayor Greg Fischer to order a review of the agency. The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/11Ou4k7 ) reports the Kentucky Division for Air Quality audit found issues with data handling, lab operations and other procedures dating back to 2009. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/08/5634156/louisville-air-monitoring-fails.html#storylink=cpy County hears from public on emissions. A sparse crowd turned out Thursday for a public hearing on Santa Maria Energy’s proposed oil and gas drilling project in the Orcutt hills. The hearing, held by the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department, focused on the recirculation of the air quality section of the proposed final environmental impact report for Santa Maria Energy’s oil and gas drilling and production plan for its project on the Careaga Lease south of Orcutt. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/county-hears-from-public-on-emissions/article_994025a6-00bb-11e3-a4aa-001a4bcf887a.html Power fire raising health concerns. Smoke permeates the skies over Calaveras as firefighters in Tuolumne County battle the Power Fire that is roaring up the steep, brushy canyon near Beardsley Reservoir. As of Thursday, it had scorched 881 acres and was 32 percent contained. “The terrain is pretty much just straight up and straight down. We’re getting falling rocks and falling trees on these guys,” said Jim Wilkins, U.S. Forest Service spokesman. Posted. http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_59065c3e-0107-11e3-a0db-0019bb2963f4.html New technology uses fire to gain emission cuts, efficiency. Utility, industrial and commercial companies are likely to spend billions of dollars on technology over the next few years to meet new U.S. EPA and state emission standards -- not even including new greenhouse gas emission regulations. Despite the prize, "criteria" air pollution technology has not changed much in the past decade or so, staying focused on capturing pollution on the back end with most research dollars going to greenhouse gas emissions instead. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059985856/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon cycle gets more extreme as climate changes. Forests in Earth's northern latitudes have been thickened by migrating plant species and younger growth, driving a stronger gyration in the amount of carbon that cycles between land and the atmosphere each year, a new study suggests. The net rise in seasonal exchange of carbon between land and air cannot be explained solely by increased burning of fossil fuels…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-forests-carbon-20130808,0,524320.story Sen. Barbara Boxer on L.A.-area wildfires: Climate change to blame. As wildfires rage across Southern California, Sen. Barbara Boxer offered a solution: Address climate change and such devastating fires won’t occur. “Open your eyes, breathe the air and see what’s going on,” she said to climate-change deniers during a press conference Thursday. She also lamented the limited number of firefighters available to help combat fires — a shortage she said is an effect of federal spending cuts. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/9/barbara-boxer-calif-wildfires-climate-change-blame/#ixzz2bV1gLV4q State suffers from multiple symptoms of climate change – report. California is experiencing many symptoms of climate change already, according to a new state report that officials are using to sound the alarm about economic, social and health effects. The evidence presented includes decreasing spring snowmelt runoff, rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers, increasing wildfires, warming lake and ocean waters, and the gradual migration of many plants and animals to higher elevations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985824/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Global warming 'drying up' Indian monsoon. Global warming has "effected a drying up" of the Indian monsoon in the past few decades but has anchored a rainfall increase over the tropical western Pacific Ocean, according to new research from scientists at the University of Hawaii, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and International Pacific Research Center (IPRC). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985810/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS California Energy Commission hears latest on clean-diesel technology. The increasing market acceptance of advanced clean diesel technology heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicles will play a major role in helping California achieve future fuel savings and climate objectives, according to new research presented by the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) to the California Energy Commission. "As California policymakers evaluate future transportation fuels and technologies…Posted. http://fleetowner.com/running-green/california-energy-commission-hears-latest-clean-diesel-technology FUELS Report says Keystone pipeline would not up U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. A new study has backed an earlier finding by the U.S. State Department that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline will have "no material impact" on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, a crucial factor the White House is expected to weigh when it decides whether to approve the project. The report, produced by consulting and research firm IHS CERA Inc, after consultation with industry, policymakers and non-government organizations…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/08/us-usa-keystone-carbon-idUSBRE97716F20130808 Cut Emissions? Congress Itself Keeps Burning a Dirtier Fuel. As part of the climate change agenda he unveiled this year, President Obama made a commitment to significantly reduce the federal government’s dependence on fossil fuels. The government, he said in a speech in June at Georgetown University, “must lead by example.” But just two miles from the White House stands the Capitol Power Plant, the largest single source of carbon emissions…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/09/us/politics/just-across-town-a-test-of-obamas-emissions-goals.html?_r=0 Natural gas vehicles' fleet success props open door to consumer market. Natural gas is attempting to muscle its way into a sector long considered out of reach: consumer vehicles. Several state governments and private companies have championed natural gas fuels as a cleaner-burning alternative to their oil-based counterparts. But the road to widespread adoption has been littered with obstacles, from a lack of refueling stations to clunky fuel storage tanks and unconvincing economics. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985825/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Climate scientists divided over Keystone XL. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a 1,179-mile link between Alberta and Gulf Coast refineries, has divided the scientific community. Climate and energy researchers oppose what is by all accounts a dirty source of petroleum: Emissions from extracting and burning oil sands oil in the United States are 14 to 20 percent higher than the country's average oil emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985812/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Report says states and cities need more private investors to scale up clean energy. Clean energy, especially solar, is a swiftly growing part of both the U.S. and global energy portfolio, but zero-emissions electricity still has a long way to go before it becomes mainstream. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, renewable energy made up 12 percent of the nation's total electricity generation in 2012, and most of this came from hydroelectric dams. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985813/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS L.A. County liable for storm-water pollution, court rules. A federal appeals court deals L.A. County a blow in a long-running lawsuit after the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back. A federal appeals court dealt Los Angeles County a blow on Thursday in a long-running lawsuit over storm-water pollution when it issued an opinion that the county is liable for excessively high levels. Environmental groups sued the county and its flood-control district in 2008 over pollution in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-stormwater-20130809,0,170136.story OPINIONS Analysis: Obama's Keystone stand deepens impasse with Canada. With his blunt assertion that Canada could do more to cut emissions, President Barack Obama raised doubts about whether the United States will approve the Keystone XL pipeline. The question is: What exactly does Canada need to do? As Obama seeks to revitalize his climate agenda, he has said he will evaluate TransCanada Corp's oil pipeline project on whether it will significantly raise greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/09/us-usa-keystone-canada-analysis-idUSBRE9780SH20130809 Don’t Leave Climate Change to a Partisan Congress. Re “A Republican Case for Climate Action,” by William D. Ruckelshaus, Lee M. Thomas, William K. Reilly and Christine Todd Whitman (Op-Ed, Aug. 2): Americans don’t need to wait for partisan consensus to start “dealing” with climate change. They can start by taking action in their own homes. Twenty-two percent of our energy consumption and 21 percent of our carbon dioxide emissions are from heating, cooling and powering our homes. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/09/opinion/dont-leave-climate-change-to-a-partisan-congress.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Letters: What the drought is telling us Re "A dry and desperate state," Aug. 6 Thank you for the gripping article on the effects of persistent drought in the Southwest, especially New Mexico. This is a dramatic example of the types of extreme weather events that are occurring much more frequently now than half a century ago. Scientific evidence suggests that these events are a consequence of the gradually rising global temperatures which…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0809-friday-southwest-drought-20130809,0,3880338.story Action needs to be taken now to address air pollution - GUEST OPINION. As Glenn Gilbert pointed out in the July 19 editorial, Governor Snyder is to be commended for seeking input from various groups in developing a bipartisan energy policy that will serve Michigan residents now and in the future. As we move towards broadening Michigan's renewable energy reach, it is imperative that the need to rein in carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants not be missed…Posted. http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/08/09/opinion/doc5202aeceb6b30998518703.txt Taking a deep breath. Among the first impressions a visitor to the North County might have is, with this much farming, there must be pesticides in the air — along with the insistent aroma of ripening broccoli. This is, after all, a relatively semi-arid part of the country. Oh, we have that nagging marine layer to contend with, but by and large our average daily humidity and limited rainfall leave the air quite dry at times. The near-perfect medium for air-borne pesticides. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/taking-a-deep-breath/article_2e4ffc8e-ffe5-11e2-a637-0019bb2963f4.html BLOGS Could Canada’s Foot-Dragging on New Greenhouse-Gas Rules Threaten Keystone? In February, then-environment minister Peter Kent told Canada’s parliament the Conservative government was “very close” to unveiling new rules governing greenhouse-gas emissions from oil and gas producers. Six months later, there’s a new environment minister in Ottawa, and no sign that those rules–first promised by the Conservatives back in 2008–are about to emerge. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/canadarealtime/2013/08/09/could-canadas-foot-dragging-on-new-greenhouse-gas-rules-threaten-keystone/ Cuomo primes the pump on alternative trucks. Yes, that’s a mixed metaphor, but Gov. Cuomo is authorizing $19 million incentives for truck users to switch to battery, compressed natural gas, hybrid or low-pollution diesel technology. The incentives are for all sizes of truck, from pickups to tractor-trailers. Much of the incentives are based in New York City but there also is money for western New York and the Capital Region, which are air pollution trouble spots. Posted. http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/192890/cuomo-primes-the-pump-on-alternative-trucks/ California Cap And Trade Isn’t A Game – Except When It Is. California’s cap-and-trade market is serious business, with high stakes for the future of our planet – it’s no game. Except when it is. Gamification is often used to simplify complex concepts and make them easily understood, and that’s just what the San Francisco Public Press has done with cap-and-trade. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/08/california-cap-and-trade-isnt-a-game-except-when-it-is / Electric roads could make plugging in your EV a thing of the past. One major barrier to bringing electric vehicles to the masses is range anxiety — not the fear that you left the stove on at home, but the fear that your EV will run out of juice before you can get to the next charging station. But creative solutions are in the works. This week, South Korea debuted the world’s first electric road, 15 miles of city streets with underground cables that charge EVs parked or driving above — no plug-in stations necessary. Posted. http://grist.org/news/electric-roads-could-make-plugging-in-your-ev-a-thing-of-the-past/ The Third Carbon Age. Don’t for a Second Imagine We’re Heading for an Era of Renewable Energy. When it comes to energy and economics in the climate-change era, nothing is what it seems. Most of us believe (or want to believe) that the second carbon era, the Age of Oil, will soon be superseded by the Age of Renewables, just as oil had long since superseded the Age of Coal. President Obama offered exactly this vision in a much-praised June address on climate change. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-t-klare/renewable-energy_b_3725777.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 12:50:22 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 12, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 12, 2013. 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 Lignite power revenues boosted by cheap carbon prices. European electricity revenues generated from lignite are now three times as high as from hard coal, boosted by a collapse in the price of carbon permits, undermining Europe's ambition to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The money will be welcome to German utilities, which are seeing their revenues squeezed by the government's 2011 decision to speed up its nuclear power exit, and by natural gas prices that are so high that electricity generated from the fuel is unprofitable. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/12/energy-coal-power-co-idUSL6N0GD2BJ20130812 Businesses soon may meet California air rules by paying someone else to slash emissions. It will be a lifeline of sorts for the cement factories, oil refiners and hundreds of other businesses struggling with California's stringent greenhouse-gas restrictions. Soon they'll be able to comply – in part – by paying other people to reduce their own carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/11/5640618/businesses-soon-may-meet-california.html Enviros not happy with California carbon offsets. A component of California's landmark offensive against greenhouse gas emissions is not sitting well with some environmental groups. Under the measure, companies would be able to meet the state's strict greenhouse gas restrictions in part by purchasing offsets, or credits that are generated when others achieve carbon emission reductions. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Enviros-not-happy-with-Calif-carbon-offsets-4724338.php http://www.siliconvalley.com/green-energy/ci_23843662/enviros-not-happy-california-carbon-offsets http://www.insidebayarea.com/politics-government/ci_23843662/enviros-not-happy-california-carbon-offsets?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_23843662/enviros-not-happy-california-carbon-offsets?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/08/11/california-carbon-offsets/ http://www.times-standard.com/ci_23840588/enviros-not-happy-calif-carbon-offsets http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=253751 Forrister And Bledsloe Misunderstanding The Difference Between Cap And Trade And A Carbon Tax. A small point in an otherwise rather good NYT Op/Ed on the various methods of taking action about carbon emissions and climate change. Their political argument, that regulation is very much a second best solution but if Congress won’t allow anything else then, well, whaddayagonnado I have some sympathy with. However, there’s a definite economic problem with this statement of theirs: Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/08/11/forrister-and-bledsloe-misunderstanding-the-difference-between-cap-and-trade-and-a-carbon-tax/ California Carbon Trading Would Counteract Emissions From Expanded Chevron Refinery, State Says. The hundreds of activists on hand earlier this month at Chevron’s Richmond refinery to protest its contribution to global warming might be surprised to learn that California says it has found a way to control the company’s carbon footprint within the state, despite its plans to expand. Posted. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/18110-california-carbon-trading-would-counteract-emissions-from-expanded-chevron-refinery-state-says AIR POLLUTION China dumps pollution on California. China’s size, growth and prosperity have become legendary. With one-quarter of the world’s population and the second largest economy it is not surprising that China has pollution problems. The recent Olympics held in China prompted the Peoples Republic of China to cut smog by drastically reducing motor vehicle use in Beijing. China will spend $255 billion over the next five years to improve air quality. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/china-dumps-pollution-on-california Aspen Fire causing unhealthy air across SJ Valley. Air quality authorities say smoke from a wildfire east of Fresno and wildfires in Northern California and Oregon has the potential to cause serious health problems for people living in parts of California's Central Valley. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued a health cautionary statement on Tuesday for the entire air basin. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130731/A_NEWS/130739981/-1/a_news14 California fire sends smoke across Northern Nevada; Air Quality warning issued. A fire burning in Northern California has blanketed Reno-Sparks and much of Northern Nevada in thick smoke. The American fire is currently burning about 17 miles northeast of Foresthill, California. About 150 firefighters are battling the blaze in rugged terrain, and the fire has already consumed 800 acres. Posted. http://www.mynews4.com/mostpopular/story/California-fire-sends-smoke-across-Northern/9eprfD8RbkiCfgkTARSydQ.cspx CLIMATE CHANGE Effects of climate change in California are 'significant and growing' Environmental shifts, such as higher sea temperatures and shrinking glaciers in the Sierra Nevada, point to overwhelming evidence of climate change, state scientists say. California is feeling the effects of climate change far and wide, as heat-trapping greenhouse gases reduce spring runoff from the Sierra Nevada, make the waters of Monterey Bay more acidic and shorten winter chill periods required to grow fruit and nuts in the Central Valley, a new report says. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0811-calif-climate-20130811,0,4664481.story Areas of Sacramento will be inundated as sea rises over the years, study says. It could take a few hundred years – or even 2,000 – but the eventual, permanent flooding of low-lying areas in Sacramento is guaranteed if greenhouse gases are not deeply reduced, according to new research. A rising sea level due to climate change is expected to dramatically alter the future landscape of many of the world's coastal areas around the world. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/11/5640779/areas-of-sacramento-will-be-inundated.html#storylink=cpy Satellite to track climate change. The world's first satellite dedicated solely to tracking atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide is being developed at a Gilbert, Ariz., manufacturing facility, as NASA scientists move to make space the next frontier in the study of global climate change. The satellite, estimated to cost about $468 million, promises to paint a more detailed picture of the environmental impact of global warming…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/10/satellite-to-track-climate-change/2639053/ Monterey Bay affected by climate change. State study points to fish declines, ocean acidification. Monterey Bay is a microcosm of the "immediate and growing threat" of climate change in California, the state Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. From rising sea levels and ocean acidity to declining populations of chinook salmon and sea lion pups, global warming is here, it said in a 258-page report, "Indicators of Climate Change in California." Posted. http://www.montereyherald.com/localnews/ci_23826835/monterey-bay-affected-by-climate-change California Documents the Damage Already Done by Global Warming. There is no need to worry about the approach of global warming. It is already here, and the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) has documented its effects in a new report. Indicators of Climate Change in California (pdf) updates a report from four years ago that, once you get past the self-congratulatory back patting, charts the state’s steady decline in resistance to global warming. Posted. http://www.allgov.com/usa/ca/news/california-and-the-nation/california-documents-the-damage-already-done-by-global-warming-130809?news=850821 Australia is the developed nation most threatened by climate change – report. Dangerous climate change threatens the health, security and prosperity of Australians, and voters are concerned about how it could drive up insurance premiums and food prices if left unchecked, according to the latest report from the Climate Institute of Australia. The report says Australians in particular have a lot to lose from worsening bushfires, droughts, heat waves and coastal flooding. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985866/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Oil-Sands Industry Turns to Algae to Appease Obama. Canada’s response to President Barack Obama’s challenge to reduce emissions of global-warming gases from the oil sands starts with sewage and algae. The paste-like crude extracted from oil sands is softened by heat and steam to make it flow though pipelines. Burning natural gas to process the fuel creates carbon dioxide that researchers say can be mixed with waste water and fed to algae, which can be processed into cattle feed and other products. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-12/oil-sands-industry-turns-to-algae-to-appease-obama.html http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/569014?type=bloomberg Ethanol’s Discount to Gasoline Narrows on Outlook Demand to Rise. Ethanol’s discount to gasoline narrowed on speculation that the lowest prices for the biofuel in almost 14 months will spur demand. The spread, or price difference, tightened 0.69 cent to 75.63 cents a gallon at 11:05 a.m. New York time as futures dropped 22 percent from their 2013 high of $2.744 in May. An Agriculture Department report scheduled for release at noon in Washington is expected to show farmers this year will harvest 14.036 billion bushels of corn…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-12/ethanol-s-discount-to-gasoline-narrows-on-outlook-demand-to-rise.html 2 oil spills may hold Keystone XL lessons. As the Obama administration inches closer to a decision on whether to approve the construction of the much-debated Keystone XL pipeline, costly cleanup efforts in two communities stricken by oil spills portend the potential hazards of transporting heavy Canadian crude. It has been three years since an Enbridge Energy pipeline ruptured beneath this small western Michigan town, spewing more than 840,000 gallons of thick oil sands crude into the Kalamazoo River and Talmadge Creek…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/11/5640890/2-oil-spills-may-hold-keystone.html#storylink=cpy The promise of advanced biofuels. Corn ethanol has gone a long way to reducing our oil use, Holland writes, but it's gone about as far as it can go due to the 'blend wall.' The next generation of biofuels can pick up the slack, with support from the EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard. This week, the EPA announced that it was adjusting the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) in order to reflect market realities. As originally proposed earlier this year…Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0810/The-promise-of-advanced-biofuels Harnessing Corn Oil Power. It’s no secret that revenue from corn oil extraction has been key in keeping many ethanol plants producing in recent times of tight margins. It accounts for an increasing portion of total revenue as the majority of ethanol plants have now adopted and optimized the technology to extract the coproduct, also known as distillers corn oil. Bernie Hoffman, vice president of business development and minority owner of WB Services LLC, says that…Posted. http://ethanolproducer.com/articles/10144/harnessing-corn-oil-power REFINERY Chevron refinery fire one year later: Fallout, impact show no signs of waning. When the No. 4 crude unit at Chevron's century-old waterfront oil refinery burst into flames and sent black smoke billowing into a cloudless sky Aug. 6, 2012, it was easy for many to assume that the fallout from the accident would be fleeting. After all, fires of similar scope had occurred at the same refinery in 1999 and 2007, quickly drifting from the spotlight once the smoke had cleared. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_23833917/chevron-refinery-fire-one-year-later-fallout-impact VEHICLES Boost electric-car tax credit, say advocates. Clean-energy advocates are teaming up with legislators to boost a tax credit for people who buy electric cars. The credit would go from $605 to $2,500, the same for compressed natural gas-powered cars. Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, will sponsor a measure to equalize the tax credits for action by the Legislature in January. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Boost-electric-car-tax-credit-say-advocates-4723939.php Today’s Cleaner Electric Cars And Tomorrow’s Even Cleaner Electric Cars. Uncovering a fraud is uniquely satisfying, which is perhaps why news outlets continue to provide electric car deniers with a platform to proclaim they aren’t as green as they appear. But close examination reveals the latest round of skeptics to be lacking in substance. Numerous peer-reviewed articles have reached the same conclusion — from cradle to grave, electric cars are the cleanest vehicles on the road today. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/10/todays-cleaner-electric-cars-and-tomorrows-even-cleaner-electric-cars/ Price war rages on over electric cars. As the auto industry struggled to recover from the recession, it swore off the deep discounting that destroyed profits and led to disaster. Now, a price war has erupted in the industry’s smallest segment: electric cars. On Tuesday, General Motors cut $5,000 off the price of its Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle in response to rapid-fire discounting on battery-powered models this year. Posted. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/08/10/price-war-rages-on-over-electric-cars.html The New Diesel Cars For 2014. With an increasing number of diesel passenger cars appearing in showrooms, car buyers have more options for fuel-efficient driving than they did only a few years ago. After a brief hiatus several years ago, when new and tougher emissions standards came into effect for diesel vehicles, the number has steadily increased--and 2014 has a bumper crop of new diesel vehicles. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086181_the-new-diesel-cars-for-2014 Southern California Utility Girds For 350,000 Electric Cars. One of the long-standing concerns over electric cars is just how much demand the electricity grid would have to cope with should millions of people start plugging in every night. California will be a good test-bed for such concerns, with as many as 350,000 electric cars expected on the state's roads by 2020. That's according to Southern California Edison (SCE)'s white paper, "Charged Up" (pdf document), via KCET. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086187_southern-california-utility-girds-for-350000-electric-cars HIGH-SPEED RAIL 'Shovel-ready' bullet train construction delayed again. Serious construction could start in 2014 — when 2012 had been promised. Experts say officials underestimated the challenges of the $68-billion project. The start of construction on California's bullet train, one of the nation's largest "shovel ready" public work projects that was awarded stimulus funding three years ago by the Obama administration, is slipping past already-delayed target dates, interviews show. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bullet-delays-20130812,0,4180504.story?track=rss Feds say environmental law does not apply to California high-speed rail. California's high-speed rail project is no longer subject to the state's rigorous environmental laws after a federal transportation board ruled that it has oversight of the project, the state attorney general's office argues in a brief filed Friday. The June decision by the federal Surface Transportation Board -- which was sought by opponents of the bullet train…Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_23834195/feds-say-environmental-law-does-not-apply-california http://www.kpvi.com/business/story/Bullet-train-Calif-enviro-law-does-not-apply/GMBGAB2L90aw72yXzMrH7g.cspx http://www.insidebayarea.com/california/ci_23834195/feds-say-environmental-law-does-not-apply-california?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_23843662/enviros-not-happy-california-carbon-offsets?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com&IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Bill before Calif. governor would allow high-speed rail officials to manage land internally. The California High-Speed Rail Authority could manage property it has bought for the bullet train without extra oversight under legislation now heading to the governor. The bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, of Long Beach, allows rail officials to negotiate property access rights and sell excess land without getting approval from the state Department of General Services. Posted. http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/3ff0ad5ccf2143079feb3d9e5dd832f2/CA-XGR--California-High-Speed-Rai l GREEN ENERGY Insight: California aims to 'bottle sunlight' in energy storage push. California, whose green ambitions helped the solar and wind industries take root, is taking an essential next step by proposing a sharp rise in energy storage to better integrate renewable power with the rest of the grid. Power from sun and wind fluctuates dramatically, so capturing it for later use makes the supply more predictable. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/12/us-energystorage-california-insight-idUSBRE97B05T20130812 GREEN ENERGY: Schools anticipate energy grants. Inland Southern California schools could receive more than $35 million for energy-saving projects under the state formula to allocate money from last year’s Prop. 39. The November ballot measure, passed with 61 percent of the vote, ended a tax break for multistate corporations and set aside $2.5 billion for energy-efficiency projects over the next five years. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130809-green-energy-schools-anticipate-energy-saving-grants.ece Near-loss of 35-year solar monitoring program shows key problems with satellite system. For Jeff Privette, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center, 2011 was not a great year. Privette keeps track of climate sensors on satellites as part of his job, and one of the climate sensor programs he follows was having issues. This sensor, currently mounted on a satellite mission known as SORCE, tracks how much energy from the sun hits the top of Earth's atmosphere… Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985871/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Local wind power at heart of industry's 2012 growth – report. With the American wind market showing record growth and offshore wind farms gaining support, a new report commissioned by the Department of Energy shows that the bulk of this increased capacity is coming from a small-scale, local, decentralized sector known as distributed wind power. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985874/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Inventor Musk to share plans for high-speed travel. Twice as fast as an airplane, cheaper than a bullet train and completely self-powered: that's the mysterious transportation system that inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk is promising to reveal design plans for Monday. Musk has been dropping hints about his "Hyperloop" system for more than a year during public events, mentioning that it could never crash, would be immune to weather and would move people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in half an hour. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Inventor-Musk-to-share-plans-for-high-speed-travel-4724911.php APCD study to be reviewed at meeting. Over the last year, implementation has been under way of the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District’s Rule 1001 that requires the Off-Highway Vehicle Division of State the California Department of Parks and Recreation to mitigate the silica dust coming from its park on the Dunes. Recently, APCD director Larry Allen told the board of directors the State Parks Department has not been complying with Rule 1001. Posted. http://www.theadobepress.com/articles/2013/08/10/columns/versaw/versaw.txt Poll shows strong support for action on climate, fracking, but will it trigger political moves? It took less than 48 hours for California's environmental advocates to start lobbying using new poll results that show residents want swift action on climate change and limits on unconventional oil drilling. Bill Magavern, policy director of Coalition for Clean Air, cited the poll from Public Policy Institute of California when he lobbied for S.B. 605, legislation that would direct proceeds from the state's carbon cap-and-trade auctions…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059985898/print OPINIONS Analysis: Mexico aims for NAFTA-style growth boost from energy reform. Mexico's plans to break a 75-year state monopoly on energy could boost flagging growth and double foreign investment, potentially providing the biggest leg-up to its economy since the North American Free Trade Agreement two decades ago. The government is finalizing proposals to lure private investors into the oil, gas and electricity industries in order to boost production and lower energy costs for manufacturers…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/11/us-mexico-reforms-economy-idUSBRE97A06H20130811 A Clean-Car Boom. In a welcome development for the planet, the cars on American streets are becoming much more climate-friendly much sooner than many had expected. Consumers are increasingly buying fuel-efficient hybrid and electric vehicles thanks to breakthrough innovations and supportive government policies. The transportation sector accounts for 28 percent of American greenhouse gas emissions, the most after power plants. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/opinion/sunday/a-clean-car-boom.html?src=recg&_r=0&pagewanted=print The Inevitable Convergence: Corporations, Carbon, and Consumers. Extreme heat, recurrent nationwide weather anomalies, and intense wildfires resulting in catastrophic loss of life by fearless responders have refueled Administration policy announcements working to define a regulatory approach to control carbon dioxide. These shocking and tragic events drive media coverage and release a torrent of policy debates on just what America should do about climate change. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/08/12/the-inevitable-convergence-corporations-carbon-and-consumers/ BLOGS UPDATE: Could Canada’s Foot-Dragging on New Greenhouse-Gas Rules Threaten Keystone? In February, then-environment minister Peter Kent told Canada’s parliament the Conservative government was “very close” to unveiling new rules governing greenhouse-gas emissions from oil and gas producers. Six months later, there’s a new environment minister in Ottawa, and no sign that those rules–first promised by the Conservatives back in 2008–are about to emerge. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/canadarealtime/2013/08/09/could-canadas-foot-dragging-on-new-greenhouse-gas-rules-threaten-keystone/ Why do Californians use less electricity than everyone else? The average Californian uses about 33 percent less electricity at home than the average American in the rest of the country. That shouldn’t be overly surprising, given the state’s mild weather. What is surprising, though, is that California’s electricity use has basically stayed flat for the past four decades, in stark contrast with the rest of the United States. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/12/why-do-californians-use-less-electricity-than-everyone-else/ Climate Change in California: Ready Or Not, It’s Here. A new State of California report released yesterday verifies what scientists have been telling us for some time—climate change is here, and it is now affecting the state’s water supplies, farm industry, forests, wildlife and public health. The alarm is being sounded by Cal/EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) in a report that compiled 36 indicators of climate change…Posted. http://blog.ucsusa.org/climate-change-in-california-ready-or-not-its-here-201 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 14:46:26 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 13, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 13, 2013. 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 Cutting soot and methane may not give hoped-for climate help. A U.S.-led drive to reduce soot and other heat-trapping air pollutants worldwide is less promising than hoped as a new front in the fight against climate change, according to a study published on Monday. Frustrated by failure to agree a broad international deal to limit global warming, about 30 nations have joined the U.S. initiative to limit short-lived air pollutants as a new way to curb temperature rises, protect health and aid crop growth. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/12/climate-pollution-idUSL6N0G93N820130812 http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985927/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Company fined for smog-forming compounds in 'Gorilla Snot' hair gel. You might wonder what ingredient in a Mexican-made hair gel called Moco de Gorila - or Gorilla Snot - got its distributor in trouble with the law. It’s probably not what you’re thinking. It was the styling product’s smog-forming compounds that prompted California air regulators to take action against Midway Importing Inc. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-hair-gel-gorilla-snot-smog-fine-20130812,0,4492820.story Air pollution takes toll on China's tourism. China, one of the most visited countries in the world, has seen sharply fewer tourists this year — with worsening air pollution partly to blame. Numbers of foreign visitors have declined following January's "Airpocalypse," when already eye-searing levels of smog soared to new highs. Tourists have been put off by news about smog and other problems, said Frano Ilic of travel agency Studiosus in Munich, Germany. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Air-pollution-takes-toll-on-China-s-tourism-4727645.php http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/air-pollution-takes-toll-chinas-tourism-19943515 http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/13/3438199/air-pollution-takes-toll-on-chinas.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/13/2860160/air-pollution-takes-toll-on-chinas.html#storylink=cpy CA wildfire brings smoky air concerns to N. Nevada. Health district officials in northern Nevada are closely monitoring air quality concerns after a smoky haze from a wildfire in the Tahoe National Forest more than 60 miles away descended along the eastern Sierra front from Reno to Carson City. The Washoe County Health District's most recent samples Monday showed small particulates from the smoke at the upper end of the "moderate" level…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/CA-wildfire-brings-smoky-air-concerns-to-N-Nevada-4726468.php http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/12/ca-wildfire-brings-smoky-air-concerns-to-n/#ixzz2brydb0R8 Bill To Increase Fines for Big Air Polluters Moves Forward. The Chevron oil refinery fire forced 15,000 people to seek medical help. Under current law such a violation would result in a $10,000 dollar fine. Democratic Senator Loni Hancock says the legislation she’s authored would increase the fine to 100-thousand dollars. “The incidents like this that dramatically impact entire communities have no higher penalty ceilings than incidents that effect only a very few people,” says Hancock. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/8464?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalPublicRadioLatestNewsRSS+%28Capital+Public+Radio%3A+Latest+News+RSS%29 Air Quality Advisory in Placer County due to American Fire. Placer County, CA August 12, 2013, The Placer County Public Health Officer and Placer County Air Pollution Control District are issuing this joint Air Quality Advisory to notify the public of poor air quality conditions due to smoke from the American Fire, 17 miles north-east of Foresthill. Posted. http://www.rocklintoday.com/news/templates/community_news.asp?articleid=11911&zoneid=4 http://roseville-ca.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/american-fire-in-tahoe-causes-poor-air-quality-in-placer-county CLIMATE CHANGE Timing a Rise in Sea Level. Thirty-five years ago, a scientist named John H. Mercer issued a warning. By then it was already becoming clear that human emissions would warm the earth, and Dr. Mercer had begun thinking deeply about the consequences. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/science/timing-a-rise-in-sea-level.html Power grid increasingly vulnerable to severe weather, report says. Americans can expect more major power outages because of severe weather driven by climate change, a federal report says. A decade after a vast power outage shut down the Northeast, the electricity grid remains "highly vulnerable" to blackouts because of extreme weather fueled by climate change, a report by the White House and the Energy Department concludes. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-electricity-grid-20130813,0,1693730.story Climate change is ‘an immediate and growing threat,’ report says. Rising ocean waters. Bigger and more frequent forest fires. More brutally hot summer days. These aren’t the usual predictions about global warming based on computer forecasts. They’re changes already happening in California, according to a detailed new report issued today by the California Environmental Protection Agency. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20130812/climate-change-is-an-immediate-and-growing-threat-report-says One Greenland melt dynamic may not be as bad as feared. Scientists know that the Greenland ice sheet is contributing to rising sea levels, but many of the details about how its ice is driving drastic change remain a mystery. A new study aims to fill in a piece of the puzzle by concluding that the gliding of ice on meltwater that has seeped through to bedrock is not a significant factor with sea-level rise. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985931/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS World's largest cellulosic ethanol plant starts up in Italy. An Italian company has opened the world's largest cellulosic ethanol plant and aims to export the technology to as many as 25 other locations in the next four years. Beta Renewables, a $350 million joint venture of chemical company Gruppo Mossi & Ghisolfi and capital investment firm TPG, says its plant in Crescentino, Italy, is the first to produce cellulosic ethanol on a commercial scale at a price competitive with corn ethanol and gasoline. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985910/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Toyota exec: Camry will stay as US top-selling car. Toyota will not relinquish the Camry's spot as America's most popular car this year, a top executive told industry analysts on Tuesday. Senior Vice President Bob Carter said the company will sell more than 400,000 of the midsize cars in 2013, enough to fend off a challenge from the Honda Accord and other models in the most competitive part of the U.S. auto market. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Toyota-exec-Camry-will-stay-as-US-top-selling-car-4728262.php Downtown Stockton Alliance shifts to new plug-in electric vehicles for maintenance fleet. The Downtown Stockton Alliance has switched to an all-electric fleet of maintenance vehicles. A nearly $100,000 grant from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District allowed the switch to the new Polaris Ranger buggies, which may be small, but are capable of hauling up to 1,700 pounds in cargo. They're even four-wheel drive. Posted. http://stockton-central.news10.net/news/business/191083-downtown-stockton-alliance-shifts-new-plug-electric-vehicles-maintenance-fleet HIGH-SPEED RAIL Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to unveil 720 mph ‘Hyperloop’ designs today Real-life “Iron Man” CEO Elon Musk, who has conquered space travel and pollution-free land vehicles, will reveal designs for a mysterious 720 miles-per-hour “hyperloop” transportation system today. He’s previously called the system a cross between a “Concorde, a railgun, and an air hockey table.” Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/13/idUS84031480920130813 http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985935/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Everything you ever wanted to know about Elon Musk’s Hyperloop super train. Inventor, philanthropist, billionaire, and titan of industry Elon Musk unveiled a 57-page plan yesterday for a super-speed train that would take passengers between LA and San Francisco in just 30 minutes. We previewed it, and we covered it. But there’s a lot more to know about the Hyperloop — a high-speed train-in-a-tube that makes all other high-speed trains look like they’re stuck in first gear…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/13/idUS407255039620130813 GREEN ENERGY Trina Solar to supply panels to Sempra Energy's Nevada project. Chinese solar panel maker Trina Solar Ltd said it would supply 1.1 million solar panels to Sempra Energy's 345-megawatt (MW) Copper Mountain Solar 3 project in Nevada. Trina Solar's bigger rival, U.S.-based First Solar Inc , had earlier clinched deals to supply panels to two other solar plants developed by Sempra Energy -- 150-MW Copper Mountain 2 and 58-MW Copper Mountain 1. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/13/trinasolar-supplydeal-idUSL4N0GE2RN20130813 RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Water district plugs in to solar power. Western Municipal Water District ceremonially “plugged into the grid” in July, contributing power generated by solar panels at the district’s El Sobrante Operations Center and celebrating in near 100-degree weather. The 916-kilowatt solar power system is soaking up the sun and also holding electricity costs at bay, delivering an expected savings of up to $4.6 million over the next two decades. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130812-riverside-county-water-district-plugs-in-to-solar-power.ece Paramount Solar acquired by SolarCity in $120M deal. SolarCity has acquired Granite Bay-based Paramount Solar in a $120 million deal, with Paramount Equity CEO Hayes Barnard to join SolarCity as chief revenue officer once the sale closes. Under the deal, SolarCity paid $116.3 million in stock in Paramount Energy Solutions LLC, which does business as Paramount Solar, and the rest in cash. Previously, Paramount Solar was majority owned by Guthy-Renker LLC. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/08/13/paramount-solar-acquired-by-solarcity.html?ana=e_sac_bn MISCELLANEOUS High-speed monitors keep watch over today's 'much more complicated' grid. By the end of next year, more than 1,000 new ultra-high-speed monitoring devices will be in place across the United States and Canadian electric power network. Called phasor measurement units (PMUs), the tools provide time-stamped measures of grid conditions in milliseconds to reveal threats to the grid's stability that would be hidden from standard, slower monitors. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059985939/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS COLUMN-Fracking battle holds unflattering mirror up to Britain: Kemp. The village of Balcombe in West Sussex has become the focal point for protests against hydraulic fracturing in Britain. But Balcombe is also a fascinating microcosm of the contradictions besetting Britain's policies on energy and economic development. Like households across the rest of the country, Balcombe's residents use rather a lot of fossil fuels. In fact, they use more fossil fuels than most. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/13/column-britain-fracking-idUSL6N0GE2OO20130813 Air Travel Is Worse Than a Hummer With Wings. Why does air travel get left out of the mix when we’re talking about reducing our carbon footprint? One could argue, because cars matter more -- they’re the largest single contributor to climate change in the transportation sector. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-12/air-travel-is-worse-than-a-hummer-with-wings.html Letters: Climate change in California. Re "Climate change affects state, report says," Aug. 11. Accompanying the article was a photograph of a snowless Tuolumne Meadows in January. At 8,600 feet in elevation, Tuolumne's snow cover in January averages almost 5 feet. So a dearth of snow is not just unusual, it's alarming. Tuolumne is the watershed for most of San Francisco's water supply…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-0813-tuesday-climate-change-california-20130812,0,912472.story China's coal burning threatens world air quality. Re "Beijing air quality" (Ask Scoopy, Aug. 12): Scoopy advises us that Beijing's air quality is two to three times worse than World Health Organization recommendations. In fact, "The Great Pall of China" hangs over hundreds of millions of people and a huge air mass of the Asian continent as the result of China's virtually unregulated coal burning for energy and manufacturing. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/13/5644152/the-great-pall-of-china.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS Should California scrap its high-speed rail boondoggle and replace it with this? Elon (Tesla Motors/Space-X) Musk's Hyperloop -- a futuristic pneumatic tube that could get passengers from LA to SF in half an hour. Details here. Who remembers pneumatic tubes in downtown Redding stores back in the day? Wasn't there one in Dicker's? Dunno if I'd want to ride in a closed tube at near the speed of sound...could be claustrophobic. Posted. http://blogs.redding.com/mbeauchamp/archives/2013/08/should-californ-1.html Ozone hole could be making global warming worse. It’s like Lord Voldemort joining forces with The Penguin. Two of the globe’s most epic environmental threats appear to be ganging up on us: The hole in the ozone layer could be hastening global warming. Yes, the hole in the ozone layer. It still exists, though it has been getting smaller because the world rightly panicked and began phasing out the use of CFCs in the 1980s. Posted. http://grist.org/news/ozone-hole-could-be-making-global-warming-worse/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:02:28 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 14, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 14, 2013. 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 1979 smog siege. (Retrospective) June 29, 1979: Sera Segal-Alsberg wears mask designed to filter out airborne particles during Los Angeles smog alert. Segal-Alsberg, an artist-instructor, was en route to teach a class at County Museum of Art. Retired staff photographer Boris Yaro found Segal-Alsberg on Crescent Heights Boulevard in West Hollywood. This photo accompanied a story by writers Sandra Blakeslee and Jan Klunder in the June 30, 1979, Los Angeles Times, reporting: A three-day smog attack, Posted. http://framework.latimes.com/2013/08/14/1979-smog-siege/ Researchers seek CO2 'fingerprint' to monitor carbon capture projects. Technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions and store them underground is considered prohibitively expensive at this point, and no commercial-scale projects have yet been completed on coal plants or in the power sector. However, researchers in the field are developing solutions to problems that may crop up if carbon capture and storage (CCS) is rolled out on a large scale. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985981/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change may be speeding coast redwood, giant sequoia growth. Scientists find that since the 1970s, some California coast redwoods have grown at the fastest rate ever. Finally, some good news about the effects of climate change. It may have triggered a growth spurt in two of California's iconic tree species: coast redwoods and giant sequoias. Since the 1970s, some coast redwoods have grown at the fastest rate ever, according to scientists who studied corings from trees more than 1,000 years old. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-redwoods-climate-20130814,0,3829911.story?track=rss http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-change-may-help-redwoods-thrive-4731459.php http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Ancient-redwoods-in-growth-spurt-of-a-lifetime-4730759.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/14/5649537/climate-change-may-help-redwoods.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/14/5649406/global-warming-may-be-helping.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23859157/climate-change-may-help-redwoods-thrive?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130814/articles/130819846 Online map helps locals deal with climate change. The University of Michigan and an independent research group have developed an interactive map designed to help local officials in the Great Lakes region deal with climate change. Headwaters Economics teamed with the university's Graham Sustainability Institute on the project, which was announced Tuesday. The map provides social, economic and demographic statistics on 225 counties in the eight-state region. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/AP8945bc72a6b44a3586703122058de336.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Online-map-helps-locals-deal-with-climate-change-4730296.php http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_23856034/online-map-helps-locals-deal-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com National Flood Insurance Program unprepared for climate change, group warns. Federal officials overseeing public flood insurance are under pressure to consider climate influences like rising sea levels as they implement congressional requirements to make the program more resistant to financial and environmental challenges. The Union of Concerned Scientists released a report yesterday criticizing the National Flood Insurance Program for failing to consider future risks associated with climbing temperatures. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985982/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY On the road, CEQ's Sutley plays up health risks of carbon emissions. In promoting President Obama's new Climate Action Plan during an event in Rhode Island this morning, White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley warned that carbon emissions are as much a public health issue as an environmental one. Joined by two local children with asthma whose outdoor activities are limited during the summer, Sutley told the audience that "as their experiences demonstrate, climate change poses a very real threat to public health…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986016/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Natural Gas Rises 1.8% Natural-gas futures climbed as above-normal temperatures are expected in key consuming regions and forecasters say two tropical cyclones may be forming. Natural-gas for September delivery recently rose six cents, or 1.8%, to $3.345 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Front-month gas prices have fallen in 12 of the past 15 sessions and recently hit the lowest level since mid-February. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323639704579012711106034856.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution+in+china Big Oil seeks waiver on renewable-fuel quota. The oil industry Tuesday pleaded with the Obama administration to lower the amount of corn-based ethanol and other renewable fuels that are required to be blended into gasoline next year. Failing to drop quotas under the renewable fuel standard could cause gasoline prices to rise and result in "severe economic harm" for the United States, said the American Petroleum Institute and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Big-Oil-seeks-waiver-on-renewable-fuel-quota-4729874.php Regulator: New nuke plant now wouldn't make sense. If Georgia was starting from scratch, it could not financially justify the nuclear power plant now under construction. That conclusion from state utility regulators bluntly illustrates how an anticipated boom in nuclear power went bust as natural gas prices plummeted, the economy fell into a severe recession and construction proved pricier than expected. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Regulator-New-nuke-plant-now-wouldn-t-make-sense-4729237.php Calif. Fines Shippers $440K for Violating Fuel Regulation. The California Air Resources Board has fined three international shipping companies a combined $440,250 for failure to switch from dirty bunker fuel to cleaner, low-sulfur marine distillate fuel upon entering Regulated California Waters, as required by state law. “Ships en route to California ports emit thousands of tons of diesel exhaust each year,” said ARB Enforcement Chief Jim Ryden. “Posted. http://www.maritimetoday.com/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=236286 Canadian enviros target Obama, drawing distinctions between U.S. climate goals, Canada. As their American brethren target Secretary of State John Kerry in a bid to scuttle the long-running environmental review of Keystone XL, a group of Canadian environmentalists and academics today implored his boss to reject the massive oil sands crude pipeline as unacceptable given the White House's second-term commitment to global climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986015/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Vail adds electric vehicle to town's fleet. The town of Vail has added an all-electric Nissan Leaf to its fleet, replacing a 2003 Toyota Prius. The Vail Daily reports (http://bit.ly/169rVjO ) parking supervisors will use the electric vehicle to patrol parking garages and town-owned lots. The Leaf and 15 other town vehicles, including diesel-electric hybrid buses, are aimed at making the town's fleet more energy efficient. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Vail-adds-electric-vehicle-to-town-s-fleet-4730729.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/13/5648869/vail-adds-electric-vehicle-to.html GREEN ENERGY San Onofre closure likely to take 10 years or less, panel is told. Southern California Edison Co., by law, can spend up to 60 years to completely scrap its San Onofre nuclear plant near San Clemente, but less than 10 years is more realistic, lawmakers were told. That was an estimate Tuesday from Michael F. Weber, deputy executive director of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-san-onofre-edison-20130814,0,3224063,print.story PUC fails to set rates for CleanPowerSF. San Francisco's plans for creating a renewable power program, nine years in the making, are in jeopardy after the city's Public Utilities Commission voted against setting rates for CleanPowerSF on Tuesday. CleanPowerSF was approved last fall when the Board of Supervisors authorized a five-year, $19.5 million contract with Shell Energy North America, with the goal of creating a customer base to build city-owned renewable power facilities. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/PUC-fails-to-set-rates-for-CleanPowerSF-4730442.php Solar, geothermal projects touted at Vegas summit. Solar projects in the desert, geothermal power in the mountains and wind energy off the East Coast were cited as examples of progress from top U.S. officials and industry leaders during a green energy conference on Tuesday in Las Vegas. But nuclear power nearly stole the show after a federal court in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission violated federal law by failing to approve or reject…Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_23854881/solar-geothermal-projects-touted-at-vegas-summit NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to focus on Earth in 2014. 2014 will be the year of Earth Sciences at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA administrator Charles Bolden visited the lab in Pasadena Tuesday to check out a trio of missions slated to launch next year that will study our home planet. The first to go up will be a project known as RapidScat, a device designed to attach itself to the exterior of the International Space Station. It will monitor wind patterns and storms as they develop around the world. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/08/13/38677/nasa-s-jet-propulsion-laboratory-to-focus-on-earth/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+893KpccSouthernCaliforniaNews+%28KPCC%3A+News%29 Calif. residents shouldn't pay more for San Onofre cleanup -- key lawmaker. Southern Californians should have a say in decisions about what happens at a shuttered San Diego County nuclear plant and who will pay to clean it up, the chairman of a state Senate committee said yesterday. Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Chairman Alex Padilla (D) pressed those involved in the decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to use a citizens' advisory panel. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986002/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Court demands nuke waste site decision. A top appeals court on Tuesday ordered the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to end the suspense and come to a decision on the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. In a 2-1 decision that raises the political stakes, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit determined that the commission has "continued to violate the law" by refusing to act, one way or another, on the Yucca Mountain licensing application. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/14/5648462/court-demands-nuke-waste-site.html#storylink=cpy Environmentalists Deliver Climate Change Denier Award To Congressman Issa. A group of San Diego environmentalists on Tuesday delivered a climate change denier award to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA 49th) as part of a national day of action to hold climate change deniers accountable. The coalition criticized Issa for denying the existence of man-made climate change, despite overwhelming evidence and scientific research. Posted. http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/aug/14/environmentalists-deliver-climate-change-denier-aw/ OPINIONS Change the lights, cut air pollution. Attention Robert Semple Elementary parents and Benicians. I am writing a second request to Benicia's traffic engineer to have the signal lights at East 2nd Street and off ramp from 780 West and S Street programmed. To move the long delays be adjusting lights to turn green when no traffic on 2nd Street in either direction! These lights frequently stay green with no vehicles in sight! Posted. http://www.timesheraldonline.com/letters/ci_23858494/change-lights-cut-air-pollution BLOGS Why isn’t climate denialism politically toxic? It’s long been a source of frustration for environmentalists that expressions of rank climate denialism are not anywhere near as politically toxic as crazy comments about abortion, birth control, or immigration have historically proven. Climate denialism does not meet the widespread condemnation that greets the sort of statements on immigration and abortion you hear from the likes of Steve King or Todd Akin (who lost his Senate race as a result). Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/08/14/why-isnt-climate-denialism-politically-toxic/?hpid=z4 Are fracking proponents wrestling enough with the environmental risks? In our Wonkblog Crowdsourced discussion of the likely economic and business consequences of an era of more plentiful natural gas, a recurring theme among commenters is that the damage to water supplies could be more severe than enthusiasts of fracking technologies let on. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/14/are-fracking-proponents-wrestling-enough-with-the-environmental-risks/ Global Warming Interactives Show What Temperature Change Looks Like. Global warming has accelerated during the past three decades, which have each been unusually warm. In fact, the most recent decade from 2001-2010 was the warmest since instrumental records began in 1850, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). While the rate of global warming has slowed in the past several years, possibly due to natural climate variability…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/13/global-warming-interactive_n_3751066.html Electric cars are clean today and will only get cleaner tomorrow. Uncovering a fraud is uniquely satisfying, which is perhaps why news outlets continue to provide electric car deniers with a platform to proclaim they aren’t as green as they appear. But close examination reveals the latest round of skeptics to be lacking in substance. Numerous peer-reviewed articles have reached the same conclusion: From cradle to grave, electric cars are the cleanest vehicles on the road today. Posted. http://grist.org/business-technology/electric-cars-are-clean-today-and-will-only-get-cleaner-tomorrow/ U.S. Gas Prices Falling; Does It Matter For Green Cars? Gasoline prices rise. Gasoline prices fall. And every time there's significant movement, it's a news story. Last week, for instance, CNBC (via The Car Connection) reported that a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline dropped to about $3.59 last Friday. That's almost 8 cents lower than the cost two weeks previously. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086232_u-s-gas-prices-falling-does-it-matter-for-green-cars Electric NASCAR? Not Yet, Just Dozens Of Teslas On Track. Ask the average NASCAR fan whether they think the sport should go electric, and the response probably wouldn't be repeatable in polite company. Fans of electric cars already know they can be fast and with success at events like Pikes Peak, they can win against gasoline vehicles too. But NASCAR is as much about the sound as it is the color, the racing and the speed, and the fans love it. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086241_electric-nascar-not-yet-just-dozens-of-teslas-on-track ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 12:42:53 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 15, 2013. 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 Board to begin approving projects for California's cap-and-trade system. California is now more than half way through the first year of its ambitious program to cut greenhouse gases under the landmark law: AB 32. An important part of that effort is a cap-and-trade system that requires polluters to reduce their carbon footprint through a combination of cutting emissions and trading carbon credits. Carbon credits basically allow companies to get away with a certain amount of pollution by offsetting it …Posted. http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/08/15/33249/board-to-begin-approving-projects-for-california-s/ Interpol issues guide to prevent carbon trading crime. Internationally, the carbon trading market has become one of the biggest commodities markets in the world. It's estimated to be worth about $175 billion dollars, which makes it a major target for crime. So much so that Interpol, the international police force, has just issued a guide to carbon trading crime. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/08/15/33263/interpol-issues-guide-to-prevent-carbon-trading-cr/ FEATURE: Analysts say California GHG auction to clear below last sale. California greenhouse gas allowances are expected to clear Friday's auction below the last quarterly sale price, analysts say. The state air quality regulator will offer "current" GHG allowances that can be used starting in 2013, as well as a smaller number of "future" permits valid from 2016 onward. Vintage 2013 allowances are forecast to sell for about one dollar less than the May auction, which saw a clearing price of $14 a piece… Posted. http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/washington/feature-analysts-say-california-ghg-auction-to-21421998 AIR POLLUTION Texas company to pay $7.5M for emitting pollution. A Texas chemical recycling and processing company has agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine for failing to comply with state environmental laws. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that the fine against Gulf Chemical & Metallurgical Corp. is one of the largest Texas Clean Air Act penalties in state history. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Texas-company-to-pay-7-5M-for-emitting-pollution-4732750.php Carbon, silicon in airborne particulates increase risk of death in US cities, study says. Certain ingredients of airborne particulates – especially carbon – apparently increase the risk of death in U.S. cities, according to a new nationwide study. For decades, scientists have been trying to unravel why more people die of heart attacks, asthma and other health problems whenever fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, increases. Particulates are a mix of substances emitted by sources of combustion, including cars, trucks, industrial plants and wood burning. Posted. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2013/08/airborne-particulates/ CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change may have caused demise of Late Bronze Age civilizations. Archaeologists have debated for decades over what caused the once-flourishing civilizations along the eastern Mediterranean coast to collapse about 1300 BC. Many scholars have cited warfare, political unrest and natural disaster as factors. But a new study supports the theory that climate change was largely responsible. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-change-late-bronze-age-civilization-collapse-20130814,0,3521236.story NASA, JPL get set to study climate change on Earth in 2014. NASA is getting ready to turn its scientific instruments toward our home planet with a trio of Earth-observing missions set to launch in 2014. The three missions will allow scientists to measure water, wind and carbon dioxide with greater precision, and to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and climate change projections. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-nasa-charles-bolden-jpl-earth-20130814,0,5858792.story These 1,429 US Towns Could Be Destroyed By Rising Sea Levels. A recent study has suggested that sea levels could rise by up to 23 feet within 2,000 years if we don't drastically reduce emissions before 2100. Though effects aren't visible immediately, the greenhouse gas emissions of today doom us to increasingly more extreme levels of sea level rise with every passing decade. If we waiting until 2100 to correct our ways would have devastating effects on coastal settlements…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/These-1-429-US-Towns-Could-Be-Destroyed-By-Rising-4733038.php UA: Warming pushing plants to higher elevations. University of Arizona researchers say they've proven that climate change is pushing plant species to higher elevations on a southern Arizona mountain. The UA-led research team compared an extensive study of vegetation on Mount Lemmon outside Tucson done in 1963 to a 2011 study of the same area. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UA-Warming-pushing-plants-to-higher-elevations-4734106.php Climate change means soft and sour apples, study finds. A Japanese study has found that popular Fuji apple - known for its sweetness and crispness - has been getting mealier and sourer as the Japanese climate warms. Some 40 years ago, the Fuji apples that grew in orchards on Japan’s main island were full, sweet, and crisp. Now, those apples have become one more victim of global warming: picked today…Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0815/Climate-change-means-soft-and-sour-apples-study-finds Scientists call for improved understanding of how climate extremes alter nature's carbon cycle. The forests, grasslands and soils that cover the Earth's surface have soaked up about 25 to 30 percent of human emissions of carbon dioxide in the last 50 years. But as the climate changes, how well will these ecosystems continue to do this? That's a question posed in a perspective paper published online yesterday in the journal Nature. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986039/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Air regulation may push 2018 ATV sales out of Imperial County. A new regulation that aims to curb off-highway vehicle pollution may prompt some manufacturers to limit OHV models available for sale in California, a local off road-advocate said. The California Air Resources Board regulation targets evaporative emissions from the gas lines and tanks of OHVs and will be implemented in 2018. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/air-regulation-may-push-atv-sales-out-of-imperial-county/article_dc78368a-04b5-11e3-a6d3-0019bb30f31a.html CARB: Aug. 31 deadline approaching for TRU orders. Reefer owners who haul in and out of California are being reminded of an approaching order deadline. The California Air Resources Board is reminding reefer owners that orders for new replacement transportation refrigeration units and TRU generator sets must be made by Aug. 31 to meet the state’s Dec. 31, 2013 deadline for 2006 reefers. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25579 Three shippers were fined for violating a clean fuel regulation. Three international shipping firms were fined by the California Air Resources Board after failing to shift from dirty “bunker” fuel to cleaner burning fuel when they entered into state waters. Oslo-based Hoegh Autoliners Shipping AS Co., NCN Corp. Panama and Singapore-based Twin Phoenix Shipping S.A. received a total of $440,250 in fines after the board investigated their visits to the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and Stockton. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20130813/three-shippers-fined-for-clean-fuel-regulation http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130815/A_NEWS/130819950/-1/A_NEWS14 BY SUBSCRIPTION FUELS New Colorado drilling rules delayed. Colorado regulators looking at new air quality rules for oil and gas drillers may need more time. Colorado's Air Quality Control Commission was anticipating possible delays at its meeting Thursday. The group is looking at stricter air controls for an industry that is one of Colorado's top air polluters. Environmental activists have been hoping the commission is stricter on the industry than the agency that regulates spills…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CO_DRILLING_AIR_QUALITY_COOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Delays-possible-for-new-Colorado-drilling-rules-4733973.php GREEN ENERGY Picking up the nuclear energy bill divides the EU. European Union rules to be published over the coming weeks could make it easier to justify using taxpayers' money to fund new nuclear power, which would pitch major EU powers against each other. The European Commission, the EU executive, says its mind is still open on the topic, but it is under pressure to set a legal framework for state aid to nuclear projects after several member states, including Britain, sought its guidance. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/14/us-eu-nuclear-idUSBRE97D05P20130814 Intermittent Nature of Green Power Is Challenge for Utilities. The 21 turbines at the Kingdom Community Wind farm in Vermont soar above Lowell Mountain, a testament in steel and fiberglass to the state’s growing use of green energy. Except when they aren’t allowed to spin at their fastest. That has been the case several times in the farm’s short existence, including during the record July heat wave when it could have produced enough much-needed energy to fuel a small town. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/business/energy-environment/intermittent-nature-of-green-power-is-challenge-for-utilities.html?ref=science 50 shades of window? 'Smart glass' blocks heat, light at flip of switch. Drop that window dressing -- that frame could soon go bare. Researchers say they have created a new kind of "smart glass" – one that can, at the flip of a switch, block heat and still stay transparent, or grow dark to reduce the sun’s glare. This material, described online Wednesday in the journal Nature, could one day help slash energy costs and reduce pollution from buildings like the glass monsters that tower out of urban cityscapes. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-smart-glass-blocks-heat-tint-dark-electricity-switch-20130814,0,7674149.story http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/New-Smart-Windows-Let-In-Light-But-Keep-Out-The-4733025.php Air board accepting applications to recognize green California businesses. The California Air Resources Board is accepting applications through Nov. 1 for its fourth CoolCalifornia Small Business Awards Program. The awards recognize small firms that integrate positive environmental practices and sustainability into their business practices, including reduced energy use, water conservation and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/14/2862953/air-board-accepting-applications.html#storylink=cpy How green the Valley. Even after seven years, there's no graying of the Green Team. In fact, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce's popular Green Team San Joaquin, which helps businesses become more environmentally friendly while also boosting their bottom lines, is now expanding to include the entire San Joaquin Valley. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130815/A_BIZ/308150314/-1/A_NEWS14 2 Projects Fall to San Bernardino County's Solar Moratorium. San Bernardino County's moratorium on solar projects in unincorporated areas is already making its mark on the landscape -- or more accurately, keeping marks from being made. Canadian developer Coronus Solar has just backed out of agreements to sell power from two mid-sized solar facilities near Twentynine Palms that have been stalled by the moratorium. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/san-bernardino-solar-moratorium-is-working.html World solar prices will keep dropping, but U.S. costs will stay relatively high – report. The installed price for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is likely to continue its precipitous decline, but the speed and scale of that decline will depend on fixing solar's "soft costs," according to a report out this week from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Installed prices for commercial and residential PV systems in 2012 fell by about 6 to 14 percent from the prior year…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986030/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Energy Test for Obama. “Cut Emissions? Congress Itself Keeps Burning a Dirtier Fuel” (news article, Aug. 9) framed the battle about whether the Capitol Power Plant burns coal as a test of President Obama’s climate policies. A much better test is at hand with a coal-fired power plant that is partly government-owned. The Department of the Interior has a one-quarter interest in the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona. About 40 times the size of the Capitol Power Plant…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/opinion/energy-test-for-obama.html?_r=0 Edison's San Onofre PR: Readers aren't buying it. Southern California Edison wants you to feel (and help pay for) its pain in shutting down the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Judging by the letters we've received so far in reaction to Edison's full-page ad in Monday's Times saying as much, readers are feeling neither sympathetic nor financially generous. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-san-onofre-shutdown-edison-pr-mailbag-20130814,0,1401010.story Frogs, toads are essential part of ecosystem Re "Field hearing on amphibians was a stacked deck" (Editorials, Aug. 10): As the holder of Master's degrees in environmental studies and marine biology, I am a staunch defender of our wildlife and its habitat. Even as mundane as most people would think, frogs and toads are a vital part of the food chain and must be protected in order that climate change itself is not affected. Posted. here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/15/5651197/endangered-species-act.html#storylink=cpy Quality air to breathe. THE ISSUE The oppressive smog problem in urban areas of China should serve as inspiration for Americans to protect the quality of air we breathe. Those who complain of government regulations in the United States should take note of the latest news out of China. China, the world’s No. 3 tourist destination, is seeing a sharp decline in tourism partly because its air pollution has become so bad. Posted. http://www.timesdaily.com/opinion/editorials/article_753d8ce0-052d-11e3-88f9-10604b9ffe60.html Carbon offsetting for Clean Energy Summit? Uhhh, no. The attendees at this year’s National Clean Energy summit took many a gas-guzzling plane, cab and SUV to make it to Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort, where they spent Tuesday comparing notes on the latest commercial technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sound ironic? Perhaps. But for now, conference organizers suggest, it is just one of the opportunity costs of getting the fledgling clean energy business going. Posted. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/aug/15/carbon-offsetting-clean-energy-summit-uhhh-no/ BLOGS Is the Internet Good for the Climate? I gave the opening talk (and song) this morning at ScienceOnline Climate, a two-day meeting exploring the role of Web communication in fostering engagement on climate change research and its implications for society. You can watch the sessions here and follow the discussion on Twitter via #ScioClimate. Read on for a few reactions to my talk, in which I posed the question “Is the Internet Good for the Climate?”…Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/15/is-the-internet-good-for-the-climate/ Brave new world: Americans are learning to live with climate change. The Great American Road Trip — it’s a rite of passage, a national pastime, and increasingly, a tool for spreading the word about looming climate catastrophe. Each summer, a motley parade of veggie buses, vintage motorcycles, and bicycles circulates around the country, its participants out to preach the gospel of green living, and perhaps learn a thing or two in the process. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/brave-new-world-americans-are-learning-to-live-with-climate-change/ AB 32’s Scoping Plan is a Tale of Two Energy Futures For a window into two vastly different visions of our state’s future, take a look at the comments filed last week as part of the AB 32 Scoping Plan update process. The 2008 Scoping Plan lays out the approach that California will take to achieve its goal of reducing emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and this is the first 5 year update. Posted. http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2013/08/14/ab-32s-scoping-plan-is-a-tale-of-two-energy-futures/#sthash.MPb8phw6.dpufhttp://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2013/08/14/ab-32s-scoping-plan-is-a-tale-of-two-energy-futures/#sthash.MPb8phw6.dpuf Is your power 'renewable'? What day is it? One of the most prominent parts of the state's broad effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions is the "Renewable Portfolio Standard" -- in a nutshell rules that force electric utilities to reduce use of fossil fuels and increase non-polluting renewables. So what's renewable? You'd think that'd be a simple enough question. Are you digging up fuel that you only get to use once? Are you emitting CO2 and other climate-altering gases? Posted. http://blogs.redding.com/bross/archives/2013/08/is-your-power-r.html#sthash.ehmNciBg.dpuf State Faces Battle With Oil Industry Over Proposed New Fracking Regulations. The next four weeks will determine how aggressively California regulates the controversial oil-drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing. And as state Sen. Fran Pavley points out, “four weeks is a long time, legislatively.” The energy industry is watching these developments closely and with a degree of apprehension. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/08/13/california-fracking-regulators/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 12:53:04 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 16, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 16, 2013. 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 Australia Carbon to Survive Rudd-Abbott Standoff: Energy. Electricity markets are showing Australia’s biggest polluters will have to pay for their carbon emissions regardless of who wins the Sept. 7 election. With Prime Minister Kevin Rudd seeking to reduce the cost of CO2 permits to an estimated A$6 ($5.48) a metric ton and his rival Tony Abbott vowing to scrap carbon prices altogether, power futures signal the cost of emissions will be about A$10 a ton by 2015…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-08-16/australia-carbon-to-survive-rudd-abbott-standoff-energy.html AIR POLLUTION California board fines companies $653,250 for air-quality violations. The California Air Resources Board said it has collected another $653,250 in fines for violations of state air quality laws. ARB fined three international shipping companies a combined $440,250 for failure to switch from "bunker" fuel to cleaner, low-sulfur marine distillate fuel upon entering regulated California waters. Under California law, oceangoing vessels must switch to cleaner fuel within 24 nautical miles of the shoreline - a requirement designed to reduce diesel exhaust emissions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/15/5654259/california-board-fines-companies.html#storylink=cpy http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25572 http://gcaptain.com/maritime-shipping-firms-fined-california-emissions/ http://www.worldbunkering.com/news/industry-news/1206-california-fines-three-owners.html http://shipandbunker.com/news/am/607480-440k-in-fines-for-carriers-over-fuel-violations http://worldmaritimenews.com/archives/91228/maritime-shipping-firms-fined-for-violating-fuel-regulation-usa/ http://www.cargobusinessnews.com/news/081413/news3.html http://www.bunkerworld.com/news/i123994/Three_shipping_companies_fined_for_breaking_California_fuel_rule# (subscription req'd) http://www.cargobusinessnews.com/news/081413/news3.html http://www.sustainableshipping.com/news/i123994/Three_shipping_companies_fined_for_breaking_California_fuel_rule# (subscription req'd) http://africanoilandgasnews.com/news/maritime-shipping-firms-fined-for-violating-fuel-regulation-usa http://maritimesecurity.asia/free-2/maritime-security-asia/maritime-shipping-firms-fined-for-violating-california-emissions-regs/ http://news.silobreaker.com/440k-in-fines-for-carriers-over-fuel-violations-5_2267029547599790112 Tehama County 2012-13 Grand Jury: Air Pollution District needs more consistency. The Tehama County Air Pollution Control District and CalFire need to better communicate and the district needs to be more consistent with its fine schedule, the 2012-13 Grand Jury recommends in its report. The Grand Jury reviewed the Air Pollution Control District focusing on the issuance of burn permits, reports and complaints, investigations, enforcement and documentation of illegal burns. Posted. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/business/ci_23876219/tehama-county-2012-13-grand-jury-air-pollution Lawmaker wants indoor air standards following therapy closure. Carlos Mixon shouldn’t be standing, much less able to talk. The former pedicab driver ran a red light, got hit, and suffered a traumatic brain injury Eight years ago. "One of the nurses told me, you probably want to just take him off the ventilator, and everything, because he's not ever going to get out of a bed," Tony Rockwell explained about her son. Posted. http://www.kvue.com/news/Lawmaker-wants-indoor-air-standards-following-therapy-closure--219842441.html CLIMATE CHANGE Climate research targets Western wildfire smoke. Researchers are flying over Western wildfires to sample the thick smoke they emit and study its role in cloud formation and climate. The data-gathering campaign is intended to help scientists flesh out one of the least understood areas of climate: the role of aerosols, or particles given off by wildfires, and how they evolve over time. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WILDFIRE_SMOKE_RESEARCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Climate-research-targets-Western-wildfire-smoke-4735718.php http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/15/3443076/climate-research-targets-western.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/15/2865328/climate-research-targets-western.html Experts surer of manmade global warming but local predictions elusive. Climate scientists are surer than ever that human activity is causing global warming, according to leaked drafts of a major U.N. report, but they are finding it harder than expected to predict the impact in specific regions in coming decades. The uncertainty is frustrating for government planners: the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the main guide for states weighing multi-billion-dollar shifts to renewable energy from fossil fuels…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/16/us-climate-report-idUSBRE97F0KM20130816 New Zealand reduces carbon emissions target. New Zealand scaled back its target for reducing carbon emissions on Friday, saying the move was an interim step ahead of a new United Nations pact from 2020. The government said it would commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. It had previously indicated that it would look at a cut of 10 percent to 20 percent. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/16/newzealand-carbon-idUSL4N0GH03G20130816 Businesses Back Greenhouse Gas Emissions Law. As Texas Republican leaders continue their drumbeat against what they say is federal overreach by the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency remains a primary target. Attorney General Greg Abbott, a candidate for governor, trumpets the fact that the state has multiple lawsuits targeting the agency, and other candidates for statewide office are also pledging to protect Texas from what they see as encroachment by the E.P.A. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/us/businesses-back-greenhouse-gas-emissions-law.html Climate change has impact on carbon cycles. Forests in Earth's northern latitudes have been thickened by migrating plant species and younger growth, driving a stronger gyration in the amount of carbon that cycles between land and the atmosphere each year, a new study suggests. The net rise in seasonal exchange of carbon between land and air cannot be explained solely by increased burning of fossil fuels…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Climate-change-has-impact-on-carbon-cycles-4736866.php Democrats turn up heat on Republican climate-change skeptics. Members of Congress have come to expect controversy sometimes during their August break. Four years ago, it was health care. This year many thought it would be immigration. But in California, global warming has become an unexpectedly hot topic. Thanks to California Sen. Barbara Boxer, the White House and environmental groups…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/15/5654425/democrats-turn-up-heat-on-republican.html#storylink=cpy New Antarctic ice core reveals secrets of climate change. A new Antarctic ice core that's more than 10,000 feet long suggests that West Antarctica may have begun melting more than 2,000 years earlier than believed. The secret? Sea ice. Most ice we see melts quickly, from ice cubes melting into a soda to icicles disappearing on a sunny winter day. But in Antarctica, ice can stick around for hundreds of thousands of years. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0815/New-Antarctic-ice-core-reveals-secrets-of-climate-change DIESEL EMISSIONS Low temperature combustion promises to clean up diesel engines. For decades, motorists have known that diesel engines offer a trade-off between higher levels of efficiency in the credit column and higher levels of air pollution in the debit column. But now researchers in California think they might have made a breakthrough that could help automotive engineers develop a diesel engine that is both efficient and clean. Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2289281/low-temperature-combustion-promises-to-clean-up-diesel-engines FUELS Calif. panel launches probe into offshore fracking. California regulators have launched an investigation into offshore hydraulic fracturing after revelations that the practice had quietly occurred off the coast for the past two decades. The California Coastal Commission promised to look into the extent of so-called fracking in federal and state waters and any potential risks. "We take our obligation to protect the marine environment very seriously… Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OFFSHORE_FRACKING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://news.yahoo.com/calif-panel-launches-probe-offshore-fracking-165603655.html http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059986097/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Energy firm halts work in face of fracking protest. Energy company Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. said Friday it has temporarily suspended drilling at an exploration site in southern England amid protests from residents and environmentalists opposed to shale gas extraction. The company said it had stopped work on police advice, but would resume "as soon as it is safe to do so." Demonstrators are planning to expand a protest camp Friday near the village of Balcombe. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_FRACKING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/16/us-cuadrilla-shale-protests-idUSBRE97F0MM20130816 http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Energy-firm-halts-work-in-face-of-fracking-protest-4737299.php Diesel Futures Advance as Brent Surges Amid Supply Disruptions. Ultra-low-sulfur diesel futures advanced, following Brent crude and gasoil higher amid supply disruptions in Africa and the Middle East. Diesel rose as Brent gained 0.5 percent and gasoil climbed 0.6 percent on the London ICE Futures exchange. Egypt’s army-backed government declared a state of emergency in the country. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-08-15/diesel-futures-advance-as-brent-surges-amid-supply-disruptions.html Fracking bill under fire from environmentalists. State Sen. Fran Pavley's bill to regulate fracking in California was always going to face a fight from the oil industry. But now it's under attack from some of Pavley's most ardent supporters - environmentalists. Many want to ban fracking outright, not regulate it. They are pressing Gov. Jerry Brown to halt the oil-production technique, used in a growing number of wells across the state. And they fear that Pavley's bill, if passed, would give politicians an excuse to let fracking continue. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Fracking-bill-under-fire-from-environmentalists-4736584.php http://www.mercurynews.com/central-coast/ci_23876202/californias-coastal-commission-investigate-offshore-fracking Ecuador's president abandons no-drilling plan. President Rafael Correa said Thursday that he has abandoned a unique and ambitious plan to persuade rich countries to pay Ecuador not to drill for oil in a pristine Amazon rainforest preserve. Environmentalist had hailed the initiative when Correa first proposed it in 2007, saying he was setting a precedent in the fight against global warming by lowering the high cost to poor countries of preserving the environment. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Ecuador-s-president-abandons-no-drilling-plan-4736894.php A Novel Way to Cut the Cost of Advanced Biofuels. A novel genetic modification to plants could make advanced biofuels more competitive with fossil fuels, according to a study published this week in the journal Science. The modification could achieve this by rendering an expensive step in making such biofuels unnecessary. Currently almost all ethanol production comes from the sugar and starch in sugarcane and corn grain. Producing biofuels from biomass remains too expensive to be competitive…Posted. http://www.technologyreview.com/news/518061/a-novel-way-to-cut-the-cost-of-advanced-biofuels/ http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986088/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Rechargeable membrane-less hydrogen bromine flow battery shows high power density. MIT researchers have engineered a new rechargeable, membrane-less hydrogen bromine laminar flow battery with high power density. The membrane-less design enables power densities of 0.795 W cm−2 at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, with a round-trip voltage efficiency of 92% at 25% of peak power. That is about three times as much power per square centimeter as other membrane-less system…Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130816-braff.html VEHICLES Whatever Happened to the Chevy Volt? Just Look at These Numbers. Remember how much time and energy was spent focusing on Detroit and the auto bailouts during the 2012 presidential election? More specifically, do you remember all the attention that was paid to the Chevy Volt, the hybrid electric vehicle that was supposed to mark the rebirth of General Motors? Now think back. Have you heard that much about it recently? No? Neither have we. So we started looking into the issue to figure out what happened. Posted. http://news.yahoo.com/whatever-happened-chevy-volt-just-look-numbers-133027502.html GREEN ENERGY Sierra Club, KCP&L spar over 2007 agreement. The Sierra Club has notified Kansas City Power & Light that the environmental group believes the utility has failed to honor the agreement that ended a dispute over construction of a coal-fired plant in northwest Missouri. KCP&L, however, says it has fulfilled all the requirements of the 2007 agreement, which stemmed from the utility's Iatan 2 coal-fired plant in northern Platte County. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Sierra-Club-KCP-L-spar-over-2007-agreement-4737471.php Duke Energy acquires San Francisco's largest solar facility. Duke Energy has bought a San Francisco solar project from developer Recurrent Energy. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal between Recurrent Energy and Duke's commercial business division, Duke Energy Renewables, is for the Sunset Reservoir solar power project, the biggest solar generation facility in San Francisco. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_23869990/duke-energy-acquires-san-franciscos-largest-solar-facility?source=rss Waste CO2 Could Be Source of Extra Power. Dutch scientists have a use for all the carbon dioxide that pours from the chimneys of fossil fuel-burning power stations: Harvest it for even more electricity. A team of Dutch researchers have a way – in the laboratory, at least – to wring power from everyday emissions of such plants. Power-generating stations worldwide release 12 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year as they burn coal, oil or natural gas…Posted. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=waste-co2-could-be-source-of-extra-power Could suburbs become the future of renewable energy? Environmentalists have a long-held contempt for the sprawl of suburbia, where the low rooftops of tract housing sometimes seem to stretch to the horizon and where commuters spend their days spewing carbon dioxide into the air. But now some researchers are viewing this differently, as an opportunity for an energy revolution. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986079/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Researchers find a battery that meets DOE targets for large energy storage. Flow batteries -- devices that generate electricity by pumping a liquid electrolyte through a cell -- could be an option to store energy at power plant scales, smoothing out peaks and valleys from intermittent renewable energy or providing backup power to homes and offices. The design lends itself to high power applications, produces no emissions and can charge simply by replacing the electrolyte. But there are some critical drawbacks. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986092/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Climate policy's twin challenges. We need to slow incremental damage while taking out an insurance policy against the growing risk of catastrophic damage. Climate change presents two distinct problems. The first is linear: A little more warming causes a little more damage. The second is nonlinear: A little more warming pushes some part of the climate system past a tipping point and the damage becomes catastrophic. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-oe-zaelke-climate-tipping-points-20130816,0,631359.story Climate-change: rhetoric and reality. The first column in a series about climate change acknowledged climate change as a fact of life. But it also asked whether man’s activities are the cause for potentially catastrophic climate change? There are people who passionately believe and who want us to believe climate change threatens our very existence, and man-made CO2 is the cause. Some believe that, but have no agenda of any sort. They and their beliefs must be respected. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/commentary/improving-north-county/climate-change-rhetoric-and-reality/article_84adf66c-0558-11e3-97f6-001a4bcf887a.html?print=true&cid=print COLUMN-Deep ocean to resolve human role in global warming: Wynn. The world's oceans have absorbed more than 90 percent of global warming since the mid-20th century, making accurate measurements of deep ocean temperatures vital to predicting how much global temperatures and sea levels are going to rise. In 1999, a group of 30 countries launched the Argo programme as the first global, subsurface ocean observing system. Posted. http://www.cnbc.com/id/100967611 BLOGS ‘Liberated Carbon, It’ll Turn Your Night to Day’ Via Climate Nexus and Daniel M.N. Turner, here’s video of my performance of “Liberated Carbon,” my short musical history of humanity’s love affair with fossil fuels, at the ScienceOnline Climate conference in Washington, D.C., yesterday. Video of my full talk, “Is the Internet Good for the Climate,” is now online. I think you’ll find value in the full suite of sessions (the meeting continues through today). The best way to track the flow is by following the #ScioClimate tag on Twitter. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/liberated-carbon-itll-turn-your-night-to-day/ Climate Change And Wildfires: Research Explores Link Between Blazes And The Environment. Researchers are flying over Western wildfires to sample the thick smoke they emit and study its role in cloud formation and climate. The data-gathering campaign is intended to help scientists flesh out one of the least understood areas of climate: the role of aerosols, or particles given off by wildfires, and how they evolve over time. Biomass burning, such as forest fires and agricultural fires when farmers burn off their farm fields…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/climate-change-wildfires_n_3764350.html Could Outmoded Phone Booths Become E.V. Charging Stations? Consider New York’s public pay telephones. They may be outdated in the digital age, but they have telephone wiring and are often supplied with electricity. More important, they already occupy precious city real estate — and already have the permits necessary to stay there. Is it possible to imagine some of them seamlessly replaced with electric vehicle charging stations, with vital dedicated parking spaces? Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/14/could-outmoded-phone-booths-become-e-v-charging-stations/ Defense contractor: Climate change could create “business opportunities”. Of all the business opportunities presented by global warming, Raytheon Company may have found one of the most alarming. The Massachusetts-based defense contractor — which makes everything from communications systems to Tomahawk missiles — thinks that future “security concerns” caused by climate change could mean expanded sales of its military products. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/defense-contractor-climate-change-could-create-business-opportunities/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 14:26:11 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 19, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 19, 2013. 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 Luminant Sued by EPA Over Texas Clean Air Violation Claims. Luminant Generation Co., the largest power generator in Texas, was sued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over air-pollution standards for two power plants. The enforcement action, which was filed under seal in federal court in Dallas, follows two earlier EPA notices of violations of the U.S. Clean Air Act by the Big Brown plant in Freestone County and the Martin Lake plant, located in Rusk and Panola counties. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-16/luminant-sued-by-epa-over-texas-clean-air-violation-claims-1-.html Valley air officials say more trees could cool down smog problem. In sweltering September 2011, Fresno could have used more trees. Temperatures climbed, winds died and lung-searing ozone spiked the season's highest readings on three days. Worse yet, all three peaks broke the one-hour federal ozone standard between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays when children were outside after school. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/17/2867657/san-joaquin-valley-air-officials.html#storylink=cpy http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/08/17/3169142/san-joaquin-valley-air-officials.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/17/3445450/san-joaquin-valley-air-officials.html Air Alert in effect for back-to-school week. Authorities have called an Air Alert from Monday through Wednesday, saying valley residents need to be aware of rising ozone levels with school beginning and traffic expected to increase as a result. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District announced the alert on Friday. It's hoped that motorists will avoid idling their cars and using drive-through services when an alert is declared. Residents are also encouraged to car-pool. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/19/3446373/air-alert-in-effect-for-back-to.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/16/2867307/rising-ozone-prompts-air-alert.html http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130819/A_NEWS/308190308 Smoke from Siskiyou forest fires creates unhealthy conditions. As three forest fires continue to burn in the Sawyers Bar area, Siskiyou County officials are warning that the amount of smoke in the air there has made the outdoors hazardous for activity. “Everyone should avoid all physical activity. Older adults should remain indoors. Simply put, exchange as little air as possible, avoid all exercise,” said Patrick Griffin, agriculture commissioner and air pollution control officer, of regions experiencing a hazardous level of smoke. Posted. http://www.redding.com/news/2013/aug/17/smoke-from-siskiyou-forest-fires-creates/ EPA's pending CO2 rules will need flexibility to deal with uneven state actions. If Obama's climate road map goes into force as planned, U.S. EPA will be tasked with crafting power plant rules that match the uneven terrain of different states' previous efforts to cut carbon. Thirty states and the District of Columbia have enacted renewable portfolio standards, and 10 are involved in a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986135/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Experts surer of manmade global warming but local predictions elusive. Climate scientists are surer than ever that human activity is causing global warming, according to leaked drafts of a major U.N. report, but they are finding it harder than expected to predict the impact in specific regions in coming decades. The uncertainty is frustrating for government planners: the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the main guide for states weighing multi-billion-dollar shifts to renewable energy from fossil fuels…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/16/us-climate-report-idUSBRE97F0KM20130816 Warming trend a sign of climate change in Clear Lake. Clear Lake, a haven for bass anglers and jetskiers at the foot of a dormant volcano in Lake County, is also a sentinel for climate change in California. Satellite measurements of the shallow, 68-square-mile lake’s surface water temperature show a pronounced warming since 1992, matching the trend at five other lakes in California and Nevada, including Lake Tahoe. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130818/articles/130819537 FUELS Montana Oilmen Baffled by Bay Area Opposition to Keystone. In San Francisco, more than 1,300 miles from the proposed route of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, an agency charged with regulating air pollution from industrial plants and home heaters says the project is a threat. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has joined scores of municipalities and interest groups from California to Maine that have adopted resolutions on Keystone XL or crude from Alberta’s oil sands that the pipeline is designed to carry. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-08-16/montana-oilmen-baffled-by-bay-area-opposition-to-keystone.html Judge: Calif. high-speed rail violates initiative. A Sacramento County judge dealt a major blow to California's high-speed rail project Friday, ruling that the agency overseeing the bullet train failed to comply with the financial and environmental promises made to voters when they approved initial funding for the project five years ago. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/16/5657474/judge-calif-high-speed-rail-violates.html#storylink=cpy Are Democrats About to Fracture Over Fracking? Environmental activists see opportunities ahead to pressure the party on what they see as a risky drilling practice. Led by President Obama, most Democrats have tried to occupy a careful middle ground on the natural-gas industry that's transforming the U.S. energy economy. But that balance might not last much longer, as environmentally conscious "fracktivists" look for ways to press their case that the potential for pollution…Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/are-democrats-about-to-fracture-over-fracking-20130817?mrefid=mostViewed VEHICLES Ford Lowers Mileage Rating on C-Max Hybrid to 43 MPG. Ford Motor Co. (F), hit by lawsuits for coming up short on its fuel economy promises, lowered the mileage rating for its C-Max Hybrid model. The automaker will also make one-time payments to customers because of the change. The rating for the 2013 model was revised to 43 miles (69 kilometers) per gallon for combined city and highway driving…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-08-15/ford-said-to-lower-mileage-rating-on-c-max-plug-in-hybrid.html Hybrids take 7% of California market in 1H 2013; PHEVs 0.7%; EVs 1.1% Hybrid vehicle market share (excluding plug-in hybrids) in California increased to 7% in the first half of 2013, up from 6.2% in 2012, according to the California Auto Outlook for the second quarter of 2013. Plug-in hybrid market share was an estimated 0.7%, while battery electric vehicle market share hit 1.1%. California Auto Outlook is sponsored by the California New Car Dealers Association. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130817-cao.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Judge's ruling could bring Valley's high-speed rail project to screeching halt. A Sacramento County Superior Court judge's decision late Friday has the potential to halt construction of California's high-speed rail project before it starts. After considering a lawsuit filed almost two years ago by Kings County and two of its residents, Judge Michael Kenny determined that a funding plan adopted by the California High-Speed Rail Authority in 2011 violated several provisions of Proposition 1A…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/16/3445675/judges-ruling-could-bring-valleys.html http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986169/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Trash Into Gas, Efficiently? An Army Test May Tell. THERE is an indisputable elegance to the idea of transforming garbage into fuel, of turning icky, smelly detritus into something valuable. But big drawbacks have prevented the wholesale adoption of trash-to-gas technology in the United States: incineration is polluting, and the capital costs of new plants are enormous. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/business/trash-into-gas-efficiently-an-army-test-may-tell.html?ref=earth Multifamily property rehab certified 'green' Build It Green, the Oakland-based nonprofit that works with public and private entities to adopt green building practices, has given its first green certification for a rehabilitation of a multifamily property in Sacramento County to Norwood Mutual Housing. "Norwood is the first and only rehab of an existing multifamily project we have rated in the county," said Christopher Becker, BIG's senior project manager. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/17/5658216/multifamily-property-rehab-certified.html#storylink=cpy Green energy fees disappearing from utility bills. Four years after raising customers' bills to meet mandates to sell cleaner power, Michigan's biggest utilities are eliminating the fees or slashing them significantly. Residential customers of DTE Electric may see their $3 monthly surcharge fall to 43 cents under a plan pending with state regulators. Consumers Energy's 52-cent monthly fee for residential customers — which previously fell from $2.50 — could go away entirely next year. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/17/3445286/green-energy-fees-disappearing.html Some Vt. utilities try to put brakes on solar boom. When the tiny Washington Electric Cooperative Inc. announced last week it was moving to slow the growth of customers installing solar power systems and putting their extra electricity on the power grid, it brought to the fore a battle that had been brewing for years. The Shumlin administration, lawmakers and Vermont's largest utility have been cheering the arrival of solar energy and "net metering" on Vermont's electrical generation … Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/18/2870199/some-vt-utilities-try-to-put-brakes.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Safeway evicts parking lot recycling centers. The problem seems as obvious as the trash on the street. The large recycling centers in parking lots at two Safeway stores - one near Japantown and one at Church and Market streets - have become magnets for a scruffy group of scavengers. These guys haul in bottles and cans in stolen shopping carts, hang out and make customers uneasy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Safeway-evicts-parking-lot-recycling-centers-4721762.php - OPINIONS Wanted: Another Green Mayor. New York has been a dirty, gritty city practically forever, but it has also had farsighted leaders who qualify as green visionaries, going back to the 19th century. They preserved valuable real estate as irreplaceable public parkland; dreamed up an astonishing system of aqueducts to carry clean mountain water, unpumped and unfiltered, to city taps; and built a walkable, ridable, electric-train metropolis generations before “smart growth” and “transit-oriented development” were buzzwords. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/opinion/wanted-another-green-mayor.html?_r=0 Time to ban plastic bags statewide. As San Franciscans, we care deeply for the environment. Together, we've shown the world that hybrid cars, composting, rooftop solar panels and reusable bags work to solve environmental problems. Soon, our first-in-the-nation plastic-bag ban will cover restaurants, and San Francisco will be the biggest U.S. city completely free of plastic carry-out bags. With Los Angeles' plastic bag ban, a third of Californians will soon be bag free. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Time-to-ban-plastic-bags-statewide-4724583.php Editorial: Rail project could be a boon for the Valley. Much of the focus on California's high-speed rail project has been on reading the tea leaves of the far-distant future – from projecting costs to ridership demand. But that misses an important part of the here and now: the potential for this project to benefit much of the Central Valley, including its largest city, Fresno. The California High-Speed Rail Authority signs a contract for "everything-but-track" work next week for the first stage…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/18/5657883/editorial-rail-project-could-be.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS A Closer Look at the Technical and Behavioral Barriers to Action on Global Warming. There’s been some excellent writing elsewhere of late showing why addressing the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, despite the clarity of the basic science, is so hard. Here are two examples: In the Huffington Post, Tom Zeller, Jr., has filed an expanded version of an earlier clear-eyed examination of the impediments to wide adoption of technologies for capturing carbon dioxide from the air and stashing it underground. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/a-closer-look-at-the-technical-and-behavioral-barriers-to-action-on-global-warming/?ref=earth Over half of all EVs in America are in these five cities. If someone were to tell you that electric vehicles are popular in Los Angeles, there's no reason to be surprised. Same thing with San Francisco and New York City. But if someone were to tell you she had collected a list of the top five EV cities in the US, which would round out the list? The picture above is a hint, if you recognize the skyline. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/08/17/over-half-of-all-evs-in-america-are-in-these-five-cities/ Economics and Politics in California: Cap-and-Trade and Trade Exposure. In my previous essay at this blog – The Importance of Getting it Right in California – I wrote about the precedents and lessons that California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) and its greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade system will have for other jurisdictions around the world, including other states, provinces, countries, and regions. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/robertstavins/261901/economics-and-politics-california-cap-and-trade-allowance-allocation-and-trade- Climate scientists are 95 percent sure that humans are causing global warming. Climate hawks are buzzing over leaks from the fifth big climate report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, due to be officially released in September. Spoiler: Scientists are pretty damn confident that we’re screwing up the climate. An earlier draft was leaked in December by climate deniers trying to undermine the case for anthropogenic climate change. Posted. http://grist.org/news/climate-scientists-are-95-percent-sure-that-humans-are-causing-global-warming/ 16 of your favorite things that climate change is totally screwing up. When people talk about “climate impacts,” the images that usually come to mind are broiling heat waves, drought-parched creek beds, dangerous storm surges, the slowly but surely rising sea. These things can seem distant and unlikely to affect most people’s day-to-day lives, but there is growing evidence that the reality of climate change will strike close to home. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/16-of-your-favorite-things-that-climate-change-is-totally-screwing-up/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 14:17:45 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 20, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 20, 2013. 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 Alberta report recommends stronger carbon-capture rules. Alberta government is investing heavily in carbon capture storage technology to bolster green credentials ahead of pipeline projects. Stronger and more specific safety and environmental rules need to be in place before carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is brought into widespread use, says an Alberta government report. Posted. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/report-recommends-more-carbon-rules/article13859453/ State regulators consider offsets from coal mines, delay consideration of rice emissions. California is preparing to expand its supply of offsets for use in its cap-and-trade program by tapping greenhouse gas emissions reductions made by coal mines around the country. The California Air Resources Board released a discussion draft last week of regulations that would allow owners of coal mines to get credit for destroying methane…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986194/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Large coal power plants getting life extensions. The nation's big coal-burning power plants are not ready to become dinosaurs. Utilities are making substantial investments to keep their largest coal generating stations operating for decades - and emitting millions of tons of carbon dioxide annually. Upgrades planned or underway at more than 100 Midwestern coal power plants will reduce emissions of mercury or other air pollutants. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/20/5665386/large-coal-power-plants-getting.html#storylink=cpy Fed appeals court revives Pa. plant pollution suit. A federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit against a western Pennsylvania power plant, ruling that two women who live nearby can sue over alleged fly ash pollution even though the plant — now owned by NRG Energy Inc. — meets state and federal air pollution standards. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Fed-appeals-court-revives-Pa-plant-pollution-suit-4745722.php China Is Going To Embark On An Epic Attempt To Reduce Pollution, And The Business Opportunity Is Massive (FXI, EWH). China is set to launch a program to tackle its air pollution problem. And this is expected to require an investment of 1.7 trillion yuan over the next five years, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Morgan Stanley's Simon H.Y. Lee and his team think there are huge investment opportunities here. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/China-Is-Going-To-Embark-On-An-Epic-Attempt-To-4745641.php Air pollution warning issued for Chicago area. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is warning Chicago-area residents about high levels of air pollution. The EPA says air quality on Tuesday is expected to be unhealthy for people who have breathing problems, active children and the elderly. Officials expect elevated levels of ground-level ozone because of hot temperatures and sunny weather. Ozone is an unstable gas created when volatile chemicals and exhaust from smokestacks and tailpipes "cook" in the heat and sun. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Air-pollution-warning-issued-for-Chicago-area-4745241.php Start of school in Fresno and Clovis Unified prompts air alert. Ozone, one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution rises at the start of the school year, especially when it is hot. It is a big reason why an air alert was issued Monday. "Air alerts happen when we get dangerously close to exceeding Ozone levels in the San Joaquin Valley." Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/education&id=9211892 http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/19/2873180/air-warning.html http://www.tracypress.com/view/full_story/23404357/article-First-Air-Alert-of-season-declared?instance=home_news_lead_story Orange air quality day forecast as temps to rise Tuesday. The DEP has issued an orange air quality alert for Tuesday in Chester and Montgomery counties as temperatures are expected to rise again near 90 degrees. According to the Department of Environmental Protection and its regional air quality partnerships, there will be an unhealthy level of air pollution Tuesday for those with respiratory ailments such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. Posted. http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130819/NEWS01/130819293/orange-air-quality-day-forecast-as-temps-to-rise-tuesday The East is grey. China is the world’s worst polluter but largest investor in green energy. Its rise will have as big an impact on the environment as on the world economy or politics. ALL industrial nations one day hit an environmental turning-point, an event that dramatises to the population the ecological consequences of growth. In America that event occurred in 1969 when the Cuyahoga river in Ohio, thick with pollutants and bereft of fish, caught fire. Posted. http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21583245-china-worlds-worst-polluter-largest-investor-green-energy-its-rise-will-have CLIMATE CHANGE Panel Implores Region to Heed Rising Seas. A presidential task force convened to learn lessons from superstorm Sandy urged communities to take rising sea levels and climate change as a given—and plan to shore up their buildings and power grids accordingly. The report released Monday by the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force is in keeping with President Barack Obama's emphasis that climate change is real and must be addressed. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323608504579023183533218404.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/20/science/earth/extremely-likely-that-human-activity-is-driving-climate-change-panel-finds.html?_r=2&&pagewanted=print http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/20/5664679/climate-report-warns-on-seas.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Scientists-say-sea-level-may-rise-3-feet-by-2100-4744922.php Gore: Lake Tahoe climate-change cooperation a model. Former Vice President Al Gore brought his warnings of climate change to the shores of Lake Tahoe on Monday, saying the cooperation that is helping to protect the alpine lake's famed clear waters is a model for what can be accomplished in battling global warming. Gore returned to Lake Tahoe 16 years after he and former President Bill Clinton ushered in a new awareness…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Gore-Lake-Tahoe-climate-change-cooperation-a-4744921.php http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/19/tahoe-in-spotlight-as-hundreds-gather-for-summit/#ixzz2cWpgsGjb DIESEL EMISSIONS Port Eliminates 81% of Diesel Air Pollution. The Port of Long Beach has cut diesel particulates by 81 percent since 2005, according to an analysis just released. The results for 2012 mark six straight years of improving air quality in the harbor area thanks to the Port's focused efforts to reduce air pollution caused by goods movement. The reasons for air quality improvements include bigger ships carrying cargo more efficiently, newer ships with cleaner engines…Posted. http://www.marinelink.com/news/eliminates%C2%A0-pollution357794.aspx FUELS Keystone XL project could harm wildlife, Interior Department says. A letter contradicts the State Department's draft environmental assessment of the pipeline, saying animals could suffer lasting damage. The Interior Department has warned that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline could have long-term, damaging effects on wildlife near its route, contradicting the State Department's March draft environmental assessment…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-keystone-pipeline-20130820,0,4897997.story Cuomo won't join Obama at fracking hotbed sites. Gov. Andrew Cuomo will avoid a potentially dicey political conflict by not accompanying President Barack Obama to parts of upstate New York roiled over the state's ban on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. Obama supports the technology as an economic windfall that helps make the country more energy independent. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/19/v-print/5663386/cuomo-wont-join-obama-at-fracking.html Viable exhaust-driven on-board ethanol reforming for improvements in fuel economy and emissions. A team at Monsanto and colleagues at AVL Powertrain have successfully designed and demonstrated an onboard low-temperature ethanol reformer that can be driven by exhaust heat. A paper on their work is published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130820-sall.html VEHICLES Tesla claims NHTSA crash tests prove Model S is safest car on road. Tesla Motors already claims to have the electric car that can go the longest between charges, and now it is claiming another automotive superlative -- the safest car on the road. The Palo Alto electric car company said that during recent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “the Model S set a new record for the lowest likelihood of injury to occupants.” Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-nhtsa-safety-rating-20130820,0,2050024.story Toyota is racing forward with alternative energy. Toyota, aiming to maintain its notoriety as an innovator in the hybrid vehicle field, will present a new concept car, the Yaris Hybrid-R, at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September. The vehicle is based on the same technology as the Toyota TS030 prototype, which raced in this year's Le Mans 24 Hours competition. The manufacturer will also show off its latest strides in the field of zero-emissions fuel cell vehicles. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_23899767/toyota-is-racing-forward-alternative-energy?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Prius once again tops California new car market. California new-car sales continued to hum along in the first half of the year, with the Toyota Prius leading the way. In the latest quarterly report from the Sacramento-based California New Car Dealers Association, new motor vehicle sales totaled 850,712 in the first half of this year, a 12.5 percent increase over 756,324 in the year-ago period. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/20/5664471/prius-once-again-tops-california.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY Capitol Alert: AM Alert: California examines renewable energy industry. With California on a timeline to steadily reduce carbon emissions -- a push buttressed by measures like last year's energy-efficiency boosting Proposition 39 -- the renewable energy industry is looking to expand its market share. An event today hosted by the trade organization Advanced Energy Economy will examine what lies ahead. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/20/2873678/capitol-alert-am-alert-california.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Environmentalists object to bill that would change Tahoe rules. Measure before California Legislature would codify an agreement reached last year with Nevada over development at Lake Tahoe. As political leaders from California and Nevada gathered on the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe to discuss ways to protect it, environmentalists protested that a bill in California could reverse nearly two decades of environmental improvements. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lake-tahoe-20130820,0,2209700.story?track=rss http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/20/5664541/brown-blasts-environmentalist.html Recovery is slow in rural China’s ‘cancer villages’ In this small village about 25 miles from Shanghai, the smell of paint and gasoline hangs heavy in the stagnant afternoon air. Small dogs run in streets wide enough for only a small car. Children with worn Disney backpacks walk home from school, avoiding the trash tossed into the street gutters. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/19/5663453/recovery-is-slow-in-rural-chinas.html#storylink=cpy Sonoma County delays landfill deal. Sonoma County today is set to extend interim deals with its two main solid waste contractors, a move meant to buy more time to hammer out a side agreement with cities that has stalled the long-term reopening of the county's central landfill. Operation of the Mecham Road site west of Cotati was to be permanently privatized this summer under a 20-year deal worth an estimated $547 million. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130819/articles/130819486?title=Sonoma-County-delays-landfill-deal OPINIONS 'Perverse Effects' How green subsidies often increase carbon emissions. Anticarbon central planning was bound to distort markets, but it turns out that the planners often increase emissions as they try to engineer President Obama's "new energy economy." So concludes the National Academies, whose major report on energy subsidies deserves more attention than it has received since its June release. By some miracle, Congress in 2008 created a National Research Council special committee to comb the tax code to figure out how specific provisions increase or decrease greenhouse gases. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324783204578621631632912450.html?KEYWORDS=carbon The climate change debate is far from over. Re "Boxer stirs up fight on climate science" (Capitol & California, Aug. 17): Sen. Barbar Boxer wants Republicans to get on board with scientists' assessments of the dangers of climate change. But the most recent studies by Russian scientists maintain that a 200-year period of global cooling (an ice age) will soon result. I wonder which scientists the senator is referring to? Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/20/5658811/boxer-stirs-up-fight-on-climate.html#storylink=cpy Dan Walters: Court case may derail California's bullet train. When former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators asked voters for a north-south bullet train five years ago, they knew it would be a hard sell. Therefore, they included safeguards to persuade voters that it was a well- reasoned project that would not become a money pit, including: • The state's exposure would be limited to the $9.95 billion bond issue, about a fourth of the estimated cost. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/20/5664539/dan-walters-court-case-may-derail.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy Ethanol mandates creating an economic car-wreck. There are two iron laws of energy policy in the United States. Iron Law No. 1: A higher federal excise tax on fuel would efficiently reduce gasoline consumption and its negative side effects (air pollution, traffic congestion, carbon emissions, dependence on foreign oil). Iron Law No. 2: Although economically rational, gas taxes are politically unpopular, so Congress will go to almost any length to avoid raising them, even if that means resorting to far less transparent policies. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-lane-ethanol-mandates-creating-an-economic-pileup/2013/08/19/17346b08-08ef-11e3-8974-f97ab3b3c677_story.html Contra Costa Times editorial: Judge should halt California's high-speed rail. Finally, a judge officially recognizes what has been obvious for years: The bullet train empress has no clothes -- or, in this case, money. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny's 16-page ruling issued Friday exposes the fraud perpetuated by the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/editorial/ci_23894050/contra-costa-times-editorial-judge-should-halt-californias http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_23894024/oakland-tribune-editorial-judge-should-halt-californias-high Can a city's layout promote residents' health? You bet. Our lungs know all too well that Kern County is home to some of the most polluted air in America. The recent American Lung Association State of the Air report placed Kern among the top three most polluted counties in the nation for ozone and first overall for particulate pollution. Not only can we can see it, but we can feel it in our chests and eyes. Kids and the elderly suffer the most…Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x740579897/Can-a-citys-layout-promote-residents-health-You-bet Opinion: Can we please get the facts right? A recent critique of the province’s carbon tax was rife with errors. A Sustainable Prosperity study by Stewart Elgie and Jessica McClay that reported fuel consumption in British Columbia has declined by 18.8 per cent more than in the rest of Canada since adoption of the carbon tax has prompted howls of disbelief from predictable quarters. Posted. http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Opinion+please+facts+right/8808269/story.html BLOGS Could Climate Campaigners’ Focus on Current Events be Counterproductive? This graph is from “Climate Risks: Linking Narratives to Action,” an important new essay in the Stanford Social Innovation Review on the gap between major environmental groups’ messaging on human-driven global warming and the focus of their programs and spending. The message these days has become all about extreme events, from the Frankenstorm to intense droughts, Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/20/could-climate-campaigners-focus-on-current-events-be-counterproductive/ Jerry Brown says high-speed rail ruling won't stop project. Gov. Jerry Brown said Monday that California's high-speed rail project will not be stopped by a judge's ruling that project officials failed to comply with provisions of Proposition 1A, the initiative in which voters approved initial funding for the project in 2008. "It's not a setback," Brown told reporters at the Lake Tahoe Summit. He said the ruling "didn't stop our spending, so we're continuing. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/08/jerry-brown-says-high-speed-rail-ruling-wont-stop-project-spending.html#storylink=cpy These 20 cities have the most to lose from rising sea levels. The world’s coastal cities will change a lot between now and 2050. They’ll get wealthier, for one. Many of them will add millions more people. And some, like New Orleans, will continue sinking into the ground, thanks to erosion and groundwater pumping. On top of all that, there’s sea-level rise to consider. As the world gets warmer, climate scientists expect the seas to rise somewhere around one foot by 2050. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/20/these-20-cities-have-the-most-to-lose-from-rising-sea-levels/ Cal business group warns of another energy crisis. California’s fight against climate change has, so far, proved popular with voters. But among businesses, it’s a very different story. While some support the state’s policies to rein in greenhouse gas emissions, others emphatically don’t. Manufacturers and oil companies in particular have sought to delay…Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/08/19/cal-business-group-warns-of-another-energy-crisis/ AM Alert: California examines renewable energy industry. With California on a timeline to steadily reduce carbon emissions -- a push buttressed by measures like last year's energy-efficiency boosting Proposition 39 -- the renewable energy industry is looking to expand its market share. An event today hosted by the trade organization Advanced Energy Economy will examine what lies ahead. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/08/am-alert-california-examines-renewable-energy-industry.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 13:15:10 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 21, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 21, 2013. 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 Carbon Permits Rise on China’s First Market to Exceed EU Price. Carbon permits rose on the Shenzhen Emissions Exchange, the first of seven trial markets in China, to a price exceeding those in Europe, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Shenzhen carbon allowances for 2013 increased to 43 yuan ($7) a metric ton yesterday, up from 28 to 32 yuan a ton on June 18, the first day of trading, said Charlie Cao, a Beijing-based analyst for New Energy Finance. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-21/carbon-permits-rise-on-china-s-first-market-to-exceed-eu-price.html Analysis: Foes of Obama climate policy prepare battle over cost of carbon. After its first review, a panel of technical experts from 11 government agencies raised the so-called "social cost of carbon," known as SCC. The measure is used by many arms of the U.S. government to determine the financial benefits of new regulations since 2010.The new 2020 forecast of $43 a ton was a 58 percent jump from the previous estimate, made in 2010. The issue is to be reviewed biannually. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/20/us-epa-carbon-tax-analysis-idUSBRE97J0YK20130820 California ‘Freebies’ Drive Carbon to 2013 Low: Energy Markets. Carbon prices in California have slumped to the lowest level this year as the state weighs increasing the number of free permits offered to polluters in an effort to kick-start the fledgling market. Allowances for December delivery, which can be used by companies from BP Plc (BP/) to Chevron Corp. (CVX) to cover emissions as early as this year, dropped to $13.35 a metric ton on Aug. 19, the lowest since Dec. 10, according to data compiled by CME Group Inc. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-21/california-freebies-drive-carbon-to-2013-low-energy-markets.html AIR POLLUTION Hong Kong Air Pollution ‘Very High’ at All 3 Roadside Stations. Hong Kong’s Air Pollution Index was “very high” at all three of the city’s roadside-monitoring stations, according to data from the Environmental Protection Department’s website. The index was 122 in the Central business district and 119 in Causeway Bay as of 7 a.m. local time. The reading in Mong Kok was 106. A reading of more than 100 triggers a government warning for people with heart or respiratory illnesses to avoid prolonged stays in heavy-traffic areas. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-21/hong-kong-air-pollution-very-high-at-all-3-roadside-stations.html CLIMATE CHANGE Expert brings public health into climate change. Temperatures are intensifying. Sea levels are climbing. Wildfires are spreading. None of this is news to Dr. Linda Rudolph, a Bay Area expert on climate change. What worries her most, however, are the human health disasters that global warming may end up unleashing. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Expert-brings-public-health-into-climate-change-4747377.php Scientists Turn to Melted Ice to Make Climate-Change Case. A report from an international scientific team due next month will probably focus on a range of evidence that the Earth is warming rather than just changes in air temperature, according to a climate scientist who has seen drafts of parts of the study. The rate of polar ice melting, warming of oceans and the steady rise of sea levels all point to a planet heating up, said Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist in the climate analysis section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-19/scientists-turn-to-melted-ice-to-make-climate-change-case.html Scientists nearly certain that humans have caused global warming. It is all but certain that human activity has caused a steady increase in global temperatures over the past 60 years, leading to warmer oceans and an acceleration in sea-level rise, according to findings in the most recent climate change report by an international panel of scientists. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/scientists-nearly-certain-that-humans-have-caused-global-warming/2013/08/20/d6e4a20a-09b8-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html Coastal flooding could cost cities $60 billion by 2050, study says. Coastal flooding could cost big cities more than $60 billion a year by mid-century, with losses jumping even more dramatically if nothing is done to counter rising sea levels and subsiding land, a new study has found. A team of researchers analyzed data on flood exposure in 136 of the world’s largest coastal cities to project steep increases in economic losses, from an estimated $6 billion a year in 2005 to $52 billion by 2050 based on changes in population, economic growth and urbanization. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-coastal-flooding-economic-losses-20130820,0,1830419.story Gimme shelter: Wall Street braces for next superstorm. Heading into the heart of hurricane season 10 months after Sandy slammed the New York metropolitan area, Wall Street has had time to reassess and revamp backup plans. Sandy's storm surge caused the first weather-related, 48-hour closure of markets since the Great Blizzard of 1888. Posted. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9241734/Gimme_shelter_Wall_Street_braces_for_next_superstorm FUELS Coming Full Circle in Energy, to Nuclear. I’m staring over the edge of a cliff into a seam of coal some 80 feet thick running along a chasm cut deep into the earth. A gargantuan claw rips a massive bite from the slab and swings it into the bed of a preposterously large dump truck. Scott Durgin, who manages the mine for Peabody Energy, tries hard to communicate its enormous scale. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/business/economy/coming-full-circle-in-energy.html?ref=earth VEHICLES Tesla's challenge: Build an affordable car without government help. Now that Tesla Motors has turned a profit, and its Model S electric car has scored the top federal safety rating and the top Consumer Reports rating, what’s left for the upstart Palo Alto automaker? Plenty. What Tesla has accomplished is remarkable, and it appears on track to become the first successful automotive start-up in a century. Investors certainly think so, having pushed the stock up 323% this year. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-model-s-20130820,0,4137969.story Ferrari Plans More Hybrids to Follow $1.34 Million LaFerrari. Ferrari SpA plans to build more hybrid vehicles following the success of the 1 million-euro ($1.34 million) LaFerrari as the manufacturer works to attract environmentally conscious wealthy buyers. “I don’t believe in the electric cars, but I strongly believe in hybrids,” Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said in a Bloomberg Television interview with Sara Eisen at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Ferrari-Plans-More-Hybrids-to-Follow-1-34-4748478.php GREEN ENERGY Solar customer caught unawares by PG&E bill, receives a notice saying he owes more than $7,000. A PG&E customer has learned the hard way how the utility company bills for power generated by solar panels and how asking a few questions can save thousands of dollars. After John Church had solar panels put on his roof last year, he installed a swimming pool, figuring the alternative power system would help with the cost of heating it. When his monthly PG&E bill never exceeded $35, he thought his solar system was working pretty well. Then, in July, he received a notice saying he owed $7,228.32. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23895089/hayward-solar-customer-caught-unawares-by-pg-e MISCELLANEOUS NH pols ask DOE for further review of power plan. New Hampshire's congressional delegation has asked the federal Department of Energy to do a more rigorous review of a contentious proposal to build a 187-mile electric transmission line through the northern part of the state. The senators and representatives, in a letter to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, cite a change in the route of the proposed Northern Pass project and concerns they've heard from constituents. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/20/nh-pols-ask-doe-for-further-review-of-power-plan/#ixzz2ccOUj5mN NYC considers 10-cent charge for plastic bags. Months after the mayor proposed a ban on foam takeout containers, City Council members have found a new target to make the city greener: the plastic bag. City Council members Brad Lander and Margaret Chin announced Tuesday what they called a common-sense bill to cut the use of single-use plastic shopping bags. Under the proposal, all grocery stores and retailers would be compelled to charge customers 10 cents for every bag used. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/20/2874180/nyc-considers-10-cent-charge-for.html#storylink=cpy OPINION Climate change reaching crisis point. The scientific consensus on climate change is growing grimmer and more definitive. Regrettably, the political will to do something about it, especially in this country, continues to lag. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Climate-change-reaching-crisis-point-4747568.php Reducing Emissions. In “New Tools Pinpoint Natural Gas Leaks, Maximizing a Fuel’s Green Qualities” (Business Day, Aug. 7), new technology is described that some say can improve the way we detect methane emissions in the country’s vast natural gas pipeline system. But zeroing in on methane releases is only the first step in reducing the amount of this potent greenhouse gas that we put into the atmosphere. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/19/opinion/reducing-emissions.html?src=recg BLOG Land Rover announces Range Rover hybrids. Big as they are with all their differentials and transfer cases, SUVs are arguably better suited towards hybrid propulsion than most vehicles. But one of the biggest names in the business has yet to go down that route. That is, until now. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/21/land-rover-announces-range-rover-hybrids/ Mercedes reveals S500 plug-in hybrid, rated at three liters per 100 km. The third model in the lineup of Mercedes-Benz S-Class hybrids has arrived: the S500 Plug-in Hybrid brings with it a 0-to-62 mile-per-hour time of 5.5 seconds, 30 kilometers (nearly 19 miles) of electric-only operation and a fuel economy rating of three liters per 100 kilometers on the European cycle (78.41 mpg US, though that's not apples-to-apples). Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/20/mercedes-s500-plug-in-hybrid-official/ New report points to a sure disaster. If you are at the beach this week, you probably don’t want to hear about the latest climate report, as opposed to weather report. Spoiler alert! Here’s the scientists’ assessment: Unless we reduce carbon emissions dramatically, we are looking at a sea-level rise of 21 inches to 36 inches by the end of this century. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/08/20/new-report-points-to-a-sure-disaster/ Leaked climate report: Ten nuggets worth noting. The latest review of climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), though not finalized, is making the rounds. The prevailing headline is that the panel is more certain than ever that most of the warming observed in recent decades is human-caused. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/08/20/leaked-climate-report-ten-nuggets-worth-noting/ What Al Jazeera America Didn't Say About Climate Change. During its first day on the air, Al Jazeera America gave climate change nearly half as much coverage as network news programs did during the year 2012, all while avoiding common pitfalls like providing false balance to those that deny the science and leaving the crisis' manmade origins ambiguous. Posted. http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/08/21/what-al-jazeera-america-didnt-say-about-climate/195510 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 16:06:27 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 22, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 22, 2013. 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 UPDATE 2-California carbon permits sell at auction for less than expected. California's largest greenhouse gas-emitting businesses paid $12.22 per metric tonne (1.1 tons) for the right to release carbon this year, lower than expected and down almost 13 percent from the previous sale in May, the state said on Wednesday. Oil refineries, utilities and market speculators were among those that purchased all 13.87 million current year permits…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/21/california-carbon-idUSL2N0GM1N220130821 California Carbon Trading for 2016 Jumps After Sellout. Trading on California carbon allowances that companies can use beginning in 2016 surged after the state sold out of the permits for the first time. Futures contracts for a record 1.83 million 2016 allowances for December 2015 delivery cleared today on the IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE), settling at $12.50 each, Brookly McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the exchange in Atlanta, said by e-mail. The previous high was 960,000 allowances on May 21. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-21/california-carbon-allowances-sell-at-a-dollar-below-forecasts.html California auctions vintage 2013 GHG allowances for $12.22/mt. The California Air Resources Board sold vintage 2013 greenhouse gas allowances for $12.22/mt each during last week's auction, according to results released Wednesday. The clearing price marks a decrease compared with the previous auction held in May, which saw vintage 2013 GHG allowances sell for $14.00/mt. One GHG allowance covers 1 mt of emissions. Posted. http://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/washington/california-auctions-vintage-2013-ghg-allowances-21453971 It's Getting Cheaper to Pollute in California. The August auction, held by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on August 16, was part of California's greenhouse gas cap and trade program established by AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. The auction included both emissions allowances for this year and advance sales of some allowances for 2016's "vintage." Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/climate-change/its-getting-cheaper-to-emit-greenhouse-gases-in-california.html Prices slide in Calif.'s 4th cap-and-trade auction. Prices slid slightly in California's fourth auction of greenhouse gas permits for its first-in-the-nation economywide trading system, reflecting the state's move to give more allowances to high-emitting industries for free, observers said. The Golden State's Aug. 16 sale of allowances to cover businesses' emissions for 2013 fetched $12.22 per ton, a 13 percent decline from the previous auction in May…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986316/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Haze Blankets Hong Kong as Pollution Hits Very High Level. Hong Kong’s air pollution index reached “very high” levels today as a tropical storm that passed through Taiwan trapped pollutants and blanketed the city in haze, triggering a government health warning. The index was 153 at roadside-monitoring stations in the Central business district, nearing the highest in more than four months, as of 3:00 p.m. The reading was 159 in the commercial district Causeway Bay and 152 in Mong Kok. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-22/haze-blankets-hong-kong-as-air-pollution-hits-very-high-level.html Air pollution monitoring stations face closure as government looks to cut costs. Campaigners accuse Defra of covering up pollution figures as it plans to close up to 600 stations in England to save money. Up to 600 stations for monitoring air pollution across England could be shut down under new government plans to save money by cutting regulations. Ministers want to remove obligations on local authorities to assess air quality in their areas, resulting in less monitoring. Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2290375/air-pollution-monitoring-stations-face-closure-as-government-looks-to-cut-costs CLIMATE CHANGE State regulators call on EPA to keep greenhouse gas rules flexible. The National Association of Clean Air Agencies sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy yesterday with guidelines on how to draft regulations to limit greenhouse gases from power plants. NACAA, a group of state environmental regulators, said EPA should work closely with state and local air agencies, use flexible measures that encourage energy efficiency and renewables, and shift energy dispatch to cleaner-burning plants. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986315/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Fracking war: Sierra Club says bill not good enough. Environmental and liberal activist groups are split over a pending pioneering bill that would regulate the controversial oil-extraction technique known as fracking.Legislation by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) would, for the first time in the nation, require oil companies to disclose details of the chemicals, locations and procedures involved with hydraulic fracturing and related "well-stimulation" activities. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-enviros-split-over-fracking-bill-20130821,0,3752625,print.story http://www.capradio.org/8976 http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=254890 http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059986265/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 62 countries have policies to support renewable fuels -- advocacy group. Sixty-two countries now have policies in place to spur the use and development of biofuels, according to research and advocacy group Global Renewable Fuels Alliance. Most of the policies set a specific mandatory or voluntary percentage level of ethanol that must be blended into transportation fuel, such as in the European Union, where 10 percent of transportation fuel must be made from renewable sources. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986344/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla CEO Weighs Europe, Asia Plants for Mass-Market Car. Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said the electric-car maker intends to add factories in Europe and Asia, anticipating volume gains from a planned mass-market battery car. The company this year plans to make at least 21,000 of its $70,000 Model S premium sedans at its Fremont, California, plant, and double that in 2014. While the factory has capacity to produce as many as 500,000 vehicles a year…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-08-21/tesla-ceo-studies-europe-asia-plants-for-mass-market-car.html Big Science tools for clean transportation: neutron scattering at ORNL. This begins an occasional series on “big science” tools hosted at US national laboratories that are being applied to support the development of technology innovations for clean transportation. First up is a quick look at the two advanced neutron-scattering facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, which Green Car Congress recently had the opportunity to tour: …Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130821-neutrons.html Land Rover launching diesel hybrids: Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid. Land Rover is launching its first hybrid models—Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid. The two all-aluminum diesel-electric hybrids are based on Land Rover’s Premium Lightweight Architecture and share an identical powertrain. First deliveries will be in early 2014. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130821-rover.html 100.000 EVs by 2020: electric cars in Norway. There are over 11.000 electric vehicles (EVs) on the Norwegian roads today and electric cars constitute 3% of new cars sold in Norway each month. Furthermore, six out of nine political parties have included electric vehicles in their political programmes. cars21.com decided to take a closer look at Norway to see why it is called the most-EV friendly country in the world. With four EVs registered per each 1.000 cars, Norway has the largest share of EVs in the world. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5566 Electric roads to the Hyperloop: Our Jetsons future starts now. This was the rare week when an innovative transportation scheme captivated America’s imagination. After months of expectation, on Monday Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Hyperloop, a giant vacuum tube designed to whisk passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco at nearly 800 miles per hour, completing a 520-mile journey in a mere 40 minutes. By now, attentive readers have experienced all the dizzying spins of the Hyperloop news cycle: anticipation, excitement, backlash, rebound. Posted. http://www.salon.com/2013/08/17/electric_roads_to_the_hyperloop_our_jetsons_future_starts_now/ GREEN ENERGY Wind Farms Take Root Out at Sea. In a warehouse district on the outskirts of Bremen in northwestern Germany is a big, well-lighted work space dominated by the massive top section of a wind turbine called a nacelle. It is here that Siemens, the German power systems giant, trains new employees and gives refresher courses on how to work safely on modern windmills that can rise 90 meters, or about 300 feet, and weigh more than 100 tons. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/business/energy-environment/wind-farms-take-root-out-at-sea.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print San Francisco government infrastructure operating on 100% renewable energy. City departments collectively failed to reduce greenhouse gases by their 2012 target, yet the shortcoming had nothing to do with electricity usage. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is able to boast that it delivers zero-emissions electricity to government properties. That electricity comes from the hydropower production at the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite Valley. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/san-francisco-government-infrastructure-operating-on-100-renewable-energy/Content?oid=2555351 Sacramento Valley Town to Buy Solar Power From Kern County. The 32-megawatt photovoltaic solar plant is scheduled for construction sometime next year on agricultural lands in northern Kern County, near the intersection of state routes 46 and 33. Though Kern County's Planning Department seems not to have made the full Draft Environmental Impact Report available online…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/sacramento-valley-town-will-buy-solar-power-from-lost-hills.html Installations likely to increase as states move rapidly toward cleaner power – report. U.S. investment in clean energy was down in 2012 after breaking records all through 2011, but rapidly declining installment costs mean deployments are likely to continue to rise, according to new analysis from Ernst & Young LLP, a multinational accounting firm. The report ranked the renewable energy "attractiveness indices" for all 50 states, and those numbers remained similar …Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986322/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Eisenhut a good addition to air board. Congratulations to agribusinessman-farmer John Eisenhut of Turlock on his appointment to the California Air Resources Board, a powerful state board that makes critical decisions affecting business, industry and individuals. It deals with all types of air pollution issues, from promoting the use of alternative-fuel vehicles to making rules on implementing AB 32, the state's controversial law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Posed. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/21/2877034/eisenhut-a-good-addition-to-air.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/21/2877351/brown-appoints-turlock-man-to.html County gets grant for needle containers. The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has awarded a grant that provides containers for the collection of used sharps/needles to the Riverside County Waste Management Department to promote the proper disposal of home generated sharps/needles. Home-generated sharps waste includes hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles…Posted. http://www.paloverdevalleytimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=747&ArticleID=19094 OPINIONS COLUMN-Natural gas could be a bridge fuel to $1 solar: Wynn. Natural gas could be the dominant power source for the next two decades in the western United States, even under the most aggressive climate scenarios, before making way for solar, findings from the University of California Berkeley suggest. The Berkeley study examined the impact of cheap solar power, as envisaged by the so-called "sunshot" initiative launched two years ago by former U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/22/column-wynn-solar-usa-idUSL6N0GM26A20130822 COLUMN-Biomass burners beware new EU oversight: Wynn. Utilities planning to invest in wood-fired power plants beware: the European Commission's draft green standards for burning biomass would regulate carbon emissions from burning wood for the first time. At present, EU laws favouring green energy have led countries to pay generous subsidies for burning biomass, but in the future developers would have to meet the new standards to get those incentives. (For draft copy, see Chart 1) Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/21/column-wynn-biomass-eu-idUSL6N0GL1LD20130821 Welcome to the Age of Denial. In 1989, when “climate change” had just entered the public lexicon, 63 percent of Americans understood it was a problem. Almost 25 years later, that proportion is actually a bit lower, at 58 percent. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/opinion/welcome-to-the-age-of-denial.html?_r=0 Researching Dirty Air’s Effect on Health: Are Some Texans Immune? For years now, Texas has tried to block Federal air pollution laws, contending they stifle economic growth. But just last week, the U.S. Department of Justice filed another lawsuit to force power plants in northeast Texas to reduce toxic air emissions. As the battle continues over how clean the air in Texas should be and at what cost, It might be worth highlighting why any of this matters. One way to do that is ask researchers what they’re learning about how air pollution affects people. Posted. http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/08/22/researching-dirty-airs-effect-on-health-are-some-texans-immune/ BLOGS Hong Kong Air Pollution Spikes. Hong Kong air pollution reached extreme highs this week, turning Victoria Harbor a soupy gray and prompting government warnings for residents to stay indoors. On Thursday morning in the crowded shopping district of Causeway Bay, pollution levels hit a high of 187 on the local air-pollution index. When the city’s levels of air pollution are that high, the government recommends that children, the ill and the elderly try to stay inside. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/08/22/hong-kong-air-pollution-levels-spike/ By 2050, flooding could cost the world’s coastal cities over $60 billion a year. In 2005, flooding caused $6 billion worth of damage globally. By 2050, we could be hit with 10 times that much in losses — and that’s only if the world’s biggest coastal cities make significant investments to mitigate risk. If we do nothing, costs could soar to $1 trillion. These sobering statistics come from a new study in Nature Climate Change which identifies the 20 coastal metropolises that stand to lose the most when (not if) major flooding occurs in the future. Posted. http://grist.org/news/by-2050-flooding-could-cost-the-worlds-coastal-cities-over-60-billion-a-year/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 13:37:25 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for August 23, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 23, 2013. 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’s Cap-and-Trade Program Makes Encouraging Headway. As the federal government gets started implementing a national Climate Action Plan, the country’s boldest state-level experiment is making strong progress. Yesterday, California announced the results of its latest auction of carbon pollution permits, completely selling out of its permits for future carbon pollution for the first time. Posted. http://insights.wri.org/news/2013/08/california%E2%80%99s-cap-and-trade-program-makes-encouraging-headway#sthash.MT1uvyK5.dpuf California carbon market going so well, it sold out of permits. If sales from the latest auction of carbon permits under California’s new cap and trade system are any indication, industry is taking seriously the state’s determination to cut its emissions. Friday’s auction was the fourth since the program’s debut last November, and it marked the first time demand for permits for the years beyond 2013 actually overwhelmed supply. Posted. http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/california-carbon-market-going-so-well-they-sold-out-of-permits AIR POLLUTION Yosemite smoke fuels air quality alert in Reno. Heavy smoke from a wildfire burning near Yosemite National Park has triggered an air quality alert in Reno and surrounding areas more than 150 miles away. Washoe County Health District spokesman Phil Ulibarri said Thursday the air quality index has risen into the unhealthy range for sensitive groups. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/22/5673527/yellowstone-smoke-fuels-air-quality.html#storylink=cpy AK Steel reaches $1.6M settlement with feds. AK Steel Corp. is paying a $1.6 million civil penalty to resolve air pollution violations that occurred at its now-closed coke plant in Ashland. The settlement also calls for AK Steel to spend at least $2 million to improve emissions at its Ashland West Works facility. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/22/5673121/ak-steel-reaches-16m-settlement.html#storylink=cpy Two California fires leave Sparks under blanket of smoke. Air Quality in the Truckee Meadows reached an "unhealthy" point at 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon when government authority AirNow reported a 166 Air Quality Index (AQI) rating, which was explained as causing health concerns for all people. The AQI can be thought of a "yardstick that runs from 0 to 500," according to airnow.gov, and the greater the number, the greater the pollution and risk on public health. Posted. http://www.dailysparkstribune.com/view/full_story/23430161/article-Two-California-fires-leave-Sparks-under-blanket-of-smoke Campaign for change targets air pollution in valley. A billboard in rural Tracy with the face of a local county supervisor asks drivers to rethink how they get around, which is part of a campaign organizers hope will save the county from a $30 million penalty. The billboard, alongside eastbound 11th Street west of Bird Road, depicts San Joaquin County District 5 Supervisor Bob Elliott and the message, "Make One Change — Carpool." Posted. http://www.tracypress.com/view/full_story/23430745/article-Campaign-for-change-targets-air-pollution-in-valley?instance=home_news_lead_story Valley may be near meeting air standard, avoiding fine. The San Joaquin Valley's first Air Alert of the year has ended with zero violations of an ozone pollution standard, meaning the Valley may be closer than ever to meeting that standard and ditching a $29 million annual penalty. The Air Alert was called as hot temperatures earlier this week, combined with back-to-school traffic, boosted levels of harmful ozone. However, the pollution level at monitoring stations throughout the Valley stayed within limits. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130823/A_NEWS/308230318&cid=sitesearch CLIMATE CHANGE House Republicans schedule rare hearing on climate change. House Republicans have summoned the leaders of 13 federal agencies to a hearing next month to examine their plans to implement a sweeping climate change agenda that President Obama outlined in a June speech. Organized by the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power, the Sept. 18 hearing seeks information "from relevant federal agencies about U.S. climate change policies…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-house-gop-hearing-climate-change-20130822,0,3748834.story?track=rss African farmer delegation touring US Midwest. A dozen farmers and business owners from Africa are visiting farm equipment factories in the Midwest to study technology that might help them produce more soybeans and corn back home — while manufacturers in the U.S. are hoping the visit could lead to new opportunities in a market that is expected to grow in coming years. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/23/5675199/african-farmer-delegation-touring.html#storylink=cpy Climate change in focus during congressional break. Members of Congress have come to expect controversy sometimes during their August break. Four years ago, it was health care. This year many thought it would be immigration. But in California, global warming has become an unexpectedly hot topic. Thanks to California Sen. Barbara Boxer, the White House and environmental groups…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Climate-change-in-focus-during-congressional-break-4754263.php 'Uncertain' Science: Judith Curry's Take On Climate Change. While the Obama administration presses forward with plans to deal with climate change, Congress remains steadfast against taking action. It's not easy to find a scientist who will agree with that point of view. But Republicans have found an ally in a climate scientist by the name of Judith Curry. Curry actually entered the public eye in 2005, with a paper in Science magazine warning that hurricanes were likely to become more intense as a result of climate change. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/08/22/213894792/uncertain-science-judith-currys-take-on-climate-change Global warming: What happens if the sun loses its spots? Solar physicists increasingly say we could be entering a 'grand solar minimum' of no sunspot activity, the last one of which coincided with the Little Ice Age. Climate scientists are looking at how that could impact global warming. The question is of more than passing interest to climate scientists as they ponder the prospect that the sun may be about to enter such a period. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0821/Global-warming-What-happens-if-the-sun-loses-its-spots First-of-Its-Kind Easement from Sea Level Rise Impacts. Through a first-of-its-kind easement designed to protect coastal areas from the impacts of sea level rise and storm surge, the State of Maryland has preserved 221 acres in Dorchester County along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park and Scenic Byway. Governor Martin O’Malley and the Board of Public Works today approved funding to preserve the land through a Coastal Resilience Easement. Posted. http://smnewsnet.com/archives/77304 Air capture needed as a tool to fight climate change, scientists say. Pulling vexing carbon emissions straight from the sky might become an important way to keep climate change in check. As pilot projects move forward, the prospect of capturing carbon dioxide from the air is growing increasingly plausible, though it may be some time before the technology, the demand and the costs align to make a dent in global emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986373/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Study proposes large 'carbon farms' to reverse rising temperatures. A recent study by German researchers presents the possibility of "carbon farming" as a less risky alternative to other carbon capture and storage technologies. It suggests that a significant percentage of atmospheric CO2 could potentially be removed by planting millions of acres of a hardy little shrub known as Jatropha curcas, or the Barbados nut, in dry, coastal areas. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986367/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Drop in sunspots may affect global warming, say climate scientists. Climate scientists say the sun may be entering a "grand solar minimum" of no sunspot activity, leading to studies on how that could affect global warming. Solar physicists in the United States and Australia have concluded that a 50-year grand minimum in sunspot activity may reduce global average temperatures during the period by a few tenths of a degree Celsius. They think the warming trend would resume once solar activity returned to normal. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986365/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS DOE awards $1.3M to two projects testing fuel cell technology in refrigerated trucks. The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award a total of $1.3 million to fuel cell manufacturers Nuvera and Plug Power ($650,000 apiece) a project testing the use of hydrogen fuel cell refrigeration units (transport refrigeration units, TRUs) in delivery trucks. The companies will provide matching funds and labor of their own. A team from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) led by Kriston Brooks will oversee and evaluate the two-year program. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130823-doe.html FUELS U.K. develops sustainability criteria for wood-based renewable energy. The United Kingdom issued an official response to questions on biomass and biogas energy yesterday, clarifying the government's take on what it considers "sustainable" and establishing the nation's first guidelines for producing renewable energy by burning wood or turning it into a gas. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986372/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Could LNG fuel flights of the future? Ever since he was 6 years old, Jon Gibbs has been fascinated with aircraft. But while toy planes seemed pretty cool to him as a kid, Gibbs now thinks he's onto something more significant, and literally cooler: cryogenic aircraft fueled by liquefied natural gas. Unlike conventional, oil-based jet fuel, super-cooled LNG is condensed from simple methane gas and sells for a fraction of the price. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059986357/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Calif. urges tougher BLM rule, cites fears on Monterey Shale. California lawmakers yesterday urged the Bureau of Land Management to toughen its proposed rule for hydraulic fracturing on federal land, calling it essential to protect public health and the environment. A group of 14 state senators and Assembly members signed a letter to BLM that calls for expanding the draft regulation beyond fracking. The lawmakers said that the government needs also to monitor other forms of well stimulation like acidization, where hydrochloric or hydrofluoric acid is injected into shale to allow oil to flow. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059986380/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Energy prices, politics create uncertain climate for utilities. Before the recession ground the state's growth to a halt, Southern Co. made the decision to add two large nuclear reactors at Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle. The thinking was that the $14 billion reactors, scheduled to come online in 2017 and 2018, would generate enough electricity to support whatever population increases Georgia might see over the next several years. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/23/5674795/energy-prices-politics-create.html#storylink=cpy Californian labs chase a dream energy: fuel from sun and water. It sounds like magic, far-out fiction, a California dream. Yet earnest scientists are hard at work on a new alchemy: brewing fuel for cars - synthetic gasoline - from little more than water and sunshine. Mimicking the way plants turn sunlight and carbon dioxide in the air into energy and oxygen, the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis at the California Institute of Technology is in a race to trump nature and slow global warming. Posted. http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/californian-labs-chase-a-dream-energy-fuel-from-sun-and-water-20130823-2sfj4.html#ixzz2coomoMIK GE to make more energy-saving bulbs for Wal-Mart. General Electric Co. has agreed to make a more efficient light bulb -- one that's not compact fluorescent or light-emitting diode-based -- for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. GE will invest $30 million into production of the bulbs. The company plans to hire more than 150 people for new light bulb production lines at three U.S. factories. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986382/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Climate change deniers live in ignorant bliss as seas keep rising. A new climate-change report from the United Nations that was leaked to the media this week says sea levels could rise by more than 3 feet by the end of the 21st century and that there is a 95% likelihood that the global warming that is causing this rise is largely a result of human activity. You may now cue the deniers who say somebody is just making this stuff up. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-climate-change-deniers-20130821,0,6254618.story Dan Walters: Big reform of CEQA bogs down. Substantially overhauling the 40-year-old California Environmental Quality Act may still happen, but with just two weeks remaining in the legislative session, it probably won't happen this year. Gov. Jerry Brown wants it to happen. He once criticized CEQA, signed by Ronald Reagan a couple of years before Brown succeeded him as governor, as "a blob," and in calling for reform, said, "I've never seen a CEQA exemption I don't like." Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/23/5674260/dan-walters-big-reform-of-ceqa.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy GIRISH PATEL: Why HSR? Why not maglev or hyperloop? The state of California has embarked upon one of the most expensive public works program in its history, so-called high-speed rail. I say so-called because it will not be anywhere near high-speed if and when completed. Under the law, the California High-Speeda Rail Authority must secure funding and complete environmental studies prior to authorizing any expense. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/hot-topics/x740580262/Why-HSR-Why-not-maglev-or-hyperloop CEQA illuminates values of officials. All but one of the Monterey Peninsula Airport District board members voted to approve the settlement agreement with the Highway 68 Coalition, agreeing that it provided the needed safety improvements to satisfy FAA standards. The other board member, Carl Miller, complained about the court's decision enforcing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Posted. http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/ci_23924031/ceqa-illuminates-values-officials Protesters Visit SoCal Edison Headquarters Over Solar Battle. If a recent cease and desist letter that Southern California Edison (SCE) sent to rooftop solar activists was intended to make them go away, it seems to be having the opposite effect. A group of protesters demonstrated outside the utility's headquarters in Rosemead on Wednesday, calling for California's utilities to stop pushing for new fees and restrictions on rooftop solar. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/commentary/protesters-visit-sce-headquarters-over-solar-battle.html BLOGS Wildfires keep getting worse. Why is Congress so unprepared? Plenty of experts think Western wildfires will keep getting worse in the years ahead, thanks to both global warming and a steady uptick in the number of Americans who live in fire-prone areas. Yet the federal government seems wholly unprepared for this fact. Case in point: “For the second straight year,” my colleague Darryl Fears reports, “the federal government has run through its budget for fighting wildfires amid a grueling…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/23/wildfires-keep-getting-worse-why-is-congress-so-unprepared-for-this/ The larger the city, the more it pollutes, right? As we’ve previously written, researchers now know that cities obey some fascinating scaling relationships. The larger they grow in population, the more patents, infrastructure, crime, and economic output cities produce, each according to its own exponential equation. When a city doubles in size, for instance, it more than doubles its GDP. Until now, though, the relationship between population and pollution has been less clear. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/the-larger-the-city-the-more-it-pollutes-right/ Why Republicans (And Others) Place A Low Priority On Global Warming. Global warming typically ranks dead last when the Pew Research Center asks voters to list the “top priorities for the president and Congress” each year. Yet the New York Times and other major media strain to keep the global warming movement alive by carefully ignoring global warming “skeptics,” and giving undeserved coverage to a small minority of liberal Republicans who call for carbon dioxide restrictions. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/08/22/why-republicans-and-others-place-a-low-priority-on-global-warming/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:10:49 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 26, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 26, 2013. 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 Plan would offer carbon offsets to timber owners. Older mid-Willamette Valley landowners selling timber from their forest lands to pay for health care could get an alternative soon. An Oregon conservation group has proposed a health initiative linking landowners with carbon offset buyers, getting money to the older owners for health care costs while more effectively managing their timber. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/24/5677931/program-offer-carbon-offsets-to.html#storylink=cpy http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/24/plan-would-offer-carbon-offsets-to-timber-owners/#ixzz2d5fJOdyT AIR POLLUTION Air board will start monitoring pollution next to SoCal freeways. Under EPA requirements, monitors will be installed at four sites, providing data about what the 1 million Southern Californians who live within 300 feet of a freeway are breathing. Air quality regulators will begin monitoring pollution levels near major Southern California traffic corridors next year, for the first time providing data important to nearly 1 million Southern Californians who are at greater risk of respiratory illness because they live within 300 feet of a freeway. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-freeway-pollution-20130826,0,709429.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/26/5681516/smog-monitors-to-be-installed.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/26/5680372/epa-takes-action-against-smog.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Smog-monitors-to-be-installed-near-S-Cal-freeways-4761164.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/26/2884933/smog-monitors-to-be-installed.html#storylink=cpy http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_23928015/bay-areas-most-congested-freeways-get-air-pollution?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com A look at findings of Pa. fracking health project. An environmental project is providing some of the first specific numbers about people who may have been affected by the boom in natural gas drilling. Here's what the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project has found in Washington County south of Pittsburgh and how experts and the industry are reacting to it:- Air pollution seems to be more of a threat than water pollution. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_DRILLING_HEALTH_GLANCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Fracking-health-project-puts-numbers-to-debate-4759572.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/25/5679413/a-look-at-findings-of-pa-fracking.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/fracking-health-project-puts-numbers-to-debate-suggests-air-pollution-may-be-bigger-concern/2013/08/25/596d1134-0da2-11e3-a2b3-5e107edf9897_story.html http://www.salon.com/2013/08/26/frackings_real_health_risk_may_be_from_air_pollution/ http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/25/a-look-at-findings-of-pa-fracking-health-project/#ixzz2d5etgX00 Wayne State study seeks to cut mercury pollution. Scientists at Wayne State University are using a $557,000 grant to develop a system for reducing the amount of poisonous mercury that power plants pump into the air when they burn fossil fuels. The Detroit school says the Great Lakes Protection Fund is paying for the 2-year project, directed by engineering professor Carol Miller.Wayne State says Miller's team will "refine, test and market"…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Wayne-State-study-seeks-to-cut-mercury-pollution-4760193.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/25/5680044/wayne-state-study-seeks-to-cut.html Valley may be near meeting air standard, avoiding fine. The San Joaquin Valley's first Air Alert of the year has ended with zero violations of an ozone pollution standard, meaning the Valley may be closer than ever to meeting that standard and ditching a $29 million annual penalty. The Air Alert was called as hot temperatures earlier this week, combined with back-to-school traffic, boosted levels of harmful ozone. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130823/A_NEWS/308230318&cid=sitesearch&template=printart Events canceled as Calif. fires send smoke to Nev. Dense smoke from major California wildfires continued to pour into the Reno-Lake Tahoe area Saturday, causing event cancellations to mount and local health officials to expand pollution warnings into Tuesday. The latest weekend events scrubbed included a fundraising outdoor concert for cancer patients in Carson City, an outdoor family concert and a star-gazing party in the Minden area, and a Nevada-USF women's soccer game in Reno. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/24/events-canceled-as-ca-wildfires-send-smoke-to-nv/#ixzz2d5gGegDx Feds satisfied with Butte County winter pollution levels. Butte County's air is now clean enough of one kind of pollution to satisfy the federal government. Thursday the Environmental Protection Agency issued a determination the county has met small particulate pollution air quality standards. The finding had been expected. Small particulate pollution are microscopic bits of ash and soot, byproducts of combustion, that can drift in the air for hours. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews/ci_23929697/feds-satisfied-butte-county-winter-pollution-levels CLIMATE CHANGE Ocean Acidification Will Make Climate Change Worse. Given that they cover 70% of the Earth’s surface—and provide about 90% of the planet’s habitable space by volume—the oceans tend to get short shrift when it comes to climate change. The leaked draft of the forthcoming coming new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlighted the atmospheric warming we’re likely to see…Posted. http://science.time.com/2013/08/26/ocean-acidification-will-make-climate-change-worse/ DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB Will Hold Carriers Responsible for Dispatching Non-Compliant Owner Operators. Businesses that dispatch vehicles or owner operators in California must verify that each contracted vehicle is in compliance with the California Truck & Bus regulation or has reported compliance to the California Air Resources Board. This requirement applies to all motor carriers, whether based in California or not. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/08/carb-will-hold-carriers-responsible-for-dispatching-non-compliant-owner-operators.aspx FUELS Canadian Documents Suggest Shift on Pipeline. Ever since President Obama said in June that a litmus test for the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada was whether it would “significantly” worsen global warming, Canadian government officials have insisted it would not. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/business/global/canadian-documents-suggest-shift-on-pipeline.html?ref=earth Students press schools to drop fossil fuel stocks. San Francisco State moved this summer to divest. But the UC system and others express concern about the financial impact. In the 1980s, student protests against apartheid led universities to sell off stocks in companies doing business in South Africa. More recently, concerns about genocide in Darfur, the health effects of tobacco and handgun violence led to more college divestments. Now another issue — the effect of fossil fuels on global temperatures…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-college-divest-20130826,0,4449441.story Utah oil refinery settles pollution violations. Another Utah oil refinery has reached a settlement with federal regulators over pollution violations. The U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that Big West Oil LLC has agreed to pay a $175,000 fine and cut emissions of soot, nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide. Big West Oil operates a refinery in North Salt Lake. It agreed to spend $18 million to update emission controls, plus $353,000 to improve the monitoring of potential hydrofluoric acid releases. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/23/5675666/utah-oil-refinery-settles-pollution.html#storylink=cpy Obama position on fracking leaves both sides grumbling. President Barack Obama’s embrace of fracking is earning wrath from environmentalists but little love from the oil and gas industry. Obama praised the U.S. natural gas boom in a recent climate change speech and credited it with delivering cleaner energy. The boom is a result of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/23/5676140/obama-position-on-fracking-leaves.html#storylink=cpy Acidizing could rival fracking in Monterey Shale. Fracking hasn't unleashed an oil production boom in California, at least not yet. Could acid? Companies trying to pry oil from a vast shale formation beneath Central California have been pumping powerful acids underground to dissolve the rock and free the petroleum within. And there are hints that the process, known as "acidizing" a well, may work better than hydraulic fracturing in California's Monterey Shale…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/green/article/Acidizing-could-rival-fracking-in-Monterey-Shale-4760329.php Sales of E85 to flex-fuel vehicles on the rise. More gas stations are selling gasoline containing up to 85 percent ethanol, or E85, to owners of flex-fuel vehicles this year, according to renewable fuel groups. In Iowa, sales of fuel to flex-fuel vehicle owners jumped 43 percent in the second quarter of 2013, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association said last week. Gas stations in the Hawkeye State sold 2.62 million gallons of E85 in the second quarter…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986447/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Top 15 Nissan LEAF markets in US in 2013. Nissan provided a list of the top 15 markets in the US for the Nissan LEAF battery-electric vehicle. Nissan LEAF sales in the United States are up by 335% year-over-year since the launch of the enhanced 2013 model in March. (Earlier post.) Nissan has sold 11,703 LEAFs in the US during the first 7 months of 2013—an increase of 230% from the 3,543 units for the same period in 2012. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130826-leaf.html GREEN ENERGY New York's choice is a natural one. Now that President Barack Obama and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have toured New York, it is worth considering the goals we should have for the 21st century, the role natural gas could play and what is broadly at stake. The world is watching New York. As the Earth's population grows from 7 billion to 10.5 billion, meeting future energy goals requires that the global energy supply expand from 15 terawatts to 75 terawatts. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/New-York-s-choice-is-a-natural-one-4760496.php Environmentalists push cities to compost more food. The morning after Felicity Britton threw a big party for 65 people at her condo, her trash can was virtually empty. All that remained were a few plastic bags and a broken wine glass. Everything else was recycled or composted. In her Linden Hills neighborhood, the city of Minneapolis collects food scraps from residents and composts them. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/25/5672427/environmentalists-push-cities.html#storylink=cpy Ygrene seeks green in energy retrofits. Nearly two years after it launched amid national media attention, Santa Rosa's Ygrene Energy Fund has financed its first projects for making older buildings green. The company, which fashioned its business after a program pioneered by the County of Sonoma, is providing financing and administration to retrofit homes and commercial buildings in Sacramento and Miami. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130825/business/130829783?title=Ygrene-seeks-green-in-energy-retrofits Western wind, solar could compete with gas in 2025 -- DOE study. Renewable wind and solar power could be cost-competitive with natural gas in Western states without subsidies in 2025, when current state renewable energy standards are set to expire, according to a new federal study. The study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that wind and solar power from remote lands in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986414/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Reform of CEQA requires compromise. A bill to update the California Environmental Quality Act, which often hampers Development in the state, has passed the Senate and is being debated in the Assembly. California's economy is crawling back, but the state still suffers from a national reputation for being anti-business. It's a high-tax state. But even worse for entrepreneurs and investors, California is known as a "no build" zone because of an agonizing maze of regulatory red tape. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-cap-environment-20130826,0,810524.column?track=rss OPINIONS Is Green the New Black? It's not surprising that Al Gore put on weight after he lost that election. The guy has more whoppers than a Burger King. Yesterday we noted that in an interview with the Washington Post's Ezra Klein, Gore had misrepresented the content of his own movie by characterizing his outlandish "climate change" doomsaying as having been merely an accurate prediction of last year's weather. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324165204579030964264137216.html?KEYWORDS=global+warming The Ethanol Mandate and the Interests of Consumers. Cellulosic ethanol's time is just beginning. It will lower gasoline prices and extend the supply. Your editorial "Put A Corn Cob in Your Tank" (Aug. 17) calls cellulosic ethanol a failure and asserts that oil companies are being forced to blend a nonexistent fuel. The Journal also claims that ethanol blending increases pump prices. Whether you like ethanol or not, it certainly doesn't increase gas prices. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324165204579028860222562386.html?KEYWORDS=fuels Air board plans big gift to PG&E, other utilities. Congratulations, PG&E. Recent attention has focused on how much PG&E will be fined for the 2010 pipeline explosion in San Bruno. After months of controversy, the California Public Utilities Commission proposed last month that the fine be $300 million, not counting expenditures on past and future safety measures. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Air-board-plans-big-gift-to-PG-amp-E-other-4760292.php Air board finds a way to profit on emission goals. If you've been pummeled by California's confiscatory taxes before, this would be a good time to duck. A sucker punch is being thrown by the California Air Resources Board, under the guise of regulating carbon dioxide. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, known as AB32, requires the air board to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in California to 1990 levels by 2020. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Air-board-finds-a-way-to-profit-on-emission-goals-4760293.php Dan Walters: Steinberg's bills show his visions for California. Five years ago, Darrell Steinberg carried into law a sweeping revision of California's local land-use rules, aimed at creating what the legislation called "sustainable communities." His legislation, Senate Bill 375, is still reverberating as all 58 counties and more than 400 cities, plus regional planning bodies, revise their land-use policies to emphasize high-density… Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/26/5680375/dan-walters-steinbergs-bills-show.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy BLOGS Should Canada and the U.S. Strike an Energy and Environment Pact? Should Washington and Ottawa be discussing an integrated energy and environment pact, modeled after the historic free-trade agreement between the two countries clinched in the late 1980s? That would reduce uncertainty among oil and gas investors eyeing the North American market, according to a study released Monday. But such discussions aren’t likely to unfold between the governments until there’s a “crisis”…Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/canadarealtime/2013/08/26/should-canada-and-the-u-s-strike-an-energy-and-environment-pact/tab/print/?KEYWORDS=CLIMATE+CHANGE Outlook for cap-and-trade brightens in California. As the federal government gets started implementing a national Climate Action Plan, the country’s boldest state-level experiment is making strong progress. California last week announced the results of its latest auction of carbon pollution permits, completely selling out of permits for future carbon pollution for the first time. Posted. http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2013/08/26/california-cap-and-trade-program-makes-encouraging-headway-see-more-httpinsightswr Is climate change humanity’s greatest-ever risk management failure? Humans are generally very risk-averse. We buy insurance to protect our investments in homes and cars. For those of us who don’t have universal healthcare, most purchase health insurance. We don’t like taking the chance — however remote — that we could be left unprepared in the event that something bad happens to our homes, cars, or health. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/is-climate-change-humanitys-greatest-ever-risk-management-failure/ How hospitals can help fight climate change. Primum non nocere. The Latin phrase, meaning “First, do no harm,” is a core tenet taught to aspiring medical professionals. It most commonly applies to physicians to ensure they do nothing that could potentially hurt a patient, but the healthcare sector has begun applying it in a broader context — specifically, to fight climate change. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/how-hospitals-can-help-fight-climate-change/ Michelin tires help green up Yellowstone National Park. Indeed, the tiremaker has donated more than 1,400 tires to the National Park Service since 2008, enough so that the NPS has saved around $300,000 in annual expenses for its 800-vehicle fleet. Moreover, Michelin says its tires help cut Yellowstone vehicles' greenhouse-gas emissions in a number of ways. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/08/25/michelin-tires-help-green-up-yellowstone-national-park/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 11:33:36 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 27, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 27, 2013. 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 Linking Carbon Supply to Growth Is Complicated, PwC’s Grant Says. Jonathan Grant, director of sustainability and climate change at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in London, comments on rule changes being considered to the European Union emissions trading program, in an e-mailed response to questions on Aug. 23. The European Commission would consider implementing changes to the market’s structure that would cut supply of carbon permits…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-08-27/linking-carbon-supply-to-growth-is-complicated-pwc-s-grant-says.html California Cap And Trade Comes To A Crossroads As Carbon Prices Fall. California’s cap-and-trade market recently held its fourth carbon allowance auction, with prices slipping below their expected level on news state regulators may increase the amount of free allocations they provide to polluters in 2014. But even though permit sales to cover emissions trended downward for the first time in the system’s existence, dropping 12.7% from May 2013’s record-setting auction…Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/27/california-cap-and-trade-comes-to-a-crossroads-as-carbon-prices-fall/ Tracking AB 32: Latest Carbon Auction Numbers Push Market Above $1 Billion. California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, Assembly Bill 32, and its cap-and-trade program continues to evolve as more companies buy into the billion-dollar carbon auction market and the state works through a spending plan to reinvest in communities. The most recent cap-and-trade auction was held August 16…Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/1755-lawsuits-against-city-of-la-bnsf-railway-consolidated.html AIR POLLUTION Smoky Reno air quality concerns continue. Health officials say concerns about air quality in the Reno area are likely to continue for at least another day or two as a result of the smoke pouring in from the huge wildfire 150 miles away at Yosemite National Park. The air quality index in Washoe County improved on Sunday but deteriorated again on Monday to the level considered unhealthy for the general population. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Smoky-Reno-air-quality-concerns-continue-4762215.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/26/5682381/smoky-reno-air-quality-again-unhealthy.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/26/smoky-reno-air-quality-again-unhealthy-for-all/#ixzz2dBXzFfMS http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/26/smoky-reno-air-quality-again-unhealthy-for-all/ Port of Los Angeles Slashes Emissions. Air pollution associated with operations at the Port of Los Angeles is at its lowest level since the port adopted a formal plan to reduce emissions nearly seven years ago, according to the latest emissions data. The Port’s 2012 Inventory of Air Emissions shows a 79 percent drop in diesel particulate matter (DPM) over a seven-year period that began in 2005. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/08/26/port-of-los-angeles-slashes-emissions/ CLIMATE CHANGE Mutually Insured Destruction. In March 1947, a winter of heavy snowfall followed by a quick thaw and torrents of rain swelled rivers throughout England and Wales. Over the course of just 13 days, at least 27,000 homes and businesses were flooded. It was one of the worst natural disasters in British history. But thanks to climate change, which can prevent the thick snowpack from which spring floods draw their strength, that sort of flood may be less likely to happen today. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/magazine/mutually-insured-destruction.html EPA chief warns against climate change on visit to Alaska glacier. As she marveled at the site of a shrinking Alaska glacier, the newly installed leader of the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that the president told her that fighting climate change should be her primary focus. “The president’s main priority for me was to recognize when I was coming in here that this is going to be a significant challenge…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/26/5682988/epa-chief-warns-against-climate.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/26/2885912/epa-chief-warns-against-climate.html#storylink=cpy http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/26/3462986/epa-chief-warns-against-climate.html Silicon Valley may follow in Richmond, Berkeley climate change efforts. In the 1980s, hundreds of American cities, states and universities sold their investments in South African companies as part of a protest against that country's former apartheid government. Now, environmental groups are trying to duplicate that effort, but with global warming polluters in the role of villain. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_23948942/silicon-valley-water-district-moves-join-global-warming?source=rss Alabama professor creates carbon-capturing system. A Colorado company has licensed a method of capturing carbon dioxide pioneered by a University of Alabama assistant professor, with the hope of developing the method as a more energy-efficient way of reducing emissions at fossil-fuel power plants. ION Engineering in Boulder, Colo., has licensed a carbon-capture process using imidazole solutions, or solvents, developed by Jason Bara…Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/27/2886744/alabama-professor-creates-carbon.html#storylink=cpy http://www.wtva.com/content/news/alabama/story/Alabama-professor-creates-carbon-capturing-system/eFl6hNZQlUK0xG_dXG64YQ.cspx Environmental group wants to name hurricanes for global warming 'deniers' The environmental group 350.org has launched a new campaign called Climate Name Change that proposes to revise to how hurricanes are named: call them, the groups says, after policymakers who say that humans are not to blame for global warming. This will save the Katrinas and Sandys of the world from the injustice of having their names attached to major disaster, the group says. And, as a bonus, it will produce some peculiar weather reports. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2013/0827/Environmental-group-wants-to-name-hurricanes-for-global-warming-deniers DIESEL EMISSIONS South Korea Tests New Technology for Electric Bus. Vehicles Can Be Recharged Wirelessly While in Motion. South Korea is experimenting with electric buses that can charge wirelessly while in motion, a technology that could help ease the pollution plaguing cities. The city of Gumi, about 150 miles southeast of Seoul, is the testing ground for two so-called on-line electric vehicles, which ply a 15-mile route up to 10 times a day. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323980604579030340856307338.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution FUELS California, federal methods to push renewable-fuel use stir conflict. It's even possible that conflicting state and federal policies on renewable fuels, both aimed at reducing global warming, could actually make things worse, some scientists say. California and the federal government want drivers to use more renewable fuels in their cars and trucks. That's where the trouble lies. The state and federal governments share a goal, but have adopted very different ways to reach it. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-biofuels-20130827,0,4105604.story http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/la-fi-biofuels-20130827,0,5067068.story?page=2 VEHICLES CORRECTED-Gasoline fuels comeback for China's electric car maker BYD. BYD Co Ltd, the Warren Buffett-backed company best known for electric cars, is in the midst of a revival thanks to traditional gasoline-fueled vehicles. Its car sales jumped 25 percent to more than 250,000 units in the first six months of this year, outpacing China's overall auto market growth rate of 11 percent. The vast majority of those were gasoline-powered, not electric. The recovery in gasoline car sales, which account for half of BYD's revenues…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/26/byd-comeback-idUSL4N0GM1N120130826 Tesla outsells Porsche, Buick, Lincoln, others in California (+video). Yes, it's shocking. California automaker Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is outselling a number of very well established vehicle brands in its home state—with only one model: the all-electric Model S. In June, Tesla outsold (on the basis of registrations) Buick, Lincoln, Porsche, Volvo, and Cadillac—and far outsold Jaguar and Land Rover combined. And the long-established, full-line luxury brand Infiniti only posted just 51 more registrations in the state than Tesla. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/0827/Tesla-outsells-Porsche-Buick-Lincoln-others-in-California-video Advancing electric mobility through electric car-sharing – Part I. Mobility experts think that through electric vehicle (EV) sharing and rental schemes, EVs could become an integral part of the urban environment. By renting an electric car customers can get the EV experience without the risks usually associated with buying one. cars21.com takes a closer look at the electric car-sharing schemes in different cities and the price plans offered. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5572 GREEN ENERGY New efforts aim to turn smokestack pollution into usable energy. If pollution had a mascot, it would be the smokestack. Do a Google image search for “pollution.” What do you see? A bunch of smokestacks with ominous gray clouds billowing out the top. It’s a reasonable association to make: Smokestack emissions contain nasty chemicals, including mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, not to mention carbon dioxide, the biggest threat to our environment over the long term. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-efforts-aim-to-turn-smokestack-pollution-into-usable-energy/2013/08/26/cdf5cb5e-0370-11e3-a07f-49ddc7417125_story.html Cheap Substitute For Silicon Grows From Carbon Nanotube “Seeds”. While we’ve been busy touting graphene as the “miracle material of the new millennium,” there’s another advanced materials kid on the block called carbon nanotubes and they haven’t exactly been on the snooze either. A team of researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) has just announced that they’ve cracked the code for cooking up single-walled carbon nanotubes with precise atomic structures. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/27/cheap-substitute-for-silicon-grows-from-carbon-nanotube-seeds/ MISCELLANEOUS Never Mind Citi Bike, Here’s Campus Bike. In 1892, a song celebrated “a bicycle built for two.” More than a century later, a campaign for a university is upping the ante with an offer of bicycles built for a hundred. The University of Dayton, in Dayton, Ohio, is promising 100 incoming freshmen free bikes in exchange for pledges to forgo bringing cars to campus for the first two years they are enrolled. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/business/media/never-mind-citi-bike-heres-campus-bike.html?pagewanted=all Bill mandates 3-foot buffer between cars, bikes. The state Senate approved a bill on Monday that would require drivers to stay at least three feet away from bicyclists when they are passing in the same direction, despite Gov. Jerry Brown's previous vetoes of similar legislation. Lawmakers approved AB1371 by Assemblyman Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, on a 31-7 vote. Posted. http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CA_XGR_BICYCLE_BUFFER_ZONES_CAOL-?SITE=CASON&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-08-26-20-00-12 OPINIONS People Don’t Fear Climate Change Enough. With respect to the science of climate change, many experts regard the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as the world’s authoritative institution. A draft summary of its forthcoming report was leaked last week. It describes the panel’s growing confidence that climate change is real, that it is a result of human action, and that if the world continues on its current course, it will face exceedingly serious losses and threats (including a significant rise in sea levels by century’s end). Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-27/people-don-t-fear-climate-change-enough.html Ditch ethanol mandates. Try a carbon tax. WASHINGTON IS seeing a great fight between two extremely powerful lobbies, Big Ethanol and Big Oil. Neither should win. At issue is the Renewable Fuel Standard, a huge subsidy meant for companies making all kinds of ethanol but that mostly benefits the least-attractive type, derived from corn. The policy demands that increasing amounts of various sorts of ethanol be blended into the nation’s gasoline supply. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ditch-ethanol-mandates-try-a-carbon-tax/2013/08/25/ac5332ba-0ab0-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html John Hoffmire: Fighting air pollution one electric car at a time. If one were to identify the top problems in the areas 40 miles north and south of Salt Lake City, most people would name air pollution among the top five. Six counties in Utah have been graded “F” in “State of Air 2013,” according to the report issued by the American Lung Association. Throughout many years, for quite a number of days each year, inversion, a phenomenon characterized by haze, exists over valleys in Utah…Posted. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865585284/Fighting-air-pollution-one-electric-car-at-a-time.html?pg=all BLOGS Papers Find Mixed Impacts on Ocean Species from Rising CO2. Britain’s Royal Society has published a helpful new collection of papers in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B that provide fresh insights on how the global buildup of carbon dioxide released by human activities could affect ocean ecology. The work adds to a growing body of science pointing to large changes, with some types of marine organisms and ecosystems seemingly able to adjust and even thrive, while others ail. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/papers-find-mixed-impacts-on-ocean-species-from-rising-co2/ Explained in 90 Seconds: How Climate Change Fuels Wildfires. (video) From the Rim fire currently engulfing California to the Black Forest fire that burned more than 500 homes in Colorado, wildfires are becoming more destructive. In this video, Matthew Hurteau—assistant professor of forest resources at Penn State University—explains how warming temperatures, prolonged drought, and a century’s worth of fire suppression policy are “priming the system to make it more flammable. Posted. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/08/wildfires-climate-change/ 14 U.S. Cities That Could Disappear Over The Next Century, Thanks To Global Warming. There is really no way around it: Thanks to climate change, sea levels are rising. A huge question on the minds of many is, what does this mean for America? Will sea walls and city planning protect major metropolises, or are we bound to lose some national gems? Unfortunately, the latter is a significant possibility. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/26/global-warming-flooding_n_3799019.html Study Shows Biodiesel’s Growth in California. California is poised to make some big waves in the biodiesel market… at least according to a new study from the Environmental Defense Fund and E2. This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the report profiles six companies in California revolutionizing the industry. “Once again, California is ahead of the curve when it comes to delivering on fuels that not only protect the environment but also make good business sense to produce…Posted. http://domesticfuel.com/2013/08/27/study-shows-biodiesels-growth-in-california/ Report: The More Carbon Emissions We Cut, The Better The World Economy Does. Work from an international effort to model climate change’s effects show that the more carbon emissions humanity cuts, the better the global economy will perform over the next century. The report is part of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was set up by the United Nations to offer a comprehensive assessment of climate science. Posted. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/08/27/2530391/carbon-cut-better-economy/ To meet emissions targets, we’ve all got to be like France. Even with a terrible recession and natural gas bonanza, the U.S. isn’t cutting emissions fast enough. Some experts still think it is possible to reduce emissions 50 percent globally by 2050, a somewhat arbitrary goal thought to minimize the risk of climate change disasters. But they say hitting that goal is possible only if we try really hard. Posted. http://www.salon.com/2013/08/26/to_meet_emissions_targets_weve_all_got_to_be_like_france_newscred/ Nissan Tests New Heat-Resistant Battery For Leaf Electric Car. Nissan is testing a revised lithium-ion cell chemistry for its Leaf electric car that the company says appears to be as durable in sustained extreme heat as its current battery is under normal conditions. If tests confirm that the new cells degrade at no more than the standard rate, even at high temperatures, the company hopes to have battery packs using those cells available next April. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086498_nissan-tests-new-heat-resistant-battery-for-leaf-electric-car We’re already sick of climate change — and getting sicker. If there’s any doubt remaining in your mind that climate change is a plague on humanity, Linda Marsa will take care of that for you. Marsa is a longtime medical writer. She’s made a career as a muckraker, taking on the pharmaceutical industry and dispensers of scientific snake oil. And she’s recently turned her attention to how our warming of the planet increases the chances for a wide array of epidemic illnesses. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/were-already-sick-of-climate-change-and-getting-sicker/ Oil refinery affecting air quality – study. Chevron’s oil refinery in California is twice as big as its refinery in Table View, Cape Town, yet the US operation produces fewer toxic emissions because California has stricter air pollution laws. Now Table View residents are calling on the city to ensure that Chevron’s emissions in Cape Town are also capped at a lower level because there is evidence that the plant’s emissions are affecting air quality and the health of people living in neighboring areas. Posted. http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/environment/oil-refinery-affecting-air-quality-study-1.1568902#.UhzpmJzd33U Wildfires a Growing Air Quality Issue. Where there’s fire, there’s smoke. And when the fire is more than 200 square miles and growing like California’s Rim Fire, there’s a lot of it. And in that smoke is quite the witch’s brew of air pollutants. Gabriele Pfister runs down just some of the list: “You have carbon monoxide, you have mercury, you have nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide.” Pfister studies the air quality impacts of wildfires, at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2013/08/26/wildfires-a-growing-air-quality-issue/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 14:53:12 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 28, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 28, 2013. 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 EU Carbon Closes at Seven-Week High as Crude Oil Price Surges. European Union emission permits advanced to the highest in seven weeks on speculation that crude oil’s surge to a two-year peak may spur demand for carbon allowances. Carbon for December gained as much as 3.7 percent to 4.72 euros ($6.31) a metric ton on London’s ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract closed up 1.5 percent at 4.61 euros a ton, the highest since July 3. West Texas Intermediate crude rose as much as 3 percent in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-28/eu-carbon-permits-jump-to-eight-week-high-as-crude-price-surges.html Study: $500M for cleaner air. New York's version of a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions has brought in almost $500 million since its inception in 2008, according to a survey released Tuesday. The report comes as the price on pollution credits is likely to rise. The funds have helped create jobs in the growing alternative-energy and energy-efficiency fields, according to Environmental Advocates, the watchdog group responsible for the study. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Study-500M-for-cleaner-air-4766059.php Judge upholds cap-and-trade auctions in tentative ruling. A California judge yesterday denied business groups' bid to overturn the state's system of distributing greenhouse gas permits, in a tentative ruling issued one day before this morning's oral arguments. Judge Timothy Frawley of Sacramento Superior Court said California's 2006 global warming law, A.B. 32, gives the state wide discretion to select the method by which it caps greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2020. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986523/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Questor Surges on Stricter Energy Pollution Controls. Questor Technology Inc. (QST), Canada’s top pollution-control stock in the past three years, said stricter air quality rules will boost revenue for its flare-gas incineration systems as North American energy output surges. “The world has changed in the oil and gas industry,” Questor Chief Executive Officer Audrey Mascarenhas said in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York on Aug. 23. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-28/questor-surges-on-stricter-energy-pollution-controls.html Exide to begin testing for dangerous metals buildup in neighborhood. Responding to Exide neighbors' health concerns, California ordered Vernon battery plant to test for toxic substances in soil and dust. State officials have ordered a Vernon battery recycler to begin testing dust and soil in the neighborhood around its plant to determine whether dangerous metals have accumulated and are posing a health risk to the community. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20130828,0,13409.story http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-vernon-battery-plant-20130827,0,303641.story A strong voice in Louisiana's Cancer Alley. The police asked the right question. "Can you think of anyone who would want to do you harm?" investigators asked Wilma Subra, trying to understand who might have fired a gun at the diminutive grandmother. Enemies? Subra could arrange them alphabetically, or geographically, or in descending order according to how much her work as an environmental chemist had cost them in money or public embarrassment. She had gone after so many corporate polluters over the decades…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/columnone/la-me-c1-subra-enviro-20130827-dto,0,5811045,print.htmlstory African dust clouds worries scientists. Each summer, microscopic dust particles kicked up by African sandstorms blow thousands of miles across the Atlantic to arrive in the Caribbean, limiting airplane pilots' visibility to just a few miles and contributing to the suffering of asthmatics trying to draw breath. The phenomenon has been around as long as there's been sand in the Sahara Desert. But it's attracting ever more attention from regional scientists who say the clouds have grown, even if there's no global consensus on the issue. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CUBA_AFRICAN_DUST_CLOUDS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/African-dust-clouds-worries-scientists-4766015.php Top 5 Sources Of Air Pollution In The Region. Studies have shown that air pollution is one of the greatest environmental concerns affecting human health and climate change, specifically in Southern California. A significant contributor to air pollution is a group of highly reactive gasses known as nitrogen oxides (NOx), which include nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrous acid and nitric acid. Sources contributing nitrous oxide production surround Long Beach…Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/lof-scroller/1754-top-5-sources-of-air-pollution-in-the-region-.html Calif. fire prompts unhealthy air warnings in Nev. The giant wildfire burning at the edge of Yosemite National Park has not only destroyed buildings and threatened water supplies, electricity and sequoias, it has also unleashed a smoky haze that has worsened air quality more than 100 miles away in Nevada. The plume from the Rim Fire in California triggered emergency warnings in the Reno and Carson City area. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Calif-fire-prompts-unhealthy-air-warnings-in-Nev-4766691.php http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_23962098/calif-fire-prompts-unhealthy-air-warnings-nev?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/28/calif-fire-prompts-unhealthy-air-warnings-in-nev/ http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130828/wire/130829563?title=California-fire-prompts-unhealthy-air-warnings CLIMATE CHANGE Oceans Storing Earth’s Excess Heat in Leaked UN Report. The oceans are becoming a repository for almost all of Earth’s excess heat, driving up sea levels and threatening coastlines, according to a leaked draft of the most comprehensive United Nations report addressing climate science. The findings are detailed in a 2,200-page report that will guide UN envoys as they devise a new treaty to fight climate change by 2015. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-27/oceans-storing-earth-s-excess-heat-in-leaked-un-report.html Silicon Valley may follow in Richmond, Berkeley climate change efforts. In the 1980s, hundreds of American cities, states and universities sold their investments in South African companies as part of a protest against that country's former apartheid government. Now, environmental groups are trying to duplicate that effort, but with global warming polluters in the role of villain. And, just as with South African divestment a generation ago…Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_23948942/silicon-valley-water-district-moves-join-global-warming?source=rss A cooler Pacific linked to recent global warming pause – study. Average global temperatures haven't increased in the past 15 years, and scientists have been working to determine why. A number of recent studies have fingered the ocean as the cause. Researchers believe heat that might otherwise warm the planet is being stored -- hidden, in a way -- in the sea. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986506/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Calif. water district considers oil divestment. A Northern California water agency is set to decide on a plan to drop its investments in fossil fuel companies. Supporters of the measure before the Santa Clara Valley Water District in San Jose accuse the companies of exacerbating climate change and the resulting water challenges water districts face. But industry officials and other critics say many fossil fuel companies are working on alternative energy projects…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/27/5685721/calif-water-district-considers.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Calif-water-district-considers-oil-divestment-4765666.php REFINERY Government agencies at odds in probe of fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery. The federal government is fighting with itself over last year's massive fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery that sent 15,000 people to hospitals with respiratory ailments. In one corner is the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which conducted 119 interviews in an effort to find out what caused last year's fire and how to prevent it from happening again. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_23956660/government-agencies-at-odds-probe-fire-at-chevrons?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com VEHICLES New Mazda6 poised for gains. Agile and poised, the new-for-2014 Mazda6 mid-size sedan is a major leap over its predecessor in styling, features and fuel economy. Gone is the ho-hum, Toyota Camry-like exterior. In its place is a handsome, rakish look and larger tires. The five-seat Mazda6 interior looks nicer, too, with soft-touch plastic all around and nearly an inch more rear legroom than its predecessor. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BEHIND_THE_WHEEL_2014_MAZDA6?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT GREEN ENERGY Wind turbines don't hurt home values, study says. Wind-power turbines, which are increasingly dotting California's mountain and desert regions, don't appear to be having a negative effect on home values, according to a new report by the Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory. The research, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, analyzed more than 50,000 home sales near 67 wind farms in 27 counties across nine states. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-wind-turbines-dont-hurt-housing-values-study-says-20130827,0,6727893.story?track=rss Piedmont vows lawsuit over planned wind farm. The Piedmont City Council has declared a planned wind farm a public nuisance and says it will file suit if the developer builds turbines within a 3-mile radius of the city. The council voted this week to support legal action against Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy Inc., which plans to build a 300-megawatt wind farm in northern Canadian County and southern Kingfisher County. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5687814/piedmont-vows-lawsuit-over-planned.html#storylink=cpy LC port approves agreement with Clean Energy. The Port of Lake Charles board has approved an operating agreement with Lake Charles Clean Energy for the handling and storage of methanol - a major step in bringing the $2.6-billion project forward. Port officials said Monday the new submission will allow the product to be exported - about one million tons per year. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/aug/27/lc-port-approves-agreement-with-clean-energy/#ixzz2dHOTB91A US wastes enough energy to power UK for 7 years, report finds. The United States wasted 61 percent of all its energy input in 2012, according to a new report on energy efficiency. That's enough energy to power the United Kingdom for seven years, the report found. Each year the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory releases an analysis of the energy input and energy use of the US economy to determine the energy efficiency. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0828/US-wastes-enough-energy-to-power-UK-for-7-years-report-finds MISCELLANEOUS Shampoos still contain carcinogens, lawsuit claims. An Oakland watchdog group has sued four companies and plans to sue dozens more for allegedly manufacturing or selling shampoos, soaps and other care products without attaching labels warning consumers that they contained high levels of a carcinogen. The suit, filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court by the Center for Environmental Health...Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Shampoos-still-contain-carcinogens-lawsuit-claims-4765891.php NM gets $1M for carbon dioxide production. The State Land Office says it's received $1.2 million in royalties from a company for carbon dioxide production in northeastern New Mexico. Land Commissioner Ray Powell said the payment from the Hess Corp. covers production since 2010 on state trust land in Harding County in a carbon dioxide gas field known as the West Bravo Dome. Powell said the carbon dioxide is sent by pipeline to West Texas where it's injected in oil reservoirs to help increase production. Posted. http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_23962276/las-cruces-sun-news OPINIONS RPT-COLUMN-Fracking fears expose confusion about risk: Kemp. Should oil and gas producers be allowed to hydraulically fracture wells even if there is a small but hard-to-quantify risk to the environment, property and human life? That is the question politicians, environmentalists, local residents and the media are all grappling with across large parts of the United States, Britain and other countries. For some environmental campaigners and local residents, the answer is No. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/28/kemp-fracking-us-idUSL6N0GS3HM20130828 Letters: Take care of the climate, or else. Re “Coastal flooding could cost cities $60 billion by 2050, study says,” Aug. 20 Annual losses of $60 billion — I'm taking bets that this is not just wrong, it will prove to be tragically wrong if we don't change our ways. We know there is a lag between the burning of fossil fuels and higher temperatures. We are approaching tipping points after which humankind loses any control; after which science predictions have no meaning. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters/la-la-take-care-of-the-climate-or-else-20130827,0,7853783,print.story Preserving Cameroon's treasures. The West African nation's amazing biodiversity is under threat. It needs economic growth but also a plan to manage its resources. Cameroon, located on the west coast of Africa between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, is a nation of unparalleled beauty and biological diversity. Mt. Cameroon, in the west, is one of Africa's largest volcanoes, reaching 13,255 feet…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-smith-cameroon-conservation-20130827,0,4238070.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5687299/preserving-cameroons-treasures.html Passing a carbon tax will help fight climate change: Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, Aug. 13, Passing a carbon tax will help fight climate change. Re “Put brakes on hybrid subsidies” (Commentary, Aug. 8): The writer is upset about a few hybrid subsidies of up to $10,000 each. Why isn’t he gagging on our fossil fuel subsidies estimated at $14 billion to $52 billion annually? And the fact that Big Oil, gas and coal aren’t charged a fee for dumping their waste CO2 into the atmosphere — which is putting the future of the planet in jeopardy — amounts to additional billions in subsidy. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20130828/passing-a-carbon-tax-will-help-fight-climate-change-letters-to-the-editor-for-tuesday-aug-13 Editorial: Steinberg’s CEQA bill is a step in the right direction. Three camps tend to dominate the debate over the California Environmental Quality Act. There’s the “CEQA is totally broken” camp, the “CEQA needs to be stronger” camp and the “CEQA isn’t broken but needs to be updated” camp. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, is clearly in the third group, which is why he’s getting brickbats from the other two sides. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5688071/editorial-steinbergs-ceqa-bill.html#storylink=cpy Letter: Idling unhealthy, hurts environment. The article "Windows of opportunity," Aug. 9, described the increase of drive-through windows and how they have become a staple of American life. We are going in the wrong direction. More drive-throughs mean more engines idling and the problems that idling causes. First, engine idling pollutes the air. In the United States, idling adds 34.5 million tons of greenhouse gas annually to the atmosphere, a major cause of climate change. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letter-Idling-unhealthy-hurts-environment-4762686.php . Fire and climate change. I was impressed with The Chronicle's reporting this past week with focus on stories of the impact of climate change. The article in the Health section, "Expert scopes out health risks of climate change" (Aug. 21), outlined the many grave health consequences of an unabated rise in emissions levels. On Sunday, the dependence on fossil fuels along with climate change were identified as the most serious national security threat by top military…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letters-to-the-editor-Aug-28-4765969.php Disservice by climate change deniers. On Aug. 15, The Bee published another letter from a writer who insists there is no global warming (‘‘Global warming letter used bad data’’). The author said warming ended in 2002 and refers readers to the Climate Depot website. There, after a little digging, you will discover the founder is Marc Morano, who has no scientific experience, but has a history in communications for Rush Limbaugh and Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla…Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/27/2887976/disservice-by-climate-change-deniers.html#storylink=cpy Trade and Transportation by Dr. Thomas O’Brien. In the research community – whether public or private sector, academia or industry – we tend to appreciate the latest and greatest, the state of the art. But research is about developing our cumulative knowledge on a topic. As a result, the research and development process begins with a review of the work already done, an identification of the gaps in our knowledge base, and a justification of how the work we are doing now moves that collective knowledge forward. Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/trade-transport/1751-the-value-of-looking-back.html Letter: Beware climate change deniers. Re “Beware climate catastrophe charlatans” (Monitor Forum, Aug. 24): Michael Sununu engages in an extreme case of “shoot the messenger” in his argument against climate models. When I studied experimental particle physics in the early 1980s, I made extensive use of computer models to simulate particle collisions. Climate scientists’ use of models today parallels my use of models then. In the ’80s our models could not answer all our questions about particle physics…Posted. http://www.concordmonitor.com/opinion/8247331-95/letter-beware-climate-change-deniers My Turn: Don’t believe the hype on global warming. Why do so many people believe everything Al Gore says about global warming is true? My guess is because he is very talented at manipulating the public’s emotions in order to push his agenda. Mr. Gore once again demonstration his crafty skills as the keynote speaker at the 17th annual Lake Tahoe Summit. Former Vice President Al Gore, California Governor Jerry Brown, Nevada Senator Harry Reid…Posted. http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/northshore/7882825-113/lake-global-warming-tahoe BLOGS Oceans making global warming worse. August 27, 2013 6:31 PM | No Comments I am not the brightest bulb on the tree and so there are some things I don't understand. And I try to avoid complex scientific stories that confuse more than they clarify. There is a possibility this could be one of those stories. So I will try to simplify it. With numbers. Do numbers make things simpler or do they just offer us the illusion of simplicity? 1) When we burn fossil fuels, it releases extra carbon into the atmosphere. http://blogs.redding.com/dcraig/archives/2013/08/oceans-making-g.html#sthash.jcZdy5pJ.dpuf Environmental group touts greenhouse-gas cap in new report. As Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration formally moves to lower the state’s cap on greenhouse-gas emissions, a top New York environmental group is touting the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative as a success in a new report. Environmental Advocates of New York issued the report Tuesday, which says the nine-state RGGI program—in which emissions are capped and carbon allowances are sold at auction…Posted. http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2013/08/27/environmental-group-touts-greenhouse-gas-cap-in-new-report/ Move Over Global Warming! White-Tailed Deer Pose Biggest Threat To East Coast Forests. The rapidly rising population of white-tailed deer pose a more significant threat to forest habitats across the eastern United States than global warming, according to a new study by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). “White-tailed deer likely impact every landscape east of the Mississippi River,” said the TNC. “The damage has been insidious — both slow moving and cumulative.” Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2013/08/28/move-over-global-warming-white-tailed-deer-pose-biggest-threat-to-east-coast-forests/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:39:46 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for August 29, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 29, 2013. 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 Sacramento judge tentatively says state can auction air quality credits in California. California’s cap-and-trade carbon auctions are within the authority of the state Air Resources Board under a 7-year-old law aimed at addressing global warming, a Sacramento judge has tentatively ruled. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley ruled Assembly Bill 32 gave the Air Resources Board discretion to decide whether to adopt a cap-and-trade program and design the method for distributing pollution allowances. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/29/5690290/sacramento-judge-tentatively-says.html#mi_rss=Business#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/29/2890418/sacramento-judge-tentatively-says.html#storylink=cpy AIR POLLUTION China Environmental Watchdog Suspends Approvals for New Refining Projects. China's environmental watchdog took the unusual step Thursday of halting new projects at the country's two largest refining companies after they missed pollution targets, a sign Beijing is stepping up environmental scrutiny of state-owned enterprises amid growing public discontent over pollution. The temporary ban on new construction at China National Petroleum Corp. and China Petrochemical Corp., known as Sinopec Group...Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323324904579041990240338768.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution Fracking health project puts numbers to debate, suggests air pollution may be bigger concern. A project examining the local health impacts from natural gas drilling is providing some of the first preliminary numbers about people who may be affected, and the results challenge the industry position that no one suffers but also suggest the problems may not be as widespread as some critics claim. Posted. http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-08-25/business/41446844_1_gas-drilling-water-pollution-processing Air pollution to be monitored near Houston freeway. State environmental officials will start measuring air pollution levels near a Houston freeway as part of a federal requirement to monitor health risks near major roadways. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in January will begin measuring levels along U.S. Route 59. The Houston Chronicle (http://bit.ly/14GYqqn) reports the monitors will provide the state with its first data on pollution near congested freeways. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/29/5691665/air-pollution-to-be-monitored.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Air-pollution-to-be-monitored-near-Houston-freeway-4771455.php Doctors ask Texas to cut coal plant air pollution. A Dallas-based medical group has asked the Texas environmental agency to cut air pollution from coal-fired power plants by strengthening rules and requiring equipment upgrades in older facilities. The Dallas County Medical Society filed a petition Wednesday with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality asking for a rule change. The agency will have 60 days to respond. The society says research shows that three old coal-fired power plants contribute to air pollution in North and East Texas. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5688363/doctors-ask-texas-to-cut-coal.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Doctors-ask-Texas-to-cut-coal-plant-air-pollution-4768113.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/28/2889169/doctors-ask-texas-to-cut-coal.html#storylink=cpy MIT study says combustion emissions cause ~200,000 premature deaths/year in US; vehicles and power generation top sources. Researchers from MIT’s Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment have concluded that ground-level PM2.5 emissions from combustion sources such as industrial smokestacks, vehicle tailpipes, marine and rail operations, and commercial and residential heating throughout the United States cause about 200,000 (90% CI: 90,000–362,000) premature deaths each year, with another 10,000 (90% CI: −1,000 to 21,000) deaths due to changes in ozone concentrations. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130829-mit.html Tehama County protests air quality rule. Tehama County officials are worried a California Air Resources rule set to take effect Jan. 1, 2014 could be devastating for small business owners who operate heavy duty diesel-fueled equipment in Tehama County. Provisions for the Truck and Bus Rule are set to start next year requiring particulate matter filters or even new engines for nearly all diesel-fueled trucks and buses with gross vehicle weight ratings of more than 14,000 pounds. Posted. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/business/ci_23972130/tehama-county-protests-air-quality-rule Calif. firms agree to pay $3.5M over imported vehicles. Two California-based consulting firms will pay more than $3.5 million in a settlement with U.S. EPA, the Department of Justice and the California Air Resources Board after the government accused the firms of not properly certifying emissions compliance on recreational all-terrain vehicles imported from China.The Obama administration and the state of California charge that MotorScience Inc. and MotorScience Enterprise Inc. imported nearly 25,000 all-terrain vehicles…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986560/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Vehicles are the leading cause of early deaths from emissions in the U.S. – study. A new study found that emissions from cars, trucks and other vehicles are the No. 1 cause of early deaths due to air pollution in the United States. In an upcoming paper in the journal Atmospheric Environment, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology determined that increases in fine particulate matter, or PM 2.5, due to road transportation cause 53,000 early deaths per year from ailments like cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986561/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Three shippers were fined for violating a clean fuel regulation. Three international shipping firms were fined by the California Air Resources Board after failing to shift from dirty “bunker” fuel to cleaner burning fuel when they entered into state waters. Oslo-based Hoegh Autoliners Shipping AS Co., NCN Corp. Panama and Singapore-based Twin Phoenix Shipping S.A. received a total of $440,250 in fines after the board investigated their visits to the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and Stockton. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20130828/three-shippers-were-fined-for-violating-a-clean-fuel-regulation FUELS Coalition asks Gov. Jerry Brown to halt fracking in California. More than 100 environmental and political activist groups denounce oil fracking legislation as too weak and call on Gov. Brown to order a halt to the practice. A coalition of more than 100 environmental and political activist groups is denouncing oil fracking legislation as too weak and calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to order an immediate halt to the controversial drilling practice. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-brown-fracking-20130829,0,3888475.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5689777/coalition-asks-gov-jerry-brown.html#storylink=cpy Ethanol producers urge EPA to reject oil industry request to lower mandate. Ethanol producers are urging U.S. EPA to reject calls by oil industry trade groups to lower next year's biofuels mandate. Earlier this month, the American Petroleum Institute and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers formally requested that EPA lower its renewable fuels targets next year to below 10 percent of the nation's total gasoline supply. In a letter yesterday to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986548/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES A hybrid Corvette Stingray? 'Don't laugh,' GM president says. With the ink barely dry on our review of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe, GM President Mark Reuss swung by the L.A. Times office in a gleaming new Cyber Gray Metallic Stingray Convertible. On his mind were consumers’ changing buying habits, the strength of the auto market in the coming years and GM’s plans for diesel and hybrid powertrains in its vehicles. How about a hybrid Corvette? Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-hybrid-corvette-stingray-reuss-20130828,0,3899803.story Toyota says new Prius, fuel cell car due in 2015. Toyota has two important vehicles coming in 2015: the next-generation Prius hybrid and the company's first hydrogen fuel cell car. Satoshi Ogiso, a top Toyota engineer who helped develop the original Prius 20 years ago, said Wednesday that the new Prius will get significantly better fuel economy than its current 50 miles per gallon. It will have an advanced battery, motor and gas engine combination that is smaller, lighter and cheaper than the current version. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5689167/toyota-says-new-prius-fuel-cell.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/28/2889587/toyota-says-new-prius-fuel-cell.html#storylink=cpy http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/08/20130828-ogiso.html Advancing electric mobility through electric car-sharing – Part II. Electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing schemes are gaining popularity in cities around the world. Several initiatives across Europe are providing the consumer with the opportunity to get the EV experience without the risks usually associated with buying one. In the second part of the article devoted to e-mobility, cars21.com looks at EV-rental schemes in Italy and Scandinavia, as well as EV-sharing initiatives provided by automakers. Posted. http://www.cars21.com/news/view/5577 EV fast charger installation to soar, study says. Rapid development of fast-charging technologies for electric vehicles will lead to the installation of 199,000 fast-charging stations worldwide by the end of the decade -- more than 100 times the number of the stations in 2012, a study by IHS Automotive says. The number of the stations worldwide is expected to rise to 5,900 this year and to 15,200 in 2014, the study released Tuesday said. Posted. http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130828/OEM05/130829910/ev-fast-charger-installation-to-soar-study-says#axzz2dLPUrSQd GREEN ENERGY UC Merced Connect: Building gets green certification. The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded platinum LEED certification to UC Merced's Social Sciences and Management Building. Every building project on campus has already or is expected to attain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, meaning it meets or exceeds standards for sustainability. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/28/5686818/uc-merced-connect-building-gets.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Americans driving less as car culture wanes. Driving in America has stalled, leading researchers to ask: Is the national love affair with the automobile over? After rising for decades, total vehicle use in the U.S. - the collective miles people drive - peaked in August 2007. It then dropped sharply during the Great Recession and has largely plateaued since, even though the economy is recovering and the population growing. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DRIVING_IN_AMERICA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Ohio college students ditch cars, get free bikes. The University of Dayton is giving 100 students free bicycles in exchange for their promise not to bring cars to the southwest Ohio campus for two years. The Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/15izkk4) reports the giveaway is part of the university's efforts to shrink its carbon footprint and form a bike friendly campus. It also builds on a bike-sharing program created at the school two years ago. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/29/5691004/ohio-college-students-ditch-cars.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS Letters: A pollution reality check. Re "Gauging roads' pollution," Aug. 26 It's good news that regulators will soon begin monitoring air quality near major roads. While this effort may be long overdue, it's critical that we get this air pollution data so policy can be directed toward accelerating the transition to electricity produced by renewable sources to power our cars. There are thousands of Americans, many here in Southern California…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters/la-le-0829-thursday-pollution-20130829,0,5851185.story To heal the Earth, put plastic in its place. People still discard far more plastic than they recycle. Tens of thousands of volunteers in California gather regularly at local beach and coastal cleanups in an effort to reduce trash flows that contribute to the rising amount of marine debris. These efforts make a difference and help heighten civic awareness about keeping our beaches clean and healthy. But they cannot stem the tide of plastic pollution. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-garrison-plastic-pollution-california-20130829,0,1876188.story California needs controls on fracking. California may be floating atop the nation's biggest pool of oil, over 15 billion barrels that are best tapped by a technique that comes with serious risks. This state can't ignore this energy mother lode, but it needs strong rules to curb potential harm and ease public worries. The risks and rewards of this potential oil boom are why the Legislature should pass SB4…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/California-needs-controls-on-fracking-4769637.php High-speed rail will starve local transit funding. Re "Denham's ploy backfires on high-speed rail" (Dan Morain, Aug. 21): Regardless of how the California Environmental Quality Act affects the progress of high-speed rail in California, or the politics involved, the real result of the project is likely to be crowding out funding for local transit, desperately needed to cut carbon footprints and boost productivity along with delays in upgrades needed now…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/29/5688493/ceqahsr-kerfluffle-blinds-us-to.html#storylink=cpy New warning on global warming. Next month, the international arbiter of the scientific consensus on global warming will release its latest evaluation of the state of the research. A few will dismiss the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s findings as overwrought alarmism. But a draft leaked to reporters last week indicates that, for most people, the report will serve as another stern warning about the risks of continuing to pump carbon dioxide into the air. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130829/wire/130829529?title=New-warning-on-global-warming Letter: Climate change/global warming. Whatever you want to call it, it's happening, and folks are still talking about it. Climate change has been happening for hundreds of thousands of years. Think about it. A million years ago, where the great plains are today, was a tropical swamp. This has been proven. Then the Earth started to cool. After a few hundred thousand years, the ice age started. It lasted for thousands and thousands of years before the Earth finally started to warm up again. As the ice melted, the ocean levels rose and land was covered by water. Posted. http://www.newbernsj.com/opinion/letters/letter-climate-change-global-warming-1.194653 BLOGS Glenn Beck will fire you over lightbulbs. Glenn Beck is not down with climate change. He calls global warming “a load of socialist, communist crap.” And in the video he orders up a studio memo that says as much and threatens to fire employees who do something in the name of global warming. Like what? Buying recyclable spoons is out, though it’s not clear you are sacked over a spoon or spork. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/hottopics/2013/08/28/glenn-beck-will-fire-you-over-lightbulbs/ RENEWABLE ENERGY: Meeting set for planning desert development, conservation. State and federal officials will hold a long-awaited local meeting on the siting of renewable energy projects on Sept. 6-7, and desert residents are ready to voice their concerns. At issue is the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, known as DRECP, a blueprint for protecting natural resources while allowing for development of solar, wind, geothermal and transmission projects within 22 1/2 million acres of California Desert. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/08/27/renewable-energy-meeting-set-for-planning-desert-development-conservation/ Chevy helps install EV chargers in California state parks. In addition to hanging ten, there's one more really cool thing you can do for free in the coastside California city of Malibu. General Motors' Chevrolet division, looking to gain some positive exposure among the surfer set, installed two free electric-vehicle charging stations at a couple of local state parks last week, Malibu Creek and Leo Carrillo State Beach. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/08/28/chevy-helps-install-ev-chargers-in-california-state-parks/ Energy Department Releases New Clean Energy Finance Guide. Increasing the efficiency of our buildings and accelerating the deployment of renewable energy technologies will strengthen local economies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is why President Obama’s Climate Action Plan calls for federal agencies to work closely with states and municipalities to reduce barriers to investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy. As part of the Energy Department’s continued efforts to support state, local and tribal leaders…Posted. http://energy.gov/articles/energy-department-releases-new-clean-energy-finance-guide ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 13:00:11 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for August 30, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for August 30, 2013. 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 RIVERSIDE: Forum focus is growth and air pollution. The Press-Enterprise on Sept. 12 will host a community forum to discuss the health effects, economics and policy questions surrounding Inland air quality, which fails to meet federal health standards. The event is free and open to everyone. On Sept. 8 and 9, the newspaper and PE.com will publish several articles that examine the health effects of air pollution and the economic pressure to build warehouses and distribution centers, which bring more pollution from diesel trucks. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130829-riverside-forum-focus-is-growth-and-air-pollution.ece Update: High school sports canceled in 8 California-Nevada counties for Friday, Saturday due to smoke. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association announced Thursday afternoon that it was canceling all outdoor events Friday and Saturday involving its member schools due to the wildfire smoke in Northern Nevada and California. The NIAA announcement affects games and events in eight counties: Washoe, Douglas, Carson, Lyon, Storey and Churchill in Nevada, and Mono and El Dorado in California. Posted. http://www.rgj.com/article/20130829/NEWS/130829009/Update-Reno-air-quality-improves-into-moderate-range?nclick_check=1 CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Change Worsens Wildfires: Blazes Increase by 2050. Wildfires have become a major issue as they blaze across acres of land, consuming trees, dry grass, houses and anything else in their path. We may have to get used to more of these fires in the future, though. It turns out that climate change may be worsening wildfires and that by 2050, the wildfire season will be about three weeks longer, twice as smoky and will burn a wider area in western states. Posted. http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/9138/20130830/climate-change-worsens-wildfires-blazes-increase-2050.htm FUELS EPA should move forward with proposals for vehicle emissions. Consumers looking to boost their fuel economy and lower their cars' emissions can choose from an ever-increasing number of car and truck options. But given the 3 trillion miles that Americans drive each year, huge amounts of pollution are still being produced. The air around our roadways has high concentrations of particulates, ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, and sulfur—more than 50 percent of which comes from vehicles. That pollution can cause respiratory problems in children and adults. Posted. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/08/fuel-and-car-emissions-standards-to-improve-air-quality/index.htm VEHICLES Nissan Joins Tesla Selling California Green-Car Credits. Nissan Motor Co. (7201), the most prolific electric-car maker, has begun selling green-car credits under California’s clean-air rules. The only automaker that had previously disclosed doing so is Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) California requires large automakers to sell electric or other zero-emission vehicles in proportion to their share of the largest U.S. state market for cars and trucks. Nissan has delivered enough of its all-electric Leaf hatchbacks that it has started selling excess credits, Executive Vice President Andy Palmer told reporters in Irvine, California, this week. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-29/nissan-joins-tesla-selling-california-green-car-credits.html MISCELLANEOUS Bike-sharing program rolls out with 700 cycles. A curvy, clunky turquoise figure with a quirky sort of beauty might just be the answer to Bay Area traffic congestion and air pollution. At least that's the hope of some officials as the Bay Area Air Quality Management District rolled out 700 heavy-duty turquoise bicycles Thursday as part of a regional bike-sharing program stretching from San Francisco to San Jose. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bike-sharing-program-rolls-out-with-700-cycles-4772633.php#photo-5113465 BLOGS Renewable Energy to Be Price Competitive in Western U.S. by 2025. Renewable energy installations are an active business in most of the Western United States, in part due to renewable portfolio standard (RPS) mandates, which require a certain percentage of installed capacity to come from renewable sources. But most of those RPS requirements will be met by 2025, which leaves the “what’s next?” question. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) aims to provide the answer in its latest report [PDF], "Beyond Renewable Portfolio Standards: An Assessment of Regional Supply and Demand Conditions Affecting the Future of Renewable Energy in the West." Posted. http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/renewable-energy-to-be-price-competitive-in-western-us-by-2025?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IeeeSpectrumGreenTech+%28IEEE+Spectrum%3A+Green+Tech%29 Should climate change be added to the civil rights agenda? We marched against the recent attack on voting rights. We demanded justice in the face of Stand Your Ground laws and racial profiling. We marched to raise awareness on unemployment, poverty, gun violence, immigration, and gay rights. And we called for action on climate change. Chances are, when you think about civil rights, environmental issues aren't on the radar screen. But stop and think about it. Remember Hurricane Katrina? Posted. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/30/climate-change-civil-rights-washington These States Are Going to Become Green Energy Powerhouses. Renewable energy has gotten tantalizingly close to becoming competitive with conventional fossil fuels, and to help bridge the gap, more than 30 states have passed laws requiring energy companies to supply a minimum amount of power from green sources. But according to a new study, if renewable sources are built in the right places, they could compete against traditional power plants without subsidies, turning states like California, Wyoming, and New Mexico into green energy powerhouses. Posted. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/08/these-states-are-going-become-green-energy-powerhouses/6723/ Sacramento getting first DC fast chargers with SAE Combo, CHAdeMO plugs. What's next, peace in the Middle East? The ongoing question of which fast-charging standard Americans will prefer as electric-vehicle ownership becomes more commonplace is being made redundant, at least for those residing in Sacramento. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has acquired a few Efacec DC fast-charging stations, which can be modified to serve both the CHAdeMO standard backed by Japanese automakers like Mitsubishi and Nissan and the SAE Combo fast-charging connector, which US and German automakers say is better. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/08/30/sacramento-first-with-dc-fast-chargers-with-sae-combo-chademo/ Americans are driving less in nearly every state. After 60 years of car-worship, Americans in virtually every state are driving less, according to a new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Over the past eight years, the number of vehicle miles traveled has steadily decreased, a trend dominated by the so-called millennial generation’s much lower driving rates. Total vehicle miles traveled peaked in 2007 after steadily rising for decades. Since then, however, driving per person has dropped in 46 states. Washington, D.C., residents drive the least, at an average of 5,774 miles each year, followed by Alaska, Hawaii, New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/americans-are-driving-less-in-nearly-every-state/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2013 12:11:00 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for September 3, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 3, 2013. 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’s ETS makes encouraging headway. As the federal government gets started implementing a national Climate Action Plan, the country’s boldest state-level experiment is making strong progress. Yesterday, California announced the results of its latest auction of carbon pollution permits, completely selling out of its permits for future carbon pollution for the first time. The increased demand for these pollution permits reflects an encouraging development: Confidence in California’s climate action program is growing, and its long-term future is becoming more and more certain. Posted. http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/9/2/carbon-markets/californias-ets-makes-encouraging-headway EU Said to Plan Carbon-Market Aviation Adjustment in October. The European Union plans to present a change to its emissions curbs on airlines in the first half of October that will take into account a decision later this month by the United Nations on whether to pursue global measures to cut pollution by the industry. The European Commission, the EU’s regulatory arm, is considering limiting carbon-dioxide discharges by flights into and out of the 28-nation bloc only in European air space, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-02/eu-said-to-plan-carbon-market-aviation-adjustment-in-october.html AIR POLLUTION Beijing issues new measures aimed at curbing air pollution. Beijing unveiled yet another slew of measures on Monday to curb a choking pollution problem, including limiting the number of new vehicles on the roads and closing or upgrading the facilities of 1,200 companies. China's smoggy capital has tried everything from shutting factories to a massive subway building programme as it battles a severe air pollution problem, but with little apparent effect. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/02/china-pollution-beijing-idUSL4N0GY17D20130902 Silver Lining in China’s Smog as It Puts Focus on Emissions. Jiang Kejun may be one of the few Beijing residents who see a ray of hope in the smog engulfing the city. A researcher in a state energy institute, he is an outspoken advocate of swiftly cutting China’s greenhouse gas output, and he says public anger about noxious air has jolted the government, which long dismissed pollution as the necessary price of prosperity. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/world/asia/silver-lining-in-chinas-smog-as-it-puts-focus-on-emissions.html?hpw Beijing Will Cut Coal Burning and Barbecues in Bid to Fight Smog. The Chinese capital will limit cars, outdoor barbecues and coal burning under new measures to reduce air pollution that exceeded recommended World Health Organization levels by nearly 40 times in January. Coal use for electricity consumption in Beijing will be reduced by 13 million metric tons by 2017 from the 2012 level, while limits will be put on outdoor barbecues in suburban areas and the number of cars will be kept below 6 million, the city government said in a statement today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-02/beijing-will-cut-coal-burning-and-barbecues-in-bid-to-fight-smog.html Air Quality Alert Due to Smoke Impacts From the Rim Fire. The San Joaquin Valley and Mariposa County air pollution control districts have issued an air quality alert due to smoke impacts from the rim fire in Mariposa... Merced... Madera... Fresno... Kings... Tulare... Tuolumne and the valley portion of Kern counties. This air quality alert is in effect until 12 PM PDT Monday September 2. Exposure to particle pollution can cause serious health problems... aggravate lung disease... cause asthma attacks and acute bronchitis... and increase risk of respiratory infections. Posted. http://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/mariposa-daily-news-2013/157-august/9729-air-quality-alert-due-to-smoke-impacts-from-the-rim-fire- APCD study to be reviewed at meeting. Over the last year, implementation has been under way of the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District’s Rule 1001 that requires the Off-Highway Vehicle Division of State the California Department of Parks and Recreation to mitigate the silica dust coming from its park on the Dunes. Recently, APCD director Larry Allen told the board of directors the State Parks Department has not been complying with Rule 1001. Posted. http://www.theadobepress.com/articles/2013/09/03/columns/versaw/versaw.txt CLIMATE CHANGE Keystone Delays Seen Giving Time for Climate Concessions. A decision on whether to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline may slip into next year, giving opponents time to marshal efforts against it while offering President Barack Obama a chance to wring concessions from Canada. The U.S. State Department is reviewing TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s request to build the $5.3 billion link from Alberta’s oil sands to U.S. refineries in the Gulf Coast. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-03/keystone-delays-seen-giving-time-for-climate-concessions.html Greenhouse-Gas Fight Escalates. A quiet move by the Obama administration to put a higher price tag on greenhouse-gas emissions has sparked a big fight, prompting new legislation in Congress and sniping in academic circles. Buried in new energy-efficiency standards the Department of Energy released in May for microwave ovens was an administration estimate that the cost to the country for each ton of carbon dioxide emitted was $36 in 2007 dollars—up from its 2010 estimate of $21 a ton. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324324404579040950076712782.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Population growth increases climate fear. California has 157 endangered or threatened species, looming water shortages, eight of the 10 most air-polluted cities in the country and 725 metric tons of trash washing up on its coast each year. California also has 38 million people, up 10 percent in the last decade, including 10 million immigrants. They own 32 million registered vehicles and 14 million houses. By 2050, projections show 51 million people living in the state, more than twice as many as in 1980. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Population-growth-increases-climate-fear-4781833.php U.S. and Europe may face off over reducing airline emissions. The Obama administration faces a possible confrontation with Europe over reducing carbon emissions when representatives of 191 countries gather this month in Montreal to develop global standards for aviation emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from commercial flights are growing at a steep rate, and nations participating in the International Civil Aviation Organization meeting said they hope that it leads to strong, enforceable standards. So far, the chances appear slim, according to observers. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airline-emissions-20130903,0,5513176.story DIESEL EMISSIONS Valley air district offers 2 diesel truck-grant programs. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is seeking Valley truckers -- especially single owner/operators -- to apply for grants to help meet a state emission-reduction deadline and is offering free regional workshops to provide application assistance. The district has made an additional $7 million available and broadened its eligibility criteria through its Truck Voucher Program, specifically for the Valley's 15,000 single owner/operators. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/31/3473045/valley-air-district-offers-2-diesel.html Valley truckers fret over clean exhaust cost. Thousands of San Joaquin Valley truck drivers are facing a Jan. 1 deadline to complete expensive upgrades to their rigs, prompting air-quality officials to free up millions of dollars in assistance. The impending deadline is part of a controversial state rule to reduce diesel pollution from large trucks. The rule was delayed in 2010 because of the crumbling economy, but now it is once more lurching forward. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130903/A_NEWS/309030308/-1/A_BIZ VEHICLES Chevrolet Cruze diesel adds fuel efficiency but sticks to recipe. Like the American kid who returns from study abroad with a German accent, Chevrolet's latest Cruze sedan will come with a decidedly European flair. Starting in September, Chevy will offer the compact sedan with a diesel engine. It joins the two gas engines that have been available in the car since the Cruze began selling in 2010. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-chevy-cruze-20130831,0,1578720.story OPINION A Carbon Tax That America Could Live With. THIS summer, the Obama administration released the President’s Climate Action Plan. It is a grab bag of regulations and policy initiatives aimed at reducing the nation’s carbon emissions, which many scientists believe contribute to global warming. This got me to thinking: What might I do to reduce my own carbon emissions? Here are some things I came up with. Think of them as Greg Mankiw’s Climate Action Plan. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/business/a-carbon-tax-that-america-could-live-with.html?hpw The air near L.A.'s freeways: How dangerous? You know something is off base when the regional air district monitors and regulates emissions from fire pits on Southern California's beaches, which affect a handful of homeowners, before it gets around to the 24/7 blasts of pollution along the area's freeways. That's not entirely the fault of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, though. Unhealthful emissions from cars and especially trucks along the freeways have fallen into a regulatory black hole until now. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-freeway-pollution-20130903,0,1359178.story Air pollution and the effect of the electric car. If one were to identify the top problems in the areas 40 miles north and south of Salt Lake City, most people would name air pollution among the top five. Six counties in Utah have been graded "F" in "State of Air 2013," according to the report issued by the American Lung Association. Throughout many years, for quite a number of days each year, inversion, a phenomenon characterized by haze, exists over valleys in Utah, causing health problems for young and old alike — especially those who are troubled by bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. Posted. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765636887/Air-pollution-and-the-effect-of-the-electric-car.html?pg=all BLOGS Choking on Pollution, Beijing Eyes Car Congestion Fee. Faced with often catastrophic air pollution, Beijing is considering taking a page out of London’s playbook: a congestion fee for car owners. A notice published on the Beijing government website (in Chinese) late Monday said the city is mulling a policy to impose a congestion fee for cars as it aims to keep less than 6 million vehicles licensed by the end of 2017, from about 5.35 million now. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/09/03/choking-on-pollution-beijing-eyes-car-congestion-fee/?KEYWORDS=air+pollution California companies fined $3.6 million for importing dirty ATVs. One California-based consultant just got busted for double-dipping on four-wheelers. Chi Zheng, whose Los Angeles-based companies MotorScience Inc. and MotorScience Enterprise Inc. specialized as a consultant for all-terrain vehicle imports from China, had his companies fined $3.6 million for violating emissions requirements, according to the US Department of Justice, US Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The companies were hit with a $3.55 million fine and a $60,000 civil penalty to be paid within six months and must follow a strict compliance plan for the next 15 years. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/01/california-companies-fined-3-6-million-for-importing-dirty-atvs/ Swiss engineers working on 80-mpg CNG-diesel-electric hybrid. Automakers have a tough sell reaching fuel economy standards in the US and Europe. Swiss researchers think the solution will have to come from a fusion of the technologies. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have developed a new engine that they say could get the equivalent of 80 miles per gallon. It's a hybrid that gets its power from a diesel engine, natural gas and an electric motor. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/03/swiss-engineers-working-on-80-mpg-cng-diesel-electric-hybrid/ CARB Formaldehyde Rule Should Be Law of the Land. A dozen years ago, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) embarked on a regulatory process that resulted in groundbreaking limits on formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. California's Airborne Toxic Control Measure (ATCM) went into effect in January 2009 and has altered the way industry does business around the world. Product emissions have dropped to historic lows, the development of new adhesive formulations has accelerated, and a global Third Party Testing and Certification (TPC) system has emerged to manage CARB's regulation and support its credibility in the marketplace. Posted. http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood-blogs/closets-blog/home-storage-trends-guest-blogs/CARB-Formaldehyde-Rule-Should-Be-Law-of-the-Land-222084321.html?ref=321#sthash.jn0DhLAb.dpbs Is global warming really slowing down? Chances are you’ve heard people say that global warming has “stopped,” “paused,” or hit a “slowdown.” It’s a favorite talking point of political conservatives like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who recently declared that there has been “no recorded warming since 1998.” Climate skeptics frequently use these arguments to cast doubt on climate science and to downplay the urgency of addressing global warming. Last year, for instance, Fox News pronounced global warming “over.” Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/is-global-warming-really-slowing-down/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2013 15:41:07 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 4, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 4, 2013. 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 World Bank targets air pollution in climate battle. The World Bank said on Tuesday it was planning "aggressive action" to help developing nations cut emissions of soot and other air pollutants blamed for causing climate change, in a shift also meant to protect human health and aid crop growth. Of its funding to poor nations, almost 8 percent - $18 billion from 2007-12 - goes to sectors such as energy, farming, waste and transport that have a potential to cut emissions, a bank report said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/03/us-climate-pollution-idUSBRE9820YD20130903 Cap-and-trade auctions look safer after court ruling. In case you missed it, California’s cap-and-trade system scored a big win in court last week. A Sacramento Superior Court judge ruled the state’s 2006 climate change law, Assembly Bill 32, gives authority to the California Air Resources Board to create the cap-and-trade program, according to the Sacramento Bee. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/09/03/cap-and-trade-emissions-auctions-ruling.html AIR POLLUTION EPA says Ill. sand company violated clean air law. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it's reached a settlement with a northern Illinois sand manufacturer over alleged air pollution violations. The agency said Tuesday that HA International will install equipment to reduce hazardous chemicals and sand emitted at its Oregon facility in Ogle County. Oregon is about 100 miles west of Chicago. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EPA-says-Ill-sand-company-violated-clean-air-law-4785049.php School gets parking lot outlets for car heaters. A construction project aimed at improving Fairbanks air quality is affecting a high school during the opening weeks of school. Crews are installing electrical outlets in the parking lot of West Valley High School so students and staff can plug in vehicle headbolt heaters. The heaters warm car engines and cut down on pollution emitted by cold starts. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/School-gets-parking-lot-outlets-for-car-heaters-4785904.php CLIMATE CHANGE Sandy's 'freaky' path may be less likely in future. Man-made global warming may further lessen the likelihood of the freak atmospheric steering currents that last year shoved Superstorm Sandy due west into New Jersey, a new study says. But don't celebrate a rare beneficial climate change prediction just yet. The study's authors said the once-in-700-years path was only one factor in the massive $50 billion killer storm. They said other variables such as sea level rise and stronger storms will worsen with global warming…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/AP977c805021d942faa60b7fd78a46a3c6.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Wildfires and Climate Change. The huge wildfire scorching one of America’s most beloved national parks, Yosemite, has rained ash on San Francisco’s water supply and jolted the nation. Experts say this is just a foretaste of major fires to come, in the United States and much of the world. Increasing incursions by humans into forests, coupled with altered forest ecology and climate change, will make fires bigger and more destructive, with implications for air quality as well as homes and infrastructure. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/business/energy-environment/wildfires-and-climate-change.html?ref=earth&_r=0 Black soot forced early retreat of Alpine glaciers in the 1800s. Black soot from 19th century homes and factories in Europe hastened the end of the Little Ice Age and caused glaciers in the Alps to retreat decades sooner than they would have otherwise, according to a new study. The black carbon particles caused the snow to absorb more heat, speeding up the melting process. As a result, the glaciers beneath the snowpack were exposed earlier in the year, giving them more time to melt. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-black-carbon-alps-glaciers-20130904,0,1354331.story DIESEL EMISSIONS Redding Joins North State Counties in Opposing New Clean-air Standards for Big Rigs. Redding became the first city to ask the California Air Resources Board to delay pending diesel-truck emission regulations that one council member said would decimate the north state trucking industry and lead to higher prices and empty store shelves. In a 5-0 vote, the Redding City Council... Posted. http://anewscafe.com/2013/09/04/redding-joins-north-state-counties-in-opposing-new-clean-air-standards-for-big-rigs/ FUELS 'Fracking' moratorium proposed by two L.A. City Council members. Los Angeles City Council members Paul Koretz and Mike Bonin are calling for a moratorium on the practice of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” which is used by energy companies to extract hard-to-reach oil. In a prepared statement Tuesday, the councilmen called fracking and its related processes a “major threat” to the city’s local water supply, air quality and private property. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-fracking-moratorium-20130903,0,313998.story?track=rss VEHICLES Toyota Avalon adds fuel-thrifty hybrid. Move over, Toyota Camry. It's time for Toyota's other sizable sedan, the Avalon, to get some well-deserved attention. Recently revamped with a stylish body and new features, the five-door Avalon now also has an impressive, fuel-sipping, gasoline-electric hybrid model. Not only does the Avalon Hybrid provide comfortable seating for five, with a roomy back seat, the new hybrid is rated by the federal government at 40 miles per gallon in city driving and 39 mpg on the highway — the best of any Avalon ever. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Toyota-Avalon-adds-fuel-thrifty-hybrid-4731614.php DOE invests $45M in accelerating vehicle efficiency. The Department of Energy announced a $45 million investment today in 38 projects aimed at making motor vehicles leaner and greener. The projects examine every aspect of trimming automobiles' energy use -- including lighter-weight materials; electric batteries; power electronics; fuels and lubricants; and efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, DOE said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986711/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Hero Group Plans 1 Gigawatt of Indian Renewable-Energy Capacity. Hero Group, the parent of India’s biggest motorcycle maker, plans to build 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2017. Its new unit, Hero Future Energies, completed its first 37.5-megawatt wind farm in Rajasthan state and has won a license to build a 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in Karnataka, Hero Future Managing Director Rahul Munjal said in an e-mailed statement today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-04/hero-group-plans-1-gigawatt-of-indian-renewable-energy-capacity.html Silsbee-based company teams with Coca-Cola to create first-of-its-kind bottle. It's in the plastic bottles you drink from, the carpet you walk on, the clothes you wear and in the fuel in your tank. And a Silsbee company working alongside the Coca-Cola Co. is transforming that chemical into the first environmentally-friendly product of its kind. Gevo, adjacent to the South Hampton Resources plant on Farm-to-Market Road 418 in Silsbee, is tinkering with the molecules to make the new product. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Silsbee-based-company-teams-with-Coca-Cola-to-4785676.php DOE study finds wind farms have no economic impact on neighbors. A new study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds that wind farms have no measurable effect on real estate prices in communities where turbines are built within 10 miles of homes. But the analysis, prepared for the Energy Department's Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, is unlikely to quell ongoing debate over wind farms' effects on property values, especially at the local level. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986673/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Wary of cultural impacts, tribe wants to slow review of massive Calif. Project. An American Indian tribe with a history of challenging the Obama administration over the effects of renewables development on cultural resources wants regulators to slow down the review of a proposed solar power project in Southern California's Chuckwalla Valley. The Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation submitted a three-page comment letter to the California Energy Commission…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986708/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Economist's Theories Led to Carbon Trading. Economist Ronald Coase garnered a Nobel Prize for work that, among other things, provided the intellectual framework for reducing pollution by trading carbon credits instead of enforcing antipollution laws, as well as for auctioning the airwaves for cellphones and pagers. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324202304579053280483349094.html?KEYWORDS=carbon OPINION A sampling of editorials from around New York. The Albany Times-Union on the value of cap-and-trade of greenhouse emissions. Sept. 1 Imagine a program that lowers pollution and raises hundreds of millions of dollars for energy savings, investment and research without taxation. That, in a nutshell, is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/04/5706207/a-sampling-of-editorials-from.html#storylink=cpy Clock is running out for real CEQA reform: Editorial. State residents are still waiting for the Legislature to complete meaningful reforms of the California Environmental Quality Act, the four-decades-old law that has done a lot of good but also has been exploited by powerful interests to stall development projects for selfish reasons. With the deadline for passing bills only 10 days away, the state senator who’s supposed to be leading CEQA reform efforts for the good of all Californians has been focusing on a narrow fix that would mostly help his Sacramento-area district. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/opinion/20130903/clock-is-running-out-for-real-ceqa-reform-editorial BLOG Beijing Eyes Car Congestion Fee. Faced with often catastrophic air pollution, Beijing is considering taking a page out of London’s playbook: a congestion fee for car owners. A notice published on the Beijing government website (in Chinese) late Monday said the city is mulling a policy to impose a congestion fee for cars as it aims to keep less than 6 million vehicles licensed by the end of 2017, from about 5.35 million now. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/riskandcompliance/2013/09/03/beijing-eyes-car-congestion-fee/?KEYWORDS=air+pollution Global warming in one unmistakably compelling chart. If you have any doubt the balance of the globe has warmed over the last century, view this chart: (Chart) Produced by NASA, the chart illustrates how temperatures have compared to “normal” (or the 1951-1980 average) from 1880 to present, from pole to pole (-90 latitude to 90 latitude). From the 1880 to the 1920s, blue and green shades dominate the chart, signaling cooler than normal temperatures in that era. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/09/04/an-unmistakably-compelling-chart-of-global-warming/ 260.5 EVs set world record for electric vehicle parade. Norway has long led Europe in electric vehicle adoption, and now the country's EV advocates can boast of holding a new world record: the largest-ever gathering of moving electric vehicles. We are particularly amused that the record was set by 260 and a half EVs, since one of the cars was a cutaway version of the Nissan Leaf. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/03/260.5-evs-set-world-record-electric-vehicle-parade-video/ Battery Recycler to Test Soil for Dangerous Metals; Neighbors Skeptical. State-ordered testing of the soil for lead and other toxins around a battery recycling plant in Vernon, just east of downtown Los Angeles, is underway. The plant, Exide Technologies, has already been accused of endangering the lives of 110,000 people who live nearby. But neighborhood residents and community leaders say they’re skeptical that the test results will force Exide’s factory to close before it can do any more harm. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2013/09/04/neighbors-skeptical-battery-recycler-to-test-soil-for-dangerous-metals-exide-arsenic-los-angeles/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2013 12:28:55 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 5, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 5, 2013. 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 Carbon Jumps to Five-Month High as EU Unveils Permit Allocation. Carbon permits advanced to the highest in almost five months after the benchmark contract breached a technical resistance level, power prices climbed and the European Union announced its allocation of allowances to polluters. December permits rose as much as 9.9 percent to 5.02 euros ($6.61) a metric ton on London’s ICE Futures Europe exchange, the highest since April 9. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-05/eu-carbon-price-advances-most-in-two-months-on-technical-breach.html UN Carbon Credit Program Reports $82 Million Surplus to June. The trust for the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism, the operator of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas credit program, had an operating surplus of $82 million in the 18 months through June 30, as offset supply increased. Fees and other income amounted to $141 million in the period, compared with expenses of $59.2 million…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-04/un-carbon-credit-program-reports-82-million-surplus-to-june.html AIR POLLUTION Safeway to pay $600,000 fine, trim emissions at stores. Safeway has agreed to reduce air pollution caused by its refrigeration equipment at 659 stores and pay a $600,000 fine as part of a settlement reached Wednesday in the federal court in San Francisco. The settlement follows allegations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the Pleasanton grocery-store chain, the nation's second largest…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Safeway-to-pay-600-000-fine-trim-emissions-at-4787523.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/04/safeway-to-pay-600k-fine-for-clean-air-violations/ http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_24017190/safeway-agrees-stop-leaks-refrigerant-chemical-at-stores?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986739/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Half of 2012 wild weather linked to climate change. A study of a dozen of last year's wildest weather events finds that in about half the cases, manmade global warming increased the likelihood of their occurrence. Researchers with the United States and British governments concluded Thursday that the other cases reflected the random freakiness of weather. They said climate change had made these events more likely: U.S. heat waves, Superstorm Sandy flooding…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_EXTREME_WEATHER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Half-of-2012-wild-weather-linked-to-climate-change-4789205.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/05/5709799/half-of-2012-wild-weather-linked.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/05/2903202/half-of-2012-wild-weather-linked.html#storylink=cpy http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/study-finds-global-warming-raised-likelihood-of-about-half-of-last-years-weirdest-weather/2013/09/05/f817df5e-163e-11e3-961c-f22d3aaf19ab_story.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/05/climate-change-hot-summers-sandy-like-flooding/2767965/ Climate Talks Should Encourage New Carbon-Trade Tests, IETA Says. Emissions traders want United Nations climate talks in November to set rules on a trial system of globally linked carbon markets, according to their Geneva-based lobby group. A market framework recognized by the UN would allow member countries to pursue their own carbon-cutting programs, while providing a “large” pool of tradable emission-reduction credits, Dirk Forrister, president of the International Emissions Trading Association, said yesterday by phone. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-05/climate-talks-should-encourage-new-carbon-trade-tests-ieta-says.html Climate change to bring more sizzling summers, study says. Does climate change contribute to extreme weather such as last year's record heat in the USA? New research suggests that, yes, it increases the likelihood these disasters will re-occur. Brace yourself for more hot summers ahead. Extreme weather researchers report on Thursday that climate change makes the searing summer that the struck the United States last year much more likely. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/05/climate-change-hot-summers-sandy-like-flooding/2767965/ DIESEL EMISSIONS Carnival to cut pollution from cruise ships. The world's largest cruise ship company will adopt technology from power plants and automobiles to reduce air pollution from the massive diesel engines powering its ships. In a tentative agreement reached Thursday with the Environmental Protection Agency, Carnival Corp. will deploy scrubbers to reduce sulfur dioxide and filters to trap soot on as many as 32 ships over the next three years. At port, the ships will plug into the electrical grid, rather than idle, to reduce pollution. Posted. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/carnival-cut-pollution-cruise-ships http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-05/carnival-agrees-to-spend-180-million-to-cut-pollution.html JURUPA VALLEY: Council eyes truck idling enforcement. The Jurupa Valley City Council on Thursday, Sept. 5, is expected to take its first step in trying to lessen the impact of hundreds of big rig trucks that pour into Jurupa Valley every day. Council members are set to discuss and possibly approve a program to enforce a statewide regulation by the Air Resources Board barring truck drivers from idling their engines for longer than five minutes at any location. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130904-jurupa-valley-council-eyes-truck-idling-enforcement.ece Trucking companies wary about switch to natural gas. Small and medium-sized trucking companies remain worried about switching from diesel to natural gas despite cheap gas prices that industry groups say won't go up anytime soon. Large trucking companies are making the capital-intensive switch as more natural gas pumps pop up at filling stations around the country. In June, UPS announced it would only buy natural gas trucks for its small-package business starting next year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986754/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS L.A. City Council members, activists call for ban on 'fracking'. The environmental risks of "fracking," or fracturing underground rock formations to reach oil reserves, are too great and should be banned, two Los Angeles City Council members said Wednesday. Oil companies in recent years have used fracking in the Inglewood Oil Field between Baldwin Hills and Century City to extract hard-to-reach oil from idled wells. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-fracking-council-20130904,0,5667175.story?track=rss Time is running out for sensible action on fracking regulations. With an oil boom in the making, California has among the weakest hydraulic fracturing regulations in the nation. Fuel is crucial; so is safeguarding water quality. California may be on the brink of another great oil boom. It consequently could be heading into an environmental disaster. A state senator from Agoura Hills is trying to allow the first while heading off the second. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-cap-fracking-20130905,0,3666358.column 2 L.A. City Council members propose ban on fracking for oil. Council members Paul Koretz and Mike Bonin propose changing city zoning laws to stop fracking and related oil extraction methods. The environmental risks of fracking, or fracturing underground rock formations to reach oil reserves, are too great and should be banned, two Los Angeles City Council members said Wednesday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-council-fracking-20130905,0,1960280.story Study: New gas development boom unlikely in Mich. Michigan may have large reserves of natural gas thousands of feet below the earth's surface but they probably won't be developed on a large scale for many years, if ever, giving policymakers time to deal with the environmental and public health concerns associated with the extraction process known as fracking, according to a study released Thursday. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/05/5709591/study-new-gas-development-boom.html#storylink=cpy TEP to shed part of part of coal-fired plant. Tucson Electric Power says it's diversifying its energy portfolio by getting less power from a coal-fired plant in eastern Arizona while moving to expand its purchases of power generated by natural gas. The utility says it's trying to take advantage of low natural gas prices by entering into talks with Entegra Power Group LLC to purchase a gas-fired generating unit at the Gila Bend Generating Station in Gila Bend. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/05/5709696/tep-to-shed-part-of-part-of-coal.html#storylink=cpy Dianne Feinstein supports fracking regulation bill. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Wednesday endorsed a controversial state bill that would regulate but allow “fracking” and another new means of extracting oil and gas. “The discovery that fracking and acidization of oil and gas formations could produce approximately 23.9 billion barrels of petroleum in the continental United States...Posted. http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2013/09/04/dianne-feinstein-supports-fracking-regulation-bill/ Coal-fired power, hit hard by natural gas, could see further market erosion from regulations – report. As the largest power grid in North America, the Eastern Interconnection encompasses 39 U.S. states, eight Canadian provinces and the District of Columbia. Some 84 percent of all U.S. coal-fired capacity falls within its jurisdiction. Given the Eastern Interconnection's lion-sized role in hosting the flow of coal-fired electrons in the United States…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986741/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Lawmakers extend carpool perk for clean vehicles. The state Senate has approved two bills designed to encourage motorists to buy low-polluting vehicles. Both extend existing programs that allow solo drivers to use carpool lanes as an incentive. SB286 by Democratic Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco passed the Senate Wednesday on a 30-8 vote. It would extend through 2018 the white sticker program that applies to plug-in hybrid vehicles and others that qualify as "inherently low emission" and "traditional zero emission" vehicles. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Lawmakers-extend-carpool-perk-for-clean-vehicles-4787761.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/04/5708199/lawmakers-extend-carpool-perk.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/04/lawmakers-extend-carpool-perk-for-clean-vehicles/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/04/3479211/lawmakers-extend-carpool-perk.html http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086720_california-extends-electric-car-hov-lane-access-to-2019 US transit chief to tour upstate NY bus plant. The Obama administration's top transit official will be at a bus manufacturing plant in upstate New York to announce the latest round of federal grants to boost the production of fuel cell buses for the public transit industry. Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff will be joined by state and local officials when he tours the BAE Systems plant in Endicott on Thursday morning. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/US-transit-chief-to-tour-upstate-NY-bus-plant-4788354.php Program introduces electric rental cars in Orlando. Visitors to Orlando often try new things while on vacation: thrilling roller coasters, luxury hotels, different cuisines. Now they can try out a fully electric car — and not have to pay for gas during their vacation. Under a new program announced Thursday called Drive Electric Orlando, anyone who rents one of 15 Nissan Leaf cars from Enterprise Rent-A-Car will be able to charge the car for free. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Program-introduces-electric-rental-cars-in-Orlando-4788428.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/05/5709715/program-introduces-electric-rental.html Plan would create new vehicle testing facility. The site of the former Willow Run powertrain plant in Michigan would be transformed into a high-tech vehicle research, development and testing facility under plans unveiled Thursday. The trust set up to oversee properties owned by a pre-bankruptcy General Motors announced plans for the "connected vehicle research center" in Washtenaw County's Ypsilanti Township along with Devon Industrial Group and Walbridge Development LLC. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Plan-would-create-new-vehicle-testing-facility-4789355.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/05/5709686/plan-would-create-new-vehicle.html GREEN ENERGY Va. utility top bidder for offshore wind leases. Virginia Dominion Power submitted a successful $1.6 million bid Wednesday to lease nearly 113,000 offshore acres for the development of wind turbines that could power 700,000 homes. Virginia's largest utility beat out one other bidder, Apex Virginia Offshore Wind LLC of Charlottesville, in the nation's second lease sale of ocean bottom dedicated to the development of huge wind turbines. Eight energy companies were qualified to bid on the Virginia lease. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Va-utility-top-bidder-for-offshore-wind-leases-4786302.php Group trying to build eastern Nebraska wind farm. A grass-roots group in eastern Nebraska's Burt County has been trying to get its wind farm off the ground and into the air, generating electricity. County Wind LLC has been working on the project since 2010 and has raised about $176,000 to hire a developer, an attorney and consultants and erect a tower to monitor wind speeds. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Group-trying-to-build-eastern-Nebraska-wind-farm-4789217.php Boost from the sun could help gas power plants generate more electricity, run more cleanly. Solar power remains a hard sell in the United States, but researchers in Washington have developed a way to harness the heat of the sun to boost the efficiency of conventional power plants. The new technology allows a natural gas-fired plant to generate 25 percent more electricity from the same amount of fuel. Posted. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/09/05/201253/boost-from-the-sun-could-help.html#storylink=cpy http://www.lodinews.com/ap/nation/article_0370d530-1627-11e3-9050-10604b9f0f42.html Renewable energy creates new jobs in the US. As the U.S. continues to pursue renewable energy, the effort may be having a healthy impact on the nation’s economy. The Obama administration has adopted an “all of the above” energy policy, which has the country pursuing all forms of power, including renewable energy and fossil-fuels. Posted. http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/renewable-energy-creates-new-jobs-us/8513756/ MISCELLANEOUS Edison releases documents on San Onofre steam generator. Southern California Edison, owner of the now-defunct San Onofre nuclear plant, has made documents available on a website relating to the ill-fated steam generator replacement that prompted the plant's closure. The documents, some of which had not been previously released, include correspondence and minutes of meetings between staff from Edison and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries …Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-onofre-documents-20130904,0,2109896.story Architecture in Tune With the Climate. Building “green” is nothing new. For decades, many architects have tried to adapt their designs to forestall a new normal, choosing materials that will be less damaging to the environment and arranging rooms to be heated or cooled by the sun and wind, not the grid. As well they might: Buildings, and the industries that make and assemble the materials that become buildings, are among the biggest contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/arts/design/a-crop-of-projects-with-green-bonafides.html?_r=0 OPINIONS It Was a Dark and Stormy Climate Study . . . Longer growing seasons, a year-round trade route through the Arctic, fewer people freezing to death: These are just a few of the boons that global warming could have in store for humanity, assuming the planet is in fact warming. We can now report one more happy possibility: fewer Sandy-like superstorms likely to hit land in the eastern U.S. …Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324886704579052630510445894.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Letters: Wasting water on fracking. Re "Going dry in a sea of wine," Sept. 2. The article on the lack of drinking water for residents of Paso Robles despite the abundance available to nearby wine growers highlights why fracking (hydraulic fracturing) should not be happening at all in California. How can it be that untold millions of gallons of water are being wasted to extract natural gas from the ground when residents don't have water to drink or to irrigate with? Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters/la-le-0905-thursday-fracking-water-20130905,0,3742443,print.story Feature: No fracking way! You may not have heard of Mainstreet Moms or 350Marin, but you will feel the heat, and soon. The Moms, along with 350.org and its associated nonprofits, are tangling with big oil companies to ban fracking in California. You don't know from fracking? Fracking allows oil companies to free oil from sand and shale far below the earth's surface by using huge amounts of water, sand and chemicals (often undisclosed), which becomes "dirty water" and virtually unusable again. Posted. http://www.pacificsun.com/news/environment/article_8c5d13f8-1597-11e3-8390-0019bb30f31a.html Climate change — do we have all the answers? Abraham Lincoln is famous for many things, including a speech in which he said, “... a house divided against itself cannot stand ...” Climate change is a topic that sometimes divides us. Without question, there is harm done to the cohesiveness of our communities when those on either side employ bombastic rhetoric, communicate in shrill tones, and convey sanctimonious certainty about their particular points of view. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/commentary/improving-north-county/climate-change-do-we-have-all-the-answers/article_210a43dc-15ec-11e3-90c1-0019bb2963f4.html?print=true&cid=print Is Yosemite Rim fire air pollution? Some Californians could get fined for it. The Yosemite Rim fire was some 80 percent contained as of Wednesday morning. But the fourth-largest fire in California history is still sending air pollution indexes climbing to record levels, especially in regions of Nevada and California unaccustomed to such heavy particulates in the air. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2013/0904/Is-Yosemite-Rim-fire-air-pollution-Some-Californians-could-get-fined-for-it.-video How Polluted Is Your Air? 3 Easy Ways To Find Out. With the enormous Yosemite Rim fire still raging this week (and expected to burn for three more weeks) and four new wildfires now burning in Montana and Idaho, people in the western United States are understandably worried about how all this smoke is affecting their air. And well they should be…Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/09/04/summer-wildfire-smoke-alert-how-bad-is-your-air-3-easy-ways-to-find-out/ BLOGS August Was A Hot Month for Electric Cars. August was a hot month for plug-in cars, proving, among other things, that big price cuts can move both metal and lithium-ion batteries. U.S. sales of the Nissan7201.TO +0.59% Leaf electric car, the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and the Toyota7203.TO +0.32% Prius plug-in model hit their highest monthly totals ever last month, reflecting a combination of well-publicized price cuts and a rising tide of demand for all types of vehicles. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/09/04/plugin/?KEYWORDS=emissions Fixing Stove Hoods To Keep Pollution Out Of The Kitchen. Hot summer days often mean air pollution warnings in big cities. But the air inside your kitchen can sometimes be just as harmful. Cooking fumes from your stove are supposed to be captured by a hood over the range — but even some expensive models aren't that effective. Jennifer Logue spends a lot of time thinking about what happens when she cooks. Posted. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/04/219012757/kitchen-range-hoods-may-not-be-as-effective-as-they-claim Can drastic new anti-pollution rules help clean up Beijing’s air? The air quality in Beijing has grown so bad that it’s begun to produce its own catch-22s. All that smog is starting to keep tourists away, but tourism is just the kind of less energy-intensive industry that China needs to develop. The city is hoping to ramp up its public bike-share system, in an effort to shift a majority of trips through the city center onto public transportation. Posted. http://grist.org/cities/can-drastic-new-anti-pollution-rules-help-clean-up-beijings-air/ Wind Farms And House Values: How Does The Renewable Energy Source Affect Real Estate Prices? A U.S. study has found that wind farm developments do not lower house values, a concern often flagged in objections to planning applications, but bigger less easily measured concerns remain. How, for instance, can you gauge the impact of placing a group of steel turbines in what locals often describe as familiar, treasured landscapes? Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/04/wind-farms-house-values_n_3865475.html?utm_hp_ref=green ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2013 13:42:31 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for September 6, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 6, 2013. 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 Australian gov't faces carbon tax backlash at poll. The ruling Labor Party's probable collapse in Australia's next election is largely the consequence of its qualified success in the last one three years ago. To form the coalition she needed to stay in power, then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard reneged on a promise and agreed to place a carbon tax on major polluters. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Australian-gov-t-faces-carbon-tax-backlash-at-poll-4791298.php AIR POLLUTION Shell to pay $1.1 million in fines for Arctic air-quality violations. Shell has agreed to pay $1.1 million (703.5 thousand pounds) for air-quality violations from the vessels it used to drill two oil-exploration wells in Arctic waters off Alaska last year, federal regulators said. Shell will pay the civil fines for Clean Air Act violations that were discovered during inspections of the Discoverer and Kulluk drillships, which operated in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, the Environmental Protection Agency said late on Thursday. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/09/06/uk-shell-alaska-fines-idUKBRE9850UU20130906 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-06/shell-to-pay-u-s-1-1-million-for-arctic-air-pollution.html http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059986816/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Arsenic emissions from Vernon firm Exide pose 'chronic hazard'. Emissions from battery recycler Exide pose a 'chronic hazard' to more than 250,000 people in surrounding areas, air district officials say. Risks include neurological changes in children. More than 250,000 people living in a broad swath of eastern Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Huntington Park and other southeast cities face a "chronic hazard" from exposure to arsenic emissions from a Vernon battery recycler, according to air district officials. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20130906,0,7816791.story?track=rss November smog attack. Nov. 12, 1959: Smog clouds the view on Broadway, looking south from 1st Street. Smog attacks were not limited to hot summer months. On Nov. 12, 1959, the high in Los Angeles was 74 degrees, but heavy smog covered the basin. This photo by staff photographer Edward Gamer was published on Page One of the Nov. 13, 1959, Los Angeles Times. The accompanying story reported: Smog covered the Los Angeles Basin yesterday, running from moderate to heavy, and more was predicted for today. Posted. http://framework.latimes.com/2013/09/06/november-smog-attack/ New Mexico regulators approve power plant proposal. State environmental regulators on Thursday signed off on a proposal that calls for shutting down part of a coal-fired power plant that serves more than 2 million customers in the Southwest. The proposal was negotiated earlier this year by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez's administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state's largest electric utility, PNM, as a way to curb pollution at the San Juan Generating Station in northwestern New Mexico. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/05/5711368/new-mexico-regulators-approve.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=home&search=1&firstRequest=1&query=air+pollution&searchindex=property&x=0&y=0 Policy and Enforcement: Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The Environmental Defense Fund, the American Lung Association and others have filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to revive the EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. The groups are saying that to uphold a lower court’s nullification of the major 2011 pollution rule would prevent regulators from ever tackling unhealthy power plant emissions that cross state lines, The Hill said. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/09/06/policy-and-enforcement/ EPA Seeking Comments on Reconsideration Of Air Rule for Backup Stationary Engines. The Environmental Protection Agency will accept public comments through Nov. 4 on its decision to reconsider three issues in air pollution standards for backup stationary engines that generate electricity, including the 2015 compliance date for requiring ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel, according to a notice published Sept. 5 (78 Fed. Reg. 54,606). Posted. http://www.bna.com/epa-seeking-comments-n17179876839/ CLIMATE CHANGE Economic woes may mute impact of U.N. report saying warming manmade. The strongest scientific warning to date that global warming is man-made may have a muted impact when it is released later this month with many governments more focused on nursing weak economies than on fixing the planet. Many are also still smarting from a failure to agree a global pact to fight climate change at a summit in Copenhagen in 2009 and wary of making bold promises under a new timetable meant to agree a global U.N. deal in 2015. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/06/us-ipcc-climate-idUSBRE9850JM20130906 Climate change threatens Caribbean's water supply. Experts are sounding a new alarm about the effects of climate change for parts of the Caribbean—the depletion of already strained drinking water throughout much of the region. Rising sea levels could contaminate supplies of fresh water and changing climate patterns could result in less rain to supply reservoirs in the coming decades, scientists and officials warned at a conference in St. Lucia this week. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24028973/climate-change-threatens-caribbeans-water-supply?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/05/3481386/climate-change-threatens-caribbeans.html DIESEL EMISSIONS DOT boosts funds for fuel cell buses to help spur green economy. The Department of Transportation yesterday announced $13.6 million to advance the commercialization of American-made fuel cell buses, in line with the Obama administration's goals to reduce oil dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. Eight projects were selected to receive funding under the Federal Transit Administration's National Fuel Cell Bus Program, which has dedicated nearly $90 million to the development of fuel cell technology over the last six years. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986805/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS White House reviewing U.S. 2014 biofuel targets. The Environmental Protection Agency has sent its proposal for U.S. biofuel use targets for 2014 to the White House for review, as the agency races to avoid the delays that plagued the renewable fuel program this year. Next year's targets are due to be proposed this month and finalized in December. That timeline could slip, however, depending on the how long the White House's Office of Management and Budget takes to review the proposal it received late last week. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/05/usa-epa-biofuel-idUSL2N0H113820130905 China's Sinopec to produce cleaner gasoline from October. China's Sinopec Corp will produce lower sulfur gasoline from October, three months ahead of an official mandate, as part of a national effort to clear up the smoggy air of Chinese cities. Except for two subsidiary plants that are undergoing maintenance, the top Asian refiner will cut sulfur in all its gasoline production from 150 parts per million (ppm) to 50 ppm from October 1, a company official said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/06/us-sinopec-gasoline-idUSBRE9850E820130906 VEHICLES 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid EPA-rated at 50 mpg city. Honda has begun US production of the 2014 Accord Hybrid (earlier post), which will carry an EPA fuel economy rating of 50 mpg (4.7 l/100 km) in city driving. The EPA rating is 1 mpg higher than Honda had originally anticipated for the hybrid (49 mpg). The new Accord Hybrid also carries an EPA-rated highway fuel economy of 45 mpg (5.2 l/100 km) and combined cycle fuel economy of 47 mpg (5.0 l/100 km) as the company had earlier projected. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/09/20130906-accord.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Pasadena, Sylmar firms to design, build first segment of California high-speed rail line. Two Southland firms will be involved in the design and construction of the first leg of California’s 800-mile, high-speed rail system. Tutor Perini Corp. of Sylmar and Parsons Corp. in Pasadena are part of the Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons joint venture, which has secured a $985 million contract with the California High-Speed Rail Authority to build the initial 29-mile stretch running from Madera to Fresno. Posted. http://www.sgvtribune.com/business/20130905/pasadena-sylmar-firms-to-design-build-first-segment-of-california-high-speed-rail-line GREEN ENERGY Calif. gives utilities new financial incentives to push energy efficiency. Utilities in California will be able to earn money when they persuade residents and businesses to add building upgrades that cut energy use, state regulators ruled yesterday. The California Public Utilities Commission yesterday unanimously approved up to $178 million for new incentives to promote energy efficiency in 2013-2014. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986807/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Bill to streamline Sacramento arena environmental review criticized. A last-minute bill to streamline environmental review of a basketball arena proposed in Sacramento is drawing flak from three high-profile groups that support strict scrutiny. The gut-and-amend bill is a threat to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), according to Sierra Club California, the Planning and Conservation League and the Center for Biological Diversity. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-bill-to-streamline-sacramento-arena-criticized-by-environmental-groups-20130904,0,254037.story?track=rss OPINIONS COLUMN-Acidifying oceans add to list of CO2 dangers: Wynn. The world's oceans will become dangerously acidic for corals and shellfish this century if carbon dioxide (CO2) levels continue to rise at current rates, adding to the urgency to reduce manmade CO2 emissions, according to an emerging science. Evidence for ocean acidity may also prove less controversial than the science of global warming, as it seems likely there will be less doubt surrounding the chemical and biological processes involved. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/06/column-wynn-ocean-acid-idUSL6N0H03CJ20130906 Buddiga: Time to plan for a healthier Fresno County. Seeing up to 30 patients per day, I know that many are dealing with the consequences of their environment. Whether people are sick with asthma or diabetes or other chronic diseases, it is clear to me that where people live impacts health. We have built our way into poor health for decades, and it needs to change. Neighborhoods designed for cars are not healthy neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the way our communities have been designed increase traffic and pollution while reducing opportunities to walk or bike for even the shortest daily errands. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/05/3481157/time-to-plan-for-a-healthier-fresno.html BLOGS U.S., China strike new climate agreement at G-20 summit. The United States and China announced Friday they would seek to eliminate some of the world’s most potent greenhouse gases through the 1987 Montreal Protocol, the landmark treaty that successfully phased out ozone-depleting substances decades ago. The move, announced at the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg, is significant because it provides a clear path for curbing a major contributor to global warming… Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/09/06/u-s-china-strike-new-climate-agreement-at-g-20-summit/ Assessing the Role of Global Warming in Extreme Weather of 2012. British and American climate agencies, drawing on work from around the world, have produced the second in what is planned as an annual roundup of studies seeking to characterize the contribution of human-driven global warming to rare and consequential weather and coastal events. The package, “Explaining Extreme Events of 2012 from a Climate Perspective,” was published yesterday in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological SocietyPosted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/assessing-the-role-of-global-warming-in-extreme-weather-of-2012/?_r=0 Fracking triggered more than 100 earthquakes in Ohio. A single fracking wastewater well triggered 167 earthquakes in and around Youngstown, Ohio, during a single year of operation. That’s according to a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research by Won-Young Kim, a researcher at Columbia University. Earthquakes had never been recorded at Youngstown before 2010. Posted. http://grist.org/news/fracking-triggered-more-than-100-earthquakes-in-ohio/ August 2013: Everything's coming up green edition. After plateauing earlier this year, US green car sales are settling into a steady pattern of chalking up year-over-year increases in the 30 percent to 50 percent range. Last month, Toyota and Ford both sold their hybrids to a broader range of customers. Plug-in vehicle sales also received a boost after the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in, Nissan Leaf and Toyota RAV4 EV battery-electrics and Toyota Prius…Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/06/august-2013-green-car-sales/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 9 Sep 2013 14:22:29 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 9, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 9, 2013. 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 Australia's new gov't vows to scrap carbon tax. Australia's new government prepared to take control of the nation Sunday, with Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott vowing to immediately scrap a hated tax on carbon polluters and implement a controversial plan to stop asylum seekers from reaching the nation's shores. Abbott met with bureaucrats to go over his border security plans and said his first priority would be to repeal the deeply unpopular carbon tax on Australia's biggest industrial polluters. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_ELECTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Northeast Carbon Auction Raises $102.5m. Nine Northeastern and mid-Atlantic US states raised $102.5 million selling carbon dioxide allowances in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s (RGGI) auction last week. RGGI, the nonprofit that administers the regional carbon auction, says all of the available greenhouse gas emissions permits sold out at the Sept. 4 event — it sold 38.4 million allowances for $2.67. Each permit gives a company the right to emit 1 ton of CO2. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/09/09/northeast-carbon-auction-raises-102-5m/ AGRION to Take a Deeper Look at California’s Cap-And-Trade Program This Week in San Francisco with BP America, CA’s Legislative Analyst Office, Morrison Foerster & More. California’s Air Resources Board (CARB) is becoming increasingly optimistic for the future of its cap-and-trade program after the results of its August 16th auction of carbon pollution permits. The cap-and-trade program is an aggressive statewide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to their 1990 levels…Posted. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/9/prweb11102094.htm AIR POLLUTION Critics say fines show Shell not ready for Arctic. Critics of offshore Arctic drilling say $1.1 million in fines levied against Royal Dutch Shell for air pollution violations show that the petroleum giant is not ready to safely drill off Alaska's northern coast. A Shell spokesman says the fines are part of learning how to operate complex equipment in a harsh environment. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SHELL_ARCTIC_AIR_VIOLATIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/06/5713282/critics-say-fines-show-shell-not.html Canada to Work With U.S. to Cut Carbon Emissions, Minister Says. Canada wants to work with the U.S. to cut greenhouse-gas emissions from the oilsands in Alberta, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said today. Oliver, who met with U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz in Washington, said his nation has already agreed to curb emissions, in line with the pledges made by the U.S., and he outlined the actions the country has taken to reduce reliance on coal. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-09/canada-to-work-with-u-s-to-cut-carbon-emissions-minister-says.html Carbon Fix Returns to EU Agenda as Presidency to Seek Mandate. European Union governments will discuss an emergency measure to help boost carbon prices this week as Lithuania seeks to advance talks on the draft plan, according to two EU officials with knowledge of the matter. Lithuania, which holds the EU rotating presidency, plans to push for a mandate to start talks on the proposal…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-09/carbon-fix-returns-to-eu-agenda-as-presidency-to-seek-mandate.html Researchers: Clean Air Act is helping forests. A team of university scientists has found that federal clean-air laws have helped forests recover from pollution. Kansas State University associate biology professor Jesse Nippert collaborated on the project with West Virginia University researchers. Kansas State says in a news release the researchers spent four years studying more than 100 years' worth of rings in Eastern red cedar trees in the central Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Researchers-Clean-Air-Act-is-helping-forests-4797819.php Air alert: Smoke, ozone on the rise in San Joaquin Valley. Facing the double whammy of ozone and smoke, local air quality leaders have declared a second alert, running Monday through Wednesday, for the eight counties in the San Joaquin Valley. The region is sweltering with temperatures forecast above 100 degrees with only light breezes -- conditions that lead to ozone formation. The sprawling Rim fire in Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park is sending smoke and ozone-making gases into the Valley. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/09/3487743/air-alert-smoke-ozone-on-the-rise.html#storylink=cpy http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x740582144/Local-officials-call-second-Air-Alert AIR POLLUTION: Winning the battle involves government, technology, lifestyle. Much has been done to improve air quality in recent decades, but more work is needed to reduce levels of the Inland’s worst pollutants — nitrogen oxides, ozone and particulate matter — that threaten residents’ health, regulators said. Federal, state and regional air quality officials have imposed rules to reduce emissions from cars…Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130906-air-pollution-winning-the-battle-involves-government-technology-lifestyle.ece AIR QUALITY: Warehouse plan closely watched. Moreno Valley, a city embroiled in scandals that last month saw one City Council member resign after his arrest on fraud charges, also is a testing ground in the struggle to balance the need for jobs and the imperative for clean air. City staff members are processing plans by a local developer to build a warehousing hub covering the equivalent of 700 football fields. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130907-air-pollution-moreno-valley-warehouse-decision-closely-watched.ece Road side air pollution ups risk of death in bronchiectasis patients. A new study has revealed that living close to a busy road is associated with a higher risk of death in people with bronchiectasis. The research has added to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the damaging effects of road-side pollution. The study investigated the association between the residential distance to a main road…Posted. http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/road-side-air-pollution-ups-risk-of-death-in-bronchiectasis-patients-113090800113_1.html ‘Unhealthy’ air quality alert issued for Calexico. The Imperial Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an “unhealthy” air quality alert for Calexico on Saturday. People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children are considered most at risk, particularly when active, and should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. The general population may also experience increased respiratory effects and should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/unhealthy-air-quality-alert-issued-for-calexico/article_9c9aea72-185f-11e3-a1b9-0019bb30f31a.html Calgon Carbon awarded $25M-$30M Canadian contract. Calgon Carbon Corp. and distributor Brenntag Canada Inc. have won a contract valued between $25 million and $30 million to supply activated carbon to a large Canadian electricity generator. Calgon Carbon (NYSE: CCC) will supply its second-generation Fluepac powdered activated carbon to remove mercury from the flue gas of two coal-fired electric generating plants. The contract, which will be in place through December 2015, is an extension of an existing agreement for the company's first-generation product. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2013/09/09/calgon-carbon-awarded-25-30m.html Researchers find link between ozone, heart disease. UC Berkeley researchers have discovered a link between the regional prevalence of the common air pollutant ozone and an increased risk of premature death from heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. The team used a state-of-the-art statistical model to aggregate mortality rates from different regions in California from 1982 to 2000 and levels of ozone and particulate matter gathered from government monitors situated across California. Posted. http://www.dailycal.org/2013/09/08/researchers-find-link-between-ozone-heart-disease/ Airline ozone emissions most significant over Pacific – study. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that flights to and from Australia and New Zealand during the month of October create the highest amount of tropospheric ozone, a powerful global warming pollutant. The new findings come at a time when the aviation industry, which has the fastest-growing greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation sector…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986878/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE G20 countries agree to phase down potent greenhouse gas. Leaders attending the Group of 20 summit of the world's biggest economies in St. Petersburg, Russia, agreed on Friday to phase down the use of certain potent greenhouse gases known to damage the climate. The White House cited the agreement to cooperate on phasing down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), gases used in refrigerators, air conditioners and some industrial equipment, as one of the "most significant agreements" of the summit. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/06/us-g20-climate-idUSBRE9850WU20130906 Harper Offers Obama Climate Action for Keystone Approval. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has offered to participate in joint efforts with the U.S. to cut greenhouse-gas emissions to win approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, according to a person familiar with the matter. Harper sent a letter to President Barack Obama last month as part of an effort to mollify U.S. concerns about the pipeline, said the person, who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to discuss it publicly. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-06/harper-offers-obama-climate-action-for-keystone-cbc-says.html The power of future storms hard to predict. Big storms are fed by energy from warm seas, and experts say that with warmer oceans there's a lot more of that energy today at their disposal then there used to be. The jury is still out on whether this will mean a future of more frequent and more powerful storms, but experts can agree that we're in for changes to what was once considered the norm. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/The-power-of-future-storms-hard-to-predict-4793352.php Here's How Much Your State Cares About Climate Change [MAP] How much does your state care about climate change? The map below, courtesy of AllianceBernstein, will give you an idea as it shows renewable energy portfolio targets across the country. States invest in renewables to decrease their carbon output and their dependence on oil, coal, and natural gas. In the map, 29 states plus Washington D.C. and two U.S. territories have renewable portfolio standards. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Here-s-How-Much-Your-State-Cares-About-Climate-4793274.php Nebraska lecture to look at climate change, health. A lecture this month on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus will look at the effect of global warming on human health. On Wednesday, public health expert Wendy Ring will give an overview of the impact climate change is having on individual and community health. Her discussion will connect climate change to everything from infectious diseases to mental health. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Nebraska-lecture-to-look-at-climate-change-health-4794711.php Gov. Patrick heading to Canada for energy confab. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is heading to Canada to discuss alternative energy sources, including hydropower. Patrick leaves Sunday to attend the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers' Annual Conference in Quebec. Patrick said the conference is an opportunity to strengthen regional partnerships to build on Massachusetts' leadership in creating renewable energy…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/07/5715288/gov-patrick-heading-to-canada.html#storylink=cpy Scientists suggest ways to turn CO2 emissions into a fuel. Aiming for two birds with one stone, scientists are developing ways to convert carbon dioxide waste into fuel, effectively reversing the combustion process. Turning greenhouse gases into raw materials for carbon-based fuels would close the carbon loop and mitigate humanity's impacts on the climate, all while generating economic value. The United States alone releases 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually and consumed 6.8 billion barrels of oil products in 2012…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986885/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Ocean warming changes chemical cycles in plankton – study. When scientists who study phytoplankton, the tiny organisms that live in the surface of the ocean and other water bodies, try to explain their importance, they often say something like this: "Every second breath you take comes from phytoplankton." That's because there are enough of these minuscule plants floating around, sucking in carbon dioxide and breathing out oxygen, to significantly affect major chemical cycles on Earth. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986874/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS JURUPA VALLEY: Council OKs anti-idling program. The Jurupa Valley City Council on Thursday, Sept. 5 unanimously approved a program to enforce a state ban on trucks idling their engines for longer than five minutes. The program will involve the city accepting a $30,000 grant that will be used to train either a code enforcement officer or deputy on how to enforce the regulation passed by the California Air Resources Board. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/riverside/riverside-headlines-index/20130906-jurupa-valley-council-okays-anti-idling-program.ece Automated systems simplify regulatory compliance. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), to name a few, have introduced new regulations to regulate air pollution. Steep fines and delays face maritime operators that do not comply with engine emissions monitoring and reporting. This is a challenge for shipping companies on several levels. Posted. http://www.maritimejournal.com/news101/industry-news/automated-systems-simplify-regulatory-compliance FUELS Seismologist: Fracking doesn't cause earthquakes. Human activity associated with oil and gas production can sometimes cause earthquakes, but the problem is not hydraulic fracturing, a seismologist from the University of Texas told researchers gathered for a two-day conference on Marcellus shale-gas drilling. When the rare quakes do occur, they're typically linked to the disposal of drilling fluids in underground injection wells, Cliff Frohlich said Monday at West Virginia University. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Seismologist-Fracking-doesn-t-cause-earthquakes-4798554.php What happened to biofuels? Energy technology: Making large amounts of fuel from organic matter has proved to be more difficult and costly than expected. SCIENTISTS have long known how to convert various kinds of organic material into liquid fuel. Trees, shrubs, grasses, seeds, fungi, seaweed, algae and animal fats have all been turned into biofuels to power cars, ships and even planes. As well as being available to countries without tar sands, shale fields or gushers…Posted. http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21584452-energy-technology-making-large-amounts-fuel-organic-matter-has-proved-be Oil lobbyists seek CEQA exemption ahead of Calif. frack bill vote. Oil industry lobbyists sought to gain an exemption from the leading California environmental law as they pushed back against legislation mandating oversight of hydraulic fracturing, multiple people familiar with the activities said. The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) last week offered language that would have given oil companies conducting fracking on wells a release from requirements…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059986892/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Hybrids, small SUVs, sense of relief at Frankfurt. The world's automakers are showing off their shiniest, most advanced vehicles at the Frankfurt Auto Show, which opens this week. Among the 70 world premieres are a notable number of new cars powered either by batteries or hybrid gas-electric systems. There are also outlandish concept cars that flaunt technology and design but aren't intended for sale. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANKFURT_AUTO_SHOW?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Hybrids-small-SUVs-sense-of-relief-at-Frankfurt-4797749.php GREEN ENERGY Sonoma County takes closer look at green energy projects. With renewable energy development now a central issue in Sonoma County, disputed rules that would govern the size and location of green energy projects are returning to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday for approval. The zoning changes, which focus largely on solar systems, would open up more land in unincorporated areas to commercial-scale projects, including agricultural, industrial and business parcels. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130907/articles/130909617 Going green a growing home trend. It isn’t always easy being green, but green is exactly what an increasing number of homebuyers want in their dream homes. From strong preferences for energy efficiency to an industry employing more green construction practices, the focus on green homes is on the upswing. With energy costs on the rise, more homeowners than ever before are looking for homes built with energy efficiency in mind. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/07/going-green-a-growing-home-trend/ Greening Calif. Schools a ‘Win-Win’ for Students, Districts. The Met is a high school with a unique style and design: It has recycled glass counters in front of the administration office, ceilings made of recovered wood from old gym bleachers, and landscaping that was designed to use less water. A model of energy efficiency, The Met is where most schools in the state would like to be, and thanks to a new funding stream many could get that chance. Posted. http://newamericamedia.org/2013/09/greening-calif-schools-a-win-win-for-students-districts.php MISCELLANEOUS San Joaquin Valley contest seeking art for air calendar. The San Joaquin Valley Air District is seeking student artwork for the 2014 Healthy Air Living Kids' Calendar contest. Valley students from kindergarten through high school can submit pieces illustrating the ways valley residents can live healthy-air lives, with an accompanying clean-air message. Guidelines for creating a winning Healthy Air Living calendar entry. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/07/2908750/san-joaquin-valley-contest-seeking.html Skolnick's Scoop / 5 easy steps to a green up your act at home. "Eco-friendly." "Carbon footprint." "Global warming." "Energy-efficient." These phrases have become part of our lexicon as we've become more aware of our impact on the environment and our role in protecting it. As a homeowner, there are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take to make your home energy-efficient. Get started on the road to being "green" with these five tips: Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Skolnick-s-Scoop-5-easy-steps-to-a-green-up-4792895.php OPINIONS Editorial: Legislature should approve fracking regulation. Californians own nearly 32 million vehicles. Yet more than half the petroleum consumed in California comes from foreign lands, primarily the Middle East. That must change, but in an environmentally sound manner. Legislation by Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, and Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, would allow the oil extraction technique known as fracking to continue, but with strict regulations. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/08/5713660/editorial-legislature-should-approve.html#storylink=cpy Yosemite fire lesson: Cut risk with biomass energy. The Rim Fire is a sad reminder that wildfires are a growing threat to public health, safety and the water and power supplies for large parts of California. California can significantly reduce those risks by investing in small, sustainable forest biomass facilities that would use green waste to create renewable energy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Yosemite-fire-lesson-Cut-risk-with-biomass-energy-4790807.php Teaching Climate Change To Skeptics. A few years ago, Joseph B. Lassiter traveled to San Francisco, Houston, and New York to hold discussions with Harvard alumni on the topic of business and the environment. Each time, he surveyed the audience about the touchy subject of climate change and how society should react to it. And while his presentations had been essentially identical and the audiences at first blush quite similar, the attitudes he encountered were disparate. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2013/09/09/teaching-climate-change-to-skeptics/ BLOGS As It Increases Production, Tesla Worries About Battery Supply. Tesla Motors’ recent growth has been striking, but at the Teslive event in northern California last July, Elon Musk, the company’s chief executive, made it plain that further expansion might be hindered by problems in the supply chain. “Our issues right now are actually not so much demand generation as they are production related,” he said. “In order for production to grow, we have to have the whole supply chain move in cadence.” Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/as-it-increases-production-tesla-worries-about-battery-supply/?src=recg&_r=0 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 12:51:35 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 10, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 10, 2013. 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 may be hurt as emissions drop off. California's new cap-and-trade system for cutting greenhouse gas emissions may soon face a paradoxical problem - emissions that are falling faster than expected. A report issued Monday argues that California's emissions are already dropping, undercut by a sluggish economy and the state's growing use of renewable power. That may sound like cause for celebration. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Cap-and-trade-may-be-hurt-as-emissions-drop-off-4800021.php Analyst sharply downgrades price forecast for Calif. Allowances. California's carbon trading system will likely be less expensive for businesses in the Golden State than previously expected, according to a new analysis based on updated greenhouse gas emissions data. Prices for allowances in California's landmark economywide cap-and-trade system should be at or near the minimum floor established by the state through 2020, thanks to other carbon-cutting policies that are working as expected…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059986960/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION California: Fires Prompt Air Quality Warning. Air quality officials are warning San Joaquin Valley residents of potential health hazards because of increasing ozone levels and smoke from lingering wildfires. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an air alert, the second this year, on Monday for San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare Counties and parts of Kern County. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/us/california-fires-prompt-air-quality-warning.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/10/5722220/air-alert-in-effect-for-san-joaquin.html#storylink=cpy http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130910/A_NEWS/309100309&cid=sitesearch http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/10/2912127/smoke-from-two-wildfires-worsens.html Improving Respirator Masks to Put Fresh Air in Reach. Now the government and the hazardous-equipment industry are trying to do better. They are working on a new generation of respirator masks, not just for rescue and cleanup workers but to prepare for outbreaks of disease and for still another emerging threat: the accidental releases of nanoparticles, the microscopic, engineered fibers that are starting to be used in electronics, food, medicine and more. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/science/improving-respirator-masks-to-put-fresh-air-in-reach.html?ref=science Report: Pa. power plants 3rd in carbon emissions. An environmental group says Pennsylvania's power plants rank third in emissions of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping gas that's heavily blamed for global warming. PennEnvironment also said in a report Tuesday that seven power plants in Pennsylvania rank among the nation's 100 biggest emitters of carbon dioxide. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Report-Pa-power-plants-3rd-in-carbon-emissions-4802020.php Bakersfield company fined for violating air quality regulations. Mountainside Disposal Inc./Price Disposal Inc. of Bakersfield is being fined by the California Air Resources Board for violating air quality regulations related to diesel trucks they operate. Mountainside Disposal/Price Disposal has paid $38,625 in penalties for its violations. Investigation showed that the company failed to install legally required diesel particulate filters on its trucks by applicable compliance dates, CARB says. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=24159 Penalties for smog violations collected. The Air Resources Board announced that it has settled 26 cases involving violations by companies manufacturing or selling consumer products that exceeded California's standards for smog. The violations involved gases known as volatile organic compounds. The excess in emissions of VOCs from these settlements amounted to over 24 tons. Posted. http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=30353 50 U.S. coal plants emit more CO2 than all but 6 countries – report. Fifty of the dirtiest coal-fired U.S. power plants together emit more carbon dioxide than all but six countries, according to a report released today by Environment America. The top five emitters, the report says: Georgia Power Co.'s Plant Scherer in Georgia, Alabama Power Co.'s James H. Miller Jr. plant in Alabama, Luminant's Martin Lake in Texas, Ameren Corp.'s Labadie plant in Missouri and NRG Energy Inc.'s W.A. Parish plant in Texas. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987001/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE A Climate Alarm, Too Muted for Some. This month, the world will get a new report from a United Nations panel about the science of climate change. Scientists will soon meet in Stockholm to put the finishing touches on the document, and behind the scenes, two big fights are brewing. In one case, we have a lot of mainstream science that says if human society keeps burning fossil fuels with abandon, considerable land ice could melt and the ocean could rise as much as three feet by the year 2100. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/science/a-climate-alarm-too-muted-for-some.html Global Warming’s Impact and Germs That Induce Thinness. Though many think the Moon does not have an atmosphere that is not quite true. There is an atmosphere, but it is extremely thin — and NASA is spending more than a quarter of a billion dollars to study it with a spacecraft launched on Friday. Back on Earth, scientists reported that global warming was changing not just the climate but the weather, intensifying at least some of last year’s extreme weather events. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/science/global-warmings-impact-and-germs-that-induce-thinness.html UC San Diego center awarded $20 million for climate research. A UC San Diego chemistry center has won $20 million from the National Science Foundation to continue pioneering research on the effects of tiny atmospheric particles on climate. The award, announced Monday, follows a much smaller NSF grant that helped establish the Center for Aerosol Impacts on Climate and the Environment at the university three years ago. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-aerosols-climate-san-diego-20130909,0,3836661.story FUELS Oil falls near $107 a barrel on Syria proposal. Oil dropped 2 percent Tuesday as support grew behind a plan for Syria to cede possession of its chemical weapons and avoid a military strike by the U.S. By midday, benchmark oil for October delivery was down $2.44, or 2.2 percent, to $107.08 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Monday, oil fell $1.01. Oil prices have been at elevated levels for two weeks following President Barack Obama's call for military action…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/10/5723637/oil-falls-near-107-a-barrel-on.html#storylink=cpy Fuel Economy Hits Six-Year High. The average fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the United States hit a new high of 24.9 miles per gallon in August, according to a University of Michigan study released Tuesday. The results indicate that automakers are producing more fuel-efficient models and consumers are continuing a trend of buying vehicles that use less gasoline. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/business/energy-environment/fuel-economy-hits-six-year-high.html Oil developers want to use controversial fracking method to tap California’s oil supply. A different kind of gold rush is coming to California and like the one that began at Sutter’s Mill, this one also involves gold, only black gold, as in crude oil. The vast, untapped oil reserves of the Monterey Shale formation stretching from Salinas to the Los Angeles Basin contain as much as 15.1 billion barrels of oil. Oil developers plan on claiming that treasure by injecting water…Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/government-and-politics/20130910/oil-developers-want-to-use-controversial-fracking-method-to-tap-californias-oil-supply Santa Cruz County Board of Supes to lower boom on fracking. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday seems set to enact a moratorium on new oil exploration throughout the county, a vote driven by fears about hydraulic fracturing's environmental impacts. If approved, the vote would make Santa Cruz County the first to temporarily ban fracking, and comes as a raging debate over new state fracking regulations plays out in the state Legislature. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/news/ci_24053990/santa-cruz-county-board-supes-lower-boom-fracking Obama admin stands by ethanol as RFS debate heats up. The Obama administration today vowed to continue supporting renewable fuels against attacks from the oil industry as Congress returns to debate the federal biofuel mandate. In a speech to ethanol producers, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said President Obama was strongly behind the industry and would oppose congressional action to change the renewable fuel standard (RFS). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986982/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Porsche $845,000 Hybrid Beats Prius as Hot Rods Go Green. Speedy new models from Porsche AG and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) can beat Toyota Motor Corp. (7203)’s Prius not just off the line but also at the fuel pump as efficiency becomes a key standard even for elite racers. Porsche’s $845,000 918 Spyder hybrid, unveiled at the International Auto Show in Frankfurt, can reach 100 kilometers (62 miles)…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-09/porsche-845-000-hybrid-beats-prius-as-hot-rods-go-green.html ARB hosting public hearing on ZEV modifications; battery swapping out for fast refueling of ZEVs. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) will conduct a public hearing on 24 October in Sacramento to consider minor proposed amendments to the California Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulation being put forward by ARB staff. (Earlier post) In January 2012, the ARB approved the Advanced Clean Cars program, which included increased ZEV requirements through 2025 model year…Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/09/20130910-zev.html 2014 Electric Cars That Could Move the EV Market, Or Not. August 2013 was an impressive month for electric car sales, with the Chevy Volt and Nissan LEAF racking up new records. As has been the case since those first two plug-in models hit the market in late 2010, the Volt and LEAF continue to own the lion’s share of sales. In August, their combined sales were 5,771, more than half the total 11,363 purchases. The plug-in Prius and Model S each contributed about 1,700 sales. Posted. http://www.plugincars.com/2014-electric-cars-could-move-ev-market-or-not-128214.html GREEN ENERGY Scientists help farmers create greener dairies. Cows stand patiently in a tent-like chamber at a research farm in western Wisconsin, waiting for their breath to be tested. Outside, corrals have been set up with equipment to measure gas wafting from the ground. A nearby corn field contains tools that allow researchers to assess the effects of manure spread as fertilizer. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FOOD_AND_FARM_GREENER_DAIRIES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/09/scientists-help-farmers-create-greener-dairies/ Big changes coming for utility customers. California will overhaul the way most utility customers are billed for home electricity and lift current caps on the amount of renewable energy and rooftop solar installations, under legislation that cleared its last major hurdle on Monday. Approval of Assembly Bill 327 by the state Senate opens the way for the California Public Utilities Commission to rewrite landmark consumer protections and energy conservation measures enacted during the state’s 2000-01 energy crisis. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/09/utility-charges-will-change/ California Approves Final Green Chemistry Regulations, Disapproves Key Trade Secret Provisions. On August 28, 2013 the California Office of Administrative Law (“OAL”) partially approved and partially disapproved the California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Safer Consumer Products Regulations, also known as California’s Green Chemistry regulations. The approved regulations will go into effect on October 1, 2013. Posted. http://www.natlawreview.com/article/california-approves-final-green-chemistry-regulations-disapproves-key-trade-secret-p Calif. vows to replace failed nuclear plant with 50% green power. California must act swiftly to find long-term sources of electricity capable of filling the gap left by the closure of a San Diego nuclear plant, state leaders said yesterday. The Golden State needs to plan for the next decade, keeping in mind the need to prevent the kinds of energy shortages that plagued it in 2000-2002, said Robert Weisenmiller, the California Energy Commission's chairman. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059986976/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Energy bill could alter electricity rates for millions in California. Under new rules, residential customers in hotter inland cities would probably get a break while those along the coast would likely pay more. California lawmakers are poised to pass legislation that could dramatically affect bills for millions of residential customers of Southern California Edison Co. and other state-regulated utilities. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-electric-rates-bill-20130910,0,786513.story?track=rss Solar boat reaches Paris after crossing Atlantic. The world's largest solar-powered boat has docked on the banks of the Seine River, its final port of call after a three-month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to study how the Gulf Stream and climate change could influence each other. The 102-foot-long (31-meter-long) Turanor PlanetSolar catamaran looks like one of Darth Vader's TIE Fighters turned on its side. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Solar-boat-reaches-Paris-after-crossing-Atlantic-4801204.php Group: Reviewers want 'creation science' textbooks. Publishers producing high school biology textbooks that could be used in classrooms across Texas are being pressured to water down lessons on evolution and climate change, a progressive watchdog group said Monday. The State Board of Education is considering new science books which, if adopted, could be used by some Texas public school students for a decade. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Group-Reviewers-want-creation-science-textbooks-4799337.php Elected leaders pledge to fight Vernon battery recycler. Officials say they plan to unite in a bid to sway regulators to close a Vernon battery recycler that residents in surrounding areas say is harming their health. Elected officials from cities across southeast Los Angeles County pledged Monday evening to marshal their political power to sway regulators to shut down a Vernon battery recycler that residents fear is harming their health because of arsenic and lead emissions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20130910,0,7554642.story Long Beach Transit Board Unaware Staff Added 20-Bus Option To Contract For Low-Emission Buses. An option for purchasing 20 more zero emission buses was added to Long Beach Transit’s contract with BYD Motors without the board of directors’ knowledge, Boardmember Maricela De Rivera pointed out at their meeting on August 27. Rolando Cruz, executive director and vice president of maintenance and facilities at Long Beach Transit (LBT), admitted that including the option without board approval was a “mistake” and that staff oversight was to blame. Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/1784-long-beach-transit-board-unaware-staff-added-20-bus-option-to-contract-for-low-emission-buses.html OPINIONS Pollution transformed from health concern to art piece. It’s hard to think of coal runoff as anything but toxic. Filled with iron ore and other heavy metals, the sludge acidifies waterways, kills fish and aquatic plants, and, if ingested, can be dangerous or fatal for humans. But where most people see destruction and sickness, one man sees art. Artist John Sabraw partnered with Ohio University engineer Guy Riefler to extract the toxic heavy metals…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/pollution-transformed-from-health-concern-to-art-piece/2013/09/09/c9cbd55c-10c5-11e3-bdf6-e4fc677d94a1_story.html California must strengthen fracking regulations. Re "Lawmakers need to lead on fracking regulation" (Editorials, Sept. 8): Senate Bill 4 would provide some transparency and accountability around the potentially dangerous practice of fracking. We should not allow oil and gas companies to have unregulated carte blanche to inject unspecified chemicals into the ground without public notice. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/09/5713213/sb-4-would-help-regulate-fracking.html#storylink=cpy Dan Walters: Once again, cronyism rears head in California. When Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act four decades ago, it was portrayed as a process that would encourage managers of public and private projects to pay attention to and mitigate potentially adverse effects. Over time, however, complying with CEQA became not only a torturous slog through very expensive red tape – one that elevated complex process over final product …Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/09/5721639/dan-walters-once-again-cronyism.html#mi_rss=Dan%20Walters#storylink=cpy Hazy sky isn’t the only air quality problem in valley. The massive Rim fire in the Sierra and a much smaller fire at Mount Diablo get the blame for the hazy sky over the Northern San Joaquin Valley this week, and coupled with a sudden hot streak, it’s enough to make people want to stay inside. They also need to use their cars as little as possible because the other issue – not readily visible – is a high ozone level that is a health hazard for people with asthma and other health problems…Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/09/2911839/our-view-hazy-sky-isnt-the-only.html Stop The Hating, And Learn To Love Fossil Fuels. Next month, the United States will mark a major energy milestone. For the first time in nearly two decades, we will produce more oil domestically than we import. After decades of talk about how America was losing its energy edge, new drilling technologies are making the United States the energy production capital of the world. The domestic resurgence means less reliance on politicized imports, more domestic jobs, and greater economic prosperity. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertbradley/2013/09/10/stop-the-hating-and-learn-to-love-fossil-fuels/ How Utilities Use Solar Energy To Woo Customers. SolarCity said Tuesday it has teamed up with Direct Energy to offer solar power to the utility’s business customers, a move that provides yet another example of a growing interest by utilities to make money from rooftop solar projects. SolarCity and Direct Energy have set up a $124 million fund to finance rooftop solar panel installations for Direct Energy’s commercial and industrial customers. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/uciliawang/2013/09/10/how-utilities-use-solar-energy-to-woo-customers/ BLOGS CA’s greenhouse gas emissions fall — bad news for cap-and-trade? California’s new cap-and-trade system for cutting greenhouse gas emissions may soon face a paradoxical problem — emissions that are falling faster than expected. A report issued Monday argues that California’s emissions are already dropping, undercut by a sluggish economy and the state’s growing use of renewable power. Between 2008 and 2011, emissions fell about 15 percent. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/09/09/cas-greenhouse-gas-emissions-fall-bad-news-for-cap-and-trade/ An attempt to escape perpetual failure on climate change at the G20. Our expectations were all out of whack on climate change. For years, environmentalists and world leaders promised a “big bang” international agreement, a comprehensive, world-wide plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to which pretty much every nation on the planet would be a willing party. A global problem, after all, requires a global solution. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/09/09/an-attempt-to-escape-perpetual-failure-on-climate-change-at-the-g20/ Renewables, efficiency or natural gas to replace San Onofre? A fight could be brewing over how Southern California will replace the 2,200 megawatts of power the now-closed San Onofre nuclear power plant provided to the grid, and especially to the kilowatt-hungry cities of Los Angeles and San Diego. A multiagency plan now taking shape to fill the gap in power supplies is based on an assumption that at least half the power can be replaced cleanly…Posted. http://voices.mydesert.com/2013/09/09/renewables-efficiency-or-natural-gas-to-replace-san-onofre/ Climate Change Leaves Hares Wearing The Wrong Colors. The effects of climate change often happen on a large scale, like drought or a rise in sea level. In the hills outside Missoula, Mont., wildlife biologists are looking at a change to something very small: the snowshoe hare. Life as snowshoe hare is pretty stressful. For one, almost everything in the forest wants to eat you. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/09/08/220188619/climate-change-leaves-hares-wearing-the-wrong-colors Controversial Rooftop Solar Bill Passes State Senate. A bill to revamp the state's laws regulating how utilities treat rooftop solar that had been a target of pointed criticism by pro-solar groups passed a voice vote on the Senate Floor Monday. Its amendments have some solar advocates singing cautious praise. Fresno-area Assemblyperson Henry Perea's Assembly Bill 327, which has attracted criticism for its enabling of a fixed monthly service fee payable to utilities…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/the-grid/controversial-rooftop-solar-bill-passes-state-senate.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 14:21:06 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 11, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 11, 2013. 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 BP Faces Claims Over Refinery's Pollutants. A Texas jury on Wednesday will begin hearing arguments in a lawsuit in which neighbors of a former BP PLC refinery allege the oil giant's release of toxic gases exposed residents to potential health dangers. The suit is the latest BP has faced over the refinery it used to own in Texas City, where a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers, injured scores of others and cost the London-based oil company $2.1 billion in legal settlements. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323864604579067371639047710.html?KEYWORDS=emissions A third of food is wasted, making it third-biggest carbon emitter, U.N. says. The food the world wastes accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than any country except for China and the United States, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday. Every year about a third of all food for human consumption, around 1.3 billion tons, is wasted, along with all the energy, water and chemicals needed to produce it and dispose of it. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/11/us-food-wastage-idUSBRE98A0E920130911 http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/11/un-one-third-of-food-produced-gets-wasted/ Calif. air board collects nearly $400,000 in fines. California's clean air agency says so far this year it has settled 26 cases involving violations by firms making or selling products that exceeded standards for gases known as volatile organic compounds. The Sacramento Bee reports (http://bit.ly/16jNWgV) Wednesday that since January the California Air Resources Board has collected fines totaling $377,950. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Calif-air-board-collects-nearly-400-000-in-fines-4804503.php Air pollution linked to heart-disease deaths. Link shown to heart disease death. It's common knowledge that chronic exposure to air pollution is linked to respiratory problems, but a new UC Berkeley-led study of California adults now links it to deaths from heart disease. The analysis, which was funded by the California Air Resources Board, estimated the individual air-pollution exposures of more than 73,700 California residents. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Air-pollution-linked-to-heart-disease-deaths-4803352.php Maine gets feedback on anti-smog rules proposal. Maine's environmental department heard from supporters and opponents Tuesday of its proposal to weaken some air-quality restrictions. The Department of Environmental Protection is seeking federal approval to allow new or newly upgraded industrial polluters to be exempt from federal Clean Air Act measures designed to reduce ground-level ozone. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Maine-gets-feedback-on-anti-smog-rules-proposal-4802752.php Study: People drive more on bad air alert days. Lured by crisp, clean mountain air only a short drive away, northern Utah residents seem to be escaping the murky valley air by driving up the canyons on days when bad air alerts are issued — even though the system was created to limit use of cars, a new study from the University of Utah found. Ten years of traffic counter data from the Utah Department of Transportation reveals traffic remained steady in the city center…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Study-People-drive-more-on-bad-air-alert-days-4802324.php Court denies Ariz. bid to delay pollution controls. A federal appeals court has rejected a bid to postpone pollution control upgrades at three Arizona coal-fired power plants. The state and four utility companies had asked the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for the delay while the court reviews the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule. The court denied the request in a brief order this week. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Court-denies-Ariz-bid-to-delay-pollution-controls-4802318.php San Joaquin County issues air quality alert. Increasing ozone levels and possible smoke from lingering wildfires have prompted air officials to declare the air basin’s second air alert of 2013 through today from Lodi to Bakersfield. Steps residents can take to reduce ozone levels include carpooling, vanpooling, refraining from idling when dropping off/picking up students…Posted. http://www.lodinews.com/news/article_5de1166a-3d77-519a-9c94-22d70f19612c.html CLIMATE CHANGE Arctic Ice Grows Again in August After Record 2012 Melt. The area of Arctic sea ice was nearly 30% greater in August than a year ago, according to recent satellite data, though projections based on longer-term trends suggest the sea ice will continue its decline over time. Arctic sea ice covered 2.35 million square miles in August, up from 1.82 million square miles a year earlier, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, or NSIDC, in Boulder, Colo. The level recorded last year was a record low. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323864604579067243988516908.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Obama Said to Ban New Coal Plants Without Carbon Controls. New coal plants would need to install expensive equipment to limit climate-change emissions under a proposal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is close to issuing, according to people familiar with the plan. The EPA agreed to revise a similar proposal from last year in response to opposition by utilities and coal producers who said it would effectively kill coal as a power source. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-11/obama-said-to-ban-new-coal-plants-without-carbon-controls.html Regulations worry Yolo County farmers more than climate change itself. Some farmers are saying that climate change regulations don t look at how farmers can help the environment. (Deo Ferrer/ Democrat) California farmers feel more threatened by climate policy than they do by climate change itself, according to a new study from UC Davis. The study, published in the journal Global Environmental Change, found that the greatest climate risk Yolo County farmers believe...Posted. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/ci_24063832/regulations-worry-yolo-county-farmers-more-than-climate Climate Change in the Californian Mind. Highlights: • Most Californians (79%) believe global warming is happening, while only 11% believe it is not. • Over half (58%) believe that if global warming is happening, it is mostly due to human activities. • A majority (55%) also believes that most scientists think global warming is happening. Of those who believe global warming is happening, large majorities say that: Posted. http://environment.yale.edu/climate-communication/ DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB fines two waste haulers $77,875 for diesel violations. The California Air Resources Board has fined two waste disposal companies $77,875 for violating state air quality regulations. CARB levied administrative fines of $39,250 to Burlingame, Calif.-based Redwood Debris Box Service and $38,625 to Bakersfield, Calif.-based Mountainside Disposal Inc./Price Disposal Inc., according to a CARB news release. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25691 Judges seem skeptical of truck makers' arguments against EPA penalty rule. Three of the nation's biggest long-haul truck manufacturers argued in court today that U.S. EPA should have voided air compliance certificates granted to a competitor in light of a court ruling last year. The manufacturers -- Daimler Trucks North America LLC, Mack Trucks Inc. and Volvo Group North America -- are challenging "certificates of conformity" EPA issued to Navistar International Corp. to manufacture trucks in compliance with EPA's 2001 nitrogen oxides (NOx) limits for heavy-duty truck engines. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987075/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS EU lawmakers reduce use of food-based biofuel. The European Parliament voted Wednesday to significantly reduce the amount of biofuels made from food crops by 2020 to counter concerns over the energy source's environmental and ethical sustainability. Environmentalists argue biofuels made from sugar, corn or soybeans add as much or even more to greenhouse gas emissions as the fossil fuels they are meant to replace. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_EUROPE_BIOFUEL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323595004579068742133643768.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/11/eu-lawmakers-reduce-use-of-food-based-biofuel/ Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Reaches a High, Nearing Goal for 2016. Automakers are making slow but steady progress improving fuel efficiency, as the industry hit a high for the average miles per gallon of new vehicles sold in August in the United States. A study released by the University of Michigan on Tuesday said that the average fuel economy on the window stickers of cars and trucks sold last month was 24.9 miles per gallon. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/business/energy-environment/fuel-economy-hits-six-year-high.html?pagewanted=print EPA proposes changes to oil and gas emissions reporting. The oil and gas industry would have to reveal to U.S. EPA and the public the data it uses to compute its greenhouse gas emissions, under a new proposed rule. The proposal was released in a Federal Register notice published yesterday. The move is meant to improve transparency of the greenhouse gas reporting program, a key EPA initiative mandating that companies report the amount of greenhouse gases…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059987016/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Automakers bet on alternative-fuel cars for future. Judging by the slew of electric and hybrid vehicles being rolled out at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it might seem carmakers are tapping a large and eager market. But in fact almost no one buys such cars — yet. More and more automakers are coming out with electric versions of existing vehicles — such as Volkswagen's all-electric versions of its Up! city car and Golf compact — or ones they have designed as electrics from the ground up, like small BMW's electric city car i3. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANKFURT_AUTO_SHOW_ELECTRIC_DREAMS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_HOT_WHEELS_MERCEDES_S_CLASS_HYBRID?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Automakers-bet-on-alternative-fuel-cars-for-future-4804489.php http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/sep/11/automakers-bet-on-alternative-fuel-cars-for/#ixzz2ebc7AKbr VW may sell CNG cars in U.S. Volkswagen Group says it is considering selling compressed-natural gas cars in the United States and has talked to the Environmental Protection Administration, urging the government to do more to support CNG refueling. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, head of powertrain development at VW, said the company is considering selling CNG vehicles in the United States. Currently, only Honda Motor Co. sells a CNG passenger car — and it has sold only about 2,000 vehicles. Posted. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130911/AUTO0104/309110090#ixzz2ebpXBEM8 Plug-in electric vehicle sales expected to grow by 18% annually – report. Plug-in electric vehicle sales have failed to meet the expectations of automakers and political leaders, but the vehicles are quickly becoming more available across North America, with coastal states showing the highest adoption rates, according to a new report by Navigant Research. The report finds that California, New York, Washington and Florida will lead the way in plug-in vehicle (PEV) sales through 2022. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987025/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Battery maker to unveil micro hybrid system. The world's largest automotive battery supplier today will unveil a two-battery micro hybrid system for automobiles. The production-ready system, which will be debuted by Johnson Controls Inc. at the International Motor Show in Germany, would boost a car's fuel economy by 15 percent. The company released the prototype in January, and it plans to have the first generation of the battery to automakers by December. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987062/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Far-reaching energy bill a step closer to reality. A bill that could raise California's already lofty goals for renewable power, encourage more homeowners to go solar and change the way most state residents pay for electricity appears to be headed for Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. The legislation from Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno, had been the subject of a bitter, months-long fight between electricity utilities and solar companies…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Far-reaching-energy-bill-a-step-closer-to-reality-4803399.php Supervisors OK zoning rules for renewable energy development. Sonoma County supervisors Tuesday approved zoning rules that they said would ensure a “conservative” and “cautious” approach to renewable energy development on the county's farms, ranches and remote forested lands and hillsides. The regulations for commercial projects on agricultural property cover more than three-quarters of the county, or more than 700,000 acres. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130910/articles/130919944 MISCELLANEOUS California Takes Steps to Ease Landmark Law Protecting Environment. A landmark law that has been a symbol of California’s tough environmental philosophy for more than 40 years is facing an unlikely challenge from Democrats, including Gov. Jerry Brown, who contend that regulations protecting the environment have been abused and are thwarting legitimate development. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/us/california-takes-steps-to-ease-landmark-law-protecting-environment.html?ref=science&pagewanted=print Study: Wind farms killed 67 eagles in 5 years. A new study by government scientists says wind energy facilities have killed at least 67 golden and bald eagles in the last five years, but the number could be much higher. The research represents one of the first tallies of eagle deaths attributed to the nation's growing wind energy industry. A total of 85 eagles were killed at wind farms since 1997, the study concludes, but most of those occurred in 2008-2012. Most deaths — 79 — were golden eagles. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Study-Wind-farms-killed-67-eagles-in-5-years-4805253.php Valley fever hospitalizations increase in Calif. The annual rate of hospitalizations for valley fever, a potentially lethal but often misdiagnosed disease, has doubled over the past 12 years in California, according to a study published on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fever — which is caused by a fungus found in soil and can be contracted by simply breathing in the spores from dust disturbed by wind or other activity…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/medical/article/Valley-fever-hospitalizations-increase-in-Calif-4805249.php Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District re-branding contest open to Monterey Bay area college students. The Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District is holding a re-branding contest to accept submissions for a new name. The contest is open to college students in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. The entry deadline is Sept. 30. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_24068395/monterey-bay-unified-air-pollution-control-district-re Oakley council pursues apartment complex smoking law. In an effort to protect the public's health, the city will be pursuing an ordinance that regulates where smokers in apartments can indulge their habit. The City Council on Tuesday directed its attorney to draft an ordinance that, if it follows staff recommendations, would apply to complexes with 10 or more units and not only to tobacco users but those who smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/east-county-times/ci_24068331/oakley-council-pursues-apartment-complex-smoking-law OPINIONS COLUMN-Australia is another nail in cap and trade: Wynn. Australia's proposal to ditch cap and trade market in favour of a weakened scheme follows reduced or abandoned carbon markets in Europe and the United States and does not bode well for planned schemes around the world. One advantage of cap and trade was always supposed to be the fact that it is not a tax. As a complicated policy instrument, it was something that the public would struggle to understand or care about. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/09/11/column-wynn-australia-co-idUKL5N0H622720130911 More on Fracking and the Poor. The U.S. oil and gas boom added $1,200 to disposable income in 2012. Last week we reported on a study showing that the U.S. oil and natural gas revolution may be the country's best antipoverty program, and the evidence keeps coming. A new report from IHS Global Insight estimates that fracking added the equivalent of a cool $1,200 to real household disposable income on average in 2012. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324094704579065432802151184.html#printMode The dangerous effects of global warming. DID GLOBAL warming contribute to the punishing heat wave much of the country endured during the summer of 2012? How about Superstorm Sandy? A group of 78 scientists led by experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) last week gave their preliminary answers, releasing a series of peer-reviewed analyses on those and other major weather events from last year. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-dangerous-effects-of-global-warming/2013/09/08/14a96d62-1721-11e3-be6e-dc6ae8a5b3a8_story.html Counting the Cost of Fixing the Future. What would you pay to protect the world in which your great-great-grandchildren will live from hurricanes, drought and the like? In May, to little fanfare, the Obama administration published new estimates of the “social cost of carbon,” a dollars-and-cents measure of the future damage — from floods, pandemics, depressed agricultural productivity — that releasing each additional ton of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere would cost. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/business/counting-the-cost-of-fixing-the-future.html?pagewanted=all Another View: CEQA streamlining needed for Sacramento arena. Sacramento is set to embark on possibly the most significant civic project in the history of the city. The downtown sports and entertainment complex is a necessary component to keeping the Kings in California. But more than that, it’s a vital civic amenity that will renew our city center, create jobs and stimulate our region’s economy. That’s why the passage of SB 743 is critical to Sacramento’s future. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/11/5725242/another-view-ceqa-streamlining.html#storylink=cpy Viewpoints: CEQA reform is no longer stuck in traffic. State Senate pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is finally putting some sense back into the California Environmental Quality Act, at least when it comes to how the law treats traffic impacts. His bill to modernize CEQA is now taking overdue aim at the law’s misguided way of dealing with traffic. Nobody likes sitting in traffic. But the way CEQA currently handles the issue creates more environmental problems than it solves. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/10/5724841/viewpoints-ceqa-reform-is-no-longer.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS >From the Fire Hose: Warming Slowdown, Deep-Ocean Waves, Canadian Crude. Zeke Hausfather, a data analyst at the Berkeley Earth project, has filed “Examining the Recent Slowdown in Global Warming” at the Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media. It’s a superb examination of what’s known, and unknown, about what James Hansen, Susan Solomon and other climate scientists have described as a pause or hiatus in warming. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/more-on-warming-slowdown-mislabeled-crude-in-canadian-train-inferno/?ref=earth RIVERSIDE: Forum focus is air pollution and growth. I hope those of you interested in air pollution can attend a community forum on the topic on Thursday, Sept. 12, sponsored by The Press-Enterprise. It will be an opportunity to discuss the health effects, economics and policy questions surrounding Inland air quality, which fails to meet federal health standards. The event is free and open to everyone. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/air-quality/2013/09/11/riverside-forum-focus-is-growth-and-air-pollution/ Grid Storage Cost-Effective for Solar, Not So Much for Wind. Renewables like solar and wind aren't on call 24/7. If we expect to count on power from those two intermittent resources 24/7, we need to find a way to store that power, so that we can flick a switch on on a windless night and have the lights go on. This isn't news: we've covered the storage issue frequently here at ReWire. But a study published recently is news: it suggests that on a cost-effectiveness basis alone, storage may make a lot more sense for solar energy than it does for wind. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/the-grid/grid-storage-cost-effective-for-solar-not-so-much-for-wind.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 15:00:50 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 12, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 12, 2013. 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 Environmentalists: NY pollution checks declining. New York has reduced pollution inspections more than one-third over the past three years following large staffing cuts, according to a report issued Thursday by an environmental group. Enforcement actions against polluters have dropped almost 25 percent from 2009 to 2012 under federal laws to protect air quality and waterways, Environmental Advocates of New York said. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has federal permit and enforcement authority over 33,000 factories, power generators…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/12/5730679/environmentalists-ny-pollution.html#storylink=cpy San Joaquin Valley gets ozone break, air alert expires for now. The San Joaquin Valley averted a breach of the one-hour federal ozone standard on Monday and Tuesday, and the ozone threat seems to be subsiding for now. An air alert declared from Stockton to Bakersfield expired Wednesday, said leaders at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/11/2916064/air-alert-for-valley-expires.html#storylink=cpy http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/09/11/3217454/air-alert-for-valley-expires.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/11/3492800/air-alert-for-valley-expires.html Bad air still hanging over Merced, rest of the valley. An air-pollution alert expired Wednesday, but Anica Martinez and her children were not breathing any easier. “It’s been really bad this year. My son has been out of school since Monday,” Martinez, 38, said Wednesday. Responding to increasing levels of smog pollution, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District on Monday issued an air alert and urged residents with breathing conditions to stay indoors. Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/09/11/3217254/bad-air-still-hanging-over-merced.html Study: Redlands power plant is worst polluter in state. Redlands is home to the highest polluting power plant in the state, according to a new study. The Mountain View Power Plant on the city’s northwest side, owned by Southern California Edison, emits about 1.85 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to a report released Tuesday by the nonprofit Environment California Research and Policy Center. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20130910/study-redlands-power-plant-is-worst-polluter-in-state DIESEL EMISSIONS MUSD’s 16 buses getting $259,000 air quality retrofit. Sixteen of Manteca Unified School District’s buses will be retrofitted with diesel particulate filters to the tune of $258,571. The money was approved 6-1 by the Board of Trustees at their meeting Tuesday, with Trustee Manuel Medeiros as the lone dissenter. The action of the trustees was to award the job at that amount to A-Z Bus Sales, Inc. of Sacramento which offered the “lowest responsive/responsible” bid for the project. Posted. http://www.mantecabulletin.com/section/1/article/85110/ Landi Renzo receives CARB certification for CNG Fords. Landi Renzo USA has received California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification to sell is dedicated compressed natural gas engine in Ford pickups. The order authorizes Landi Renzo to install its CNG system in 2014 model year Ford F-450, F-550, and F-650 vehicles with the Ford 6.8L engine. Following a previous announcement of EPA bi-fuel certification for the 2014 model year Ford F-250 and F-350…Posted. http://fleetowner.com/running-green/landi-renzo-receives-carb-certification-cng-fords Advanced catalytic converters reduce diesel engine N2O emissions to nearly zero. The latest in catalytic converter technology for diesel engines emits almost none of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide due to its unique chemical structure, according to new research by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The recently developed artificial catalyst, called Cu-SSZ-13, is found to be highly stable and produce very little nitrous oxide, a climate-forcing pollutant, in the process of burning diesel fuel. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987112/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS China bans new coal-fired plants in 3 regions. China announced Thursday that it will ban new coal-fired power plants in three key industrial regions around Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in its latest bid to combat the country's notorious air pollution. The action plan from the State Council, China's Cabinet, also aims to cut coal's share of the country's total primary energy use to below 65 percent by 2017 and increase the share of nuclear power, natural gas and renewable energy. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_POLLUTION_PLAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/12/china-coal-pollution-idUSB9N0GS01620130912 RPT-UPDATE 1-Bill to regulate fracking passes California state Assembly. A hotly contested bill that would impose California's first regulations on fracking and other oil production practices passed the state Assembly on Wednesday, despite opposition from environmentalists and oil companies. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the practice of injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to crack rock formations and free up oil and natural gas. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/12/california-fracking-idUSL2N0H80MV20130912 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-12/brown-says-he-ll-sign-california-bill-regulating-fracking.html http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CA_XGR_CALIFORNIA_OIL_DRILLING_CAOL-?SITE=CASON&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-09-11-23-37-56 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/11/5728534/jerry-brown-and-california-lawmakers.html http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Bill-regulating-fracking-passes-Assembly-4806988.php http://capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=11pqx976j8ohgyx&xid=11pquiwxqhcpa5q&done=.11pqxw6tsg8arb5 http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/sep/11/california-assembly-passes-bill-set-fracking-regul/ http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059987122/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY U.S. coal industry braces for EPA emissions crackdown. The Environmental Protection Agency is due to unveil next week the first batch of regulations under President Barack Obama's new climate action plan - a carbon emissions-rate standard for new fossil fuel power plants. If standards are as strict as the industry expects, it could be the death knell for new coal plant construction. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/12/us-usa-coal-epa-idUSBRE98B0PB20130912 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323864604579069550916021262.html?KEYWORDS=emissions U.S. to Pass Russia in Liquid Fuels Production, Says IEA. IEA Says Oil Demand Picking Up Faster Than Expected. A top energy watchdog forecast the U.S. will bypass Russia in the production of liquid fuels—everything from crude and gasoline to biofuels like ethanol—solidifying America's growing importance in global energy markets. The International Energy Agency said Thursday the U.S. will bypass Russia in the production of all kinds of liquid fuels on average for the third quarter of this year. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323595004579070502233782752.html?KEYWORDS=energy VEHICLES U.S. offers fuel economy, emissions labels for used cars. U.S. car dealers and private sellers may now post window labels on used vehicles that show gas mileage and climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions under a federal government program to help buyers pick out more fuel-efficient second-hand vehicles. Interest in fuel economy has grown amongst U.S. consumers due to more efficient vehicles and higher gas prices but information on miles-per-gallon has been hard to find for buyers looking at used cars at dealerships. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/12/us-usa-auto-fuel-economy-idUSBRE98B0TD20130912 Merkel warns EU against tough CO2 targets for carmakers. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, facing elections in less than two weeks, warned the European Union on Thursday against imposing tough environmental targets on German luxury carmakers, saying they could harm innovation and economic growth. Merkel, tipped to win a third term as chancellor in a September 22 poll, blocked a deal in June that would have set Europe's car industry an ambitious target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/12/us-autoshow-frankfurt-merkel-eu-idUSBRE98B0SZ20130912 Volkswagen’s first two production battery-electric vehicles debut at Frankfurt. Volkswagen marked its serious entry into the battery-electric vehicle market with the introduction in Frankfurt of its first two series production EVs: the e-up! and the e-Golf. (Earlier post.) The e-up! is going on sale in mid-October, followed by the e-Golf launch in the spring of 2014 (in Germany). In a talk on the eve of the opening of the show…Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/09/20130911-vw.html GREEN ENERGY Calif. opens solar power to renters, schools and those with homes in shade. California's Legislature yesterday approved the nation's largest program for shared renewable power, allowing renters, schools, cities and many others to invest in green energy projects. The Assembly passed S.B. 43 from Sen. Lois Wolk (D), and the Senate subsequently signed off on amendments added by the lower chamber. The bill now is on its way to the governor. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987118/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Wood-burning backers join alliance with USDA to give biomass energy a boost. U.S. EPA is carefully crafting a rule that drives how the agency counts carbon emissions from wood energy, and biomass backers are calling for a quick, and fair, consideration from the agency. They would also like the Agriculture Department, which has provided guidance on how to measure biomass carbon emissions, to weigh in. "I think the goal is really to look at this as an energy source, as a source of renewable energy,"…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987117/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Steinberg shelves main environmental measure to aid arena effort. Following last-minute negotiations with the governor, state Sen. President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg shelved his main environmental reform bill Wednesday night, and instead pushed forward with a bulked-up alternative bill – one that includes provisions to assist in development of Sacramento’s downtown arena. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/11/5727262/california-judicial-council-opposes.html#storylink=cpy http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/09/11/ceqa-changes-narrowed,-broader-effort-delayed-(again)/#.UjFYx8mOD50.twitter Bills to free up carpool lanes and protect small businesses head to Gov. Brown. Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) has authored three bills on the way to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. One would free up carpool lanes to all commuters during non-peak hours. If signed, AB 405 would establish a pilot program on freeways such as the 210 and 134, in addition to any others that Caltrans deems appropriate. The program would be in effect from Jan. 1, 2014 to May 21, 2015. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/09/11/39204/bills-to-free-up-carpool-lanes-and-protect-small-b/ OPINIONS Lower Gas Prices for the Poor Are Not a Universal Goal. Significantly lower natural-gas prices make solar and wind more inefficient than they already were. The development of market societies is an innovation unrivaled in the reduction of poverty for humankind. It is the very structure of market societies, freed from the impediments of central planning, that fosters more and better poverty-reducing technological developments, like fracking. As pointed out in your editorial "Fracking and the Poor" (Sept. 7), the infusion of lower natural-gas prices into the larger economy is essential to that outcome. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324549004579066982402771394.html?KEYWORDS=energy Right on: Ban leaf blowers. There is an alternative to leaf blowers: Use vacuums instead. Clients would get a cleaner job each week, and our dirty air would be much cleaner. A recent letter writer was right ("Ban blowers to improve air," Sept. 10). We get a double whammy of bad, dusty air when it is blown into the street and then blown back from traffic. Ever stop to think of how many blowers are used each day, including weekends? Wow! Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/letters/x740582494/Right-on-Ban-leaf-blowers Dan Morain: Blazing a new trail, Sierra Club risks losing its relevancy. You’d think that the mother of landmark legislation to curb greenhouse gas and reduce tailpipe emissions might be entitled to a little respect from the most well-known environmentalist group of them all. Sen. Fran Pavley is the gray-haired green lawmaker whose name sits atop AB 32, the 2006 bill that requires California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels…Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/09/11/3217815/dan-morain-blazing-a-new-trail.html#storylink=cpy Value in carbon pollution disposal fee. With President Obama’s June directive that the Environmental Protection Agency draft regulations to reduce power plant emissions, industry might consider supporting a broader, more effective approach. First, let’s acknowledge the reality of climate change. It’s manifesting everywhere (8-inch sea rise; ice caps and glaciers receding; warming, acidifying oceans; storms on steroids). Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/12/tp-value-in-carbon-pollution-disposal-fee/ Climate lessons for California from down under. Unlike California, Australia has seen the light and is ripping up its economy-wrecking climate change policies. Conservative Tony Abbott won last weekend’s election, having run on a platform that would scrap Australia's carbon tax. His election brought in a new government that rejects the hype of manmade global warming. Australia will now climb out from under that economy-killing gorilla. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/climate-lessons-for-california-from-down-under BLOGS With Subsidies, Frito-Lay Buys Chargers and More Electric Trucks. Frito-Lay, one of the first companies to put modern electric delivery trucks on the road in New York State, is now following up by adding more vehicles and, working with state government, the charging stations to go with them. At a news conference in Albany on Thursday, Frito-Lay and its partner, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or Nyserda…Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/with-subsidies-frito-lay-buys-chargers-and-more-electric-trucks/ Little Love for California Fracking Bill as It Nears Passage. UPDATE: The Senate approved SB 4 on a 28-8 vote Wednesday night. The measure now goes to Governor Jerry Brown, who has said through a spokesman that he will sign the bill. When they're getting grief from all directions for something they've aired or written, reporters like to console themselves with the old saying, "If you're making both sides mad, you must be doing something right." Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/09/11/110875/fracking-bill-caifornia-senate-vote Trans-boundary Ozone's Impact on California Is More than Hot Air. There is no question pollution is adrift in the air. The past couple of days, air quality in the Fresno region of California has been good. Connected to this have been lower temperatures. Daytime temps have been in the 90s. But this is going to change. Temperatures are already starting to warm and by the weekend, they will probably be in the triple digits in most, if not all parts, of the San Joaquin Valley. Posted. http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/trans-boundary-ozones-impact-california-more-hot-air?utm_source=Daily+Email+9%2F12%2F13&utm_campaign=09%2F12%2F13+Daily+Email&utm_medium=email 300 Years Is Too Long to Wait for Clean Air in Our National Parks. They read like dates out of the Star Trek television series, not a timeline for restoring clean air to our national parks. But, shockingly, based on the current EPA-approved plans, it will not be until 2276 that the air in North Cascades National Park is returned to its healthy former state, 2163 for Yellowstone National Park and 2127 for the Grand Canyon. This was not supposed to happen. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theresa-pierno/300-years-is-too-long-to-_b_3906778.html No, bike lanes don’t hurt retail business. City retailers tend to overestimate the importance of parking to their business. They fail to see the many downsides of free parking (congestion and low shopper turnover, among them). They believe more people arrive at the store by car than actually do. They may not even realize that while driving customers spend more per visit, non-drivers spend as much or more in the long term. Posted. http://grist.org/cities/no-bike-lanes-dont-hurt-retail-business-2/ 2013 Nissan e-NV200 taxi will carry Catalunians quietly beginning next year. The Nissan e-NV200, currently in the final phases of testing with FedEx fleets in various countries, will be getting more demanding cargo next year in Barcelona when it goes into service as a taxi. Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show by Carlos Ghosn and with the mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, in attendance, the e-NV200 is the van slightly reworked into a unique design and resting on a Leaf electric powertrain. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/12/2013-nissan-e-nv200-taxi-frankfurt-2013/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 14:29:15 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 13, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 13, 2013. 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 Carbon Rises as Industry Concerned Allowances Will ‘Skyrocket’ European Union carbon permits are poised for their fourth consecutive weekly rise as a chemicals industry lobby group in Brussels said factories in the region were concerned prices will surge. “Prices will skyrocket when demand exceeds supply of allowances,” Peter Botschek, director of energy, health, safety and environment at the European Chemical Industry Council, said yesterday by phone. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-13/carbon-rises-as-industry-concerned-permits-will-skyrocket-.html Carbon tax, threatened Down Under, warms up U.S. climate debate. The promise to rescind Australia's carbon tax is causing some conservatives to throw bouquets, but climate advocates are downplaying the impact that the federal election Down Under might have on American efforts to price emissions. Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott, of the conservative Liberal Party, made the nation's 1-year-old carbon tax a key theme in his campaign against incumbent Kevin Rudd, whose Labor Party elevated climate change to the peak…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987191/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION For cleaner air, set car vents to 'recirculate,' study says. Consider this next time you’re sitting in traffic on the freeway: You’re in a zone where air pollution can be five to 10 times higher than in surrounding areas. Even inside your vehicle, you’re probably breathing in pollutants through the windows or the air vents. After an hour-long commute, you’ve likely doubled your daily exposure to the harmful particles in vehicle exhaust. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-recirculate-car-air-pollution-traffic-20130912,0,3076267.story Exide plant will pay for blood tests for residents. Los Angeles County health agency offers residents of areas near Vernon battery recycler free checks for lead contamination. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will offer free blood testing on a massive scale for lead poisoning to address worries that a Vernon battery recycler has jeopardized the health of hundreds of thousands of residents in southeast Los Angeles, officials said Thursday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-blood-lead-20130913,0,7293744.story http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/12/la-county-free-lead-tests-for-people-near-plant/ Coal Industry Cries Foul Over Obama Rules Restricting Carbon. Representatives of coal-intensive utilities and coal-producing regions said that President Barack Obama would effectively outlaw construction of new power plants using the fuel with pending environmental rules. The Environmental Protection Agency is revising proposed rules from last year in response to opposition by utilities and mining companies. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-11/obama-said-to-ban-new-coal-plants-without-costly-carbon-controls World’s Top 50 Emitters Threaten Global Climate Effort, CDP Says. Growing pollution at 50 of the world’s biggest-emitting companies threatens to undermine global efforts to contain rising temperatures, according to a report by CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project. Carbon emissions from the 50 top emitters in the FT Global 500, including ArcelorMittal (MT), RWE AG, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT:US) and Exxon Mobil Corp. ..Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-12/world-s-top-50-emitters-threaten-global-climate-effort-cdp-says CLIMATE CHANGE New color purple depicts worsening climate risks in U.N. draft report. Some parts of nature and human society are more vulnerable than expected to climate change, according to a draft of a U.N. report that adds a new purple color to a key diagram to show worsening risks beyond the red used so far. It says "unique and threatened systems" like coral reefs, endangered animals and plants, Arctic indigenous communities, tropical glaciers or small island states seem be less able to adapt to warming than believed in a last report in 2007. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/13/us-climate-impacts-idUSBRE98C0AV20130913 Diageo Sips Savings in Whisky Carbon Emissions Footprint. What’s in a bottle of Scotch? A large carbon footprint, as it turns out. While London-based Diageo Plc (DGE) won’t say exactly how much, the world’s largest distiller last year produced 701,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, equal to about 0.6 pounds for each bottle sold, or what comes out of your car’s tailpipe over three-fourths of a mile. The owner of the Johnnie Walker brand is working to voluntarily reduce emissions to help sustainability and boost the corporate bottom line. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-11/diageo-sips-savings-in-whisky-carbon-emissions-footprint.html Oil and gas production is driving Arctic ice melt – study. The flaring of natural gas is contributing more than 40 percent of the sooty black carbon in the Arctic, a level that raises new concerns about the link between energy production and ice melt, according to a new study. The findings in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics underscore the importance of environmental regulations in the remote region as oil and gas production continues, according to analysts. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987189/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Biodiesel Might Be Fleets’ Best Clean Diesel Option. A recent article on TruckingInfo.com looked at several options truckers have when considering alternative fuels. While there are advantages and disadvantages for natural gas, hybrid, electric and even hydrogen fuel cells-powered medium and heavy duty trucks, the article indicates clean diesel (and what’s a cleaner diesel than biodiesel) might be the best choice for fleets: Posted. http://domesticfuel.com/2013/09/13/biodiesel-might-be-fleets-best-clean-diesel-option/ FUELS Why environmentalists turned against fracking bill. Late Wednesday night, when California's state Senate approved a hotly contested bill to regulate fracking and sent it to Gov. Jerry Brown for approval, it did so without the endorsement of some normally supportive environmentalist groups. The bill from State Sen. Fran Pavley had provoked intense opposition not just from the oil industry but from fracking opponents, who had been urging Brown to ban the practice outright. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Why-environmentalists-turned-against-fracking-bill-4810368.php VEHICLES Race Cars Go Electric. The world's fastest cars are becoming eco-friendly. Charge up with these sleek, new rides from Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari. LISTEN CAREFULLY TO the newest, costliest, most technologically out-there supercars and you'll hear the new timbre of automotive supremacy: the whirr of electricity. Over the coming months, dealerships from Shanghai to Silicon Valley will receive a trio of exotic hybrid models from manufacturers Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324591204579038801019838712.html#ixzz2enKXbpVu Going electric? Hybrid and electric cars set sales records in August. Inch by inch, hybrids and electric cars are gaining ground in the U.S. auto market. Automakers sold 54,855 hybrids in August, reports Autodata Corp., a sales tracking firm. That is a 32% gain from the same month a year earlier and an industry record for any prior month. Sales of rechargeable cars, which include plug-in hybrids such as the Chevrolet Volt and electric-only vehicles such as the Tesla Model S…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-hybrid-car-sales-record-20130909,0,2202835.story Electric vehicle ownership on the rise thanks to unique subsidy program, energy savings. Daniel Phan had the world on a string. He drove a Mercedes Benz to his job at Fannie Mae, where he churned out housing loans until the bubble burst. Now, he sits behind a desk for a Los Angeles city and county joint agency finding housing for the homeless, the very people the housing boon left on the curb. “I was on the profit-making side of housing and urban development with Fannie Mae,” Phan, 50, explained. “Now I am doing the opposite. Posted. http://www.dailybulletin.com/environment-and-nature/20130913/electric-vehicle-ownership-on-the-rise-thanks-to-unique-subsidy-program-energy-savings 2014 Mazda 6 diesel sales postponed for emissions testing. Mazda has postponed the U.S. launch of its diesel-powered Mazda 6 midsized sedan until April because of delays in emissions testing, the company said today. Instead of hitting showrooms before year end as planned, Mazda 6 sedans powered by the automaker's Skyactiv-D 2.2-liter turbodiesel will arrive in late April, Robert Davis, senior vice president of U.S. operations for Mazda North American Operations, disclosed to Mazda employees today in a letter obtained by Automotive News. Posted. http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130913/carnews/130919919#ixzz2enI2l7NC Reducing Emissions, One NYC Street-Vendor Cart At A Time. Almost anything can be run on electricity these days. Add to the list, now, even New York City's numerous food carts. In a new pilot program, street vendors are testing out "grid-powered" electrical connections as an alternative to the noisy, polluting generators they typically use to run their carts, Gothamist reports. The hardware is being supplied by Simply Grid, a company specializing in "on demand" services involving public access to electricity. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086931_reducing-emissions-one-nyc-street-vendor-cart-at-a-time Coal Makes Electric Cars Bad? No, Plug-Ins Show Coal As Bad. Every so often, electric-car skeptics will attack the idea of using grid electricity to power a car by bringing up coal. "Yeah," the argument goes, "but you're just burning coal instead of gasoline in your electric car--so how's that any better?" There is, of course, a fair amount of science that shows it actually is better when measured by wells-to-wheels carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086927_coal-makes-electric-cars-bad-no-plug-ins-show-coal-as-worse GREEN ENERGY Carbon-coated spider silk wires could lead to 'green' electronics. Here are two things you might not expect to see together: spider silk coated in carbon nanotubes. This hybrid material is stretchy, super strong and can shrink and grow with humidity, making it potentially very useful for sensors and flexible electronics – and scientists made it by rubbing it between their fingers. This nanotube-coated spider silk, described in the journal Nature Communications, could be useful for devices such as heart monitors inside the body…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-carbon-nanotube-silk-spider-web-electronics-20130910,0,2917379.story Solar panels could prove to be a favorable investment. San Diego homeowners are finding the investment in a new solar system profitable. With rate increases up to 30 percent for using energy over and above lower tier brackets, solar has become a highly attractive alternative to soaring utility costs. Many are not aware the utility kilowatt rate is increased by the more energy used in a given month. That’s correct; there is no discount for volume, but rather a substantial penalty. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/sponsored/2013/sep/12/asi-hastings-heating-air-solar-cost-investment/ Wind prospectors delve into Mexico. A wind energy company with ties to San Diego has brokered a deal to supply electricity at two Volkswagen auto plants in Mexico, highlighting opportunities for renewable energy prospectors there. Baja California-headquartered Mexico Power Group, which spun off from San Diego-based Cannon Power Group in 2011, signed an agreement this month to supply wind-generated electricity to Volkwagen's decades-old assembly plant in Puebla and and a VW engine manufacturing facility in Guanajuato state. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/12/wind-prospectors-delve-Mexico/ Solar industry has second-best quarter ever. Bolstered by strong utility investment, the U.S. solar industry recorded its second-largest quarterly growth in the second quarter of 2013, adding 832 megawatts of photovoltaic (PV) capacity, or 15 percent more than in the first quarter of the year. More than half of that new capacity came in the utility sector, which completed 38 projects totaling 452 MW, a 42 percent increase over first-quarter 2013…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987168/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Lawmakers act on wages, environment, in last hours. State lawmakers ended their final session of the year after raising California's minimum wage to one of the highest in the nation, as they also addressed issues including environmental protection, immigrant driver's licenses and teacher misconduct. The Legislature adjourned early Friday after a final rush of debates and negotiations. They aren't scheduled to return until January. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Lawmakers-act-on-wages-environment-in-last-hours-4810943.php OPINIONS Even Green Cars Need Mined Metals. The administration can easily provide a fair assist to makers of advanced autos by removing regulatory barriers to the minerals vital to hybrid and electric vehicles. The administration can easily provide a fair assist to makers of advanced autos without meddling with the market ("Electric Losers, Round Two," Review & Outlook, Sept. 3) by removing regulatory barriers to the minerals vital to hybrid and electric vehicles. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323595004579069032783722674.html#printMode?KEYWORDS=green+energy How We Learned Not to Guzzle. FOR as long as most of us can remember, the nation’s energy news has trended from bad to worse, starting with the oil crises of the 1970s. But today, the good news is that our energy productivity and security are better than they have been in decades. You’d never know it by listening to those who say our energy security requires construction of the massive Keystone XL pipeline, or a new surge of oil and gas drilling, or a nuclear power renaissance, or all of the above. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/opinion/how-we-learned-not-to-guzzle.html?_r=0 Bill to tighten oversight of fracking a good step. Poised on the edge of an oil boom, California now has at least a modest set of new rules to control a promising but uncertain technology that taps one of the country's biggest pools of underground energy. A bill to regulate hydraulic fracturing - which injects a brew of sand, water and chemicals to break up rock formations to extract oil and gas - cleared the Legislature and will go to Gov. Jerry Brown, who signaled his eagerness to sign the measure, SB4. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Bill-to-tighten-oversight-of-fracking-a-good-step-4810408.php BLOGS After Betting $5 Billion on Electric Cars, Nissan Wants More Competition. RNO.FR +1.85% and its partner Nissan Motor Co.7201.TO +0.20%, finding it tough to convince drivers to buy their electric cars, at least have the satisfaction of knowing that they aren’t the only auto makers throwing billions of dollars at the technology. Their German rivals took the wraps off a wide range of new hybrid-drive and electric cars at the Frankfurt motor show this week with even super-luxury auto maker Rolls-Royce talking of future hybrid versions of its limousines. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/09/12/after-betting-5-billion-on-electric-cars-nissan-wants-more-competition/ Average new car fuel economy hits record 24.9 mpg. With more stringent federal fuel economy standards coming, it should be no surprise that the average new-vehicle fuel economy is on the rise. Automotive News cites a study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (Go Blue!), that shows that the 24.9-mile-per-gallon average for August of 2013 is nearly five miles per gallon better than when UMTRI started keeping track in October 2007. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/12/average-new-car-fuel-economy-record-24-9-mpg/ Explained in 90 seconds: Your fridge is accelerating climate change — but it doesn’t have to. The outward statecraft of the recent G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, was dominated by disagreements over Syria. But behind the scenes, leaders were busy agreeing on something they rarely find common ground on: climate change. Thirty-five nations and the European Union decided to curb hydrofluorocarbons, a set of powerful heat-trapping gases used in refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pumps, and insulation. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/explained-in-90-seconds-your-fridge-is-accelerating-climate-change-but-it-doesnt-have-to/ California Set to Enact Laws To Improve Access for Electric Car Charging. A pair of laws currently on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk could greatly improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the state. California AB1092 require changes in the building code so that new multi-family dwellings are required to wire for electric car charging infrastructure, and SB454, the Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Open Access Act, would simplify access to EV charging stations. Posted. http://www.plugincars.com/california-enacts-sweeping-charging-station-infrastructure-128249.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 12:17:55 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 16, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 16, 2013. 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 E.P.A. Is Expected to Set Limits on Greenhouse Gas Emissions by New Power Plants. Following up on President Obama’s pledge in June to address climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency plans next week to propose the first-ever limits on greenhouse gas emissions from newly built power plants. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/14/us/epa-is-expected-to-set-limits-on-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-new-power-plants.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/New-US-rules-on-coal-emissions-due-this-week-4816047.php http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/obama-prepares-to-take-on-big-coal-96833.html#ixzz2f4ibOLFT http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987279/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Post to pay $2M for violations at CA cereal plant. A Central California cereal plant will have to spend more than $2 million for violating federal air quality rules. The Environmental Protection Agency says Friday that Post Holdings Inc. and Ralcorp Holdings Inc. will pay a $635,000 penalty for failing to install air pollution controls at its cereal plant in Modesto. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/13/5734853/post-to-pay-2m-for-violations.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/13/5734084/epa-fines-modesto-cereal-plant.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EPA-fines-Modesto-cereal-plant-over-air-pollution-4812983.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/14/2920906/another-penalty-set-for-modesto.html http://www.examiner.com/article/modesto-cereal-plant-to-close-after-air-pollution-violation-settlement?cid=rss http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130914/A_NEWS/309140323&cid=sitesearch BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/sep/13/post-to-pay-2m-for-violations-at-ca-cereal-plant/#ixzz2f4dd6WjG Emissions to be monitored on major Bay Area roads. In her West Oakland home, Margaret Gordon never opens the windows facing the streets. From dawn to dusk, cars and trucks roar across the overhead stretch of Interstate 880 a few blocks away. Gordon has learned to sleep through the noise. But with her asthma, she cannot stand the exhaust fumes. "I keep that window closed," said Gordon, 66, a 20-year resident and leader of a West Oakland environmental group. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Emissions-to-be-monitored-on-major-Bay-Area-roads-4816992.php Emissions of largest corporations grow – study. The global economic recovery has produced mixed results for businesses trying to reduce their carbon footprints, according to the latest annual survey of some of the world's largest companies by the British nonprofit CDP. While overall emissions of greenhouse gases from CDP's "Global 500" have shrunk from 4.2 billion to 3.6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent since 2009…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987243/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Author warns about climate change at CA conference. Author Bill McKibben has opened a Sierra Nevada conservation conference with a call for a "coordinated, global" effort to deal with climate change. McKibben, in a keynote address at the Sierra Nevada Alliance's annual conference in South Lake Tahoe, said change being made on the local level to deal with climate change will do little good unless it's accompanied by change on a global level. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/14/5735606/author-warns-about-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24096270/author-warns-about-climate-change-at-ca-conference?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24096270/author-warns-about-climate-change-at-ca-conference?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/14/3497336/author-warns-about-climate-change.html CA, Chinese officials announce climate deal. Gov. Jerry Brown and China's top climate negotiator on Friday signed the first agreement between a U.S. state and China that seeks greater cooperation on clean energy technologies and research meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The memorandum of understanding signed with China's National Development and Reform Commission was another aggressive move by California to combat climate change. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/CA-Chinese-officials-announce-climate-deal-4813079.php http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987278/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Air board has allies in diesel pollution crackdown: Truckers. Truckers want tougher enforcement and point to competitors who violate state rules to install filters or upgrade to cleaner engines. As state air pollution officials step up inspections of diesel exhaust from big rigs, some of their best allies are truckers themselves. They are pushing the Air Resources Board to enforce pollution rules more aggressively for trucks in advance of a Jan. 1 deadline. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-air-inspectors-20130916,0,6307700,print.story FUELS Wall St. Exploits Ethanol Credits, and Prices Spike. It was supposed to help clean the air, reduce dependence on foreign oil and bolster agriculture. But a little known market in ethanol credits has also become a hot new game on Wall Street. The federal government created the market in special credits tied to ethanol eight years ago when it required refiners to mix ethanol into gasoline or buy credits from companies that do so. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/business/wall-st-exploits-ethanol-credits-and-prices-spike.html?ref=earth Alaska Airlines ranked first for fuel efficiency. If reducing your carbon footprint is a priority, Alaska Airlines may be the carrier for you. In its first efficiency study, the International Council on Clean Transportation ranked the Seattle-based carrier as the nation’s most fuel-efficient major airline, followed by low-cost Spirit Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Alaska was 26% more fuel-efficient than the least efficient airline, Allegiant Air, according to the study, released last week. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-alaska-airlines-ranked-first-for-fuel-efficiency-20130913,0,6436745.story VEHICLES Ford to install electric vehicle charging stations for employees. Ford Motor Co (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Monday it will install charging stations at more than 50 of its U.S. and Canadian offices and plants so that employees can refill their electric vehicle batteries at work. The second-largest U.S. automaker said it will start installing the charging stations and their 200 chargers in November, at nearly every Ford facility in the United States and Canada, and roll them out through 2014. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/16/us-autos-ford-evs-idUSBRE98F01T20130916 GREEN ENERGY British energy official in U.S. to trade ideas. Energy efficiency has never been headline news, but it matters, and California is respected the world over for its pioneering advances in this field. Finding ways to make our energy go further is vital in a world of diminishing resources and increasing energy prices. I'm in California for a few days to learn what you in California, the leading low carbon state in the United States, are working on. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/British-energy-official-in-U-S-to-trade-ideas-4816788.php Salem VA Medical Center will soon use solar power. The largest solar energy project in Southwest Virginia is nearing completion at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem. On what used to be a landfill at the eastern edge of the hospital campus, 6,000 solar panels are being installed. The panels will convert sunlight into as much as 1,620 kilowatts of electricity — enough to provide about 10 percent of the power to the sprawling VA complex. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/14/2915360/salem-va-medical-center-will-soon.html#storylink=cpy Solar rises as a sub for nuclear option. A major question coming out of Monday’s multi-agency meeting on how Southern California will replace the 2,200 megawatts of power previously generated by the San Onofre nuclear power plant was whether it can be done with a mix of renewables, energy efficiency and transmission upgrades versus building new natural gas power plants. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130914/BUSINESS0302/309140024/Green-Desert-Solar-rises-sub-nuclear-option MISCELLANEOUS Celebrating Craig Childers: A Powerful Force for Electric Car Regulation. The electric car world lost one of its great unsung heroes on Aug. 22, when Craig Childers died at the age of 57. Childers—a rare breed of hands-on EV enthusiast, mechanical engineer, battery expert and public servant—helped develop California’s zero emissions regulation, arguably the essential catalyzing mandate that spurred the world’s automakers to produce and sell cars that run on electrons instead of hydrocarbons. Posted. http://www.plugincars.com/celebrating-craig-childers-powerful-force-electric-car-legislation-128289.html Bad year in Sacramento for environmental measures. Environmental groups were excited last week when a key bill they worked on all year came up for a final vote in Sacramento. The measure would have allowed the California Coastal Commission to fine people who illegally block public access to beaches, destroy wetlands or build homes without permits -- rather than having to take them to court. But at the last minute, eight Democrats, including three from Bay Area coastal districts…Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_24092156/bad-year-sacramento-environmental-measures?source=rss OPINIONS COLUMN-EU law unclear on integrating renewable power: Wynn. The lack of clear rules and targets for the integration of renewable power in the European Union risks slower adoption at higher cost. The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive is responsible for driving rapid growth in the sector by setting each member state a mandatory target for producing non-fossil-fuel energy. (Chart 1) In the case of electricity, the directive also required priority grid access and integration of renewable power…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/16/column-wynn-germany-solar-idUSL5N0HC13P20130916 Bipartisan Pettiness on Climate Change. House Republicans will hold their first hearing on climate change in more than two years this week. Sadly, its focus is unlikely to be sensible strategies that are sorely needed to reduce the U.S.’s greenhouse-gas emissions, such as setting a price on carbon, but rather how existing efforts to protect the climate are too expensive. Representative Ed Whitfield, a Kentucky Republican and chairman of the Energy and Commerce…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-16/bipartisan-pettiness-on-climate-change.html Target: Natural Gas. The oil and gas fracking boom increased household disposable income by $1,200 last year as lower energy costs flowed to consumers, according to a new study from IHS Global Insight. So Americans may want to know that President Obama's nominee to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) thinks natural gas is a "dead end." That nominee is Ron Binz, and in March 2013 he spoke at an Edison Foundation panel on utilities and green technologies. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324009304579043063675186946.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Dialing Back the Alarm on Climate Change. A forthcoming report points lowers estimates on global warming. Later this month, a long-awaited event that last happened in 2007 will recur. Like a returning comet, it will be taken to portend ominous happenings. I refer to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) "fifth assessment report," part of which will be published on Sept. 27. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324549004579067532485712464.html?KEYWORDS=global+warming Don’t blame climate change for extreme weather. Bjørn Lomborg, an adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School, directs the Copenhagen Consensus Center. He is the author of “The Skeptical Environmentalist,” “Cool It” and, most recently, “How Much Have Global Problems Cost the World? A Scorecard From 1900 to 2050.” One of the most persistent claims in the climate debate is that global warming leads to more extreme weather. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bjorn-lomborg-dont-blame-climate-change-for-extreme-weather/2013/09/13/4b770d48-117e-11e3-bdf6-e4fc677d94a1_print.html To Reduce Warming, Start With College Divestment. Divestment from fossil energy holdings strikes some as extreme. If that were true, it would be fitting: we are faced with an extreme problem. Consciously carrying out a destructive and irreversible type of geoengineering on the planet — which is what we are doing with carbon dioxide emissions — strikes me as being more extreme. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/opinion/to-reduce-warming-start-with-college-divestment.html The Green Way: How to limit your in-car pollution exposure. Now I have proof. Driving in traffic with the windows down or with the roadside air being sucked into the passenger cabin is bad for your lung health. Real bad. That’s what I’ve been telling my family for years but have felt like the boy who cried wolf. Until now. Posted. http://www.sgvtribune.com/environment-and-nature/20130914/the-green-way-how-to-limit-your-in-car-pollution-exposure California’s solution to global warming. The California Legislature passed and then-Gov. Schwarzenegger signed the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known as AB32. The law was designed to ensure total California greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020 are no greater than GHG emissions were in 1990. Since man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are believed to cause global warming, the reduction of anthropogenic CO2 is a focus of AB32. Since passage of the law, CO2 emissions in California have declined each year. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/commentary/california-s-solution-to-global-warming/article_556ab4f6-1dab-11e3-a1d0-0019bb2963f4.html Does coal mean electric cars are bad? No, it's the other way around. Coal may make electric cars dirtier to run in the short term, Voelcker writes. But, in the long term, its electric cars that help make the case for rendering coal obsolete. Every so often, electric-car skeptics will attack the idea of using grid electricity to power a car by bringing up coal. "Yeah," the argument goes, "but you're just burning coal instead of gasoline in your electric car--so how's that any better?" Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/0915/Does-coal-mean-electric-cars-are-bad-No-it-s-the-other-way-around/%28page%29/2 BLOGS Nissan Leaf EV ready for certified pre-owned program. Consider this week a cosmic passing of the torch. As legendary Southern California auto dealer Cal Worthington (sans his dog Spot) left this world for that great dealership in the sky, Nissan was making preparations for its all-electric Leaf to make its debut in the realm where good 'ol Cal reigned supreme: the used car lot. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/13/nissan-leaf-ev-ready-for-certified-pre-owned-program/ How a two-stroke engine works. Used in leaf blowers, lawn mowers, chain saws, mopeds and jet skis, the two-stroke engine is lightweight and powerful — but it's one inefficient, dirty little machine. With an upstroke and a downstroke, the engine completes one cycle of internal combustion; hence the name. Automobile engines require four strokes to complete a cycle and are much heavier because they require extra systems and components, which make them cleaner and more efficient. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/health/leafblower/index.html Bills will make it easier for Californians to buy and sell solar power. No rooftop? No yard? No problem! All Californians will be able to invest in solar and wind projects to reduce their power costs and their carbon footprints under a bill awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s (D) signature. “SB 43 will allow the millions of Californians who cannot install their own solar unit, windmill…Posted. http://grist.org/news/bills-will-make-it-easier-for-californians-to-buy-and-sell-solar-power/ America warming up to new hydropower. Flooding an area with a new reservoir to produce hydropower would seldom, if ever, be a popular idea with environmentalists. But what about the thousands of existing reservoirs that serve other purposes in America — the ones that control floods, entertain boaters, and store drinking water? Funneling water from those reservoirs over newly installed turbines could be a relatively benign way of boosting zero-carbon hydroelectric power supplies. Posted. http://grist.org/news/america-warming-up-to-new-hydropower/ Ask Umbra: Which carbon-offset programs are best? Q. Dear Umbra, I know carbon offsets don’t give us a “free pass” to travel by car and plane and consume indiscriminately. However, I’d still like to offset the travel that I must do and would like to know what new or extant programs are best. Thanks for your advice. A. Dearest Heather, It must be Serious Issues Month here at Ask Umbra headquarters. First we had Fukushima, then GMO beets, then natural gas, now carbon offsets. Posted. http://grist.org/living/ask-umbra-which-carbon-offset-programs-are-best/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 14:11:43 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 17, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 17, 2013. 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 Audits find problems with air monitoring. A federal audit and a new state audit have detected problems in how the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District monitors particulates and ozone. The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/199B22K) cited the reports, which were made public Monday, as another piece of evidence showing that the district that has been failing to meet requirements that it accurately track levels of air pollution blamed for contributing to lung and heart problems. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Audits-find-problems-with-air-monitoring-4820874.php CLIMATE CHANGE United Nations official: World is on ‘not on track’ over climate change. One of the United Nations’ top climate officials says international leaders are failing to fight global warming, appealing directly to the world’s voters to pressure their politicians into taking tougher action against the buildup of greenhouse gases. Halldor Thorgeirsson told journalists Tuesday that “we are failing as an international community” and that the world is “not on track” to prevent potentially catastrophic climate change. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/united-nations-official-world-is-on-not-on-track-over-climate-change/2013/09/17/a31785f2-1fb9-11e3-9ad0-96244100e647_story.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/17/2925584/un-official-world-not-on-track.html#storylink=cpy Meteorology and geography collide in Colorado flooding. Deadly flooding in Boulder, Colo., was due to the chance collision of meteorology, geography and urban development, according to weather and climate experts. As a fleet of U.S. military helicopters conducted search and rescue efforts Monday, more than 1,200 people remained unaccounted for following a week of intense rain and flash floods. At least seven people were reported killed in the extreme weather. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-meteorology-and-geography-collide-in-colorado-flooding-20130916,0,3424825.story U.N. expert says reducing short-lived pollutants is a surer way to meet climate targets. Reducing methane, black carbon and other short-lived pollutants now is a surer way to curb climate change than waiting for a 2015 global warming treaty to do the job, U.N. Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner said. Speaking at a congressional briefing yesterday, Steiner pointed to ongoing economic crises as hurdles on the path toward the 2015 carbon-cutting deal that countries promised to ink. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987345/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Methane emissions drop at natural gas drilling sites, study says. The study indicates that new technology has dramatically reduced air pollution emitted during a key step in the drilling process at natural gas wells across the U.S. Emissions of methane from natural gas well sites across the United States have fallen in a key part of the drilling process, despite the boom in natural gas development, according to a study published Monday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-fracking-methane-20130917,0,4131050.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/16/5741108/study-methane-leaks-from-gas-drilling.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Study-Methane-leaks-from-gas-drilling-not-huge-4818706.php http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/us/gas-leaks-in-fracking-less-than-estimated.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/study-finds-methane-emissions-from-onshore-natural-gas-drilling-lower-than-estimates/2013/09/16/6913c4c0-1f09-11e3-94a2-6c66b668ea55_story.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/16/natural-gas-industry-fracking-methane-greenhouse-gas-emissions/2811193/ Methane still leaking at Hawthorne well; 37 families remain evacuated. A well in Hawthorne continues to spew methane even after crews were able to stop the flow of water, authorities said. Monday morning, a well-capping company blasted 208 barrels of high-pressured water into the well spout to try to stop the flow of water and methane. They felt they had it under control, but it began leaking methane again, authorities said. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-methane-well-leaking-20130916,0,6186890.story Appalachian miners decry what they call Obama's 'war on coal' Coal allies say Obama's coming plans for combating climate change could slash industry jobs and tax revenue in mining states such as West Virginia. When President Obama laid out ambitious plans in June for combating climate change, coal miners like Roger Horton heard what they considered the latest fusillade in the administration's "war on coal." Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-war-on-coal-20130917,0,2795978.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/17/5743390/appalachian-miners-decry-what.html Diesel-addicted remote communities hope to receive 'holy grail' of energy storage. In Sandy Lake, Ontario (population 2,650), the diesel fuel that powers this remote community a thousand miles northwest of Toronto costs around $9 a gallon. And even then, in its harsh northern climate, it provides electricity only some of the time. "There's always problems, there's always power outages," grumbles Harry Meekis, capital projects manager for the Sandy Lake First Nation." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987323/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES UPDATE 1-China renews subsidies for green vehicles. China has renewed private-buyer subsidies for "new energy" or electric-powered vehicles for another three years, in part to fight air pollution, but contrary to some expectations did not include gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. China's central government announced on Tuesday it will provide up to 60,000 yuan ($9,800) for the purchase of an all-electric battery car and up to 35,000 yuan for a "near all-electric" plug-in vehicle. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/17/china-autos-green-idUSL3N0HD1IK20130917 GM Developing Car to Rival Tesla. General Motors Co. is developing an electric car that can go 200 miles on a charge for around $30,000, officials at the largest U.S. auto maker said, offering a challenge to luxury electric-car startup Tesla Motors Inc. Doug Parks, GM's vice president of global product programs, disclosed the effort on Monday at GM's battery laboratory and test facility in Warren, Mich., but didn't say when the car would be available. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323981304579079492902482638.html#printMode California new car dealers claim Tesla violates advertising laws. The trade group for California’s new car dealers wants the state Department of Motor Vehicles to investigate Tesla Motors’ advertising practices, alleging that the upstart automaker is violating various state and federal laws in marketing its electric cars. The California New Car Dealers Assn. claims that Tesla inflates the savings customers accrue from various federal and state incentives …Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-california-dealers-claim-tesla-violations-20130916,0,3708769.story Gov. Jerry Brown, corporate leaders tout electric vehicles. Gov. Jerry Brown joined forces with 40 leading corporations Monday to showcase the states's commitment to electric vehicles, as companies as diverse as Google (GOOG) and Coca-Cola promised to promote EVs with workplace incentives like free charging and car-sharing of plug-in vehicles. The event, called "Drive the Dream," was held at the Exploratorium in San Francisco and organized by the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24107581/gov-jerry-brown-corporate-leaders-tout-electric-vehicles?source=rss Zero Motorcycles Commit to 'Drive the Dream' Zero Motorcycles, the global leader in the electric motorcycle industry, today announced its next level of commitment to the electric vehicle (EV) market in a meeting with Governor Jerry Brown, California’s Plug In Electric Vehicle Collaborative and other California corporate leaders. Hosted at the Exploratorium, “Drive the Dream” further positioned California as a global leader in the plug-in vehicle market…Posted. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/807/17030/Motorcycle-Article/Zero-Motorcycles-Commit-to-Drive-the-Dream.aspx Surprise: Take Cars Off Roads, Air Gets Much, Much Clearer. It stands to reason: Take all vehicles off the roads, and the air will get cleaner. But now we can answer the question, "How much?" And it turns out that the answer is, "A lot." In a new paper, A national day with near zero emissions and its effect on primary and secondary pollutants, published in Atmospheric Environment, researcher Ilan Levy looks at one naturally occurring annual test of the effect of removing all vehicles from the roads of cities. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086988_surprise-take-cars-off-roads-air-gets-much-much-clearer GREEN ENERGY Senate Republicans criticize Obama nominee to lead federal energy panel. President Barack Obama's nominee to be the nation's top energy regulator came under sharp questioning Tuesday from lawmakers concerned that he may be opposed to coal and natural gas. Republicans and at least one Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee said they believe that former Colorado regulator Ron Binz favors renewable energy sources such as wind and solar over traditional fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENERGY_REGULATOR?SITE=TXMID&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/senate-republicans-criticize-obama-nominee-to-lead-federal-energy-panel/2013/09/17/64cac7bc-1fb1-11e3-9ad0-96244100e647_story.html http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/17/obama-energy-nominee-ron-binz-faces-rocky-confirma/ Oakland solar company Mosaic crowdsources the sun. Now you can invest in a solar project even if you don't own a roof. Oakland-based Mosaic has created a financing platform that allows individuals to put as little as $25 into solar projects on commercial buildings. The crowdsourcing platform, founded in 2011, has generated widespread interest: 622 people invested a total of $377,600 to put solar panels on a University of Florida apartment community…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24107073/mosaic-crowdsourcing-sun-solar-company-oakland MISCELLANEOUS Jerry Brown says he will sign bills extending vehicle fees. Gov. Jerry Brown said Monday that he will sign legislation extending a fee on vehicle registrations and tire sales in California to pay for programs designed to reduce emissions and promote alternative fuels. Assembly Bill 8, by Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno, will extend until 2024 a $3 increase in vehicle registration fees scheduled to expire in 2016. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/17/5742112/jerry-brown-says-he-will-sign.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/17/2924711/jerry-brown-says-he-will-sign.html Solar power in Modesto will shine at Sept. 28 fair. Frank Ploof has a meter at his house that shows how much power he is not buying from the Modesto Irrigation District. Most of his electricity comes from the solar panels he installed on his roof early this year. Ploof and other advocates are putting on a solar fair Sept. 28 in Modesto. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/16/2924834/solar-power-in-modesto-will-shine.html#storylink=cpy Marine species follow water temps, study finds. As climate change heats our oceans, you'd expect temperature-sensitive marine species to flee poleward to cooler waters. So why have some headed to warmer regions toward the equator? Scientists have solved the puzzle. For the most part, these animals are relocating to cooler waters. But since the effects of climate change can vary widely across regions, sometimes those cooler regions are closer to the poles and sometimes they're closer to the equator. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Marine-species-follow-water-temps-study-finds-4819406.php OPINIONS How bad for the environment are gas-powered leaf blowers? To most people, falling leaves are a beautiful sign of the changing seasons. But for many Washingtonians, the rite of fall is just another reason to have an argument. Residents of some localities have even pushed for a ban on gasoline-powered leaf blowers, which they find noisy and say are bad for the environment. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/how-bad-for-the-environment-are-gas-powered-leaf-blowers/2013/09/16/8eed7b9a-18bb-11e3-a628-7e6dde8f889d_story.html The era of unlimited carbon pollution is over. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency will move against climate change by continuing the job it was created to do, 40 years ago, by a bipartisan Congress. Some will, and already are, treating this as a deplorable event with intolerable consequences. It’s anything but: Not only is it the law, it’s also good for America. The EPA is ready to roll out an updated version of proposed federal limits on how much carbon pollution can be released into the sky by future power plants. Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/environment-era-unlimited-carbon-pollution-96894.html#ixzz2fAl8XWaM BLOGS Encouraging Results Seen in First Nationwide Look at Gas Leaks from Drilling Boom. In 2011, a Cornell research team led by the environmental scientist Robert Howarth published “Methane and the greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas from shale formations,” a widely discussed paper positing that gas escaping from drilling operations using hydraulic fracturing, widely known as fracking, made natural gas a bigger climate threat than the most infamous fossil fuel, coal. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/encouraging-results-in-first-nationwide-look-at-gas-leaks-from-fracking-boom/?_r=0 Tesla selling cars at Fremont factory. Electric car maker Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) has opened a retail store at its factory in Fremont, the company said Monday. In addition to letting shoppers get up close to Tesla's much-in-demand Model S, the new Fremont store shows off a stripped-down chassis of the car, with interactive touchscreens provided to answer questions about Tesla’s electric powertrain and battery architecture. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/09/tesla-nasdaq-tsla-elon-musk-fremont.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search Climate Change This Week: Biblical Rains, Another Solar Breakthough, and More! Colorado's "Biblical" Flood in Line with Climate Trends reports Andrew Freedman at Climate Central. He notes that this lethal catastrophic event is consistent with the increasing frequency of extreme rain storms occurring under, and sometimes definitely linked to, continued climate change. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-ellen-harte/climate-change-this-week_b_3937165.html New Fracking Emissions Study Brings Out The Usual Suspects. The latest study on shale gas emissions has caused a bit of a stir, noting that the wells do not appear to be emitting significant amounts of methane, which is an important finding. There are however a number of other relevant points that have emerged. First, the researchers did find significant leakage, but at other points than the wells, most notably in the gas-water separation process. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2013/09/17/new-fracking-emissions-study-brings-out-the-usual-suspects/ California Emission Regulations: News on the Diesel Particulate Filter. California emission regulations can affect truck drivers and California business. As most independent truckers know by now, most class 8 trucks, with a pre-2007 engine, operating in California, will need to have an approved DPF (diesel particulate filter) installed. Truckers have until January 1, 2014 to update their vehicles, and obtain the proper documents stating that their truck(s) meet CARB (California Air Resources Board) regulations. Posted. http://wallstreetsectorselector.com/2013/09/california-emission-regulations-news-diesel-particulate-filter/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 14:32:50 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 18, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 18, 2013. 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. LOW CARBON FUEL U.S. appeals court knocks back California fuel rule challenge. A federal appeals court on Wednesday lifted an injunction on a California program that seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels, in a boost for the state's pioneering efforts to combat global climate change. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the central argument that California was violating a constitutional rule against impeding interstate commerce with its low-carbon fuel standard, which regulates fuels based on the carbon produced in their production, transportation and use. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/18/california-emissions-idUSL2N0HE1LR20130918 CAP AND TRADE State clears way for use of ‘offsets’ in carbon restrictions. Starting in a couple of weeks, the hundreds of companies subject to California’s strict curbs on greenhouse-gas emissions will have a new way to meet the regulations. They’ll be able to buy “offset” credits generated by dairy farms and others who have managed to reduce their own carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/17/5744949/state-clears-way-for-use-of-offsets.html#storylink=cpy http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/09/18/california-to-issue-first-carbon-offset-credits/ Calif. issues first offsets for cap-and-trade compliance. Businesses looking to comply with California's landmark cap-and-trade program for carbon dioxide now have carbon offsets as a compliance option with the state's approval of about 600,000 tons of offset credits from emissions reductions around the country. A project in Arkansas is among the first to convert its offsets to sellable credits in California's system. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987414/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Blowing dust and sand could affect air quality. The San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District and County Public Health Department say blowing dust and sand in the Oceano Dunes/Nipomo Mesa area is causing the air quality to deteriorate. They say forecasted high winds will lead to blowing sand and dust through 7:00 pm on Tuesday. Infants and children and adults with existing or respiratory or heart conditions could experience adverse health effects due to the poor air quality. Posted. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/53036655/ns/local_news-san_luis_obispo_ca/ Experts explore Clean Air Act in anticipation of rules on existing power plants. U.S. EPA's highly anticipated standards for new power plants, to be released this week, will probably shed some insight on how the agency will address a much larger source of carbon emissions -- existing power plants. The rules for existing plants promise to curb emissions, but for environmentalists, the standards for new plants, expected Friday, will be a benchmark. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987416/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Obama Energy Officials Defend Climate Plan to Republicans. Obama administration officials defended efforts to curb greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change as they faced questions from Republican Lawmakers about the costs of those policies. Cutting energy demand, improving the resilience of the electric grid and improving the efficiency of appliances can both save money and help the environment…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-18/obama-energy-officials-defend-climate-plan-to-republicans.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/18/obamas-climate-plans-to-get-airing-in-congress/ http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987460/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS California Air Resource Board cracks down on big rigs. For the past few months, Monte Eberhardt had been hearing from other big rig drivers that he may have to retrofit his cattle-hauling truck to meet new emission standards. “I looked it up about the filter and I have until the end of January,” said Eberhardt, 40, of Wheatland. But the owner of Eberhardt Livestock found that he was wrong Tuesday, when he was pulled over just north of Sacramento for a state Air Resources Board truck inspection. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/18/5745478/california-air-resource-board.html#storylink=cpy http://univisionsacramento.univision.com/videos/video/2013-09-17/operativo-en-la-interestatal-99 http://www.kcra.com/page/search/htv-sac/news/local-news/semi-trucks-get-inspected-for-pollution/-/11797380/21989634/-/qd8pr4z/-/index.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/18/2926864/california-air-resource-board.html BY SUBSCRIPTION State emission rules a costly burden for farmers. Jenming Gee, owner of Gee Agri Transport in Yuba City, said he'll spend at least $350,000 this year alone on new vehicles and retrofitting old ones. Chris Torres said his company, F&L Trucking in Princeton, has taken half a million dollars in losses in the past 10 years staying in compliance. And they might be the lucky ones — certainly, they're the most prepared. "Not everybody can afford to buy new or retrofit," Gee said. Posted. http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/gee-127683-burden-spend.html#ixzz2fGRFSBen http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews/ci_24122046/state-emission-rules-costly-burden-farmers FUELS What Happens When the U.S. Isn’t the Biggest Gas Guzzler? Americans burn through 1.2 gallons of gasoline per person each day. There’s no other country that comes close. Even Canadians, themselves gas hogs, use almost a third less. That’s why the chart above should scare the fuel out of everyone. Brazil, Russia, India and China -- four rising economies known collectively as the BRIC countries -- surpassed the U.S. in liquid-fuel consumption in 2011 and haven’t looked back…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-17/what-happens-when-the-u-s-isn-t-the-biggest-gas-guzzler-.html Mississippi Coal Plant Overruns Show Risks of Carbon Rule. Coal’s future is being built in rural Mississippi, and so far this is what it looks like: a $1 billion cost overrun, a stew of legal battles, a revolt by ratepayers and a credit downgrade for the local utility. With all those challenges, Southern Co. (SO)’s $4.7 billion project in Kemper County may still be coal’s best hope to survive President Barack Obama’s limits on greenhouse-gas emissions. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-18/mississippi-coal-plant-overuns-show-risks-of-carbon-rules.html Coal's future darkens around the world. The future of coal is getting darker. Economic forces, pollution concerns and competition from cleaner fuels are slowly nudging nations around the globe away from the fuel that made the industrial revolution possible. The U.S. will burn 943 million tons of coal this year, only about as much as it did in 1993. Now it's on the verge of adopting pollution rules that may all but prohibit the construction of new coal plants. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/18/5747058/coals-future-darkens-around-the.html#storylink=cpy http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765638072/Coals-future-darkens-around-the-world.html Obama officials: Rule won't kill coal-fired power. President Barack Obama's top energy and environmental officials said Wednesday there is a future for coal, despite a pending regulation aimed at limiting global warming pollution from new power plants that Republicans and the coal industry say will doom the fuel source. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, questioned at a House hearing, both said coal-fired power would continue. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Obama-officials-Rule-won-t-kill-coal-fired-power-4823422.php http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=223611685 Study of hydraulic fracturing in state puts off suit. The Obama administration has tentatively settled an environmental lawsuit over oil and gas drilling in Monterey and Fresno counties with an agreement to conduct a statewide study of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and its possible effects on water and wildlife. The tentative settlement was announced Monday in a federal court filing in San Jose. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Study-of-hydraulic-fracturing-in-state-puts-off-4822735.php VEHICLES China Renews Electric Vehicle Subsidies Excluding Hybrids. China, under pressure to reduce air pollution, renewed a subsidy program for alternative-energy vehicles such as electric cars. One notable exception: hybrids. The central government will provide as much as 60,000 yuan ($9,800) toward the purchase of an all-electric passenger vehicle and as much as 500,000 yuan for an electric bus, according to a joint statement by the National Development and Reform Commission and finance, science and industry ministries. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-17/china-renews-electric-vehicle-subsidies-without-adding-hybrids.html A Green Car Named Desire. Electric car subsidies for the rich are now a drain on California's budget. California's green regulations often drive national policies, so it's worth pointing out how its programs to cut vehicle emissions have become a gravy train for the 1%. You'll enjoy this if you live in the other 49 states. To meet the state's goal of cutting its greenhouse emissions to 80% below 1990 levels, effectively all new cars sold in California by 2040 will have to be electric or plug-in hybrids. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323981304579079321154539590.html Tesla Motors eyes self-driving cars. How they could save energy. Tesla Motors has made a name for itself rethinking what powers our cars. Now they're taking on who – or rather, what – drives them. The luxury electric carmaker has joined the race to build a car that drives itself. Autonomous transport promises greater convenience and safety than the human-operated vehicles of today. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0918/Tesla-Motors-eyes-self-driving-cars.-How-they-could-save-energy If they made a car that could capture its CO2, would you buy one? Technology to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from car engines may not be far away, but universal consumer acceptance of this technology may take a while to develop. According to a study released this month from researchers at the University of Michigan, consumer willingness to adopt vehicles with carbon capture and storage (CCS) capabilities may be inextricably tied to their opinions on the relationship between CO2 emissions from human activity and climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987395/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY German Power Premium Most Since ’98 Tests Voters: Energy Markets. Germany’s drive to increase renewable energy sources has created the biggest discrepancy between consumer and producer power prices in 15 years, turning the cost of electricity into a political battleground before the Sept. 22 national election. Because of taxes and charges that subsidize the country’s 550 billion-euro ($734 billion) plan to expand solar and wind power, residential bills are more than twice the amount that utilities pay to deliver the electricity…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-18/german-power-premium-most-since-98-tests-voters-energy-markets.html Ranking reveals top U.S. cities on energy efficiency. While Congress dithers on energy efficiency, cities are moving ahead with energy-saving steps such as bike-sharing, tougher building codes, electric vehicle charging stations and cool roofs, says a study out Tuesday that ranks 34 major U.S. cities. Boston takes first place for its efforts to reduce energy use, followed by Portland, Ore., New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Austin…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/17/ranking-shows-top-cities-energy-efficiency-boston-san-francisco-new-york-seattle-austin/2826505/ MISCELLANEOUS US Sen. Markey delivers first Senate speech. U.S. Sen. Edward Markey has delivered his first speech in the chamber since winning a special election, promising to push for legislation on clean energy, gun control and Internet privacy among other things. The Massachusetts Democrat on Wednesday also called for an end to partisan gridlock and a reversal of automatic federal budget cuts, known as the sequester. In his maiden Senate speech, called climate change "irrefutable" and said he would file a bill setting a goal of 25 percent renewable energy in the U.S. by 2025. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/US-Sen-Markey-delivers-first-Senate-speech-4823462.php OPINIONS Will the U.S. Squander Its Energy Bounty? Almost every aspect of the U.S. energy landscape is changing drastically -- except government policy. Consider: The global price of oil has soared to more than $100 today from $30 a barrel in 2004. As a result, the U.S.’s annual bill for oil imports has risen to $365 billion, even though domestic oil production has jumped in the past two years to 7.5 million barrels a day from 5.5 million barrels. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-18/will-the-u-s-squander-its-energy-bounty-.html The American Myth of Cheap Oil and Gas. In recent years, U.S. business and political leaders have giddily talked of a “Saudi America” gurgling with domestic oil and gas. It’s true that the U.S. now has access to abundant supplies of cheap domestic gas capable of transforming the U.S. economy. Too bad these same leaders are about to give away a vast chunk of North America’s hydrocarbon production -- and all the strategic advantages that go with it. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-17/the-american-myth-of-cheap-oil-and-gas.html COLUMN-China's pollution steps need bite, will cost money: Clyde Russell. China's new plans to cut coal use and tackle pollution have a sense of deja vu about them, being the latest in a series of measures aimed at improving air quality in the world's second-largest economy. But the key question, as always with environmental moves in China, is will they be enforced this time or whether once again regulation will be soft and easily side-stepped by provincial and local governments, or polluting companies. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/09/18/column-russell-china-pollution-idUKL3N0HE07C20130918 Turbos & Diesels: Like 'Em Or Loathe 'Em, They're Becoming The Norm By most accounts, the conventional gasoline engine's days are numbered. Long before electric cars become commonplace, automakers expect to wean themselves off gas-powered powerplants, replacing them with fuel-efficient alternatives. On Monday, Ford's Joe Bakaj told Detroit News that the time is coming when most Ford vehicles will come with either a diesel or an EcoBoost engine…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/cars/turbos-and-diesels-like-em-or-loathe-em-theyre-becoming-the-norm/2013/09/18/7b053b72-2077-11e3-9ad0-96244100e647_print.html Big Coal Takes On an Obama Nominee. The coal industry and its allies are angry about President Obama’s energy policies, and they have decided to take it out on his nominee to lead the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas and oil. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/opinion/big-coal-takes-on-an-obama-nominee.html Planes need a California emissions standard. For decades now, "California emissions" has been industry shorthand for low-polluting cars and trucks. Beginning next week, the world will meet to discuss the serious risks of global-warming pollution from airplanes. They should follow California's lead, too. At the meeting in Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organization will attempt to adopt a market-based plan next week to help the world's airlines cut their emissions. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Planes-need-a-California-emissions-standard-4822839.php BLOGS Wheelies: The Revenge Edition. California emissions testing has stalled the debut of Mazda’s diesel engine in the United States, according to a report in Forbes. The company has expressed hope that the delay is only temporary, as the Golden State is expected to be a crucial market for fuel efficient diesel-powered Mazdas. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/wheelies-the-revenge-edition/?_r=0 Offset Market Alive and Well in California. Congratulations to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as they announced plans to issue the first CARB Offset Credits or ARBOCs. These 600,000 metric tons of offsets helps the state move closer towards our emissions reductions goals. Compliance entities, such as utility and oil and gas companies, can use these offsets to meet up to 8% of their compliance obligation. Posted. http://blogs.edf.org/californiadream/2013/09/17/offset-market-alive-and-well-in-california/#sthash.JraADask.dpuf ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:18:54 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 19, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 19, 2013. 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. LOW CARBON FUEL STANDARDS Court upholds Calif.'s low carbon fuel standard. A panel of federal judges on Wednesday upheld California's first-in-the-nation mandate requiring fuel producers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected arguments from fuel makers that California's "Low Carbon Fuel Standard" discriminated against out-of-state producers. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LOW_CARBON_FUELS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-18/california-fuel-standard-doesn-t-discriminate-court-says.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/18/us-california-emissions-idUSBRE98H0Y620130918 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324492604579083474010303010.html?KEYWORDS=low+carbon+fuel http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/us/california-court-upholds-emissions-curbs.html?_r=0 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-carbon-footprint-20130919,0,646250.story http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/State-s-low-carbon-fuel-standards-upheld-4826006.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/18/5747485/court-upholds-califs-low-carbon.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/18/3504687/court-upholds-califs-low-carbon.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/18/2927760/court-upholds-califs-low-carbon.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24123183/court-upholds-calif-s-low-carbon-fuel-standard?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24123259/ninth-circuit-upholds-californias-low-carbon-fuel-standard http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130918/A_NEWS/130919879&cid=sitesearch http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/sep/18/court-upholds-califs-low-carbon-fuel-standard/ http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Court-upholds-Calif-s-low-carbon-fuel-standard-4824874.php AIR POLLUTION Officials Near Deal on Aviation Emissions. World aviation officials are "very close" to resolving a long-running fight over airplane pollution that has threatened to spark a global trade war, said European Union Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas. Air-transport officials from across the globe meet in Montreal Tuesday to tackle issues including airline security, air-traffic control modernization and flight safety. Their top priority, though, is striking a deal to limit aircraft emissions of greenhouse gases. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324492604579085012307454226.html#printMode Exide ordered to cut production after lead emissions exceed standards. The battery recycler's latest infraction stuns activists and officials, who have been calling for the Vernon plant's closure. Air quality regulators have ordered the embattled Vernon battery recycler Exide Technologies to cut production after an air monitor revealed lead emissions had exceeded health standards over a 30-day period. The excessive lead emissions occurred even as…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20130919,0,144482.story Democrats, state AGs ready to challenge new EPA anti-coal regulation. Democrats from coal states, along with 17 state attorneys general, are ripping the Environmental Protection Agency's forthcoming New Source Performance Standards regulation that would essentially ban all new coal-fired power plants. The NSPS, which EPA will officially propose Sept. 20, will require new coal plants to be built with expensive carbon capture and storage technology that has only been tested at small scales. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/democrats-state-ags-ready-to-challenge-new-epa-anti-coal-regulation/article/2536074 Black-carbon researcher wins highest U.N. environmental award. A scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, has won the United Nations' highest environmental award. The United Nations last night in New York gave its Champions of the Earth prize to Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a distinguished professor of climate and atmospheric sciences. The accolade was bestowed for his work on research showing that cutting emissions of black carbon…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987485/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Warming lull haunts authors of key climate report. Scientists working on a landmark U.N. report on climate change are struggling to explain why global warming appears to have slowed down in the past 15 years even though greenhouse gas emissions keep rising. Leaked documents obtained by The Associated Press show there are deep concerns among governments over how to address the issue ahead of next week's meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Warming-lull-haunts-authors-of-key-climate-report-4826829.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/19/5749570/warming-lull-haunts-authors-of.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24129568/warming-lull-haunts-authors-key-climate-report?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24129568/warming-lull-haunts-authors-key-climate-report?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Watsonville enlists community for climate action plan: City develops plan to meet state requirement to reduce greenhouse emissions. As Watsonville's residents suffered through the economic recession in recent years, the city's environment may have benefitted. As business activity declined, so did greenhouse emissions -- about 15 percent from 2005 to 2010, according to a city study released Wednesday. That's enough to meet a 2020 state requirement for reductions of the carbon dioxide emissions tied to climate change. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/watsonville/ci_24127888/watsonville-enlists-community-climate-action-plan-city-develops Despite cooler year, ominous long-term melting trend to continue – experts. This year's Arctic sea ice cover currently is the sixth-lowest on modern record, a ranking that raises ongoing concerns about the speed of ice melt and the effects of ice loss on global weather patterns, geopolitical fights, indigenous peoples and wildlife, scientists said yesterday. In an analysis, the National Snow and Ice Data Center said the sea ice extent as of Sept. 16 was 2 million square miles, an amount just below revised estimates for 2009…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987507/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS U.S. charges 6 people, 3 firms with $100 million biofuels fraud. Six people and three companies, including an Indiana operation claiming to make biofuel from chicken fat and vegetable oils, were charged with defrauding investors and consumers out of more than $100 million, prosecutors in Indianapolis said on Wednesday. The indictment alleged four men operating E-Biofuels of Middletown, Indiana and two others with New Jersey-based Caravan Trading Co and CIMA Green conspired to exploit a government incentive program that offers tax credits for biofuel use. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/18/us-usa-biofuels-fraud-idUSBRE98H16W20130918 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-18/imperial-petroleum-executive-charged-with-fraud-over-biofuels.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/18/feds-allege-more-than-100m-biofuels-scam/2834487/ http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/9332/feds-charge-e-biofuels-imperial-cima-egren-and-others-in-scheme http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/09/truckers-supposedly-aware-of-biodiesel-scheme-six-indicted.aspx Tribunal finds Ecuador released Chevron from pollution liability. In a dispute stemming from a lengthy legal battle over Amazon rain forest pollution, arbitrators ruled that Chevron had already settled claims for damages in agreements with Ecuador despite a $19 billion award against the oil company. The international tribunal, acting under The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration, said in a ruling on Tuesday that Ecuador opted not to pursue damages beyond the country's 1995 and 1998 release agreements with Texaco…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/18/us-chevron-ecuador-idUSBRE98H15P20130918?feedType=RSS&virtualBrandChannel=11563 Ethanol Advances on Lower Supply and Federal Reserve Decision. Ethanol rose the most in more than a week after a government report showed stockpiles of the fuel declined and after the Federal Reserve unexpectedly left intact its level of bond buying. Futures jumped 3.3 percent after the Fed said it would continue buying $85 million in Treasuries each month. Separately, an Energy Information Administration report showed record-low ethanol supply and below-average production levels for this time of year. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-18/ethanol-s-discount-to-gasoline-narrows-as-discount-spurs-use.html Pacific Ethanol buys time with preferred shareholders. Sacramento-based Pacific Ethanol Inc. secured an agreement with holders of the company’s Series B convertible preferred stock to take 196,784 shares of common stock in lieu of $731,492 in cash. The conversion represents partial payment for accrued and unpaid dividends. In return for the exchange, the preferred stock shareholders have agreed to not exercise shareholder rights on unpaid dividends through March 31, 2015. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/09/18/pacific-ethanol-buys-time-shareholders.html Biofuels More Effective, ‘Cheaper Than EVs’ to Cut Emissions. Increasing the amount of biofuels blended into road transport fuels from 5 percent to 19 percent could cut the UK’s annual car emissions up to 27 percent, or 12 million metric tons, by 2030, according to a report by consultancy Element Energy and commissioned by oil company BP. The Role of Biofuels Beyond 2020 says increasing biofuel blends will push up yearly fuel costs for drivers by £13 ($20.77). Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/09/18/biofuels-more-effective-cheaper-than-evs-to-cut-emissions/ Americans Want More E15, Other Ethanol Blends, New Poll Says. Policymakers may be fighting over it, but consumers seem to like E15. At least, that's what a new poll of 1,211 Americans from advocacy group Fuels America says. Of those people, 82 percent said they supported having E15--a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline--at their local gas stations. And 76 percent said they wouldn't mind seeing blends with even more ethanol, such as E20 and E30. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1087045_americans-want-more-e15-other-ethanol-blends-new-poll-says USDA to buy more sugar for fuel production. The Department of Agriculture is planning another purchase of excess sugar for resale to ethanol producers in a bid to boost falling domestic sugar prices. USDA yesterday called for bids from sugar and bioenergy producers for the Feedstock Flexibility Program, a 2008 farm bill program that lets the government buy sugar to avoid loan forfeitures by sugar producers. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987525/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES DOE-supported EV-charging station maker files for bankruptcy. ECOtality Inc., a prominent manufacturer of electric car chargers, filed for bankruptcy protection this week despite having received $114.8 million in federal funding over the last four years. The San Francisco-based company filed for Chapter 11 protection Monday at a U.S. bankruptcy court in Arizona, joining a growing list of clean technology companies to go belly-up. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987509/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY German industry group seeks green energy overhaul after election. Germany's BDI industry association has proposed a plan for a radical overhaul of government policy on renewable energy after Sunday's elections, including scrapping the feed-in-tariff system. The BDI has long warned that high energy prices, caused largely by the rising cost of incentives for green energy, threaten industry's competitiveness. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/19/us-germany-energy-idUSBRE98I0D420130919 Germany’s Effort at Clean Energy Proves Complex. It is an audacious undertaking with wide and deep support in Germany: shut down the nation’s nuclear power plants, wean the country from coal and promote a wholesale shift to renewable energy sources. But the plan, backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel and opposition parties alike, is running into problems in execution that are forcing Germans to come face to face with the costs and complexities of sticking to their principles. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/world/europe/germanys-effort-at-clean-energy-proves-complex.html?pagewanted=all Energy & Green Military buys San Diego-made solar. French semiconductor maker Soitec will provide solar modules from its San Diego factory to build a demonstration-scale power plant for the U.S. military at Ft. Irwin, the company announced Wednesday. The project is part of a broader Defense Department evaluation of innovative energy technologies to develop more secure power supplies, reduce its facility costs and meet renewable energy goals. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/business/energy-and-green-business/ MISCELLANEOUS Social costs of electricity from coal make it uneconomical, researchers assert. New research from a national environmental group finds that the cost of producing electricity from renewable resources like wind and solar is lower than that of conventional coal-fired generation when factoring for the adverse costs of climate change and human health impacts. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987412/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Our View: What's the sense in these diesel emission regulations? Some belated complaining and a note to self: The complaining is too late to do much good. It's just pure grousing about some questionable environmental regulations that are bound to vex a fair number of our area agri-businesses. Protestations would have had greater impact had they come months or years ago. Posted. http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/self-127688-note-communities.html#ixzz2fMLXt4Z1 Bill to open carpool lanes to solo drivers deserves signature. Building additional traffic lanes isn’t the only way to relieve congestion. Los Angeles Assemblyman Mark Gatto has a plan that we hope will be signed into law: a bill to open freeway carpool lanes to solo drivers before and after rush hours. Most everyone in San Diego who commutes by freeway has no doubt encountered an accident or road work that clogs the regular lanes during the middle of the day or at night while the carpool lanes are practically vacant. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/18/bill-to-open-carpool-lanes-to-solo-drivers/all/?print BLOGS Protecting Americans from Power Plant Pollution. On September 20, the Environmental Protection Agency will release new safeguards against carbon pollution that, if expectations are on target, will confirm something investors, governors, community leaders, and everyday Americans have been saying for a decade - in the 21st century, it just doesn't make sense to build new coal-fired power plants. To be specific, we've said that 179 times. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-anne-hitt/protecting-americans-from_b_3942416.html?view=print&comm_ref=false Delaying climate action will triple costs. If the world puts off cooperative efforts to fight climate change until 2030, they will be more than three times as expensive as they would be in 2015. That’s according to a study led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Posted. http://grist.org/news/delaying-climate-action-will-triple-costs/ How energy efficient is your city? Does your city have a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions dramatically? Is it seeking to reduce car use through bikeshare programs and public transit subsidies? Does it partner with utility companies to help small businesses and homeowners save energy? And does it lobby for statewide energy-efficiency legislation? Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/how-energy-efficient-is-your-city/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 16:30:16 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 20, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 20, 2013. 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 Carbon Trade Seen Losing Globally in Aussie Vote: Energy Markets. Australia is at risk of breaching a global agreement to cut greenhouse gases as power markets signal Prime Minister Tony Abbott will exploit the widest election victory in nine years to repeal the nation’s carbon system. Electricity futures prices show the implied costs of emitting a metric ton of carbon in Australia plunged 18 percent in the two days following the Sept. 7 election, bringing its monthly decline to 55 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-19/carbon-trade-seen-losing-globally-in-aussie-vote-energy-markets.html AIR POLLUTION Obama takes on coal with first-ever carbon limits. Linking global warming to public health, disease and extreme weather, the Obama administration pressed ahead Friday with tough requirements to limit carbon pollution from new power plants, despite protests from industry and from Republicans that it would mean a dim future for coal. The proposal, which sets the first national limits on heat-trapping pollution from future power plants, would help reshape where Americans get electricity…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-09-20-10-08-00 OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/20/usa-energy-emissions-idUSL2N0HG0DM20130920 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-20/new-coal-plants-must-capture-carbon-dioxide-output-epa.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323308504579086983430436084.html?KEYWORDS=carbon http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/us/politics/obama-administration-carbon-limits.html?hp&_r=0&pagewanted=print http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-epa-power-plant-emissions-20130920,0,4425244.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/20/5752123/administration-set-to-propose.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Obama-takes-on-coal-with-first-ever-carbon-limits-4828972.php http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/09/20130920-epa.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/20/2930882/obama-takes-on-coal-with-first.html http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/20/new-epa-clean-coal-plant-rules-would-cut-co2-emissions-in-half/ Citgo to pay penalty resolving environmental violations. Citgo Petroleum Corp has agreed to reduce air pollution and pay penalty to resolve environmental violations at refineries in Louisiana and Illinois, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday. The company would pay $737,000 as a civil penalty and implement projects designed to reduce toxic emissions over the next five years at its 427,800 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and 174,500 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Lemont, Illinois. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/19/us-refinery-operations-citgo-idUSBRE98I0WF20130919 Wood smoke, heavy industry, power generators: air pollution study. A study into the sources of air pollution in the Upper Hunter has been released to the public this afternoon. The fine particle characterization study revealed that domestically produced wood smoke, emissions from heavy industry and power generation are all contributing factors. Posted. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-20/wood-smoke2c-heavy-industry2c-power-generators3a-air-polluti/4971942 CLIMATE CHANGE Global warming "hiatus" unlikely to last - draft U.N. report. A "hiatus" in global warming so far this century is partly caused by natural variations in a chaotic climate and is unlikely to last, a draft United Nations report by leading climate scientists says. The 127-page draft, and a shorter summary for policymakers that is due for release in Stockholm on Sept. 27 after editing, say factors including a haze of volcanic ash and a cyclical dip in energy emitted from the sun may also have contributed to a slower warming trend. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/20/us-climate-ipcc-idUSBRE98J0EB20130920 Europe weighing 40 percent 2030 carbon-cutting goal-EU sources. European Union regulators are considering doubling the bloc's target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and setting a tougher binding goal for renewable energy use, EU sources said. The European Commission, the EU's executive, outlined new targets earlier this year but has yet to follow up with a firm legislative proposal. That is expected around the end of the year. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/19/eu-climate-idUSL5N0HD3JH20130919 Global warming slows - but scientists not reassured. Scientists working on a landmark U.N. report on climate change are struggling to explain why global warming appears to have slowed down in the past 15 years even though greenhouse gas emissions keep rising. Leaked documents show there are deep concerns among governments about how to address the issue ahead of next week's meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Global-warming-slows-but-scientists-not-4828479.php FUELS France must cut reliance on oil and gas, says Hollande. France should aim for a 30 percent cut in fossil fuel use by 2030, President Francois Hollande said in a speech on Friday which included plans for a carbon tax from 2014 and a tax break on home insulation to help consumers save energy. Hollande faces a delicate balancing act as he reconciles demands for more binding environmental targets from his Green Party coalition partners with French households and businesses increasingly wary of tax rises. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/20/us-france-environment-idUSBRE98J08Z20130920 California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard Upheld. A three-judge federal panel on Wednesday upheld California’s controversial and first-in-the-nation law requiring fuel-makers to reduce carbon, that detractors say will lead to much higher prices for diesel and gasoline. The 2-1 ruling over the low carbon fuel standard, by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, came as the judged rejected arguments by fuel producers that it was discriminatory against out-of-state fuel makers. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/09/california-s-low-carbon-fuel-standard-upheld.aspx VEHICLES Green Cabs Appear as Bloomberg Prepares to Depart. The waning days of any political administration are typically given over, in large part, to a trumpeting of its successes, real and perceived, and so it has been in New York, as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg prepares to depart with all the reluctance of a 6-year-old leaving Great Adventure. Last week, city officials invited reporters on a tour of more than 20 schools that ranked highly on state tests last spring to show that the Education Department has done a better job than many believe. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/nyregion/green-cabs-appear-as-bloomberg-prepares-to-depart.html?_r=0 GREEN ENERGY White House Renews Support for Energy-Panel Nominee Ron Binz. The White House said it stands by President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, who is facing an uphill battle for confirmation in the Senate. The administration “absolutely” supports nominee Ron Binz, Josh Earnest, deputy White House press secretary, told reporters traveling with Obama to a speech in Missouri today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-20/white-house-renews-support-for-energy-panel-nominee-ron-binz.html U.S. Revives Aid Program for Clean Energy. The Obama administration has decided to revive a controversial loan guarantee program at the Energy Department, administration officials said on Thursday, even as the program remains under Congressional scrutiny after losing hundreds of millions in taxpayer money on investments in failed green energy start-ups like the solar module maker Solyndra. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/business/energy-environment/us-revives-aid-program-for-clean-energy.html MISCELLANEOUS California Air Resources Board (CARB) publishes paper on Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) testing. California Air Resources Board (CARB) has published a paper on Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) performance during real-time driving conditions. The research team used four vehicles, one with Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) technology and three with SCR technology. In typical highway driving conditions, emissions from the vehicle equipped with EGR technology were found to be higher than the legal limit while NOx levels from vehicles equipped with SCR met the standard. Posted. http://www.discoverdef.com/news/2013/9/20/california-air-resources-board-%28carb%29-publishes-paper-on-selective-catalytic-reduction-%28scr%29-testing/ OPINIONS Born-Again Fracker. Ron Binz faced the Senate Energy Committee on Tuesday, and the event was something of a miracle. President Obama's nominee to run the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) declared heretofore undetected devotion to natural gas and regulatory restraint. Mr. Binz's nomination is in trouble because of a record and philosophy hostile toward fossil fuels of any kind. As recently as March he derided natural gas as a carbon-heavy "dead end,"…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324492604579083041465236968.html?KEYWORDS=fuels Flooding proves we need climate change planning. Two months before my Colorado community was overwhelmed this week by epic rains, our state's chief oil and gas regulator, Matt Lepore, berated citizens concerned about the ecological impact of hydraulic fracturing and unbridled drilling. During his speech, Lepore insinuated that those advocating a first-do-no-harm posture toward fossil fuel development are mostly affluent and are therefore unconcerned with the economic impact of their environmental advocacy. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Flooding-proves-we-need-climate-change-planning-4828383.php BLOGS Emissions Rules Unleash Flurry of Indignation, Cheers. Right on schedule, the Environmental Protection Agency announced strict new emissions standards for new power plants, one of the centerpieces of the Obama administration’s plan to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. (We reported on this last week, and have a closer look today.) And right on cue, the EPA rulemaking unleashed a flurry of indignation from Republicans and some business groups and huzzahs from environmentalists and other business groups. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/09/20/emissions-rules-unleash-flurry-of-indignation-cheers/?KEYWORDS=climate+change Everything you need to know about the EPA’s carbon limits for new power plants. On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on carbon-dioxide emissions for all new coal and gas-fired power plants built in the United States. It's the first major piece of the Obama administration's second-term plan to tackle climate change. The regulations aren't likely to have a huge impact in the near future…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/20/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-epas-carbon-limits-for-new-power-plants/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 16:04:06 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 23, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 23, 2013. 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 Global Warming Slowdown Hinders Climate Treaty Effort. More than ever, scientists say they’re convinced the Earth’s climate is warming. Yet lawmakers are struggling to do anything about it because the pace of change has unexpectedly slowed. The data has caused a United Nations panel to lower predictions of the pace of global temperature increases by 2100, according to draft documents obtained by Bloomberg ahead of publication due on Sept. 27. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-22/global-warming-slowdown-hinders-climate-treaty-effort.html EPA Won’t Require Carbon Capture at Existing Coal Plants. Existing coal-fired power plants won’t be required to install equipment to capture and store the carbon dioxide they emit under new Environmental Protection Agency rules, the regulator’s top EPA official said. Gina McCarthy, the agency’s administrator, told a Christian Science Monitor breakfast in Washington today that EPA will issue guidelines for states that allow the use of energy efficiency, clean-energy installations or demand cuts to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-23/epa-won-t-require-carbon-capture-at-existing-coal-plants.html Chemical odor, kids' nosebleeds, few answers in South L.A. neighborhood. An oil pumping operation in South L.A., newly ramped up after years of dormancy, has neighbors worried despite officials' assurances. Monic Uriarte says she began having headaches and bouts of dizziness three years ago, about the time she and her neighbors began smelling a chemical odor on the streets and in their homes. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0922-oil-20130922,0,5218288.story . New laws have cleaned up air at Port of Oakland. From the ships that glide into harbor to the trucks that rumble in and out carrying goods, the Port of Oakland is a place known for noise, motion - and air pollution. The port is one of the nation's busiest, and the vessels, vehicles and other machines that operate there are infamous for spewing noxious emissions that endanger the health of thousands of residents in nearby West Oakland. Studies have linked pollution from the port to asthma and other respiratory ailments. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/New-laws-have-cleaned-up-air-at-Port-of-Oakland-4831313.php Gusty winds prompt air alert in Valley. Gusty winds and blowing dust in the San Joaquin Valley have prompted local air officials to issue a health cautionary statement through Saturday. The health caution is in effect for Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern counties. Blowing dust can result in unhealthy concentrations of particulate matter 10 microns and smaller, or PM10. Exposure to particle pollution can cause serious health problems, aggravate lung disease, cause asthma attacks and acute bronchitis and increase risk of respiratory infections, officials said. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/20/3509249/gusty-winds-prompt-air-alert-in.html New Fairbanks air-quality regulations find critics. The state released a package of proposed regulations intended to help curb some of Alaska's worst pollution in the Fairbanks area. The regulations, released by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Air Quality include tougher standards for new wood stoves installed in areas of the Fairbanks North Star Borough that fall short of federal air quality standards, more flexible measures to deal with air pollution hot spots and rules to allow local government to issue air quality alerts and take action. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/21/2933296/new-fairbanks-air-quality-regulations.html Air district to award emission-cutting agencies. The Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District will recognize at its Monday board meeting the City of Barstow and Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company for emission-cutting projects. The air district is hosting the awards ceremony 10 a.m. Monday at the beginning of its governing board meeting to present this year’s recipients of the Exemplar Award in association with National Pollution Prevention Week. Posted. http://www.vvdailypress.com/articles/air-42392-award-cutting.html CLIMATE CHANGE UN climate experts stress solidity of new report. Seeking to dispel any doubts over the credibility of their work, U.N. climate experts called their latest report an unbiased and reliable assessment of global warming as they presented it Monday to officials from 110 governments for a final review. The landmark report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is expected to state with more confidence than its previous four assessments that global warming is mostly man-made. Posted. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/un-climate-experts-stress-solidity-new-report OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USL5N0HJ1AF20130923 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/22/us-climate-ipcc-idUSBRE98L0KD20130922 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-22/hunger-seen-worsening-by-oxfam-as-climate-change-heats-up-world.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/un-climate-panel-stresses-solidity-of-new-report-on-global-warming/2013/09/23/4aa064ca-2446-11e3-9372-92606241ae9c_story.html http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-climate-change-uncertainty-20130923,0,791164.story Despite weekend rains, so far, 2013 is driest year in Bay Area history. The storm that dampened the Bay Area over the weekend was like an old friend who doesn't visit much anymore. And with good reason. Despite Saturday's healthy soaking, when it comes to 2013, it's been dry. Record dry. Even including Saturday's showers, the Bay Area has received less rain this year from Jan. 1 to mid-September than during any year in recorded history, back to the Gold Rush. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24144997/so-far-2013-is-driest-year-bay-area?source=rss FUELS Current U.S. coal plants excluded from new carbon capture rules -EPA Chief. Power plants already in operation in the United States will not be required to be retrofitted with equipment to capture carbon emissions, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday. Agency chief Gina McCarthy addressed concerns raised after the EPA on Friday announced the first regulations setting strict limits on the amount of carbon pollution that can be generated by any newly built plant. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/23/usa-coal-epa-idUSL2N0HJ17F20130923 China to raise prices for cleaner fuel to boost production. China will raise prices for higher quality fuels starting from year-end, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Monday, a move aimed at encouraging oil firms to boost production of cleaner fuels to tackle air pollution. Beijing has urged domestic refiners led by Sinopec Corp (0386.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) to speed up with the upgrade of their plants to produce cleaner fuels. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/23/us-china-fuel-idUSBRE98M0ER20130923 Brown signs bill on fracking, upsetting both sides of oil issue. Oil industry says the rules go further than needed for safe drilling. Environmentalists contend there aren't enough protections. The nation's toughest restrictions on a controversial oil drilling technique known as fracking were signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday. Hotly opposed by the oil industry, the measure "establishes strong environmental protections and transparency requirements," the governor said in a statement. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-brown-bills-fracking-20130921,0,5029067.story Calif. governor's signature on fracking bill comes with a twist. California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has signed into law a closely watched measure mandating oversight of hydraulic fracturing and other emerging oil drilling techniques. Brown quietly announced through an email message late Friday that he had signed S.B. 4, a bill sponsored by Sen. Fran Pavley (D) that establishes regulatory standards governing unconventional drilling. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059987668/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EPA touts carbon capture models, but some warn they are cautionary tales. The U.S. EPA greenhouse gas rule is putting four "clean" coal plants sharply in the spotlight, but analysts are divided over whether the proposed facilities are national models of the viability of capturing carbon dioxide from power stacks. One of the proposals, Southern Co.'s Kemper County Energy Facility in Mississippi, is not an example for the rest of the country, according to company officials overseeing the initiative. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987663/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists still working to get a handle on global methane sources. Scientists know levels of methane have skyrocketed since the 1850s, as the impacts of the Industrial Revolution rippled through the atmosphere. Even today, though, it's difficult to determine how much of those emissions increases are coming from wetlands or from wellheads. A study released yesterday in the journal Nature Geoscience takes aim at this problem, pointing out progress in quantifying emissions and areas that still need improvement. Since methane is a potent, if short-lived, greenhouse gas…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987654/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Self-Driving Vehicles Progress Faster Than Rules of Road. The world has moved quickly from wonder at the idea of driverless cars to impatient expectation. The Cadillac SRX zipping around a test track in suburban Detroit is flashing a sign: Not so fast. The car can pilot itself at highway speed while the person in the driver’s seat eats a hamburger. Yet the first versions of General Motors Co. (GM) autonomous vehicles, due out by 2020, will drive themselves only on controlled-access highways, such as an interstate. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-23/self-driving-vehicles-progress-faster-than-rules-of-road.html PG&E Joins with EVI to unveil utility industry’s first electric hybrid bucket trucks. Electric Vehicles International (EVI), joined by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), unveiled the utility industry’s first electric hybrid drivetrain Class 5 trucks today at an event at the manufacturer’s facility in Stockton. The Range Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) utility trucks, developed by EVI in partnership with PG&E and the California Energy Commission (CEC), were designed, built and tested in the heart of California at EVI’s manufacturing plant in Stockton. Posted. http://www.tspntv.com/component/k2/item/21117-pge-joins-with-evi-to-unveil-utility-industry%E2%80%99s-first-electric-hybrid-bucket-trucks GREEN ENERGY Six Myths About Renewable Energy. Old ideas die hard. The country has been debating renewable energy for decades—how much we should support it, what place it should have in our energy policy, how big an impact it actually has. Yet many of the things we think we know about renewable energy go back to the earliest arguments. Many of the debating points we hear today are based on outdated facts and assumptions that don't hold up anymore. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324432404579052900100464562.html Malaysia launches $100 mln clean energy fund. Malaysia and Japan-based Asian Energy Investments Pte Ltd. have launched a $100 million venture capital fund to invest in clean energy projects in South East Asia. Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the launch of the fund on Monday at a meeting of sustainable development experts in San Francisco in the United States. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/23/energy-malaysia-fund-idUSL5N0HJ14220130923 Mass. utilities seek more wind power. The largest utilities in Massachusetts have signed long-term contracts to buy wind-generated electricity at prices below the cost of most other sources, including coal and nuclear, administration officials announced Monday. The contracts filed jointly with state utilities regulators by National Grid, Northeast Utilities — which owns NStar and Western Massachusetts Electric Co…Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/23/2936627/mass-utilities-seek-more-wind.html#storylink=cpy BioMason brick wins Postcode Lottery Green Challenge. CO2-free brick ‘grown’ from bacteria nets €500,000m prize with second award in the offing. BioMason’s CO2-free brick production process, which uses bacteria to ‘grow’ bricks, has been named winner of the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge 2013. The sustainable innovation contest, which is organised by the Dutch Postcode Lottery, awarded its €500,000m first prize to Ginger Dosier, the US innovator behind BioMason. The company is also in the running to win the $250,000 top prize in the US Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Challenge. Posted. http://www.building4change.com/page.jsp?id=1995 MISCELLANEOUS Paint Makers Try to Hold Off Lead-Hazard Court Ruling. Lawyers for makers of house paint are due to make their final arguments Monday in an effort to avoid a court ruling requiring them to spend as much as $2.5 billion to remove lead paint from hundreds of thousands of homes in California. While makers of cigarettes and products containing asbestos have been required to pay billions of dollars in damages to people hurt by those items, paint companies so far have been successful in fending off lawsuits blaming them for the health problems of people exposed to lead. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323980604579030900569507582.html Industry sees new EPA rule as legally unstable. U.S. EPA's new proposal for regulating future power plant carbon dioxide is based on a shaky legal foundation, opponents of the rule charged today. In a call with reporters after the rule's release this morning, the National Association of Manufacturers' vice president for energy and resources policy, Ross Eisenberg, said he had hoped EPA would rewrite the new source performance standard (NSPS) to correct some of the legal mistakes he said it made in its now-defunct 2012 version. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1059987639/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS COLUMN-Courts should toss EPA's flawed power-plant rule: Kemp. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed carbon pollution standard for new coal-fired power plants, published on Friday, is "arbitrary, capricious (and) an abuse of discretion," under the Administrative Procedure Act. The federal courts should toss it out if the agency persists in adopting the rule in its current form. On the basis of the evidence presented in the proposed rule, no rational decision-maker could conclude that partial implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS)…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/23/us-power-epa-rule-idUSL5N0HJ24220130923 COLUMN-Merkel must find balance on gas vs. renewable power: Wynn. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after her re-election, must now come up with an energy reform that balances support for renewable power against the need to keep gas-fired plants in operation to ensure reliable supply. Gas-fired power is vital to ensure that Germany has enough power on a still and cloudy day, but utilities are losing money on gas plants and have been closing them down. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/23/column-wynn-german-power-idUSL5N0HG12R20130923 An Important Step on Global Warming. On Friday, in a move that has already caused dismay in industry and among Congressional Republicans, the Obama administration proposed the first-ever federal limits on power plant emissions of carbon dioxide, which account for nearly 40 percent of the greenhouse gases America contributes to a gradually warming climate. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/opinion/an-important-step-on-global-warming.html Clearing the air. As carbon dioxide made news for its role in climate change, Veerabhadran Ramanathan made a striking discovery: Soot and other climate pollutants are 30 to 3,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide and cause millions of deaths per year. The silver lining to that dark cloud is that the compounds last just weeks or months in the atmosphere, compared to the decades that carbon dioxide persists. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/23/tp-clearing-the-air/ To fight climate change, we must trust scientific truth and collective action. It is make your mind up time. This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, set up by the UN in 1988, will publish a paper that will form a crucial part of its fifth assessment report. It will reaffirm that climate change is happening, is manmade and that the balance of evidence is that it is accelerating dangerously. It is the work of 259 scientists from 39 countries who have to submit their work to detailed and open scrutiny before the panel will publish. Posted. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/21/climate-change-scientific-truth-collective BLOGS Green Parking: Not Just a Concept Anymore. Parking, whether in lots or garages, is benefiting from some fresh thinking these days, thanks to new technology and creative ideas that can both save operators money and reduce carbon footprints. Parking operators are also addressing the need for publicly available electric vehicle charging in New York and other cities, though it’s not widely installed yet. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/green-parking-not-just-a-concept-anymore/ California establishes ridesharing rules, including background checks. It is a time for new rules. On top of the EPA's proposed regulations for coal power plants, there are reports out of California that the ridesharing industry will need to sit down and digest a new 76-page rule document. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved ridesharing regulations that will codify the emerging peer-to-peer transportation networks in the state, Techcrunch reports. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/20/california-establishes-ridesharing-rules-including-background-c/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:55:05 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 24, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 24, 2013. 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 on back burner. Manitoba takes wait-and-see approach. Six years ago, then-Manitoba premier Gary Doer escorted Arizona governor Janet Napolitano and British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell to Churchill to witness the effects of climate change first-hand, and the three pledged to work on a regional cap-and-trade system to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Only B.C., which created a carbon tax a year later, has come close to fulfilling that promise. Posted. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/cap-and-trade-on-back-burner-224979592.html AIR POLLUTION Border's Mexicali tops Mexico City in pollution. Move over, Mexico City, a think tank study says the country's most damaging air pollution is in the border city of Mexicali. The nation's capital has long had a reputation for smog, but in small particle pollution it registered in about the middle of large Mexican cities studied. But Mexicali, across from Calexico, California, has excessive dust that gave it the highest per-capita rate of pollution-related premature deaths, hospital and doctor visits. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Border-s-Mexicali-tops-Mexico-City-in-pollution-4839465.php EPA begins to gather comments on reducing CO2 emissions from existing power plants. With the first major hurdle of regulation under Obama's Climate Action Plan done, EPA is now reaching out to states in preparation of the next step -- a proposal to cut carbon from the nation's existing power plants. EPA plans to host public sessions around the country this fall to gather community comments, according to the agency's website. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987733/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Global study makes economic case on climate change. A new global initiative is seeking to present a more persuasive argument for action on climate change by focusing on the economic benefits of doing so. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate is launching a year-long study to analyze the economic benefits and costs of acting against climate change. The results of the study, which will be undertaken by research institutes on five continents, will be released in September 2014…Posted. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/global-study-makes-economic-case-climate-change http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/24/5764154/global-study-makes-economic-case.html What 95% certainty of warming means to scientists. Top scientists from a variety of fields say they are about as certain that global warming is a real, man-made threat as they are that cigarettes kill. They are as sure about climate change as they are about the age of the universe. They say they are more certain about climate change than they are that vitamins make you healthy or that dioxin in Superfund sites is dangerous. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_WARMING_CERTAINTY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/24/5763939/what-95-certainty-of-warming-means.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/24/3515918/what-95-certainty-of-warming-means.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24163728/what-95-certainty-warming-means-scientists http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/how-sure-is-sure-scientists-liken-certainty-of-global-warming-to-deadliness-of-smoking/2013/09/24/bd5a4758-252f-11e3-9372-92606241ae9c_story.html Opponents ramp up fight against Obama climate plan. Republican lawmakers and industry groups are vowing to fight President Barack Obama's climate change plan and its first-ever emission limits on new power plants. But they're finding their options are limited - at least in the short term. Although the emission rules are just one component of Obama's plan, critics are looking for an early win to show they have the fortitude to fend off other sweeping actions Obama plans to take, like pollution standards for existing plants. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/24/5762864/opponents-ramp-up-fight-against.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Opponents-ramp-up-fight-against-Obama-climate-plan-4838132.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/24/2938098/opponents-ramp-up-fight-against.html#storylink=cpy http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24162136/opponents-ramp-up-fight-against-obama-climate-plan?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24162136/opponents-ramp-up-fight-against-obama-climate-plan Climate Report Puts Doubts to Rest, World Bank President Says. A draft working group report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change due Sept. 27 will reinforce the case for urgent action to address global warming, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said Sept. 23. Kim was among several speakers at the opening session of the annual Climate Week NYC event in New York City suggesting that the IPCC draft should put to rest the scientific questions about the role of human activity and present a challenge to action. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-24/climate-report-puts-doubts-to-rest-world-bank-president-says.html Climate-Friendly Companies Have More in Common Than Carbon Cuts. If your facilities need water, and projections call for drought, here’s some advice: Use less water. If some companies are following this advice, and others aren't, the former might deserve more investor consideration. These statements are possible takeaways from two studies released yesterday, an analysis of S&P 500 companies' climate strategies by CDP and a study of corporate climate leaders' financial performance, by CDP and Sustainable Insight Capital Management. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-24/climate-friendly-companies-have-more-in-common-than-carbon-cuts.html A Climate Change Showdown as Global Officials Meet. Transportation ministers from governments around the world will gather on Tuesday to tackle the growing problem of greenhouse gases emitted by airliners. As they assemble, many will be bracing for the political tumult that has wrecked previous international efforts to address climate change. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/business/international/a-climate-change-showdown-as-global-officials-meet.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 E.P.A. Rules on Emissions at Existing Coal Plants Might Give States Leeway. Four years ago, Congress rejected the idea of a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by putting a price on them. But the plan announced by the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday to regulate emissions from existing coal-fired power plants could foster creation of such a system, at least on a regional basis, and a push for renewable energy and energy efficiency in states that so far have embraced neither. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/business/energy-environment/epa-rules-on-emissions-at-existing-coal-plants-might-give-states-leeway.html Study Sees a Higher Risk of Storms on the Horizon. The eastern and central United States likely will see a greater risk of severe weather by the middle of this century as rising temperatures trigger atmospheric changes that favor storms, a new study by climate scientists from Stanford and Purdue universities concludes. The results were consistent across 10 different models that scientists worldwide use to estimate the impact of climate change, Dr. Diffenbaugh said in an interview. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/us/study-sees-a-higher-risk-of-storms-on-the-horizon.html?ref=earth UN climate experts stress solidity of new report. U.N. climate experts say their latest report is an unbiased and reliable assessment of global warming as they present it to officials from 110 governments for a final review. By the end of the week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is scheduled to adopt a final version of its landmark report on the state of Earth's climate system. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/sep/23/un-climate-experts-stress-solidity-of-new-report/#ixzz2fpHfMq2b Emissions, fuel-cost cuts outweigh 'wear and tear' to backup plants – study. High levels of wind and solar power in the West would reduce fossil fuel costs by $7 billion and up to 34 percent of carbon emissions from power plants, while raising operation and maintenance costs by up to $157 million, according to a study released today by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Wind and solar are intermittent sources of power and need a backup source of energy to cover times when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987762/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists deploy underwater observatory to track warming, acidic buildup. Equipped with scuba-diving gear off the coast of Motobu Peninsula in Okinawa, Japan, scientists from the United States and Japan carried parts of a machine that is one of the first to serve as an underwater observatory that monitors temperature, salinity, and other chemical, physical and biological data in the Pacific Ocean. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987715/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Riverdale farmer taps propane for cost savings. Farmer and dairyman Steve Maddox Jr. has found a way to relieve his wallet from some of the pitfalls of the petroleum market while making the air a little cleaner on his Riverdale spread. Maddox has invested $25,000 each for two systems that allow him to run a mix of propane and diesel on his irrigation pumps. Developed by California Clean Air Technologies of Menifee, in Riverside County, over the last few years…Posted. http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/energy-and-environment/8847-riverdale-farmer-taps-propane-for-cost-savings Bus rapid transit gives U.S. cities an economic boost, lowers their emissions. As many American cities continue to recover from the 2008 financial collapse, a new report by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) finds bus rapid transit to be an economical way to revitalize a city while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "A lot of city leaders are looking to revitalize their cities, especially the cities that are in decline, and attract new residents, bring in new employers, etc…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987732/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Oil Firms Seek to Unlock Big California Field. California's Monterey Shale formation is estimated to hold as much as two-thirds of the recoverable onshore shale-oil reserves in the U.S.'s lower 48 states, but there's a catch: It is proving very hard to get. Formed by upheaval of the earth, the Monterey holds an estimated 15.4 billion barrels of recoverable shale oil, or as much as five times the amount in North Dakota's booming Bakken Field, according to 2011 estimates by the Department of Energy. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323932604579052933974060844.html#printMode Sen. Stabenow calls for ethanol credit market probe. The Senate's top Democrat on agricultural issues is calling on federal regulators to investigate claims that speculators are manipulating the market for Renewable Identification Numbers, or the credits associated with gallons of ethanol. In a letter today to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said she was "concerned" that a lack of transparency has opened the door for manipulation in the market. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987757/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Greens say Canadian emissions cuts can't justify pipeline approval. A coalition of environmental groups today wrote to President Obama urging him to not be swayed by a reported pledge from Canada's government to impose greenhouse gas emission cuts in exchange for approving the Keystone XL pipeline. In their letter, more than two dozen organizations say increased regulation of Canada's oil and natural gas producers is long overdue…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987749/print SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Palo Alto looks to require electric vehicle chargers in new homes. Hoping to play a bigger role in the electric vehicle revolution, the Palo Alto City Council embraced a proposal Monday night that would require new homes to come pre-wired for chargers. Council members were unanimous in their support for the building code change, which was floated in a colleagues' memo by Mayor Greg Scharff, Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd and Council Member Gail Price. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24162107/palo-alto-looks-require-electric-vehicle-chargers-new?source=rss http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_24162107/palo-alto-looks-require-electric-vehicle-chargers-new?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Future of natural gas vehicles on display at fair. While you shouldn't hook up your own natural gas tank to your car, BMW, Chrysler, Honda and Hyundai have collaborated to create an array of six dual-fuel natural gas vehicles that can take both gasoline and natural gas. NGVs are fueled with compressed natural gas, which is stored in cylinders aboard a vehicle. They get about the same fuel economy as conventional gasoline vehicles. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x558590386/Future-of-natural-gas-vehicles-on-display-at-fair Car charger financing could imitate solar model. The same idea that sparked growth in the solar industry may do the same for electric car charging stations, ChargePoint indicated yesterday as it revealed a new financing option. The Silicon Valley company plans to use the financing model to let electric vehicle drivers get a new charging station without paying upfront costs for equipment or installation, said Richard Lowenthal, founder and chief technology officer at ChargePoint. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987741/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Report: Environmental chemicals a pregnancy risk. From mercury to pesticides, Americans are exposed daily to environmental chemicals that could harm reproductive health, the nation's largest groups of obstetricians and fertility specialists said Monday. The report urges doctors to push for stricter environmental policies to better identify and reduce exposure to chemicals that prove truly risky. But it's likely to scare pregnant women in the meantime. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_PREGNANCY_CHEMICALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Speedy Trains Transform China. The cavernous rail station here for China’s new high-speed trains was nearly deserted when it opened less than four years ago. Not anymore. Practically every train is sold out, although they leave for cities all over the country every several minutes. Long lines snake back from ticket windows under the 50-foot ceiling of white, gently undulating steel that floats cloudlike over the departure hall. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/business/global/high-speed-train-system-is-huge-success-for-china.html?pagewanted=all Smashing and Recycling Old Tractors Helps Assure Air Quality Benefits for the San Joaquin Valley. Farmers are well known for their ability to tinker and innovate to keep farm equipment running for years and years. But sometimes you've got to let the old equipment go. Jason Weller, Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), with help from machinery operators at Bruno's Iron and Metal in Fresno, today demonstrated the process that the local agricultural and regulatory leaders have agreed upon for destroying old, higher-polluting agricultural equipment. Posted. http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1486385#ixzz2fq92wcNo OPINIONS Climate Uncertainty Is a Sign of Good Science. Scientists can’t say for sure that humans are the cause of global climate change. They’re still a little uncertain, and that’s a good thing. It means the science is working the way it should. A well-educated friend of mine, a climate-change skeptic, once told me that he didn’t believe anything coming out of the big computer models that scientists use to reason about the complex nonlinear feedbacks driving the Earth’s climate system. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-24/climate-uncertainty-is-a-sign-of-good-science.html Reform of CEQA is incremental, but thoughtful. In the 40-plus years since its enactment, the California Environmental Quality Act (better known as "CEQA") has provided an almost endless source of litigation, controversy and confusion. Along with the Byzantine and voluminous regulations and case law it has spawned, CEQA has understandably frustrated courts, practitioners and developers throughout the state. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/ci_24133682/reform-ceqa-is-incremental-but-thoughtful BLOGS Incentives can Ensure Electric Cars are Affordable for All. By signing AB8 (Perea) and SB359 (Corbett), Governor Brown has a critical opportunity to make electric cars affordable for all, cut air pollution, and boost the economy. These bills will extend California’s existing, highly successful rebate program for clean cars and trucks. Accelerating the transition from oil to electricity benefits all Californians through cleaner air, lower fuel bills and more jobs. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rhwang/incentives_can_ensure_electric.html Message from the EPA: It’s about protecting people, not polar bears. Last Friday, new EPA chief Gina McCarthy faced the nation to announce new carbon emission limits for power plants. Her first stop that morning was the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to explain the proposed limits to the mainstream press. Her second stop might surprise you: It was less than a mile away at the Washington Convention Center, where the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation was holding its 43rd annual legislative conference. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/message-from-the-epa-its-about-protecting-people-not-polar-bears/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:08:12 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 25, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 25, 2013. 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 Lawsuit: Pollution from fire making residents sick. About a dozen Slaughter residents allege respiratory problems and diminished property values in a lawsuit filed in the wake of the Nov. 19 blaze that destroyed the Monolyte Laboratories Inc. chemical facility. The Advocate reports the suit, filed Tuesday in state District Court in Baton Rouge, seeks an unspecified amount of damages from Monolyte and several other companies. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/25/2940321/lawsuit-pollution-from-fire-making.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Lawsuit-Pollution-from-fire-making-residents-sick-4841590.php This Map Shows Where You're Most Likely To Die From Air Pollution. A toxic type of outdoor air pollution, known as fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), causes 2.1 million deaths worldwide each year, according to a July study led by University of North Carolina earth scientist Jason West. The researchers measured human-caused air pollution around the world based on the difference in pollution levels between 1850 and 2000. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/This-Map-Shows-Where-You-re-Most-Likely-To-Die-4841225.php CLIMATE CHANGE UC Davis to lead national climate change study. The University of California, Davis, has been awarded an $11 million federal grant to lead a study of how to reduce the impact the nation's transportation system has on climate change. The Sacramento Bee reports the school was chosen this week in a national competition by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/25/uc-davis-to-lead-national-climate-change-study/ http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/25/5765465/uc-davis-to-lead-national-climate.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region Alameda Point studies threat of rising sea level. Plan on moving to Alameda Point someday? You might want to pack a swimsuit and snorkel. Much of the former Naval Air Station - site of a projected 1,425-home development - will be underwater by the end of the century due to sea level rise brought on by climate change, according to the city's draft environmental impact report on the project released this month. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Alameda-Point-studies-threat-of-rising-sea-level-4840453.php DIESEL EMISSIONS California Truckers Say They're Choking on State's Emission Rules. Truck operators in California are complaining that several new rules issued by the state’s Air Resources Board (CARB) are either too costly or impossible to comply with, given current engine and fuel technology. In at least one case, industry charges, a diesel soot filter mandated by CARB caused a major fire in Washington state, leading to the destruction of nearly 4,000 acres of forest and grassland. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertbowman/2013/09/24/california-truckers-say-theyre-choking-on-states-emission-rules/ Black Carbon Reduction Efforts Win Bipartisan Support. U.S. senators from both parties on Tuesday called for increased funding to reduce so-called black carbon emissions from diesel engines, criticizing the Obama administration for cutting a program that provides financial incentives for owners to retrofit or replace their equipment. The Diesel Emissions Reduction Program was originally authorized for $200 million per year when it was created in 2005…Posted. http://www.law360.com/environmental/articles/474827/black-carbon-reduction-efforts-win-bipartisan-support BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS U.S. senator asks CFTC to look into biofuel credit pricing. The head of the Senate Agriculture Committee asked the regulator of U.S. futures markets on Tuesday to probe whether traders manipulated the price of biofuel credits that soared over the summer and were blamed for raising gasoline prices. In a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow said she was concerned about "possible manipulation of the markets for Renewable Identification Numbers," the formal name for RINs. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/24/us-usa-agriculture-biofuels-idUSBRE98N0P720130924 NREL researchers find wind and solar power provide net benefits to Western grid. Fossil fuel power plants that have long provided steady baseload power to much of the West will not be significantly affected by the integration of more solar and wind energy on the grid, a new analysis from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has found. The findings, presented in phase two of NREL's "Western Wind and Solar Integration Study," should help dispel the notion that the addition of intermittent energy resources like wind and solar …Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987792/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Calif. to extend EV tax credits, build hydrogen fuel stations. The California legislature has approved measures to raise $2 billion to extend rebates for electric vehicles and to help develop up to 100 fueling stations over the next decade for vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The legislation, expected to be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, would extend some vehicle fees to help pay for the programs. The state has made its zero emission vehicle program a cornerstone of its efforts to reduce smog and greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130924/AUTO01/309240096#ixzz2fvRo0gC7 GREEN ENERGY Atomic Goal: 800 Years of Power From Waste. In a drab one-story building here, set between an indoor tennis club and a home appliance showroom, dozens of engineers, physicists and nuclear experts are chasing a radical dream of Bill Gates. The quest is for a new kind of nuclear reactor that would be fueled by today’s nuclear waste, supply all the electricity in the United States for the next 800 years and, possibly, cut the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation around the world. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/business/energy-environment/atomic-goal-800-years-of-power-from-waste.html?ref=science California lawmakers fly to Scandinavia to learn about energy. A delegation of nine California state lawmakers has left on a trip to Sweden and Norway to study how the Scandinavians have advanced environmental and energy policies. The trip is one of several largely paid for over the years by the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy, a nonprofit group funded by business and labor groups, including the oil and energy industries. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-california-lawmakers-fly-to-scandanavia-to-learn-about-energy-20130924,0,1820724.story MISCELLANEOUS Robert Bullard, pioneer in environmental justice, is honored by the Sierra Club. One freezing February day in 1994, environmental scholar and activist Robert Bullard was summoned to the White House. He had no idea why. When he was ushered into the Oval Office, he discovered that President Bill Clinton had invited him to witness the signing of an executive order that would require the federal government to consider the environmental consequences to low-income communities before implementing policies. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/robert-bullard-pioneer-in-environmental-justice-is-honored-by-the-sierra-club/2013/09/24/88e0e882-251c-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html State Agencies Embrace $11 Mil. Initiative to Curb Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Roads. The California State Transportation Agency today joined the California Air Resources Board and California Department of Transportation in announcing support for a new national research program to support sustainable transportation. “The California Transportation Agency is taking action to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation,” California State Transportation Agency Secretary Brian Kelly said. Posted. http://scvnews.com/2013/09/24/state-agencies-embrace-11-mil-initiative-to-curb-greenhouse-gas-emissions-on-roads/ OPINIONS Warming Up for Another Climate-Change Report. Every six years, a U.N. panel issues its findings, and the media hail them as definitive. Skepticism may be in order. At a closed-door meeting in Stockholm this week, each paragraph of a document written by scientists is being projected onto large screens. Delegations from scores of nations participate in the editing: Words will be substituted, emphasis will be added, entire sentences may well be inserted or deleted. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323981304579079030750537994.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change What Should Be Done About Global Warming? There's a consensus among leading scientists that global warming is caused by human activity. So we asked The Experts: What—if anything—should we do about it? This discussion relates to a recent Journal Report on myths about renewable energy and formed the basis of a discussion on The Experts blog on Sept. 24. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303759604579095760652498736.html#printMode?KEYWORDS=climate+change Letters: About that climate change 'hiatus'. Re "What's this global warming ‘hiatus’?" Sept. 23. I'm not a climate scientist and will not attempt to argue the interpretation of the data presented in this piece, but I do know what the word "hiatus" means: merely a lapse in continuity — in this case, with the extent of global warming predictions. This is by no means an excuse to continue burning fossil fuels in lieu of using clean, renewable energy sources. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters/la-le-0925-wednesday-climate-change-hiatus-20130925,0,7913594.story Mark Buchanan: uncertainty on climate is a sign of good science. Scientists can’t say for sure that humans are the cause of global climate change. They’re still a little uncertain, and that’s a good thing. It means the science is working the way it should. A well-educated friend of mine, a climate-change skeptic, once told me that he didn’t believe anything coming out of the big computer models that scientists use to reason about the complex nonlinear feedbacks driving the Earth’s climate system. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/25/tp-mark-buchanan-uncertainty-on-climate-is-a-sign/ BLOGS Let’s Upgrade Our Insurance Policy on Climate-Change Risk. There’s a consensus among leading scientists that global warming is caused by human activity. What–if anything–should we do about it? KATE GORDON: Climate change presents potentially catastrophic risks to our economy. If you don’t believe me, ask someone who just went through Colorado’s historic floods, or Superstorm Sandy, or the Yosemite Rim fire. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2013/09/24/lets-upgrade-our-insurance-policy-on-climate-change-risk/?KEYWORDS=climate+change Wanted: A Climate Solution for Developing Countries. There’s a consensus among leading scientists that global warming is caused by human activity. What–if anything–should we do about it? ROBERT RAPIER: Although climate change will continue to be a topic that arouses passions on both sides, it is indisputable that the world is conducting a giant experiment on the global atmosphere for which the ultimate outcome is unknown. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2013/09/24/wanted-a-climate-solution-for-developing-countries/?KEYWORDS=climate+change Is Natural Gas ‘Clean’? The question is whether the natural gas “revolution,” which is a real thing — production is up about a third since 2005 — is also a good thing. One reason natural gas is called “clean” is because it emits 50 percent less carbon dioxide than coal when you burn it. Thus it’s seen by some as a “bridge” fuel until zero-carbon-producing renewables can take over. But natural gas isn’t clean in the way that solar is clean. It’s clean-er than coal. It’s better than the worst; that’s all. Posted. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/is-natural-gas-clean/?_r=0 Good News for the Climate: Electric Vehicles Posting Record Sales Across the Nation. Plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) posted record sales numbers in August, with the Chevy Volt and Nissan LEAF both boasting their best sales month ever. This is good news for a technology that is an important part of getting our nation on track to cut our oil use in half and tackle global warming. As more EVs hit the streets, we get a clearer picture of the plug-in car market. Posted. http://blog.ucsusa.org/good-news-for-the-climate-electric-vehicles-posting-record-sales-across-the-nation-252 Regional Greenhouse Gas Effort Eyed As National Model. As the Obama Administration drafts rules to control carbon emissions from power plants, advocates say there is a proven model in the Northeast for the nation to follow. The focus now is on a market-based system that Vermont helped create called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The Environmental Protection Agency last week announced new greenhouse gas reduction standards for new gas and coal-fired power plants. Posted. http://digital.vpr.net/post/regional-greenhouse-gas-effort-eyed-national-model Wheelies: The Fire Sale E.V.’s Edition. Electric cars: for sale, cheap. That is, in essence, what two resellers are saying about leftover cars from Coda Automotive – reborn as Coda Energy after it filed for bankruptcy this year. After the company took a nose-dive, the resellers bought up the rest of the E.V.’s and parts that Coda had in stock. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/wheelies-the-fire-sale-e-v-s-edition/ MADRE FIRE: Unhealthful air drifting into San Bernardino Mountains. Smoke from the Madre Fire is burning above Azusa is drifting east and could result in unhealthful air quality in the western San Bernardino Mountains, say air district officials. The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued health advisories Tuesday, Sept. 24, for areas in the San Gabriel Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains. Air quality may reach the unhealthy range or higher in these areas. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/air-quality/2013/09/24/wildfire-unhealthful-air-drifting-into-san-bernardino-mountains/ BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY RENEWABLE ENERGY: Ivanpah project completes first test. BrightSource Energy Inc. officials were celebrating a first successful test today, Sept. 24, of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in northeast San Bernardino County. The “first sync” was an output of energy between the plant’s Unit 1 and the power grid, company officials said in a news release. Power generated during the test will go to Pacific Gas and Electric, which has a power purchase agreement at Ivanpah. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/09/24/renewable-energy-ivanpah-project-completes-first-test/ BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY RFA: ethanol cuts gas prices by up to $1.50 a gallon. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is giving us up to 2.6 trillion reasons why blending ethanol with the US fuel supply are a good thing for the economy. Citing former Ford and Carter administration energy advisor Philip Verleger, the RFA estimates that gas would be between 50 cents and $1.50 more per gallon than its costs today. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/25/rfa-ethanol-cuts-gas-prices-by-up-to-1-50-a-gallon/ Air Pollution Deaths: NASA Map Illustrates Where Fine Particle Matter Is The Most Deadly. Air pollution may be to blame for millions of deaths per year, but which countries are the worst offenders? Based on data unveiled in a study on air pollution deaths earlier this year, a new NASA map illustrates the nations with the highest rates of premature mortality due to air pollution. The map -- which compares data from Jan. 1, 1850, and Jan. 1, 2000…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/air-pollution-deaths-countries-at-risk-nasa-map_n_3982535.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:25:07 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 26, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 26, 2013. 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 Abbott May Lack Company Support for Killing Aussie Carbon Price. Australia’s new prime minister can’t count on big polluters to support his plan to stop charging for greenhouse-gas emissions, according to the Carbon Market Institute. While business groups such as the Minerals Council of Australia have criticized the carbon price as a “dead weight on the economy,” few individual companies have spoken up for Tony Abbott’s plan to scrap what he calls the carbon tax, said Peter Castellas…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-25/abbott-may-lack-company-support-for-killing-aussie-carbon-price.html California Air Resources Board Issues First Compliance Offset Credits. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has issued its first batch of compliance carbon offset credits eligible for use in the state's cap-and-trade program for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Entities can purchase these credits to offset their carbon emissions and meet their emission reduction obligation that is required in California's cap-and-trade system. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9967§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION EPA to hold hearings on Arizona Navajo coal plant emissions. U.S. environmental regulators will hold public hearings in November on proposals to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions at the giant Navajo coal-fired plant in Arizona. The 2,250-megawatt Navajo plant is located on the Navajo Nation, less than 20 miles (32 km) from the Grand Canyon, near Page, Arizona and the Utah state line. In a release Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the public can comment on plans to reduce emissions…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/utilities-saltriver-navajo-idUSL2N0HM0LW20130926 . U.S. backs market scheme for aviation emissions from 2020. The United States supports a proposed market-based system to curb carbon emissions from the global aviation sector starting in 2020, but warned that concerns over measures to lower emissions in the interim threaten to undercut the broadly-supported goal, a U.S. official said. Negotiators from over 190 countries gathered at the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization's triennial assembly in Montreal will on Thursday to go over the details from a proposal to curb reduce greenhouse emissions…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/us-aviation-climate-idUSBRE98P0V320130926 Obama Appeals to Trout Fishermen on Power-Plant Pollution. The Obama administration is trying to build support for a key element of its climate-change plan with appeals to everyone from trout fishermen to fans of Al Roker on the Weather Channel. The push to promote the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to curb carbon dioxide from power plants stands in contrast to the low-key approach of President Barack Obama’s first term, when it downplayed the hazards and trumpeted an “all of the above” energy policy. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-25/obama-appeals-to-trout-fishermen-on-power-plant-pollution.html California’s Success in Reducing PM 2.5 Pollution. California has made remarkable progress in reducing fine particle pollution in the nation’s most challenging nonattainment regions, the South Coast Air Basin and the San Joaquin Valley. This article outlines the state’s success. Posted. http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/2013/terry.pdf **Please note** This article appears in the September 2013 issue of EM Magazine, a publication of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA; www.awma.org). To obtain copies and reprints, please contact A&WMA directly at 1-412-232-3444. P-U! Mexico City tries to freshen its odor problem. For many, the first experience of Mexico City is a sprawling airport and an appalling stink. It wafts from the manholes and leaves the morning air smelling fresh as a septic tank. On bad days, it hits travelers as they step off airplanes and follows them through the terminal. It can overpower a pleasant bike ride along the cobblestone streets of the capital's downtown, or interrupt an alfresco meal in the trendy Condesa neighborhood. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/25/5769266/p-u-mexico-city-tries-to-freshen.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/P-U-Mexico-City-tries-to-freshen-its-odor-problem-4844738.php Air board re-evaluating its evaluation process. The San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District on Wednesday began the process of changing its rules to allow its entire board of directors to participate in evaluating the performance of Air Pollution Control Officer Larry Allen. Currently, the evaluation is conducted by a board subcommittee and then the whole board approves it in a closed session meeting. Posted. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/09/25/2702730/air-board-re-evaluating-its-evaluation.html Air Quality Watch issued for SM area. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and the county Air Pollution Control District on Tuesday issued an Air Quality Watch for the Santa Maria area. Winds are forecast that may produce elevated particle levels from time to time. This watch is only for the Santa Maria area, and is in effect until the Friday morning. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/air-quality-watch-issued-for-sm-area/article_bd5ddd5c-25af-11e3-82ea-001a4bcf887a.html The battle over San Diego's Barrio Logan. Wedged between the port and the freeway, the San Diego neighborhood of Barrio Logan is a diverse mish-mash of homes, schools, and heavy industry. Its largely Latino population is the result of Mexicans brought over to work the docks during World War II. But the mix of industry and homes has made the air in Barrio Logan dangerous to breathe; residents are three times more likely to have asthma than in other parts of the city. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/09/25/33888/the-battle-over-san-diego-s-barrio-logan/ The Cost of Cleaning China’s Filthy Air? About $817 Billion, One Official Says. Authorities rush out pledges and promises as another choking winter looms. China will need to spend nearly 5 trillion yuan, or $817 billion, to fight air pollution, according to Fang Li, spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection. Fang’s startling estimate came on Sept. 23 as he released the Chinese capital’s antipollution blueprint, which promises significant improvements in air quality by 2017. Posted. http://world.time.com/2013/09/25/the-cost-of-cleaning-chinas-filthy-air-about-817-billion-one-official-says/#ixzz2fx50ENaZ States brace for EPA's emissions rule on existing power plants. John Lyons is in for a rough road ahead. Lyons, the assistant secretary for climate policy for Kentucky, must assess how a state that gets 97 percent of its electricity from coal will comply with EPA's upcoming rule to control carbon emissions from existing power plants. "I've got a big job on my hands," said Lyons, who only recently added "climate" to his title of air regulator, at an event yesterday hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987888/ print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Questions arise on Tier 3 timing as automakers cite rule delay. Questions are rising about when U.S. EPA will release a final rule slashing the amount of sulfur in gasoline, as two key automaker groups say the agency has told them the rule will be delayed until February. The Tier 3 standards -- proposed in March -- were expected to be finalized before the end of the year, meaning they would apply to cars in model year 2017. Green groups say that in recent conversations with EPA, they've been told that the rule will be set this year as scheduled. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059987924/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change stars fade, even if risks rise. Compared to the heady days in 2007 when U.S. climate campaigner Al Gore and the U.N.'s panel of climate scientists shared the Nobel Peace Prize, the risks of global warming may be greater but the stars preaching the message have faded. With many governments focused on tackling short-term economic growth, the shift reinforces what former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has sometimes called a "shocking lack of leadership" in confronting long-term global warming. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/us-climate-ipcc-leaders-idUSBRE98P0H820130926 Business looks to UN report for clarity on climate risks. Companies increasingly factor extreme weather into their strategic planning and a report from the United Nations due on Friday is expected to underscore the heightened risks they face. Extreme temperatures, droughts, and sea level rises will all get worse unless governments make sharp cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) summary report is expected to conclude. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/climate-ipcc-business-idUSL5N0HF31U20130926 Report ponders: How sensitive is climate to CO2? Scientists are more confident than ever that pumping carbon dioxide into the air by burning fossil fuels is warming the planet. The question is, by how much? It's something that officials and scientists meeting in Stockholm will try to pin down as precisely possible Friday in a seminal report on global warming. The values adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are important because they could affect how hard governments try to rein in CO2 emissions …Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5770897/report-ponders-how-sensitive-is.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Report-ponders-How-sensitive-is-climate-to-CO2-4846126.php 10 things to know about the IPCC climate panel. Here are 10 things to know about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.N.-sponsored scientific group that will present a landmark report on global warming Friday. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5770601/10-things-to-know-about-the-ipcc.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/10-things-to-know-about-the-IPCC-climate-panel-4845940.php UN: Better livestock handling curbs greenhouse gas. A U.N. report says improved livestock breeding and feeding practices could trim greenhouse gas emissions in the industry by up to 30 percent. Livestock emissions account for 14.5 percent of all man-made heat-trapping gasses. Of that, cattle production for milk and meat is the worst offender, representing 65 percent of all livestock emissions. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5769891/un-better-livestock-handling-curbs.html#storylink=cpy Climate forecast to be unveiled. The world’s most extensive report on climate change will be released starting Friday, with its authors expected to highlight aspects of global warming that have accelerated — such as ice melt and warming of the deep oceans — along with elements that have defied projections. Perhaps the most notable challenge for the scientists is the fact that Earth’s average surface temperature hasn’t risen in more than 15 years, defying predictions made in the last report. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/25/environment-ipcc-climate-scripps/ FUELS Fight Over Energy Finds a New Front in a Corner of Idaho. In this remote corner of the Northwest, most people think of gas as something coming from a pump, not a well. But when it comes to energy, remote isn’t what it used to be. The Nez Perce Indians, who have called these empty spaces and rushing rivers home for thousands of years, were drawn into the national brawl over the future of energy last month when they tried to stop a giant load of oil-processing equipment from coming through their lands. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/us/fight-over-energy-finds-a-new-front-in-a-corner-of-idaho.html?pagewanted=al Californians wary of fracking, poll says. Californians want stricter regulation of hydraulic fracturing, the controversial method of oil and natural gas extraction, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California. In addition, a majority of likely voters surveyed opposed the increased use of fracking, which involves injecting water and chemicals into the ground to remove the resources locked underneath. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-california-fracking-regulations-20130925,0,7679192.story Public backs Keystone pipeline, power-plant emissions curbs, poll says. In the debate over energy and climate change, the public continues to give support to both sides, according to a new poll. By more than a 2-1 margin, respondents in a new Pew Research Center poll said they favor building the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from tar sands deposits under Canada’s western prairies through the Midwest to refineries in Texas. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-keystone-pipeline-power-plants-poll-20130926,0,5472282.story Shell Oil's Arctic drilling operations in limbo. Six months after federal officials chastised Shell Oil for its faulty offshore drilling operations in the Arctic, the company has yet to explain what safeguards it has put in place or when it plans to resume exploring for oil in the vulnerable region. Shell's 2012 return to offshore Arctic exploration after a generation away was marred by high-profile problems, including hefty fines for polluting the air and a drilling rig that escaped its moorings. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5769930/shell-oils-arctic-drilling-operations.html#storylink=cpy http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-arctic-drilling-20130926,0,4034450.story NY proposes rules for natural gas fueling, storage. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed regulations for new liquefied natural gas storage facilities and truck fueling stations. Commissioner Joe Martens says Thursday that lower emissions from burning natural gas as a fuel "will provide significant benefits to the environment and public health" and will create jobs. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/NY-proposes-rules-for-natural-gas-fueling-storage-4846139.php Bay Area culinary professionals join effort to stop fracking in California. Some of the top culinary minds in San Francisco and the Bay Area have joined a statewide campaign against fracking in the name of protecting California's food and wine. On Wednesday, chefs Alice Waters and Jerome Waag of the famed Berkeley haunt Chez Panisse kicked off a petition drive to urge food professionals to join them in opposing hydraulic fracturing, citing its negative impact on agriculture. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/bay-area-culinary-professionals-join-effort-to-stop-fracking-in-california/Content?oid=2589617 Utilities burn more coal as natural gas prices edge up. Higher natural gas prices during the first half of 2013 prompted electric utilities to curtail their use of gas-fired generators by 14 percent, according to findings published yesterday by the Department of Energy. Much of that lost gas generation was made up with coal, which has witnessed a modest recovery since late 2011 and early 2012, when record-low gas prices prompted many utilities to ramp down their coal-fired boilers in favor of gas... Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987864/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Six Bills That Would Ensure California's Electric Car Future. As PluginCars.com covered recently in this space, California is likely to remain the U.S. leader in electric cars for years to come. The state’s zero emission regulations call for 1.4 million electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen powered cars on the road by 2025. Although the early accomplishments are impressive, there’s always been a gap between the California Air Resources Board’s tough regulations and consumer willingness to actually buy the cars. Posted. http://www.plugincars.com/six-bills-would-ensure-californias-ev-future-128410.html Get your electric motor runnin'. Ventura County is revving up — rather, charging up — for its first annual National Plug In Day event at Oxnard’s Collection this Saturday. Dealers, speakers and hobbyists from around the county will join in celebrating all things electric and hybrid as part of the national celebration with an electric vehicle showcase. Posted. http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/get_your_electric_motor_runnin/11274/ Alliance Urges 'Roaming' Standards For Electric-Car Charging Payments. Electric car charging stations are cropping up in many public places, but accessing them can be difficult. That's because most charging stations are operated by proprietary networks, which often require drivers to set up an account beforehand, and validate each charging session with a card or other proof of membership. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1087184_alliance-urges-roaming-standards-for-electric-car-charging-payments GREEN ENERGY North Texans learning to live off the grid. Outside Mike Renner's two-story home in Azle, Texas, a sleek white turbine whirs in the wind. The 10,000-watt wind turbine sits atop a 100-foot tower Renner built himself. Solar panels cover his roof, producing 8,000 watts of power. In the sticky months of August and September, Renner's thermostat never budges higher than 72 degrees. Yet he pays only $15 a month for electricity, a utility service charge, which he uses only as a backup plan. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/26/5770058/north-texans-learning-to-live.html#storylink=cpy Experts see multiple uses for big batteries on the nation's electric grid. It may be years before battery storage is widely integrated into the U.S. electrical grid, but that's no reason not to find productive uses for technologies available today, according to a panel of experts and regulators. "Vendors are going to provide the technology solutions. Our job is to figure out how to integrate them into the grid," said Zach Kuznar, senior project manager with Duke Energy's Emerging Technology Office…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987876/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS California to review toxic substances in consumer products. California regulators will unveil a sweeping program for reformulating items with toxic chemicals. Hundreds of items found on supermarket shelves, such as shampoos, cleaning supplies, cosmetics and food packaging, could get chemical makeovers under new rules being put in force by California. On Thursday, state toxic chemical regulators will unveil what they say is the nation's most comprehensive program for identifying and reformulating common consumer products containing hazardous chemicals. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chemical-safety-regs-20130926,0,3752911.story OPINIONS Climate Change Has Reached Our Shores. As the world barrels toward a climate crisis of its own making, my country stands at the precipice. In the Marshall Islands, like elsewhere in the Pacific, climate change is no longer a distant threat, nor at the doorstep. Climate change is here. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/climate-change-has-reached-our-shores.html?_r=0 LETTER: We can have jobs, clean air. Economist John Husing has mischaracterized the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) position on warehouses and logistics centers (“Quit killing jobs in bid for more pristine air,” Sept. 20). The agency supports the goals of job creation and a strong economy. SCAQMD staff has never opposed a logistics center in the Inland Empire. The agency does recommend sensible steps that warehouse developers can take to be mindful of public health. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor-headlines/20130926-letter-we-can-have-jobs-clean-air.ece BY SUBSCRIPTION How Much Would You Pay For A Car That Captures Its Own Carbon Emissions? Ask a silly question, get a silly answer. How much more would you be willing to pay for a car that could capture and store its own carbon dioxide emissions rather than belching them into the air? The answer can be found in a new paper by Michael Sivak, a professor at the University of Michigan and director of “Sustainable Worldwide Transportation” at the school’s Transportation Research Institute. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2013/09/23/how-much-would-you-pay-for-a-car-that-captures-its-own-carbon-emissions/ BLOGS How China’s Positionining Itself as the Global Energy-Technology Leader. KATE GORDON: China is a bit of an energy conundrum. On the one hand, it’s the world’s biggest carbon emitter (before you get too smug about that, remember that we’re #2), and it’s beset by some of the worst air pollution on the globe. On the other, Forbes calls the country the “epicenter of clean energy investments” pointing to the $65 billion China attracted in this sector in 2012. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2013/09/26/how-chinas-positionining-itself-as-the-global-energy-technology-leader/?KEYWORDS=energy The Cost of Climate Change. How much will climate change cost? Later this week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will issue its fourth report, aggregating what the latest science tells us about how man-made greenhouse-gas emissions are warming the environment. It is likely to present a dire picture. Posted. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/the-cost-of-climate-change/ UC RIVERSIDE: Transportation consortium to prepare for climate change. UC Riverside and five other universities will participate in a two-year, $11.2 million research consortium to help prepare the U.S. Department of Transportation for extreme weather and climate change. The new National Center for Sustainable Transportation will help the federal agency reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger and freight Travel…Posted. http://blog.pe.com/air-quality/2013/09/25/uc-riverside-transportation-consortium-to-prepare-for-climate-change/ BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY California truckers not happy with state emission rules. The California dream is becoming a bit more of a nightmare, at least according to some truckers there. With the California Air Resources Board (CARB) mandating that older trucks be equipped with a special diesel soot filter in order to reduce pollution, trucking advocates are arguing that the device is not only cost-prohibitive but dangerous as well, says Forbes. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/26/california-truckers-not-happy-with-state-emission-rules/ China’s plan to clean up air pollution could be a climate disaster. In recent years, there's been a fair bit of optimism on the topic of China and global warming. Yes, China is the world's largest emitter of carbon-dioxide. But the country has also pledged to curtail its coal use in an attempt to wrestle down its air pollution. So China should get greener as its citizens demand cleaner air, right? Not necessarily. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/26/chinas-efforts-to-clean-up-air-pollution-could-be-a-climate-disaster/ Cow farts still stink up the climate — but relief is possible. The latest official estimate of the extraordinary role that livestock-rearing plays in global warming comes with a glimmer of hope: Switching over to established best practices could slash the sector’s emissions by a third. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations caused an international stir when it estimated in 2006 that livestock contributed 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://grist.org/news/cow-farts-still-stink-up-the-climate-but-relief-is-possible/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:35:42 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 27, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 27, 2013. 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 Boxer asks EPA to ensure safety of L.A. neighborhood near oil field. California senator wants the agency to address chemical odors wafting through University Park neighborhood from Allenco oil field. U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) asked federal environmental officials Thursday to ensure the safety of a low-income South Los Angeles community where residents worry that their dizziness, headaches and nosebleeds may be linked to noxious odors from an urban oil field. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0927-fumes-20130927,0,5475948.story New mayor aims to stanch Mexico City's stench. For many, the first experience of Mexico City is a sprawling airport and an appalling stink. It wafts from the manholes and leaves the morning air smelling fresh as a septic tank. On bad days, it hits travelers as they step off airplanes and follows them through the terminal. It can overpower a pleasant bike ride along the cobblestone streets of the capital's downtown, or interrupt an alfresco meal in the trendy Condesa neighborhood. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/New-mayor-aims-to-stanch-Mexico-City-s-stench-4847500.php Dust Be Gone: Paved Roads Mean Less Pollution, Better Health in the Eastern Coachella Valley. Residents of Thermal scored a major victory in their 16-year fight for clean air when Riverside County was awarded the funding to pave the roads of 31 trailer parks in the unincorporated communities of Eastern Coachella Valley. The $4.1 million project is scheduled to begin as early as next summer, and should be completed within two years. Posted. http://www.cvindependent.com/index.php/en-US/news/local-issues/item/706-dust-be-gone-paved-roads-mean-less-pollution-better-health-in-the-eastern-coachella-valley Regulating dunes dust to cost more. In an unprecedented move, California State Parks and Recreation Department was ordered to pay more to help curb dust blowing downwind from the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Earlier this month, the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) board approved charging State Parks more than $50,000 a year in administrative fees for ensuring the agency is complying with measures to control “fugitive dust” at the dunes. Posted. http://www.timespressrecorder.com/articles/2013/09/26/news/news55.txt CLIMATE CHANGE Climate panel: warming 'extremely likely' man-made. Scientists can now say with extreme confidence that human activity is the dominant cause of the global warming observed since the 1950s, a new report by an international scientific group said Friday. Calling man-made warming "extremely likely," the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change used the strongest words yet on the issue as it adopted its assessment on the state of the climate system. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-09-27-09-09-31 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_CHANGE_GLANCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/subjects/environment http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303342104579100593218822558.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/science/global-climate-change-report.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=2& http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Climate-panel-warming-extremely-likely-man-made-4848217.php http://www.presstelegram.com/environment-and-nature/20130927/global-warming-extremely-likely-man-made-climate-panel-says http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24188010/key-findings-ipcc-report-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24188010/key-findings-ipcc-report-climate-change http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/ipcc-says-humans-cause-global-warming/2013/09/27/aae32880-275d-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html Bloomberg: NYC air quality cleanest in decades. Ahh, smell that New York City air. No, seriously, go ahead. Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday said the city's air quality has hit its highest levels in 50 years, a development officials say has led to fewer deaths and hospitalizations. "New York has the cleanest air now of any major American city," Bloomberg said at a news conference as part of a week of climate-related events. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NYC_AIR_QUALITY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://online.wsj.com/article/AP2c628a77d7dd46109ed85e65e0a0cf26.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Bloomberg-NYC-air-quality-cleanest-in-decades-4846381.php EPA chief: Climate change is about public health. The new administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has told a University of Michigan audience that climate change is about public health. Gina McCarthy spoke Thursday to a few hundred students and others during the law school's Environmental Law and Policy conference. Her speech was part of a three-state tour to discuss EPA's plans for reducing carbon emissions from power plants and other sources. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EPA-chief-Climate-change-is-about-public-health-4845008.php Islands fight to stay above water amid climate change. Rising seas, disappearing glaciers, melting ice, storm surges: The threat of climate change still feels distant to many people. Not for residents of small, low-lying islands in the Pacific. Global warming has arrived, and it's turned their nations — Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Kiribati and others — into slowly sinking ships. In some regions, the freshwater has turned salty…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/27/ozy-climate-change-small-countries/2882835/ Climate Change Action Could Save 500,000 Lives Annually, Study Says. More than 500,000 lives could be saved globally each year by 2030 if the world took action to curb climate change, adding up to massive health benefits that far exceed the costs of forcing a reduction in fossil fuel emissions, a new study concludes. The research, published Sunday in Nature Climate Change, said the benefits were especially striking for China, with its large population now exposed to some of the worst pollution in the world. Posted. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/09/130926-climate-change-action-could-save-lives/ DIESEL EMISSIONS ARB approves new state funding for cleaner cars, trucks, and buses. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) today announced that it has approved an additional $72.5 million to help fund clean vehicle programs in the state. The goal is to reduce emissions of toxic pollutants and greenhouse gases from cars, trucks, and buses. “The incentive programs provide critical early investments needed to accelerate the transformation of California’s car, truck and bus fleets to the cleanest advanced technologies,” ARB Executive Officer Richard Corey said. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-approves-new-state-funding-for-cleaner-cars-trucks-and-buses http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/09/california-adds-funding-for-cleaner-burning-trucks.aspx?prestitial=1 http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/morning_call/2013/09/states-clean-vehicle-rebate-program.html FUELS Canada PM won't accept US rejection of Keystone XL. Canada's prime minister said Thursday he "won't take no for an answer" if the Obama administration rejects the controversial Keystone XL pipeline to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressed the Keystone XL project, a flashpoint in the debate over climate change, during a visit to New York City. The long-delayed project carrying oil from Canada's oil sands needs approval from the U.S. State Department, and Harper's remarks are some of his strongest to date. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CN_CANADA_KEYSTONE_XL_PIPELINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Shell Oil silent on Arctic drilling safeguards. Six months after federal officials chastised Shell Oil for its faulty offshore drilling operations in the Arctic, the company has yet to explain what safeguards it has put in place or when it plans to resume exploring for oil in the vulnerable region. Shell's 2012 return to offshore Arctic exploration after a generation away was marred by high-profile problems, including hefty fines for polluting the air and a drilling rig that escaped its moorings. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Shell-Oil-silent-on-Arctic-drilling-safeguards-4847495.php California getting more of its oil by rail. The oil boom in North Dakota has fueled a shift for California away from in-state, Alaskan and foreign sources. The move comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of oil shipped by train. Oil extracted from massive new fields in North Dakota and other states is rolling into California in growing quantities aboard long-haul freight trains, paralleling a surge in crude moving on rail across North America. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-oil-rail-20130927,0,3532885.story VEHICLES French carmakers back German bid to delay CO2 curbs – sources. Germany has enlisted French carmakers' support for a last-ditch bid to delay new EU vehicle emissions limits by four years as it battles to win more time for its luxury auto industry, government officials and diplomats said. Berlin wants to re-open and water down draft carbon dioxide goals agreed in June by introducing the phase-in period, under a proposal circulated by diplomats on Friday and seen by Reuters. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/27/us-germany-france-eu-co-idUSBRE98Q0U320130927 GREEN ENERGY California solar policy costing all utility customers: report. California's non-solar homeowners are paying a growing share of maintaining the power grid under a controversial state policy, while ratepayers with solar rooftops are paying less, a report commissioned by the state's utility regulator said on Thursday. The report, which was issued by the California Public Utilities Commission but performed by an outside research firm, forecast that in 2020, the policy of "net metering" would cost $1.1 billion a year. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/27/us-california-solar-idUSBRE98Q02I20130927?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews Las Vegas: Palazzo's eco-friendly atrium goes green(er). Amid the autumnal change of colors, the waterfall atrium at the Palazzo is going green. The open space at the Palazzo seasonally changes its eye-catching displays, but this fall, the emphasis is on the environmentally friendly efforts underway at Palazzo and its sister property the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip. The display’s centerpiece -- a 1934 Hudson automobile draped in lichen, grapevines and other plants -- is an ode to the resorts’ alternative transportation initiatives. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-las-vegas-palazzo-atrium-green-20130926,0,363337.story Eagle conservation effort at Solano wind energy project is first of its kind. Wind energy is known to be environmentally friendly, except for one persistent concern: The spinning turbine blades often kill birds, especially raptors such as eagles. Now, a wind energy project in Solano County may become the first in the United States to commit to protecting golden eagles under federal law. To make amends for the golden eagles likely to be killed by its turbine blades…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/27/5772735/eagle-conservation-effort-at-solano.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS California rolls out new environmental regulatory regime at green Richmond business. State regulators gathered at a green stamp-making business Thursday to unveil what they tout as the nation's best approach to identify consumer products containing hazardous chemicals and prod manufacturers to find nontoxic substitutes. The new program, run by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, goes into effect Tuesday. State regulators said it would spur new business growth while reducing environmental toxins from common products…Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_24184843/california-rolls-out-new-environmental-regulatory-regime-at?source=rss BLOGS What Does California's New Toxic Substances Law Mean for You? Sometimes--though not often enough for my liking--companies that manufacture consumer products grow a conscience, cave to public pressure, or both, and vow to discontinue using toxic substances in their shampoo, window cleaner, or toothpaste. It's a step in the right direction, though it often comes long after countless people have been exposed to dangerous carcinogens and suffered the related health consequences. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/what-does-californias-new_b_3988679.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 15:01:10 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 30, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for September 30, 2013. 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 Grant aids effort to reduce power-plant pollution. University of Kentucky researchers landed a $3 million federal grant on Monday to work on developing technology to sharply reduce the costs generated by preventing carbon pollution from spewing into the air from coal-burning power plants. UK researchers hope their work eventually yields commercial applications that boost coal-based electricity — benefiting miners, utility companies and ratepayers. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/30/5781186/grant-aids-effort-to-reduce-power.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/30/2950045/grant-aids-effort-to-reduce-power.html#storylink=cpy Valley avoids summer ozone spike for first time. For the first time on record, summer passed here without a dangerous peak in dirty air. Could it finally be time to celebrate a historic moment — the San Joaquin Valley no longer in violation of the federal one-hour ozone standard? It's not a done deal yet. Air-quality activists say the local air district still must explain a sudden improvement in the notorious smog trap of Arvin in Kern County after an air monitor was moved. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/29/2948055/valley-summer-ozone-spike-is-avoided.html Smog report card: Air quality improves. Southern Californians were breathing a little easier this year. There were 90 days the ozone standard was exceeded, the fewest in six years. AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood is looking ahead. “We are very close, and expect to hit our target for attaining a health standard for fine particulate pollution in the coming year.” Posted. http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=30561 NW Ohio refinery looks to $300M tar sands upgrade. A refinery in northwest Ohio is seeking state approval for a $300 million upgrade to refine tar sands from Alberta, Canada. Spokesman Mel Duvall with Canada-based Husky Energy Co. said the type of heavy crude most likely to be refined in Lima differs from the company's vast reserves of bitumen, although both are in Alberta. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/28/5776520/nw-ohio-refinery-looks-to-300m.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/sep/28/nw-ohio-refinery-looks-to-300m-tar-sands-02/#ixzz2gOTNO3Ag Neb. coal plant tests new pollution-control system. A new system to capture one of the main gases linked to global warming will be tested at a Nebraska coal plant over nearly four years. The U.S. Department of Energy chose a Nebraska Public Power District plant near Sutherland for the $19 million project that starts Oct. 1. The project will test a carbon dioxide-capturing system designed by Ion Engineering of Boulder, Colo. This is the first test of Ion's system outside of a laboratory setting. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/sep/29/neb-coal-plant-tests-new-pollution-control/#ixzz2gOTnk8eX CLIMATE CHANGE U.N. Climate Panel Endorses Ceiling on Global Emissions. The world’s top climate scientists on Friday formally embraced an upper limit on greenhouse gases for the first time, establishing a target level at which humanity must stop spewing them into the atmosphere or face irreversible climatic changes. They warned that the target is likely to be exceeded in a matter of decades unless steps are taken soon to reduce emissions. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/28/science/global-climate-change-report.html?pagewanted=all http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/09/30/un-climate-change-models-warming/ Experts set threshold for climate-change calamity. Researchers say an emissions tipping point for the planet may be 25 years away. The world's leading climate scientists have for the first time established a limit on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be released before the Earth reaches a tipping point and predicted that it will be surpassed within decades unless swift action is taken to curb the current pace of emissions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0928-climate-change-20130928,0,2765027.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/29/5778222/experts-set-threshold-for-climate.html State agency seeks input on climate risks. The California Natural Resources Agency on Monday will host a meeting in Sacramento to get public input on how the state should prepare for climate risks. The 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. meeting will be in the Natural Resources Building auditorium at 1416 Ninth St. It’s one of a series of public meetings being held statewide. The agency is working with other state agencies to draft a Safeguarding California Plan, an update to the 2009 climate adaptation strategy. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/27/5774065/state-agency-seeks-input-on-climate.html#storylink=cpy FUELS U.S. gas prices could drop 30 cents by Christmas, AAA says. National gas prices fell 19 cents in September, the largest drop since October 2012, AAA said Monday, and if the downward trend continues, gas prices could drop an additional 30 cents by Christmas. The U.S. average gas price is now at $3.40 a gallon, the lowest price since January. “Most drivers are paying the lowest gas prices in more than eight months due to abundant gasoline supplies…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-aaa-gas-prices-20130930,0,5629201.story Fixing California: protect environment while sharing energy success. A21st-century oil and natural gas industry in Colorado is recognizing that more rigorous regulations translate into broader citizen acceptance. This evolution, and the joining of innovations like horizontal drilling with long-accepted practices like hydraulic fracturing, is moving America toward energy independence. In the process, we are improving the quality of the air, as well as beginning to fight back against climate change. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/29/tp-fixing-california-protect-environment-while/ VEHICLES Toyota Calls Hybrids 'Sturdy Bridge' to Automotive Future. Toyota Motor Corp. is committed to hybrid, gasoline-electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to displace the use of gasoline, said Takeshi Uchiyamada, chairman of the world's largest auto maker. "The reason why Toyota doesn't introduce any major [all-electric product] is because we do not believe there is a market to accept it," Mr. Uchiyamada said in an interview following a speech on Monday at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303918804579107213728805086.html BY SUBSCRIPTION Gov. Brown extends use of carpool lanes for electric cars, others. Among the 20 pieces of legislation signed by the governor were those promoting the use of low- and zero-emission vehicles and expansion of access to fresh food. Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday approved a four-year extension of carpool lane access for electric cars and low-emission vehicles. But he vetoed a bill that would have allowed solo motorists in regular vehicles access to those lanes on two Los Angeles County freeways during non-peak hours. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0929-brown-bills-20130929,0,4207906.story http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Governor-approves-6-laws-encouraging-electric-cars-4853459.php http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/09/california-governor-signs-6-bills-to-support-burgeoning-ev-market-including-2b-ab-8.html Tesla is big draw at electric-vehicle event in Folsom. Ralph Lubick, 70, of Folsom was admiring a bright green Tesla Roadster on display Sunday in the parking lot of Folsom Premium Outlet Mall. “I’ll take two of those,” he joked to the owner, Dennis Pinion, 68, of Arnold. But Pinion wasn’t selling his rare 2011 Tesla Roadster, which has a personalized plate that reads 2PLUG IN. Instead, it was one of 10 Teslas on display for the Sacramento Plug-In Vehicle Day Ride and Drive Event at the mall. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/29/5779929/tesla-is-big-draw-at-electric.html#storylink=cpy Electric vehicles on display in Burlington. Dealers and supporters of electric vehicles gathered in Burlington on Saturday to raise awareness about the vehicles and announce new financing initiatives to support more of them in Vermont. The event was held on Church Street with electric vehicles from several local dealers on display. Officials also announced two new financing initiatives to support the vehicles' use. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/09/28/2946229/electric-vehicles-to-be-on-display.html#storylink=cpy State's clean-vehicle rebate program lands $44.5M. The California Air Resources Board said Thursday it has received an additional $72.5 million in funding through a variety of programs meant to improve air quality by getting more polluting vehicles off the road and replacing them with more clean-burning cars and trucks. The California Air Resources Board said Thursday it has an additional $72.5 million in funding through a variety of programs meant to improve air quality by cleaning up vehicles. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/09/27/states-clean-vehicle-rebate-program.html Electric Vehicles Speeding Toward 7% Of All Global Sales By 2020. Hybrid vehicles may have had pole position so far in the race to a sustainable transportation future, but electric-only vehicles are about to pull even – and they’re both becoming a significant part of global vehicle sales. Combined worldwide sales of hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles will reach 6.6 million annual units by 2020 and become almost 7% of the total light-duty vehicle market, according to Navigant Research’s 2013-2020 Electric Vehicle Market Forecast. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/09/30/electric-vehicles-speeding-toward-7-global-sales-2020/#SjAYZWeIuSvcT3v2.99 HIGH-SPEED RAIL 52% want bullet train stopped, poll finds. California voters are showing signs of buyer's remorse over the $68-billion bullet train project, poll finds. A majority of voters want the California bullet train project stopped and consider it a waste of money, even as state political leaders have struggled to bolster public support and make key compromises to satisfy critics, a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll found. Statewide, 52% of the respondents said the $68-billion project to link Los Angeles and San Francisco by trains traveling up to 220 mph should be halted. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-poll-high-speed-rail-20130928,0,5468230.story GREEN ENERGY IKEA Starts U.K. Solar Push. IKEA Corp., already a major purchaser of renewable energy kit to power its own facilities, on Monday begins selling solar panels to customers in U.K. stores and is studying additional markets as candidates for the initiative, as the Swedish furniture giant looks to meet a growing customer demand for sustainable products. IKEA, best known for flat-pack furniture and inexpensive home goods, said Monday it is the first mainstream retailer to offer solar panels to everyday customers. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303918804579106783723179724.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change BY SUBSCRIPTION Grid sets green energy record. Power production from renewable sources hit a record Thursday afternoon in San Diego Gas & Electric Co.’s service territory, utility spokeswoman Jennifer Ramp said Friday. About 1,000 megawatts were pumped into the grid from renewable sources such as wind and solar, she said. That was nearly a third of Thursday’s peak consumption of 2,924 megawatts. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/27/grid-sets-green-energy-record/ Clovis food-scrap recycling program off to a slow start. Setting it straight: This story originally misstated the term state "mandate" in a story about green waste collection. The state has a goal of 75% diversion of trash from 1990 levels by the year 2020, but it is not a mandate. Clovis sanitation worker Gregory Paminto peeks in trash bins all the time. It's part of his job. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/29/3527202/where-are-the-food-scraps.html#storylink=cpy Governor signs mattress recycle bill. California consumers soon will be paying for a new state mattress recycling program, funded by a fee on bedding purchases. On Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill by Sens. Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) and Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), SB 254, aimed at taking an estimated 2 million used mattresses and box springs a year off city streets, vacant lots and rural lands. The bill backed is both by mattress manufacturers and retailers as well as environmentalists. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-governor-signs-mattress-bill-20130927,0,7541261.story OPINIONS Editorial: Air Force takes reasonable tack at McClellan. The U.S. Air Force, faced with the reality that low-level radioactive radium isn’t going to go away in anyone’s lifetime, is taking a responsible course by burying it on a 15-acre site at the old McClellan Air Force Base. The process began earlier this month and will continue for several years, a legacy of World War II and the Cold War. The radium-226 was painted on aircraft gauges to make them glow in the dark. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/28/5774958/air-force-takes-reasonable-tack.html#storylink=cpy Solar, fracking bills are flawed. Re "California once again a trailblazer on energy?" (Viewpoints, Sept. 22): Energy policy writer Peter Asmus gives a pass to two bad bills. Assembly Bill 327 adds $120 a year to all electric utility bills. But all ratepayers, including solar customers, already pay a surcharge for infrastructure, so AB327 just adds to that broad tax. It has nothing to do with improving fairness. Senate Bill 4 does not reveal the amounts of each fracking component. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/29/5762084/ab-327-sb-4.html#storylink=cpy Viewpoints: Expansion of fracking sends California in the wrong direction. By signing Senate Bill 4, a severely compromised fracking bill, Gov. Jerry Brown has shown a lack of optimism and confidence in California’s future at a time when the state has its greatest chance – and need – to move beyond oil and gas to clean energy. This is far less than we expect from a governor with the potential to be a visionary environmental leader. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/29/5775744/viewpoints-expansion-of-fracking.html Environment: California didn't do so badly this year. Despite some particularly unexplainable losses if you care about protecting the environment, the California Legislature made progress in 2013. The range of bills on the governor's desk awaiting his signature confirms that California remains the stalwart energy and climate leader in the country. This legislative session was a turning point: More than half of the members of the Assembly were freshmen…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24177112/environment-california-didnt-do-so-badly-this-year Free cars for energy hogs. In their zeal to save the planet, California’s leaders have tapped utility consumers to give free electric cars to energy hogs. I pay fairly close attention to public policy, so it’s no surprise that taxpayers subsidize a long list of green initiatives in the cause of fighting global warming, ranging from Warren Buffett’s latest solar power venture in Nevada to panel manufacturers controlled by China’s government. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/29/tp-free-cars-for-energy-hogs/ Tough fracking law applauded by oilman. With the exception of Gov. Jerry Brown, there may be no bigger fan of California's new law regulating fracking than the outspoken CEO of a Texas oil company who calls the bill Brown signed on Friday "the toughest in the states." Chris Faulkner, CEO of Breitling Oil and Gas, is a cheerleader for the oil industry who told Opportunist magazine earlier this year that fracking is "100 percent safe" …Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/tough-fracking-law-applauded-by-oilman/Content?oid=2590986 DRIESSEN: A model for climate-change fraud. “Dangerous manmade global warming” has become the most systematic, massive, costly fraud ever perpetrated. This is a harsh judgment, but the mounting evidence is undeniable. As climate analyst Anthony Watts points out, after a very modest rise over 20 years, Earth’s average temperature hasn’t increased in 17 years, even as plant-fertilizing carbon-dioxide levels climbed to nearly 400 parts per million, still a minuscule 0.04 percent of the atmosphere. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/30/driessen-a-model-for-climate-change-fraud/#ixzz2gPDCCwKS BLOGS Why More Climate Science Hasn’t Led to More Climate Policy – Yet. It’s worth offering a bit more context on a point I raised in my morning post on the new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Will the fresh assessment of global warming from the panel matter where it counts, in the realm of environmental and energy policy and diplomacy? In the short run, no. And this is not only because of disinformation campaigns, as some would assert. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/why-more-climate-science-hasnt-led-to-more-climate-policy-yet/?_r=0 CLIMATE CHANGE: Video explores sea-level rise. In light of the recent consensus by an international panel that climate change is caused by human activity, it’s worth watching a new video on sea-level rise, one of the consequences of global warming. The Center for American Progess, an independent non-partisan educational institute based in Washington, D.C., released a seven-minute piece that drives home the point that action to curb greenhouse gas emissions is needed. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/09/28/climate-change-video-explores-sea-level-rise/ BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY JURUPA VALLEY: Trying to get a handle on big rigs. The Jurupa Valley City Council is set to take the next step in trying to limit the impact big rigs have on the community. At the Oct. 3 meeting, council members will get a look at an action plan developed by city staff members. The aim is to manage truck traffic and parking. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/city-government/2013/09/28/jurupa-valley-trying-to-get-a-handle-on-big-rigs/ 5 Things California's Fracking Bill Will Do. Senate Bill 4, which imposes new regulation of fracking in the state of California, has come under fire from environmental groups and other opponents of the increasingly common practice of hydraulic fracturing of underground natural gas and oil deposits. Most of the criticism centers on changes made to the bill in the last hours before its final approval by the Assembly this month, and its signing by Governor Jerry Brown on September 20. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/government/five-things-the-pavley-fracking-bill-does.html The 5 Most Sobering Charts from the IPCC Climate Report. The first installment in the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest scientific assessment on climate science came out on Friday, and it’s loaded with dense terminology, expressions of uncertainty, and nearly impenetrable graphics. But we'll make it simple for you. Here’s what you need to know, in number and chart form. Posted. http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/the-5-scariest-charts-from-the-ipcc-climate-report-16529 EPA Emissions Regulations Will Have Little Effect In Fight Against Climate Change. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out restrictive new greenhouse gas emissions standards for new power plants at the end of September, but they are unlikely to have much of an impact on the nation’s overall climate change-fueling carbon emissions. Part of the Obama administration’s Climate Action Plan, the EPA's proposed new rules…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/30/epa-emissions-guidelines-climate-change_n_4017498.html Silence on Climate Change: A Global Crime? Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif recently spoke at the UN General Assembly on global issues, along with other world leaders. Some critical happenings prior to the UN gathering and their concurring political impacts which both Pakistan and the U.S. felt had significantly shaped the speech of Mr. Sharif at the UN desk. The incident of terror in the Pakistani church, drone attacks, on-going Syria crisis and a few other circumstances were the drivers for Sharif speech. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/asif-iqbal/silence-on-climate-change_b_4010010.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2013 12:43:35 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 1, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 1, 2013. 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 Quality Watch issued for Santa Maria. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and county Air Pollution Control District Monday issued an Air Quality Watch for the Santa Maria area to be in effect until Wednesday. This watch is only for the Santa Maria area, and is in effect until Wednesday morning. Levels of particles recorded at the Santa Maria monitoring station have exceeded the state standard six out of the last seven days. Areas affected and levels of particles…Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/air-quality-watch-issued-for-santa-maria/article_fa21ff56-2a06-11e3-abb9-001a4bcf887a.html?comment_form=true APCD study to be reviewed at meeting. Over the last year, implementation has been under way of the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District’s Rule 1001 that requires the Off-Highway Vehicle Division of State the California Department of Parks and Recreation to mitigate the silica dust coming from its park on the Dunes. Recently, APCD director Larry Allen told the board of directors the State Parks Department has not been complying with Rule 1001. Posted. http://www.theadobepress.com/articles/2013/09/30/columns/versaw/versaw.txt CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Change Rescue in U.S. Makes Steyer Converge With Paulson. Billionaire Tom Steyer recalls a dinner at the U.S. Treasury in Washington with two senior department officials and six money managers. It was August 2012, and the meal was part of an effort by the agency to keep up with what the financial community was worrying about. The diners discussed China’s slowdown, Federal Reserve policy and other trends affecting the U.S. economy. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-01/climate-change-rescue-in-u-s-makes-steyer-converge-with-paulson.html EU Carbon Market Main Hurdle to Aviation Deal, India Says. The European Union’s plan to keep its curbs on pollution from airlines is the main hindrance to an international agreement on a carbon market for the industry, according to a senior Indian official. An accord discussed by the International Civil Aviation Organization shouldn’t authorize EU measures prior to the global deal unless they are mutually agreed with other states…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-01/global-aviation-co2-deal-stumbles-on-eu-plan-india-says.html UPDATE 1-U.S. Supreme Court takes no action on climate change cases. The U.S. Supreme Court took no action on Tuesday on petitions that could have it undertake a potentially wide-ranging legal review of the Obama administration's first wave of regulations aimed at battling climate change. The rules, which apply to a cross-section of polluters from vehicles to industrial facilities, are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists say these are the prime contributor to climate change. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/01/usa-court-climate-idUSL1N0HR0SA20131001 Reducing dangerous greenhouse gas emissions at DOE facilities. While the Department of Energy (DOE) has long been committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, Josh Silverman discovered that many of the department’s facilities were unknowingly emitting a very powerful pollutant. Silverman, the DOE’s director of sustainability support, examined the operations at the department’s national laboratories…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/reducing-dangerous-greenhouse-gas-emissions-at-doe-facilities/2013/10/01/1536b86c-2a8a-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html Gov. Brown sees his ambitious agenda as a template for nation. He says his efforts in California to combat global warming, reverse income inequality and give undocumented immigrants new rights could change national political climate. For the first two years of his late-in-life second act as governor, Jerry Brown focused almost exclusively on California's woeful budget situation. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-gov-brown-20131001,0,4808269.story Defending its coast, New York elevates homes. Nearly a year after Hurricane Sandy inundated the Northeastern Seaboard, New York City is enacting coastal building codes that will elevate some homes by as much as 11 feet. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged that buildings will not retreat from the coastline, as the city contemplates rising sea levels linked to climate change and extreme weather. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/01/new-york-raises-homes/ Merced hires firm to streamline climate plan, officials say. With the city’s climate action plan in place for a year, Merced has hired a firm to develop a streamlined plan for reducing greenhouse gases that is easy for developers to use. Merced City Council hired Rancho Cordova-based PMC Inc. at $190,550 to develop the “programmatic climate action plan,” or PCAP. It must be completed in no longer than three years. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/01/5782999/merced-hires-firm-to-streamline.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/01/2951124/merced-hires-firm-to-streamline.html#storylink=cpy In science of climate change, still much to be learned. The science of climate change has advanced significantly in the years since the release of the last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) physical science report in early 2007. Yet despite key advances in areas like sea-level rise and humans' role in a changing climate, a nagging question remains. The question, often referred to as climate sensitivity, is simple:..Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/10/01/stories/1059988117 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Environment Canada projects 2 C of warming by 2050. Environment Canada predicts even faster warming of the atmosphere than a consensus reached last week by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In the best-case scenarios for limiting growth of greenhouse gas emissions, the Canadian federal department's computer models project an average global warming of about 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by 2050, said Environment Canada senior scientist Greg Flato. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988094/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY High court mum on whether it will review EPA emissions regs. The Supreme Court took no action today in deciding whether to review a potentially wide-ranging challenge to U.S. EPA's regulations for addressing heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. Justices were scheduled yesterday to consider nine petitions asking the high court to reverse all or part of an appeals court's June 2012 decision that upheld four EPA rules, including the agency's finding that greenhouse gases pose a risk to human health. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988153/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS EPA to be hit hard in shutdown, could delay renewable fuel standard. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will take one of the biggest hits of any federal agency if the government shuts down this week, operating with under 7 percent of its employees, according to guidance issued by the agency. Among those furloughed would be most workers at the Office of Air and Radiation, which is in charge of writing and implementing most of the EPA's major air pollution rules. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/30/us-usa-fiscal-epa-idUSBRE98T12E20130930 Britain seen putting off subsea coal gasification projects. Plans to burn Britain's large reserves of coal to produce gas for power plants may wait for years because of concerns about climate change and a public perception that the technology is similar to fracking. Cluff Resources, one of the companies trying to develop underground coal gasification in Britain, said the technology is not likely to be deployed for at least another five years, while government officials are tied up with the public opposition to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for shale gas. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/01/coal-britain-syngas-idUSL5N0HL2PT20131001 Ethanol’s Discount to Gasoline Tightens on Below-Average Supply. Ethanol’s discount to gasoline tightened on concern the delayed corn harvest will cut supplies of the biofuel. The spread, or price difference, narrowed 1.22 cents to 92 cents a gallon at 11:41 a.m. New York time as stockpiles of the additive are below average for this time of year. Ethanol is made mostly from corn in the U.S., and the fall harvest for the grain is behind schedule. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-01/ethanol-s-discount-to-gasoline-tightens-on-below-average-supply.html . U.S. Loses $53.3 Million on Sugar Deal. Government Sells to Ethanol Makers for Less than It Paid, in Bid to Keep Sugar Prices Up. The U.S. Department of Agriculture bought sugar from domestic processors and sold it to ethanol makers at a loss of $53.3 million, the latest move by the agency to reduce domestic supplies. This was the second use of a sugar-to-ethanol program outlined in the 2008 Farm Bill…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303918804579107672636781520.html Cheneyesque fracking loophole leaves home and land owners uncertain (Video). A Cheneyesque fracking loophole in California’s recent SB4 fracking legislation re-sets the national tone of the oil & gas industry towards home and land owner’s properties to 'uncertain.' The “Golden” state, known for leading the way in its renewable portfolio standards to 33% by 2020, may now instead be marred with the unintended consequences of ‘green lighting,’ rather than abating the practice of fracking. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/cheneyesque-fracking-loophole-leaves-home-and-land-owners-uncertain Methane's warming potential rises in latest report. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has revised upward its estimate for the global warming potential of methane. Methane is 34 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide on a 100-year time scale. It was previously assumed to be 25 times more potent. The number was published in the IPCC's most recent report, which was released in full yesterday. The global warming potential (GWP) is the basis for a number of inventories, from U.S. EPA's greenhouse gas reporting program…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059988104/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Father of the Prius sees long road to a fully electric future. Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada rode his pioneering work on the Prius hybrid to the top of the world’s biggest car company. But that doesn’t mean he is a zealot when it comes to the growing expectations for electric vehicle technology. The technical barriers to better battery life and performance are real, he said in an interview on Monday, and are not on the verge of disappearing. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/father-of-the-prius-sees-long-road-to-a-fully-electric-future/2013/09/30/f1c540c2-29f0-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_story.html In Electric BMW I3, Hopes for a Stylish Future of Green. When the BMW i3 finally rolls out this year in Europe and next year in North America, it will undoubtedly turn heads, but it is also very different in that it is designed to cash in on the space, handling and design that an electric drive train and ultra light carbon fiber body allow. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/business/energy-environment/in-electric-bmw-i3-hopes-for-a-stylish-future-of-green.html?_r=0 UC Riverside gets more eco-friendly. Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, will be part of a new national sustainable transportation research center to be funded with $11.2 million in federal, state and local money. The National Center for Sustainable Transportation, which will be based at the University of California, Davis, will help the U.S. Department of Transportation reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from passenger and …Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013309300021 Toyota Green Vehicles Awarded In California. Toyota, Lexus and Scion took top honors in the 2013 Green Car Guide, published today by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Six of the top ten overall green vehicle and “best value” scores are held by the Toyota family. The 2013 Toyota RAV4 EV compact SUV achieved the highest overall green car score in the history of Green Car Guide…Posted. http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-green-vehicles-awarded-in-california/ Calif. approves a $2B package of incentives for clean cars, cuts some regulatory powers. A new law in California will generate $2 billion in funding to advance cleaner cars, but as part of a political deal, it also will block a top environmental agency from enforcing one of its rules. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on Saturday signed A.B. 8 from Assembly members Henry Perea (D) and Nancy Skinner (D) and Sen. Fran Pavley (D). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/10/01/stories/1059988122 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Nominee for energy regulatory post withdraws. President Barack Obama's nominee to be the nation's top energy regulator withdrew Tuesday, conceding he did not have enough support for confirmation. Ron Binz, a former Colorado energy regulator who strongly backs renewable energy, was opposed by at least half of the 22-member Senate Energy Committee, including all 10 Republicans and at least one Democrat. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENERGY_REGULATOR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303464504579109140381446728.html?KEYWORDS=ENERGY North Carolina team's solar house: surprise in the concrete walls. For Solar Decathlon 2013, we put a virtual microphone in front of some teams and let the competitors explain their home design, in their own words. First up: the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, which like the 19 other teams in the Department of Energy competition, is racing to finish construction by Wednesday, so it could open to the public Tuesday at the Orange County Great Park. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/home/la-lh-north-carolina-solar-decathlon-house-20130930,0,5771891.story Terminal Island plant converts solid waste to energy for Long Beach residents. Much of the garbage being picked up along curbs citywide returns as energy that is enough to power more than 35,000 homes annually. Situated on Terminal Island is the Southeast Resource Recovery Facility, a waste-to-energy plant where lease operator Covanta Energy processes 1,380 tons of solid waste a day generated from the city and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, which own the facility under a joint agreement. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/environment-and-nature/20130930/terminal-island-plant-converts-solid-waste-to-energy-for-long-beach-residents OPINIONS COLUMN-Carbon budgets can provide emissions guide: Wynn. A U.N. panel of climate scientists has for the first time backed a limit on cumulative global carbon emissions, in a so-called budget approach that is useful but with certain limitations. Carbon budgets estimate the maximum greenhouse gases that countries can emit cumulatively for the world to stay below a certain amount of global warming, and so are related to targets that set an emissions limit in any particular year. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/01/column-wynn-climate-carbon-idUSL6N0HQ0S120131001 Climate of Uncertainty. A U.N. report can't explain the hiatus in global warming. Between 1998 and 2012 the global economy more than doubled in size—to some $71 trillion in GDP from $30 trillion. That's the good news. Over the same period the world pumped more than 100 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That is supposedly the bad news. Yet global surface temperatures have remained essentially flat. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304713704579092883286839894.html?mod=hp_opinion BY SUBSCRIPTION The Political Science of Global Warming. The U.N.'s latest climate-change report should be its last. "Human influence extremely likely to be the dominant cause of observed warming since the middle of the last century," was the headline from Friday's release of the first installment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's fifth assessment report. "Extremely likely"—indicating a 95%-100% likelihood—was ratcheted up one notch from the 2007 fourth assessment report's "very likely." Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303464504579106993839343868.html?KEYWORDS=CLIMATE+CHANGE BY SUBSCRIPTION Letters: Preparing for climate catastrophe. Re "Experts set threshold for climate-change calamity," Sept. 28 Twenty-five years to reach the climate-change tipping point sounds like a long time. But the truth is it will take all of that time, and more, to rebuild our fossil fuel-based energy system using clean renewable energy. It will take a concerted, sustained effort to make it happen, not business as usual. A good place to start is to implement the "polluter pays" principle: …Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters/la-le-1001-tuesday-global-warming-20131001,0,3749266.story Time for an economywide carbon tax. Re "U.N.panel endorses global emissions ceiling" (Page A6, Sept. 28): The world's top scientists have concluded with 95 percent certainty that humans are causing global warming and climate change. Even more importantly, they endorse action by humanity to establish a limit on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollution. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/30/5779675/focus-on-political-action-not.html#storylink=cpy Viewpoints: A preventive approach to keeping harmful chemicals out of everyday products. Persistence and energy prevail. During the past five years, those who believe in making consumer products free from toxic ingredients traveled a long and sometimes tortuous path that has led to the nation’s first comprehensive process for making the goods we buy safer. Starting today, California’s Safer Consumer Products regulation will set in motion a process that reduces …Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/01/5782576/viewpoints-a-preventative-approach.html#storylink=cpy Economic boom or environmental failure? The U-T on Sept. 29 reports there are 2.8 million oil field jobs for the asking if California exploits its oil reserves via new fracking technology. These jobs would provide average compensation of $50,000 a year. The total economic impact in California would come close to $1 trillion a year! All this at a time when the middle class in California is suffering, and poverty rates are soaring. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/30/letters-fracking/ BLOGS Hybrids Not a Driving Force in Making China Greener. After 16 months of waiting for a permit to register a car in the capital, a Beijing resident surnamed Cao bought a Lexus CT200h gasoline-electric hybrid last year. He put down a hefty 300,000 yuan ($48,000) figuring he would at least make a small contribution to keeping the city’s already woefully polluted air from getting worse. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/10/01/hybrids-not-a-driving-force-in-making-china-greener/?KEYWORDS=electric+vehicles Toyota on All-Electric Cars: ‘We Do Not Believe There is a Market’ Toyota Motor Corp.7203.TO 0.00% isn’t going to be investing heavily into electric vehicles and the company Chairman, Takeshi Uchiyamada, doesn’t think there is much of a market for them. “The reason why Toyota doesn’t introduce any major [all-electric product] is because we do not believe there is a market to accept it,” Mr. Uchiyamada said in an interview following a speech on Monday at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/10/01/toyota-on-all-electric-cars-we-do-not-believe-there-is-a-market/?KEYWORDS=electric+vehicles BY SUBSCRIPTION SUSTAINABLE LIVING: EcoFest coming to CSUSB. Live music, vendors, games and workshops about sustainable living will be the focus of an EcoFest celebration at Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, Oct. 18. EcoFest will be held from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the university’s Lower Commons and surrounding areas. Admission is free. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/colleges-universities/2013/09/30/sustainable-living-ecofest-coming-to-csusb/ California's Cap-and-Trade Market Still Needs a Price Ceiling. Back in May, I blogged about the problem of low GHG allowance prices in the EU-ETS. I explained the sound reasons for having both a price floor and a price ceiling in any allowance market where science doesn’t dictate a single do-or-die target for emissions. At that time, I held up the California cap and trade market as a good example because the market has a price floor and I reported that the regulator (the California Air Resources Board, CARB) was on the way to adopting a price ceiling. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/severinborenstein/282621/californias-cap-and-trade-market-still-needs-price-ceiling In the renewable energy race, solar power is hot hot hot. Solar power installations are expected to edge out new wind farms this year for the title of fastest-growing clean energy source. Bloomberg New Energy Finance has projected that photovoltaic plants like this monster that we reported on last week will add 36.7 gigawatts of capacity this year — up 20 percent from last year. New wind farms, meanwhile, will add 35.5 gigawatts. Posted. http://grist.org/news/in-the-renewable-energy-race-solar-power-is-hot-hot-hot/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2013 12:23:17 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 2, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 2, 2013. 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 and Quebec Create Their Own Transnational Carbon Market. Efforts to create a national carbon market in the US to cut greenhouse gas emissions may be deader than bipartisanship in Washington. But California today took another step to globalize its cap-and-trade program by signing an agreement with the Canadian province of Quebec to integrate their two carbon markets as of January 2014. Posted. http://insideclimatenews.org/todaysnews/20131002/california-and-quebec-create-their-own-transnational-carbon-market Calif., Quebec sign agreement to merge cap-and-trade programs. California and Quebec have signed an agreement to join their carbon markets, officials from both regions announced yesterday. Effective Jan. 1, 2014, the pact establishes the first linked cap-and-trade system in North America. The agreement comes after two years of work to synchronize the regions' respective systems and is a milestone for the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), an alliance of U.S. states and Canadian provinces aiming to advance market solutions to climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988212/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Quebec's Environment Minister Blanchet discusses impact of EPA regulations on carbon markets. As U.S. EPA moves forward with regulations for new and existing power plants, how could these rules affect existing carbon markets? During today's OnPoint, Yves-François Blanchet, Quebec's minister for sustainable development and the environment, discusses the potential impact of the air regulations on Quebec's anticipated linkage with California's carbon market. Posted. BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY http://www.eenews.net/tv/2013/10/02 VIDEO http://www.eenews.net/tv/videos/1732/transcript TRANSCRIPT AIR POLLUTION UK charges 6 with multimillion dollar carbon fraud. British prosecutors say six men have been charged over a massive pollution credit fraud scheme that cost the British government many millions of pounds (dollars.) The Crown Prosecution Service says that four of the men created a string of dummy companies that traded in carbon credits, typically certificates which give polluters the right to emit a set amount of carbon dioxide …Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_CARBON_FRAUD?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/britain-charges-6-people-over-multimillion-dollar-pollution-credit-fraud/2013/10/01/ec178306-2ac7-11e3-b141-298f46539716_story.html Grant aids effort to reduce power-plant pollution. University of Kentucky researchers landed a $3 million federal grant on Monday to work on developing technology to sharply reduce the costs generated by preventing carbon pollution from spewing into the air from coal-burning power plants. UK researchers hope their work eventually yields commercial applications that boost coal-based electricity — benefiting miners, utility companies and ratepayers. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/News-briefs-from-around-Kentucky-at-1-58-a-m-EDT-4858603.php Medical incinerator denies pollution violations. A medical-waste incinerator denied Monday that it violated emissions limits or failed to report smokestack tests properly. Stericycle Inc. is challenging a list of citations filed by Utah regulators in May against the company's burn plant in North Salt Lake. The appeal by the Lake Forest, Ill.-based company sends the case to an administrative law judge. Utah regulators have cited Stericycle for releasing cancer-causing dioxins and other pollutants at times going back years. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Medical-incinerator-denies-pollution-violations-4856912.php Brown OKs more money to drive polluting engines off farms. Farmers will keep getting help with replacement of high-polluting engines under a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The measure extends through 2023 a program that covers up to 80 percent of the cost of new tractors, irrigation pumps and other equipment that burn much more cleanly than the old machinery. “There is a big push to get newer, cleaner tractors in the fields,” said Tom Jordan, a senior policy adviser at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which takes part in the program. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/01/2952844/brown-oks-more-money-to-drive.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Poland pits itself against EU climate promises. European ministers are sharply divided over proposed promises on carbon cuts as part of U.N. negotiations; a draft document shows, with Poland at the forefront of opposition. A meeting of environment ministers in Luxembourg on October 14 is meant to agree a joint EU stance ahead of U.N. climate talks in Warsaw in November and December. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/01/us-eu-climate-idUSBRE9900UU20131001 UN Estimate of Available Emissions Was Wise, Sandor Says. A United Nations scientific body was sensible to give its first estimate of the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted before temperature gains exceed a target level, according to Richard Sandor. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said last week that there is enough space in the atmosphere for 309 billion metric tons of carbon, or about 22 years of emissions, for a chance to prevent runaway climate change…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-02/un-estimating-available-carbon-emissions-was-wise-sandor-says.html Yosemite's largest ice mass is melting fast. Lyell Glacier has shrunk 62% over the past century and hasn't moved in years. It's a key source of water in the park, and scientists say it will be gone in 20 years. Climate change is taking a visible toll on Yosemite National Park, where the largest ice mass in the park is in a death spiral, geologists say. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-glaciers-20131002,0,7692754.story Climate Change Rescue in U.S. Makes Steyer Converge With Paulson. Billionaire Tom Steyer recalls a dinner at the U.S. Treasury in Washington with two senior department officials and six money managers. It was August 2012, and the meal was part of an effort by the agency to keep up with what the financial community was worrying about. The diners discussed China’s slowdown, Federal Reserve policy and other trends affecting the U.S. economy. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-01/climate-change-rescue-in-u-s-makes-steyer-converge-with-paulson.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-Change-Rescue-in-U-S-Makes-Steyer-4859581.php http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-10-01/climate-change-rescue-in-u-dot-s-dot-makes-steyer-converge-with-paulson Defending its coast, New York elevates homes after superstorm, NYC moves to elevate homes. Nearly a year after Hurricane Sandy inundated the Northeastern seaboard, New York City is enacting coastal building codes that will elevate some homes by as much as 11 feet. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged that buildings will not retreat from the coastline, as the city contemplates rising sea levels linked to climate change and extreme weather. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/02/tp-defending-its-coast-new-york-elevates-homes/ Alaska Hunts Oil as Arctic Shows Climate Change. When Jerry Otto started hunting for Alaskan oil in 1980, his tractor-trailers barreled along ice roads as much as 10 feet thick for 180 days every year. Last winter, when he set out to drill 80 miles south of the Arctic Ocean for Australia’s Linc Energy Ltd. (LNC), regulators opened the roads for 126 days. The rest of the time, warm weather left the routes too mushy for vehicles, Bloomberg Markets magazine will report in its November issue. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-10-02/alaska-hunts-oil-as-arctic-damage-shows-most-change-from-climate State calls for 2030 emissions cuts in draft blueprint. California, with an already ambitious emissions reduction goal by 2020, is setting its sights on further reductions after that. The California Air Resources Board's draft update of the state's "scoping plan" for reaching 1990 emissions levels by 2020 is the first update since 2008. Revisions are required every five years under the 2006 law A.B. 32, which set the state's first economywide emissions targets. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/10/02/stories/1059988210 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 'Carbon budget' an obstacle to forging 2015 emissions reduction treaty. Without ambitious policies, which hinge on talks about the "carbon budget" among world leaders, humanity will exceed the limit of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere within 15 to 25 years, scientists warned. A recent report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change pointed out that to have at least a 50 percent chance of keeping to less than 2 degrees Celsius of warming…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988185/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Melting Arctic Sea Ice Impacts Greenland Caribou: The Effects of Climate Change. As Arctic sea ice shrinks, all manner of animals are being impacted. Yet you wouldn't necessarily think that caribou in Greenland are being affected. Now, researchers have discovered that the melting ice may be indirectly causing fewer caribou to give birth to calves every spring. Vegetation in Greenland "greens" at a certain point in the year. Posted. http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/9878/20131002/melting-arctic-sea-ice-impacts-greenland-caribou-effects-climate-change.htm FUELS Another lawsuit filed over fracking initiative. The Loveland City Council is facing a second lawsuit related to petitions for an initiative to ban fracking in the city. Protect Our Loveland filed a motion for preliminary injunction on Monday seeking an order that would require the city council to put the initiative to the voters as soon as possible through a special election. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Another-lawsuit-filed-over-fracking-initiative-4862405.php Give power to the states, utility exec tells EPA. If U.S. EPA wants to roll out an effective plan to cut carbon emissions from existing power plants, it will need to hand over the reins to states, a top utility executive asserted yesterday. EPA should stick to what it does best, which is set an emissions reduction target on power plants, said Frank Prager, vice president of environmental policy and services at Xcel Energy Inc. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988196/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla Sedan Roars Ahead in Norway. Norway Has Relatively Small Market But Buyers Are Affluent. Tesla Motors Inc.'s Model S sedan vaulted to the top of Norway's relatively small new car market in September, capturing 5.1% market share to outsell the models made by Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG that traditionally own the largest chunk of the market. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303722604579111052383880112.html BY SUBSCRIPTION Kia plans to offer Soul electric car in U.S. next year. Kia Motors Corp plans to sell an electric version of its second-generation Soul compact car in the United States next year, the Korean automaker's U.S. unit said on Tuesday. Kia will start selling the Soul EV in 2014 in a handful of U.S. markets. But before then, Kia will start selling an updated version of a gas-powered Soul this month. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/01/autos-kia-ev-idUSL1N0HR1Y520131001 Moving beyond early adopters means big shifts, experts warn. Major changes will be needed to shift the electric vehicle market beyond a niche segment and into the mainstream, experts said at a conference here yesterday. The electric vehicle market has grown significantly, particularly in the last year, said those who gathered at the Plug-In 2013 event. It took eight years for EVs to constitute 1 percent of auto sales, but then took only another year for them to hit 2 percent…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988213/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Filling the Gaps in the Flow of Renewable Energy. The biggest problem with solar panels and wind turbines is that they do not produce energy all the time. So what is the solution? Batteries. And other technologies that store energy to be released when it is needed. As renewable energy becomes increasingly commonplace, interest in energy storage technologies is growing around the world. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/business/energy-environment/Filling-the-Gaps-in-the-Flow-of-Renewable-Energy.html?_r=0 Foes testify against lifting Ohio energy quotas. Environmentalists and others are getting a chance to defend an Ohio law that imposes alternative-energy requirements on Ohio power companies. Ohio Senate Public Utilities Chairman Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, reopened debate on thresholds for clean-energy use earlier this year. His committee hears Wednesday from opponents of a bill that would revise the thresholds. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Foes-testify-against-lifting-Ohio-energy-quotas-4862533.php OPINIONS COLUMN-U.S. study misses bigger cost of greener grid: Wynn. While a U.S. Department of Energy study has concluded that fossil fuel power plants can cope with the physical stresses of balancing more renewable power, it leaves unanswered the bigger question of the financial losses utilities face. The study focused on the costs of cycling, a term which refers to the wear and tear from shutting down and restarting power plants, as well as ramping up and down and operating at part-load. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/02/column-wynn-power-renewable-idUSL6N0HR1AQ20131002 Dan Morain: State’s attempt to regulate toxic chemicals draws long list of opposition. The list is impressive: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Chemistry Council, the American Petroleum Institute, Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Toyota, General Motors, Koch Industries, Dow Chemical, General Electric, National Manufacturers Association. The list goes on. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/02/5786334/dan-morain-states-attempt-to-regulate.html#storylink=cpy Fracking Jerry Brown. The governor signed a bill that likely will expand fracking in California after taking $2.5 million in contributions from oil and natural gas interests. Before Jerry Brown signed legislation last month that promises to greatly expand fracking in California, the governor accepted at least $2.49 million in financial donations over the past several years from oil and natural gas interests, according to public records on file with the Secretary of State's Office and the California Fair Political Practices Commission. Posted. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/fracking-jerry-brown/Content?oid=3726533 BLOGS Who Will Deliver the Electric Car? ARE CARS ELECTRIC? The electric car has been a mythical beast for such a long time now that it is still a little odd to see them plugged in at the roadside. But there they are and here it is—no one really killed the electric car, but its gestation has been long and its birth difficult. One of the world’s largest auto makers, Japan’s Toyota Corp., is still refusing to hold the baby. There is no market for electric vehicles, Toyota says. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/10/01/who-will-deliver-the-electric-car/tab/print/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2013 15:05:50 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 3, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 3, 2013. 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 Traders float new standardized contract for Calif. Market. Oil companies, fuel providers, utilities and bankers hoping to capitalize on California's cap-and-trade system have come up with a uniform contract that they hope will make carbon trading easier. The agreement, unveiled yesterday at a carbon-trading conference in Washington, D.C., is aimed at standardizing secondary trades of carbon allowances and offsets in the state's economywide cap-and-trade market, which took effect in January. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988283/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION One-fifth of U.S. lives near roads with higher air pollution, study says. Nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population lives near a high-volume road where pollution levels are typically elevated from vehicle exhaust, a new study says. The analysis found 60 million people living within about one-third of a mile from a busy road. In California, 40% of the population lives that close to traffic, the highest of any state. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-air-pollution-population-traffic-20131002,0,4321572,print.story Exide records excess lead emissions, despite cutbacks. The battery recycler will meet with air quality officials to discuss additional action to curb emissions. The company says it is now in compliance with regulations. Even after being forced to cut production last month because of high lead emissions, a Vernon battery recycler has continued to violate limits on releases of the potent neurotoxin, regulators said Wednesday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20131003,0,7217980,print.story CLIMATE CHANGE Oceans face 'deadly trio' of threats, study says. The world's oceans are under greater threat than previously believed from a "deadly trio" of global warming, declining oxygen levels and acidification, an international study said on Thursday. The oceans have continued to warm, pushing many commercial fish stocks towards the poles and raising the risk of extinction for some marine species, despite a slower pace of temperature rises in the atmosphere this century, it said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/03/us-climate-oceans-idUSBRE99208K20131003 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/03/ocean-acidification-carbon-dioxide-emissions-levels What the new climate report really says. The people who are paid to spread doubt and confusion about our changing climate have been working overtime this week, because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body that includes thousands of the world's best climate scientists, has just issued its latest assessment. The IPCC report is the Olympics of climate change - once every few years the best in the world show us the results of thousands of the most recent research studies. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/03/5790444/what-the-new-climate-report-really.html#storylink=cpy Risky Business adds up climate change costs. Tom Steyer certainly knows how to keep his name in circulation. The hedge fund billionaire turned climate activist has a knack for picking projects that keep him in the public eye. Whether he's pushing through a tax-reform ballot initiative in California or bankrolling a controversial ad against the Keystone XL pipeline, Steyer rarely drops out of sight for long. Now he has teamed with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on a typically ambitious effort - counting up the economic costs of climate change. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Risky-Business-adds-up-climate-change-costs-4864153.php Students fight climate change, cite personal reasons. 2040. If energy consumption continues to grow at its current rate, that's when the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will cause permanent climate change, according to a new U.N. report. That year stuck out to Daniel Sherrell, a senior at Brown University. He will be 49 then. "Before then, members of Congress and the international community will have to swallow their hubris and make difficult decisions,”…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/03/students-climate-change-reasons/2910737/ Carbon-capture plant breaks ground at San Antonio cement plant. Skyonic Corp. broke ground this past week on the nation’s first commercial-scale carbon capture and mineralization plant. The facility, which is expected to be complete in 2014, is being built at Capitol Aggregates’ cement factory in Northeast San Antonio. Capitol Aggregates is a major supplier for energy companies working in the Eagle Ford Shale. Cement is used in the development of oil-and-gas wells. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/blog/eagle-ford-shale-insight/2013/10/carbon-capture-plant-breaks-ground-at.html Sandy's 'freaky' path may be less likely in future. Man-made global warming may further lessen the likelihood of the freak atmospheric steering currents that last year shoved Superstorm Sandy due west into New Jersey, a new study says. But don't celebrate a rare beneficial climate change prediction just yet. The study's authors said the once-in-700-years path was only one factor in the massive $50 billion killer storm. Posted. http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130913/GJLIFESTYLES/130909653/-1/FOSLIFESTYLES02 DIESEL EMISSIONS Diesel Exhaust Masks Odors Honeybees Use to Forage and Pollinate. Exhaust from diesel engines has been shown to prevent honeybees from differentiating between the odors of flowers, according to new research from the University of Southampton. Honeybees rely on floral odors to locate and identify the flowers they collect pollen from, but when the aroma of diesel exhaust fumes is present the odor profile of surround flora is masked. Posted. http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/4295/20131003/diesel-exhaust-masks-odors-honeybees-use-forage-pollinate.htm The dangers of school bus diesel exhaust and what schools are doing about it. They carry your most precious cargo, sometimes for hours a day; but school buses have a hidden danger that's threatening your child's health. "I think everybody needs to be worried," says James Kenny, MD, a retired pulmonologist who's studied air pollution extensively. The source: dangerous diesel fuel exhaust. Posted. http://www.wnct.com/story/23594482/the-dangers-of-school-bus-diesel-exhaust-and-what-schools-are-doing-about-it FUELS Harvard fossil fuels. Harvard University, the world’s richest school, won’t divest from fossil fuel companies amid pressure from students, President Drew Faust said in a letter released today. “I do not believe, nor do my colleagues on the Corporation, that university divestment from the fossil fuel industry is warranted or wise,” Faust said in the letter, referring to Harvard Corp., the school’s governing board. “The endowment is a resource, not an instrument to impel social or political change.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-03/harvard-fossil-fuels.html Fuel From Landfill Methane Goes on Sale. Farmers, waste management companies and the energy industries have long experimented with converting methane, a byproduct of decomposing organic matter, into transportation fuel. Those efforts have met with mixed success, and a renewable natural gas fuel has not been widely available in the United States. But now, one leading supplier of natural gas transport fuel is taking a big step toward changing that. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/business/energy-environment/the-swamp-gas-station-fuel-from-landfill-methane-goes-on-sale.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1380826867-KpCv34CGH58JZjOxkj2BAg Industry groups ask for rehearing of low-carbon fuel standard decision. Industry groups yesterday asked federal judges to reconsider their ruling upholding California's low-carbon fuel standard. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month rebuffed an industry challenge to the standard, one of California's key programs for cracking down on greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988308/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla shares fall further on Model S fire. Shares of Tesla Motors fell another 5 percent Thursday as investors in the high-flying company assessed the fallout from a fire in one of its $70,000 electric cars. The fire began in the car's battery after the driver hit metal debris. Firefighters extinguished the flames and no one was hurt. Tesla says it's the first fire in one of its cars. Experts say electric car fires are rare, and consumers should still consider buying them. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TESLA_FIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-03-03-44-00 MISCELLANEOUS Marin County's plastic-bag ban upheld by court. Plastic bag manufacturers lost another challenge to local ban-the-bag measures Wednesday when the state Supreme Court allowed Marin County to continue enforcing its restrictions at checkout counters in unincorporated areas. The justices unanimously denied review of an appellate ruling upholding the Marin ordinance, which since January 2012 has prohibited single-use plastic bags and required a 5-cent fee for a paper bag. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Marin-County-s-plastic-bag-ban-upheld-by-court-4864617.php Around Town: Free smog screenings return to Lemoore. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and Valley Clean Air Now will host a “Tune In & Tune Up” car cleanup on Saturday. The event will provide free car emissions screenings from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at West Hills College Lemoore parking lot A. To qualify, you must be a Valley resident and have owned your car for at least six months. The first 525 vehicles that don’t pass the emissions test and are found to be repairable will receive a $500 voucher for a participating STAR smog check station. Posted. http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/features/community/around-town-free-smog-screenings-return-to-lemoore/article_eb13befc-2bbc-11e3-9a4d-0019bb2963f4.html OPINIONS What the new climate report really says. The people who are paid to spread doubt and confusion about our changing climate have been working overtime this week, because the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body that includes thousands of the world's best climate scientists, has just issued its latest assessment. The IPCC report is the Olympics of climate change - once every few years the best in the world show us the results of thousands of the most recent research studies. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/03/2955351/what-the-new-climate-report-really.html BLOGS CA’s greenhouse gas emissions fall — bad news for cap-and-trade? California’s new cap-and-trade system for cutting greenhouse gas emissions may soon face a paradoxical problem — emissions that are falling faster than expected. A report issued Monday argues that California’s emissions are already dropping, undercut by a sluggish economy and the state’s growing use of renewable power. Between 2008 and 2011, emissions fell about 15 percent. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/09/09/cas-greenhouse-gas-emissions-fall-bad-news-for-cap-and-trade/ California’s Sustainable Transport Incentives Leave Other States in the Stone Age. California has more electric vehicles per capita than any other state in the nation, in part because policymakers seem to love them. Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a whole sheaf of bills intended to hasten their adoption, and the city of Palo Alto — home to Tesla Motors — will require every new home to be wired for EV charging hardware. Posted. http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/10/california-bills-ev-ready/ US shutdown hits Obama's climate agenda as EPA staff are sent home. Officials say government shutdown will disrupt monitoring of air and water quality and delay new rules for penalizing polluters. About 94% of the employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been sent on leave of absence as part of the US government shutdown. Nearly all of the agency's 16,205 employees across the country, with oversight of air quality…Posted. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/02/us-shutdown-obama-climate-epa ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2013 12:41:55 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 4, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 4, 2013. 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, Quebec Carbon Deal. Could Pave Way For Other Linkages. California and Quebec have signed an agreement to link their cap-and-trade programs via the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a decision that could pave the way for linkages to other trading programs, observers said. Yves-Francois Blanchet, Minister of Sustainable Development Environment Wildlife & Parks, Quebec, announced the signing of the agreement by the two jurisdictions at the International Emissions Trading Association’s Carbon Forum North America conference in Washington, DC on Tuesday. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9985§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION Co-op, Tesco Cut CO2 Emissions Using Paragon’s Carbon Minimizer. The Co-operative and Tesco have cut their carbon emissions by using Paragon Software Systems’ carbon minimizer, which allows fleets to reduce both their carbon footprint and operating costs with improved routing. The Co-op cut 5,000 tons of CO2 from its fleet of 1,300 trucks that deliver food to grocery stores, while retailer Tesco halved its carbon emissions…Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/10/04/co-op-tesco-cut-co2-emissions-using-paragons-carbon-minimizer/ Judges order 2 high-profile EPA cases to proceed despite shutdown. Federal judges have rejected two requests from U.S. EPA to delay upcoming arguments in two high-profile air cases because of the government shutdown. In separate motions, the Department of Justice asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to reschedule arguments in a case from public health advocates on EPA's air standards for pollutants that contribute to acid rain, and in another that challenges air limits for Portland cement manufacturers. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988382/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon Cuts Loom for Airlines as ICAO Eyes Global Market. Airlines worldwide face limits on their greenhouse-gas emissions as nations from the U.S. to Russia and the European Union are set to decide on a road map for a global market by 2020. The International Civil Aviation Organization will vote today at a plenary meeting on a deal approved yesterday by the agency’s leaders. It would bind them to set final details by 2016 regulating emissions from the $708 billion industry. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-04/carbon-cuts-loom-for-airlines-as-icao-eyes-global-market.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/04/us-aviation-climate-idUSBRE99302A20131004 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303722604579115332941999794.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Global Warming’s Slower Pace Hardens Views on Need to Act. (Corrects description of Heartland in sixth paragraph. Story originally ran on Sept. 28.) Global warming has slowed since 1998 as pollution reached record levels and rising seas became a more pressing concern, according to a United Nations report that’s hardening views on both sides of the climate debate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the temperature has been increasing at less than half the longer-term average since 1951. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-09-27/global-warming-s-slower-pace-hardens-views-on-need-to-act.html Controversial Climate Change Debate: Is Earth's Ice Growing or Shrinking? On Sept. 27, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its latest release, which made bold statements about human activity's impact on the climate. Among the areas studied to observe climate changes were vegetation, surface, ocean and atmospheric temperatures and the state of the cryosphere, or planetary ice. Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2013/10/04/controversial-climate-change-debate-is-earth-ice-growing-or-shrinking/ . As shutdown continues, concerns mount over its impact on climate science. In the era of the Internet, the government's decision to shut down access to websites and data sets has made research difficult for many weather and climate researchers. Take Bruce Vaughn, who runs a climate science lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His lab analyzes samples of greenhouse gases collected from around the world by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988345/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Analysis - California oil well acid rules could sway U.S. policy. New California regulations on the use of corrosive acids in oil production are sparking debates among federal energy regulators about rules for a technology largely overshadowed by the fracking method of extracting oil. Signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown two weeks ago, the new rules require companies to disclose the acids and hydraulic fracturing chemicals they use and notify neighbours of plans, as well as launching studies of how both affect the environment. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/03/uk-california-oil-analysis-idUKBRE9920ZU20131003 Clean Energy to sell renewable gas at the pump. Shares of Clean Energy Fuels Corp (CLNE.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) fell 5.8 percent on Thursday after the company said it would distribute a renewable natural gas made from organic waste at some of its fueling stations, disappointing investors who had bid up the stock this week on the chief executive's Twitter promise of "big news." Shares of the provider of natural gas for transportation fell 80 cents to close at $12.99 on the Nasdaq. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/03/us-cleanenergyfuels-stock-idUSBRE9920XA20131003 Clean Energy Launches Renewable Natural Gas Fuel. Fleets that want to use an even "greener" alternative fuel than natural gas can now purchase renewable natural gas fuel, made from methane that comes from landfills, large farms and other waste streams, from Clean Energy. Clean Energy says it's the first company to commercially distribute a renewable natural gas vehicle fuel, which it is branding Redeem. It is available in CNG or LNG form. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/10/clean-energy-launches-renewable-natural-gas-fuel.aspx Group cautions on fracking's dangers. A California environmental group Tuesday released what it touted as a major report on the national impacts of hydraulic fracturing, underscoring how the issue remains a top concern among environmentalists. Also known as fracking, the controversial practice includes injecting cocktails of water and chemicals deep into the earth to reach previously unattainable oil deposits. Posted. http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/countyelections/ci_24235459/group-cautions-frackings-dangers http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059988360/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES As sales grow, will there be enough charging stations? David Peterson of Nissan North America Inc. wants people to think about electric vehicle charging outside businesses the way they link free Wi-Fi and Starbucks coffee shops. Starbucks offers Internet access and attracts customers, said Peterson, EV regional manager at Nissan. Store owners who give up parking spots and allow installation of electric car charging stations similarly could see a boom in business, he said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988355/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Solar industry eyes untapped heating and cooling market. While solar power development in the United States has replaced thousands of megawatts of electricity from conventional power plants, a huge and largely unfilled gap remains in the solar power market for using the sun's energy to heat and cool buildings, a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association argues. With aims of filling that gap, SEIA yesterday published a "road map" to dramatically increase the use of solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems nationwide…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988342/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Company fires scientist who warned of Hanford waste site problems. Walter Tamosaitis and watchdogs believe URS Corp. retaliated over his warning that the radioactive waste facility in Hanford, Wash., had safety issues.When senior scientist Walter Tamosaitis warned in 2011 about fundamental design flaws at the nation's largest facility to treat radioactive waste in Hanford, Wash., he was assigned to work in a basement room without office furniture or a telephone. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-hanford-layoff-20131004,0,1311785.story OPINIONS We need climate-change risk assessment. If the United States were run like a business, its board of directors would fire its financial advisers for failing to disclose the significant and material risks associated with unmitigated climate change. Managing risk is necessary for individuals, investors, businesses and governments. As individuals, we buy insurance for our homes, vehicles and health because the future is unpredictable. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-climate-change-risk-assessment/2013/10/03/d4f70e3c-2bb5-11e3-8ade-a1f23cda135e_story.html Challenging CARB’s emissions auction. United Ag sponsored a Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) presentation in Santa Maria of its lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board (CARB) auction of carbon dioxide emission allowances for billions of dollars. CARB estimates the auctions will generate $70 billion by 2020, and California’s 2013 budget was balanced with at least $500 million in auction proceeds. Posted. http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/opinion/editorial/challenging-carb-s-emissions-auction/article_6c1e5c48-2cbf-11e3-9397-0019bb2963f4.html Editorial: EPA ahead of the tech curve on coal rule. From afar, it may appear that California has no stake in a regulation proposed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency that all new coal-fueled power plants employ carbon capture-and-storage technology. After all, coal currently accounts for less than 1 percent of electricity generated in the Golden State, according the California Energy Commission. And even that tiny percentage is more likely to decrease, rather than increase, in coming years. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/coal-529086-technology-carbon.html BLOGS Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities in the New Communication Climate. I just returned from my first visit to Japan, which was limited to a small slice of Tokyo, a megacity offering a dizzying mix of ancient and modern, exuberant consumption and reflective modesty. I was there to speak at an annual forum on the environment organized by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. My talk was “The Daily Planet- An exploration of issues and opportunities arising as both the media and the environment enter a period of unprecedented and unpredictable change.” Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/exploring-the-challenges-and-opportunities-in-the-new-communication-climate/ How the Shutdown May Hurt the Environment. It is far from clear how badly the country’s environment will be damaged by the government shutdown. But the immediate prospects are not promising. Republicans who detest the Environmental Protection Agency were not bothered in the least by the fact that the agency furloughed more than 90 percent of its 16,000-plus full and part-time employees. But people living near toxic waste sites will be bothered. Posted. http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/how-the-shutdown-may-hurt-the-environment/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2013 13:04:41 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 7, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 7, 2013. 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 Mexico's carbon tax faces headwinds from energy revamp. Mexico's plan to become the first major oil-producing emerging economy to introduce a carbon tax has a problem: It clashes head-on with the government's ambitions to lower the cost of electricity and boost energy output. Aiming to raise up to $2 billion, the carbon tax is part of a fiscal reform floated by President Enrique Pena Nieto just as he pushes an energy plan to encourage billions of dollars of investment in Mexico's flagging oil and gas industry. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/07/mexico-reforms-idUSL1N0HQ1MB20131007 AIR POLLUTION China's capital to replace some coal-fired heating plants. China will replace four coal-burning heating plants in the capital Beijing with natural gas fired ones by the end of next year as it steps up efforts to clean up pollution, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. The report, citing the city's Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, said the four plants and some 40 other related projects would cost around 48 billion yuan ($8 billion) and cut sulphur dioxide emissions by 10,000 tonnes. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/05/china-pollution-idUSL4N0HV04K20131005 Fairfield blaze's smoke billows across Bay Area. A grass fire whipped by high winds east of Fairfield burned more than 1,000 acres Friday, sending so much ash and smoke across the Bay Area that pollution regulators advised people as far away as San Francisco and the Peninsula to avoid breathing the stuff. The blaze broke out around 12:15 p.m. south of Highway 12, snarling traffic along Interstate 80 to the west. While the wildfire was 70 percent contained by the evening, officials said residents should prepare for smoke-filled days ahead. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Napa-fire-that-sent-smoke-south-largely-contained-4868936.php Bay Area air pollution agency eyes rule to benefit commuters. Air and transportation agencies will hold public workshops in Oakland on Monday and San Ramon on Tuesday on a proposed rule to benefit Bay Area commuters who use public transit, carpools, van pools or bicycles to get to work. The first workshop will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday at the Bort MetroCenter auditorium, 101 Eighth St., Oakland. Another workshop will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the San Ramon Community Center, Alcosta Room, 12501 Alcosta Blvd. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/my-town/ci_24243367/bay-area-air-pollution-agency-eyes-rule-benefit Cotton & agriculture: Ag part of Pinal air quality scrutiny. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is in the process of determining who’s kicking up the most dust in Pinal County. To that end, the agency is taking an inventory of sources for a type of pollution known as PM10, dust-size particles that can be breathed and lead to respiratory illness — severe in some cases. Posted. http://www.trivalleycentral.com/casa_grande_dispatch/area_news/cotton-agriculture-ag-part-of-pinal-air-quality-scrutiny/article_b8871bd4-2f66-11e3-ae9b-0019bb2963f4.html CLIMATE CHANGE U.S. Supreme Court again takes no action on climate change cases. The U.S. Supreme Court Monday took no action for the second week running over whether it plans to undertake a potentially wide-ranging legal review of the Obama administration's first wave of regulations aimed at tackling climate change. The nine different petitions pending before the court, filed by states and industry groups, were not mentioned in a list of cases the court declined to hear on the first day of its new term. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/07/usa-court-climate-change-idUSL1N0HX0QE20131007 Yosemite's largest ice mass is melting fast. Climate change is taking a visible toll on Yosemite National Park, where the largest ice-mass in the park is in a death spiral, geologists say. During an annual trek to the glacier deep in Yosemite's backcountry last month, Greg Stock, the park's first full-time geologist, found that Lyell Glacier had shrunk visibly since his visit last year, continuing a trend that began more than a century ago. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/07/5800517/yosemites-largest-ice-mass-is.html#storylink=cpy State Updates Clean Air Plan And Rules For Wood Stoves. The Department of Ecology (Ecology) is updating the statewide rule and plan for solid-fuel burning devices like wood stoves, fireplaces, pellet stoves, and masonry heaters. The updates reflect recent changes to state law, meet federal requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and will help improve air quality. Washington’s clean air rules govern how air pollution is managed. Posted. http://www.lakespokaneoutpost.com/story/2013/10/07/community/state-updates-clean-air-plan-and-rules-for-wood-stoves/5314.html Does the IPCC need to change how it works? It's been 25 years since the nations of the world formed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to assess the state of climate science. And, like many 25-year-olds, the panel is now facing questions of its identity and its future. Some are calling for the panel to change its scope, moving from the "mega-reports" released every six years to more targeted reports, such as the 2012 special report the panel released on extreme weather events. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988412/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Sacramento-area school buses go high-tech. Within weeks, nearly 2,000 students boarding buses in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District will be able to swipe a card over a bar-code reader that is linked to GPS tracking. With that one action, the students on any of the district’s 78 buses will enter a new age of security tracking. Each swipe will tell the school district – and, ultimately, inquiring parents – where and when a child got on or off the school bus. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/07/5779629/sacramento-area-districts-install.html Grants offered to reduce bus emissions. San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District has grant funds available for school bus emission reduction projects. Assembly Bill 923, enacted in 2005, authorizes air districts in California to collect $2 in motor vehicle registration fees to fund emission reduction projects, an APCD spokeswoman said. This year, a total of $488,653 is available to replace or retrofit school buses in San Luis Obispo County, the spokeswoman said. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/grants-offered-to-reduce-bus-emissions/article_d5904b12-2d84-11e3-bf42-0019bb2963f4.html FUELS Oil price gaming allegations may get another look. Legislators pass a bill that would direct the state Energy Commission to ferret out any fuel price manipulation. Gov. Jerry Brown hasn't signed or taken a public position on the legislation. California drivers have suffered through dozens of unexpected gasoline-price spikes over the last decade, and just about every incident has spurred allegations of market manipulation and politicians' demands for investigations. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-capitol-business-beat-20131007,0,1214191.story Local fight rages in Maine over tar sands oil. A proposed ordinance designed to block tar sands oil from being transported to South Portland has set off a fiery debate over what impact it will have on the community and the city's bustling waterfront. Opponents of the thick, gooey oil derived from tar sands in Canada fear a 236-mile underground pipeline that transports crude oil from South Portland to Montreal could be used in reverse to send tar sands oil from Canada through Maine. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/06/5798660/local-fight-rages-in-maine-over.html#storylink=cpy U.S. poised to be world's largest producer by year's end – EIA. The United States will emerge as the world's top producer of petroleum products and natural gas this year, the federal government is predicting. The Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration put out the estimate in a report issued Friday. By the end of 2013, the United States will produce more hydrocarbons than any other nation, surpassing both Saudi Arabia and Russia, and by a healthy margin, the agency says. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059988428/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Coalition urges BLM to halt Calif. leases until studies are done. A broad coalition of mostly environmental and public health advocates today asked the Bureau of Land Management to cancel all oil and natural gas lease sales on federal lands in the state until after it has finished a broad analysis of the environmental impacts of drilling and the use of hydraulic fracturing. In May, BLM canceled all oil and gas leases in the state through the fiscal 2013 budget year, which ended Tuesday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2013/10/04/stories/1059988404 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY REFINERY Chevron Richmond refinery pulls back the curtains year after major fire. Chevron's Bay Area refinery opened its gates to the public on Saturday for the first time since an August 2012 fire that resulted in criminal charges and record fines. In its third annual Community Tour Day -- which was not held last year because of the accident -- the company sought to assure residents that it had stepped up safety since corroded piping in its crude oil unit leaked, causing a fire that sent 15,000 people to local hospitals, many with respiratory complaints. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_24248298/chevron-richmond-refinery-pulls-back-curtains-year-after?source=rss GREEN ENERGY Ikea to sell solar panels in British stores, but U.S. must wait. Within the next year, British shoppers will be able to waltz into an Ikea Corp. store, home to Malm beds and Dinera plates, and buy solar panels. But it might be a while longer before their American counterparts will be able to do the same. The Swedish home goods giant will offer photovoltaic solar panel packages in its 17 British stores within the next 10 months. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-ikea-solar-panels-20131003,0,5172805.story http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24207222/ikea-start-selling-residential-solar-panels Turning trash into gas helps planet, pocketbook. Two S.J. landfills prepare to fire up power plants. When most San Joaquin County residents take out the trash, they'll also soon be turning on the lights across Northern California. Two major local landfills - one private, the other operated by the county - are within months of finishing new power plants that will take harmful methane gas created by the decomposition of garbage and convert it into electricity. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131006/A_NEWS/310060315/-1/A_NEWS14 Federal boost for farms' renewal energy in doubt. Solar panels are cropping up alongside corn on Timothy Ridgely's Illinois farm. Irrigation equipment powered by the sun is pumping away on Daniel Chin's third-generation Oregon potato farm. And manure is being converted to electricity on an Ohio hog farm. Across rural America, thousands of farms and small businesses are turning to renewable energy to cut costs and boost their often uncertain bottom lines…Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/oct/05/federal-boost-for-farms-renewal-energy-in-doubt/#ixzz2h3qCfRC0 MISCELLANEOUS Win prizes during Rideshare Week. Commuters who pledge to carpool or take transit to work next week stand to win gift cards and other projects during 2013 Rideshare week. Sponsored by Commute Connection and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, Rideshare Week is an effort to get cars off the road and fight air pollution in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131005/A_NEWS/131009943 OPINIONS Climate Changes and What Most People Really Want. Regarding your editorial "Climate of Uncertainty" (Oct. 1): Fossil fuel will be processed and burned until it is gone. Regarding your editorial "Climate of Uncertainty" (Oct. 1): Fossil fuel will be processed and burned until it is gone. In the meantime, no report, panel or government is going to alter the profound reliance the world economy has on numerous petroleum-based products, including the defense sector's strategic dependence on them. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304176904579111473363681030.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Schwarzenegger legacy: Environmental protection. In 2003, the people of California were worried. They were worried about their jobs, their families and their environment. The rolling blackouts of that year caused many to wonder about our energy policy and potential impacts on air quality of any new power plants. Voters called for a new election. When Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped up as a candidate, he provided a solid plan of action to address these concerns. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24178633/schwarzenegger-legacy-environmental-protection BLOGS As Others Struggle, New Hong Kong Biodiesel Plant Powers Ahead. Biodiesel has faced a backlash in recent years, as critics charge the industry with razing land and pushing up food costs. But as its competitors struggle, one Hong Kong-based company is moving ahead with a US$165 million plant that turns recycled cooking oil into biodiesel, which it says could eventually power every diesel-powered vehicle in this smog-addled city. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/10/04/as-others-struggle-new-hong-kong-biodiesel-plant-powers-ahead/tab/print/?KEYWORDS=biofuels Using legos to explain carbon emissions to a child — or every adult who doesn’t get it. This short video is a simple explanation of how humans have caused carbon emissions over the last 260 years. Unless we begin sharp reductions in carbon emissions immediately, we will commit the world to more than 2 degrees C of warming. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/using-legos-to-explain-carbon-emissions-to-a-child-or-every-adult-who-doesnt-get-it/ Carbon Budget Message In IPCC Report Reveals Daunting Challenge. Within the voluminous report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published on Sept. 27 is a conclusion as sobering as any climate change warning to date. The world is currently on track to emit enough greenhouse gases by about 2040 to exceed the globally agreed upon temperature target of 3.6°F (commonly referred to in international negotiations as the 2°C target)…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/04/carbon-budget-ipcc_n_4045946.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2013 12:47:40 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 8, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 8, 2013. 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 EU Can Keep Airline Carbon Plan Using UN Credits, IETA Says. Europe may need to let airlines use United Nations credits to meet pollution caps after countries spurned the bloc’s plan to apply its carbon market to overseas flights, according to the biggest emissions trading lobby group. “There’s an opening for the European Union to negotiate with other countries” on airlines’ compliance with its greenhouse-gas limits, said Dirk Forrister, the president of the International Emission Trading Association in Geneva. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-08/eu-can-salvage-aviation-carbon-plan-with-un-credits-ieta-says.html Implementing global aviation emissions plan no simple task. Concessions made by the United Nations' aviation body to wrap up two weeks of tense negotiations could make achieving the goal of a market-based measure to cap carbon emissions from airlines harder to achieve. The International Civil Aviation Organization agreed in Montreal on Friday to design a global scheme to reduce the growth of the sector's greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/07/us-un-aviation-implementation-idUSBRE9960U020131007 Deal reached with Vernon firm accused of releasing toxic emissions. Exide Technologies will set aside $7.7 million to pay for a new storm-water system and improvements to lower arsenic emissions. State regulators have reached a deal with a Vernon battery recycler accused of releasing toxic air emissions that may have threatened the health of more than 100,000 people, company and state officials said Monday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1008-exide-deal-20131008,0,2176446,print.story http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/07/2963441/calif-battery-recycler-reach-deal.html#storylink=cpy Clean air agency renews Vehicle Buy Back Program. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is announcing $7 million in funding for the renewed Vehicle Buy Back Program. Residents with vehicles model year 1994 and older registered in Napa and the other eight Bay Area counties are eligible to receive $1,000 to voluntarily retire these higher polluting cars. Compared to newer vehicles, older vehicles lack modern emission-control technology and pollute significantly more than newer models. Posted. http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/clean-air-agency-renews-vehicle-buy-back-program/article_64da1954-3034-11e3-93a9-0019bb2963f4.html How to Slice a Global Carbon Pie? It was the middle of the night. In a matter of hours, journalists from around the world would be showing up, expecting details about the latest big United Nations climate report. But behind closed doors here, as the final wording of that document was being worked out, things were not going well. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/science/how-to-slice-a-global-carbon-pie.html Asbestos fiber found in rock at proposed mine site. Asbestos mineral fibers have been found in a rock sample from Gogebic Taconite's proposed iron ore mine site in northern Wisconsin, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. But the extent of the mineral, known as grunerite, at the site of the $1.5 billion proposed mine in Ashland and Iron counties is not known, the DNR said. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Asbestos-fiber-found-in-rock-at-proposed-mine-site-4878384.php Growers can read ideas about climate change in new report. As the country’s largest producer of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, nursery crops and other specialty crops, California has responsibility to protect the crops in the event of climate change. For that reason, the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture commissioned the Climate Change Consortium for Specialty Crops to identify ways for growers to face and survive effects from severe changes in the weather. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/oct/07/growers-can-read-ideas-of-ways-to-deal-with-in/#ixzz2h9CgzbLB The Next Big Emissions Battle Is Not Cars; It's About Coal. The rules for vehicle gas mileage are pretty much locked down from now through 2025. The math is complicated, but vehicles in 2025 will have to reach a fleet-wide average of 54.5 mpg by 2025--or about 42 mpg on their window stickers. So what's the next battleground over reducing emissions? It's coal. Specifically, it's a set of proposed rules to limit emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from future new powerplants--whether coal or natural-gas. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1087486_the-next-big-emissions-battle-is-not-cars-its-about-coal CLIMATE CHANGE Obama climate adviser stepping down. President Barack Obama's top adviser on environmental and climate issues is leaving. Heather Zichal has been advising Obama for five years and is the architect of his climate change plan. She also advises Obama on energy issues. Zichal plans to leave the White House within a few weeks. The White House hasn't announced who will replace her. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_ADVISER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/us/obamas-adviser-on-climate-change-plans-to-leave.html?_r=0 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/07/5802342/president-obamas-top-environmental.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24258128/obama-climate-adviser-stepping-down?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-climate-adviser-plans-to-step-down/2013/10/07/de01c88e-2f87-11e3-8906-3daa2bcde110_story.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/10/08/obama-heather-zikal-climate-change/2941519/ Water Shortage Seen Worsening on Climate Change in Potsdam Study. Water scarcity will increase around the world due to climate change, with more than 500 million people affected if mean global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), based on modeling studies by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, or PIK. An additional 8 percent of humankind may face new or worse water scarcity with 2 degrees warming…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-08/water-shortage-seen-worsening-on-climate-change-in-potsdam-study.html Benefits of curbing GHGs could take a generation to detect – study. If the countries of the world reduced their greenhouse gas emissions today enough to keep the world from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius, when would they be able to tell that these efforts had succeeded? That's the basic question posed in a paper released yesterday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The answer: about 25 to 30 years, at least where global temperatures are concerned. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988479/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES New Electric-Car Drive in Buildings. SL Green Realty Corp., Others Back City, State Efforts. The region's largest office-building owner has installed electric-car charging stations at many of its suburban buildings, in one of the largest moves by a private landlord to back city and state efforts to encourage the spread of the environment-friendly vehicles. SL Green Realty Corp., SLG -0.92% which owns stakes in about 120 buildings in the New York region, paid $10,000 each for the stations, which charge electric-powered vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304441404579119580133843894.html Californian hydrogen infrastructure gets £1.25m boost. California governor Edmund Brown has signed a bill dedicating $20m, or 20% of available funds, to add up to 100 refuelling stations per year across the state between now and the end of 2023. Assembly Bill 8 is aimed at supporting the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and is the end result of negotiations between the California Air Resources Board and over 100 agencies and stakeholders…Posted. http://evfleetworld.co.uk/news/2013/Sep/Californian-hydrogen-infrastructure-gets-1-25-pounds-m-boost/0438011116 MISCELLANEOUS County honors local businesses for being green, leaving others just green with envy. Twenty West Valley businesses made the list of 100 that were recently honored by the county for being environmentally friendly. The Sereno Group offices in Saratoga and Los Gatos, the Andale Mexican restaurants in Los Gatos and the Groupware Technology building in Campbell all made the cut. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24260855/county-honors-local-businesses-being-green-leaving-others?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24260855/county-honors-local-businesses-being-green-leaving-others?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com BLOGS Carbon Taxes Should Go To FEMA -- Who Else? Yes, any carbon tax we end up generating needs to go to those people who are critical to saving our lives, now and into the future. The latest word on global warming came out of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last week and its conclusions are even stronger than the last one in 2007 (IPCC draft report): “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2013/10/08/carbon-taxes-should-go-to-fema-who-else/ Via Motors wins $20-million SCAQMD contract for PHEV trucks. That demonstration Via Motors made with its extended-range plug-in trucks in San Francisco a few months back must've made some impression. At the Plug In Conference in San Diego, CA last week, the company announced it has won a $20-million contract to supply the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) with its trucks. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/08/via-motors-wins-20-million-scaqmd-contract-for-phev-trucks/ Who created the global warming “pause”? In a major report [PDF] released late last month, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading authority on climate science, told us it was more certain than ever that humans are causing global warming. It also upgraded its projections for sea-level rise by the end of the century, and even broached the subject of climate change’s irreversibility: …Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/who-created-the-global-warming-pause/ California company will now sell drivers gas that came from landfills. We feel kind of the same way about liquified natural gas as Regina George felt about “fetch” – everyone just needs to stop trying to make it happen. But people more powerful than us, like T. Boone Pickens, won’t give it up, so we’re probably not going to switch over to 100 percent algae fuel or something anytime soon. Given those circumstances, we’re not mad that a Pickens-backed company in California is selling fuel made from methane that originated at landfills and other waste sources. Beats fracking! Posted. http://grist.org/list/california-company-will-now-sell-drivers-gas-that-came-from-landfills/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2013 12:01:42 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 9, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 9, 2013. 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 Pa. citizens group targets gas drilling pollution. A community group in northeastern Pennsylvania aims to reduce Marcellus Shale gas drilling air pollution by seeking dialogue with the industry. Breathe Easy Susquehanna County says in a release that they aim to protect regional air quality and health, and will promote respectful dialogue with the industry to seek the lowest possible levels of air pollution. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/AP0efa24ed34e24c918afec0317e569030.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Pa-citizens-group-targets-gas-drilling-pollution-4880636.php Crowd voices anger over Vernon battery recycler. At a meeting called by lawmakers, the crowd calls for officials to shut down Exide Technologies over dangerously high emissions of lead and arsenic. he speaker of California's Assembly and two state senators took environmental regulators to task before an angry crowd Tuesday over their failure to regulate a battery recycler in Vernon whose emissions have been deemed a health risk to hundreds of thousands of people. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-dtsc-permits-20131009,0,6124572.story Reports of strong gas odor in Richmond. Fire crews were responding to an influx of calls about a strong gas odor throughout west Richmond on Tuesday afternoon, fire officials said. Around 2 p.m., the Richmond Fire Department started hearing from callers, mostly from northwest Richmond, reporting a gas-like odor, Fire Chief Michael Banks said. "We're sending engine companies all over the place trying to deal with patients who had some breathing difficulties," he said. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Reports-of-strong-gas-odor-in-Richmond-4879641.php Salt plant taints air. The state has ordered a rock salt processing plant in the Port of Coeymans to shut down because of air pollution violations, including running the plant without a state pollution permit. Scotwood Industries must cease plant operations by Nov. 30 and pay a $4,500 fine, $3,000 of which will be dropped if the Kansas-based company stops processing salt at the port, under an agreement Monday with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Salt-plant-taints-air-4879483.php Michigan may reduce number of regulated chemicals. Michigan officials may reduce significantly the number of chemicals subject to air pollution limits. The Detroit News (http://bit.ly/1fZKxug ) reports Wednesday that an advisory committee has recommended cutting the number of regulated chemicals from more than 1,200 to 756. That's a 37 percent reduction. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Michigan-may-reduce-number-of-regulated-chemicals-4881500.php CLIMATE CHANGE AP Interview: Warsaw to lay climate deal basics. Poland's environment minister says his challenge at next month's climate conference will be to lay foundations for a new global emission cuts deal. Marcin Korolec told The Associated Press that the United Nations' COP19 conference in Warsaw will require "huge work" in making some 200 participating nations agree on conditions for a deal to be signed in 2015 in Paris. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/AP-Interview-Warsaw-to-lay-climate-deal-basics-4880769.php Climate change solutions offer trillions in growth opportunities, clean-tech guru Jigar Shah argues. Jigar Shah fundamentally believes that the United States can innovate its way out of the worst effects of climate change and unlock trillions of dollars in the process by adopting new financial models in the clean technology sector.At this time of fiscal austerity, the world needs a new growth plan now more than ever, according to Shah, the outspoken founder and former CEO of solar SunEdison...Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988575/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY More than 400 Dems press White House against greenhouse gas rules. More than 400 Democrats from around the country are urging the White House to reconsider U.S. EPA's proposal for regulating greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. The current and former politicians wrote President Obama a letter today as part of the CoalBlue Project, a group meant to boost and highlight Democratic support for the coal industry. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988597/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS U.S. Refiners Export More Fuel Than Ever. U.S. refiners are selling more fuel abroad than ever before, effectively exporting the American energy boom to the four corners of the world. As crude production soars in places like the Eagle Ford shale formation in Texas, U.S. refiners along the Gulf Coast are increasingly using local oil, which is less expensive than the North Sea crude that European refiners use. That often means diesel and other fuels made in the U.S. are a bargain abroad even after adding the shipping costs. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304441404579123604287854862?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection BY SUBSCRIPTION Year after Gaspocalypse, Californians saving $32 million a day on gas. On the one-year anniversary of the Gaspocalypse — the day California gasoline prices set a record for the lower 48 states — fuel here has fallen by 86 cents a gallon. A year ago, retail gasoline prices in California averaged $4.67 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com. Only Alaska has had a higher average price, briefly topping $4.68 in late July 2008, according to the gas price information website. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-california-gas-prices-20131008,0,4196696.story EPA considers scaling back renewable fuel targets for 2014. U.S. EPA would roll back both corn ethanol and advanced biofuel targets for next year under draft proposals circulating among stakeholders in the oil and biofuels industries. The agency is considering a proposal that would require refiners to blend 13 billion gallons of conventional corn ethanol and 2.21 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons of advanced biofuel into petroleum-based gasoline next year, industry sources said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988606/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tulsa's green fleet recognized in competition. Tulsa's green fleet has placed among the top 50 cities in the country in a government competition. Oklahoma's second-largest city came in at No. 29 at the Green Fleet Conference in Phoenix. The competition judged about 25 criteria, including the number of dedicated alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles, the amount of alternative fuels used each year and emissions reductions, among other factors. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Tulsa-s-green-fleet-recognized-in-competition-4880587.php LAPD tests out new electric motorcycles. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck made a surprising entrance at the Los Angeles Police Museum last month when he stealthily zipped into the parking lot on a souped-up, racing-style, all-electric motorcycle. An avid motocross racer, Beck parked the bike just yards away from where retired police cars from the 1930s to 1950s now rest. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/oct/09/lapd-tests-out-new-electric-motorcycles/#ixzz2hF2u2SLs UPS Adding to Natural Gas Fueling Network, Adding More Tractors. UPS plans to invest approximately $50 million to build an additional nine liquefied natural gas fueling stations, bringing the total number of stations to 13. Four were announced in April, and all should be operational by the end of 2014. The enhanced LNG fueling infrastructure will support the operation of approximately 1,000 UPS LNG tractors that will displace more than 24 million gallons of diesel fuel annually. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/10/ups-adding-to-natural-gas-fueling-network-adding-more-tractors.aspx GREEN ENERGY India Increases Effort to Harness Biomass Energy. The hulking power plant set against the green countryside of Punjab state in northwest India does not look like a source of renewable energy. Yet filling its stockyard, instead of mounds of coal, are bales of rice straw. Machines break up the heavy straw cubes as men with pitchforks hoist fibrous mounds onto a conveyor belt leading to the power plant. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/business/energy-environment/india-increases-effort-to-harness-biomass-energy.html Bypassing the Power Grid. For nearly a century, wealthy countries have relied on just one model of power distribution: sending electricity over huge transmission grids from big generating plants to customers in their homes, offices and factories. That may be starting to change. Renewable-energy technologies like solar and wind power, which in many countries have begun to shake up the mix of energy sources, are now also challenging the traditional distribution system. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/business/energy-environment/bypassing-the-power-grid.html Tweaks coming for solar subsidies. A new law will eventually overhaul how Californians pay for electricity and the state’s expensive push into green energy sources such as wind and solar. We won’t know any details for a year or so, after the California Public Utilities Commission decides on a new rate design. My guess is that regulators will tread carefully, so I don’t expect any drastic changes. But there will be winners and losers. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/09/tp-tweaks-coming-for-solar-subsidies/ MISCELLANEOUS In a Hot, Thirsty Energy Business, Water Is Prized. WITH so much focus on carbon emitted from the nation’s power plants, another environmental challenge related to electricity generation is sometimes overlooked: the enormous amount of water needed to cool the power-producing equipment. In the United States almost all electric power plants, 90 percent, are thermoelectric plants, which essentially create steam to generate electricity. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/business/energy-environment/in-a-hot-thirsty-energy-business-water-is-prized.html?ref=earth Nest hopes to reinvent smoke alarms like it did the thermostat. The Silicon Valley start-up has announced the availability of Nest Protect, its Internet-connected smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector. When a group of former Apple Inc. employees announced that they had created a company called Nest to reinvent the thermostat, Silicon Valley did a double take. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-smart-smoke-alarm-20131009,0,6916974.story Yolo wins share of Rite Aid settlement. Rite Aid will pay Yolo County $420,000 as part of a multimillion-dollar settlement over claims that the drugstore chain illegally dumped pesticides, bleach and other toxics that came from hundreds of its California locations. The judgment, filed Sept. 24 in San Joaquin Superior Court, settled a lawsuit filed in September by district attorneys in San Joaquin, Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/09/5805642/yolo-wins-share-of-rite-aid-settlement.html#storylink=cpy Climate change is focus of workshop at UC Merced. The California Natural Resources Agency plans to discuss climate risks and updates to state strategies during a meeting at UC Merced on Thursday. The forum on CNRA’s proposed updates to the 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy is scheduled for 10a.m. to 3p.m. in the California Room at UC Merced, 5200 N. Lake Road. The meeting is an open forum and is open to the public, according to a press release. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/08/2965222/climate-change-is-focus-of-workshop.html OPINIONS On letters from climate-change deniers. A piece this weekend debunking the claim that Congress and the president are exempted from Obamacare has drawn a harsh reaction from some readers and conservative bloggers. But their umbrage wasn't with the piece's explanation of why letters making this claim do not get published. Rather, they were upset by the statement that letters "[saying] there's no sign humans have caused climate change" do not get printed. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-climate-change-letters-20131008,0,871615.story Letter: Pipeline project will energize jobs. In response to Rebecca Tell's letter ("Pipeline that leads to global disaster," Sept. 27) regarding Keystone XL, a number of comprehensive environmental studies issued by the U.S. Department of State and many prominent climate scientists agree that Keystone XL would have virtually no impact on global greenhouse gas emissions. The latest State Department environmental impact statement states…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letter-Pipeline-project-will-energize-jobs-4876244.php Earth Log: Take deep breath now: Soot season starts soon. People are getting a breather between dirty-air seasons right now in the San Joaquin Valley — ozone is almost gone and soot hasn't quite arrived. Breathe deep, exhale. Repeat. Now consider what's to come if we don't have at least several stormy weeks this winter. Soot, chemicals and other microscopic debris account for the majority of premature deaths related to dirty air in the Valley. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/08/3543077/take-deep-breath-soot-season-starts.html Just past the hottest decade ever, it's clear the globe is still warming. What is it about the hottest decade in recorded history that's so hard to understand? The first decade of this millennium - 2001 to 2010 - was the warmest since measurements began 160 years ago. The earlier hottest decade was during the 1990s. And the record-breaker before that? The 1980s. These are undisputed facts. Nothing about this steady rise suggests our planet is doing anything but warming. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/09/2965731/just-past-the-hottest-decade-ever.html#storylink=cpy Climate Change: Uncertainty Is Not A Call For Inaction. It is possible that some climate models have overestimated short-term climate change, but this is hardly an argument in favor of the skeptics’ position. Skepticism and uncertainty surrounding the recent conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should not be a call for policy inaction. Like its previous installments this report is supposed to summarize the findings of the literature on climate change. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/insead/2013/10/09/climate-change-uncertainty-is-not-a-call-for-inaction/ BLOGS G.E.’s ‘Industrial Internet’ Goes Big. The more General Electric gets into its plan for an “Industrial Internet,” the bigger it seems. On Wednesday, the company announced 14 more products that combine industrial equipment, Internet-linked sensors and software to monitor performance and analyze big streams of data. G.E. had previously announced 10 similar industrial products. Posted. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/g-e-s-industrial-internet-goes-big/?_r=0 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2013 15:20:17 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 10, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 10, 2013. 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 International REDD Faces. Uphill Battle in California in 2014. California once seemed all but certain to become the first compliance market to welcome offsets from projects that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), but efforts to include international offsets still face political opposition. Here’s a quick status report. California’s cap-and-trade program has been seen as a beacon of hope by those who support the inclusion of projects that save endangered forest and reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=9988§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION World must eliminate fossil fuel emissions, OECD chief says. The world must eliminate emissions from burning fossil fuels in the second half of this century to lower the economic cost of climate change, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Wednesday. Leading economist and climate change expert Nicholas Stern has said that investment equivalent to 2 percent of global gross domestic product a year is needed to limit and adapt to climate change. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/09/oecd-climate-idUSL6N0HZ1ZJ20131009 Southeast Asia agrees to adopt haze monitoring system. Southeast Asian nations agreed on Wednesday to adopt a new system to improve monitoring of smog caused by fires, an attempt to make plantation companies more accountable following the region's worst air pollution crisis in 16 years. Thick haze, mostly from land-clearing fires in Indonesia, blanketed Singapore and swathes of neighboring Malaysia earlier this year, stoking diplomatic tensions as air pollution climbed to the most hazardous levels since a similar crisis in 1997. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/09/us-asia-summit-haze-idUSBRE99807920131009 Jakarta's Air-Quality Conundrum JAKARTA—As Indonesia posts near-record rates of economic growth, its mega-city capital faces an unsavory side effect: worsening air quality. Long among the most-polluted cities in the world, Jakarta had in recent years shown some signs of improvement, as periods of weaker economic growth and new environmental policies led to a slowdown in some activities that create the worst pollutants. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444897304578046713405298742.html BY SUBCRIPTION ONLY Worth noting in business: Small Business University set, more. Featuring discussions on a wide variety of issues of interest to small business owners, the free event is being presented by the Business & Entrepreneurship Center of Ken Community College District, UC Merced Regional SBDC Network and the Central Valley Business Incubator. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/x1250041907/Worth-noting-in-business-Small-Business-University-set-more BY SUCSCRIPTION ONLY China vows to improve "lagging" urban transport system. The move aims to relieve worsening traffic congestion and air pollution in cities, the State Council, or China's cabinet, said at the meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, according to a statement published on the government's website. China has announced a number of new infrastructure spending plans to help shore up a slowing economy, but has provided little detail on how they will be funded. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/china-economy-transport-idUSL3E8LA3EP20121010 CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon capture development has slowed since 2012 –study. The number of projects that capture carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and industrial facilities - seen as a crucial tool for coal-reliant countries shifting toward a lower-emitting economy - is losing momentum, dropping from 75 to 65 worldwide since 2012, according to a new study released Thursday. The Global CCS Institute, an Australian-funded research group supporting the deployment of carbon capture and storage technology worldwide…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/10/carbon-technology-idUSL1N0I00G020131010 http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988644/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988677/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Political storms threaten Europe's offshore wind goals. Political wavering in Britain, the world's biggest offshore wind market, is casting doubt on European ambitions to build a fleet of gigantic turbines out at sea, desperately needed to meet legally binding climate change targets. The increasing scale of offshore wind means it is the one green energy source able to make up for the phase-out of nuclear generation - especially in the EU's largest economy Germany…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/eu-power-offshore-idUSL6E8L8M1R20121010 Most Americans link weather to global warming: survey. Conducted by Yale and George Mason universities, the survey found 74 percent of Americans believe that global warming is affecting weather, up 5 percentage points since March 2012, the last time the two organizations asked these questions. Seventy-three percent of Americans said global warming made the record-high temperatures of summer 2012 worse, and 61 percent said weather in the United States has been worsening over the past several years, an increase of 9 percentage points since March. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/us-weather-usa-idUSBRE89910Q20121010 Tropics will be the first region to be hit hard by global warming. Scientists have determined when the climates of numerous locations around the world will shift to a new, hotter normal as a result of higher greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study released Wednesday in the journal Nature. The tropics appear most likely to be the first to shift to an unprecedented new climate, perhaps as early as the next decade, the analysis shows. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-change-tropics-nature-20131009,0,6429248.story?track=rss http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-sci-climate-change-tropics-20131010,0,482935.story http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988640/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS South Africa proposes rules for fracking shale gas. South Africa's cabinet on Thursday proposed new regulations to govern exploration for shale gas, an important step in opening up an industry that could provide new energy supplies for Africa's largest economy. South Africa last year lifted a moratorium on shale gas exploration in its Karoo region, where fracking might tap what is believed to be some of the world's biggest reserves of the energy source. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/10/safrica-fracking-idUSL6N0I02BI20131010 U.S. home heating oil cost to rise 19 percent this winter: EIA. The roughly 6 percent of U.S. homes that rely on the fuel will pay an average of $407 more this winter, according to the government agency's Winter Fuels Outlook. About 80 percent of all U.S. homes that use heating oil are in the Northeast. The report said low inventories in the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast, as well as new low-sulfur diesel regulations for New York State, would tighten the market for distillates. Such fuels include heating oil and diesel. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/us-eia-outlook-winter-usa-idUSBRE8990XM20121010 U.S. regulators struggle to police shale energy boom: report Legal limitations and a lack of key data have hampered the Environmental Protection Agency's oversight of shale production, said the report from the Government Accountability Office, Congress' non-partisan investigative arm. "Officials at EPA reported that conducting inspection and enforcement activities for oil and gas development from unconventional reservoirs is challenging due to limited information, as well as the dispersed nature of the industry and the rapid pace of development," the report said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/us-usa-shale-regulation-idUSBRE8981CU20121010 California gas prices ease fractionally LOS ANGELES. California gas prices eased fractionally Wednesday after five days of staggering increases that saw prices closing in on $5 a gallon, but a Chevron refinery closure through the rest of the year might put a crimp in plans to reduce pump pain. During the five-day price surges, gas went up about 50 cents a gallon. The average price of regular Wednesday was less than $4.67 a gallon, down a half-cent from Tuesday, but it's still the highest price in the nation, the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/oct/10/calif-gas-prices-finally-begin-to-fall/ Quest for cheap, nonfood biofuel starts with a brewery. In a slick, glass-clad office building just blocks from the San Francisco Bay, researchers are running what amounts to a high-tech craft brewery. But instead of making exotic beers, they are cooking up what they hope will become America's top biofuel, one made from wastes that can dethrone the current champion, corn-based ethanol. Though it stemmed from good intentions, ethanol, the process that makes it and the policies around it are showing their seams and wrinkles. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988623/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists retool yeast to make more cellulosic biofuel. A bioengineered strain of yeast can make use of a waste material, greatly increasing cellulosic biofuel yields at the laboratory level, a study finds. Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a strain of yeast that consumes acetic acid -- normally a toxic substance for the microbe -- and published the results in the latest issue of Nature Communications. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988629/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CALIFORNIA GAS PRICES No easy answer to fixing California's record gas prices. As Californians fume over the latest record-setting spike in gas prices, there's a big question at the pumps: Is there any way out? Not really, say industry officials, environmentalists and state regulators. Skyrocketing gas prices over the past week have been blamed on two key issues: outages at California refineries and the fact that the state requires a unique type of clean-burning summer gasoline that can't be easily replaced or imported from other places during shortages. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_21735517/no-easy-answer-fixing-californias-record-gas-prices GAS PRICES: Costs plateau, but that brings little relief. Drivers around the Inland area were trying to eke out a few more miles on dwindling gasoline tanks as area prices stabilized, with many commuters banking on costs falling later this week. The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gas in the Riverside-San Bernardino area fell to $4.687 on Tuesday, Oct. 9, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. That’s a drop from Monday’s all-time record of $4.688.Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/transportation-headlines/20121009-gas-prices-costs-plateau-but-that-brings-little-relief.ece VEHICLES Toyota cuts price of 2014 Prius plug-in to boost interest. If you’ve been eyeing the new plug-in version of Toyota’s popular Prius hybrid, it’s a good thing you waited. The automaker announced Wednesday it would be slashing the price of the 2014 plug-in Prius by at least $2,000 in an effort to lure more people to the greenest member of the Prius family. The 2014 plug-in model will now start at $29,990, a 6% drop from 2013, despite no changes to the car. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-toyota-prius-plugin-price-cut-20131010,0,6824730.story GREEN ENERGY Battery-Stored Solar Power Sparks Backlash From Utilities. California’s three biggest utilities are sparring with their own customers about systems that store energy from the sun, opening another front in the battle that’s redefining the mission of electricity generators. Edison International (EIX), PG&E Corp. and Sempra Energy (SRE) said they’re putting up hurdles to some battery backups wired to solar panels because they can’t be certain the power flowing back to the grid from the units is actually clean energy. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-07/battery-stored-solar-power-sparks-backlash-from-utilities.html German renewable surcharge to rise by 47 percent: source The 47 percent increase reflects the fact that renewable sources are providing increasing amounts of electricity, which is bought from producers at guaranteed prices above market rates. Coming a year ahead of a federal election in which Chancellor Angela Merkel will seek a third term, the sharp rise in the surcharge is politically charged. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/us-germany-energy-renewables-idUSBRE8990PC20121010 Australia's largest solar farm opens amid renewable target debate. Australia switched on its first utility-scale solar farm on Wednesday, bringing the country a small step closer to achieving ambitious renewable energy use targets that traditional coal and gas power producers are now fighting to soften. The Greenough River Solar project, just outside the small town of Walkaway in Western Australia state, is a joint-venture between Western Australian state-owned Verve Energy and U.S. conglomerate General Electric. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/australia-solar-idUSL3E8L994R20121010 Midtown Developer Accuses Con Ed of Overcharging. It is not easy being green and trying to keep the electric company from raising your rates. The owner of the Bank of America Tower in Midtown Manhattan is learning that lesson. For the second time in less than a year, it has accused Consolidated Edison of trying to overcharge for the sophisticated power plant in the building, which it has heralded as the most environmentally advanced skyscraper in the country. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/nyregion/con-ed-is-accused-of-overcharging-in-midtown-skyscraper.html MISCELLANEOUS Protesters blast state toxics department's handling of hazardous waste. About 100 demonstrators from across the state rallied in Sacramento on Wednesday to protest the state Department of Toxic Substances Control’s handling of hazardous waste in their communities. Complaining that California was “in bed with polluters,” protesters set up an air mattress in front of the department's headquarters and decorated it with pictures of Gov. Jerry Brown and department chief Debbie Raphael…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-toxics-protest-20131009,0,1762664.story SAN ONOFRE: Environmentalists demand stronger review of nuke plant. Environmentalists accused federal regulators Tuesday of conducting a bogus review of a proposal to restart the damaged San Onofre nuclear power plant on the California coast. Just days after Southern California Edison asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission to repair and start the Unit 2 reactor…Posted. http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/san-onofre-environmentalists-demand-stronger-review-of-nuke-plant/article_7ef506bf-c5d1-515f-a29f-14674ebeb253.html Pacifica Environmental Family candidates' forum focuses on environmental issues. In a well-attended forum designed to air candidates' views about environmentally sensitive issues that affect Pacifica, City Council candidates showed they stood united about key issues. They all support a ban on fireworks on the beach. They would all ban the use of plastic bags in Pacifica. They all support maintaining Sharp Park Golf Course as a golf course, but by adding an ongoing habitat management plan. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_21735295/pacifica-environmental-family-candidates-forum-focuses-environmental-issues OPINIONS Antisocial genesis of the social cost of carbon. The day after his 2009 inauguration, President Barack Obama committed to "creating an unprecedented level of openness in government." He vowed to build on "transparency promotes accountability by providing the public with information about what the government is doing," "participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas and expertise," and "collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their government." Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/10/us-antisocial-genesis-idUSBRE9990QN20131010 COLUMN-Time for governments to end energy subsidies: Wynn Governments are failing to deal with rising fossil fuel prices, preferring price caps to win votes and shield industry over efficiency measures which energy agencies say are better value for money. Energy subsidies have risen year on year since 2008, to $480 billion annually in 2011, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) figures. (See Chart 1) That trend will probably continue so long as energy prices continue to rise, and in particular oil. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/10/column-wynn-energy-subsidies-idUSL6N0HZ3A320131010 Chemistry Driving Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicle Developments (Op-Ed). Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending the 246th American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition. This event provided an opportunity for chemists to collectively geek out about non-oxidative conversions, triazollium-based ionic liquids and rhodium catalysts — for example — and for chemical supply companies to showcase contraptions that jostled, stirred, shook, rotated, inverted, injected and swirled chemical compounds. Posted. http://news.yahoo.com/chemistry-driving-hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicle-developments-op-164056225.html BLOGS Honda Offers $3,000 Incentive To Natural-Gas Civic Buyers. Honda Motor Co., in a bid to juice sales of its compressed natural gas powered Civic, today said they are offering a credit card loaded with $3,000 toward refueling at Clean Energy Fuels Corp. stations around the country. Honda is the only car company currently selling a car that runs on CNG. The special Civic is almost the same as a standard Civic, save the limited trunk that is taken up by the large tank. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/10/09/honda-offers-3000-incentive-to-natural-gas-civic-buyers/?KEYWORDS=fuels U.S. Car Makers Benefit from Fuel-Efficient Fleet. A move toward more fuel-efficient vehicles has helped American car manufacturers navigate the latest surge in fuel prices with relative strength. Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, in a new report, consider three recent periods of surging gasoline prices occurring in the summer of 2008, the spring of 2011, and from February until April of this year. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/10/10/u-s-car-makers-benefit-from-fuel-efficient-fleet/?KEYWORDS=vehicles Map: These are the cities that climate change will hit first. Climate scientists sometimes talk about something called "climate departure" as a way of measuring when climate change has really changed things. It's the moment when average temperatures, either in a specific location or worldwide, become so impacted by climate change that the old climate is left behind. It's a sort of tipping point. And a lot of cities are scheduled to hit one very soon. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/10/09/map-these-are-the-cities-that-climate-change-will-hit-first/?print=1 A Coffee Seller Seeks to Cut Hunger Among Coffee Growers. There’s perhaps no habit that more firmly illustrates the global nature of the modern human enterprise than drinking coffee. For centuries, trade in beans came with scant concern at the consumer end for the conditions on the plantations or small farms where coffee is harvested. That’s changing, of course, with growing, and sometimes controversial, efforts to certify good labor or environmental standards in coffee regions. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/a-coffee-seller-seeks-to-cut-hunger-among-coffee-growers/?ref=earth Is Online Communication an Asset or Liability in Sustaining the Human Journey I’m overdue to post this video of a lecture I delivered while teaching a weeklong course on climate and communication at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It’s one variant on my stump speech on the power of the emerging “Knowosphere” — the fast-expanding menu of ways to share and shape ideas — to smooth the human journey. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/is-online-communication-an-asset-or-liability-in-sustaining-the-human-journey/?ref=earth Those Snowy Slopes, Sprayed With Wastewater. As I wrote in The Times recently, a ski resort in northern Arizona will become the first in the world to make artificial snow totally out of sewage effluent this winter. Last February, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the resort, Arizona Snowbowl, ending a 10-year legal battle waged by environmental and Native American groups that warned that the wastewater snow would damage wildlife, human health and a mountain considered sacred by 13 Indian tribes. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/do-not-publish-on-the-slopes-gliding-on-wastewater/?ref=earth 39 San Diego Schools Sit in the Traffic Pollution Danger Zone. Along major roadways that connect the sprawling limits of San Diego County, 39 schools lie within 500 feet of smog-filled traffic corridors, a distance that air-pollution researchers believe significantly increases the risk of pediatric asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Below I-5, where cars, trucks and buses queue on their way north to the Gaslamp District, there’s a Catholic school. Off I-15 in City Heights, a health-sciences charter high. Posted. http://voiceofsandiego.org/2013/10/10/39-san-diego-schools-sit-in-the-traffic-pollution-danger-zone/ Climate Change Will Bring Conditions Outside Historical Variability In Coming Decade. From Climate Central's Andrew Freedman: The mean annual climate of the average location on Earth will slip past the most extreme conditions experienced during the past 150 years and into new territory by between 2047 and 2069, depending on the amount of climate-warming greenhouse gases that are emitted during the next few decades, a new study found. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/climate-change-study_n_4072672.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2013 15:10:11 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 11, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 11, 2013. 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 Chinese mock official for blaming cooking fumes for pollution. A Chinese official's remarks that cooking fumes must share the blame for Beijing's choking pollution drew ridicule from many microbloggers, who mocked the government for not addressing the root causes of smog that can blanket the city for days on end. The government has announced a series of plans over the years to tackle pollution in its cities that has been blamed for a series of health crises, generating widespread public anger, but none has worked. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/11/us-china-pollution-idUSBRE99A08320131011 Burning of debris, winds cause smoky air quality. The burning of debris from a rice field in south Sutter County and uncooperative winds were blamed for the smoky air on Thursday in the Edgewater, Linda and Olivehurst areas, an official with the Feather River Air Quality Management District told the Appeal-Democrat. "It's rice (field) burning season and every day, it's part art and part science," said Chris Brown, an air pollution control officer with the district. Posted. http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/smoke-128142-brown-air.html CLIMATE CHANGE New Jersey Reconsiders Carbon Trading a Year After Sandy. What a difference a year makes. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which blew ashore last Oct. 29, New Jersey residents have warmed up to the threat that climate change poses to their beach-loving state and want politicians to address it more boldly. That’s one reason state lawmakers are holding a hearing today about rejoining Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Inc.’s carbon-trading program…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-09/new-jersey-reconsiders-carbon-trading-a-year-after-sandy.html Corn harvest above expectations due to weather. Harvest is in full swing across the country, and farmers in many states are surprised at the abundance of corn they're getting from their fields. Dairy farmer Ben Steffen, who also grows corn, soybeans and wheat on 1,900 acres near the southeastern Nebraska town of Humboldt, said his first corn field brought in 168 bushels an acre, above the average of 140. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HARVEST_SURPRISE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Despite Climate Concern, Global Study Finds Fewer Carbon Capture Projects. The number of large-scale projects to capture and bury carbon dioxide has fallen to 65 from 75 over the last year, a worldwide survey has found, despite a consensus among scientists and engineers that such projects are essential to meet international goals for slowing the buildup of climate-changing gases. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/science/earth/study-finds-setbacks-in-carbon-capture-projects.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print FUELS Oil near $102 as US nears short-term budget fix. Oil retreated to below $102 a barrel Friday as political leaders in Washington neared an agreement that would allow a short-term extension to the U.S. borrowing limit and as global oil supplies were seen rising next year. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for November delivery was down $1.25 to $101.76 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT France upholds ban on hydraulic fracturing. France's constitutional council upheld a ban on the energy extraction process known as fracking on Friday, two days after the European Parliament voted to require full environmental reports from companies that want to establish hydraulic fracturing sites. The decision comes the same day the International Energy Agency predicted the United States would overtake Russia next year to become the world's largest oil producer outside OPEC…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_FRACKING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/11/5813838/news-summary-france-upholds-fracking.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/11/3547332/french-high-court-upholds-ban.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/News-Summary-France-upholds-fracking-ban-4888143.php Analysis: Lawsuits likely as EPA declares US ethanol blend wall a 'reality' With two words, the U.S. environment regulator may be handing oil refiners the biggest win of a long battle to beat back the seemingly inexorable rise of ethanol fuel. In a leaked proposal that would significantly scale back biofuel blending requirements next year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the blend wall - the 10 percent threshold of ethanol-mixed gasoline that is at the crux of the lobbying war - is an "important reality". Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/11/us-ethanol-blendwall-analysis-idUSBRE99A09420131011 U.S. soon to overtake Russia as top oil producer. The United States will become the world's largest oil producer next year - overtaking Russia - thanks to its shale oil boom which has transformed the global energy landscape, the West's energy watchdog said on Friday. The prediction comes only days after estimates by the U.S. government showed the United States, the world's largest oil consumer, has ceded its ranking as top global oil importer to China, thanks to the shale revolution cutting import needs. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/11/us-oil-iea-idUSBRE99A08N20131011 http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2013/10/11/us-to-be-top-energy-producer/2965025/ Corn Futures Fall to Three-Year Low on U.S. Crop Outlook. Corn futures fell to a three-year low and soybeans dropped the most this month on signs of increasing supplies in the U.S., the world’s biggest producer. Wheat rose, heading for the fourth straight weekly gain. Beneficial rain in September helped fill pods with bigger soybeans, while allowing corn to mature late in the season, improving yields, Macquarie Bank said in a report. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-11/corn-trades-near-3-year-low-as-u-s-demand-for-ethanol-may-drop.html EPA Considers U.S. Ethanol Mandate Cut Amid Complaints. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering scaling back legal requirements on the use of ethanol next year amid complaints from refiners that statutory mandates would exceed their ability to blend it into fuels without putting engines at risk. A proposal from the agency would cut the mandate to 15.21 billion gallons for renewable fuels in 2014 instead of the 18.15 billion gallons established by a 2007 law…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-10/epa-considers-u-s-ethanol-mandate-cut-amid-complaints.html Middle East Oil Fuels Fresh China-U.S. Tensions. Beijing Depends on U.S. Military to Secure Middle East Imports. China is overtaking the U.S. as a buyer of Middle East oil, adding fuel to diplomatic tension between the nations over security in the region. China surpassed the U.S. as importer of Persian Gulf crude several years ago, by some measures. Now it is on track to overtake the U.S. this year as the world's No. 1 buyer of oil from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the largely Middle Eastern energy-exporting bloc. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324755104579073283948517714.html Next-Generation Biofuels Are Inching Towards Reality, Gallon by Gallon. Advanced biofuels have been on the cusp of commercialization for years, but high prices and technological challenges have held them back. Is that starting to change? Whatever happened to next-generation biofuels? Made from sources like corn stalks or what straw that don’t compete with food, unlike current biofuels, next-generation biofuels were going to be greener and more efficient than corn-based ethanol, which is still the dominant source of biofuel in the U.S. Posted. http://science.time.com/2013/10/11/next-generation-biofuels-are-inching-towards-reality-gallon-by-gallon/#ixzz2hQwmXRAI VEHICLES Toyota says slashes fuel cell costs by nearly $1 million for new hydrogen car. Toyota Motor Corp said it has slashed the cost of the fuel cell system in its next hydrogen-powered car by almost $1 million, putting it on course to launch a mid-sized sedan in 2015 with a price ticket below $100,000. The world's best-selling auto manufacturer and maker of the Prius gas-electric hybrid car says the fuel cell system will cost about 5 million yen ($51,000) compared with prototype costs of over $1 million. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/10/us-toyota-fuelcell-idUSBRE99912520131010 Utah-based WAVE nabs $1.4M to bring wireless electric buses to a dozen cities (exclusive) If batteries weren’t so expensive, most cities would have invested in electric buses by now. Batteries are also notoriously heavy, and slow to recharge. But a new startup called WAVE has developed a wireless transfer system that can be used by by bus manufacturers to operate electric buses with vastly reduced battery sizes. WAVE, which is one of Utah’s hottest startups, is powering the state’s first wireless electric bus. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/10/idUS206335134920131010 Continue subsidies to shore up industry, economy. It would be very unwise to "pull the plug" on electric-car subsidies at this time. Without the subsidies, the auto industry would be forced by unavoidable regulation to sell electric vehicles at huge financial losses. One of the few bright spots in the current American economy, a thriving auto industry, would be thrown into turmoil. That regulation presents a huge challenge to automakers:…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/10/3545330/continue-subsidies-to-shore-up.html#storylink=cpy Study finds biodiesel blend reduces total particle mass in emissions but may have greater adverse health effect per mass than diesel. Findings from a study by researchers from the Department of Medicine and the School of Engineering at the University of Vermont suggest that the addition of biodiesel to diesel fuels will reduce the total particle mass of PM emissions—but that the biodiesel blend particles may contribute to greater biological effects per mass than B0, leading to potentially greater health risks. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/10/20131010-b20.html GREEN ENERGY How to blunt effect of higher heating bills. After two years of flat or lower fuel prices, many residents will pay sharply more to heat their homes this winter, according to government forecasts out this week. There are a number of ways residents can blunt the expected rise in heating bills - beyond putting on a turtleneck. Staying warm is expected to cost more because fuel prices are rising and forecasts call for cooler weather in some areas than the last two relatively warm winters. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ON_THE_MONEY_WINTER_HEATING_COSTS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/How-to-blunt-effect-of-higher-heating-bills-4887877.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/11/5813662/how-to-blunt-effect-of-higher.html REFILE-European utilities CEOs urge end to renewables subsidies. The CEOs of 10 utilities companies, which together own half of Europe's electricity generating capacity, are calling for an end to subsidies for wind and solar energy, which they say add too much power to a market already struggling with overcapacity. The CEOs in the so-called Magritte Group also call for a Europe-wide capacity mechanism that would pay utilities for keeping electric power generating…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/11/utilities-renewables-ceos-idUSL6N0I106Y20131011 Gulf Coast Beckons Wind Farms When West Texas Gusts Fade. Fickle West Texas breezes are pushing wind power generators to the state’s 367-mile coast. Texas pulled ahead last decade in the U.S. race to develop wind power thanks to the hardy gusts sweeping across its vast prairies and energy-friendly landowners. Now it’s seizing the lead in building turbines along its shoreline as developers find the slower but steadier air currents there translate to bigger profits. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-10/gulf-coast-beckons-wind-farms-when-west-texas-gusts-fade.html Green energy entrepreneurs vie for awards, connections at 'Cleantech Open' in Fremont. Gordon Kingsley stood next to his exhibit in the Fremont Marriott grand ballroom on Thursday, explaining his brainchild that uses blimps and kites to harness wind energy that would produce electricity less expensively than coal-fired power plants or traditional wind turbines. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24284279/green-energy-entrepreneurs-vie-awards-connections-at-cleantech DOE releases draft of $8B loan guarantee solicitation for advanced fossil energy projects. The US Department of Energy (DOE) released a draft for comment of an $8-billion loan guarantee solicitation for innovative and advanced fossil energy projects and facilities that substantially reduce greenhouse gas and other air pollution. The program is part of President Obama’s climate action plan. (Earlier post). Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/07/doe-20130703.html Government incentives begin to boost Canada's wind power. Canada's wind power industry is poised to add 4,500 megawatts of new generation -- the equivalent of building four large nuclear power plants -- over the next three years. Most of the new turbines will come online in four provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, Canadian industry officials said this week. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988698/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Rumors continue to swirl about 2014 renewable fuel targets. The rumor mill is swirling around a set of numbers that appear to show U.S. EPA's plans for next year's renewable fuel targets. Some in the biofuels industry have speculated that the numbers originated from members of the oil industry in an attempt to discredit ethanol. One biofuels industry representative said that in a meeting about a month ago, an EPA official indicated that the agency was not considering putting a cap on the conventional ethanol target next year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988744/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DOE lab finds no issues with E15. Gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol will not harm car engines or cause vehicles to become stranded on the side of the road, a Department of Energy laboratory has concluded after an exhaustive review of existing research on the fuel. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory report released yesterday found no significant difference between using E15 and using gasoline containing 10 percent ethanol. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988740/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY 2 Cree LED bulbs receive Energy Star rating. Two household light-emitting diode bulbs produced by Cree Inc. have received Energy Star certification, the company said. As a result, the lamps, which are carried exclusively by Home Depot, qualify for as much as a $5 rebate from some utilities. Such a rebate would put the price of the Cree 6-watt household LED at $4.97 and the 9.5-watt bulb at $7.97. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988726/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS FERC asks court to enforce energy fine after Barclays misses deadline. Barclays has failed to pay $488 million in fines and disgorgement demanded by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over allegations it rigged California electricity prices, the agency said in a court petition seeking to enforce the July order. The agency asked a federal judge in Sacramento to affirm the penalties after Barclays missed the deadline to pay. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-barclays-fine-20131010,0,3019199.story?track=rss Do Jupiter and Saturn have diamond 'rain'? Diamonds are forever, unless you’re on Saturn or Jupiter. Loads of the super-hard precious stones may be floating among the gas giants’ fluid layers and melted into liquid further into their depths, say a pair of planetary scientists. The research, being presented at the Division for Planetary Sciences conference this week in Denver, sprang from very humble beginnings — soot in Saturn’s atmosphere…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-diamonds-saturn-jupiter-melted-liquid-20131010,0,6503695.story Toxic flame retardants under fire in California. Shortly after taking steps to phase out toxic flame retardants from furniture and other consumer goods, California officials are looking at removing the chemicals from building insulation as well. This month, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB127, which directs the California State Fire Marshal to consider whether builders can meet fire safety standards without adding flame retardants to insulation. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/10/environment-toxic-flame-retardant-california/ OPINIONS A Chemistry Breakthrough That Could Fuel a Revolution. Now methanol can be made from natural gas and captured carbon dioxide. In the three weeks since the Obama administration issued its long-promised proposal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, it has become clear the plan is far from perfect. By placing the burden of expensive new carbon capture and sequestration technology on the U.S. alone, and potentially requiring steep cuts in domestic energy to conform to carbon caps…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324577304579057623877297840.html?KEYWORDS=CLIMATE+CHANGE BY SUBSCRIPTION Fighting Climate Change by Killing Eagles. Why isn't the wind industry subject to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act? For some environmentalists, the threat of climate change is so great that we must allow wind turbines to kill bald and golden eagles. The argument I've heard is that renewables, including wind energy, will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Less carbon dioxide reduces the threat posed by climate change, which benefits eagles and other wildlife. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303342104579099060830782406.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change Inconvenient Uncertainties. THE headline in The New York Times yesterday was succinct. “By 2047, Coldest Years May Be Warmer Than Hottest in Past, Scientists Say.” Not, say, “around 2050” or “within our lifetime.” The specificity makes the crisis feel real, imminent and terrible. Call it a convenient truth. The story was about a new study published this week in the journal Nature that calculated that by 2047, the average temperature will be hotter across most parts…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/opinion/inconvenient-uncertainties.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Michael Gerson: Our polarized warming debate. The fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has provided undeniable proof of a remarkable phenomenon: a public debate even more bitter and polarized than the budget showdown. The intersection of science and policy, of climate and politics, has become a bloody crossroads. Blog-based arguments over ocean temperatures and the thickness of the Greenland ice sheet are as shrill and personal as any tea party primary challenge. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/11/5812242/michael-gerson-our-polarized-warming.html#storylink=cpy http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-gerson-politics-is-poorly-suited-to-respond-to-climate-change/2013/10/10/870c1138-31d0-11e3-9c68-1cf643210300_story.html BLOGS Fracking Projects Approved Off Santa Barbara Coast, Opposition Swells. After a media investigation revealed that federal regulators quietly approved at least four fracking projects off the Santa Barbara coast without environmental review, a national environmental group is calling for an immediate end to the practice. "Oil companies are fracking California's beautiful coastal waters with dangerous chemicals, and federal officials seem barely aware of the dangers…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/petroleum/opposition-swells-to-fracking-off-the-california-coast.html The Deficit and Climate Change: Two Problems That Won't Go Away. Amid the dysfunction now paralyzing the federal government, here's some great news: The federal deficit has been falling dramatically. The most recent report shows that our current deficit is $200 billion dollars less than the Obama administration predicted just three months ago. In fact, since 2009, the deficit has been reduced more in percentage terms than in any four year period since the end of World War II. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keith-gaby/the-deficit-and-climate-c_b_4079446.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2013 14:49:23 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 14, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 14, 2013. 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 China offers rewards to six regions to fight air pollution. China said on Monday it would give rewards amounting to 5 billion yuan ($816.91 million) for curbing air pollution in six regions where the problem is serious, underscoring government concern about a source of public anger. The Finance Ministry said the regions eligible for the rewards were Beijing and its neighboring city of Tianjin, the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong, as well as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/14/us-china-pollution-idUSBRE99A08320131014 China Earmarks $818 Million to Curb Air Pollution. China’s central government has allocated 5 billion yuan ($818 million) to curb air pollution in six regions including Beijing. Tianjin city and the provinces of Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shandong also will get access to the funds, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Finance’s website today in Beijing. The money will be distributed to projects based on the reduction in pollution and concentration of fine particulates they intend to make. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-14/china-earmarks-818-million-to-curb-air-pollution.html Study: Parts of particle pollution may contribute to heart disease. Some components of the miniscule particles found in air pollution may be linked to the progression of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a study released Friday by the California Air Resources Board. Funded by the California Air Resources Board and led by Michael Kleinman of the University of California, Irvine, the study used a novel approach to look at health impacts associated with exposure to particles, 0.18 microns in diameter or smaller. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=24396 FUELS Oil hovers near $102 as US deadline looms. Oil hovered near $102 a barrel Monday amid alternating hope and uncertainty about the looming deadline for U.S. lawmakers to reach an agreement over the government's borrowing limit and shutdown. Benchmark crude for November delivery was up 35 cents to $102.37 a barrel in midday trading in New York. The contract traded below $102 for much of the morning but rose along with the U.S. stock market around midday. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT UPDATE 1-Coal to surpass oil as top global fuel by 2020 –Woodmac. Coal will surpass oil as the key fuel for the global economy by 2020 despite government efforts to reduce carbon emissions, energy consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie said on Monday. Rising demand in China and India will push coal past oil as the two Asian powerhouses will need to rely on the comparatively cheaper fuel to power their economies. Coal demand in the United States, Europe and the rest of Asia will hold steady. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/14/coal-demand-idUSL3N0I40SN20131014 Mississippi Plant Shows the Cost of 'Clean Coal' For decades, the federal government has touted a bright future for nonpolluting power plants fueled by coal. But in this rural corner of eastern Mississippi, the reality of so-called clean coal isn't pretty. Mississippi Power Co.'s Kemper County plant here, meant to showcase technology for generating clean electricity from low-quality coal, ranks as one of the most-expensive U.S. fossil-fuel projects ever—at $4.7 billion and rising. Mississippi Power's 186,000 customers…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304795804579099220332096960#printMode Sacramento-area gas prices continue to fall. Sacramento-area gas prices continue to slide downward, drawing ever-nearer to the $3.50 threshold. The average retail price of gasoline in the Sacramento area fell 5.5 cents, to $3.67 a gallon, over the past week, according to the latest report by national price tracker GasBuddy.com, which surveys 720 area stations. The latest decline comes on top of a drop of more than 15 cents the previous two weeks. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/14/5820395/sacramento-area-gas-prices-continue.html#storylink=cpy Mass. approves building of gas-fired power plant. The Patrick administration has signed off on construction of a new 692-megawatt gas-fired power plant to be located the site of the existing Salem Harbor Station. The facility is expected to be one of the most efficient and lowest-emitting large gas-fired power plants in New England, Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan said Thursday. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Mass-approves-building-of-gas-fired-power-plant-4885598.php . VEHICLES Germany dodges tougher EU car emission limits. Germany has managed to delay tougher European Union car emission rules amid fears they could harm its automotive industry. The 28-nation bloc's environment ministers on Monday agreed amid strong lobbying from Berlin to further tweak the proposed rules. EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard deplored the delay and stressed the scope to change the rules "is very limited." Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_EUROPE_CAR_EMISSIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-14/eu-nations-agree-to-seek-softer-law-to-curb-car-emissions.html http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Germany-dodges-tougher-EU-car-emission-limits-4894461.php Ford, University of Michigan open new battery lab. Ford Motor Co. and the University of Michigan are opening a new battery research and manufacturing lab that they hope will speed the development of batteries for electric and hybrid cars. The center, on the university's campus in Ann Arbor, will bring together battery makers, car companies and researchers who will test new batteries for prototype vehicles. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FORD_BATTERY_LAB_1ST_LD_WRITETHRU?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-14-00-03-15 OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/ford-university-of-michigan-open-new-lab-to-speed-development-of-electric-car-batteries/2013/10/13/3b6a5040-3447-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html California's struggling 'hydrogen highway' plan gets new life -- and drivers will pay. In what may be California's last chance to build a "hydrogen highway" lined with thousands of high-tech vehicles emitting nothing but water vapor from their tailpipes, Gov. Jerry Brown has approved a plan to construct 100 hydrogen fueling stations across the state by 2024. However, it comes with a catch. Motorists -- not oil companies -- will pay for it. Only a year ago, the California Air Resources Board required Big Oil to pay for the new stations. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24294103/new-life-californias-struggling-hydrogen-highway-plan GREEN ENERGY California's alternative-energy program under scrutiny. Billions spent on wind, hydrogen, cow manure projects are questioned after some investments go bust, but the program is expected to grow. It could surpass current state support for the UC system. California is spending nearly $15 million to build 10 hydrogen fueling stations, even though just 227 hydrogen-powered vehicles exist in the state todayPosted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-energy-subsidies-20131014,0,1024399.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/14/5820055/calif-spending-on-alternative.html#storylink=cpy http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24305491/calif-spending-alternative-energy-scrutinized?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/14/3552536/calif-spending-on-alternative.html Rentech shifts from green energy to a more fertile field. The L.A. company started out developing alternative power technologies but is now focused on the more profitable nitrogen fertilizer business. For most of its 33-year history, Rentech Inc. tried to make money on green fuel development. But like its plans to sell synthetic diesel to major airlines in 2009, those efforts never really left the ground. Now, the Los Angeles company is on a different course. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-stock-spotlight-rentech-20131014,0,7466614.story Huron County at tip of Thumb doubling wind power. Huron County at the tip of Michigan's rural Thumb region is becoming a wind power mecca, with an expected doubling of the number of turbines by 2014. The largely agricultural county is about 100 miles north of Detroit. It has Lake Huron to the west, north and east, which gives it some of Michigan's best wind power potential. The county had 160 turbines at the end of 2012, according to county building Director Jeff Smith in Bad Axe. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/13/v-print/5818221/huron-county-at-tip-of-thumb-doubling.html New biomass unit helps lower school's energy costs. Wood chips are helping Northern Michigan University keep energy costs down. The Upper Peninsula school trucks in four loads of the chips to help produce electricity in a new biomass unit on its Marquette campus, according to WLUC-TV (http://bit.ly/GHZxgq). When the unit at the Ripley Heating Plant begins running fulltime, six to seven truckloads of wood chips will be hauled in. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/oct/13/new-biomass-unit-helps-lower-schools-energy/#ixzz2hiSLxIDx MISCELLANEOUS New study finds smoking even more deadly than thought. It didn’t seem possible for there to be any more bad news about the health effects of smoking. There is. An Australian study suggests that smoking is even more dangerous than previously thought, with cigarettes linked to the cause of death of more than 60% of smokers and shortening the life of an average smoker by 10 years. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-smoking-study-20131011,0,5963899.story OPINIONS California's Green Trade War. Sacramento uses carbon mandates to punish out-of-state businesses. Environmental policies are often economic protectionism in green clothing. A case in point is California's low-carbon fuel standard, whose constitutionality is being challenged in federal court. It's also a case study of the incredible contortions of green policy-making today. California's low-carbon fuel mandate requires the state, by 2020, to reduce the "carbon intensity" of its transportation fuels by 10%. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304171804579121614113740826.html?KEYWORDS=emissions BY SUBSCRIPTION The Bay of Bengal, in Peril From Climate Change. NEARLY one in four people on earth live in the countries that border the Bay of Bengal. The region is strategically vital to Asia’s rising powers. Its low-lying littoral — including coastal regions of eastern India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Sumatra — is home to over half a billion people who are now acutely vulnerable to rising sea levels. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/opinion/the-bay-of-bengal-in-peril-from-climate-change.html?_r=0 New law aims to brighten solar power's future. Gov. Jerry Brown has just signed a complex bill that will change the way that residential electricity rates are figured in California - and hopefully pave the way for more people to get access to solar energy. The bill, AB327, won't make everyone happy. But the measure tackles a complicated issue, and it's the end result of months of negotiations and revisions. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/New-law-aims-to-brighten-solar-power-s-future-4892870.php BLOGS Global electric vehicle sales will jump 48% each year through 2020. If ABI Research is correct, our monthly math fest that is the green car sales report will soon take longer to add up. That's because ABI's recent report says that almost 2.4 million battery-electric vehicles will be sold worldwide in 2020, estimating that EV sales (excluding plug-in hybrids and extended-range plug-ins) will jump 48 percent a year through the end of the decade. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/11/global-electric-vehicle-sales-will-jump-48-each-year-through-20/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 14:57:18 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for October 15, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 15, 2013. 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 Wood fires and diesel cars pose pollution threat - EU watchdog. Air pollution is dangerously high across many parts of Europe, resulting in premature deaths, ill health and huge economic losses linked to reduced crop yields, Europe's environmental watchdog said on Tuesday. While emissions of some pollutants have declined sharply in Europe in recent decades, more diesel cars and a rise in wood burning by households as a cheap alternative to gas mean other types of harmful pollution are receding more slowly. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/15/eu-air-pollution-idUSL6N0I30B420131015 Bulgaria’s Air Is Dirtiest in Europe, Study Finds, Followed by Poland. Hold your breath if you visit Bulgaria. The air in the small Black Sea nation is thicker with several major air pollutants than the air in any other country in Europe, according to a new study prepared by Europe’s environmental regulators. Bulgaria has the highest concentrations of the two major varieties of particulate matter, which are tiny airborne droplets or gas particles that come from smokestacks, vehicle tailpipes or a variety of other sources. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/business/international/bulgarias-air-is-dirtiest-in-europe-study-finds-followed-by-poland.html?pagewanted=print Nutrient pollution threatens national park ecosystems, study says. National parks from the Sierra Nevada to the Great Smoky Mountains are increasingly being fertilized by unwanted nutrients drifting through the air from agricultural operations, putting some of the country’s most treasured natural landscapes at risk of ecological damage, a new study has found. Thirty-eight of 45 national parks examined by scientists are receiving doses of nitrogen at or above a critical threshold that can harm sensitive ecosystems…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-national-park-fertilize-nitrogen-air-pollution-20131014,0,6264129.story CLIMATE CHANGE High court will review EPA global warming rules. The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether to block key aspects of the Obama administration's plan aimed at cutting power plant and factory emissions of the gases blamed for global warming. The justices said they will review a unanimous federal appeals court ruling that upheld the government's unprecedented regulation of six heat-trapping gases. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SUPREME_COURT_GREENHOUSE_GASES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/15/usa-court-climate-idUSL1N0I50PO20131015 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303376904579137293387648248?KEYWORDS=emissions http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-15/epa-greenhouse-gas-rules-draw-u-s-supreme-court-scrutiny.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/us/politics/supreme-court-to-hear-challenge-to-epa-emissions-rules.html http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-supreme-court-greenhouse-gas-case-20131015,0,839943.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/15/5822699/high-court-will-review-epa-global.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/High-court-will-review-EPA-global-warming-rules-4896453.php http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24312490/high-court-will-review-epa-global-warming-rules?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24312490/high-court-will-review-epa-global-warming-rules?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/15/3553997/high-court-will-review-epa-global.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/supreme-court-to-review-epa-rules-on-curbing-global-warming-gases-from-factories-power-plants/2013/10/15/7019a8ae-35a0-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html Another dry year could be bad news for California. Water managers Monday urged Californians to step up their conservation efforts, warning that many parts of the state could face water shortages next year if this winter proves to be another dry one. “Use these dry conditions as a wake-up call,” said Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources. Officials are not ready to declare a statewide drought. And managers of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-water-conserve-20131014,0,6674448.story Va. forum to examine farming, climate change. A forum in Harrisonburg will assess how climate change will impact farming. The Tuesday evening session is sponsored by the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley. It will feature a specialist with the Virginia Cooperative Extension and a local grower and soil conservation technician. Maria Papadakis is professor of integrated science and technology at James Madison University. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Va-forum-to-examine-farming-climate-change-4895869.php Inslee suggests statewide cap to climate group. Gov. Jay Inslee says he supports a statewide cap on carbon-fuel emissions, one of several ideas he says can get the state closer to reaching goals set in 2008 to cut global warming pollution. The ideas put forth by Inslee on Monday — including phasing out of coal-fired electricity supplies and more energy efficiency in existing buildings…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Inslee-suggests-statewide-cap-to-climate-group-4895499.php FUELS RPT-Brazil ethanol exports to U.S. at risk if EPA eases blend rule. U.S. imports of Brazilian sugar cane ethanol could be cut by more than half if a draft proposal to reduce next year's U.S. biofuel blending mandate is enacted. While the U.S. corn-based ethanol industry has issued the most fierce complaints over news this week that the Environmental Protection Agency may ease volumes, it may be Brazilian ethanol producers like Raizen and traders like Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Vitol S.A. who suffer a deeper blow. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/14/epa-rfs-brazil-idUSL1N0I128C20131014 UPDATE 1-China to raise prices for gas-fired power generation. China will raise the on-grid prices paid to power generators that use natural gas to encourage the use of cleaner forms of energy and address the impact of possible supply shortages, the country's top planning agency said on Tuesday. In a notice posted on its website (www.ndrc.gov.cn), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said recent natural gas price hikes had raised generation costs and power prices needed to be adjusted accordingly. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/15/china-power-price-idUSL3N0I50QJ20131015 Oil industry petitions EPA for revised 2013 renewable fuel targets. The oil industry is asking U.S. EPA to reconsider this year's renewable fuel targets on concerns that the agency relied on the wrong data and overshot its estimate of the amount of cellulosic biofuel that will be produced. The American Petroleum Institute warns in a petition filed late Friday that the targets will pose problems for refiners that must abide by the renewable fuel standard's requirements. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988838/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-Speed Rail CEO: No Construction Yet, But Work "Under Way". California’s High-Speed Rail Authority is asking contractors that want to build the second stretch of Central Valley track to step forward. It also says work on the project’s first phase is “under way.” But actual construction has not yet begun – despite promises that it would by now. Construction on California’s high-speed rail project was supposed to have started by the end of last year. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/10/14/high-speed-rail-ceo-no-construction-yet,-but-work-under-way/ GREEN ENERGY The Two Faces of California. How the greenest state in the country copes with an oil and gas boom. Locals call the boardwalk along the beach the "Strand." In this small Los Angeles suburb 15 miles south of the famous Santa Monica pier, it's easy to run into someone you know, and you can walk just about everywhere. But this is still Southern California. Most people have cars, too. The city's 20,000 residents, whose average income is roughly $100,000 (almost double the national average), also have noble sustainability commitments. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/new-energy-paradigm/the-two-faces-of-california-20131014 MISCELLANEOUS Moose Die-Off Alarms Scientists. Across North America — in places as far-flung as Montana and British Columbia, New Hampshire and Minnesota — moose populations are in steep decline. And no one is sure why. What exactly has changed remains a mystery. Several factors are clearly at work. But a common thread in most hypotheses is climate change. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/science/earth/something-is-killing-off-the-moose.html Edison again says customers should help pay for San Onofre. For the second time in two months, Southern California Edison Co. has put advertisements in local papers to make the case that customers should help pay for the closing and cleanup of the San Onofre nuclear power plant. Ratepayer advocates accuse Edison of trying to shift the cost of the plant's decommissioning from its shareholders to its ratepayers. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-edison-says-customers-should-pay-for-san-onofre-20131014,0,2444836.story?track=rss California Air Resources Board Deputy Will Keynote First Afternoon of SAE International 2013 Fuels and Lubricants Symposium in Long Beach. Alberto Ayala, Deputy Executive Officer of the California Air Resources Board, will deliver the Executive Keynote address on the opening day (Monday, Nov. 18 at 2:30 p.m.) of the “SAE 2013 Fuels, Lubricants, and Aftertreatment Symposium: Achieving Fuel Economy and GHG Targets,” which will be held Nov. 18-21, at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, on Long Beach, Calif. Posted. http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1524521 OPINIONS COLUMN-German renewable energy support is poor value: Wynn. Germany's cost for upgrading its grid to bring in more wind and solar power exceeds the monetary benefits it receives from savings on fossil fuel and avoiding the damage caused by global warming. Once the net cost of a multi-billion-euro subsidy programme is thrown in, then Germany's renewable energy policy seems to be poor value for money. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/15/column-wynn-renewable-cost-idUSL6N0I50Z020131015 A real dialogue on climate change. I love it when people who lean politically to one side of center are willing and able to consider the data, apply reason and embrace a position that is stereotypically thought to be on the other side of center. Kudos to Michael Gerson, who did this with his evidence-based concern about the real challenges of climate change [“A difficult climate,” op-ed, Oct. 11]. Mr. Gerson also pointed out the political obstacles that defeat constructive action. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-real-dialogue-on-climate-change/2013/10/13/1c30ffec-32a0-11e3-ad00-ec4c6b31cbed_story.html Cracking the Energy Puzzles of the 21st Century. Not long ago, Chevron’s exploration teams were stuck. Several years earlier they had struck oil at a place called Rosebank, 9,000 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean west of Britain’s Shetland Islands. But the usual seismic surveys could not make out the location of the field clearly enough for Chevron to decide where to place wells, which can cost $100 million or more apiece. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/business/energy-environment/cracking-the-energy-puzzles-of-the-21st-century.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0&pagewanted=print Combat climate change with your fork. Swarms of giant hornets have killed dozens of people and injured 1,600 in central China in recent months. Experts believe that unusually warm temperatures in the region have enabled the hornets to breed more successfully. Jellyfish recently clogged water-intake pipes at a nuclear power plant in Sweden, forcing officials there to shut down a 1,400-megawatt reactor. Almost all jellyfish breed better and faster in warmer waters. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/14/2974053/combat-climate-change-with-your.html Climate change is here and now: Our view. All too often, global warming is discussed as something that will affect future generations of people, penguins and polar bears. That it will. But a mounting body of evidence demonstrates that climate change is neither distant nor theoretical. It is here and now: The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the internationally accepted authority on the subject…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/10/14/climate-change-global-warming-ipcc-editorials-debates/2983979/ IPCC exaggerates risks: Opposing view. U.N. panel has backed down from its previous forecasts of increases in droughts and hurricanes. And it admits, but does not explain, why no warming has occurred for the past 15 years. Environmentalists hoped the latest study from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) would finally end the increasingly acrimonious debate over the causes and consequences of climate change. It has had the opposite effect. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/10/14/ipcc-climate-change-heartland-institute-editorials-debates/2983941/ State dictates hurt north state. Our view: New rules that will put some small-scale truckers out of business and put others in debt should be delayed. If you follow letters to the editor, you've observed that many local business owners are very worried about expensive new restrictions on trucks mandated by a state board. The new rules are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. It's one of those one-size-fits-all mandates frequently handed out by Sacramento that doesn't make much sense to small-business owners up here. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/editorials/ci_24311096/editorial-state-dictates-hurt-north-state California spends big money on alternative energy. California has spent billions of dollars in recent years on alternative energy programs, even as education, public safety and other spending was cut, a newspaper reported. Over the years, state money has funded some failed projects and private companies with political ties, the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/16GLqlv) reported Sunday. "Suddenly, you look up and there are literally hundreds of millions of dollars going into investments that produce marginal benefits,"…Posted. http://www.petaluma360.com/article/20131015/WIRE/131019725/1044/opinion02 BLOGS AM Alert: California dreamin' of future energy consumption. The post-legislative lull has descended over Sacramento, but there's still energy in the air. By that, of course, we mean crafting policies around California's future energy consumption. Two different state entities charged with considering such matters will be seeking public input today. Over at the Air Resources Board, staff members will be sparking discussion on a new blueprint for achieving the emissions reduction goals set out in 2006's landmark AB 32. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/15/3553962/am-alert-california-dreamin-of.html http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/10/am-alert-california-dream-of-future-energy-consumption.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 14:21:17 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 16, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 16, 2013. 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 EU Offers Changes to Air Emissions Plan. The European Union Wednesday proposed modifications to its program to control airplane pollution, but the new approach still faces opposition from some foreign governments and environmentalists. Earlier this month, EU states agreed to scale back plans to include airlines in their cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide emissions while the International Civil Aviation Organization develops a global pollution-control mechanism. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304864504579139303559088782#printMode Despite better air quality, Europeans' health still suffering. A report from the European Environmental Agency concludes that even with the region’s reduced emissions, human health is still being affected by air pollution. The agency found that between 2009 and 2011, 96% of city residents were exposed to concentrations of fine particulate matter that were above the guidelines of the World Health Organization. Damage to ecosystems was also noted in the report, citing pollutants that add excessive nitrogen to the air, a threat to biodiversity. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-european-pollution-20131015,0,2299585.story States, counties launch legal challenge to EPA's ozone authority. The Supreme Court's 2012 health care ruling could soon make a cameo in a Clean Air Act case thanks to a challenge from a group of state and county governments to U.S. EPA's authority to override state decisions on compliance with federal ozone standards. At issue are several pending petitions over EPA decisions that certain counties and regions violated ozone pollution limits. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988924/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Climate change will affect almost every corner of ocean, study says. Seawater is heating up and becoming more acidic, but those are only the first in a cascade of changes the world's oceans are expected to go through by the end of the century as they respond to greenhouse gas emissions, a new study says. "The entire world's ocean surface" will undergo huge changes in ocean chemistry, habitat and biodiversity by 2100 as a result of climate change…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ocean-climate-change-effects-century-20131015,0,6711896.story http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/16/5825804/climate-change-will-affect-almost.html#storylink=cpy World Food Prize takes on biotech, global warming. The World Food Prize Foundation is confronting both opposition to genetically modified crops and the divisive issue of global warming as it gathers hundreds of experts and national leaders to talk this week about how to feed a growing global population. By awarding this year's prize to three biotechnology pioneers, the nonprofit foundation infuriated environmental groups and others opposed to large-scale farming. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/15/v-print/5823494/world-food-prize-takes-on-biotech.html Supreme Court to review EPA greenhouse gas emissions permitting. The Supreme Court today decided to review whether U.S. EPA's greenhouse gas regulations for motor vehicles should have triggered permitting requirements for stationary sources of carbon pollution. Justices granted six of nine petitions asking the court to review a June 2012 appellate court ruling that upheld a suite of EPA greenhouse gas regulations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988851/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988899/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Wash. governor supports hard cap on carbon emissions. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday that he supports an absolute cap on carbon-fuel emissions in the state as one of several ideas he thinks can get it closer to reaching goals set in 2008 for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The cap was one of a half-dozen ideas Inslee floated during a meeting of the Climate Legislative Executive Workgroup, which the Legislature created in response to his request this year to bring greenhouse gas emissions…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988857/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Tricky permit issue seen splitting challengers to EPA climate rules. Dozens of industry groups and several states are applauding the Supreme Court for taking up their challenge to a slice of U.S. EPA's greenhouse gas program, but a significant issue lurking below the surface could split them when justices hear arguments early next year. The court granted review yesterday of a portion of EPA's greenhouse gas rules: whether the agency "permissibly determined"…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988921/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Truckers report competitors who break emission rules. As many truckers face a Jan. 1 deadline to retrofit their engines with pollution controls, some big rig operators are anonymously turning in their competitors for driving vehicles that fail to comply with California’s tougher emission rules, the Los Angeles Times reports. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130917-environment-truckers-report-competitors-who-break-emission-rules.ece Otherwise compliant driver learns day-pass a must at L.A. ports. Carl Benson first began working on trucks in the mid-1960s as a swamper connecting oil trucks to rigs in Kodiak, Alaska. He has driven loads into Prudhoe Bay, hauling freight down the same treacherous paths made famous in the reality television show “Ice Road Truckers.” Benson, 67, an owner-operator and OOIDA life member from San Dimas, Calif., has seen it all. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25860#.Ul60Cj87PzA FUELS California Embraces Hydrogen Stations. California is backing up its plan to have more publicly available hydrogen fueling stations with a $20 million annual commitment, Petrol Plaza News reports. The state’s plan to lower greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 80% from 1990 levels by the half century mark has not gotten off to a great start, considering only nine such fuel-cell stations are up and running. Posted. http://www.nacsonline.com/News/Daily/Pages/ND1016136.aspx#.Ul6ytj87PzA Security group calls for broader competition between alternative fuels and oil. The U.S. Energy Security Council yesterday released a report advocating for reducing regulatory barriers that stymie competition between oil and alternative fuels like compressed natural gas, methanol and electricity. The council's aim is to spur competition in the transportation fuel market and therefore reduce the strategic importance of petroleum. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988880/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Delta's refinery challenges EPA over renewable fuel targets. A refinery owned by a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines Inc. is challenging U.S. EPA's renewable fuel mandate for this year, warning that the levels set by the agency will continue to force it to purchase costly ethanol credits. In a lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Monroe Energy LLC said it anticipates spending "tens of millions of dollars" over the next several months in acquiring the credits because it does not blend its own ethanol into gasoline. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059988919/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Toyota shows a sneak peek of its upcoming hydrogen car. Toyota has given a small selection of journalists their first taste of prototypes of its long-awaited hydrogen fuel-cell production car–and driving impressions are beginning to surface. The Japanese automaker has shown off hydrogen concepts for some time, most prominent of which is the FCV-R concept (shown above), expected to inspire the eventual production vehicle debuting in 2015. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/15/idUS206980096220131015 GREEN ENERGY U.S. Remains Vulnerable Despite Potential Energy Independence. Forty years ago this week, when big oil producers in the Middle East slapped an embargo on oil exports to the U.S., the shock was severe: Crude-oil prices spiked, fuel lines snaked behind gas stations and years of stagflation followed. Starting with Richard Nixon, eight presidents have urged the country to strive for energy independence as a way to forestall a repeat of 1973. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304330904579137890333601898?KEYWORDS=energy California poised to adopt first-in-nation energy storage mandate. A California law that requires utilities to get 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind is widely credited with accelerating the state's cleantech economy. Now state regulators are poised to compel utilities to invest in "energy storage," which could jump-start technology long considered the holy grail of the electricity industry. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24316359/california-poised-adopt-first-nation-energy-storage-mandate?source=rss http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_24316362/california-poised-adopt-first-nation-energy-storage-mandate Richmond slashes permit fee for solar panel installations. permit price to outfit your home with solar panels just plunged in Richmond. The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to slash permit prices for residential solar panel installations from $615 to $100, a move city leaders said was an effort to jump start solar investments in local neighborhoods. "We are trying to make a statement," said Councilman Tom Butt. At $100, Richmond's price becomes the lowest in the Bay Area, tied with neighboring El Cerrito. Richmond is one of the leading cities to promote and implement green initiatives in recent years, including moves to halt the use of pesticides…Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_24319146/richmond-slashes-permit-fee-solar-panel-installations?source=rss Calif.'s famous 'duck chart' is outdated, experts say. A two-dimensional duck has been haunting California policymakers charged with balancing increasing amounts of renewable energy on the state's electricity grid. The "duck chart" emerged several years ago as grid operators were contemplating the rise of renewable energy, as mandated by state law. It illustrates the drop in daytime demand for conventional power that can be expected as renewables increase their share. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988898/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Methanol May Be Part of the Answer, but Not for Now. It is far from clear that methanol could compete as a transportation fuel. In "A Chemistry Breakthrough That Could Fuel a Revolution" (op-ed, Oct. 11) extolling the virtues of methanol as a transportation fuel, George A. Olah and Chris Cox fail to mention one central fact: Methanol has about half the energy content of gasoline. (Ethanol has about two-thirds.) It is far from clear that methanol could compete as a transportation fuel even if federal policy reforms were to create a level playing field. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304106704579135432571589294?KEYWORDS=fuels COLUMN-Falling solar costs allow a new approach to subsidies: Wynn. Falling costs for European roof-top solar power combined with rising utility tariffs allow a new approach to lower subsidies - where households and business no longer need to be paid for the solar power they consume themselves. Until recently, it has always been more profitable to sell one's own solar energy back into the system overall, thanks to the premium, subsidized prices set for such energy to make investment in solar panels worthwhile. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/16/column-wynn-solar-cost-idUSL6N0I51VP20131016 Cold spell near? Geologist digs deeper on climate change. On the climate-change front the forecast would seem to be increasing cloudiness. At least that's the impression a rational observer would get from the latest report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. True, the report does declare that "there is very high confidence that models reproduce the general features of the global and…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/16/5825570/cold-spell-near-geologist-digs.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS So Much For Jobs? Startup Builds Solar Robot Workers. A key argument developers have used in favor of large desert solar projects has been that such projects will bring jobs to remote, underemployed communities. That argument might just fall out of favor if a Bay Area startup has its way. Richmond-based Alion Energy is proposing to automate both construction and maintenance of large solar facilities, using robots instead of skilled workers to put solar panels in place and keep them clean. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/so-much-for-jobs-startup-builds-solar-robot-workers.html Dramatic charts reveal climate change’s effects on oceans. Climate change is scrambling the oceans. It’s raising water temperatures, lowering pH levels, reducing oxygen availability, and driving down the size of wildlife populations the oceans can sustain. A study published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Biology painstakingly chronicles many of the consequences of marine changes that the researchers describe as “unprecedented” during the last 20 million years…Posted. http://grist.org/news/dramatic-charts-reveal-climate-changes-effects-on-oceans/ A leading newspaper didn’t get the news about California’s gasoline change. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page checked in recently with its view on the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Not surprisingly, it’s against it. But in making its case, it also committed a significant error. When the LCFS was created, there was a baseline basket of crudes that constituted all crudes that had accounted for at least 2% of California consumption over a previous several-year period. Posted. http://blogs.platts.com/2013/10/15/lcfs-wsj/ Demand for electric car rentals unplugged by range anxiety. It's the hurdle that electric vehicles must clear to be launched into the mainstream: range anxiety. But this time it isn't prospective customers who worry about running out of juice, Bloomberg reports, but renters who return to car rental agencies before their lease is up and trade their EVs in for more traditional gasoline-powered autos and gas-electric hybrids. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/10/15/demand-electric-car-rentals-unplugged-range-anxiety/ Congress Passed A Climate Change Law ... And Then Nothing Happened. Congress did something unusual last year. It passed a bill that acknowledged that sea levels are rising — i.e., that climate change is happening. The measure in question, buried near the end of a 584-page transportation funding bill, also required some modest action: That the Federal Emergency Management Agency use “the best available climate science” to figure out how the flood insurance program it administers should handle rising seas. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/climate-change-law-congress_n_4102359.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 13:12:39 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 17, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 17, 2013. 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 WHO agency: Air pollution causes cancer. What many commuters choking on smog have long suspected has finally been scientifically validated: air pollution causes lung cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer declared on Thursday that air pollution is a carcinogen, alongside known dangers such as asbestos, tobacco and ultraviolet radiation. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_POLLUTION_CANCER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-17-10-08-24 Related stories: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/17/us-cancer-pollution-idUSBRE99G0BB20131017 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/air-pollution-really-is-cancerous-according-to-world-health-organization-agency/2013/10/17/25845d82-370f-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/air-pollution-cancer-article-1.1488490 http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24328345/who-agency-air-pollution-causes-cancer?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/17/who-agency-air-pollution-causes-cancer/ http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24328345/who-agency-air-pollution-causes-cancer?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/10/17/cancer-air-pollution-carcinogens/3002239/ South Los Angeles residents fuming over oil field. They confront the South Coast Air Quality Management District at a town hall, criticizing inconclusive information on whether air levels are toxic. The South Coast Air Quality Management District's top brass faced a frustrated crowd at a town hall meeting Wednesday, during which more than 100 South Los Angeles residents criticized the agency's inability to say whether fumes from an oil field are hazardous. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-fumes-20131017,0,2223463,print.story Vatican warns of pollution in Sistine Chapel. The head of the Vatican Museums has warned he will be forced to limit the number of visitors to the Sistine Chapel if its new air conditioning and air purification systems don't significantly reduce pollution levels. Antonio Paolucci told a conference Thursday that he was confident the new system, which is expected to be operational at the end of 2014, would curb the dust, humidity and carbon dioxide that are dulling Michelangelo's frescoed masterpiece. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/17/2979013/vatican-warns-of-pollution-in.html#storylink=cpy Assemblymember Manuel Pérez & Clinton Foundation Health Matters Initiative Hold Stakeholder Meeting on Salton Sea Air Quality. This morning, Assemblymember V. Manuel Pérez, together with the Clinton Foundation Health Matters Initiative, held a stakeholder meeting at UCR Palm Desert to discuss Salton Sea air quality mitigation issues. Nearly 50 people attended the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, representing a range of entities, including local government agencies, community advocates…Posted. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/imperial-valley/5625-assemblymember-manuel-perez-clinton-foundation-health-matters-initiative-hold-stakeholder-meeting-on-salton-sea-air-quality.html CLIMATE CHANGE The EPA and the Supreme Court Fight Climate Change. Even as it decided yesterday to critically examine one of the weapons that the Environmental Protection Agency uses in its fight against climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court stood firmly behind the Obama administration’s basic plan: using the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases as harmful pollutants. That’s because the court refused to consider a broader challenge to the EPA’s fundamental authority in this area. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-16/the-epa-and-the-supreme-court-fight-climate-change.html Climate Change to Cost East Asia 5.3% of GDP, ADB Study Says. Climate change will lead to more flooding and drought in East Asia and could chop 5.3 percent off annual gross domestic product by the year 2100 if measures aren’t adopted to tackle it, according to the Asian Development Bank. Rising temperatures in China, Japan, Mongolia and South Korea will spur more flooding and tropical storms in coastal areas and make northern agricultural regions more prone to drought, the ADB said today in its “Economics of Climate Change in East Asia” report. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-17/climate-change-to-cost-east-asia-5-3-of-gdp-adb-study-says.html Energy giant sees 'impressive' GHG reduction from natural gas by 2030. Global energy firm Siemens AG entered the international electricity fuels debate this week by declaring that a wide-scale shift to natural gas for power generation would result in a 5 percent cut in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, or as much as is emitted annually by the 28 countries of the European Union. On the other hand, continued heavy reliance on carbon-intensive fuels will result in a 25 percent increase in greenhouse gases globally…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988956/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Almost all land ecosystems at risk of major shifts due to global warming – study. More than 80 percent of the world's ice-free land is at risk of profound ecosystem transformation in the next century, a study from researchers at the Potsdam Institute in Germany has found. The report, published this month in Earth System Dynamics, used nearly 20 climate models to study more than 150 climate scenarios, adjusting for various degrees of warming. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988948/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Disease, insect threats linked to climate change more dramatic than expected – study. Scientists' predictions that insect epidemics would eat away at North America's forests have already come to pass, "in some cases more rapidly and dramatically than expected," a new study finds. The new review of climate change's impacts on North American forests, prepared for the upcoming National Climate Assessment…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988971/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS GM to sell Impala powered by natural gas, gasoline. General Motors says it will start selling a Chevrolet Impala sedan next summer that runs on both natural gas and gasoline. The company says both fuels are needed because there are few natural gas filling stations in the U.S. GM says the Impala will be the only factory-produced full-size car that runs on both fuels. Natural gas is plentiful in the U.S. and is cheaper than gasoline. AAA says gas costs about $3.35 per gallon. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GENERAL_MOTORS_NATURAL_GAS_IMPALA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT California's Top Oil Regulator on Fracking, Climate Change, and Fossil Fuels. Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, leads the eighth-largest economy in the world, and this powerhouse is wading into the national debate over hydraulic fracturing, the oil and natural gas boom, and what it means for the economy and environment. Mark Nechodom, who as the state's Department of Conservation director is Brown's top oil and natural gas regulator, recently, spoke with National Journal about the state of the energy play in the Golden State. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/new-energy-paradigm/california-s-top-oil-regulator-on-fracking-climate-change-and-fossil-fuels-20131016 VEHICLES Audi adds diesel to compact SUV. Audi's best-selling sport utility vehicle, the Q5, gets even better in 2014 with the addition of a six-cylinder, diesel engine that is fuel-thrifty yet muscular. The federal government mileage ratings for the new-for-2014 Q5 TDI with turbocharged and direct-injection V-6 - 24 miles per gallon in city driving and 31 mpg on highways - rival those of many SUVs with smaller, four-cylinder, gasoline engines. It's even rated 1 mpg more in highway driving than the gasoline-electric hybrid Audi Q5. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BEHIND_THE_WHEEL_AUDI_Q5?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT L.A. Auto Show: German diesels top Green Car award nominations. Two German diesel sedans and three Japanese cars are the finalists for the Green Car of the Year Award to be handed out at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month. The finalists for the Green Car Journal award include the Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Honda Accord, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla. Whereas previously the field has been dominated by hybrids and electric cars…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-green-car-award-nominations-20131017,0,2123602.story Tesla Tops California Green-Car Credit Sales in Past Year. Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA:US), the electric-car maker led by Elon Musk, was the top seller of California zero-emission vehicle credits in the past year as Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) led hybrid-car credit trades, according to a state tally. Tesla transferred 1,311.52 ZEV credits from Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30 this year, 32 times the number of Suzuki Motor Corp. (7269), the next biggest seller, according to a California Air Resources Board report yesterday. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-10-16/musk-s-tesla-tops-california-green-car-credit-sales-in-past-year Lawmakers tackle alternative fuel vehicles' role in reducing air pollution. The way alternative fuel vehicles could be tapped to address the Wasatch Front's air pollution problem not only presents complex questions in the arena of how to pay for it, but also poses a conundrum when it comes to public policy ramifications. Utah lawmakers were puzzling over the twin challenges in an interim meeting of the Public Utilities and Technology Committee Wednesday after hearing a report delivered by Ron Allen, chairman of the Public Services Commission. Posted. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865588525/Lawmakers-tackle-alternative-fuel-vehicles-role-in-reducing-air-pollution.html GREEN ENERGY Cosumnes Oaks students use energy-efficient house as learning laboratory. Cassidy Goldman and the rest of her class at Cosumnes Oaks High School spent hours during their junior year watching construction workers build a small two-bedroom house on their campus in Elk Grove. They watched crews erect a solar panel that pivots toward the sun, build framing that allows for extra insulation and install photovoltaic cells on the roof to help heat water. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/16/5828101/cosumnes-oaks-students-use-energy.html#storylink=cpy New solar thermal plant to blaze trail for future projects. In sunny southwestern Arizona, a new energy project that bottles the rays and saves them for later is now online, paving the way for future solar thermal generators in the United States. The 280-megawatt Solana power plant near Gila Bend, Ariz., began commercial operation last week after passing initial output tests. The facility is one of the largest examples of concentrating solar power (CSP), a system where mirrors direct the sun's light to heat up a working fluid. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988970/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS No More Formaldehyde in Shampoo as J&J Girds for Rules. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) baby shampoo contains an ingredient that might give parents pause: formaldehyde. Deemed a “probable human carcinogen” by the U.S. government, formaldehyde is one of 164 potentially harmful chemicals targeted under a new California law that imposes stricter safety standards on a range of products made by such companies as J&J and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG)…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-17/no-more-formaldehyde-in-shampoo-as-j-j-girds-for-rules.html OPINIONS Viewpoints: Legislation could hurt California’s crusade to reduce toxic chemicals. Federal oversight of the more than 80,000 chemicals used in the United States is essentially nonexistent. The 34-year-old law meant to regulate chemicals – the Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA – makes it nearly impossible to pull harmful chemicals off the market. It also doesn’t require companies to understand the environmental and health consequences of a chemical before it is marketed. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/17/5827527/viewpoints-legislation-could-hurt.html#storylink=cpy San Onofre nuclear power plant bill should be paid. For Northern Californians, the decision last summer to shutter the San Onofre nuclear power plant that serves San Diego and Los Angeles is easy to ignore. But decisions about who will pay for the plant that is now closed will have effects that reverberate throughout the state. When San Onofre was built, electricity customers made a deal with Southern California Edison and its partners, including San Diego Gas and Electric…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/San-Onofre-nuclear-power-plant-bill-should-be-paid-4901960.php Response To Readers: Combating Climate Change With Nuclear Power And Fracking. With more than 7,500 views and 180-plus tweets, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read the original HBS Working Knowledge piece, The Case for Combating Climate Change with Nuclear Power and Fracking, and, in particular, for sharing your thoughts with one another. I don’t expect the article has changed minds, but I do hope it encourages people to open their minds to consider new possibilities. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2013/10/16/response-to-readers-combating-climate-change-with-nuclear-power-and-fracking/ BLOGS Air Pollution Linked to Lower Birth Weights. Air pollution, even at relatively low levels, is associated with a significant increase in the risk for low-birth-weight babies, a new study has found. European researchers pooled data from 14 studies that included more than 74,000 mother-child pairs in 12 countries. The scientists also estimated concentrations of airborne particulate matter at the mothers’ home addresses during their pregnancies. Posted. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/air-pollution-linked-to-lower-birth-weights/?_r=0 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 14:30:08 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 18, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 18, 2013. 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 Angela Merkel signals hope for carbon market fix. The European carbon price jumped to a three-month high yesterday, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel backed reforms to the bloc's emissions trading scheme. According to Bloomberg, the price of emissions allowances for December reached €5.50 per tonne, up 10.9 per cent, following Merkel's first post-election speech, in Hanover. Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/print_article/bg/news/2301101/angela-merkel-signals-hope-for-carbon-market-fix http://www.energylivenews.com/2013/10/18/angela-merkel-supports-back-loading-in-eu-carbon-market/ EU Revives Airline Fees For Carbon Emissions. Aviation Industry Cries Foul After ICAO Agreement. The European Union (EU) has proposed a modified version its widely-panned Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that would have charged all airlines regardless of country of registry for emissions during the full duration of their flights. The latest proposal would charge airlines using any airport in an EU member state for emissions expelled during the portion flights conducted in European airspace. Posted. http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=6d605c14-8707-4330-9724-f1d8b8313e20 Hub liquidity eyed in wake of Calif. cap-and-trade: analysis. Concerns about the impact of cap-and-trade on liquidity in California just won’t go away. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District has raised questions about the impact carbon costs might be having on liquidity at the key California-Oregon Border power import hub since the state’s greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program for electricity generators went into effect on January 1. Posted. http://www.platts.com/news-feature/2013/electricpower/uspower/index AIR POLLUTION State incentives offer polluters breaks to come clean. The state is asking businesses to report themselves if they break pollution rules, with the promise of lesser or no fines. There may even be a reward. Businesses could also cut deals quietly with the state to ensure their problems don't happen again. The so-called Environmental Audit Incentive Policy, released by Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens this week, is drawing praise from industry, which said it will encourage businesses to clean up. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/State-incentives-offer-polluters-breaks-to-come-4905097.php No good argument to keeping coal plant open. It seems to be near foolhardiness to continue allowing the Bridgeport Harbor Generating Station to keep running, while claiming that this coal-producing plant is "not a large source of local air emissions." This is simply not true; coal combustion cannot be a completely "clean" process, despite PSEG Power Connecticut's $1.6 billion invested in scrubbers, catalytic reduction systems or baghouses. PSEG Power Connecticut can deny the truth all it wants, but what they cannot contradict is the effects that sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate pollution…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/No-good-argument-to-keeping-coal-plant-open-4904496.php Beijing tackles abominable air pollution with a car ban. Beijing will ban half of the city's cars on days with 'serious pollution' – but the stringent definition will leave most cars on the road. As air pollution levels in Beijing hovered between “hazardous” and “very unhealthy” according to the US embassy’s monitoring device on Friday, the Beijing city government unveiled a new plan to try to get the capital’s air quality under control. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2013/1018/Beijing-tackles-abominable-air-pollution-with-a-car-ban CLIMATE CHANGE Gore Says U.S. Likely to Beat ‘Inadequate’ Carbon Target. The U.S. will probably beat its own target for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions as the costs of wind and solar power fall and coal becomes inviable, former Vice President Al Gore said. President Barack Obama’s administration has said the U.S. is on track to meet a pledge of cutting heat-trapping gases by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-18/gore-says-u-s-likely-to-beat-inadequate-carbon-target.html DIESEL EMISSIONS Daimler Challenge to EPA Diesel Certificates Is Tossed. A challenge by four truckmakers including Daimler AG (DAI) to an Environmental Protection Agency rule allowing Navistar International Corp. (NAV) to continue producing engines that didn’t comply with pollution standards by paying a fine was thrown out by an appeals court Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-18/daimler-challenge-to-epa-diesel-certificates-is-tossed.html FUELS Diesel Advances on Speculation Fed to Maintain Stimulus Levels. Diesel gained on indications that the Federal Reserve will delay tapering stimulus because the protracted government shutdown and political wrangling that preceded it may have disrupted growth. Futures rose amid optimism demand will increase as comments by two Fed regional presidents yesterday signaled a reduction in debt buying won’t occur this year. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-18/diesel-advances-on-speculation-fed-to-maintain-stimulus-levels.html Oil Companies Are Sued for Waste of Natural Gas. In the sharpest challenge yet to the surge in flaring of natural gas in the Bakken shale oil field, North Dakota mineral owners this week filed 10 class-action lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in lost royalties from some of the nation’s largest oil companies. Roughly 1,500 fires burn above western North Dakota because of the deliberate burning of natural gas by companies rushing to drill for oil without having sufficient pipelines to transport their production. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/business/energy-environment/oil-companies-are-sued-over-natural-gas-flaring-in-north-dakota.html?_r=0 VEHICLES Tesla Tops California Green-Car Credit Sales in Past Year. Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA:US), the electric-car maker led by Elon Musk, was the top seller of California zero-emission vehicle credits in the past year as Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) led hybrid-car credit trades, according to a state tally. Tesla transferred 1,311.52 ZEV credits from Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30 of this year, 32 times the number of Suzuki Motor Corp. (7269), the next biggest seller…Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-10-16/musk-s-tesla-tops-california-green-car-credit-sales-in-past-year http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?rssid=31543 Volvo Develops Structural, Supercapacitor Nanobatteries For Future Electric Cars. Batteries in electric and hybrid cars--and this may not come as much of a surprise--are large, and they're heavy. Reducing the size and weight of these vital components is priority number one for scientists all over the world, and Volvo is among them with its latest technological development. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1087770_volvo-develops-structural-supercapacitor-nanobatteries-for-future-electric-cars http://www.complex.com/rides/2013/10/volvo-body-panel-batteries GREEN ENERGY Australian Clean Energy Bank Profitable Before Possible Closing. Clean Energy Finance Corp., the Australian green development bank earmarked for closing by newly-elected Prime Minister Tony Abbott, is making a profit and prodding commercial banks to lend, according to its chief executive officer. “We’re operating profitably already, with our contracted investments expected to earn an average return of around 7 percent,” which is above the bank’s capital cost of about 3 percent…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-18/australian-clean-energy-bank-profitable-before-possible-closing.html California regulators pushing for electricity storage. California's electric utilities and other power sellers better hope that scientists and engineers come up with a surefire way to bottle lightning. That's a dramatic way of describing the more prosaic goal of finding a way to store large amounts of electricity, something that, up until now, did not seem practicable. On Thursday, the state Public Utilities Commission voted to create a formal "energy storage target"…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-regulators-pushing-for-electricity-storage-20131017,0,4492806.story http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24331470/california-adopts-first-nation-energy-storage-plan?source=rss Living Smart: Energy-efficiency tax credits. If you're considering a home-improvement project that will cut energy costs, it's not too late to take advantage of special federal tax credits. But be aware that time is running out. The residential energy-efficiency tax credit had been set to expire at the end of 2011. But early this year, as part of the "fiscal cliff" deal, Congress extended it to include projects undertaken during tax years 2012 and 2013. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/17/5828631/living-smart-energy-efficiency.html#storylink=cpy Renewables now provide Scotland with 40% of its power. Renewable energy sources now provide Scotland with 40 percent of its electricity. Despite the fact much of Scotland is closer to the Arctic Circle than London, wind, solar and tidal energies are utilized to best effect and have slashed carbon emissions. The British Energy Minister, Michael Fallon, highlighted this news in answer to a Parliamentary Question, saying: “Renewables now generate the equivalent of 40 percent of the demand for power from every home and business in the country…Posted. http://www.digitaljournal.com/print/article/360427#ixzz2i6II7v8V MISCELLANEOUS UN sees mercury use phase-out within 3 decades. A new global treaty could eliminate within three decades the commercial use of mercury in everything from batteries, paints and skin-lightening creams to utility plants and small-scale gold mining, the head of the U.N.'s environment agency said Thursday. Achim Steiner, the executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, describes the Minamata Convention on Mercury as a major game-changer for a naturally occurring element that…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UN-sees-mercury-use-phase-out-within-3-decades-4903608.php OPINIONS Analysis: Brewing U.S. ethanol legal battle hinges on meaning of 'supply' The fate of a landmark U.S. requirement to blend increasing amounts of biofuels into the nation's gasoline pool rests on the meaning of three words tucked into a mammoth law: unless there is "inadequate domestic supply." But "supply" of what? The law does not say. As a years-long battle over the future of the U.S. fuel supply begins to shift to the courts, the two fierce foes - the biofuel industry and oil refiners …Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/18/us-ethanol-supply-analysis-idUSBRE99H02N20131018 40 Years After Embargo, OPEC Is Over a Barrel. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries embargo against the U.S. and states that supported Israel after Egypt and Syria initiated simultaneous offensives against it on Yom Kippur in 1973. While it’s not an anniversary that many will celebrate, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on how much more secure our energy situation is, despite our continued heavy reliance on fossil fuels. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-17/40-years-after-embargo-opec-is-over-a-barrel.html Tesla Success Fueled by U.S. Innovation Policy? I truly love cars, and, having turned 40 recently, I went on a year-long search for the perfect car to celebrate with. I had given up for a while until I came across the amazing Tesla Model S. Tesla Motors TSLA +0.91% represents everything I appreciate in life – innovation, technology, and even tax policy. In my last post I discussed how corporate tax credits and other incentives can fuel innovation. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/joeharpaz/2013/10/18/tesla-success-fueled-by-u-s-innovation-policy/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 13:41:32 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 21, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 21, 2013. 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 Super smog hits north China city; flights canceled. Visibility shrank to less than half a football field and small-particle pollution soared to a record 40 times higher than an international safety standard in one northern Chinese city as the region entered its high-smog season. The manager for U.S. jazz singer Patti Austin, meanwhile, said the singer had canceled a concert in Beijing because of an asthma attack likely linked to pollution. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/20/5837941/heavy-smog-hits-north-china-city.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Super-smog-hits-north-China-city-flights-canceled-4912236.php In Canada's Alberta province, oil sands boom is a two-edged sword. The oil sands industry has brought good jobs to villages such as Fort Chipewyan. But there is fear about cancer and the environment. In the Cree language, the word "athabasca" means "a place where grass is everywhere." Here in Alberta, the Athabasca River slices through forests of spruce and birch before spilling into a vast freshwater delta and Lake Athabasca. But 100 miles upstream, the boreal forest has been peeled back by enormous strip mines...Posted. http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-canada-oilsands-cancer-20131021,0,7620718,print.story Regulators move to shut down battery recycling plant. Air quality officials say Exide Technologies in Vernon has failed to control lead and arsenic emissions, leading to health risks. Regional air pollution regulators moved Friday to shut down Exide Technologies' troubled battery recycling plant in Vernon, citing public health risks from its repeated emissions of lead and arsenic. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1019-exide-aqmd--20131019,0,5306980.story Supermarkets failing to curb harmful emissions, study finds. America's 12 largest supermarkets and retailers are failing to curb their hydrofluorocarbon emissions, adding large amounts of greenhouse gases to the environment, according to a new report. The report, published by the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency, examined 12 retailers, including Costco, Whole Foods Markets, Target, Wal-Mart and the Delhaize Group, whose brands include Food Lion and Bottom Dollar Food. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/18/5832902/supermarkets-failing-to-curb-harmful.html#storylink=cpy Boxer plans hearing on toxins following U.N. report. Following the release of a World Health Organization report that designated air pollution as a human carcinogen, Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said she plans to hold a hearing on airborne pollution. In a report released last week, the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer said there was "sufficient evidence" linking exposure to outdoor air pollution to lung cancer and an increased risk for bladder cancer. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989127/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EPA lends backing to Navajo haze plan alternative. U.S. EPA officials are getting behind a pollution reduction plan by the operators of the largest coal-fired power plant in the West, saying it will achieve more progress than a previous federal proposal. In July, a Technical Working Group (TWG) of Native American leaders, conservationists and owners of the 2,250-megawatt Navajo Generating Station within the Navajo Nation in Arizona proposed a plan that would shut down one coal-fired unit by 2020 and install new pollution controls on the remaining two units by 2030. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989132/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Excessive smog hurts computers, too – Intel. Scientists already know that excessive air pollution can cut life spans in northern China by five years or more. Now, engineers with Intel Corp. are finding the air is degrading electronic components crucial for making the company's personal computers and servers work properly. Intel engineers say sulfur in China's air is corroding copper circuitry that is essential for PCs and servers. The air pollution also wrecks motherboards that operate computer systems. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989110/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Environmentalists, workers seek common ground. The nation's largest labor unions are ready and willing to help fight global warming, but are cautioning environmentalists that workers need new clean-energy jobs before existing industries are shut down. The four-day Power Shift conference in Pittsburgh is training young people to stop coal mining, fracking for oil and gas, and nuclear power, but organizers also want workers to join the battle against climate change. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENVIRONMENTAL_CONFERENCE_WORKERS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/20/5836976/environmentalists-workers-seek.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Environmentalists-workers-seek-common-ground-4911450.php http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/20/3563204/environmentalists-workers-seek.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/20/2984586/environmentalists-workers-seek.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24348683/ap-photos-georgia-bull-run-draws-3-000 http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24348683/ap-photos-georgia-bull-run-draws-3-000?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/oct/20/environmentalists-workers-seek-common-ground/ Australian wildfires put heat on climate change skeptic Abbott. A long, hot summer looms for Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott as devastating wildfires near Sydney fuel opposition to his plans to repeal a carbon emissions tax, one of his basic campaign pledges in the election he won a month ago. The links between the blazes and climate change caused by carbon emissions are complex and as the driest inhabited landmass on earth, deadly wildfires have been a perennial problem for Australia. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/21/us-australia-fires-abbott-idUSBRE99K03S20131021 To Fix Climate Change, Scientists Turn To Hacking The Earth. In the summer of 2012, a small group of the Haida people, a native community in Canada, had a problem. The salmon they rely on were disappearing. So the Haida took matters into their own hands. They partnered with an American businessman, drew up plans and then took a boat full of iron dust into the waters off their home island and put the dust in the ocean. When they spread the iron dust, it created a big algae bloom. Posted. http://www.npr.org/2013/10/20/238548240/turning-to-scientists-to-engineer-a-cooler-climate Utility regulators fret over grid reliability as EPA preps emission rules. State utility regulators at the forefront of implementing upcoming federal rules to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants in the United States are concerned that a fast-tracked schedule could trigger reliability issues. "The most important question is, how quickly and how much of a transition time we do have?" said Philip Jones, president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989124/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS GE, Clean Energy Fuels to advance natural gas use in trucking industry. The transportation arm of General Electric Co. and the largest provider of natural gas fuel in North America announced today that they have partnered to convert heavy-duty trucking fleets from diesel to natural gas. Truck fleet operators looking to make the switch must contract with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and apply for loans and leases from GE Capital, including fair market value leases, to acquire trucks from manufacturers that produce commercial natural gas vehicles. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989135/print BY SUBSCRIPTIO ONLY FUELS US gas prices drop 2 cents over past 2 weeks. The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has dropped 2 cents over the past two weeks. The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday says the price of a gallon of regular is $3.36. Midgrade costs an average of $3.56 a gallon, and premium is $3.71. Diesel was down a penny at $3.91 gallon. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAS_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Oil drops below $100 as supply reports awaited. Oil sagged to below $100 a barrel Monday for the first time since early July as traders waited for the delayed release of U.S. supply figures that are expected to show another rise in crude stockpiles.By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude was down 85 cents a barrel to $99.96 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 14 cents Friday, lifted by an improvement in China's quarterly economic growth. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304402104579148763588025736?KEYWORDS=oil UK looks to new nuclear plant to secure energy. Britain has agreed to build the country's first nuclear power plant in a generation, despite concerns raised by the Fukushima meltdown in Japan as the U.K. seeks to secure its future energy needs and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The government struck a deal with Electricite de France and a group of Chinese investors Monday to build the country's first nuclear power plant since 1995…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_NUCLEAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-21/edf-agrees-on-deal-to-build-first-u-k-nuclear-plant-since-1995.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/business/international/britain-and-edf-sign-nuclear-plant-deal.html Methanol Fuel Worth a Second Look. Consider that China is making a big bet on using methanol in vehicles to cut down on its air pollution problems. Howard Sachar's letter of Oct. 16, citing a bad experience some time ago by the Los Angeles County MTA, disparages using methanol as a transportation fuel by stating that it is corrosive to engine parts and produces toxic emissions. The corrosion problem has been solved for new cars at trivial cost (and conversion is even possible for existing cars). Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303680404579141691384144958#printMode BY SUBSCRIPTION Cheaper Gasoline Adds $40 Million a Day to the Pockets of American Drivers. Gasoline prices will be 11¢ cheaper, on average, in 2013 than a year ago, according to a new forecast (pdf) from the Energy Information Agency: “The weekly U.S. average regular gasoline retail price fell by 18 cents per gallon during September, ending the month at $3.43 per gallon. EIA’s forecast for the regular gasoline retail price averages $3.34 per gallon in the fourth quarter of 2013. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/161438-cheaper-gasoline-adds-40-million-a-day-to-the-pockets-of-american-drivers Waste Management Fuels Fleet with Landfill Gas. Waste Management is building a facility that will create pipeline-ready natural gas from its Milam Landfill in Fairmont City, Ill. The processed renewable natural gas will be injected into the pipelines of Ameren Illinois for withdrawal at other locations, including some Waste Management facilities. Once there, it will be used to fuel truck fleets and other equipment that run on compressed natural gas (CNG). Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/10/21/waste-management-fuels-fleet-with-landfill-gas/ USDA offers loan guarantees worth $181M for advanced biorefineries. The Department of Agriculture announced the availability today of $181 million in loan guarantees for advanced-biofuel refineries. Producers can use that funding to build new biorefineries or retrofit existing ethanol facilities for next-generation fuels that don't rely on corn starch as an input, USDA said. Applications will be due in January. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989120/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Is there a role for EVs in the grid of the future? A potentially lucrative new market is emerging around the exchange of energy between plug-in vehicles and the electrical grid, particularly as more low-carbon power generation sources come online. So-called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies are enabling electric vehicle (EV) batteries to provide ancillary services to the grid that can complement intermittent renewable energy sources or shave demand during peak hours…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989092/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL Work begins on Calif. bullet train, locals angry. Trucks loaded with tomatoes, milk and almonds clog the two main highways that bisect California's farm heartland, carrying goods to millions along the Pacific Coast and beyond. This dusty stretch of land is the starting point for one of the nation's most expensive public infrastructure projects: a $68 billion high-speed rail system that would span the state, linking the people of America's salad bowl to more jobs, opportunity and buyers. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/20/5836699/opposition-rises-as-calif-high.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY When it comes to construction of office buildings, green is the new black. In an effort to attract and retain talent and promote a healthier work environment, many corporate tenants are looking to locate in sleeker, brighter spaces. And increasingly, companies concerned over rising energy costs and seeking to minimize their environmental footprints are putting green office space high on their wish list. In turn, office developers looking to maximize their potential pool of tenants are regularly delivering Energy Star and LEED-certified office buildings. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/when-it-comes-to-construction-of-office-buildings-green-is-the-new-black/2013/10/18/15306c3a-35d1-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.html Carbon-negative energy, a reality at last -- and cheap, too. In Berkeley, Calif., All Power Labs is turning out machines that convert cheap and abundant biomass into clean energy and rich, efficient charcoal fertilizer. In 2007, officials from this famously liberal city shut off the electricity to an artists space known as the Shipyard. That action, which forced the artists there to seek a new way to power their flamethrowers, is the origin story of a company that now produces what it says is the world's only carbon-negative power source. Posted. http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57608281-76/carbon-negative-energy-a-reality-at-last-and-cheap-too/#! Wind Power Cuts CO2 Emissions Considerably, Even At High Penetration Levels. New empirical research out of Spain shows that wind power is very effective at cutting CO2 emissions, even at quite high penetration levels. This is, of course, what many of us would expect, but some people have had the odd idea (or have at least claimed) that wind power plants require such a large amount of backup power that they are useless in making such cuts. Absurd… as this new research shows. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/21/wind-power-cuts-co2-emissions-considerably-even-high-penetration-levels/#cDyL2JvJRcJPovY7.99 MISCELLANEOUS L.A. City Council weighs appeal of PUC ruling on ride-sharing firms. The L.A. City Council will meet with city lawyers to discuss a possible appeal of the PUC's decision to allow the operation of app-driven ride-share companies such as Lyft and Sidecar. The Los Angeles City Council is weighing a challenge to the app-driven ride-sharing companies that have given residents new transportation options while drawing protests from the taxicab industry. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-app-rideshare-fight-20131017,0,765737.story Whatever happened to the Hydrogen Highway? Remember the Hydrogen Highway? It was front-page news less than a decade ago, and the California Fuel Cell Partnership in West Sacramento was ground zero for what was touted as a forward-looking effort to green the Golden State. Approved in 2004 by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who promoted it with action film hero gusto, the Hydrogen Highway envisioned construction of an extensive network of hydrogen filling stations to serve drivers of zero-emission fuel-cell vehicles…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/20/5833131/whatever-happened-to-the-hydrogen.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS Golden State Is Green and Fair, Too. The premise that our effort to reduce the carbon intensity of vehicle fuels "punishes" out-of-state businesses is countermanded by businesses. Regarding your editorial "California's Green Trade War" (Oct. 12): Others promoted the view that California's efforts to provide a marketplace for cleaner vehicle fuels was tantamount to economic protectionism. They sued us in court claiming discrimination on the basis of geography. They lost. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304106704579138301033996272#printMode Congress turns a blind eye to global warming. This wasn’t the dramatic news that opponents of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were hoping for: Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to consider a variety of challenges to the EPA’s effort to slash greenhouse gas emissions. But the news wasn’t a total victory for environmentalists. The court announced it would hear one challenge to the agency’s regulations...Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/congress-turns-a-blind-eye-to-global-warming/2013/10/20/b5e42594-36b8-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.html Another View: ‘Green chemistry’ could harm auto industry and consumer. Dan Morain’s recent column regarding California’s green chemistry law (“State’s attempt to regulate toxic chemicals draws long list of opposition,” Oct. 2) ignores a fundamental truth. While well intentioned, the state’s green chemistry law could have a negative impact on the auto industry’s dramatic progress improving fuel economy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing passenger safety. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/20/5830648/another-view-green-chemistry-could.html#storylink=cpy Clean up the cosmetic industry. The following editorial appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on Thursday, Oct. 17: The makers of cosmetics are experts in the art of cover-up. Researchers say the $60 billion beauty industry often fails to disclose the use of potentially dangerous ingredients in its products, including lead, phthalates, formaldehyde and triclosan - and the Food and Drug Administration does not test or approve cosmetics before they go to market. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/21/2985737/clean-up-the-cosmetic-industry.html#storylink=cpy California’s Energy and Climate Agenda: Visionary Leader or Cautionary Tale? Should the United States adopt the ambitious renewable-energy and climate-change policies that California is pursuing? On one front, the federal government is already following in California's footsteps. In 2009, President Obama enacted ambitious fuel-economy standards that were modeled largely off what the Golden State had done in its transportation sector. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/policy/insiders/energy/california-s-energy-and-climate-agenda-visionary-leader-or-cautionary-tale-20131021 Letter: Next step: a carbon tax. Re “Shaheen’s energy legislation should appeal to everyone” (Monitor Opinion page, Oct. 10): Elizabeth Hager is right. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Rob Portman have written a common-sense bill to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions that everyone should find very easy to support. When fighting climate change, it is important to pass the easy legislation (grab the low-hanging fruit), while also talking constantly about the harder legislation that will actually be more effective at reducing emissions. Posted. http://www.concordmonitor.com/opinion/8987638-95/letter-next-step-a-carbon-tax?print=true BLOGS The shale-gas boom won’t do much for climate change. But it will make us a bit richer. The shale-gas boom in the United States won't do much to cut U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions or tackle global warming. That's because, in addition to killing off coal-fired plants, cheap gas will also edge out cleaner energy sources like wind, solar, and nuclear. On the other hand, the glut of natural gas from fracking will make the country a bit wealthier and clean up other air pollutants in the decades ahead. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/21/the-shale-gas-boom-wont-do-much-for-climate-change-but-it-will-make-us-a-bit-richer/?print=1 Airpocalypse’ Hits Harbin, Closing Schools. Updated, 8:22 a.m. | School was canceled, traffic was nearly paralyzed and the airport was shut down in the northeast Chinese city of Harbin on Monday as off-the-charts pollution dropped visibility to less than 10 meters in parts of the provincial capital. A dark, gray cloud that the local weather bureau described as “heavy fog” has shrouded the city of…Posted. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/air-pollution-hits-harbin-in-northeast-china-closing-schools-and-roads/ New Report Confirms Major Progress in California's Alternative Fuels Market. After months of surveys, analysis and preparation, the California Energy Commission’s draft 2013 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) is out – and it shows that dramatic progress is underway in the state’s transportation fuels market. Not only has the state made measured progress towards a more diversified fuel market through targeted investments, the growth of alternative fuels shows that policies like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) are working and compliance is achievable. Posted. http://blogs.edf.org/californiadream/2013/10/20/new-report-confirms-major-progress-in-californias-alternative-fuels-market/#sthash.N2ozoH9z.dpuf ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:30:14 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 22, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 22, 2013. 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 Long Beach Gas and Oil Actively Tracking AB 32 Impacts. A partnership between the Long Beach Gas & Oil Department (LBGO) and other utilities across the state provides a unified voice advocating for natural gas customer rate protections under the regulations of AB 32 – the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act. Over the past year, LBGO has been working with a Gas Utility Group – comprised of Southern California Gas Company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company…Posted. http://www.lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/1876-long-beach-gas-a-oil-actively-tracking-ab-32-impacts.html AIR POLLUTION US carbon dioxide pollution down 3.8 percent. The United States cut its energy-related carbon dioxide pollution by 3.8 percent last year, the second biggest drop since 1990, the Department of Energy said Monday. The only recent year with a bigger percentage drop was in 2009, when America was in a large recession. American cars and factories spewed 5.83 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2012, down from 6.06 billion in 2011. It is the lowest level for U.S. emissions since 1994. Carbon dioxide is the chief man-made global warming gas. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CARBON_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/21/5840138/us-carbon-dioxide-pollution-down.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/21/3565133/us-carbon-dioxide-pollution-down.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24359624/shutdown-over-solution-next-crisis-unclear?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/u-s-cuts-carbon-dioxide-pollution-3-8-percent-article-1.1492155 http://grist.org/news/party-like-its-1994-americas-co2-emissions-hit-18-year-low/ Beijing adopts new smog emergency measures. Beijing is seeking to tame the spikes in its infamous smog by preparing emergency measures such as factory shutdowns and traffic limits to kick in when air pollution levels are especially heavy. The city government said Tuesday the strictest emergency measures will take effect when the pollution index for fine particulate matter, PM2.5, is forecast to exceed 300 micrograms per cubic meter for three days running. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/22/5841082/beijing-adopts-new-smog-emergency.html Beautiful China tourism pitch misfires amid smog. Forget all the headlines about eye-watering pollution in Beijing and Shanghai - the Middle Kingdom's latest tourism slogan invites visitors to "Beautiful China." Adorning buses and trains in cities such as London, the international marketing effort has been derided as particularly inept at a time when record-busting smog has drawn attention to the environmental and health costs of China's unfettered industrialization. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_BEAUTIFUL_CHINA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/22/5841024/beautiful-china-tourism-pitch.html Prodding China to confront its urban air pollution problems. Noxious, choking air pollution has smothered Beijing and other major Chinese cities for years, making it difficult for people to breathe and causing an estimated 1.2 million premature deaths in 2010 alone. But until recently, the Chinese government routinely dismissed the public health risk. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/prodding-china-to-confront-its-urban-air-pollution-problems/2013/10/22/2b93d8ca-3b23-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html 'Airpocalypse': Severe pollution cripples northeastern China. A large swath of northeastern China has been virtually paralyzed for two days by severe air pollution that forced airports and schools to close and drivers to turn on their headlights in the middle of the day. The “airpocalypse” was blamed on the start of the winter heating season Sunday in a region that still uses coal-powered plants and the burning of fields at the end of the harvest. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-pollution-northeastern-china-20131022,0,5024464.story#axzz2iTgXjlb0 CLIMATE CHANGE CORRECTED-(OFFICIAL)-Global climate spending falling further behind target. The amounts refer to investment received by countries, not investments made) Global spending to combat climate change fell last year and remains far below the level needed to prevent its most dangerous effects, a report by the Climate Policy Initiative said on Tuesday. Investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and adaptation to climate change totaled $359 billion, $5 billion less than in 2011, as an economic slowdown hit state and private-sector budgets. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/climate-investment-idUSL5N0IB32X20131022 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-21/global-climate-change-finance-fell-1-in-2012-study-says.html UPDATE 1-United States urges flexibility in new global climate deal. The United States called on Tuesday for a more flexible approach to a new United Nations' climate deal which balances the needs of all countries and has a better chance of success. Two years ago, some 190 countries agreed to develop a pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol which would force all nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. The deal is to be signed by 2015 and come into force in 2020. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/usa-climate-idUSL5N0IC2E820131022 U.S. Rejects Rigid Rules as ‘Roadblock’ to Climate Treaty. Rigid rules and emissions targets may hinder efforts to draft a new climate treaty by 2015, the lead U.S. envoy said, calling for a more flexible approach for nations to set individual goals. “Rigidity is a potential roadblock,” U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change Todd Stern said today in a speech at the policy-analysis group Chatham House in London. While a “system of strict rules and compliance might sound good on paper…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-22/u-s-rejects-rigid-rules-as-roadblock-to-climate-treaty.html Warm winter helped U.S. carbon emissions drop to lowest level since 1994 -- EIA U.S. carbon dioxide emissions declined last year to their lowest level since 1994 and more than 12 percent below the recent 2007 peak, according to data released yesterday by the Energy Information Administration. Since 1990, only 2009 saw a larger percentage decrease in emissions than 2012, the EIA said. The decline occurred in tandem with an increase in gross domestic product and an increase in energy output. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989176/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY U.S. climate envoy calls inflexibility the 'enemy' of a 2015 global deal. U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern is calling for a "creative and flexible" global warming deal in 2015 that allows countries to declare their own emissions targets and attempts to bridge a 20-year-old division between rich and poor nations. Speaking in London today to the Chatham House think tank, Stern will warn that "rigidity is a potential roadblock" when it comes to a new global warming agreement. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989181/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB Fines KS Industries $230,000 for Diesel Fleet Violations. The California Air Resources Board has fined Bakersfield-based KS Industries, an engineering and construction firm, $230,250 for failing to update its diesel trucks to clean up harmful emissions as required by state anti-pollution laws. CARB investigators cited the company for missing two key compliance deadlines. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x196574718/Firm-fined-230-000-for-violating-air-rules http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=25976 Oakland port truckers shut down terminal to protest work conditions, rising costs. A group of truck drivers halted commerce at one of the Port of Oakland's biggest terminals Monday to protest work conditions and the rising costs of hauling cargo out of the busy seaport. Truckers and their supporters picketed outside three entrances to the SSA Marine terminal and effectively shut down cargo traffic because crane operators and other terminal workers refused to cross the protest line. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24353991/some-oakland-port-truckers-stop-working-protest-rising Do Hybrid Construction Machines Pollute More? Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have found that while hybrid construction machines reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, they pollute more smog-forming gases than their nonhybrid counterparts. The school's two-year, $2-million study, funded by California Air Resources Board, evaluated the Caterpillar D7E dozer and Komatsu HB215LC-1 hydraulic excavator in various field trials. Posted. http://enr.construction.com/products/equipment/2013/1021-do-hybrid-construction-machines-pollute-more.asp FUELS Ann Arbor asks for sale of fossil fuel holdings. The Ann Arbor City Council has approved a proposal asking a board to sell off fossil fuel-linked investments in its $429 million municipal pension plan. The Michigan Daily reports (http://bit.ly/16sOf6n ) the resolution that passed Monday was softened from a previously discussed one, using the word "request" instead of "urge." The city's Energy Commission had wanted the council to pass a resolution directing the pension board to sell holdings in the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Ann-Arbor-asks-for-sale-of-fossil-fuel-holdings-4916291.php Fracking California’s Future: Balancing. In September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), legislation creating notification and reporting requirements for oil and gas well operators utilizing well stimulation treatments to increase rock formation permeability – specifically hydraulic fracturing and acid well stimulation. Hydraulic fracturing is a process by which water, sand and other chemicals are pumped at high pressure into rock to create cracks. Posted. http://www.lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/1877-fracking-californias-future-balancing-an-economic-boon-and-environmental-uncertainty.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Calif. high-speed rail begins search for artifacts. Backhoes began digging up a parking lot in downtown Fresno on Monday in search of underground tunnels and artifacts from an 1880s-era Chinatown neighborhood that lies in the path of California's planned high-speed rail network. An archaeological report prepared by the High-Speed Rail Authority indicates crews could find decades-old artifacts on several properties in the area. Posted. http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CA_CALIFORNIA_HIGH_SPEED_RAIL_ARTIFACTS_CAOL-?SITE=CASON&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-21-19-05-51 GREEN ENERGY British lawmakers to quiz energy bosses over price hikes. British lawmakers plan to quiz energy company bosses next week over big increases to household gas and electricity prices, in the midst of a political row over rising energy costs. The Energy and Climate Change Committee said on Tuesday it wanted bosses from the country's big six energy firms, as well as other smaller suppliers, to explain and justify the rises and had invited them to appear before lawmakers on Oct. 29. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/britain-lawmakers-energy-idUSL5N0IC2K120131022 NRG Energy agrees to buy most of Edison Mission for $2.64 billion. NRG Energy Inc., the largest independent U.S. electricity producer, agreed to buy most of the assets of Edison International's bankrupt Edison Mission Energy for $2.64 billion to expand its coal and wind holdings. The purchase price consists of about 12.7 million NRG shares, with the balance to be paid in cash on hand, NRG said. About $1.06 billion is expected to be on hand at Edison Mission on closing. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-edison-mission-nrg-20131021,0,6002950.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29 A French Blueprint to Achieve Energy Indepence. Energy independence is a "straw man" in this country, with political and financial pundits tossing the term around despite the fact that there are no real plans to get there. However, we could get there if we start to rethink our energy dependencies. And, in this regard, France is a model citizen. Just say no. France has decided that it wants nothing to do with fracking, a drilling method that has materially increased the amount of recoverable oil and natural gas in the United States. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/A-French-Blueprint-to-Achieve-Energy-Indepence-4916372.php Environmental group launches crowd-funding campaign to put solar power in schools. One of the nation's largest environmental advocacy groups is throwing its organizational and fundraising muscle behind an effort to bring more solar power to America's schools. The launch of a $54,000 crowd-funding campaign, which seeks donations made online via indiegogo.com, is a first for the New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council …Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989157/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Ikea on track to use 100% renewable energy by 2020, CEO says. Ikea is on track to fulfill all its electricity needs with self-produced renewable power by 2020, CEO Peter Agnefjäll said at the Global Green Growth conference here. "We have to do a lot more than just sell furniture and make profit for our owners," he said. "We want to create a better everyday life. Our vision is to grow Ikea in sync with society and the limits of our planet." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989158/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Hydrogen highway coming to California. Governor Jerry Brown has approved a plan to construct 100 hydrogen fueling stations in California in the next 10 years. [SB Sun] Currently, there are about 300 hydrogen-powered cars in operation in California with only nine fuel stations statewide. But, major automakers, like Toyota, have announced plans to begin selling hydrogen cars in California showrooms beginning in 2015. Posted. https://calcoastnews.com/2013/10/hydrogen-highway-coming-california/ OPINIONS Danny Cullenward: Don't let accounting tricks dominate the carbon market. As the anniversary of California's first carbon market auction approaches, the Air Resources Board has a lot to celebrate. In just a few short years, the board has developed California's comprehensive climate policy system (know as AB 32) into the most important carbon market in the world. With all eyes on California, every step the board takes sets a crucial precedent for how forward-thinking governments can address the climate crisis. That's why it is critical that the board's next step not undo its early success. Thursday, the board will vote to amend the carbon market regulations. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24354840/danny-cullenward-dont-let-accounting-tricks-dominate-carbon BLOGS The shale-gas boom won’t do much for climate change. But it will make us richer. The shale-gas boom in the United States won't keep pushing U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions down in the decades ahead. That's because, in addition to killing off coal-fired plants, cheap gas will also crowd out cleaner energy sources like wind, solar, and nuclear. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/21/the-shale-gas-boom-wont-do-much-for-climate-change-but-it-will-make-us-a-bit-richer/ 7 reasons to consider indoor air-quality testing. Air isn't as light as it seems. It's pushing on your skin right now with up to 15 pounds of pressure per square inch, a weight so familiar you can't feel it. Your lungs feel it, though, especially when it's bogged down with toxins. And while we tend to think of air pollution as an outdoor threat, it can be even worse inside the buildings where we live and work. The causes of indoor air pollution vary from region to region, house to house and even room to room. Posted. http://www.mnn.com/family/protection-safety/stories/7-reasons-to-consider-indoor-air-quality-testing# Clean-water laws: The second front in the war on greenhouse gases. Necessity being the mother of invention, congressional inaction on climate change has forced environmentalists to be creative. Since Congress won’t pass a cap-and-trade bill to control atmospheric emissions, activists are trying to apply existing laws to the problem. In 2007, the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA forced the Environmental Protection Agency to examine whether greenhouse gases harm the public. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/clean-water-laws-second-front-in-the-war-on-greenhouse-gases/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 16:24:59 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 23, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 23, 2013. 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 Jane Goodall pushes regulators to include international forest protections in cap and trade. Famed primate researcher Jane Goodall is lobbying California to include carbon offsets from international forests in its cap-and-trade system. Under the rules of California's economywide carbon market, which went into effect this past January, businesses can use carbon offsets in place of state-issued allowances for up to 8 percent of their total greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989259/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION EPA hits the road to seek input on power plant rules. The U.S. states that already have a plan in place to cut carbon pollution from power plants are likely to make the case to regulators this week that their program offers a viable model for others to follow. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday kicks off an 11-city "listening tour" as part of its effort to craft emissions rules for existing power plants. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/23/usa-climate-epa-idUSL1N0IC21I20131023 India Blocks Talks to Cut Greenhouse Gases Using Ozone Treaty. India is blocking an international plan to reduce the polluting gases used in air conditioners and refrigerators, saying negotiators are trying to use the wrong treaty to bring about changes. International envoys have sought to bypass log-jammed United Nations climate-treaty talks by handing responsibility for reducing hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, to the Montreal Protocol. That’s an instrument designed to protect the ozone layer rather than the climate. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-23/india-blocks-talks-to-cut-greenhouse-gases-using-ozone-treaty.html Beijing Air Worse Than Official Standard 62.5% of Last Quarter. Air quality in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Tianjin and the surrounding province of Hebei failed to meet government standards on 62.5 percent of days in the third quarter, the nation’s environmental ministry said. Seven of 10 Chinese cities with the worst air pollution during the three-month period ended in September were in Hebei, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a statement posted to its website yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-23/beijing-air-worse-than-official-standard-62-5-of-last-quarter.html Valero to pay fine for air quality violations. The Valero Refining Co. has agreed to pay more than $300,000 for repeated air quality violations, including gas leaks, over the past few years, regulators announced Tuesday. The company will pay $300,300 in civil penalties for 33 violations in 2011 and 2012 at its petroleum refinery in Benicia, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Valero-to-pay-fine-for-air-quality-violations-4917926.php DEQ fines ESCO because of air-quality violation. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined the ESCO Corp. $2,200 because of an air-quality permit violation at its Northwest Portland plant. The DEQ said Tuesday the company failed to operate an emissions control system at the steel foundry and casting facility on July 2, and that might have led to excess emissions of particulate matter. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/DEQ-fines-ESCO-because-of-air-quality-violation-4917228.php Intel hopes to keep bad air from hurting computers. In a windowless lab at its Hillsboro campus, Intel scientists are brewing foul air so they can study the effects of air pollution on the innards of computers — a step toward figuring out how to protect electronics in markets such as India and China that have big pollution problems and the potential for big sales growth. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Intel-hopes-to-keep-bad-air-from-hurting-computers-4916944.php EPA awards Okla. tribes grants for air quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded grants to four Oklahoma tribes to monitor air quality on tribal lands. The EPA says the grant money will help the tribes better protect their land from toxic air pollution. The Cherokee Nation has been awarded nearly $438,000, while the Quapaw Tribe has been awarded more than $270,000. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EPA-awards-Okla-tribes-grants-for-air-quality-4916558.php Stagnant air to stay in central San Joaquin Valley. Local air officials have forecast air quality as unhealthy for sensitive groups for a second day in a row on Wednesday in Fresno and Madera counties. "The air isn't moving, nothing is dispersing whether it's ozone or particulates in Fresno County," said Ana Reyes, spokeswoman for San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Although air quality was moderate on Tuesday in many Valley counties…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/22/3567353/stagnant-air-to-stay-in-central.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Australia, U.N. spar over wildfires and climate change. Australia's prime minister accused the U.N.'s climate change chief on Wednesday of "talking through her hat" when she drew a link between wildfires raging in his country and global warming. Firefighters were battling about 60 fires burning across New South Wales state, with strong winds fanning blazes in the Blue Mountains, a major commuter area of small towns west of Sydney. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/23/us-climate-australia-wildfires-idUSBRE99M0U920131023 BHP Board Candidate Says Chairman Misunderstands Climate Change. A former Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) executive who is seeking election to the board of the world’s biggest mining company believes BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) is underestimating the future effects of climate change. Ian Dunlop, 71, once an advocate for the industry as chairman of the Australian Coal Association before turning to promoting climate change awareness, is standing for election to the board of Melbourne-based BHP at its annual general meeting today in London. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-23/bhp-board-candidate-says-chairman-misunderstands-climate-change.html Pollen Study Points to Drought as Culprit in Bronze Age Mystery. More than 3,200 years ago, life was abuzz in and around what is now this modern-day Israeli metropolis on the shimmering Mediterranean shore. To the north lay the mighty Hittite empire; to the south, Egypt was thriving under the reign of the great Pharaoh Ramses II. Cyprus was a copper emporium. Greece basked in the opulence of its elite Mycenaean culture, and Ugarit was a bustling port city on the Syrian coast. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/world/middleeast/pollen-study-points-to-culprit-in-bronze-era-mystery.html?pagewanted=print Americans Consumed Less Energy In 2012, And Pumped Out Less Carbon Dioxide To Do It. The United States emitted less carbon dioxide through energy consumption in 2012, and while this is not the whole picture of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, it is a welcome sign. On Monday, the Energy Information Administration released a report showing that the carbon dioxide pollution we emit as we use energy dropped 3.8 percent in 2012. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/23/americans-consumed-less-energy-2012-pumped-less-carbon-dioxide/#3vMdKbApiT8qiWDa.99 DIESEL EMISSIONS Calif. officials conduct smoke inspections of big rigs in Fresno. Inspectors from the California Air Resources Board and the California Highway Patrol conducted a heavy-duty truck inspection Tuesday along Jensen Avenue between highways 41 and 99. The inspections, which measure the smoke coming out of a truck's exhaust pipes and check for proper engine labeling, are part of efforts to enforce state air-pollution laws governing emissions from trucks. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/22/3567016/state-officials-conduct-smoke.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/22/2988410/state-officials-conduct-smoke.html Oakland truckers strike to protest pollution rules. The truckers' strike at the Port of Oakland stems from complaints over work conditions, but it also underscores a long-simmering tension between the trucking industry and environmental regulators. Dozens of nonunion truckers walked off the job this week in part to protest what they said were the high costs of retrofitting or replacing trucks to meet air quality standards in California, home to cities with some of the worst air pollution in the country. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Oakland-truckers-strike-to-protest-pollution-rules-4917925.php Lowe’s shifts dedicated fleet in Texas to natural gas. Home improvement retailer Lowe’s has shifted its entire dedicated fleet at its Mount Vernon, TX, distribution center to run on natural gas. The distribution center transports up to 68 truckloads per day to stores in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Lowe’s said it expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 20% while controlling fuel costs at the facility. Posted. http://fleetowner.com/running-green/lowe-s-shifts-dedicated-fleet-texas-natural-gas FUELS Coal Industry Eyes Comeback as Efficient Plants Encourage Use. Coal use in the U.S. is set to grow this year and next from a two-decade low as more efficient coal plants that can withstand new environmental regulations supplant old ones, an industry group predicted. Hal Quinn, the president of the National Mining Association, said coal use is projected to be up 7.5 percent this year compared to 2012, and its use will continue unabated through 2020, despite the boost in production of natural gas and a deadline of 2015…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-21/coal-industry-eyes-comeback-as-efficient-plants-encourage-use.html Keystone Foes Pledge Sit-Ins If Pipeline Advances. Critics of the Keystone XL pipeline say they’re still optimistic President Barack Obama will block TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s planned $5.3 billion link between the oil sands in Alberta and refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Just to be sure, they’re organizing a nationwide civil-disobedience campaign to keep up the pressure should the U.S. State Department recommend Obama approve the project. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-23/keystone-foes-pledge-sit-ins-if-pipeline-advances.html In Canada's Alberta province, oil sands boom is a two-edged sword. In the Cree language, the word "athabasca" means "a place where grass is everywhere." Here in Alberta, the Athabasca River slices through forests of spruce and birch before spilling into a vast freshwater delta and Lake Athabasca. But 100 miles upstream, the boreal forest has been peeled back by enormous strip mines, where massive shovels pick up 100 tons of earth at a time and dump it into yellow trucks as big as houses. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-canada-oilsands-cancer-20131021,0,3944866.story#axzz2iZ5MLDOC http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/23/5844769/in-canadas-alberta-province-oil.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY Koch Brother Wages 12-Year Fight Over Wind Farm. If the vast wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound is ever built, William I. Koch will have a spectacular view of it. Of course, that is the last thing he wants. Mr. Koch, a billionaire industrialist who made his fortune in fossil fuels and whose better-known brothers underwrite conservative political causes, has been fighting the wind farm, called Cape Wind, for more than a decade, donating about $5 million and leading an adversarial group against it. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/us/koch-brother-wages-12-year-fight-over-wind-farm.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Rush to deploy clean energy tech is costly recipe for failure – report. Environmentalists' push to rapidly deploy existing clean energy technology instead of focusing on innovation will be an expensive and possibly failed path for reducing heat-trapping carbon emissions, according to a report released today by a nonpartisan Washington, D.C., think tank. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report calls for emphasizing five phases of innovation -- not just deployment…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989299/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Mystery of the 'Missing' Global Warming. Have you heard the one about how global warming stopped in 1998? It’s been called a “pause,” a “hiatus,” a “slowdown” and a “siesta.” Above all, it’s a red herring, and it isn’t difficult to find where some of the ‘missing’ heat has gone. First, in case you haven’t been paying attention: 97 percent of climate scientists agree about global warming and its man-made causes, now with 95 percent certainty, according to a report this month by the IPCC, the world’s most authoritative body of climate scientists. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-23/mystery-of-the-missing-global-warming.html COLUMN-EU, U.S. carbon emissions on downward trend: Wynn. Both European Union and U.S. carbon emissions have fallen sharply over the past five years, but working out whether that will continue requires teasing out short-term and one-off factors, and pinpointing lasting efficiency gains. Some causes are temporary or one-off: clearly, over the last several years energy demand was lower as a result of the financial crisis; while the weather can have a large impact, including a mild 2011/2012 winter in the United States. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/23/column-wynn-co-idUSL5N0IC1RC20131023 Saving the Earth While Killing Some Protected Birds. Wind offers one the lowest-impact, most environmentally benign energy technology available to us today. Regarding Robert Bryce's "Fighting Climate Change by Killing Eagles" (op-ed, Oct. 11): While all forms of energy have some type of impact on the environment, wind offers the lowest-impact, most environmentally benign energy technology available to us today. Plus, wind attracted $25 billion in private investment last year…Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304402104579149492879773288#printMode One year after Sandy — ignoring climate change at our own peril. It’s been one year since Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the eastern coast of the United States, affecting 24 states and devastating parts of New Jersey and New York. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed. Millions were left without power. As many as 100 people died; most of whom drowned as the storm surged in Staten Island and Queens. At $65 billion, Sandy was the second costliest storm in U.S. history. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/katrina-vanden-heuvel-one-year-after-sandy--ignoring-climate-change-at-our-own-peril/2013/10/22/5d34cd52-3a52-11e3-a94f-b58017bfee6c_story.html LOIS HENRY: Enforcing smog rules this way is bad for business. I've been saying for years, to no avail, that new rules requiring drastically reduced emissions from trucks, buses and heavy equipment were going to cost far more than they would ever benefit the public in terms of better health. Now, those rules are coming home to roost. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/local/x196574834/LOIS-HENRY-Enforcing-smog-rules-this-way-is-bad-for-business?utm_campaign=flyout&utm_medium=flyout&utm_source=columnists_lois_henry Editorial: Limit on greenhouse gases faces court challenge. This wasn't the dramatic news that opponents of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were hoping for: Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to consider a variety of challenges to the EPA's effort to slash greenhouse gas emissions. But the news wasn't a total victory for environmentalists. Posted. http://www.currentargus.com/carlsbad-opinion/ci_24368795/edit-epa Oil and gas development is key to US future. Don't ban it. Regulate it. Oil and gas production through 'fracking' and horizontal drilling will improve US energy security – and support US foreign policy. This development should be encouraged. The reasonable response to environmental and health concerns is sensible regulation, not wholesale bans. Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and horizontal drilling are allowing the United States to produce greater quantities of domestic oil and gas, bringing closer the once unthinkable prospect of America being a net energy exporter within the next decade. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2013/1023/Oil-and-gas-development-is-key-to-US-future.-Don-t-ban-it.-Regulate-it BLOGS Is China the last hope for carbon capture technology? Remember carbon capture and storage? Five years ago, the idea of grabbing the carbon dioxide from coal and gas power plants and burying it deep underground was considered an essential technology for curbing the world's greenhouse-gas emissions. But carbon capture hasn't fared well in the years since. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/22/is-china-the-last-hope-for-carbon-capture-technology/?print=1 Exploring Solar, Efficiency, Gas and More with Amory Lovins and Joel Makower. Last Thursday I spent a half hour onstage in San Francisco discussing energy trends and choices with the energy analyst Amory B. Lovins and green business maven Joel Makower. This was the capping event of Verge 2013, a conference on commerce and sustainability run by Makower’s GreenBiz Group. The talk (preceded by my performance of “Liberated Carbon”) is energetic, tight and, I think, well worth watching. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/exploring-solar-efficiency-gas-and-more-with-amory-lovins-and-joel-makower/?ref=earth A Climate and Energy Roundup. If you care about greenhouse-driven global warming and related energy policies, I encourage you to subscribe to the “Hot News” feed from Climate Nexus and/or the Daily Climate. To keep a full view of the debate over relevant policies, you’d also do well to track the flow of links from the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a pro-fossil, anti-regulation group* in Great Britain. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/a-climate-and-energy-roundup/?ref=earth JURUPA VALLEY: School board backs solar farm plan. The Jurupa Unified School District board of education on Monday, Oct. 21, voted to expand its solar energy program to include two “solar farms” to be constructed on two school campuses. The vote was 5-0. Representatives of Chevron Energy Solutions — which will oversee the project for the district — told board members that when the solar panels at Mission Middle School and Nueva Vista Continuation School become operational…Posted. http://blog.pe.com/education/2013/10/22/jurupa-valley-school-board-backs-solar-farm-plan/ SCAQMD Moves To Shut Down Lead Smelter Exide. Exide Technologies is a lead-acid battery recycling company in Vernon, California, with a history of air pollution and soil pollution problems. Exide has been operating with an interim permit to dispose of its waste issued by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) since 1981 – over thirty years – with no environmental review. It is the only facility in California that DTSC has treated this way. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dpettit/scaqmd_moves_to_shut_down_lead.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 14:17:16 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 25, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 25, 2013. 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. ZERO EMISSIONS VEHICLES California, 7 Other States Push to Get More Zero Emission Vehicles on Road. In the past three years, Americans have bought just 140,000 electric and plug-in hybrid cars. But sales are increasing. They more than tripled in 2012. Now the governors of eight states have signed an agreement to take steps they hope will increase the market share of Zero Emission Vehicles. “We’re in the midst of a transformation, our job is to try to make it happen faster and more successfully,” says Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/10/24/california,-7-other-states-push-to-get-more-zero-emission-vehicles-on-road/ http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_24382536/eight-states-join-forces-promote-zero-emission-vehicles http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989406/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Canada Greenhouse Gas Emissions Set to Rise, Government Says. Canada, the world’s seventh-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, will increase output of carbon dioxide through 2020, failing to meet a government pledge to lower emissions, Environment Canada said today. Without further measures to curb carbon output, emissions will increase to 734 megatonnes by 2020 from 701 megatonnes in 2011, Environment Canada said today on its website. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-24/canada-greenhouse-gas-emissions-set-to-rise-government-says.html Response to a City’s Smog Points to a Change in Chinese Attitude. Emergency measures came swiftly in Harbin, the northeastern city blanketed with hazardous smog this week: Schools were shut down, buses ordered off the roads, the airport closed, police roadblocks set up to check tailpipe emissions from cars. City officials even fanned out in the surrounding countryside, ordering farmers to stop burning the cornstalks left in their fields after the harvest. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/world/asia/smoggy-days-in-harbin-prompt-quick-reaction.html?pagewanted=all&pagewanted=print Breathe easier with help from The Doctors. It kills more Americans than stroke, Alzheimer's and diabetes. And if that's not enough to make you pay attention to COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, consider this: an estimated 24 million people have it, but about half don't know it. Many people mistake increased shortness of breath as a normal part of aging; it's not. Plus, COPD…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/weekend/health/doctors/2013/10/25/the-doctors-breathe-easier/3183965/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+newsmain2+%28USATODAY+-+News+Flipboard%29 Imperial County, Imperial Irrigation District sign Memorandum of Understanding for Salton Sea. The Imperial County Board of Supervisors and the directors of the Imperial Irrigation District held a special signing ceremony today at the Salton Sea commemorating a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines how the county, the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District and the IID will work together to restore California's largest and most troubled inland lake and avert severe harm to public health…Posted. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/imperial-valley/5730-imperial-county-imperial-irrigation-district-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-for-salton-sea.html As Keystone XL battle rages, Canada claims 'success' with climate record. As the debate continues over the climate impact of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline, the Canadian government released a report yesterday saying it is "achieving success" at controlling greenhouse gases. Environmentalists, however, criticized Environment Canada's annual emissions trend report for showing that the country's projected greenhouse gas emissions through 2020 are higher than last year and are short of climate targets under the Copenhagen Accord. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989405/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Australia PM: Climate change not causing wildfires. The government staunchly rejected arguments that climate change is causing the wildfires ravaging parts of eastern Australia following a record hot start to the spring season. "That is complete hogwash," Prime Minister Tony Abbott told News Corp. Australian newspapers in an interview published on Friday. Environment Minister Greg Hunt backed his prime minister, saying no individual event can be linked to climate change. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AUSTRALIA_WILDFIRES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/us-usa-wildfires-smoke-idUSBRE99O03J20131025 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/24/5850906/australia-wildfires-not-linked.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/24/wildfires-smoke-climate-change-harm-health/3173165/ http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/24/2992626/australia-wildfires-not-linked.html http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24384765/australia-pm-climate-change-not-causing-wildfires?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24384765/australia-pm-climate-change-not-causing-wildfires?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/24/3571172/australia-wildfires-not-linked.html http://world.time.com/2013/10/23/australias-epic-wildfires-likely-affected-by-climate-change-no-matter-what-prime-minister-says/ Three U.S. states, British Columbia to ink climate pact. California governor Jerry Brown said on Thursday he plans to sign an agreement to formally align the state's climate and clean energy policies with those of Oregon, Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Brown will host the governors of the northwestern states and British Columbia's environment minister in San Francisco on Monday to announce the partnership and details of an agreement aligning their climate strategies. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/24/us-usa-environment-idUSBRE99N1K720131024?feedType=RSS Indonesia forests still dwindle despite reforms. t home and abroad, Indonesia is highlighting its progress in curbing the environmental destruction that has depleted forests and made the Southeast Asian nation a leading source of greenhouse gases. But environmentalists are unconvinced. They say pulp and palm oil plantations are still expanding at an alarming rate in Sumatran forests, despite efforts by the government and industry. That expansion has contributed to climate change and threatens endangered tigers and orangutans. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Indonesia-forests-still-dwindle-despite-reforms-4921746.php http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989407/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Some Good News About U.S. Carbon Emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from power and industrial plants in the U.S. fell 4.5 percent in 2012, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, and they’re down 10 percent since emissions tracking from the power sector began in 2010. Although Americans are consuming slightly less electricity, much of the decline in emissions has resulted from natural gas displacing coal. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-24/some-good-news-about-u-dot-s-dot-carbon-emissions New 'dashboard' display seeks to bring world up to speed on state's climate progress. A new online tool seeks to explain California's sweeping suite of climate policies in one fell swoop. The California Carbon Dashboard, by the nonprofit Climate Policy Initiative, aggregates news, state agency announcements and real-time tweets about the Golden State's pioneering approach to managing its greenhouse gas emissions. The site provides particular detail on the state's economywide cap-and-trade program, which went into effect this year…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989408/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY India stalls action to eliminate 'super greenhouse gases' India has blocked progress toward an international agreement to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), gases with thousands of times the global warming power of carbon dioxide. The South Asian giant refused to allow discussions on the technical details of an HFC phaseout at the 25th Montreal Protocol meeting in Bangkok. It is the last big superpower to stand in the way of what some see as the one of the most effective methods for curbing climate change. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989409/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Devil’s Gate Dam cleanup will generate hundreds of truck trips, air pollution. A long-awaited environmental review of the Devil’s Gate Dam project released Thursday estimates the removal of between 2.4 million and 4 million cubic yards of backed-up sediment will require a maximum of 400 truck trips per day for five years. The draft environmental impact report for the Devil’s Gate Dam sediment removal project says the project, which may begin in 2015, will pollute the local air…Posted. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/environment-and-nature/20131024/report-devils-gate-dam-cleanup-will-generate-hundreds-of-truck-trips-air-pollution FUELS CORRECTED-Poland could halve demand for coal by 2030, study says. Poland could halve its demand for coal by 2030 with a shift to renewable energies that would end its image as a laggard in European Union efforts to slow climate change, a study showed on Friday. The report, by researchers in Germany and Poland, renewable energy groups and environmental group Greenpeace, included a foreword by ex-Polish Environment Minister Maciej Nowicki who called it a "feasible, realistic scenario". Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/climate-poland-idUSL5N0IE2PQ20131025 UPDATE 1-Malaysia to help palm sector with new biodiesel blend rules. Malaysia is set to impose a requirement for biodiesel to use 7 percent palmoil, up from 5 percent now, as a way of whittling down palmoil stocks and cushioning prices in the face of growing competition from other edible oils. Industry and government officials in the world's second-biggest palmoil producer said the "B7" biodiesel blend could be mandatory from December as talks with interested parties were nearing a conclusion. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/malaysia-biodiesel-idUSL3N0IF2FI20131025 Wall Street Demands Answers From Fossil Fuel Producers on 'Unburnable' Carbon. Groundbreaking initiative is forcing an investor rethink: What's the value of fossil fuel stocks if companies must leave reserves in the ground? A well-heeled coalition of investors is asking top fossil fuel companies to calculate the risks of plowing billions into new oil, gas and coal projects. They fear that carbon emission limits and slowing demand will turn them into bad investments that leave investors worse off. Posted. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20131024/wall-street-demands-answers-fossil-fuel-producers-unburnable-carbon?page=show Global demand for fossil fuels continues to rise. Despite concerted global efforts to reduce carbon emissions through the expansion of clean and renewable energy resources, fossil fuels continued to dominate the global energy sector in 2012, according to new figures released yesterday by the Worldwatch Institute. Coal, natural gas and oil accounted for 87 percent of the world's primary energy consumption last year, the group reported in a new "Vital Signs Online" report. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989393/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Coalition of investors calls for fossil fuel companies to develop low-carbon business plan. Fossil fuels used to be one of the safest investments a person could make, but as anti-pollution policy takes shape around the world and companies go to greater extremes to find reserves, this could soon no longer be the case, according to a coalition of 70 investors worth more than $3 trillion. What these investors are now asking is for fossil fuel companies to develop a new business plan for how they will remain profitable in an increasingly low-carbon world. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989396/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Feds won't investigate Tesla electric car fire. U.S. auto safety regulators have decided not to open a formal investigation into the Oct. 2 fire that damaged a Tesla electric car near Seattle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday there's no indication at this time that the fire was caused by a safety defect or that there was any violation of federal vehicle safety standards. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TESLA_FIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/24/2992061/feds-wont-investigate-tesla-electric.html Power in Numbers: The Benefits of Entering Fleet-Vehicle Territory. In 2007, Namasté Solar, a company that installs solar-power units, acquired a used Dodge Sprinter diesel cargo van. "We could run B20 biodiesel in it," says Max Christian, co-founder and COO of the Boulder, Colo.-based operation. "It got almost 25 mpg, which was much better than a Ford Econoline van, and at the time it was a unique vehicle. It fit our image, and it was the cheapest, best vehicle we could afford." Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/25/idUS242187030920131025 The Future of Diesel in America. Auto manufacturers — including Audi — are constantly exploring alternative ways to power their automobiles. Recent advancements in lithium-ion battery technology have allowed hybrid and full-electric cars to drive further on electric power alone, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are in development as well. But today and for the foreseeable future, diesel offers a practically unbeatable combination of efficiency, lower emissions, and performance. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/wp/2013/10/23/the-future-of-diesel-in-america/ Musk Scorns Hydrogen Vehicles Seen as Tesla Credit Threat: Cars. Elon Musk, the outspoken co-founder of electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc., is turning his sharp tongue toward a new target: hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. He argues that such cars are currently rare and expensive, with few locations to refuel. And while the vehicles, such as those being developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co., emit only water vapor, the hydrogen fuel can be expensive and dirty to produce. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Musk-Scorns-Hydrogen-Vehicles-Seen-as-Tesla-4925020.php Can condos and electric cars co-exist? Electric cars and charging equipment are an easy fit for a single-family homeowner with a garage. For condo and apartment dwellers -- not so much. More than one-third of San Diego County residents live in multi-family units, where overnight charging facilities are rarely available. The California Energy Commission is teaming up with local government and private partners to come up with solutions to that equation in San Diego. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/25/condo-electric-cars/ GREEN ENERGY City to Fit All Streetlights With Energy-Saving LED Bulbs. The amber glow of the New York City streetlight is going away. In an energy-saving effort, the city plans to replace all of its 250,000 streetlights with brighter, whiter, energy-saving, light-emitting diode fixtures in one of the nation’s largest retrofitting projects, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, said in a news conference on Thursday. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/25/nyregion/city-to-fit-all-streetlights-with-energy-saving-led-bulbs.html?pagewanted=print Residential solar rebates extended. San Diego households adding rooftop solar panels will be eligible for an additional $5 million in rebates. State utility regulators approved the rebate extension on Wednesday, at the request of the California Center for Sustainable Energy, which administers the incentive program for customers of San Diego Gas & Electric. The decision shifts some money away from incentives for nonresidential solar projects. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/24/home-solar-rebates-extended/ OPINIONS Column: Grangemouth refinery falls victim to U.S. shale: Kemp. There is probably no long-term commercial future for the oil refinery and associated petrochemicals plant at Grangemouth in Scotland even if the current owners, Ineos and PetroChina, can resolve their dispute with workers and the labor union. Excess capacity in the refining industry, especially in Europe, and the shale revolution in North America will continue to pressurize Grangemouth and Britain's other oil refineries. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/24/us-britain-refinery-idUSBRE99N0OA20131024 Clearing the Air in China. In the northeast Chinese city of Harbin this week, the air pollution was so thick that schools were closed, traffic became gridlocked and flights in and out of the metropolis were canceled. For years, severe air pollution and ever rising carbon emissions have been downsides to China’s economic growth, even as that growth has lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/opinion/international/clearing-the-air-in-china.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1382715516-IJm+xfo82GyYAFMDh2VnKA Viewpoints: Coal mine methane offsets are a bad fit for California and its clean energy law. California’s historic clean-energy law could become a $300 million source of new revenue for the coal industry if a state regulatory agency votes today to allow California’s major polluters to offset their emissions by purchasing credits from methane-reducing projects at coal mines located primarily out of state. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/25/5849985/viewpoints-coal-mine-methane-offsets.html#storylink=cpy Energy Risk: Carbon Budgets and US Emissions. The Carbon Brief has a must-read article up, Carbon briefing: Making sense of the IPCC’s new carbon budget that points out the precarious nature of our emissions situation: So how big is the budget? For it to remain likely that we stay below two degrees, the total amount of carbon released through carbon dioxide emissions must be less than 1000 billion tonnes, the IPCC says. ‘Likely’ here means a 66 per cent chance. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/lougrinzo/293201/carbon-budgets-and-us-emissions BLOGS The Climate Post: EIA Says Carbon Emissions Decline. In 2012, energy-related carbon emissions in the United States declined 3.8 percent even as global carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.4 percent, according the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The recorded 5.29 million metric tons of carbon dioxide amounted to the largest decline since 1994, continuing a downward trend that started in 2007. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-profeta/the-climate-post-eia-says_b_4163138.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 14:33:43 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 28, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 28, 2013. 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. ZERO EMISSION VEHICLES Tenn. officials steer clear of zero-emissions plan. the Nissan plant in Tennessee that makes the all-electric Leaf stands to benefit from an announcement this week that eight states will work together to dramatically increase the number of zero-emission cars on the nation's roads. But Tennessee isn't among the states signing the agreement, and Republican leaders say they have no plans to do so. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Tenn-officials-steer-clear-of-zero-emissions-plan-4931641.php CAP AND TRADE State hears objections to business-friendly cap-and-trade changes. California is readying a controversial suite of changes to its cap-and-trade program that are drawing heated opposition from environmentalists who say they could weaken its environmental integrity. The changes, intended to make the state's greenhouse gas market friendlier to businesses that have to participate, include more free allowances for industry, adjustments to market rules and the ability to buy carbon offsets from coal mines. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989487/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION China to monitor link between smog and health. China's Health Ministry will set up a national network within five years to provide a way of monitoring the long-term impact of chronic air pollution on human health, state media said on Monday. The network will gather data on PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers, in different locations around the country, the report said, citing a ministry statement. "The document noted that the absence of a long-term, systematic monitoring system has…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/28/us-china-environment-idUSBRE99R0L320131028 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-28/china-to-start-monitoring-pollution-effects-in-worst-hit-cities.html Study to look at causes of surging ozone pollution in Texas. When ozone pollution skyrocketed in the tiny town of Boulder, Wyo., in 2008, it was relatively easy to identify the culprit as oil and gas drilling, the only major industry in the rural area. Today, a similar situation in San Antonio, Texas, will be more difficult to resolve. The city has violated federal ozone standards dozens of times since 2008, but with so much industrial activity in and around the city…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/27/5856227/study-to-look-at-causes-of-surging.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/27/5856227/study-to-look-at-causes-of-surging.html China's Smog Is So Bad You Can See It From Space. NOAA just published this satellite picture of China, which shows just how bad its smog problem really is. This week the smog was so bad it shut down Harbin, a city of 11 million people. Small particulate matter (with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers) reached a reading of 1,000 in some parts of Harbin. More than 300 is considered "hazardous," and the city has been forced to shut down schools, airports, and buses because of the air. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/China-s-Smog-Is-So-Bad-You-Can-See-It-From-Space-4926903.php Blustery day in S.J. topples trees, cuts power; air quality worsens. Gusting winds that reached highs of 44 mph caused a flurry of downed tree limbs and power lines, and at least one large power outage in Stockton on Sunday night. Air quality was also downgraded to a status of "unhealthy for sensitive groups." Pacific Gas & Electric spokeswoman Jana Morris said downed power lines caused an outage for 117 customers…Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131028/A_NEWS/310280317&cid=sitesearch SALTON SEA: Air district to track foul gas. Next time, residents might get some warning before a belch of foul-smelling gas from the Salton Sea hits the Inland area. Air quality officials this week installed two monitors in the Coachella Valley near the sea to track the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20131025-salton-sea-air-district-to-track-foul-gas.ece Imperial Valley residents advised to monitor air quality as temperatures cool off. With the temperatures cooling off in the Imperial Valley, residents are advised to monitor the air quality in their area. Typically this time of year brings more unhealthy air quality, especially in Calexico because of idling vehicles at the border crossing and burning that happens at night in Mexicali, said Imperial County Air Pollution Control Officer Brad Poirez. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/imperial-valley-residents-advised-to-monitor-air-quality-as-temperatures/article_d36b2584-3e12-11e3-9c32-0019bb30f31a.html Imperial Valley students to speak on health impacts of poor air quality. Community, local leaders and decision makers are invited to “STOP AND LISTEN” to local high school students to discuss the negative health impacts of poor air quality in the Imperial Valley. Students from three high schools around Imperial County will base their presentations on the recently released white paper “Health Impacts of Border Crossing Emissions,” written by Dr. Penelope Quintana of San Diego State University, according to a press release from the Imperial Valley Child Asthma Program. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/imperial-valley-students-to-speak-on-health-impacts-of-poor/article_3c30bddc-3edf-11e3-891d-0019bb30f31a.html Court sets oral argument date for EPA mercury rule case. Federal judges Friday scheduled oral arguments for Dec. 10 in a major challenge to U.S. EPA's landmark mercury and air toxics standards. States and industry groups are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to strike down one of the highest-profile environmental accomplishments of President Obama's first term. EPA finalized its Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule in December 2011. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989513/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Coalition of 13 EU Ministers Urges Action on Climate Policies. Environment and energy ministers from 13 European Union countries joined forces to call on the bloc to agree on ambitious emission-reduction rules for the next decade and strengthen the EU’s carbon market. The ministers, who believe tackling climate change will help foster economic growth in the 28-nation bloc, urged the EU at a conference in Brussels today to provide regulatory certainty to investors. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-28/coalition-of-13-eu-ministers-urges-action-on-climate-policies.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/28/us-climate-eu-idUSBRE99R0G320131028 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/business/energy-environment/consol-energy-to-sell-5-coal-mines.html?_r=0 West Coast states and BC to link climate policies. The governors of Western U.S. states and a Canadian province will announce a partnership to collectively combat climate change and promote clean energy. Governors of California, Oregon, Washington and the premier of British Columbia on Monday will announce the partnership at an event in San Francisco. Few specifics were available. Gov. Jerry Brown's office said the states and Canada will formally align climate policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and industrial sources. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/28/west-coast-states-and-bc-to-link-climate-policies/ http://www.siliconbeat.com/2013/10/27/west-coast-climate-agreement-coming-monday/ Capitol Alert: AM Alert: Jerry Brown, other governors to sign climate accord. Fresh off his trip to Washington, D.C., Gov. Jerry Brown will join his West Coast gubernatorial brethren and Canadian officials today to ink a climate change accord. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and environmental officials from British Columbia will join Brown in San Francisco to sign the pact. Stay tuned for more details. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/28/3576652/capitol-alert-am-alert-jerry-brown.html Scripps scientist seeks soot solution for India. In the late 1990’s Scripps professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan led an international team of researchers that identified the brown cloud of soot wafting from India, and warned of its contribution to climate change. This year he released a report showing that diesel emissions reductions aimed at cutting pollution deaths in California have the serendipitous effect of curbing climate change. Now Ramanathan, an Indian-born researcher for Scripps Institution of Oceanography, is bringing his expertise home. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/25/environment-scripps-oceanography-soot-ramanathan/ Climate change expert says Earth is having its 'Independence Day' moment (Q&A). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Earth's climate system is a “complex, interactive system consisting of the atmosphere, land surface, snow and ice, oceans and other bodies of water and living things.” And, yes, the scientific community pores over all kinds of data related to this system every day. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24402089/climate-change-expert-says-earth-is-having-its http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24402089/climate-change-expert-says-earth-is-having-its?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Greenhouse gas levels rose 11% over 1 year in Calif. Green California led the country in greenhouse gas emissions between 2011 and 2012, according to an analysis of U.S. EPA's recently released data. A wet year in 2011 ramped up hydropower generation in the state, which led to a relative drop in that renewable energy in 2012. The decommissioning of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station also raised emissions...Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989488/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists discover clue to longer-range heat wave prediction – study Heat waves are the deadliest weather threat in the United States, killing more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes combined. They're also expected to become more frequent and more severe with climate change. One way to minimize the negative effects of heat waves is to predict them earlier. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989465/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Calif.’s reefer unit compliance extension deadline is Thursday. Just a few days are left for owners of 2006 transport refrigeration units to apply for a compliance extension of California TRU regulation. Owners of reefers and TRU generator sets must comply with the rule’s in-use performance standards by Dec. 31. Orders for verified diesel emissions control strategies, such as Level 3 diesel particulate filters, must be placed by Oct. 31. The state Air Resources Board stipulates if emissions control equipment is ordered before the deadline, but delivery or installation is delayed, the buyer can apply for an extension. Posted. http://www.ccjdigital.com/calif-s-reefer-unit-compliance-extension-deadline-is-thursday/ FUELS CONSOL to sell 5 mines for at least $850M in cash. CONSOL Energy Inc. said Monday it is selling all five of its longwall coal mines in West Virginia to a subsidiary of Ohio-based Murray Energy for a deal that includes $850 million in cash. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer J. Brett Harvey said the sale of the Consolidation Coal Co. subsidiary was a difficult decision but is good for the company's long-term growth and allows CONSOL to focus more on natural gas exploration and development. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CONSOL_MINE_SALE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/28/consolenergy-minesale-idUSL1N0II0HO20131028 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303471004579163321890573890?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection BY SUBSCRIPTION http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/consol-energy-reaches-deal-to-sell-group-of-5-mines-for-at-least-850m-in-cash/2013/10/28/e3b68ebe-3fd0-11e3-b028-de922d7a3f47_story.html In Response to Storm, New York Will Create a Gas Reserve. New York is creating a gasoline reserve to prevent shortages during disasters, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office announced in a news release on Saturday.The reserve is expected to hold three million gallons of fuel, Mr. Cuomo’s office said, and it would be the first state gasoline reserve in the nation. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/nyregion/in-response-to-storm-new-york-will-create-a-gas-reserve.html?ref=earth Asheville, NC, asks Duke to cut its coal reliance. When the city launched an ambitious plan to slash its carbon footprint, a major obstacle stood in its way: A massive coal-fired plant on the edge of town. After some progress, Ashville decided to take another step — passing a resolution calling on Duke Energy to reduce its reliance on coal, a move designed to cut carbon dioxide emissions at the company's Asheville Plant. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/26/2994726/asheville-nc-asks-duke-to-cut.html#storylink=cpy Midwestern Ethanol Producers Challenge California Global-Warming Regulations. A federal appeals court in California is mulling whether to reconsider a September ruling that upheld state global-warming regulations on ethanol producers. Critics say the decision gives the Golden State carte blanche to regulate virtually anything it doesn’t like, regardless of the impact on interstate commerce. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in Rocky Mountain Farmers Union v. Corey, upheld California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program, which grades ethanol based on the “lifecycle” greenhouse gas emissions associated with its production. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2013/10/25/midwestern-ethanol-producers-challenge-california-law-that-penalizes-them/ VEHICLES Charging electric vehicles disrupts power grids less than expected. As electric vehicle sales rev up, there are concerns that more battery-powered and plug-in hybrid cars might disrupt the nation's power grids. If a large number of electric vehicles (EVs) in close proximity plug in at peak times -- like after work on a hot summer's day -- it could prompt a power surge and overwhelm the local transformer. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989466/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Scientists use 'actuators' to manipulate air flow and raise fuel efficiency of vehicles using plasma. To squeeze out a few more miles per gallon, it may make sense not to go with the flow but to channel it. As vehicles get larger and faster, the air moving around them becomes a bigger energy drain. Semi-trailers and airliners have to contend with turbulent eddies pulling on their expansive surface areas, forcing engines to work harder. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989490/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY IU building is gold standard for energy efficiency. There are no dividers between employees at the Cyberinfrastructure Building. Work stations face the building's glass exterior, large windows offering a view into the real world, an alternative from computer backgrounds with beaches and palm trees. It's a view, but it's also a necessary feature for the greenest building at Indiana University. In becoming only IU's second LEED Gold building — accumulating a university best 74 points from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design scale…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/IU-building-is-gold-standard-for-energy-efficiency-4932286.php Solar switch forces utilities to shift priorities. Sitting on a rooftop, soaking up sun, the humble solar panel may not look like a threat to a multibillion-dollar industry. But some electric utility executives say it is. They even have a name for the nightmare scenario solar could create - the "death spiral." They fear solar's rapid spread across homes and businesses, combined with the increasing efficiency of modern buildings and appliances, could slowly erode the utilities' ability to grow. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Solar-switch-forces-utilities-to-shift-priorities-4929363.php Polls show energy doesn’t spark Americans’ interest. The U.S. is a rising energy power with soaring oil and gas production and lots of big decisions to make about pipelines, fracking, the future of wind and solar power, and how to tackle climate change. But the public may not be paying much attention. Recent polls show that Americans are largely disengaged from the fierce energy debates that embroil the capital and that many people know few details…Posted. http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/polls-show-energy-doesnt-spark-americans-interest-98904.html#ixzz2j2yWXh6F MISCELLANEOUS Village Commons Collection invites homebuyers to tour solar powered town homes in Camarillo. Visit the Village Commons Collection today to learn about the many environmental benefits of living in this beautiful community as well as how a new home puts money back in your wallet. And while you’re there, be a part of the FOOD Share drive happening at the sales office. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/oct/26/village-commons-collection-invites-homebuyers-tour/#ixzz2j2HHWtXu OPINIONS Column - Sandy +1: Preparing for the storms ahead One year ago Tuesday, Hurricane Sandy, perhaps the largest Atlantic storm ever, began its path of destruction in New York City. It ultimately killed almost 300 people across seven countries. In the United States alone, the fierce storm left an estimated $70 billion in damage in its wake, the second-costliest storm in U.S. history. Substantial money and effort has now gone into rebuilding the areas most devastated by the storm. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/28/us-column-great-debate-idUSBRE99R05420131028 Editorial: Long Story Short It took less than a week to be reminded of the flaw in the Department of Environmental Conservation's new "police yourselves" policy, courtesy of a tour of the Norlite hazardous waste incinerator. In the mid-2000s, the Cohoes company was so squirrely with its monitoring and reporting that the DEC in a 2010 settlement fined Norlite and its former owners $90,000, ordered repairs of its kilns and other equipment…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Editorial-Long-Story-Short-4929503.php Is Biofuel the Oil Killer? Oil and gasoline heat our homes and power our vehicles, with industry giants like ExxonMobil quickly coming to mind. However, there are alternatives to oil that are increasingly becoming viable options. More of the same. There's good reason to like ExxonMobil beyond the fact that over 19,000 of its gas stations dot the globe. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Is-Biofuel-the-Oil-Killer-4932014.php Letter: 'Green brand' would help area The Owens Corning factory in Bethlehem has the largest solar power project under the state's renewable energy subsidy program ("State plugs solar farms," Oct. 18). Funded by Constellation New Energy and NYSERDA, this 2.7-mega-watt facility will provide 6 percent of the electricity consumed at the factory. This is just one of many projects going on, or proposed, that promise to make the Bethlehem a model of sustainable development and resource efficiency. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letter-Green-brand-would-help-area-4930809.php Time to discard state's recycling law? "Seinfeld" fans might remember that 1996 episode when Kramer and Newman came up with a scheme to exploit Michigan's 10-cent deposit on beverage containers. They decided to load a mail truck with bottles and cans from New York - where the deposit was merely 5 cents - to redeem for double the value. Their plan was disrupted when Jerry's car was stolen by a psychotic auto mechanic, but not before a succession of guffaws. In California, interstate shipment of recyclables is no laughing matter. It's a thriving business, albeit an illegal one. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/diaz/article/Time-to-discard-state-s-recycling-law-4926892.php Fixing California: Regulation gone wild. On March 12, 2009, officials from the California Air Resources Board met with representatives of U.S. automakers and auto-supply firms to discuss vehicle-paint standards that state regulators were moving to implement. Soon afterward, the auto-industry insiders’ WardsAuto website detailed how the meeting had left some attendees stunned — and major paint suppliers “tearing their hair out.” The air board wanted to require heat-reflecting paint on vehicles as part of its effort to improve fuel efficiency. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/26/regulators-gone-wild/ Our air may get help from afar. Our view: Butte County has learned that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose with the government's uneven air laws. The business of regulating air quality is more than a little bit strange, as evidenced recently by the fact that a pollution violation by a trio of businesses in Mississippi is very likely to help clean the air in Butte County, roughly 2,220 miles away. The three companies imported and sold more than 80,000 engines that didn't meet the United States' pollution standards. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/editorials/ci_24396208/editorial-our-air-may-get-help-from-afar Shopping for cleaner environment. In theory, it seems like a solid concept - ban plastic shopping bags, putting an end to a lot of visual and environmental pollution. In a practical sense, it's far more complicated, even as the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors considers just such a ban. Dozen of public agencies across California have banned the use of plastic bags, including the city of Santa Barbara. Hawaii last year became the first to impose a statewide ban. Posted. http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/opinion/editorial/shopping-for-cleaner-environment/article_d0759412-3e9f-11e3-a7a9-0019bb2963f4.html?print=true&cid=print California's Crude Attack On Oil Imports Makes Other States Green With Enmity. A federal court must clear the air regarding whether California’s new low-carbon fuel standard mandate is in violation of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause. The fact that the policy violates common sense in terms of any purported environmental or climate benefit is another matter entirely. After all, we’re dealing with California’s very unique brand of green logic here. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/10/27/californias-crude-attack-on-oil-imports-makes-other-states-green-with-enmity/ BLOGS Why world can't agree over climate change. China has brought us a new English word: "Airpocalypse." The northeastern city of Harbin was paralyzed last week by terrible smog and air pollution. Visibility was down to just a few meters. Highways and schools were closed, the airport was shut down. Pedestrians could barely get around. The images are a vivid reminder of the impacts of industrial growth, especially when powered by dirty fuels like coal, which accelerates not only pollution but also climate change. Posted. http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/26/why-world-cant-agree-over-climate-change/ Update: CARB Defers Action on Coal Mine Methane Offsets. Late today, the California Air Resources Board directed staff to conduct additional analysis and respond to concerns raised about a proposal to allow the state’s major polluters to use reductions from methane emissions from coal mines as a way to comply with California’s AB 32 clean energy law, which could become a significant source of new revenue for the coal industry. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/pmiller/update_carb_defers_action_on_c.html Yes, CO2 emissions are down, but they have much further to go. Last week, environmentalists got a rare bit of good news: U.S. CO2 emissions dropped 3.8 percent in 2012, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That brings emissions to their lowest level since 1994, and represents the fifth drop in seven years. And unlike some previous years, the drop was not the silver lining to a shrinking economy: The economy grew by 2.8 percent in 2012. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/yes-co2-emissions-are-down-but-they-have-much-further-to-go/ Health Effects Of Air Pollution To Be Monitored In China As Smog Raises Safety Concerns. China's Health Ministry will set up a national network within five years to provide a way of monitoring the long-term impact of chronic air pollution on human health, state media said on Monday. The network will gather data on PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers, in different locations around the country, the report said, citing a ministry statement. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/health-effects-of-air-pollution-china_n_4169696.html The Climate Change Disconnect. Recently, "good" news about energy has been gushing out of North America, where a cheering crowd of pundits, energy experts, and government officials has been plugging the U.S. as the "Saudi Arabia" of the twenty-first century. You know, all that fracking and those luscious deposits of oil shale and gas shale just waiting to be pounded into shape to fill global gas tanks for an energy-rich future. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-engelhardt/north-america-fossil-fuels_b_4169841.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 11:28:25 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 29, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 29, 2013. 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 'Check Before You Light' advisory resumes Friday. An annual program aimed at reducing wintertime air pollution will go into effect again Friday. The Butte County Air Quality Management District's "Check Before You Light" advisories will begin being issued Nov. 1, asking residents to forgo indoor wood heating fires on days when air quality is forecast to be bad. Each afternoon through February, the district releases a forecast for the following day. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_24407807/check-before-you-light-advisory-resumes-friday Agencies to measure “rotten egg” gas at Salton Sea. Recently installed hydrogen sulfide monitors at the Salton Sea will allow the South Coast Air Quality Management District to measure the concentrations of the gas that has the tell-tale odor of rotten eggs. “We’ll be able to tell the community on a short-term basis about the strength of the odor and compare it to other episodes,” said Sam Atwood, district spokesman. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/agencies-to-measure-rotten-egg-gas-at-salton-sea/article_7756939a-4061-11e3-8428-0019bb30f31a.html CLIMATE CHANGE West Coast states and BC to link climate policies. The governors of Pacific coastal U.S. states and a Canadian province official are joining forces in a new effort to fight climate change. In an agreement announced Monday, the governors of California, Oregon, Washington and the environment minister of British Columbia, Mary Polak, will place a price on greenhouse gas pollution and mandate the use of cleaner-burning fuels. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WESTERN_STATES_CLIMATE_DEAL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-28/western-u-s-states-british-columbia-sign-climate-change-pact.html http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/29/us-usa-environment-climate-idUSBRE99S01V20131029 http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-brown-climate-20131029,0,140122.story?track=rss#axzz2j62fhLTR http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/28/5857873/west-coast-states-and-bc-to-link.html http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/West-Coast-states-and-BC-to-link-climate-policies-4934233.php http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24406734/california-oregon-washington-and-british-columbia-sign-climate?source=email http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/5786-governor-brown-joins-oregon-washington-british-columbia-leaders-to-combat-climate-change.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989567/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Brown University won't divest from coal companies. Brown University has decided not to divest from coal companies, saying that it would not be "the right tool" to address climate change and that teaching and research are more effective strategies. The university said the Corporation, its governing body, opted against divestment after "expansive and robust discussion" at its Saturday meeting and after months of deliberation. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/28/5859405/brown-university-wont-divest-from.html#storylink=cpy Climate change expert says Earth is having its ‘Independence Day'. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Earth’s climate system is a “complex, interactive system consisting of the atmosphere, land surface, snow and ice, oceans and other bodies of water and living things.” And, yes, the scientific community pores over all kinds of data related to this system every day. Posted. http://www.theoaklandpress.com/environment-and-nature/20131028/climate-change-expert-says-earth-is-having-its-independence-day CO2 emissions may be curbed not by policies but by real limits to oil and coal extraction, experts say. Even as governments worldwide have largely failed to limit emissions of global warming gases, the decline of fossil fuel production may reduce those emissions significantly, experts said yesterday during a panel discussion at the Geological Society of America meeting. Conventional production of oil has been on a plateau since 2005…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989568/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Dirty Diesel, Clean Profits. How innovation and regulation sparked America’s diesel export boom. In 1992, Mexico City had just eight days with air rated “good” by the city’s air quality monitor and in 1999 it was named “the most dangerous city in the world for children” by the global environmental policy organization, World Resources Institute, because of its smog. But by 2012, Mexico City saw 248 “good” air quality days…Posted. http://nation.time.com/2013/10/29/dirty-diesel-clean-profits/#ixzz2j7quxXVE FUELS California Fracking Study May Take 18 Months, Brown Says. Governor Jerry Brown said it may take as long as 18 months for California, the third-largest oil-producing state, to complete an environmental review of the oil and gas drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing. Technological advancements have ignited a boom in the development of fields that were once deemed uneconomical, particularly in shale formations. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-29/california-fracking-study-may-take-18-months-brown-says.html ZERO EMISSION VEHICLES 3.3 Million Zero-Emission Vehicles By 2025? Eight Governors Pledge Action. Last Thursday, the governors of eight [blue] states pledged to cooperate toward a goal of putting 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on their roads by 2025. The cooperative programs are meant to make it easier for their citizens to buy and use zero-emission vehicles. While the steps cited so far in the memorandum of understanding are not binding, California governor Jerry Brown called it a "serious and profoundly important commitment" in a statement. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1087991_3-3-million-zero-emission-vehicles-by-2025-eight-governors-pledge-action VEHICLES BMW Joins VW in Backing Germany’s Electric-Vehicle Goal. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) backed the German government’s goal to have 1 million electric cars by 2020 on the country’s roads, a week after Volkswagen AG (VOW) said the target is achievable under broader terms for alternative drives. Developing the European Union’s electric-vehicle market will need the backing of authorities, though official support in the bloc is lagging behind initiatives in the U.S. and China…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-28/bmw-joins-vw-in-backing-germany-s-electric-vehicle-goal.html GREEN ENERGY Energy center cuts past climate hype. Cut through the hype. That’s the mantra of Scott Anders and his research on energy policy in the highly politicized age of solar energy, electric vehicles and climate change. Anders directs the Energy Policy Initiatives Center, or EPIC, founded in the aftermath of California’s 2000-01 energy crisis in which market manipulation triggered astronomical power prices and rolling blackouts. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/28/beyond-the-political-climate/ MISCELLANEOUS Mercury from Gold Rush mining still washing downstream in floods. The destructive environmental legacy of Gold Rush mining in the Sierra Nevada could last for thousands of years in the form of ongoing erosion of mercury-laced sediments, according to new research. Mercury, a toxic heavy metal, was used in copious amounts in California's hydraulic gold mining operations in the mid- and late 1800s. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-mercury-gold-sierra-nevada-20131028,0,2647821.story#axzz2j88vo6VT OPINIONS Jokes, Lies and Pollution in China. After my physical exam this year, the doctor showed me his findings. Next to an irregularity he had noted concerning lung function, I was surprised to see the words “air pollution.” It was first time this had ever appeared in my health report. This reminded me of the uproar in China in June of last year regarding PM 2.5 — the airborne particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less that are particularly harmful to our health. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/opinion/international/jokes-lies-and-pollution-in-china.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print China's pollution indicative of broader problems. China won't be able to solve its environmental crisis until it respects the human rights of its citizens. The crisis is severe, as the recent reports from Harbin, a city of 11 million people in northeastern China, indicate. Harbin was shut down by air pollution that was 50 times the level the World Health Organization considers safe. It was so thick that the city's official news site said: "You can't see your own fingers in front of you." Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/28/2998374/chinas-pollution-indicative-of.html#storylink=cpy Climate Change And Natural Gas Combine To Reduce U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions. File this as yet another “everything you think you knew was wrong” story. Ten years ago, anyone who would have said that, absent regulation, U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide would drop by 11 per cent in the succeeding decade would have been dismissed as the environmental crackpot of the year. Imagine the scorn if that person added, further, that climate change would be one of the causes. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmichaels/2013/10/29/climate-change-and-natural-gas-combine-to-reduce-u-s-carbon-dioxide-emissions/ Best Electric Vehicles Cities — ChargePoint’s Refreshing Ranking. I’m a big fan of ranking… just like the rest of you. However, I generally hate that most rankings are presented in absolute terms rather than relative terms. For example, there are many rankings of the “best electric car cities” based on the total number of electric cars, total number of public electric car charging stations, etc. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/28/best-electric-vehicles-cities-chargepoints-refreshing-ranking/#YPScu6vQ65EiXiFV.99 BLOGS Will Sandy’s Lessons Fade as a Sleepy Atlantic Storm Season Ends? With the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy’s coastal assault here, The New York Times and other media have run a batch of helpful articles tracking how coastal communities are, and are not, responding to the lessons from the extraordinary surge raised by that storm — a 1-in-700-year event, by some calculations. With sea levels rising for centuries to come, amplifying the impact of any coastal storm…Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/will-sandys-lessons-fade-as-a-sleepy-atlantic-storm-season-ends/?pagewanted=print Electric Vehicle Myths 1: This Time For Sure! Eight states have just announced a plan to mandate the sale of a certain amount of electric vehicles by the automobile industry. Most stories (Wald of the Times an exception) about this plan ignored the fact that it duplicated a plan announced in 1990, which called for electric vehicles to comprise 10% of auto sales by 2003. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellynch/2013/10/28/electric-vehicle-myths-1-this-time-for-sure/ States That Are Deadbeats on Electric Cars. As PluginCars.com reported last week, the announcement on Thursday that eight governors are teaming up to support electric cars was timed to coincide with a review of zero emissions mandates by the California Air Resources Board. The message to automakers was clear: with the right incentives and charging infrastructure, electric cars can find a sizable market throughout the United States—so stop making excuses, and get ready to ramp up EV production. Posted. http://www.plugincars.com/states-are-deadbeats-electric-cars-128659.html All across Europe, bicycles outsold cars last year. It may have taken a full generation for Queen's 1978 oddball anthem Bicycle Race to take effect, but by golly, folks in the band's native UK, not to mention the rest of Europe, are getting the rather operatic message. Last year, Europeans bought more bicycles than light-duty vehicles in 25 of the 27 EU member nations, reflecting the dual realities of a sputtering economy and rising fuel prices, NPR reports. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/29/bicycles-outsold-cars-all-over-europe-last-year/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 12:50:39 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 30, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 30, 2013. 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 China's Clean-Air Drive Likely to Take a Long Time. Every so often, an extraordinary image makes the rounds on the Internet that shows an ominous gray cloud over the Beijing area, as seen from a satellite. Rather than a rain cloud, it is a shroud of pollution, the type that has caused fear and anger in China’s worst-hit cities. But China’s pollution, while extremely severe, is not unique, and efforts by other countries, like Britain and the United States, to conquer dirty air may hold lessons for China’s future. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/business/energy-environment/chinas-clean-air-drive-likely-to-take-a-long-time.html?partner=rss&emc=rss Air pollution cancer risk. Outdoor air pollution causes an increased risk of bladder cancer and lung cancer, according to a recent release from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization. “The IARC Monographs Programme, dubbed the encyclopedia of carcinogens, provides an authoritative source of scientific evidence on cancer-causing substances and exposures,” the release states. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/30/pollution-cancer-chocolate/ EPA holds hearing in Denver on plant emissions. Carbon pollution and what the federal government should do about it is under review in Denver. The Environmental Protection Agency is holding one of 11 national listening sessions to gather feedback on potential carbon emissions limits for existing power plants on Wednesday. The hearing will be held at EPA's regional offices from 9 to 5 p.m. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EPA-holds-hearing-in-Denver-on-plant-emissions-4939017.php Earth Log: San Joaquin Valley's dirty air reappears in October. The October whiplash is in full swing. The San Joaquin Valley's dirty air suddenly made a comeback in the last 11 days, then it quickly vanished Monday in an autumn storm. A few weeks ago, I had written that the Valley has a good shot at the lowest-ever recorded number of federal eight-hour ozone exceedances. With a rash of exceedances — eight since Oct. 19 — it's going to be close. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/29/3579585/just-when-it-seemed-safe-to-inhale.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Fracking and reducing climate change: Can Jerry Brown have it both ways? Gov. Jerry Brown and the governors of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia gained international attention Monday for signing a pact in San Francisco aimed at reducing the pollution that causes global warming. But a day later environmentalists lashed out at Brown for his full-throated support during the event of fracking, the controversial practice in which oil and gas companies inject water, sand and chemicals into the ground to fracture underground rock formations and release huge amounts of fossil fuels. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24414282/fracking-and-reducing-climate-change-can-jerry-brown Climate Change May Curb Profits From Fossil Fuels, Study Says. Fossil-fuel assets such as coal mines and gas wells may lose value if climate change prompts tougher regulations, according to a report from Al Gore and David Blood’s Generation Investment Management. About two-thirds of the fossil fuels still underground must remain there if the planet is to meet a United Nations target of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). That means assets such as coal mines and gas wells may have to reduce production, cutting profits, according to the paper. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-30/climate-change-may-curb-profits-from-fossil-fuels-study-says.html Climate Pact Is Signed by 3 States and a Partner. The leaders of three Pacific Coast states and British Columbia have announced a broad alliance to combat climate change, including new joint steps to raise the cost of greenhouse gas pollution, promote zero-emission vehicles and push for the use of cleaner-burning fuels in transportation. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington and the premier of British Columbia said the compact could simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and create new clean-energy jobs in a region of 53 million people that is equivalent to the fifth-largest economy in the world. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/us/climate-pact-is-signed-by-3-states-and-a-partner.html?hpw&_r=0 OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-change-pact-sends-a-message-4937510.php http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/West-Coast-s-do-over-on-climate-change-pact-4937070.php In flood insurance fight, some climate change activists battle against quicker adaptation. Flood insurance is proving to be a challenge for more than just hard-hit homeowners and those who want to lighten the federal deficit. It is pressing Democrats into positions that appear to conflict with their commitment to act quickly to mitigate the damages posed by climate change. The underpriced policies of the National Flood Insurance Program have long been blamed by environmentalists and taxpayer groups for encouraging construction and continued dwelling in floodplains. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059989658 Coral reefs may be more adaptive to climate change than once thought. Scientists studying the catastrophic phenomena of coral bleaching have concluded that reef systems may be more adaptable to increasingly warmer oceans than previously believed. The study — published online in the journal Global Change Biology -- is heartening news, coming in the face of dire predictions that had the world’s coral reefs disappearing by the middle of the century. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-coral-reef-bleaching-20131029,0,5531445.story#axzz2jE0asu8Q U.S. to Cut Back Funds For Coal Plants Overseas. The Obama administration, which is already planning to crack down on coal-fired power plants at home, also wants to cut off public financing for coal plants overseas. The administration will apply essentially the same greenhouse-gas emissions standards for coal plants built overseas as recent Environmental Protection Agency rules would do for domestic coal plants, Treasury Department officials said. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304470504579166033143397114 DIESEL EMISSIONS State fines Bakersfield firm for failure to update diesel trucks. The California Air Resources Board has fined Bakersfield-based KS Industries, an engineering and construction firm, $230,250 for failing to update its diesel trucks to clean up harmful emissions as required by state anti-pollution laws. ARB investigators said the company for missed two key compliance deadlines: failing to retrofit 1996-1999 model year heavy duty trucks with diesel particulate filters by Jan. 1, 2012, and failure to retrofit 2000-2004 model year trucks by Jan. 1, 2013. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/29/5863504/state-fines-bakersfield-firm-for.html#storylink=cpy FUELS Natural Gas Waits for Its Moment. CARS and trucks powered by natural gas make up a significant portion of the vehicle fleet in many parts of the world. Iran has more than two million natural gas vehicles on the road. As of 2009, Argentina had more than 1.8 million in operation and almost 2,000 natural gas filling stations. Brazil was not far behind. Italy and Germany have substantial natural gas vehicle fleets. Is America next? With natural gas in plentiful supply at bargain prices in the United States, issues that have limited its use in cars are being rethought, and its market share could increase, perhaps substantially. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/automobiles/natural-gas-waits-for-its-moment.html VEHICLES Company Hopes to Change Small Electric Vehicles With Cheaper Magnetic Technology. If only electric propulsion could operate at low voltage, maximize the motor’s performance and do without the cumbersome array of batteries. That’s the proposition advanced by KLD Energy Technologies of Austin, Tex., which suggests that it has come up with the next great innovation in electric-vehicle powertrains. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/automobiles/company-hopes-to-change-small-electric-vehicles-with-cheaper-magnetic-technology.html?_r=0 >From China to Los Angeles, Taking the Electric Bus. THERE’S a newcomer to this city’s auto row. Compared to the shiny showrooms displaying the latest Mercedeses and Toyotas, the Chinese carmaker BYD’s outpost in the shadow of downtown skyscrapers looks rather forlorn. Just two of its models — a red electric sport utility vehicle and a brown gasoline-powered sedan — are on view in an otherwise empty storefront. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/automobiles/from-china-to-los-angeles-taking-the-electric-bus.html EU cars on track to meet 2015 carbon emissions goal –EEA. EU car emissions fell 2.6 percent in 2012 from 2011, official figures showed on Wednesday, adding to a fierce Brussels debate on how quickly automakers can improve vehicle fuel efficiency. The decline took average new car carbon emissions down to 132.2 grams per kilometre (g/km) in 2012, close to a 130 g/km target for 2015, according to the data from the European Environment Agency (EEA), which provides scientific data to guide policy-making. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/30/eu-cars-carbon-idUSL5N0IK1EU20131030 GREEN ENERGY This Stock Is up 385% and It's Still a Buy. Green energy usually brings along government subsidies to be cost-competitive. And for many investors, one or both of these issues are cause to stay away. But to ignore the sector (which may be the most important in the world) completely is to leave serious money on the table. Let's take a look at how several companies are benefiting from being "good" and why you shouldn't let the lack of perfection keep you from investing in them. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/This-Stock-Is-up-385-and-It-s-Still-a-Buy-4938983.php OPINIONS Climate change pact sends a message. Climate change may still be a taboo topic in Congress. But the West Coast of the United States - and Canada - is leading the charge to tackle the issue. The landmark climate change pact signed by the governors of California, Oregon and Washington, along with a representative of the premier of the province of British Columbia, may matter more as a political statement than hard policy statement. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Climate-change-pact-sends-a-message-4937510.php Jokes, Lies and Pollution in China. After my physical exam this year, the doctor showed me his findings. Next to an irregularity he had noted concerning lung function, I was surprised to see the words “air pollution.” It was first time this had ever appeared in my health report. This reminded me of the uproar in China in June of last year regarding PM 2.5 — the airborne particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less that are particularly harmful to our health. Reports of high PM 2.5 levels, monitored and revealed by the U.S. Embassy and various consulates across China, fueled public concerns about air pollution. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/opinion/international/hua-jokes-lies-and-pollution-in-china.html BLOGS How the carbon bubble will pop. It’s now clear that any sort of solution to the climate change crisis that requires action from Congress — where many members of one party refuse to admit the problem exists at all — is pretty much impossible. But there are plenty of ways Obama can use executive action — not to solve the problem, perhaps, but to forestall doom as long as possible. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/10/30/how-the-carbon-bubble-will-pop/ Tesla and Panasonic Enter Deal to Boost Battery Production. Electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc. said it entered an agreement with electronics giant Panasonic Corp. to boost the supply of lithium-ion batteries to meet the increased production of Tesla’s current and coming vehicles. The deal continues a long collaboration between the companies aimed at developing advanced automotive battery cells that could help expand the market for electric vehicles. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/10/30/tesla-and-panasonic-enter-deal-to-boost-battery-production/?KEYWORDS=vehicles ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 11:05:04 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 31, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for October 31, 2013. 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 High school students make presentations on the negative impact of air quality in the Imperial Valley. Local high school students who are part of Health Occupation Students of America made presentations on the negative impact of air quality in the Imperial Valley on Wednesday evening for the Stop and Listen Asthma Forum 2013. Their studies were based on “Health Impacts of Border Crossing Emissions” written by Penelope Quintana of San Diego State University, which describes the findings of a scientific study showing how traffic from U.S.-Mexico ports of entry affects health and air quality in the region. Posted. http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/high-school-students-make-presentations-on-the-negative-impact-of/article_e2ad6044-41f9-11e3-9c58-001a4bcf6878.html Children experience a ‘cooking pot for asthma’ in the Central Valley. The students filing into Bret Harte Elementary School every morning barely notice the flags fluttering by the school’s main entrance. There is the American flag, the California state flag and the color-coded asthma flag – green when the air is clear, red when it is a respiratory nightmare, as it so often is here. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/30/3002573/kids-face-a-cooking-pot-for-asthma.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Warming will disturb balance of soil nutrients in drylands. An increase in aridity due to global warming will disturb the balance of nutrients in the soil and reduce productivity of the world's drylands, which support millions of people, a landmark study predicts. The research was conducted by a global collaboration of scientists who carried out the same studies of 224 dryland sites in 16 countries on every continent except Antarctica. In Australia, woodland sites near Mildura in NSW were studied by UNSW's Adjunct Professor David Eldridge, of the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, who is a member of the international research team. Posted. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uons-wwd102813.php FUELS Shale gas fracking a low risk to public health. The risks to public health from emissions caused by fracking for shale oil and gas are low as long as operations are properly run and regulated, the British government's health agency said on Thursday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/31/us-britain-health-fracking-idUSBRE99U0KX20131031 VEHICLES Advancing electric mobility through electric car-sharing – Part I. Mobility experts think that through electric vehicle (EV) sharing and rental schemes, EVs could become an integral part of the urban environment. By renting an electric car customers can get the EV experience without the risks usually associated with buying one. cars21.com takes a closer look at the electric car-sharing schemes in different cities and the price plans offered. UPDATED: To expand the availability of EVs for local businesses and communities, the UK’s first all-electric car sharing club was launched at the end of October. Access to electric cars has been seen as a key for advancing electric mobility in the urban environment. Posted. http://cars21.com/news/view/5572 Tesla to debut ‘superchargers’ linking San Diego to Canada. Electric-vehicle pioneer Tesla Motors today will inaugurate a network of “superchargers” that allows drivers of its luxury sedans to get from San Diego to Vancouver, B.C., with few delays. A small caravan of Model S sedans is scheduled to depart at 9 a.m. from the Tesla store at University Towne Centre shopping mall to promote the West Coast charging network. Four new stations in Northern California and Oregon will close the last gap in a 1,500-mile route. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/30/tp-tesla-to-debut-superchargers-linking-san-diego/ GREEN ENERGY Solar Rebound Beating Dot-Com Recovery as Demand Surges. Solar industry manufacturers are rebounding from a two-year slump faster than technology companies recovered from the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s. The benchmark BI Global Large Solar Energy Index of 15 manufacturers, which slumped 87 percent from a February 2011 peak through November 2012, has regained 55 percent of its value in the past year. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-31/solar-rebound-beating-dot-com-recovery-as-demand-surges.html BLOGS State-by-state EV support often comes down to party lines. Last week, eight governors "joined hands" in support of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) in California's state capital. That's a good start, but there are seven governors of states that have worked with California on tough emissions rules in the past who were missing. It appeared the split was mostly along party lines. Governors from Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont met with California Gov. Jerry Brown in Sacramento October 24. Collectively, they agreed to bring 3.3 million ZEVs – battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell electric vehicles – to their roads by 2025. Their meeting was coordinated with a review of the California Air Resources Board's ZEV mandates. All of the eight governors are members of the Democratic party. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/30/state-by-state-ev-support-often-comes-down-to-party-lines/ Port of Oakland truckers promise to keep working through negotiations. After forcing a one-day closure of the Port of Oakland over regulatory and wait-time complaints last week, independent truckers say they are pursuing negotiations with the California Air Resources Board, and have promised no further work stoppages through at least Monday, Nov. 4. The drivers say the truce comes after Oakland Mayor Jean Quan agreed to broker talks between them and the state air quality agency. Truckers have been trying for months to negotiate an extension on potentially costly environmental regulations due to be implemented on the first of the year, protest organizers say. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/inoakland/2013/10/30/port-of-oakland-truckers-promise-to-keep-working-through-negotiations/ Have we hit a “permanent slowdown” in the growth of global CO2 emissions? The world keeps making climate change worse, pumping out more greenhouse gases every year than the year before. But in an encouraging sign, the rate at which emissions are growing appears to be slowing down. Global emissions hit 38 billion tons of carbon dioxide last year — up 1.1 percent from 2011. That’s bleak, but the glimmer of hope here is that emissions increased during the last decade by much more than that — by an average of 2.9 percent every year. Posted. http://grist.org/news/have-we-hit-a-permanent-slowdown-in-the-growth-of-global-co2-emissions/ Utah State University raises $9M for wireless electric buses. Utah may be best known among motor enthusiasts for the high speed runs across the Bonneville Salt Flats, but there's another development within the state that's just as intriguing, albeit substantially slower. Utah State University, which last year unveiled an electric bus that could be recharged wirelessly, has hatched a company that's raised more than $9 million and is looking to commercialize the technology, Wired says. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/31/utah-state-university-raises-9m-for-wireless-electric-buses/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 12:33:15 -0700 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for November 1, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 1, 2013. 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 Wood-burning restrictions go into effect today. With crisper fall days in the forecast, San Joaquin Valley air quality officials say residents need to check before lighting up a fireplace blaze. The Valley Air Pollution Control District's annual wood-burning program begins today. On days with high levels of tiny particle pollution in the atmosphere, the district may prohibit residents from lighting a fire. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131101/A_NEWS/311010320/-1/A_NEWS14 Fireplace, wood burning restrictions effective Friday. The Valley's Check Before you burn program, which bans the use of home fireplaces and other wood fires on certain days, begins its 11th season on Nov. 1. Check Before You Burn, which has resulted in historically clean wintertime air quality in the Valley, continues through February. The Valley Air District calls this wood-burning curtailment program a critical tool in minimizing harmful particulate pollution. Posted. http://www.taftmidwaydriller.com/article/20131031/NEWS/131039889/-1/News No-burn rules hit Marin, fines up to $500 for repeat offenders. Marin residents beginning Friday will be required to check air quality conditions before they burn logs to brace themselves against the cool fall and winter air. As the winter "Spare the Air" season gets underway, burning wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors, is illegal when the Bay Area Air Quality Management District calls an air alert. Posted. http://www.marinij.com/novato/ci_24430139/no-burn-rules-hit-marin-friday-fines-up Winter spare the air season starts today. Burning wood in the Bay Area will be illegal on certain days during the Winter Spare the Air season, which begins Friday, according to air quality officials. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District decides daily during the season, which runs through February, whether air quality in the region is healthy enough to allow the burning of wood, firelogs or other solid fuel. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_24433277/winter-spare-air-season-starts-today?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com CLIMATE CHANGE Obama signs order on response to climate change. A year after Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast, President Barack Obama signed an executive order Friday to make it easier for states and local governments to respond to weather disasters. The executive order establishes a task force of state and local officials to advise the administration on how to respond to severe storms, wildfires, droughts and other potential impacts of climate change. The task force includes governors of seven states — all Democrats — and the Republican governor of Guam, a U.S. territory. Fourteen mayors and two other local leaders also will serve on the task force. All but three are Democrats. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/science/earth/white-house-will-focus-on-climate-shifts-while-trying-to-cut-greenhouse-gases.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Obama-signs-order-on-response-to-climate-change-4946522.php http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-signs-executive-order-to-improve-federal-response-to-climate-change/2013/11/01/c9d45da0-4309-11e3-b028-de922d7a3f47_story.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/11/01/obama-climate-change-task-force/3348083/ Gov. Brown, Mayor Johnson named to president's climate task force. Mayor Kevin Johnson and Gov. Jerry Brown were named Friday to President Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. The mayor and governor were two of 26 state, local and tribal leaders from around the country who were selected for the panel by the president. Obama formed the task force as part of his Climate Action Plan. Members of the panel “will provide recommendations to the President on removing barriers to resilient investments, modernizing federal grant and loan programs to better support local efforts, and developing the information and tools they need to prepare” for severe weather events and climate change, according to a White House press statement. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/01/3006189/gov-brown-mayor-johnson-named.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/01/5872852/gov-brown-mayor-johnson-named.html Water Action Plan created to help avoid statewide crisis. California officials on Thursday released a five-year “Water Action Plan” intended to avoid a statewide water supply crisis stemming from drought, population growth and climate change. John Laird, secretary of the state Natural Resources Agency, acknowledged that the plan does not include a lot of new ideas. Rather, the goal is to integrate existing ideas about water supply and conservation and get disparate state agencies working together. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/31/5871147/water-action-plan-created-to-help.html#mi_rss=Our%20Region http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/01/3006101/water-action-plan-created-to-help.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/01/3584302/water-action-plan-created-to-help.html Plans to Relax California Climate Regulations Upset Some Environmentalists. California regulators are weighing plans to make it easier and less expensive for oil refineries and other big industries to comply with the state’s new cap-and-trade system for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and environmentalists are alarmed. At a hearing last week in Sacramento, the California Air Resources Board heard staff proposals to amend the year-old cap-and-trade program to extend “transition assistance” to industry through 2018. Posted. http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2013-10/plans-to-relax-california-climate-regulations-upset-some-environmentalists Pacific Climate Pact's Green Energy Goals No Easy Feat. From streamlined permitting of clean energy projects to electricity grid integration, the regional climate change action pact inked by California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia this week is an impressive wish list of renewable-friendly goals, but experts say bridging jurisdictional divides and turning those goals into concrete, cohesive energy policies won't be easy for lawmakers and regulators. Under the so-called Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy, the U.S. states and Canadian province agreed to coordinate efforts to enact climate change policies such as carbon emission reduction targets, pricing mechanisms for carbon emissions and low-carbon fuel standards. Posted. BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY. http://www.law360.com/environmental/articles/485120?nl_pk=f73ac890-26a3-449e-837c-961a6627164d&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=environmental DIESEL EMISSSION CARB: More trucking emissions crackdowns to come. In the past five years, California enacted the most restrictive truck emissions requirements in the world, including the state’s most expensive regulation in history – the multibillion-dollar Truck and Bus regulation. Those trucking rules may pale in comparison to future California trucking regulations. The California Air Resources Board recently published a 123-page document the agency is calling a draft discussion of its Climate Change scoping plan. The plan is tied to California Assembly Bill 32, the 2006 law that directed CARB to draft and implement regulations to cut emissions from multiple state sectors, including transportation. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=26132#.UnPG7hDsDzA FUELS On roads and rails, natural gas threatens diesel's dominance: Kemp. Warren Buffett's Burlington Northern-Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad captured headlines earlier this year when it announced it would start trialling trains powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). But even a pilot programme is still some way off. BNSF must still convince U.S. rail regulators trains powered by highly combustible natural gas can be operated safely. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/01/lng-fuel-north-america-idUSL5N0IM1GM20131101 Local oil activity may spur reroute of high-speed rail. The new proposed alignment, set for a vote Thursday by the board of the California High-Speed Rail Authority in Sacramento, has won qualified support from the city of Shafter and tentative agreement from Wasco officials, though both cities generally oppose the project because of its expected disruptive effect on farming. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1997479492/Local-oil-activity-may-spur-reroute-of-high-speed-rail VEHICLES Ford Issues Recall for Focus E.V. and Ambulances. Following an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford says it will recall about 2,500 of its 2012-14 Focus Electric because of a power-loss problem. Ford told the safety agency that a software issue in the powertrain control module could cause a loss of power to the front wheels. However, the automaker said the steering and brakes would work normally and that it was not aware of any accidents related to the defect. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/automobiles/ford-issues-recall-for-focus-ev-and-ambulances.html 'Cash for clunkers' was kind of a lemon, analysis says. When the Obama administration first proposed its “cash for clunkers” plan in 2009, the reaction was generally favorable. Congress would spend $2.85 billion to encourage drivers to swap their old gas-guzzlers for newer, more-fuel-efficient cars. The program had something for everyone: It would lend a hand to the ailing U.S. auto industry. It would tamp down oil consumption. And, once launched, the program proved so popular with consumers that it burned through $1 billion in its first five days. Sure, a few critics argued that the program wouldn't be very cost-effective, but no one was really listening. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24433567/cash-clunkers-was-kind-lemon-analysis-says?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com MISCELLANEOUS Sonora school kids fight Rim fire fears with art. The flames are out. The air has cleared and evacuees have long since returned to their homes. But the Rim fire still burns fresh in the minds of children who feared for their homes and grieved for wild animals lost. At Curtis Creek Elementary, just six miles from one stand of blackened timber, students remember days spent worrying, waiting for evacuation orders and choking on smoke. Thirteen students took brushes in hand and poured their feelings into paintings and poetry that teacher Liz Miller had made into a 2014 calendar. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/31/3005267/sonora-school-kids-fight-fires.html BLOGS Bill would boost renewables to 25 percent by 2025, has no chance in hell of passing. Most states in the union require utilities to generate a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. A new bill in Congress would take that strategy national. Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) — cousins, as it happens — introduced legislation this week that would require utilities across the country to generate a quarter of their electricity from wind, solar, and other renewable sources by 2025. Posted. http://grist.org/news/bill-would-boost-renewables-to-25-percent-by-2025-has-no-chance-in-hell-of-passing/ Cap-and-Trade Beat Acid Rain, It Can Beat Global Warming: Sandor. Arguments against cap-and-trade -- legislation designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- generally boil down to a few key points: It won’t work, It will drive up power prices, It will hurt the economy, It will hurt our global competitiveness, It won’t help the environment. “It’s embarrassing because the same debates occurred with acid rain,” says Dr. Richard Sandor, CEO of Environmental Financial Products. “We got rid of acid rain in the U.S.” via a cap-and-trade program he says saved $123 billion in reduced health care costs associated with lung cancer since the late 1980s. Posted. http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/cap-trade-beat-acid-rain-beat-global-warming-172242043.html Hong Kong Finds Switch to Cleaner Fuels Has Flaws. The problem lies in the taxis’ and minibuses’ catalytic converters, said Christine Loh, the under secretary for the environment. Unless replaced every 18 months for cars and light buses that are driven nearly around the clock, the catalytic converters become fouled, and the vehicles begin emitting extremely high levels of pollution. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/hong-kong-finds-switch-to-cleaner-fuels-has-flaws/?_r=0 Moms Protest Air Pollution In Colorado With 'Gas Patch Kids'. A group of Colorado moms took an eye-catching approach to protesting Colorado's current air quality regulations this week when they showed up at Gov. John Hickenlooper's (D) office with Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, which they've renamed "gas patch kids" to represent real children living in areas impacted by the surge of oil and gas drilling in the state. The Colorado Moms Know Best group showed up with a petition signed by over 8,000 Colorado moms. It called for Hickenloooper to implement "common sense yet innovative standards to control oil and gas emissions, which can harm kids’ health," according to a statement from the group. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/air-pollution-colorado_n_4184480.html?utm_hp_ref=green ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 13:14:45 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 4, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 4, 2013. 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 RPT-World Bank urges better cookstoves in developing states to curb deaths. Simple measures to reduce pollution from cooking stoves in developing nations could save a million lives a year and help slow global warming, a World Bank study showed on Monday. Tighter restrictions on diesel emissions, for instance from car exhausts, could also avert 340,000 premature deaths annually by reining in soot and other heat-trapping pollutants that are also stoking climate change, it said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/03/climate-health-idUSL5N0IO0EI20131103 Power Plants Try Burning Wood With Coal to Cut Carbon Emissions. Even as the Environmental Protection Agency considers requiring existing coal-fired power plants to cut their carbon dioxide output, some utilities have started to use a decidedly low-tech additive that accomplishes that goal: wood. Ranging in size from sawdust to chunks as big as soup cans, waste wood from paper mills, furniture factories and logging operations has been used with varying levels of success. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/business/power-plants-try-burning-wood-with-coal-to-cut-emissions.html AIR POLLUTION: Freeway emissions to be tracked. For the first time, permanent air quality monitoring stations will be placed near Southern California freeways to measure pollution from traffic. The information will be a factor in determining whether an area meets federal air quality standards. No later than Jan. 1, the South Coast Air Quality Management District will install the air-monitoring stations just off Interstate 10 near Etiwanda Avenue in a Fontana warehousing district. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20131101-air-pollution-freeway-emissions-to-be-tracked.ece Report: Idling buses, cars outside schools dangerous. When children walk into their school building, they may pass through some of the dirtiest air on their travel from home to class. A recently published study by a researcher at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and three other community organizations not only proves this is the case, it also points the way to reduce the exposure – simply turn off the engines of idling buses and cars. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/04/report-idling-cars-outside-schools-dangerous/3430749/ Long Beach nonprofits battle clean air issues. When Emmanuel Ibarra can’t breathe, the asthmatic kindergartner often seeks relief at The Children’s Clinic on Atlantic Avenue. On a recent visit, the boy wheezed and coughed as a doctor listened to his chest and back. To loosen the mucus that filled his underdeveloped lungs, Ibarra’s cousin Jennifer Castellon tapped his back while he breathed in and out of a machine that doled out medication in mist form. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/business/20131103/long-beach-nonprofits-battle-clean-air-issues Fairfield County Saw Fewer Unhealthy Air Quality Days During Summer. Fairfield County residents experienced 10 fewer unhealthy air quality days this summer compared with last summer, preliminary data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows. Connecticut measured 17 unhealthy ozone days between April and September 2013. In 2012, the Nutmeg State experienced 27 days during the same time period. Posted. http://stamford.dailyvoice.com/news/fairfield-county-saw-fewer-unhealthy-air-quality-days-during-summer FIREPLACE BURN DAYS Wood-burning rules now in effect. With crisper fall days in the forecast, San Joaquin Valley air quality officials say residents need to check before lighting up a fireplace blaze. The Valley Air Pollution Control District's annual wood-burning program begins today. On days with high levels of tiny particle pollution in the atmosphere, the district may prohibit residents from lighting a fire. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131103/A_NEWS/311030314/-1/A_NEWS14 No-burn days ahead for wood-burning fireplaces. Wood-burning fireplaces could face shutdowns again this winter. Spokesman Sam Atwood at the AQMD says there could be ‘no burn’ days through the end of March to cut down on fine particulate pollution. “We will forecast unhealthful air quality and on those days, will ask that residents not burn wood in their fireplaces. It’s a major source of pollution that impacts our public health goals.” Posted. http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=30990 Burn ban lifted in Tehama County. Due to the reduced threat of wildfire with the weather change, the Tehama-Glenn Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Cal Fire, and the Tehama County Fire Department (TCFD) announced Friday that as of 8 a.m. Monday Nov. 4, the burn ban for Tehama County and the State Responsibility Areas of Glenn County will be lifted. The city of Red Bluff is also lifting its own burn ban beginning Monday. Posted. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/business/ci_24441045/burn-ban-lifted-tehama-county POLLUTION: Check air quality before lighting that fireplace. With recent highs in the 80s, few people are ready to spark up the fireplace. But the South Coast Air Quality Management District already is warning residents to be aware that burning wood in home fireplaces on polluted days is a violation that can result in fines, not to mention making the air worse. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20131101-pollution-check-air-quality-before-lighting-that-fireplace.ece 'Don't Light Tonight' advisory issued for Yolo-Solano region. The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District has issued a "Don't Light Tonight" advisory that will run until midnight Sunday. Residents are asked to refrain from burning wood during this time. Ironically, the district only just announced Thursday that its Don't Light Tonight program 2013-14 season was launching on Friday. The program will run through the end of February 2014. Posted. http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_24439642/dont-light-tonight-advisory-issued-yolo-solano-region CLIMATE CHANGE Global Warming Seen Taking Toll on Economy, Health, Crops. Global warming is expected to take an increasing toll on the economy, food production, fresh water supplies and human health as the century progresses, according to a draft study for the United Nations. A temperature increase of 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) since industrialization may lead to losses of as much as 2 percent of global economic output, an analysis by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed. Temperatures have already risen by about 0.8 degrees. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-04/global-warming-seen-taking-toll-on-economy-health-crops.html Climate Change Seen Posing Risk to Food Supplies. Climate change will pose sharp risks to the world’s food supply in coming decades, potentially undermining crop production and driving up prices at a time when the demand for food is expected to soar, scientists have found. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/science/earth/science-panel-warns-of-risks-to-food-supply-from-climate-change.html?_r=0 Top climate scientists ask environmentalists to support nuclear power in climate battle. Some of the world’s top climate scientists say wind and solar energy won’t be enough to head off extreme global warming, and they’re asking environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear power as one way to cut fossil fuel pollution. Four scientists who have played a key role in alerting the public to the dangers of climate change sent letters Sunday to leading environmental groups and politicians around the world. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/top-climate-scientists-ask-environmentalists-to-support-nuclear-power-in-climate-battle/2013/11/03/79a345b0-4473-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html Pacific Ocean warming faster than it has in 10,000 years, study finds. Scientists have struggled to explain a recent slowdown in the rise of global surface temperatures while skeptics have seized on the 15-year lull to cast doubt on the science of climate change. A new study offers one explanation of where much of the heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions is going: the ocean. Scientists found that parts of the Pacific Ocean are absorbing heat faster than they have over the past 10,000 years. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-pacific-ocean-warming-faster-10000-years-climate-change-20131101,0,2144238.story#axzz2jhzPE6KR Experts say nuclear power needed to slow warming. Some of the world's top climate scientists say wind and solar energy won't be enough to head off extreme global warming, and they're asking environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear power as one way to cut fossil fuel pollution. Four scientists who have played a key role in alerting the public to the dangers of climate change sent letters Sunday to leading environmental groups and politicians around the world. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/nov/03/experts-say-nuclear-power-needed-to-slow-warming/#ixzz2jhcFSJlL Report: Warming likely to make bad things worse. Many of the ills of the modern world — starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves, droughts, war and disease — are likely to worsen as the world warms from man-made climate change, a leaked draft of an international scientific report forecasts. The report uses the word "exacerbate" repeatedly to describe warming's effect on poverty, lack of water, disease and even the causes of war. Posted http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/03/report-warming-likely-to-make-bad-things-worse/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/03/3587740/report-warming-likely-to-make.html Pacific Climate Pact's Green Energy Goals No Easy Feat. From streamlined permitting of clean energy projects to electricity grid integration, the regional climate change action pact inked by California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia this week is an impressive wish list of renewable-friendly goals, but experts say bridging jurisdictional divides and turning those goals into concrete, cohesive energy policies won't be easy for lawmakers and regulators.. Posted. http://www.law360.com/environmental/articles/485120?nl_pk=f73ac890-26a3-449e-837c-961a6627164d&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=environmental BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY How media pushed climate change 'pause' into the mainstream. Second in a two-part series. Click here for the first part. In late September, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest science summary, IPCC scientists highlighted the certainty of human's role in recent climate change. They also updated estimates of sea-level rise and pointed out that the last three decades were likely the warmest 30-year period in the past 1,400 years. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989863/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Cuts in black carbon, methane could slow rapid polar and Himalayan melting – report. Reduction of short-term climate pollutants like methane and soot could make a real difference in slowing melting of the Arctic and glacial regions like the Himalayas, according to a report released yesterday by the World Bank and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. It could also have significant health benefits for people living in areas where these pollutants are released. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989866/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Fracking probe expands in Central Valley. Near almond orchards and the city of Shafter, state water authorities tested suspicious fluid in an oilfield sump — at a well named for the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop. They found the fluid laced with boron, salts and a cocktail of notorious chemicals related to gasoline and diesel. It came from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/02/3587611/fracking-probe-expands-in-valley.html#storylink=cpy Will 2014 be the year when cellulosic biofuels arrive at your gas pump? With luck, by the end of next year, there will be seven fully operational cellulosic ethanol facilities in the world. That's more than double the three that are up and running now: KiOR in Mississippi, INEOS Bio in Florida and Beta Renewables in Italy, and it offers the most promising future to date for a sector that has had a difficult time getting on its feet. "I think the future is bright; I think the industry can be built very quickly…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989882/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES US Electric Vehicles sales report for October. The monthly EV sales report is provided by InsideEVs and is updated with the latest available information. Ford has not yet reported its results, but it looks like October 2013 will not only surpass September 2013, but also December of 2012 and be the 2nd best month of all-time for US EV sales. While the numbers for October have only just started to come in (and will be updated), it appears as though the month…Posted. http://cars21.com/news/view/5643 DOD plans big bet on electric vehicles, but not much on natural gas. The Department of Defense is accelerating its adoption of electric vehicles in order to trim its fuel bill and reap the strategic benefits of weaning itself from a heavy dependence on fossil fuels. According to a recent report from Colorado-based firm Navigant Research, DOD is expected to acquire more than 92,400 electric vehicles (EVs) for nontactical purposes by 2020. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989883/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY This Little LED of Mine. Nancy Finkelmeier tried to make the switch more than a year ago. After hearing that the long life of compact fluorescent bulbs would help her avoid changing the lights in her 15-foot ceilings so often, she got rid of her traditional incandescent bulbs in favor of the new ones. But there was a problem. “I don’t like that cool blue light that it emits,” said Ms. Finkelmeier, a retired nurse from Cincinnati. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/business/energy-environment/this-little-led-of-mine.html?_r=0 Aiming for Truly Sustainable Buildings. Over the last decade, the most widely recognized seal of approval for green buildings among New York City buyers has been LEED, a label that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Many property developers strive for LEED certification to appeal to residents with an image of eco-friendliness, as well as to charge premium prices and earn tax credits. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/realestate/aiming-for-truly-sustainable-buildings.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1383586816-Le55fZM+IcABI10sgPPR5g Green Building Council honors UC system. The U.S. Green Building Council's Northern California Chapter hosted its annual Green Building Super Heroes Awards Gala Tuesday at the Julia Morgan Ballroom San Francisco honoring several distinguished leaders -- including the University of California system -- propelling the sustainability movement in Northern California and beyond. Mary D. Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board…Posted. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/business/ci_24440438/green-building-council-honors-uc-system Diablo Canyon faces state deadlines to change its cooling system. An important milestone looms for Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Plant manager PG&E and state officials will decide soon whether the plant will spend up to $12 billion to change its cooling system, which damages the ocean ecosystem by killing fish larvae and discharging billions of gallons of unnaturally warm seawater. Some options, such as building 600-foot-tall cooling towers, would permanently alter the landscape around Diablo Canyon and certainly face stiff local opposition. Posted. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/11/02/2763083/diablo-canyon-faces-deadlines.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Free emissions test offered to Fresno drivers. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and Valley CAN will provide Fresno drivers with free vehicle emissions tests Saturday at the Fresno County Fairgrounds during the "Tune In & Tune Up" event. Drivers who have owned their car for at least six months are eligible for the free test from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If the vehicle doesn't pass the test and can be repaired…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/01/3585247/free-emissions-test-offered-to.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/01/3006905/free-emissions-test-offered-to.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS COLUMN-Shell plants LNG at truck stops along the interstates: Kemp. In the decade to 2013, shale gas and oil transformed the U.S. and global energy markets. The next revolutionary development over the decade to 2023 is likely to be the widespread use of gas as a transport fuel, starting in the United States. Freight trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) rather than diesel could become a common sight on the U.S. interstate highway system under plans being developed and financed by Royal Dutch Shell. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/04/lng-north-america-idUSL5N0IP2I120131104 Earth Talk: Can’t close doors on pollution. Dear EarthTalk: Can you discuss pollutants in car interior materials, and also pollution inside cars originating from gasoline and diesel exhausts outside the car? . . . The interior of your car may seem like a safe haven from air pollution, but it may actually be quite the opposite. Chemicals emanating from the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests and seats mix with the airborne pollution being generated under the hood to form a witch’s brew of toxins for those riding inside. Posted. http://smdp.com/earth-talk-cant-close-doors-on-pollution/128825 BLOGS A Closer Look at Climate Panel’s Findings on Global Warming Impacts. Justin Gillis has provided a look at the forthcoming report on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation options from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, based on a leaked final draft (dated Oct. 28) that was posted on the blog of Donna Laframboise, a longtime critic of the panel. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/a-closer-look-at-climate-panels-findings-on-global-warming-impacts/ California won't meet 2050 emissions goals, report says. Barring a sweeping policy change or the introduction of new technology, California will fall short of its goals to drastically curtail greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The good news is that California remains on pace to cut emissions to their 1990 level by 2020, a goal set out in a 2005 executive order issued by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/11/california-wont-meet-2050-emissions-goals-report.html Adapting to Climate Change Does Not Mean Accepting It. At the end of last week a new IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report was leaked projecting that climate change would reduce the world's food productivity throughout this century. We also saw the Obama administration issue an Executive Order on Climate Preparedness as part of its Climate Action Plan. The Obama Climate Action Plan includes elements to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/adapting-to-climate-chang_b_4212460.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 13:55:37 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 4, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 4, 2013. 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 RPT-World Bank urges better cookstoves in developing states to curb deaths. Simple measures to reduce pollution from cooking stoves in developing nations could save a million lives a year and help slow global warming, a World Bank study showed on Monday. Tighter restrictions on diesel emissions, for instance from car exhausts, could also avert 340,000 premature deaths annually by reining in soot and other heat-trapping pollutants that are also stoking climate change, it said. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/03/climate-health-idUSL5N0IO0EI20131103 Power Plants Try Burning Wood With Coal to Cut Carbon Emissions. Even as the Environmental Protection Agency considers requiring existing coal-fired power plants to cut their carbon dioxide output, some utilities have started to use a decidedly low-tech additive that accomplishes that goal: wood. Ranging in size from sawdust to chunks as big as soup cans, waste wood from paper mills, furniture factories and logging operations has been used with varying levels of success. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/business/power-plants-try-burning-wood-with-coal-to-cut-emissions.html AIR POLLUTION: Freeway emissions to be tracked. For the first time, permanent air quality monitoring stations will be placed near Southern California freeways to measure pollution from traffic. The information will be a factor in determining whether an area meets federal air quality standards. No later than Jan. 1, the South Coast Air Quality Management District will install the air-monitoring stations just off Interstate 10 near Etiwanda Avenue in a Fontana warehousing district. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20131101-air-pollution-freeway-emissions-to-be-tracked.ece Report: Idling buses, cars outside schools dangerous. When children walk into their school building, they may pass through some of the dirtiest air on their travel from home to class. A recently published study by a researcher at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and three other community organizations not only proves this is the case, it also points the way to reduce the exposure – simply turn off the engines of idling buses and cars. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/04/report-idling-cars-outside-schools-dangerous/3430749/ Long Beach nonprofits battle clean air issues. When Emmanuel Ibarra can’t breathe, the asthmatic kindergartner often seeks relief at The Children’s Clinic on Atlantic Avenue. On a recent visit, the boy wheezed and coughed as a doctor listened to his chest and back. To loosen the mucus that filled his underdeveloped lungs, Ibarra’s cousin Jennifer Castellon tapped his back while he breathed in and out of a machine that doled out medication in mist form. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/business/20131103/long-beach-nonprofits-battle-clean-air-issues Fairfield County Saw Fewer Unhealthy Air Quality Days During Summer. Fairfield County residents experienced 10 fewer unhealthy air quality days this summer compared with last summer, preliminary data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows. Connecticut measured 17 unhealthy ozone days between April and September 2013. In 2012, the Nutmeg State experienced 27 days during the same time period. Posted. http://stamford.dailyvoice.com/news/fairfield-county-saw-fewer-unhealthy-air-quality-days-during-summer FIREPLACE BURN DAYS Wood-burning rules now in effect. With crisper fall days in the forecast, San Joaquin Valley air quality officials say residents need to check before lighting up a fireplace blaze. The Valley Air Pollution Control District's annual wood-burning program begins today. On days with high levels of tiny particle pollution in the atmosphere, the district may prohibit residents from lighting a fire. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131103/A_NEWS/311030314/-1/A_NEWS14 No-burn days ahead for wood-burning fireplaces. Wood-burning fireplaces could face shutdowns again this winter. Spokesman Sam Atwood at the AQMD says there could be ‘no burn’ days through the end of March to cut down on fine particulate pollution. “We will forecast unhealthful air quality and on those days, will ask that residents not burn wood in their fireplaces. It’s a major source of pollution that impacts our public health goals.” Posted. http://www.inlandnewstoday.com/story.php?s=30990 Burn ban lifted in Tehama County. Due to the reduced threat of wildfire with the weather change, the Tehama-Glenn Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Cal Fire, and the Tehama County Fire Department (TCFD) announced Friday that as of 8 a.m. Monday Nov. 4, the burn ban for Tehama County and the State Responsibility Areas of Glenn County will be lifted. The city of Red Bluff is also lifting its own burn ban beginning Monday. Posted. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/business/ci_24441045/burn-ban-lifted-tehama-county POLLUTION: Check air quality before lighting that fireplace. With recent highs in the 80s, few people are ready to spark up the fireplace. But the South Coast Air Quality Management District already is warning residents to be aware that burning wood in home fireplaces on polluted days is a violation that can result in fines, not to mention making the air worse. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20131101-pollution-check-air-quality-before-lighting-that-fireplace.ece 'Don't Light Tonight' advisory issued for Yolo-Solano region. The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District has issued a "Don't Light Tonight" advisory that will run until midnight Sunday. Residents are asked to refrain from burning wood during this time. Ironically, the district only just announced Thursday that its Don't Light Tonight program 2013-14 season was launching on Friday. The program will run through the end of February 2014. Posted. http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_24439642/dont-light-tonight-advisory-issued-yolo-solano-region CLIMATE CHANGE Global Warming Seen Taking Toll on Economy, Health, Crops. Global warming is expected to take an increasing toll on the economy, food production, fresh water supplies and human health as the century progresses, according to a draft study for the United Nations. A temperature increase of 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees Fahrenheit) since industrialization may lead to losses of as much as 2 percent of global economic output, an analysis by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed. Temperatures have already risen by about 0.8 degrees. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-04/global-warming-seen-taking-toll-on-economy-health-crops.html Climate Change Seen Posing Risk to Food Supplies. Climate change will pose sharp risks to the world’s food supply in coming decades, potentially undermining crop production and driving up prices at a time when the demand for food is expected to soar, scientists have found. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/science/earth/science-panel-warns-of-risks-to-food-supply-from-climate-change.html?_r=0 Top climate scientists ask environmentalists to support nuclear power in climate battle. Some of the world’s top climate scientists say wind and solar energy won’t be enough to head off extreme global warming, and they’re asking environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear power as one way to cut fossil fuel pollution. Four scientists who have played a key role in alerting the public to the dangers of climate change sent letters Sunday to leading environmental groups and politicians around the world. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/top-climate-scientists-ask-environmentalists-to-support-nuclear-power-in-climate-battle/2013/11/03/79a345b0-4473-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.html Pacific Ocean warming faster than it has in 10,000 years, study finds. Scientists have struggled to explain a recent slowdown in the rise of global surface temperatures while skeptics have seized on the 15-year lull to cast doubt on the science of climate change. A new study offers one explanation of where much of the heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions is going: the ocean. Scientists found that parts of the Pacific Ocean are absorbing heat faster than they have over the past 10,000 years. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-pacific-ocean-warming-faster-10000-years-climate-change-20131101,0,2144238.story#axzz2jhzPE6KR Experts say nuclear power needed to slow warming. Some of the world's top climate scientists say wind and solar energy won't be enough to head off extreme global warming, and they're asking environmentalists to support the development of safer nuclear power as one way to cut fossil fuel pollution. Four scientists who have played a key role in alerting the public to the dangers of climate change sent letters Sunday to leading environmental groups and politicians around the world. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/nov/03/experts-say-nuclear-power-needed-to-slow-warming/#ixzz2jhcFSJlL Report: Warming likely to make bad things worse. Many of the ills of the modern world — starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves, droughts, war and disease — are likely to worsen as the world warms from man-made climate change, a leaked draft of an international scientific report forecasts. The report uses the word "exacerbate" repeatedly to describe warming's effect on poverty, lack of water, disease and even the causes of war. Posted http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/03/report-warming-likely-to-make-bad-things-worse/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/03/3587740/report-warming-likely-to-make.html Pacific Climate Pact's Green Energy Goals No Easy Feat. From streamlined permitting of clean energy projects to electricity grid integration, the regional climate change action pact inked by California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia this week is an impressive wish list of renewable-friendly goals, but experts say bridging jurisdictional divides and turning those goals into concrete, cohesive energy policies won't be easy for lawmakers and regulators.. Posted. http://www.law360.com/environmental/articles/485120?nl_pk=f73ac890-26a3-449e-837c-961a6627164d&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=environmental BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY How media pushed climate change 'pause' into the mainstream. Second in a two-part series. Click here for the first part. In late September, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest science summary, IPCC scientists highlighted the certainty of human's role in recent climate change. They also updated estimates of sea-level rise and pointed out that the last three decades were likely the warmest 30-year period in the past 1,400 years. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989863/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Cuts in black carbon, methane could slow rapid polar and Himalayan melting – report. Reduction of short-term climate pollutants like methane and soot could make a real difference in slowing melting of the Arctic and glacial regions like the Himalayas, according to a report released yesterday by the World Bank and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative. It could also have significant health benefits for people living in areas where these pollutants are released. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989866/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Fracking probe expands in Central Valley. Near almond orchards and the city of Shafter, state water authorities tested suspicious fluid in an oilfield sump — at a well named for the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop. They found the fluid laced with boron, salts and a cocktail of notorious chemicals related to gasoline and diesel. It came from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/02/3587611/fracking-probe-expands-in-valley.html#storylink=cpy Will 2014 be the year when cellulosic biofuels arrive at your gas pump? With luck, by the end of next year, there will be seven fully operational cellulosic ethanol facilities in the world. That's more than double the three that are up and running now: KiOR in Mississippi, INEOS Bio in Florida and Beta Renewables in Italy, and it offers the most promising future to date for a sector that has had a difficult time getting on its feet. "I think the future is bright; I think the industry can be built very quickly…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989882/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES US Electric Vehicles sales report for October. The monthly EV sales report is provided by InsideEVs and is updated with the latest available information. Ford has not yet reported its results, but it looks like October 2013 will not only surpass September 2013, but also December of 2012 and be the 2nd best month of all-time for US EV sales. While the numbers for October have only just started to come in (and will be updated), it appears as though the month…Posted. http://cars21.com/news/view/5643 DOD plans big bet on electric vehicles, but not much on natural gas. The Department of Defense is accelerating its adoption of electric vehicles in order to trim its fuel bill and reap the strategic benefits of weaning itself from a heavy dependence on fossil fuels. According to a recent report from Colorado-based firm Navigant Research, DOD is expected to acquire more than 92,400 electric vehicles (EVs) for nontactical purposes by 2020. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989883/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY This Little LED of Mine. Nancy Finkelmeier tried to make the switch more than a year ago. After hearing that the long life of compact fluorescent bulbs would help her avoid changing the lights in her 15-foot ceilings so often, she got rid of her traditional incandescent bulbs in favor of the new ones. But there was a problem. “I don’t like that cool blue light that it emits,” said Ms. Finkelmeier, a retired nurse from Cincinnati. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/business/energy-environment/this-little-led-of-mine.html?_r=0 Aiming for Truly Sustainable Buildings. Over the last decade, the most widely recognized seal of approval for green buildings among New York City buyers has been LEED, a label that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Many property developers strive for LEED certification to appeal to residents with an image of eco-friendliness, as well as to charge premium prices and earn tax credits. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/realestate/aiming-for-truly-sustainable-buildings.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1383586816-Le55fZM+IcABI10sgPPR5g Green Building Council honors UC system. The U.S. Green Building Council's Northern California Chapter hosted its annual Green Building Super Heroes Awards Gala Tuesday at the Julia Morgan Ballroom San Francisco honoring several distinguished leaders -- including the University of California system -- propelling the sustainability movement in Northern California and beyond. Mary D. Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board…Posted. http://www.dailydemocrat.com/business/ci_24440438/green-building-council-honors-uc-system Diablo Canyon faces state deadlines to change its cooling system. An important milestone looms for Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Plant manager PG&E and state officials will decide soon whether the plant will spend up to $12 billion to change its cooling system, which damages the ocean ecosystem by killing fish larvae and discharging billions of gallons of unnaturally warm seawater. Some options, such as building 600-foot-tall cooling towers, would permanently alter the landscape around Diablo Canyon and certainly face stiff local opposition. Posted. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/11/02/2763083/diablo-canyon-faces-deadlines.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Free emissions test offered to Fresno drivers. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and Valley CAN will provide Fresno drivers with free vehicle emissions tests Saturday at the Fresno County Fairgrounds during the "Tune In & Tune Up" event. Drivers who have owned their car for at least six months are eligible for the free test from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If the vehicle doesn't pass the test and can be repaired…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/01/3585247/free-emissions-test-offered-to.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/01/3006905/free-emissions-test-offered-to.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS COLUMN-Shell plants LNG at truck stops along the interstates: Kemp. In the decade to 2013, shale gas and oil transformed the U.S. and global energy markets. The next revolutionary development over the decade to 2023 is likely to be the widespread use of gas as a transport fuel, starting in the United States. Freight trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) rather than diesel could become a common sight on the U.S. interstate highway system under plans being developed and financed by Royal Dutch Shell. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/04/lng-north-america-idUSL5N0IP2I120131104 Earth Talk: Can’t close doors on pollution. Dear EarthTalk: Can you discuss pollutants in car interior materials, and also pollution inside cars originating from gasoline and diesel exhausts outside the car? . . . The interior of your car may seem like a safe haven from air pollution, but it may actually be quite the opposite. Chemicals emanating from the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests and seats mix with the airborne pollution being generated under the hood to form a witch’s brew of toxins for those riding inside. Posted. http://smdp.com/earth-talk-cant-close-doors-on-pollution/128825 BLOGS A Closer Look at Climate Panel’s Findings on Global Warming Impacts. Justin Gillis has provided a look at the forthcoming report on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation options from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, based on a leaked final draft (dated Oct. 28) that was posted on the blog of Donna Laframboise, a longtime critic of the panel. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/a-closer-look-at-climate-panels-findings-on-global-warming-impacts/ California won't meet 2050 emissions goals, report says. Barring a sweeping policy change or the introduction of new technology, California will fall short of its goals to drastically curtail greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The good news is that California remains on pace to cut emissions to their 1990 level by 2020, a goal set out in a 2005 executive order issued by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/11/california-wont-meet-2050-emissions-goals-report.html Adapting to Climate Change Does Not Mean Accepting It. At the end of last week a new IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report was leaked projecting that climate change would reduce the world's food productivity throughout this century. We also saw the Obama administration issue an Executive Order on Climate Preparedness as part of its Climate Action Plan. The Obama Climate Action Plan includes elements to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/adapting-to-climate-chang_b_4212460.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2013 13:15:13 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 5, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 5, 2013. 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 Emissions Rise in 2012 on Gas-Fired Power Output. Greenhouse-gas emissions from power generators, oil refineries and other plants in California climbed in 2012 as a nuclear plant shutdown and low hydropower supplies increased the state’s reliance on natural gas. Power-plant releases rose 35 percent to 41.6 million metric tons last year, according to data posted today on the state Air Resources Board’s website. Total emissions were 437.8 million metric tons, up from 429.3 million in 2011. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-04/california-emissions-climb-in-2012-on-low-nuclear-hydro-supply.html AIR POLLUTION United Nations Group Warns on Emissions. Major polluters must immediately begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if the rise in global temperatures is to be held in check, or else a higher price will have to be paid later, according to a report released Tuesday by the United Nations Environment Program. While a failure to act swiftly will not necessarily doom the effort to limit the rise in global temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/world/europe/united-nations-group-warns-on-emissions.html?_r=0 Bad air quality warning issued in Oceano Dunes, Nipomo Mesa area. The San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District and County Public Health Department issued a bad air quality warning Monday for the Oceano Dunes, Nipomo Mesa area. There is a lot of wind in the area, and it's picking up a dust and sand. Forecasters predict high winds throughout the evening. The worst winds should calm down around 5 p.m., and all wind should die down by about 7 p.m. Posted. http://www.ksby.com/news/bad-air-quality-warning-issued-in-oceano-dunes-nipomo-mesa-area/ China's goals to cut air pollution have unintended benefit of substantial CO2 reductions. Targets set in China's latest five-year plan aimed at reducing harmful air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels will result in unintended reductions in carbon dioxide emissions that exceed the country's near-term CO2 reduction goals, according to a new study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. China's rapid economic development has led to a spike in pollution from power plants and the industrial sector. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989970/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Failure to Cut Carbon Seen Keeping Dirty Plants Operating. Failure to tackle excessive greenhouse-gas output threatens to keep polluting power stations and factories operating for decades to come, raising the costs of tackling climate change beyond 2020, the United Nations said. At best, greenhouse-gas output by the end of this decade will be about 18 percent above levels needed to contain warming to…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-05/failure-to-cut-carbon-seen-keeping-dirty-plants-operating.html Global action needed to close 8-12 bln tonne emissions gap –UNEP. Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 will be 8 billion to 12 billion tonnes more than the level needed to keep global warming to only 2 degrees Celsius and avoid severe climate change, a United Nations report estimated on Tuesday. The annual U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) report analyzed countries' current pledges for emission cuts and whether they are enough. It found the gap between the pledges and emission cuts…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/05/unep-emissions-idUSL5N0IL34V20131105 California must adopt aggressive climate-change policies, report says. State will fall short of goal to slash greenhouse gas emissions by midcentury unless it adopts aggressive policies, report says. California will fall short of its goal to slash greenhouse gas emissions by midcentury unless it adopts aggressive policies to fight climate change, a new report says. The state is still on track to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases to 1990 levels by 2020…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1105-greenhouse-gases-20131105,0,4761079.story#axzz2jnFqcrxz Good news on global warming? Emissions going up, but more slowly. A new study suggests that carbon-dioxide emissions last year – while still a record high – grew more slowly than over the past 10 years on average. That could signal an important change. Despite a record-setting increase in the amount of carbon dioxide released from power plants, factories, and other human activities last year, there may have been a silver lining: emissions increased at a significantly slower rate than they have during the past 10 years on average, according to a new report. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2013/1104/Good-news-on-global-warming-Emissions-going-up-but-more-slowly Obama Task Force on Climate 'Resilience' Gets Icy GOP Welcome. President Obama’s newest effort to address climate change mainly calls for plotting strategies, but that didn’t stop Republicans from attacking it as an escalation of regulatory actions aimed at bypassing Congress. “The president continues to go around Congress because he knows the American people don’t support his climate-change policies that threaten economic growth and jobs,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told National Journal Daily on Monday. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/obama-task-force-on-climate-resilience-gets-icy-gop-welcome-20131104 Calif. will meet greenhouse gas goals but miss on conventional pollutants – study. California will be able to meet its immediate greenhouse gas targets but is not on track to meet long-term goals or expected federal targets for conventional air pollutants, according to a new analysis by federal researchers. Modeling of California's emissions trajectory to 2050 shows that the state's suite of carbon-cutting policies will not be sufficient to meet its strict targets for that year…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989969/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY West Coast pact to cut, price carbon could have wider influence – analysts. When California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) announced a sweeping agreement last week among three West Coast states and a Canadian province on actions to fight climate change, he described the pact as likely to trigger a wave of similar activity. "Next year, and the year after, and the year after that, this will spread until finally we get a real handle and grasp on what is the world's greatest existential challenge," Brown said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989938/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Climate change to affect Pacific Northwest forests, water supply and coasts – report. Climate change in the Pacific Northwest will alter water availability and storage, threaten coastal areas, and increase forest fire and pest outbreaks, according to a report released yesterday. The Northwest Climate Assessment Report supports the National Climate Assessment and details the most recent science on impacts of current and future climate change on the region. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989956/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Gap between emissions cuts and dangerous climate change widens, report says. Keeping global temperatures below a dangerous threshold by 2020 risks becoming a distant dream, a new U.N. Environment Programme report finds. Greenhouse gas emissions levels are "considerably higher" than what will be needed to keep the global average temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius, making it increasingly likely that the world will have to rely on costlier technologies like carbon capture and sequestration in order to meet the threshold in the coming decades…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989968/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Carbon taxes, emissions trading are cheapest ways to reduce CO2 output – report. A new study on the economic impact of various international carbon-cutting policies found that despite recent woes surrounding the mechanisms, emission trading systems and carbon taxes are the cheapest policy-based methods to reduce a nation's carbon dioxide output. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report examined 15 countries and their carbon pricing policies as of 2010, including the United States, Germany, Japan and Australia. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989948/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS UPDATE 1-US ethanol plants reopen as record corn harvest boosts margins. U.S. ethanol plants that have been shut for as many as five years are now coming back online as a record U.S. harvest has pushed down corn prices and improved profit margins for makers of the biofuel. Agribusiness giant Cargill Inc on Monday said it restarted a plant in Fort Dodge, Iowa, that the company purchased in 2011 from corn processor Tate & Lyle. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/05/usa-ethanol-cargill-idUSL2N0IP1Z720131105?type=companyNews&feedType=RSS Ethanol’s Discount to Gasoline Expands Amid Ample Corn Supplies. Ethanol’s discount to gasoline widened as distillers accelerated production amid ample supplies of corn, the biofuel’s feedstock. The spread between the December contracts expanded 0.7 cent to 89.84 cents a gallon at 11:15 a.m. New York time. The corn harvest in the U.S. is 73 percent complete as of Oct. 27, compared with 59 percent a week ago, the Agriculture Department reported yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-05/ethanol-s-discount-to-gasoline-expands-amid-ample-corn-supplies.html Fuel-From-Soy Makers Mount Last-Ditch Lobby Push on EPA. Companies that make biofuels from corn husks, soy and other materials are mounting a last-ditch lobbying campaign to prevent a weakening of the U.S. renewable-fuel mandate, saying a lower requirement would set back an industry that is ready to blossom. The Environmental Protection Agency, responding to complaints from refiners and fossil-fuel oil producers…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-04/fuel-from-soy-makers-mount-last-ditch-lobby-push-on-epa.html Biofuel seed developer Ceres looks to cash in on 16 years of R&D. Ceres, which uses advanced plant breeding and biotechnology to make better seeds for biofuels, is working to commercialize its products. The road to a clean biofuels future is not easily traveled. Ceres Inc. in Thousand Oaks has some highly regarded science on its side as a producer of genetically modified seeds for crops used to make biofuels. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-stock-spotlight-ceres-20131101,0,4730157.story#axzz2jnFqcrxz Stable energy prices have saved the economy billions. Nationwide gas prices averaged $3.75 a gallon in June. Today, they average $3.29. That's a big drop. And Americans spend enough on gas that it means a real savings. Americans consume about 367 million gallons of gasoline per day. So a $0.45 drop saves $165 million a day, or about $60 billion per year. Sure, prices can (and will) rise again. A lot of the current drop is likely seasonal. But gas prices have been remarkably stable year to year lately. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/11/05/stable-energy-prices-have-saved-the-economy-billions/3442845/ Pacific Biodiesel-SeQuential Biofuels JV to add Seattle zoo, stadium to client roster. SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel, a joint venture between Oregon’s SeQuential Biofuels and Maui-based Pacific Biodiesel, said Monday that it will add the Woodland Park Zoo and Husky Stadium, both in Seattle, as cooking oil recycling customers by the end of this year. The longest-running commercial biodiesel producer in the Pacific Northwest…Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2013/11/04/pacific-biodiesel-sequential-biofuels.html Yet Another Green Fuel: Landfill Methane On Sale In California. If you're looking for an alternative fuel, why not try garbage? Or, rather, the methane produced by landfills. Clean Energy Fuels--a developer of natural gas refueling infrastructure--has now been selling a methane-based fuel at its network of filling stations in California for about a month, according to The New York Times. The fuel is available at more than 40 stations in the Golden State, and is mostly bought by large corporations and fleets. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088175_yet-another-green-fuel-landfill-methane-on-sale-in-california Oil, green groups battle over changes to drilling mud disposal rule. Oil and natural gas companies and environmental groups are battling in California over whether the state should more tightly restrict the disposal of waste mud from drilling. Two petroleum trade groups and an alliance of 10 green groups, health organizations and citizen coalitions are lobbying the state's Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board on the issue. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059989974/print BY SUBSCRIPTIO ONLY Study suggests link between carbon injection and earthquakes. The large-scale injection of carbon dioxide into an oil field likely spurred earthquakes in northwest Texas between 2006 and 2011, a new study reports. The research, published yesterday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, constitutes the first time scientists have documented underground gas injections causing seismic activity greater than a magnitude of 3. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989955/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Toyota shows off new fuel cell car in advance of Tokyo Motor Show. Toyota Motor Corp. revealed a sneak peak of its FCV Concept hydrogen fuel cell vehicle Tuesday, an early version of the car it thinks will popularize fuel cell autos just as the Prius made hybrids mainstream. “It is a very intriguing proposition for us,” said Bill Fay, general manager of Toyota’s U.S. sales arm. “We think it could be the best zero emissions solution that hits the market.” Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-toyota-fcv-fuel-cell-vehicle-20131105,0,6387979.story#axzz2jnFqcrxz http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/11/20131105-tmc.html Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy Nominee: 2014 Chevy Cruze Diesel. The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is a somewhat daring car, and one that diesel fans have been urging a U.S. maker to sell for years, if not decades. It's the first diesel-engined passenger vehicle sold by General Motors since 1986, and it's a fully modern car with the latest in emissions control systems. They're fitted to a 151-horsepower 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine that's built in Germany. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088181_green-car-reports-best-car-to-buy-nominee-2014-chevy-cruze-diesel Give millennials a non-internal-combustion engine, and they might drive it. Like all producers of consumer goods, auto manufacturers through the years have struggled to make products that can appeal to a wide range of generations -- and thus built cars to appeal to families, retirees, young drivers and so on. For decades, this specialized marketing approach proved to be a winning formula for car companies. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989989/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Smaller batteries could boost hybrid sales. Johnson Controls Inc. has unveiled a new hybrid vehicle battery the size of a shoe box -- a significant breakthrough in micro-hybrid technology that could help automakers meet new fuel efficiency requirements. Micro-hybrid vehicles, which currently are sold primarily in Europe, use regenerative braking and engines that stop running when the vehicle is stopped to save fuel. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059989984/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY On-Site Power May Weaken Centrally-Generated Wind And Solar Energy. Two energy-related trends are converging and are potentially contradicting the goal of generating increasing levels of green power. Some utilities are expanding their transmission networks to accommodate more wind and solar power, but certain commercial and residential users are trying to break free from their local utilities by producing their own electricity. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2013/11/05/on-site-power-may-weaken-centrally-generated-wind-and-solar-energy/ MISCELLANEOUS Supercapacitors emerge as partner and competitor to batteries in clean tech. Where conventional batteries hit their performance limits, engineers are increasingly looking to supercapacitors to fill in the blanks in many clean technologies, from hybrid cars to wind turbines. These devices are gaining traction as a complement to batteries, but they also compete head to head. Unlike lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries, which store energy chemically, supercapacitors -- also called ultracapacitors -- store energy in electric fields. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059989975/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS EPA takes on power plant pollution. You need to know three things about climate disruption. First, some good news: We can do something about it. In fact, we've already made some progress in controlling the carbon pollution that threatens our climate and our planet. Last month's release of the 2012 greenhouse gas emissions report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows a 4.5 percent decrease in reported carbon pollution in the United States - to the lowest level seen in almost 20 years. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/EPA-takes-on-power-plant-pollution-4951948.php BLOGS Battling Pollution, Beijing to Cut New Car Quota By 90,000. China’s capital will slash the number of license plates it gives out to new cars, as Beijing and other Chinese cities look for ways to curb pollution and congestion in the world’s largest car market. The Beijing Daily, the mouthpiece of the municipal government of Beijing, said on Tuesday that the city will slash the quota of license plates that it gives out to 150,000 a year from 240,000 now, effective at the beginning of next year. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/11/05/battling-pollution-beijing-to-cut-new-car-quota-by-90000/ Oil industry treated California legislators to $13K dinner as fracking bill loomed. As negotiations heated up at the end of the legislative session over a bill to regulate hydraulic fracturing in California, oil companies poured millions into lobbying the Legislature, quarterly reports released last week show. The three interest groups that spent the most money lobbying in California between July 1 and Sept. 30…Posted. http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/11/oil-industry-treated-legislators-to-13k-dinner-as-fracking-bill-loomed.html#storylink=cpy What's Behind the Increase in 2012 Power Sector Emissions in California? The California Air Resources Board released emissions reports today from the state’s largest carbon polluters in 2012. Contrary to national trends, the numbers show a sharp increase in emissions from the power sector relative to the year before. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ajackson/whats_behind_the_increase_in_2.html Despite Fukushima Nuclear Power Really Is The Only Way To Beat Climate Change. In fact, we might want to change that headline slightly: because of Fukushima nuclear power really is the only way to beat climate change. James Hansen and other reputable climate scientists have just released an open letter on the subject of nuclear power and climate change. Their basic point is that the only way we can generate enough power to have an advanced civilization…Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/11/04/despite-fukushima-nuclear-power-really-is-the-only-way-to-beat-climate-change/ Carbon emissions from power plants drop 10% due to gas conversion. The EPA released data recently with a bit of good news: carbon emissions from power plants have dropped 10 percent since 2010. The reason is many plants switched from coal to natural gas. Nevertheless, 1,600 power plants still emit 2.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) accounting for roughly 40 percent of total U.S. carbon pollution. Posted. http://www.examiner.com/article/carbon-emissions-from-power-plants-drop-10-due-to-gas-conversion Is It Too Late to Prepare for Climate Change? Late last week, a Web site that claims that there is no scientific consensus on global warming published a leaked draft report on the impacts of global warming. The leak was apparently intended to embarrass the authors of the report, which is the latest installment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. However, it seems mostly to have had the opposite effect: what the leaked document shows is just how dire the impacts are likely to be. Posted. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/11/is-it-too-late-to-prepare-for-climate-change.html Five charts that explain the great energy shift. The United States is undergoing the greatest revolution in energy production in decades thanks to the shale gas boom and the rise of renewable energy. The lure of cheap natural gas has led utilities to shutter aging and carbon-spewing coal-fired power plants in favor of much cleaner burning gas. Pending federal emissions regulations make it unlikely that any new coal plants will get built in the years ahead, while state renewable energy mandates and the declining cost of solar and wind technologies have triggered a boom in green power. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/five-charts-that-explain-the-great-energy-shift/ On the Chinese Internet, Big Interest in Smog’s Threat to Fertility. How do you get online readers to click on a story about a long, official report about climate change? One answer, grabbed by editors of Chinese news sites Tuesday, was to play up a single line about a link between air pollution and fertility rates. The subsequent headline — “Climate Change Green Paper: Smog Can Influence Reproductive Ability” — was a bit of a head-scratcher. Posted. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/on-the-chinese-internet-big-interest-in-smogs-threat-to-fertility/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 12:51:16 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 6, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 6, 2013. 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 says ready to link carbon market with Quebec. California is ready to link its carbon cap-and-trade program with a similar effort in the Canadian province of Quebec, a move that could pave the way for further expansion of the market in coming years, state officials said on Tuesday. In a letter to Governor Jerry Brown, California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols said that starting on Jan. 1, businesses in both jurisdictions will be able to surrender carbon emission permits generated by either territory to meet their obligations under the program. Posted. http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/06/california-carbon-idINL2N0IR03520131106 AIR POLLUTION UN: CO2 pollution levels at annual record high. World carbon dioxide pollution levels in the atmosphere are accelerating and reached a record high in 2012, the U.N. weather agency said Wednesday. The heat-trapping gas, pumped into the air by cars and smokestacks, was measured at 393.1 parts per million last year, up 2.2 ppm from the previous year, said the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization in its annual greenhouse gas inventory. That is far beyond the 350 ppm that some scientists and environmental groups promote as the absolute upper limit for a safe level. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UN_GLOBAL_WARMING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/UN-CO2-pollution-levels-at-annual-record-high-4959852.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/06/un-co2-pollution-levels-at-annual-record- http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un-carbon-dioxide-pollution-levels-at-record-high-chief-gas-warming-earths-atmosphere/2013/11/06/a82b2fdc-46d6-11e3-95a9-3f15b5618ba8_story.htmlhigh/ http://www.redding.com/news/2013/nov/06/un-carbon-dioxide-pollution-levels-annual-record-h/ http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/06/3592781/un-co2-pollution-levels-at-annual.html http://news.yahoo.com/greenhouse-gas-volumes-reached-high-2012-wmo-100418687.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24464942/un-co2-pollution-levels-at-annual-record-high?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24464942/un-co2-pollution-levels-at-annual-record-high?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com Dozens in hospital over pollution in south Iran. An Iranian newspaper says more than 50 people were hospitalized in a southern city where air pollution levels spiked this week. Tuesday's report by the pro-reform Arman daily quotes the head of provincial health department, Mohammad Hossein Sarmast, as saying that at least 5,000 people rushed to the city hospitals in Ahvaz seeking medical assistance after pollution levels increased following lightning strikes and heavy rains on Sunday. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/nov/05/dozens-in-hospital-over-pollution-in-south-iran/#ixzz2jszilb7q Air quality board votes to sue Morongo reservation decision. Concerns over relaxed air pollution rules for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Reservation appear to be heading to court. The move from the South Coast Air Quality Management District comes in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision in September allowing heavier polluting development on the reservation before ozone-offsetting requirements take effect. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20131105/NEWS07/311050009/Air-quality-board-votes-sue-EPA-over-Morongo-decision CLIMATE CHANGE Global Climate Deal Should Include Emissions Budget, CMIA Says. The global climate deal for 2020 being negotiated through 2015 by United Nations envoys should include a budget limiting greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Climate Markets & Investment Association. The London lobby group which represents banks and law firms called on almost 200 nations meeting in Warsaw starting next week to agree on the “legal form” of the deal to be sealed at a meeting in Paris in two years, CMIA said today by e-mail. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-06/global-climate-deal-should-include-emissions-budget-cmia-says.html Obama appoints Brown, Garcetti to climate-change task force. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Gov. Jerry Brown are among the state and local leaders named to a national task force that will recommend steps the federal government can take to help communities cope with climate change. President Obama established the task force last week when he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to prepare for climate change. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-obama-jerry-brown-eric-garcetti-climate-change-20131105,0,5975457.story#axzz2jt23NZdm Polar bear researchers to try crowdsourcing. Researchers studying the effects of climate change on polar bears are experimenting with the idea of crowdsourcing data as improving technology allows anybody with an Internet connection to monitor the animals' annual migration in Canada. Polar bears gather at this time of year on the Hudson Bay's southwestern shore to wait for the water to freeze so they can wander the ice and hunt for seals. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/05/5883697/polar-bear-researchers-to-try.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Polar-bear-researchers-to-try-crowdsourcing-4957480.php Conference to review state climate policies. California’s efforts to cut greenhouse-gas emissions will come under review Friday at the fifth annual Climate and Energy Law Symposium hosted by the University of San Diego School of Law. The event, featuring experts in climate, energy and environmental law, will address the strengths and weaknesses of the state’s cap-and-trade markets, zero-emission vehicles policies and low-carbon fuel standard. Participants also are set to examine the progress state utilities have made toward generating a third of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/06/tp-conference-to-review-state-climate-policies/ Antarctic ice core may disclose 1.5 million years of climate change. Regions of Antarctica could hold ice revealing significant chapters in Earth's climate history, new research suggests. The potential locations of the ice were described Nov. 5 in the journal Climate of the Past. One of those locations could allow scientists to drill miles-long sections of ice to explain why natural cycles in climate shifted about 1 million years ago. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/1106/Antarctic-ice-core-may-disclose-1.5-million-years-of-climate-change DIESEL EMISSIONS Over $8 million Available to Reduce Emissions in Bay Area in Calif. The California Bay Area Air Quality Management District is announcing that funding is now available to help Bay Area truck owners reduce emissions and meet upcoming state air quality requirements. Recent program changes prioritize funding for small fleets of three or fewer trucks, provide for an extended application period, and allow trucks with older engines to participate. Grant applications must be submitted by Dec. 12 to be considered for funding. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/11/over-8-million-available-to-reduce-emissions-in-bay-area-in-calif.aspx FUELS Crude-Oil Futures Climb on U.S. Inventory Data. U.S. gasoline stockpiles dropped to the lowest level since Nov. 23, 2012. Crude-oil futures prices climbed Wednesday after government data suggested stronger-than-expected demand for gasoline and diesel fuel. U.S. gasoline stockpiles dropped 3.755 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 1 to the lowest level since Nov. 23, 2012. Analysts surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected a 300,000-barrel decline. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303309504579181320305305880?KEYWORDS=energy VEHICLES Tesla shares plunge on battery shortage and heavy research spending. Tesla Motors shares plunged in early trading Wednesday after the electric car maker said a battery shortage was limiting sales and that it is spending heavily on research and development to bring new models to market. Shares of the automaker dropped 16%, or $28.67, to $148.14. Tesla shares have been on a run for most of the year, rising about 400% before this reversal. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-shares-plunge-20131106,0,827926.story#axzz2jt23NZdm Automakers, states to discuss zero-emission vehicle plan. Automakers and eight U.S. states led by California that want to get more than 3 million zero-emission vehicles on the nation’s roads by 2025 will meet in Washington this week to discuss the ambitious plan. At a two-day meeting starting Thursday, automakers, officials from the states, California Air Resources Board and the Environmental Protection Agency will meet to discuss the new zero emission requirements. Posted. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131105/AUTO01/311050099/Automakers-states-discuss-zero-emission-vehicle-plan GREEN ENERGY Hitting EU green energy goals 'would save billions, boost GDP' Hitting energy and environment targets for 2030 under discussion in the European Commission would save up to 35 billion euros ($47 billion) per year in health costs as air pollution declines, EU sources said. It would also add an estimated 0.5 percent to gross domestic product, due mainly to lower oil and gas imports, they said. The numbers are from a draft Commission assessment of the impact of 2030 goals expected to be announced early next year. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/06/us-eu-idUSBRE9A50FK20131106 Dairy digester to turn cow waste into valuable electricity. The small city of Galt on Sacramento County’s southern edge was founded by farmers, ranchers and dairymen like Arlin Van Groningen, a third-generation dairy farmer who continues the family tradition on a 90-acre plot off Harvey Road just north of town. “We concentrate on cows,” he said. “Our goal is to produce a clean milk product.” Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/05/5884722/dairy-digester-to-turn-cow-waste.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS Stephens: Does Environmentalism Cause Amnesia? Climate-change alarmists warn us about coming food shortages. They said the same in 1968. Warming is becoming a major problem. "A change in our climate," writes one deservedly famous American naturalist, "is taking place very sensibly." Snowfall, he notes, has become "less frequent and less deep." Rivers that once "seldom failed to freeze over in the course of the winter, scarcely ever do so now." Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303482504579177651057373802?KEYWORDS=climate+change Too Big to Breathe? I arrived here on Oct. 19th and was greeted with this news: A combination of cold weather, lack of wind, coal-powered heating and farmers burning off post-harvest debris had created a perfect storm of pollution in the northeastern industrial city of Harbin, home to 10 million people. It was so bad that bus drivers were getting lost because the smog-enveloped roads would only permit them to see a few yards ahead. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/opinion/friedman-too-big-to-breathe.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&rref=opinion&adxnnlx=1383756668-28e25RjOEQAJWV3SnTa+ZQ BLOGS Climate change is decreasing farm yields just when we need them to go up. One of the most disturbing details included in the recently leaked IPCC report is that climate change could begin reducing farm yields worldwide by up to 2 percent a decade. Meanwhile, demand for crops is increasing 12 percent per decade. You don’t have to be a math whiz to see how that (doesn’t) add up. A collision between a rising need for food and falling yields would be terrible for the environment, as well as for people. Posted. http://grist.org/food/climate-change-is-decreasing-farm-yields-just-when-we-need-them-to-go-up/ Build it and they will come: I-5 corridor EV fast charge stations getting lots of use. Washington State plug-in vehicle charging stations along Interstate 5 are getting used more than twice as much as they were a year ago, the Associated Press says, citing a study from the Washington State Department of Transportation. In September, the state's 14 fast-charging stations along I-5 were collectively used 1,155 times, up from 528 sessions a year earlier. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/11/06/i5-corridor-ev-fast-charge-stations-heavily-used/ US military tipped to drive electric vehicle demand. The US military is set to become one of the world's largest operators of electric vehicles, according to new research which predicts the Department of Defense will buy more than 92,400 electric vehicles between 2013 and 2020. The study from Navigant Consulting argues that with the Department of Defense already investing heavily in a range of low emission vehicles it is now poised to ramp up spending on plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that can be used for non-tactical purposes. Posted. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2304588/us-military-tipped-to-drive-electric-vehicle-demand Schools install pricey filters to protect kids from frac sand. Kids should play in sand, not breathe it in. Wisconsin’s New Auburn school district is upgrading air filters to prevent sand fragments from floating in from nearby frac-sand mines and getting into children’s lungs. Much of the sand in the state is perfectly suited to be mixed with water and chemicals and used in fracking operations, where it holds open fractures in shale and allows gas and oil to escape. Posted. http://grist.org/news/schools-install-pricey-filters-to-protect-kids-from-frac-sand/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2013 14:20:18 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for November 7, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 7, 2013. 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 Nevada mine pollution deal brings residents $19.5M. Rural neighbors of an abandoned World War II-era copper mine that has leaked toxic chemicals in northern Nevada for decades have won up to a $19.5 million settlement from companies they accused of covering up the contamination. Atlantic Richfield Co. and its parent BP America Inc. acknowledged no wrongdoing under the agreement, which also calls for them to pay $2.6 million in attorney fees to the legal team…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TOXIC_MINE_NEVADA_SETTLEMENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Cook with a gas stove? You could be breathing polluted air, study says. A big polluter could be blazing inside your kitchen, its blue flames glowing under your tea kettle or frying pan. A new study says cooking with a gas stove can expose you to unhealthy levels of air pollution. About two-thirds of Southern California households that use natural gas burners without proper ventilation breathe levels of air pollution so high that they would exceed federal health standards outdoors, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-gas-stoves-air-pollution-california-20131106,0,6918914.story#axzz2juFHzW1s Prescribed burn scheduled Friday in San Luis Obispo County. A prescribed burn is scheduled Friday in San Luis Obispo County. The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is working with local ranchers to burn a 400 acre area, located nine miles northeast of Pozo and 12 miles northwest of California Valley. The burn is part of CAL FIRE's Vegetation Management Program. The goal is to get rid of hazardous brush and improve ranging for livestock and wildlife. Posted. http://www.ksby.com/news/prescribed-burn-scheduled-friday-in-san-luis-obispo-county/ How Biking In Traffic Affects Your Body. Ever wondered what all those fumes are doing to your lungs while bike or walk in heavy traffic? I certainly have, especially when biking up a hill behind a bus. (Argh, not again!) So I had to check out this Globe and Mail story about a recent study of just my situation—biking in traffic exhaust. A team of exercise physiologists at the University of British Columbia and the University of Fraser Valley, both in Canada, asked healthy volunteers to come to their lab, sit on stationary bicycles, and pedal away while wearing face masks that pumped at them either filtered air or air containing diesel exhaust. The researchers measured the volunteers' oxygen use, heart rate and other physiological responses. Posted. http://www.popsci.com/article/science/how-biking-traffic-affects-your-body CLIMATE CHANGE DOE awards $84M for 18 carbon-capture projects. The Energy Department has awarded $84 million to 18 projects across the country to help limit carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. The projects focus on so-called carbon-capture technologies intended to limit pollution blamed for global warming. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the grants Friday. He says any serious effort to protect future generations from the worst effects of climate change must deploy technology…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ENERGY_CARBON_CAPTURE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Brazil greenhouse gas emissions lowest in 20 years. A Brazilian network of environmental groups says emission levels of greenhouse gases in Latin America's biggest country fell last year to their lowest in two decades. The Observatorio do Clima, or Climate Observatory, is comprised of more than 30 non-governmental organizations focused on climate change. It says in a report released Thursday that greenhouse gas emissions amounted to 1.48 billion metric tons in 2012 compared to 1.43 billion metric tons in 1992. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_BRAZIL_GREENHOUSE_GASES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT DIESEL EMISSIONS Redding Council Votes to Gear Up in Battle With State Over Exhaust Emission Rules. With a 5-0 vote, the Redding City Council agreed Tuesday to confront the California Air Resources Board over looming diesel engine emission standards that opponents say will deal a crippling blow to the north state’s already fragile economy. The vote authorized Mayor Rick Bosetti to write CARB and invoke Redding’s “coordination” authority. Coordination is a process that requires federal agencies (and state agencies that receive federal funding) to work with local governments before implementing policies or plans that impact the local community. Posted. http://anewscafe.com/2013/11/06/redding-council-votes-to-gear-up-in-battle-with-state-over-exhaust-emission-rules/ FUELS Strong dollar drives oil down to near $94 a barrel. The price of oil fell to near $94 a barrel Thursday, as an unexpected rate cut by the European Central Bank strengthened the dollar and an OPEC report depicted abundant global supplies. By mid-afternoon in Europe, benchmark U.S. crude for December delivery was down 57 cents to $94.23 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Wednesday, it added $1.43 to close at $94.80 a barrel. That was still about 9 percent below its Oct. 2 close of $104.10. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Oil Industry May Invoke Trade Law to Challenge Export Ban. The U.S. oil industry, riding a domestic energy boom, is preparing to challenge restrictions on crude exports, possibly by arguing that limits designed to keep petroleum in America may violate international trade rules. “Export issues are something we’re going to have to address,” John Felmy, the chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute trade group, said in an interview. “It’s a debate we have to have.” Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-06/oil-industry-may-invoke-trade-law-to-challenge-export-ban.html Colorado cities’ fracking bans could be canary in a coalmine. Three Colorado cities voted Tuesday to ban fracking, the kind of test that might be coming to states from California to North Carolina as oil and gas drilling surges from coast to coast. The Colorado vote, happening in a state with a long history of energy development, was a trial of whether the oil and gas industry could overcome passionate opposition to the drilling practice that’s helped create an American energy boom. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/07/3015294/colorado-cities-fracking-bans.html#storylink=cpy Biofuel producers brace for major EPA changes as big lobby groups clash. U.S. EPA will soon release its proposed biofuel targets for 2014, and producers are anxiously waiting what could mean a sea change for the industry next year, and beyond. If the renewable fuel standard (RFS) gallon amounts resemble the numbers in a leaked draft circulated last month that indicated a significant reduction for the corn ethanol and advanced biofuels targets, then it could mean a shift in strategy for the Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990127/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Emissions from Canada's oil industry are increasing. Canada's oil industry is producing more greenhouse gas emissions per barrel than it did five years ago, despite Alberta regulations aimed at curbing them and growing political pressure on the industry from foreign governments concerned about climate change. In an environmental report card released Tuesday, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said industry per-barrel emissions were up 21 percent since 2008…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/11/07/stories/1059990094 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla Model S electric car hit by third fire. Another Tesla Model S electric car has caught fire, this time in Tennessee, and company shares are falling. Tesla says the fire happened Wednesday afternoon near Smyrna. The company says it was caused by a crash and was not spontaneous. Spokeswoman Liz Jarvis Shean says Tesla has sent a team to Tennessee to investigate the fire. She says the company has been in contact with the driver, who believes the car saved his life. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/general-news/20131107/tesla-model-s-electric-car-hit-by-third-fire OPINIONS China’s Dirty Air. Air pollution has reached appalling levels in China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter. But we all knew this was coming and should not be surprised. The Chinese economy has grown spectacularly by following models of advanced economies. Economic catch-up can be a matter of choosing what and when from a proven menu, though too often that approach underestimates the costs connected to a particular development tool. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/opinion/chinas-dirty-air.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&rref=&hpw=&adxnnlx=1383841723-UjwCbg1IzO9/a6pRRmppeA If You Think China’s Air Is Bad ... For visitors, China’s water problem becomes apparent upon entering the hotel room. The smell of a polluted river might emanate from the showerhead. Need to quench your thirst? The drip from the tap is rarely potable. Can you trust the bottled water? Many Chinese don’t. What about brushing your teeth? Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/opinion/if-you-think-chinas-air-is-bad.html There’s good news on greenhouse gas emissions, but work remains. THE COUNTRY’S greenhouse gas emissions have been dropping significantly. Get excited. But not too excited. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported last month that the greenhouse gas output from power plants, the nation’s biggest emitters, dropped by an astounding 10 percent between 2010 and 2012. Last year alone, greenhouse emissions over the whole economy declined by 4.5 percent. In a separate report, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) noted that the recent progress on emissions came even as the economy and the population grew. The country has been using less energy to produce more wealth and, in the process, is producing fewer emissions. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/theres-good-news-on-greenhouse-gas-emissions-but-work-remains/2013/11/06/aa52a6d0-4106-11e3-a624-41d661b0bb78_story.html BLOGS China’s Top for Expats (When You Don’t Count the Pollution). China is a great place for expatriates – if you don’t ask about the air. The country ranked No. 1 overall among 37 countries as a destination for expats in an HSBC Holdings PLC survey released earlier this week, edging out Germany, Singapore and the Cayman Islands. Its surveys ranked China No. 2 out of 37 countries in terms of beneficial economics and No. 3 in terms of what the bank calls “expat experience,” or general quality of life. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/11/07/chinas-top-for-expats-when-you-dont-count-the-pollution/?KEYWORDS=air+pollution ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 8 Nov 2013 15:07:49 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 8, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 8, 2013. 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 Quebec Companies Seen ‘Engaging’ in California Carbon Market. Companies regulated by Quebec’s carbon cap-and-trade program are starting to eye California’s carbon market to hedge their environmental costs as the two governments plan to link systems on Jan. 1. Quebec companies are starting “to engage the marketplace” as they look to price carbon permits traded as part of the Canadian province’s cap-and-trade system against those in California’s market…Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-11-07/quebec-companies-seen-engaging-in-california-carbon-market AIR POLLUTION First bird poop, now sea lion poop. After grappling with guano, La Jolla Cove faces new odor problem. A month after the city of San Diego cleared up foul-smelling bird droppings at La Jolla Cove, locals have gotten wind of a new odor. This time, it’s from sea lion poop. The animals have congregated at the cove in increasing numbers since the city fenced off part of the bluffs, residents and business owners said. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/07/environment-la-jolla-sea-lion-odor/all/?print Bay Area company among DOE awards for carbon-capture projects. The Energy Department said Thursday it has awarded $84 million to 18 projects across the country, including one in the Bay Area, to help limit carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. The projects focus on so-called carbon-capture technologies intended to limit pollution blamed for global warming. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_24477548/bay-area-company-among-doe-awards-carbon-capture Pollution district bans burning Friday. If that cool, crisp autumn air has you contemplating the fireplace, don’t light that match. Just more than a week into the “Check Before You Burn” program, the San Joaquin Valley Pollution Control District issued its first prohibition Friday. Poor air quality prompted the district to issue the curtailment in Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Kings counties. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/08/3018171/pollution-district-bans-burning.html CLIMATE CHANGE Poland gives coal a voice during UN climate talks. With coal-reliant Poland hosting U.N. climate talks, the fossil fuel industry will get a rare chance to play a more visible role in the global warming debate. But in a move that has infuriated climate activists; the Polish government will also preside over a high-level coal industry event on the sidelines of the two-week climate conference, which starts Monday. "It's been seen as a real provocation and a statement from the Polish government that they have no intention to move away from coal," said Wendel Trio, director of the Climate Action Network in Europe. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_POLAND_COAL_AND_CLIMATE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Heat waves in Eastern US will become deadlier, study says. Wu J, Y Zhou, Y Gao, JS Fu, BA Johnson, C Huang, YM Kim, Yang Liu. 2013. Estimation and uncertainty analysis of impacts of future heat waves on mortality in the Eastern United States. Heat waves will kill about 10 times more people in the Eastern United States in 45 years than they did at the turn of this century, according to a new projection from researchers. The study builds on previous research that predicts as climate change…Posted. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/2013/11/heat-wave-mortality-in-eastern-us/ Does nuclear power have a place in a low-carbon future? Friends and foes weigh in. The process used to generate electricity from decaying nuclear fuel creates a laundry list of toxic and radioactive byproducts along with plutonium, a man-made element that can be used to make nuclear weapons. What you won't find on that list, however, are substantial amounts of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990176/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS More than $8 million available to reduce emissions from small Bay Area truck fleets. Money is now available to help Bay Area truck owners reduce emissions and meet upcoming state air quality requirements, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has announced. Recent program changes prioritize funding for small fleets of three or fewer trucks, provide for an extended application period, and allow trucks with older engines to participate. Grant applications must be submitted by Dec. 12 to be considered for funding. Posted. http://napavalleyregister.com/business/more-than-million-available-to-reduce-emissions-from-small-bay/article_75be439c-4832-11e3-b5cb-0019bb2963f4.html VEHICLES California's struggling 'hydrogen highway' plan gets new life -- and drivers will pay. In what may be California's last chance to build a "hydrogen highway" lined with thousands of high-tech vehicles emitting nothing but water vapor from their tailpipes, Gov. Jerry Brown has approved a plan to construct 100 hydrogen fueling stations across the state by 2024. However, it comes with a catch. Motorists -- not oil companies -- will pay for it. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science-environment/ci_24294103/new-life-californias-struggling-hydrogen-highway-plan HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail plans focus of hearings in Sacramento. Kings County, where sentiments against high-speed rail plans run strong, will be at the heart of action and arguments over the state's proposed train system today and Friday in Sacramento. The California High-Speed Rail Authority's board of directors meets today to consider a staff recommendation for a preferred high-speed train route between Fresno and Bakersfield. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/06/3015317/high-speed-rail-plans-focus-of.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY California Seen Beating Renewable Energy Generation Goal. Public support for rooftop solar and investments by major companies will push renewable energy generation beyond California’s targets by 2020, a Los Angeles energy lawyer said. Projects by Microsoft Corp. and other companies are showing an appetite for wind and solar power that will continue even if the federal government doesn’t extend tax credits that expire at the end of the year…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-08/california-seen-beating-renewable-energy-generation-goal.html San Jose launches non-profit to run planned center to promote 'cleantech' inventions. San Jose plans to open a non-profit center next summer for entrepreneurs and startups to bring in and test prototypes of new innovations in clean technology, according to a center spokesman. The San Jose Demonstration Center will be open for potential inventors of practical ways to make buildings, vehicles and energy systems more efficient…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24482324/san-jose-launches-non-profit-run-planned-center# As green energy grows, Calif. agrees to share 'real time' power. The California grid manager approved sharing electricity resources yesterday in the immediate or "real time" market with five Western states. The California Independent System Operator (ISO) Board of Governors signed off on the design of the Energy Imbalance Market, or EIM, which pools energy resources in parts of Oregon, Washington, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Cal ISO, which already operates in part of Nevada, also is looking at further links with the Silver State. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990219/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY BLOGS Bay Area commits to 80 percent greenhouse gas reduction. Air-quality officials in the oil-refinery-dotted and highway-laced San Francisco Bay Area committed Wednesday to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the famously progressive region. Bay Area Air Quality Management District leaders directed agency staff [PDF] to begin the work needed to reduce emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Posted. http://grist.org/news/bay-area-commits-to-80-percent-greenhouse-gas-reduction/ Is protecting people’s health from climate change really that controversial? Last week, the president created a “Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.” Like the carbon pollution standards for coal- and gas-fueled power plants under development by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the task force is another step in the rollout of the administration’s Climate Action Plan, and like the EPA standards, it is a lightning rod for controversy. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/189471-is-protecting-people%E2%80%99s-health-from-climate-change-really-that ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 16:05:11 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 12, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 12, 2013. 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 New York Looks to Cut Emissions by Private Trash Haulers. As aging garbage trucks rumble down the streets of New York, their fumes draw protests from residents and environmental advocates and raise concerns about asthma and other health effects. The administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, which has made cleaner air a priority, has taken steps to modernize the city’s fleet of diesel-powered vehicles —Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/nyregion/new-york-looks-to-cut-emissions-by-private-trash-haulers.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print EPA officers sickened by fumes at South L.A. oil field. The inspectors suffered sore throats and headaches during a visit to Allenco Energy Co. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) urges a temporary shutdown pending an investigation. Federal environmental officers were sickened by toxic vapors as they toured a south Los Angeles urban oil field whose emissions are blamed by neighbors for a variety of ailments, an EPA official said Friday. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1109-fumes-20131109,0,3711063.story#axzz2kSjSjncy http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_24483626/sen-boxer-asks-halt-oil-operations-la Redwood City fire: Dirty air expected to linger, metal yard re-opens after huge blaze. Authorities said it was safe to be outside after firefighters finished putting out a billowing metal-yard fire that spread an acrid metal-plastic smell over the Bay Area, renewing attention on an auto-recycling plant with a history of reprimands for polluting. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_24498551/redwood-city-seaport-blvd-open-fire-crews-continue Global deaths from vehicle emissions will grow without new rules – report. With vehicle use on the rise worldwide, the number of premature deaths linked to air pollution from cars and buses could rise without policies to control emissions, according to a new report from an international transportation think tank. While several countries and regions -- including the United States and European Union -- have adopted stricter tailpipe emission and fuel economy standards…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990269/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Report on climate change depicts a planet in peril. Climate change will disrupt not only the natural world but society, posing risks to resources and fomenting conflict, panel says. Climate change will disrupt not only the natural world but also society, posing risks to the world's economy and the food and water supply and contributing to violent conflict, an international panel of scientists says. The warnings came in a report drafted by the United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-climate-change-20131112,0,6958165.story#axzz2kSjSjncy California on course for driest year on record. Thirsty California may get a smidgen of rain this coming week, but it is not likely to change what, so far, has been the driest calendar year in recorded history. No rain at all fell in San Francisco in October and only 3.95 inches has fallen since Jan. 1, the smallest amount of precipitation to date since record keeping began 164 years ago, according to the National Weather Service. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/California-on-course-for-driest-year-on-record-4971192.php Cloud seeding, no longer magical thinking, is poised for use this winter. As California concludes a second drought year and water managers hope eagerly to avoid a third, utilities across the state are poised for that first mass of pillowy gray clouds to drift ashore from the Pacific Ocean. When it arrives, if conditions are right, they’ll be ready with cloud-seeding tools to squeeze out every extra snowflake, with the goal of boosting the snowpack that ultimately feeds the state’s water-storage reservoirs. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/11/5898983/cloud-seeding-no-longer-magical.html#storylink=cpy Worlds apart: Indigenous leaders abandon faith in UN to find climate solution. As United Nations delegates gather in Warsaw in the 19th annual effort to craft a global climate treaty, indigenous leaders from across North America met half a world away and offered a prophecy: The solution to climate change will never come via the UN talks. Tribal elders from the United States, Greenland and Mexico spoke of the need for individual action rather than government edicts, and of the difficulty – and urgency – of replacing economic questions with moral ones. Posted. http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2013/11/ancient-voices-climate-change Climate change is shifting global rainfall trends – study. Global precipitation patterns are being moved in new directions by climate change, a new study has found. The research, published yesterday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first study to find the signal of climate change in global precipitation shifts across land and ocean. "It's worth saying that this is another grain of sand on that vast pile of evidence that climate change is real and is occurring…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990242/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CFC ban linked to global warming 'pause' – study. A new study suggests that a ban on ozone-depleting gases may have also affected the rise in global temperatures. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were responsible for a massive hole in the ozone layer, but they also had a powerful greenhouse effect. The authors link a ban on their use to a "pause" or slowdown in temperature increases since the mid-1990s. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990293/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB examines change that could help out-of-state truckers. The California Air Resources Board is considering a move that would help out-of-state truck drivers be able to make limited trips through California even if their trucks don’t meet the state’s most expensive emissions regulation. In its original form, CARB’s On-Road Truck and Bus Regulation was predicted to cost the trucking industry billions of dollars in truck replacement or retrofit work. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=26174#.UoJXSBDsDzA Port of Oakland goes electric to reduce diesel pollution. The Port of Oakland celebrated a clean air milestone Friday with the completion of a power system that will allow vessels docked at berths to power up on electricity instead of diesel fuel. The $70 million project is expected to eliminate 11 tons of diesel particulate and further improve air quality in West Oakland where prior studies have shown higher-than-average levels of asthma and cancer. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_24486230/port-oakland-goes-electric-reduce-diesel-pollution Container Ships to "Plug-In" at Oakland Port to Reduce Pollution. The massive container ships pulling in and out of the busy Port of Oakland will now be plugging-in, in an effort to curb pollution. On Friday, port officials celebrated the completion of its new electrical grid, which will provide electrical power to docking ships, allowing them to plug-in and switch off idling engines while loading and unloading cargo. Posted. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Container-Ships-to-Plug-In-at-Oakland-Port-to-Reduce-Pollution-231229541.html Propane proves promising for aging school bus fleet. Down in the cities, riding to school isn't nearly as stinky as it used to be. California air pollution rules and concerns over the toxic compounds in diesel exhaust have already prompted school districts from Los Angeles to Lodi to switch to either alternative fuels or highly filtered diesel systems. Out in rural areas, such as Calaveras County, however, there are still some decades-old diesels that offer a whiff of old times. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131110/A_NEWS/311100314 Shore power project complete at the Port of Oakland. The completed four-year, 60 million dollar shore power project was celebrated at a press conference Friday by the Port of Oakland, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, City of Oakland, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and West Oakland Neighbors at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland. The project includes installation of infrastructure that provides shore power to maritime tenants at 11 berths on six terminals to replace the vessel’s diesel-fueled auxiliary engines…Posted. (PHOTOS) http://photos.mercurynews.com/2013/11/08/shore-power-project-complete-at-the-port-of-oakland/ FUELS 7 things to know about ethanol. President Barack Obama has called corn-based ethanol "the most successful alternative fuel we have ever developed." Billed as a green replacement for billions of gallons of gasoline, ethanol has enjoyed widespread political support. But the results of America's ethanol policy have not been as green as advertised. Here's what you need to know: Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ETHANOL_7_THINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Industry takes aim at AP ethanol investigation. A new Associated Press investigation, which found that ethanol hasn't lived up to some of the government's clean-energy promises, is drawing a fierce response from the ethanol industry. In an unusual campaign, ethanol producers, corn growers and its lobbying and public relations firms have criticized and sought to alter the story, which was released to some outlets earlier and is being published online and in newspapers Tuesday. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ETHANOLS_ENVIRONMENTAL_DAMAGE_PUSHBACK?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Q&A: Ethanol, oil and what it means to be green Q: What is the ethanol mandate? A: In 2007, Congress passed a law requiring oil companies to blend corn ethanol into the gasoline supply. That requirement started at 9 billion gallons and has risen each year since. This year, it's about 13 billion gallons. Barack Obama, who was running for president against a crowded field of Democrats in the Iowa caucuses, was a champion for this law. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ETHANOL_QA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT A timeline of recent ethanol events. President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005, requiring oil companies to add ethanol to their gasoline. Called the Renewable Fuels Standard, this mandate begins with a 4-billion-gallon requirement in 2006 and doubles by 2012. Corn is selling for $1.95 a bushel. January 2007 - In his State of the Union speech, President Bush calls on Congress to require production of 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ETHANOL_TIMELINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Oil industry calls for weaker regulations in Alberta. Alberta's proposed oil and gas regulations are too ambitious and will hobble the Canadian industry's ability to compete, an industry association says in Alberta government documents obtained through provincial freedom of information laws. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) says the proposed regulations won't buy any goodwill and that the government should delay their introduction. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990295/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Diesel, Fuel Cells Get Spotlight as Plug-Ins Lose Favor. With U.S. sales of plug-in electric vehicles on pace to reach half of President Barack Obama’s goal, regulators are following customers and automakers to vehicles powered by other fuels, from hydrogen to diesel. California, which leads 10 states that require automakers to sell zero-emission vehicles, may alter its system of tradable credits to stop favoring plug-ins over hydrogen-powered cars. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-11/diesels-to-fuel-cells-join-spotlight-dimming-on-plug-ins-cars.html Fire victim backs Tesla as Feds deepen probe. A Tennessee physician whose Tesla became the third to catch on fire after an accident says he stands by the car even as federal investigators say they are working with the electric car maker over the incidents. Tesla posted an account of the accident on its website from the driver, which the automaker identifies as Juris Shibayama, whose car caught on fire near Smyrna, Tenn. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/10/tesla-accident-fire/3488405/ HIGH-SPEED RAIL Low-speed land buys for high-speed rail. The body overseeing plans to build California's bullet train has started the daunting and expensive process of acquiring thousands of acres in the Central Valley, where the rail line's proposed path would slice through farms, stores and motels. But months after shovels were supposed to be in the ground, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is in escrow on just one parcel of the 370 it needs to buy or seize through eminent domain for the first 30 miles of construction. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Low-speed-land-buys-for-high-speed-rail-4975624.php GREEN ENERGY The secret, dirty cost of Obama's green power push. The hills of southern Iowa bear the scars of America's push for green energy: The brown gashes where rain has washed away the soil. The polluted streams that dump fertilizer into the water supply. Even the cemetery that disappeared like an apparition into a cornfield. It wasn't supposed to be this way. With the Iowa political caucuses on the horizon in 2007, presidential candidate Barack Obama made homegrown corn a centerpiece of his plan to slow global warming. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ETHANOLS_ENVIRONMENTAL_DAMAGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-11-12-09-35-22 CleanPowerSF remains mired in politics. In September 2012, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors approved a new program to deliver renewable power to city residents, potentially breaking Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s long-standing monopoly. The program, a decade in the making, would be up and running by October 2013, supervisors said. But it still hasn't launched. And it won't anytime soon. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/CleanPowerSF-remains-mired-in-politics-4975691.php San Jose biogas facility will turn food waste into energy. The nation's largest facility for turning food scraps into biogas is about to go online in north San Jose. The project is a unique partnership between GreenWaste, which collects garbage, recycled materials and compostable, and Zanker Road Resource Management, which operates recycling facilities. The two firms formed the Zero Waste Energy Development Company in 2011 to take organic recycling to the next level: extracting energy. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24500983/greenwaste-biogas-san-jose-food-scraps-energy-zero-waste-green http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/12/3026119/large-waste-to-biogas-plant-to.html Calif. Energy Commission Chairman Weisenmiller discusses impact of EPA power plant regs on his state. How could U.S. EPA's proposed new source regulations and anticipated existing source standards affect the climate and energy policies already in place in California? During today's OnPoint, Robert Weisenmiller, chairman of the California Energy Commission, explains how EPA has engaged California on the agency's air regulations. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/tv/2013/11/12 BY SUBSCRIPTION Green groups urge extension of clean energy credits. With just over six weeks remaining in the year -- and, hence, in the current life cycle of some key clean energy tax credits -- a coalition of environmental groups is calling on Congress to not let those incentives lapse. It seems a long shot to expect congressional tax writers to turn their attention from the intensifying discussion of an overhaul of the tax code to deliver an extension of the expiring provisions before the end of this year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990261/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY To bridge gaps in wind and solar generation, aging grid learns flexibility. At 2 p.m. on a sunny afternoon in June of this year, solar power in California surged to a new milestone. Over the course of an hour, photovoltaic panels and other arrays generated more than 2,000 megawatts of electricity -- a record for the Golden State and for California ISO, its systems operator. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990270/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY IEA sees world headed for 3.6 C rise in average temperatures. A dramatic expansion of renewable energy production worldwide, combined with government and private-sector incentives to move away from carbon-intensive fossil fuels, will be the key driver of the world's energy economy over the next two decades, a report issued today by the International Energy Agency says. Yet even with a substantial expansion of wind, solar, geothermal and other clean energy sources…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990298/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Denmark will help Md. develop offshore wind. Maryland has asked for Denmark's help in developing offshore wind farms, officials said. Denmark is the home of the world's biggest offshore wind farm developer, DONG Energy, and of the top two offshore wind turbine manufacturers, Siemens Wind Power and Vestas Wind Systems, both of which also have factories in the United States. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990268/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GE partners with industry on environmental technology initiative. General Electric Co. is partnering with a Canadian energy innovation group to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption from oil sands development. GE Power & Water will hire 15 process and solution engineers to work on technology to improve the environmental performance of the Alberta energy industry. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059990236/print BY SUSCRIPTON ONLY MISCELLANEOUS L.A. Now Live: Ask questions about the new climate change report. Join Times staff writer Tony Barboza for a L.A. Now Live chat Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. about the newest findings on climate change. In his latest piece, Barboza reported that an international panel of scientists says climate change will disrupt not only the natural world but also society, posing risks to the world's economy and the food and water supply and contributing to violent conflict. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-la-now-live-20131112-dto,0,2334059.story#axzz2kSjSjncy Home Depot will trade in your energy-wasting Christmas lights for LEDs. Alright guys, we’re on board, as much as anyone else, with the idea that Christmas comes after Thanksgiving and that maybe we don’t need to think about shopping and decorating for another few weeks. But American retailers are not — they want you to start thinking about Christmas now. Which means we have to go against our better instincts and tell you to start thinking ahead. Posted. http://grist.org/list/home-depot-will-trade-in-your-energy-wasting-christmas-lights-for-leds/ OPINIONS California's Green Reality Check. Governor Jerry Brown ought to be canonized as the patron saint of hopeless environmental causes. Consider a new U.S. Department of Energy study that finds that California will fall far short of its 2050 emissions goal even under the most ambitious (i.e., unrealistic) policies. The California Air Resources Board asked the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to analyze how various environmental policies help achieve the state's goal of reducing statewide emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304448204579182154135387652?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop BY SUBSCRIPTION 'Green' paving helps the bay, human health. Every time it rains, San Francisco Bay gets a little sicker. But it doesn't have to be that way. Asphalt streets collect pollutants from motor oil to metals from brake pads to nutrients from garden fertilizers. Rains quickly wash it all into storm drains, local streams and the bay. When combined with decades of industrial pollution, storm-water runoff damages marine life and kills fish, leaving those that survive too toxic to eat. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Green-paving-helps-the-bay-human-health-4975717.php BLOGS The Inequality of Climate Change. Typhoon Haiyan has left at least 10,000 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless in the Philippines. And it has once again underscored for many development experts a cruel truth about climate change: It will hit the world’s poorest the hardest. “No nation will be immune to the impacts of climate change,” said a major World Bank report on the issue last year. “However, the distribution of impacts is likely to be inherently unequal and tilted against many of the world’s poorest regions, which have the least economic …Posted. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/the-inequality-of-climate-change/ Eight States With Big ZEV Plans Meet With Automakers, Feds. Recently, the governors of eight states pledged to cooperate toward putting 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on their roads by 2025. Now, representatives of those eight states are meeting with car companies and policy makers to hash out exactly how they will do that. The two-day meeting was this past Thursday and Friday, including representatives from those states, the California Air Resources Board, the Environmental Protection Agency, and car makers, the Detroit News reports. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088239_eight-states-with-big-zev-plans-meet-with-automakers-feds Look what’s slowing down global warming. Climate deniers like to point to the so-called global warming “hiatus” as evidence that humans aren’t changing the climate. But according to a new study, exactly the opposite is true: The recent slowdown in global temperature increases is partially the result of one of the few successful international crackdowns on greenhouse gases. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/look-whats-slowing-down-global-warming/ Town Council adopts updated air plan. Twenty-some years ago, Mammoth Lakes used to choke through major air pollution in winter months. Wood-burning stoves and road cinders clouded the air and violated national and state air quality standards. The Town adopted an Air Quality Management Plan in 1990 and stayed within national standards four years later. With some state standard violations on occasion, the Town Council voted to approve an updated plan with an eye on complete compliance. Posted. http://www.sierrawave.net/27316/updated-air-plan/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 15:30:07 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 13, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 13, 2013. 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. CLIMATE CHANGE UN Climate Panel Amends CO2 Estimates for Policy Makers. A United Nations climate panel that was criticized after a 2007 study overstated the rate of glacial melting backtracked on global carbon-emissions estimates. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cut its estimate of total emissions since 1870 to 515 billion metric tons, or 515 gigatons, from 531 gigatons, according to a document released this week. It raised its calculation of total carbon emissions since 1750 to 555 gigatons from 545 gigatons. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-13/un-climate-panel-amends-co2-estimates-for-policy-makers.html Keystone Defended by Alberta Premier as Carbon Questioned. Alberta’s premier defended her province’s environmental record while lobbying in Washington yesterday for the Keystone XL pipeline amid new questions over Canada’s ability to meet greenhouse-gas reduction targets. Alison Redford, making her fifth trip to promote the $5.3 billion project that would connect the oil sands in her Canadian province to refineries on the Gulf Coast…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-13/keystone-defended-by-alberta-premier-as-carbon-questioned.html At climate-change summit in Warsaw, countries look to lay foundation for global pact. Representatives of more than 190 countries gathered in Warsaw on Monday to continue debating how to deal with climate change beyond 2020, even as nations are falling further behind on their collective goal of reining in greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/at-climate-change-summit-in-warsaw-countries-look-to-lay-foundation-for-global-pact/2013/11/11/ee891286-4b0a-11e3-ac54-aa84301ced81_story.html UN: Besides Haiyan, 2013 storm season near average. Apart from Typhoon Haiyan, which has devastated the Philippines, it's been an average year for tropical cyclones, the U.N. weather agency said Wednesday in its annual climate report. The World Meteorological Organization counted 86 tropical storms so far this year, just three short of the annual average since 1981. They were unevenly spread across the globe. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/13/5906725/un-besides-haiyan-2013-storm-season.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UN-Besides-Haiyan-2013-storm-season-near-average-4979732.php Work not done, Obama climate adviser moves on. Heather Zichal admits her job is unfinished. The architect of President Barack Obama's climate-change plan, Zichal left the White House last week after five years as a top adviser on energy and climate change. Her departure comes as the Environmental Protection Agency moves ahead with the linchpin of the president's climate plan: emissions limits for new and existing power plants to curb greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/13/5906644/work-not-done-obama-climate-adviser.html#storylink=cpy http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/13/work-not-done-obama-climate-adviser-moves-on/ http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Work-not-done-Obama-climate-adviser-moves-on-4979662.php Climate change threatens Pandora's Box of troubles. Climate change will disrupt not only the natural world but also society, posing risks to the world's economy and the food and water supply and contributing to violent conflict, an international panel of scientists says. The warnings came in a report drafted by the U.N.-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The 29-page summary, leaked and posted on a blog critical of the panel, has been distributed to governments around the world for review. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-change-threatens-Pandora-s-Box-of-troubles-4978984.php UCSD students attend climate-change talks. Ten UC San Diego graduate students are attending the 19th session of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Warsaw, Poland, this week. The event seeks appropriate actions during what Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the convention, called a “pivotal moment” in international efforts to deal with greenhouse gases and other factors linked to climate change. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/12/tp-ucsd-students-attend-climate-change-talks/ Port seeks cut in greenhouse gases. Board members said they support the foundations of these policies, but expressed concerns about how specific measures would be adopted and funded. They also worried that the port’s climate policies could conflict with or duplicate those of surrounding cities. “Regulations cost,” Commissioner Dan Malcolm said. “They have impacts.” Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/12/port-district-greenhouse-gases-climate-policies/ How climate change will affect the Southeast USA. A changing climate is projected to increasingly affect the region over the next 20 years and beyond. Rising sea levels, warming temperatures, heat waves, worsening air quality and stresses on the water supply are issues the Southeast will face over the next 20 years because of man-made climate change, according to a report released Tuesday. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/11/12/southeast-climate-change-report/3509139/ Americans back greenhouse gas cuts from power plants. The vast majority of Americans in each of 40-plus states surveyed say global warming is real, serious and man-made, and the concerns tend to be slightly higher in coastal or drought-stricken areas, says an analysis out today. At least 75% of U.S. adults say global warming has been happening, but the Stanford University research found that 84% or more took that view in states recently hit by drought …Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/13/americans-greenhouse-gas-cuts-power-plants/3508001/ Filipino delegate: no denying climate change now. Monday, the Filipino delegate to the ongoing climate summit, Naderev 'Yeb' Saño, dared climate change deniers to take a hard look at what's happening not just in the Philippines, but the whole world. Over the weekend, the Philippines was hit by what may have been the largest typhoon to ever make landfall: Typhoon Haiyan. Posted. http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/46671/print Climate change talks in Warsaw heat up. Activists said yesterday that they will also refrain from eating during the next two weeks of climate change talks in Warsaw, Poland, in solidarity with the lead Philippines negotiator, Naderev Saño, who has vowed to fast until nations take "meaningful" action. Australia's new climate-denying government came in for a major beating, meanwhile, for moving to repeal its carbon tax and declining to send a Cabinet minister to the Warsaw talks. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990363/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS North-state alliance files lawsuit over California Air Resources Board regulation. A rural-based group of north-state truck owners and operators who transport commercial and agricultural loads have filed a lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board, regarding the legality of truck and bus regulations. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Glenn County Superior Court, the Alliance for California Business maintains CARB executives failed to disclose information about the diesel particulate filters the state is requiring California truck owners to install by Jan. 1 or park their trucks. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_24512281/north-state-alliance-files-lawsuit-over-california-air?source=email FUELS Ethanol Discount to Gasoline Grows as Harvest Reaches 84% Ethanol’s discount to gasoline expanded as the U.S. corn harvest progressed, increasing supplies of the raw material used to make the biofuel. Gasoline rose more than ethanol, widening the spread by 3.97 cents to 88.41 cents at 1:48 p.m. New York time. Corn growers harvested 84 percent of the crop as of Nov. 10, up from 73 percent a week earlier, the U.S. Agriculture Department said yesterday. The department projects a harvest of 13.989 billion bushels, the largest ever. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-13/ethanol-discount-to-gasoline-grows-as-harvest-reaches-84-.html Black Treasure in Poland Clouds UN Warming Negotiations. A few weeks after it finishes hosting United Nations talks on limiting fossil-fuel emissions, Poland may decide to double the size of one of its biggest coal-burning power plants. Prime Minister Donald Tusk in June revived a $3.8 billion plan to expand the Opole electricity plant to guarantee security of power supplies, as it uses domestically mined coal. Next month, a final decision on the project is to be made by a government utility that owns Opole. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-13/black-treasure-in-poland-clouds-un-warming-negotiations.html Brazil to Boost Oil Exports as Output Triples, IEA Says. Brazil will triple oil production by 2035 and become a major exporter as it develops the Americas’ largest discoveries in almost four decades, the International Energy Agency said. Latin America’s largest economy will produce 6 million barrels a day in 2035 and account for one-third of the increase in global crude output, the Paris-based agency said. The IEA forecasts that Brazil will be the world’s sixth-largest producer, up from 12th now. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-12/brazil-to-boost-oil-exports-as-output-triples-iea-says.html Shell Is Working on ‘Promising’ Renewable Technology, Voser Says. The following are excerpts from an interview with Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) Chief Executive Officer Peter Voser at the company’s headquarters in The Hague. Voser, who has headed Europe’s largest oil and gas producer since 2009, steps down at the end of the year, 31 years after first joining the company. On Shell and renewable energy…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-13/shell-is-working-on-promising-renewable-technology-voser-says.html Shale’s Effect on Oil Supply Is Forecast to Be Brief. The boom in oil from shale formations in recent years has generated a lot of discussion that the United States could eventually return to energy self-sufficiency, but according to a report released Tuesday by the International Energy Agency, production of such oil in the United States and worldwide will provide only a temporary respite from reliance on the Middle East. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/business/energy-environment/shales-effect-on-oil-supply-is-not-expected-to-last.html?ref=earth 20 top scientists urge CA gov. to stop fracking. Twenty of the nation's top scientists have sent a letter to California's governor urging him to place a moratorium on the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." They say the practice increases pollution and runs counter to Gov. Jerry Brown's efforts to cut the state's emissions. In the letter, the group argues that Brown can't say he wants to reduce global warming while also expanding fossil fuel development in California. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/12/5905716/20-top-scientists-urge-ca-gov.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/20-top-scientists-urge-CA-gov-to-stop-fracking-4979061.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/12/20-top-scientists-urge-ca-gov-to-stop-fracking/ http://www.mercurynews.com/science-environment/ci_24509392/top-climate-scientists-call-fracking-ban-letter-gov?source=rss In key shift, US oil production tops net imports. For the first month in nearly two decades, the U.S. in October extracted more oil from the ground than it imported from abroad, marking an important milestone for a nation seeking to wean itself off foreign oil. A promising sign for a still-slugging economy, the shift could foreshadow future opportunities to boost jobs in the U.S., lower the trade deficit and insulate the economy from foreign crises that can send oil prices rising. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/13/5907986/in-key-shift-us-oil-production.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/In-key-shift-US-oil-production-tops-net-imports-4980410.php AAA survey: Gas prices tumble throughout California. Motorists in the Sacramento area and statewide have been enjoying declining gasoline prices for weeks, and the latest AAA numbers show just how steep the drop has been. The average statewide price of regular unleaded gasoline fell 24 cents over the past month to $3.61 a gallon, according to the latest monthly gas price survey released by AAA. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/12/5905067/aaa-survey-gas-prices-tumble-throughout.html#storylink=cpy Ethanol push taking toll on environment. The hills of southern Iowa bear the scars of America's push for green energy: the brown gashes where rain has washed away the soil, the polluted streams that dump fertilizer into the water supply. It wasn't supposed to be this way. With the Iowa political caucuses on the horizon in 2007, presidential candidate Barack Obama made homegrown corn a centerpiece of his plan to slow global warming. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Ethanol-push-taking-toll-on-environment-4978994.php The secret environmental cost of US ethanol policy. The hills of southern Iowa bear the scars of America's push for green energy: The brown gashes where rain has washed away the soil. The polluted streams that dump fertilizer into the water supply. Even the cemetery that disappeared like an apparition into a cornfield. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/nov/12/the-secret-dirty-cost-of-obamas-green-power-push/#ixzz2kXqQxoK5 VEHICLES A Recharging Industry Rises. Tens of thousands of new electric cars are zipping into traffic this year, and with them come a trunkful of strategies about how to recharge them. There are at least four ways to go: recharging slowly through a standard 120-volt wall socket, the type a consumer would use for a hair dryer; buying a faster 240-volt home charger, about the size of a garden gnome, for several thousand dollars; plugging into the same 240-volt charger in a public parking space but paying a price…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/business/energy-environment/electric-cars-give-rise-to-a-recharging-industry.html Most consumers don't know about electric vehicle incentives. One of the reasons why electric cars are poor sellers is because consumers have little understanding of the financial incentives and other benefits available to owners of the vehicles. That’s the finding of two Indiana University researchers who surveyed more than 2,000 drivers in 21 of the nation’s largest cities. They discovered that 95% of respondents didn’t know about state and local subsidies, rebates and other incentives. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-vehicle-incentives-20131113,0,3173346.story#axzz2kYp93o5o GREEN ENERGY Canadian Solar Returns to Profit as Project Sales Surge. Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ), the best-performing solar manufacturer this year, reported its first quarterly profit in more than two years as sales of power plants surged. Net income for the third quarter was $27.7 million, or 56 cents a share, compared with a loss of $43.7 million, or $1.01 a share, a year earlier, the Guelph, Ontario-based company said in a statement today. Revenue increased 29 percent to $490.9 million, with 41 percent coming from sales of solar farms. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-13/canadian-solar-returns-to-profit-as-project-sales-surge.html Rooftop solar could generate jobs. Los Angeles County could create tens of thousands of new jobs and reduce global-warming-causing carbon emissions if solar-voltaic panels are installed on just 5% of available rooftops, says a just-issued report. The study by the Environmental Defense Fund and the Luskin Center for Innovation at UCLA, released Wednesday, predicts that 29,000 installer jobs would open up. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-rooftop-solar-could-generate-jobs-20131112,0,2179750.story#axzz2kSjSjncy http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990362/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY With nuclear plants idled, Japan launches pioneering wind project. Japan inaugurated a floating offshore wind turbine Monday that energy industry leaders hope will open a new frontier in Japanese renewable technologies and help the country reduce its dependence on nuclear energy and fossil fuels. The floating platform is anchored 13 miles offshore from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the scene of earthquake, tsunami and reactor meltdown disasters in March 2011. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-japan-wind-energy-nuclear-fukushima-20131111,0,6561451.story#axzz2kSjSjncy Prairies vanish in the US push for green energy. Robert Malsam nearly went broke in the 1980s when corn was cheap. So now that prices are high and he can finally make a profit, he's not about to apologize for ripping up prairieland to plant corn. Across the Dakotas and Nebraska, more than 1 million acres of the Great Plains are giving way to corn fields as farmers transform the wild expanse that once served as the backdrop for American pioneers. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/nov/12/prairies-vanish-in-the-us-push-for-green-energy/#ixzz2kXraEToH http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/13/5908002/news-summary-prairies-vanish-in.html#storylink=cpy Device makes turning human waste into compost safer. Your toilet bowl may hold the key to replenishing forests, growing crops and saving countless gallons of water. And that's why Gary Andersen, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is so excited about poop. Andersen has invented a device that tracks the decomposition of compost made of human feces; a function that he says could help improve environmental health all over the world. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Device-makes-turning-human-waste-into-compost-4978766.php Long Beach’s plastic bag ban, two years later. As Los Angeles gets ready to institute a ban on single-use plastic bags, Long Beach’s two-year-old prohibition is running so smoothly that there’s been only one infraction. “It was a small, mom-and-pop liquor store,” said Environmental Services Bureau Manager Jim Kuhl. “When we talked to them about the law, they stopped using plastic bagsPosted. http://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20131112/long-beachs-plastic-bag-ban-two-years-later MISCELLANEOUS California firm Electro-Forming ordered to remove hazardous waste. A judge orders Electro-Forming of Richmond, Calif., to remove large amounts of hazardous waste, including cyanide, after it is deemed a neighborhood health threat. A judge has ordered a metal plating company in Richmond, Calif., to remove large quantities of hazardous waste, including potentially deadly cyanide, after state officials argued that it poses a health threat to nearby residents. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-electroforming-20131113,0,5255462.story#axzz2kXcJaWFA OPINIONS Who cares about the environment or conservation? Green energy at all costs! They were supposed to help reverse global warming, but it turns out the green energy interests on which President Obama has lavished hundreds of millions of tax dollars damage the environment. That’s not to say developing workable renewable energy sources and alternatives to oil are not worthy pursuits. But green energy's biggest problems are the repeated crony capitalism, political corruption and false promises that give the emerging industry a black eye. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/who-cares-about-the-environment-or-conservation-green-energy-at-all-costs/article/2539072 Lesson of Typhoon Haiyan: Tackle climate change, or it will tackle us. Was man-made global warming responsible for Typhoon Haiyan? Or Superstorm Sandy? Or the recent flooding in Colorado? I don’t know. Neither do you. Neither do the scientists, really. It’s impossible to pin a specific weather event on climate change. But that doesn’t mean there’s not an important lesson to be learned from Haiyan: Too many people live in places that are vulnerable to extreme weather, and whether or not extreme events are tied to climate change…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-typhoon-haiyan-climate-change-20131112,0,780623.story#axzz2kSjSjncy High Speed Rail Authority fails to protect against global warming. Re "After derailing bullet train funding, judge looks at how far ruling can go" (Capitol and California, Nov. 9): Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny ruled that the California High-Speed Rail Authority also failed to certify that it had completed all of its environmental clearances to proceed with construction. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/12/5901192/environmental-clearance.html#storylink=cpy Congress should end the ethanol sham. The nation should end a “green” policy that makes neither environmental nor economic sense. Congress should kill the federal mandate to use corn ethanol in fuel. That requirement is a handout to the agriculture industry rather than a credible ecological strategy. An Associated Press report this week suggests that the nation’s rush toward ethanol is damaging the environment for little real benefit. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20131112-editorial-congress-should-end-the-ethanol-sham.ece BLOGS Time to kill the corn ethanol mandate. Given total Republican obstructionism in Congress, President Obama’s climate legacy will depend mostly on executive action. But new developments on the corn ethanol front could pave the way for a the rarest of Washington beasts: a bipartisan compromise on an issue that could have a real impact on climate change. On the climate and environmental side, corn ethanol is turning out to be worse than anyone imagined. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/11/12/time-to-kill-the-corn-ethanol-mandate/ Study Shows California on Pace to Meet Carbon Reduction Goals. A new study commissioned by the California Air Resources Board projects California will come in well under the 2020 carbon pollution limit established in the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), and has the policy framework in place today to get a significant head start toward achieving the state’s long-term emission reduction goals. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ajackson/study_shows_california_on_pace.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 12:16:27 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 14, 2013 From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 14, 2013. 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 RPT-California issues first forestry offset credits for CO2 market. California businesses covered by the state's cap-and-trade program will soon be able to use forest conservation projects to offset the carbon emissions from their plants and factories after the state issued the first batch of credits on Wednesday. The state issued 1.2 million offset credits to the 19,000-acre Willits Woods project, which was developed by Coastal Ridges LLC. The project is located in Mendocino County, about 150 miles north of San Francisco. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/14/california-carbon-market-idUSL2N0IY2HG20131114 http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990448/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY UN Seeks Carbon Market Revamp as Green-Project Backers Bolt. Climate negotiators meeting in Warsaw have until the end of the year to overhaul the United Nation’s 16-year-old carbon credit system or risk exacerbating a record plunge in funding for clean-technology projects. Investment in UN Clean Development Mechanism projects registered this year slumped to $15 billion in the 10 months through October from $198 billion in all of 2012…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-14/un-seeks-carbon-overhaul-to-avert-clean-energy-investment-slump.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-11-14/un-seeks-carbon-overhaul-to-avert-clean-energy-investment-slump State approves wave of “offsets” to ease compliance with carbon rules. To the oil refiners, cement makers and hundreds of other California companies laboring under the state’s strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions, state regulators served up some relief Wednesday. The California Air Resources Board said it has approved a major batch of carbon “offset” credits that will make it easier for companies to comply with the emission rules. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/13/3028714/state-approves-first-wave-of-offsets.html#storylink=cpy UN carbon emissions reduction system awash in cash as it claims to face hard times. EXCLUSIVE: The United Nations-administered cap-and-trade system for reducing greenhouse gases is sitting on a cash hoard of close to $200 million, even as it warns of hard times ahead that could impede its mission. The cash cushion for the Geneva-based organization known as the Clean Development Mechanism, or CDM, amounts to more than 400 percent of the $45 million reserve that it considers a normal set-aside for rainy days…Posted. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/11/14/un-carbon-emissions-reduction-system-awash-in-cash-as-it-claims-to-face-hard/ UC Berkeley Campus Reduces Carbon Emissions Ahead Of Schedule. UC Berkeley, leading the charge in reducing its carbon footprint, announced on Tuesday that it reached its emission reduction target—two years ahead of schedule. UC Berkeley Sustainability Manager Kira Stoll said the school made a pledge in 2007 to reduce its carbon footprint to 1990 levels by 2014 and according to last year’s data, that goal already has been reached. Posted. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/11/13/uc-berkeley-campus-reduces-carbon-emissions-ahead-of-schedule/ AIR POLLUTION China Faults Japan, Europe on Pollution Cuts at UN Warming Talks. China singled out Japan and the European Union for failing to take more dramatic action against carbon pollution, signaling a rift at United Nations talks for a global treaty limiting fossil fuel emissions. Su Wei, who is China’s lead climate negotiator at the UN talks in Warsaw today, said reports that Japan will scale back its ambitions to cut greenhouse gases are deeply concerning. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-14/china-faults-japan-europe-on-pollution-cuts-at-un-warming-talks.html Merced’s air pollution in a tie for worst in U.S., Time magazine says. A recently published report by Time magazine ranks Merced’s air pollution as the worst in the country, but local air pollution control officials say the report is flawed and based on incomplete data, and that the situation is not as bad as it seems. On its Science and Space website, Time cites an American Lung Association report that has Merced and Bakersfield tied for tops in most persistent air pollution in the nation. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/13/3029141/merceds-air-pollution-in-a-tie.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/13/5909382/merceds-air-pollution-in-a-tie.html http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/13/3607488/merceds-air-pollution-in-a-tie.html Air district: Valley reaches long-awaited ozone standard. Local air leaders are poised Thursday to announce the Valley has attained a federal ozone standard, a health landmark and a new symbol of hope in a region notorious for bad air. The announcement at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District also will touch on a $29 million annual fee related to the one-hour federal ozone standard. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/13/3028961/air-district-valley-reaches-long.html#storylink=cpy Bay Area Air Quality District Under Fire. Critics blame weak regulation and lack of enforcement Air district regulators are under fire from critics who blame regulators for using outdated standards to assess the toxic harm from industrial fires, including the fire at Sims Metal Management's scrap metal yard in Redwood City that ignited Sunday around 1:20 p.m. “People have to be aware of the fact they are not being protected,” said air quality expert Dr. Thomas Cahill. “This fire is a good example.” Posted. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/Bay-Area-Air-Quality-District-Under-Fire--231833511.html CLIMATE CHANGE Rich nations must pay up if U.N. climate talks to succeed: China. Slow-moving U.N. negotiations on fighting climate change can advance only if rich nations fulfill their promise to provide billions of dollars in finance to developing countries, China's chief climate negotiator Su Wei said Thursday. He told reporters in Warsaw that developed nations should make good on pledges made in 2010 and immediately pay the promised $30 billion to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/14/us-climate-talks-china-idUSBRE9AD0WZ20131114 UPDATE 1-2013 is seventh hottest year, rising seas worsen typhoon.This year is the seventh warmest since records began in 1850 and rising sea levels caused by climate change are aggravating the impact of storms such as Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday. More greenhouse gases in the atmosphere meant a warmer future, and more extreme weather, was inevitable, WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said in a statement during Nov. 11-22 climate talks among almost 200 nations in Warsaw. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/13/climate-talks-idUSL5N0IY29G20131113 One Senator’s War Against Climate Change. Every week, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, heads to the floor of the Senate, sets up an easel and some poster board, and delivers a speech. He works hard on these speeches. They’re deeply researched and beautifully crafted. He delivers them with passion -- to a mostly empty room. His colleagues figure they have better things to do than listen. But 100 years from now, when our grandchildren look back and try to understand what we were doing while the world burned…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-13/one-senator-s-war-against-climate-change.html Ozone treaty, world wars slowed global warming, study says. Society has slowed down global warming several times over the last century without even trying, new research says. A study found that the rate of global warming has ratcheted down in response to major world events, including the two world wars, the Great Depression and, most recently, a global ban on ozone-depleting substances. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ozone-global-warming-montreal-protocol-20131113,0,7913286.story#axzz2kSjSjncy Scientists warn of hot, sour, breathless oceans. Greenhouse gases are making the world's oceans hot, sour and breathless, and the way those changes work together is creating a grimmer outlook for global waters, according to a new report Wednesday from 540 international scientists. The world's oceans are getting more acidic at an unprecedented rate, faster than at any time in the past 300 million years, the report said. But it's how this interacts with other global warming impacts to waters that scientists say is getting them even more worried. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Scientists-warn-of-hot-sour-breathless-oceans-4981452.php McCarthy asks tribes to help with climate crackdown. U.S. EPA chief Gina McCarthy wants representatives of American Indian tribes to help the Obama administration push its climate change agenda. McCarthy invited tribal leaders this afternoon to voice their opinions about pending agency rules for power plant emissions, insisting that their communities have a lot to lose from the effects of climate change, which the EPA administrator called "the most challenging public health issue of our time." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/stories/1059990412/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Logue not surprised by CARB lawsuit. Assembly Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica, was not surprised that a lawsuit has been brought over truck and bus regulations from the California Air Resources Board. It was discussed in March when Logue and CARB representatives held a town hall meeting in Chico. Reached Wednesday, Logue said it was a complicated issue, but California businesses are suffering because of it. "I understand why they're doing it. I don't blame them. The whole process is flawed." Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_24521135/logue-not-surprised-by-carb-lawsuit FUELS Next generation of biofuels is still years away. The first trickle of fuels made from agricultural waste is finally winding its way into the nation's energy supply, after years of broken promises and hype promoting a next-generation fuel source cleaner than oil. But as refineries churn out this so-called cellulosic fuel, it has become clear, even to the industry's allies, that the benefits remain, as ever, years away. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/nov/14/next-generation-of-biofuels-is-still-years-away/#ixzz2kdi2RRoj http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/business/ci_24522671/next-generation-biofuels-remains-many-years-away Experts pitch E85 as a 'blend wall' solution. On first impression, it may sound like a proposal from the Marie Antoinette of renewable fuels: If the oil industry doesn't want to sell E15, a 15 percent blend of ethanol in gasoline, let it use an even higher blend, 85 percent ethanol. But in a series of economic papers released last week, Iowa State University economist Bruce Babcock found that if oil companies choose to invest in infrastructure for the higher blend, E85…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990443/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Could cheap natural gas pave the way for more ethanol? The U.S. shale gas boom could bring more ethanol to refueling stations nationwide, according to panelists at a seminar yesterday hosted by the think tank Resources for the Future. Richard Morgenstern, co-author of a recent RFF study on finding cheaper fuels for light-duty vehicles, said ethanol emerged as the most feasible alternative among the four potential natural gas-based fuels his group analyzed. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059990449/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Coalition plans push for 1M electric vehicles with help for lower-income drivers. A coalition of environmental and community groups today will launch a push to put 1 million electric vehicles on California roads by 2023, with an emphasis on getting lower-income and ethnic minority residents behind the wheel. An alliance that includes the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Communities for a Better Environment and the Greenlining Institute plans to lobby the state Legislature for incentives to get more plug-ins on the street. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990444/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Tesla plans to offer pickup truck within 5 years. Electric car company Tesla Motors Inc. plans to introduce a pickup truck in the next five years modeled on Ford Motor Co.'s best-selling F-Series vehicles, the news website Business Insider reported yesterday. CEO Elon Musk made the comment on the sidelines of an event this week in New York City. A Tesla truck would likely mimic the F-Series because of its immense popularity, he said. The Ford F-150 pickup is the best-selling vehicle in the United States. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990440/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Nat-gas plant soups up with solar. How do you soup up a natural gas power plant? Add solar heat. Solar-heated steam would help spin turbines at an existing natural gas power plant in Northern California, under a plan from the customer-owned Sacramento Municipal Utility District. The U.S. Department of Energy announced this month that it would invest $10 million in the project -- about one-fifth of its estimated cost. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/13/solar-supercharger-natgas-plant/ Calif. leads way in tackling instability tied to renewables. California is leading what could become a nationwide charge to manage instability in the aging U.S. electric grid brought on by large penetrations of wind and solar power as it combats climate change. The Golden State's grid operator, the California Independent System Operator (ISO), in a report laid out solutions for challenges that could crop up during the integration of an anticipated 11,000 megawatts of new wind and solar -- equal to the amount of 22 midsized coal plants -- during the next eight years. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990471/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS A New Alliance on Climate Change. In an effort to compensate for the failure of central governments to address the dangers of climate change with comprehensive national policies, cities, states and regions have developed their own strategies to rein in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/opinion/a-new-alliance-on-climate-change.html?_r=0 Australia's Politics of Global Warming. Huge clumps of strange, pink-stringed jellyfish drifted into the protected bay near my home in Sydney last year. Thousands swarmed under the surface, stinging indiscriminately. I swam through them in a full-body wet suit for several long months with my swimming group, wondering if warmer currents had changed the habitat patterns. Scientists are now talking about a peculiar “jellification” of the sea, prompted by climate change. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/opinion/baird-australias-politics-of-global-warming.html?hpw&rref= A flaw in California's cap-and-trade plan. Cap-and-trade offsets with out-of-state or even foreign interests won't help the state meet its goals. California has made clear its intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But is it taking the right steps to do so? The state has set a goal of returning to 1990 emissions levels by 2020. It has adopted renewable energy standards, driven the national trend in controlling automobile emissions and instituted a cap-and-trade program…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ramo-cap-and-trade-california-20131114,0,7441135.story#axzz2ke5aROHV Typhoon Haiyan's havoc will not impress climate change deniers. Typhoon Haiyan, the monster storm that set a Hiroshima-level standard for natural devastation when it hit the Philippines on Friday, was so big that its spiral image laid over a map of the United States stretches nearly from sea to shining sea. With winds hitting sustained peaks of 195 mph and gusts up to 235 mph, it may well be the most powerful storm ever recorded. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-typhoon-haiyans-20131113,0,921020.story#axzz2kSjSjncy Corn Ethanol: Poster Child For Crony Environmentalism. Boy, it hasn’t been a very good week if you’re fan of massive subsidies for corn-based ethanol here in the United States. The folks at the Associated Press finally woke up a few days ago to the ecological disaster this bizarre policy has produced in recent years, publishing a 4,000 word report titled “The Secret, Dirty Cost of Obama’s Green Power Push”. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2013/11/13/corn-ethanol-poster-child-for-crony-environmentalism/ Renewables Get 25 Times The Subsidy That Fossil Fuels Do. There are various ways that you can look at the various subsidies that go to different types of fuels and of course people will pick the one that best supports the case they want to make. For example, various green types would point to the fact that globally the subsidies to fossil FOSL -0.53% fuels are far higher than those to renewables. I, desiring to make a rather different case, might point to the fact (yes, both are indeed facts) that renewables in the US receive 25 times the subsidy that fossil fuels do. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/11/13/renewables-get-25-times-the-subsidy-that-fossil-fuels-do/ BLOGS This map shows why the Philippines is so vulnerable to climate change. The Philippines is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change for two main reasons: geography and development. As my colleague Brad Plumer points out in an excellent piece on what the Philippines' experience with Typhoon Haiyan tells us about global efforts to adapt to climate change, a recent United Nations report identified the country as the third-most at-risk from climate change in the world…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/11/12/this-map-shows-why-the-philippines-is-so-vulnerable-to-climate-change/ Global Warming, College and Partisanship. It’s well known that Democrats and political independents are more likely than Republicans to believe that global warming is mainly due to human activity. But here’s something from the latest Pew poll on climate change: College has a significantly larger effect on Democrats’ understanding of the issue than on Republicans’. Posted. http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/global-warming-college-and-partisanship/?_r=0 SOLAR POWER: Concerns mount about bird deaths. Last year, I was part of a group that toured a proposed solar energy site on 12 square miles of desert plateau near Blythe. BrightSource Energy Co., the developer, hosted the event. The company’s technology uses thousands of mirrors to focus the sun’s energy on 750-foot towers, creating steam to generate electricity. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/11/13/solar-power-concerns-mount-about-bird-deaths/ Walmart’s carbon emissions soar despite all that green talk. Walmart’s flagrant labor abuses have been well-documented, as have the effects of its sprawling big-box stores on town centers and small retailers. But less well-known is how much the mega-retailer is doing to wreak havoc with the world’s climate. In greenwashing on an epic scale, the company has been making a lot of noise in the press over its pledges and occasional projects to reduce carbon emissions. Posted. http://grist.org/news/walmarts-carbon-emissions-soar-despite-all-that-green-talk/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 12:13:08 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 15, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 15, 2013. 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 court upholds state's right to sell carbon permits. California's environmental regulator can sell carbon emission permits at quarterly auctions as part of the state's cap-and-trade program, a state court said on Thursday, in a setback to businesses that argued that the sales constitute an illegal tax. The California Chamber of Commerce and tomato processor Morning Star sued to stop the sales last year, arguing that the permits should be given out freely to companies covered by the program. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/14/us-california-carbon-lawsuit-idUSBRE9AD1EV20131114 http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Judge-rejects-challenges-to-greenhouse-gas-system-4984044.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/14/5912277/court-rejects-challenge-to-californias.html#storylink=cpy http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990529/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY California Marks First Anniversary of Cap-and-Trade. In the year since California launched the nation’s largest greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, the state has proven that climate change action can be led by states and can even spread across national borders. Under a cap-and-trade system, companies must hold enough emission allowances to cover their emissions, and are free to buy and sell allowances on the open market. Posted. http://theenergycollective.com/lucas-bifera/304301/california-marks-first-anniversary-cap-and-trade AIR POLLUTION Coal-friendly lawmakers move to shield industry from EPA rules. Coal state lawmakers are attempting to block the Obama administration from limiting the planet-warming emissions of power plants. Kentucky Republican Rep. Ed Whitfield and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin are pushing a measure that would require congressional approval of President Barack Obama’s signature move to combat climate change. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/14/5912368/coal-friendly-lawmakers-move-to.html#storylink=cpy Project seeks to better understand airborne toxins. Researchers at Michigan Technological University are working on a three-year project to better understand how airborne toxins spread. The work is funded by a $1.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation and is led by professor Judith Perlinger, according to the Houghton school. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Desert Research Institute and Boston University are among the others involved. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Project-seeks-to-better-understand-airborne-toxins-4982497.php Air-quality 'milestone' could save valley residents money. Valley communities avoided a key air-pollution violation for the first time in recorded history, and that could mean a $29 million savings for residents if the federal government lifts a penalty. The Valley Air District said Thursday that its eight-county region registered no violations of the one-hour ozone standard during the official ozone season, which runs from March through October. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/health/Air-quality-milestone-could-save-valley-residents-money-231953971.html CLIMATE CHANGE Japan dials back climate change emissions target. Japan's decision to drastically scale back its target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions could hurt efforts to craft a global deal to fight climate change, delegates at U.N. talks said Friday. The new target approved by the Japanese Cabinet calls for reducing emissions by 3.8 percent from their 2005 level by 2020. The revision was necessary because the earlier goal of a 25 percent reduction from the 1990 level was unrealistic…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-15/japan-sets-new-emissions-target-in-setback-to-un-treaty-talks.html http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/15/us-climate-japan-idUKBRE9AE00P20131115 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-dials-back-from-emissions-cut-target-in-move-likely-to-slow-new-climate-change-pact/2013/11/14/c93b482a-4da6-11e3-97f6-ed8e3053083b_story.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/world/asia/japan-shelves-plan-to-slash-emissions-citing-fukushima.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/15/5914182/japan-dials-back-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Japan-dials-back-climate-change-emissions-target-4985104.php http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/15/3610443/japan-dials-back-climate-change.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24528957/japan-dials-back-climate-change-emissions-target?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Weak rules threaten UN climate plan for forests. Investments in a U.N. plan to halt deforestation could suffer as U.N. climate talks in Warsaw have failed to agree rules to guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples and to protect local biodiversity, observers said. The programme, called REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), help slow climate change since deforestation accounts for nearly a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/15/climate-talks-forests-idUSL5N0J03C920131115 UCLA project to study shifting L.A. to local resources. A research project seeks to unite UCLA faculty members in finding ways to respond to climate change without harming biodiversity. Could Los Angeles prosper without electricity from fossil fuels? Could the city shun water imported from the Sierra Nevada, even as a changing climate brings hotter days and a declining snowpack? Those are some of the questions being tackled by a new research initiative at UCLA that seeks to confront and adapt to climate change at the local level. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1115-ucla-climate-20131115,0,4673549.story#axzz2kSjSjncy Scientists improve methods for measuring ice cover. Federal scientists say they've developed a method of using satellites to take highly accurate measurements of ice cover on the Great Lakes. Good information about ice is important to shippers, anglers and others who use the lakes during winter. At times, previously used techniques for analyzing satellite data have produced errors in distinguishing between ice and open water. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Scientists-improve-methods-for-measuring-ice-cover-4984820.php FUELS U.S. EPA to announce key biofuels rule Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency will propose, later on Friday, a new federal target for U.S. biofuel use in 2014, attempting to prevent a projected fuel-blending crunch next year. Market watchers will likely scan the proposal to see if it contains as deep a cut in the amount of ethanol that must be blended into U.S. gasoline next year as seen in an agency document leaked last month and seen by Reuters. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USBRE9AE0VM20131115 Natural Gas Futures Rise in Survey as Cold Weather Spurs Demand. Natural gas futures may climb next week as a blast of cold air spurs demand for the heating fuel, a Bloomberg News survey showed. Eight of 11 analysts, or 73 percent, forecast that gas futures will rise on the New York Mercantile Exchange through Nov. 22. Two, or 18 percent, said futures will decline and one predicted that prices will stay the same. Last week, 50 percent of participants said gas prices would advance. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-15/natural-gas-futures-rise-in-survey-as-cold-weather-spurs-demand.html http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20131114-713130.html Ethanol Futures Rise After Output Gain Fails to Replenish Stocks. Ethanol gained for a sixth straight session after a government report showed that rising U.S. output wasn’t enough to boost supplies. Ethanol increased 0.5 percent as inventories declined 12,000 barrels to 15.2 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 8, the Energy Information Administration said today. Production jumped 2.8 percent to 927,000 barrels a day, the highest level since Feb. 10, 2012…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-14/ethanol-snaps-five-day-gain-after-output-jumps-to-21-month-high.html Improving U.S. oil production reaches milestone in October, agency says. The United States produced more crude oil in October than it imported for the first time since early 1995, as domestic shale oil output continued to surge and U.S. consumption of petroleum products remained relatively flat, the Energy Information Administration said Wednesday. The figures mark a milestone in the rebound of U.S. oil production since drillers started using a combination of horizontal drilling…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/improving-us-oil-production-reaches-milestone-in-october-agency-says/2013/11/13/dd01db86-4c97-11e3-9890-a1e0997fb0c0_story.html A Push Away From Burning Coal as an Energy Source. The Tennessee Valley Authority sharply accelerated a shift away from coal as an energy source on Thursday, saying it would shut down eight electricity-generating units that together will burn nearly a fifth of its coal this year. The closings are part of a long-term strategy, also announced Thursday, for the authority to generate 20 percent of its electricity from coal, instead of the current 38 percent. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/us/a-push-away-from-burning-coal-as-an-energy-source.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Group challenges plan to burn coal underground. A state review panel opened a hearing Thursday on an environmental group's challenge of an application from an Australian company that wants to turn coal into gas at an underground site in northeastern Wyoming. The Wyoming Environmental Quality Council hearing is considering an application from Linc Energy to allow it to open a test facility at a site about 8 miles northwest of the town of Wright. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Group-challenges-plan-to-burn-coal-underground-4984062.php Court orders $235M payment for nuke waste storage. A federal court has awarded $235.4 million in damages to the owners of three decommissioned nuclear power plants in New England to reimburse them for the costs of storing spent nuclear fuel. The Court of Federal Claims in Washington issued the ruling Thursday in favor of Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co., Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co. and Yankee Atomic Electric Co. in Rowe, Mass. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Court-orders-235M-payment-for-nuke-waste-storage-4985225.php Oil drilling wastes, long buried under Canada's permafrost, leak into the environment. For decades, companies exploring for oil and gas in the Arctic's remote southern reaches have disposed of their drilling waste in the cheapest and most convenient way possible: by digging massive pits to hold the waste and then capping them with frozen permafrost. And for decades, the waste harmlessly sat in the frozen tombs. Then climate change, which scientists say is caused by burning fossil fuels, set in, causing the permafrost to begin melting. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990495/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Green group reveals offshore fracking chemicals, says many pose hazards. Unconventional oil drilling in the waters off Southern California uses several chemicals considered hazardous, including at least one that a federal agency connects to increased cancer risk, an environmental group said yesterday. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) in a 28-page letter asked the California Coastal Commission to block offshore hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and cited a list of potential perils. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059990535/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Mitsubishi Motors cuts Japan electric car price by up to $9,100. Mitsubishi Motors Corp has slashed the price of its i-MiEV electric minicar in Japan by up to $9,100, aiming to boost sluggish sales as makers of electric vehicles face slower-than-expected acceptance of the technology. Japan's sixth-biggest carmaker, which started selling the i-MiEV in 2009, said on Thursday it was dropping the price of its top of the range i-MiEV by around 25 percent, or 900,000 yen ($9,100), to 2.9 million yen. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/14/mitsubishimotors-electric-idUSL4N0IZ4AQ20131114 Subsidies boost market for electric vehicles. Even after Juris Shibayama's Tesla Model S plug-in electric car became the third to catch fire in six weeks, his confidence in the car didn't waver. "I would buy another one a heartbeat," Shibayama, who described the advance warnings the vehicle's emergency system sounded before it went ablaze in Smyrna, Tenn., wrote on Tesla's blog. Shibayama is one of an increasing number of electric vehicle drivers, as the industry outperforms expectations with the help of state and federal government subsidies. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/subsidies-boost-market-for-electric-vehicles/article/2538973 GREEN ENERGY China to welcome private, foreign investment in green energy. China will open its energy conservation and environment protection industries to foreign and private investment, state media reported Friday, quoting comments by premier Li Keqiang made at a meeting in Beijing. Li's remarks may signal a change in China's approach to the clean energy sector, which has used government subsidies to create national champions and been criticized as protectionist in nature. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/15/china-energy-idUSL4N0J002220131115 Newport Beach firm builds 'natural gas highway' Clean Energy has set up 440 stations nationwide for a fuel touted as an alternative to diesel. On the third floor of a sleek Newport Beach high-rise, Andrew J. Littlefair can hardly contain his excitement. Tall and broad-shouldered, with a shock of red hair, the 52-year-old president and CEO of Clean Energy Fuels charges into his operations room to show off a wall of brightly lit screens. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gas-534846-natural-diesel.html MISCELLANEOUS Berkeley's next smoking ban may hit home. Berkeley, where residents take pride in exercising their personal freedoms and resisting government intrusion, is the site these days of a much different kind of movement - one to ban cigarette smoking from single-family homes. A City Council member says a proposal to ban cigarette smoking in apartments and condos, where smoke can waft through ventilation systems, is not tough enough or fair. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Berkeley-s-next-smoking-ban-may-hit-home-4984302.php OPINIONS Beijing’s Car Problem. Beijing has a new plan to tackle its air pollution: require fewer conventional cars and more hybrid and electric vehicles. The effort is an admirable attempt to deal with a major problem in the Chinese capital, but it will not make a big difference without other, more significant interventions. The local government says it will reduce the number of license plates it issues over the next four years by 40 percent, to 150,000 a year by 2017. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/opinion/beijings-car-problem.html?pagewanted=print Monitoring a climate epidemic. When is a super typhoon more than just a super typhoon? At the U.N. climate negotiations in Warsaw on Monday, the lead Philippine delegate, Yeb Sano, made an emotional plea: "Typhoons such as Haiyan and its impacts represent a sobering reminder to the international community that we cannot afford to procrastinate on climate action." But was Sano's statement consistent with the science? Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-oreskes-typhoon-climate-change-20131115,0,5815422.story#axzz2kSjSjncy Group views climate change as an economic opportunity. The following is from a New York Times editorial: In an effort to compensate for the failure of central governments to address the dangers of climate change with comprehensive national policies, cities, states and regions have developed their own strategies. California's ambitious plan aims to reduce emissions 80 percent by 2050 by requiring cleaner cars, more energy-efficient buildings and renewable fuels. Nine states have joined together to cut power-plant emissions. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Group-views-climate-change-as-an-economic-4983449.php BLOGS Could the EPA push a carbon tax on its own? Maybe—with this weird trick. Next year, the Obama administration will unveil its biggest climate-change policy to date — new rules to limit carbon-dioxide emissions from thousands of existing coal- and gas-fired power plants. That's nearly one-third of the nation's greenhouse gases. And some experts have argued that the administration should try to get creative with those rules. One possibility: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could allow states to impose carbon taxes as a way of complying with the new regulations. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/15/could-the-epa-push-a-carbon-tax-on-its-own-maybe-with-this-weird-trick/ An Airborne Heart Threat. Bit by bit over the past few decades, scientists have been building a new understanding of the ways that air pollution threatens human health. Much of their attention has been focused on lung diseases, including cancers. With good reason, it turns out: just last month, the World Health Organization declared air pollution to be one of the planet’s most dangerous environmental carcinogens. Posted. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/an-airborne-heart-threat/?hpw&rref=health Google invests another $80m in solar. Google will sink another $80 million into big solar power projects in California and Arizona, the Internet search giant reported Thursday. The Victor Phelan solar power project in San Bernardino, CA is one of six projects in which Google will invest. The Victor Phelan solar power project in San Bernardino, CA is one of six projects in which Google will invest. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/11/14/google-invests-another-80m-in-solar/ Electric Cars Drive Demand For Cheaper, More Powerful Batteries. If there's one person you'd expect to have an electric car, it's Venkat Srinivasan. He's in charge of battery research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. "I'm actually in the market for a new car and would love to buy an electric car," he says. "But there are practical problems." Srinivasan is driving around the lab's campus in a mini-electric car, sort of like a golf cart. Posted. http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/11/14/245060918/electric-cars-drive-demand-for-cheaper-more-powerful-batteries Climate change is more dramatic than thought. When the recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a recent report, there was a lot of focus on how there seems to be to be a “pause” in the accelerating rate of global warming . However the website Real Climate _ which I think is one of best climate change sites out there – has a report that shows that climate change may have been seriously underestimated since 1997 and that there really hasn’t been a pause at all. Posted. http://blog.ctnews.com/offbeat/2013/11/14/climate-change-is-more-dramatic-than-thought/ Global Climate Change: A Blow to the Head. As evidence mounts that global climate change is dramatically impacting our lives, resistance hardens. What will cause Americans to address this grave danger? Perhaps the answer lies in the campaign to reduce traumatic head injuries in American football. Both global climate change and football head injuries are controversial. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, there are many climate change deniers. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/global-climate-change-a-b_b_4281420.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 14:44:49 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 18, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 18, 2013. 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 Alliance pushes ahead with CARB lawsuit. Giving credit to the state for a delay, the Alliance for California Business won't halt its lawsuit over the required diesel particulate filters (DPF) it calls "dangerous and mechanically defective." In a press release issued Friday, alliance president Bud Caldwell of Northgate Express trucking of Chico said the steps taken by the California Air Resources Board are in the "right direction" but the announcement isn't changing the problem. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_24536886/alliance-pushes-ahead-carb-lawsuit AIR POLLUTION Environmental groups challenge IPCC finding on palm oil emissions. Environmentalists have slammed a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report they say underestimates the carbon emissions from developing more palm oil plantations and have alleged government interference. The opposition, led by Netherlands-based Wetlands International, said the IPCC report's numbers for the level of carbon emissions that result from digging up peat soils for oil palm operations is too low. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990605/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE U.N. boss urges Europe to lead climate fight. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the European Union on Monday to stay at the vanguard of efforts to combat climate change, sweeping aside arguments led by Poland and business leaders that the bloc has to prioritize economic growth. Talks in Warsaw due to end on Friday are meant to be a step on the way to a new global deal in 2015 on how to limit global warming to the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) that scientists say would prevent the most devastating effects of climate change. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/18/us-climate-talks-ban-idUSBRE9AH0GE20131118?feedType=RSS US considering greenhouse gas reduction target post-2020. The U.S. government has started to analyze what sort of emissions reductions it can commit to after 2020 in a new agreement to fight global warming, a State Department official said. “The process has started — it’s been going on for a while in the U.S. government to think about and develop a post-2020 commitment,” Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy on climate, told reporters at United Nations climate talks in Warsaw today. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/us-considering-greenhouse-gas-reduction-target-post-2020/article/2539305 Growing Clamor About Inequities of Climate Crisis. Following a devastating typhoon that killed thousands in the Philippines, a routine international climate change conference here turned into an emotional forum, with developing countries demanding compensation from the worst polluting countries for damage they say they are already suffering. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/world/growing-clamor-about-inequities-of-climate-crisis.html?ref=us&_r=1&&pagewanted=print Volcano discovery hints at fire below ice in Antarctica. A volcano may be stirring more than a half-mile beneath a major ice sheet in Antarctica, raising the possibility of faster base melting that could ultimately affect climate. Seismologists working in a mountainous area of Marie Byrd Land in western Antarctica detected a swarm of low-magnitude earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 similar to those that can precede volcanic eruptions, according to a study published online Sunday in Nature Geoscience. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-volcano-ice-antarctica-20131115,0,6645564.story#axzz2l16ciPqm http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990582/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY UN climate chief calls on coal industry to change. The U.N.'s chief climate diplomat on Monday urged the coal industry to diversify toward cleaner energy sources and leave most of the world's remaining coal reserves in the ground. On the sidelines of a U.N. climate conference, Christiana Figueres told dozens of CEOs of coal companies meeting at Poland's Economy Ministry that their industry needs to change radically to curb emissions of heat-trapping gases that scientists say are warming the planet. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UN-climate-chief-calls-on-coal-industry-to-change-4990472.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/18/3038012/un-climate-chief-calls-on-coal.html http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/18/un-climate-chief-calls-on-coal-industry-to-change/ Missing data from Arctic one reason for 'pause' in global temperature rise – study. Keeping track of our planet's temperature is no easy task. The keepers of such long-term data sets, usually government institutions, know they have to account for numerous variations to keep a consistent measurement of temperatures through time. Without that, it is impossible to know how our world is changing. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990589/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Deadlier heat waves to strike eastern U.S. – study. Temperature spikes spanning several days or more will rack up a higher body count in the eastern United States during the coming century than they have in the past, according to a new study. Heat waves are the deadliest weather phenomenon in the United States, killing more people annually than hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tornadoes combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990606/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Climate-change-caused extremes difficult to pinpoint locally but clear at larger scale – study. For policymakers and planners, a key aspect of preparing for climate change involves understanding what, exactly, is going to change. Should they prepare for more drought? Floods? Severe storms? Unfortunately, knowing this at a local or regional scale is difficult. And it won't get easier for a while, a new study finds. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990587/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS State air officials give truckers more time to meet new diesel standards. Truckers struggling to make the deadline to meet new state diesel emission standards are getting a reprieve. The California Air Resources Board announced this week it is extending the Jan. 1 deadline to July 1. The regulatory advisory comes three weeks after a public hearing in Sacramento, where state air officials got an earful from trucking advocates. Posted. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=NewsBank&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%2014A2904E75F602B8%20)&p_docid=14A2904E75F602B8&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=14A2904E75F602B8&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=J5DY56PKMTM4NDgwMTU4MS44OTQ3MTM6MToxMzoxMDYuMjMwLjExMC4w&&p_multi=RSLB BY SUBSCRIPTIO ONLY FUELS Coal Industry Needs Dramatic Change, Says UN Climate Boss. The coal industry needs to change rapidly to help prevent global warming by leaving most of the fuel in the ground and closing the least efficient power plants, the top climate official at the United Nations said. Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said fumes from burning the fossil fuel are loading the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, competing for water resources and harming public health. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-18/coal-industry-needs-dramatic-change-says-un-climate-boss.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/world/top-un-official-warns-of-coal-risks.html?rref=science&pagewanted=print Ethanol Futures Advance as Fuel Consumption Outpaces Supply. Ethanol futures climbed for the seventh time in eight days as the highest production rates in 21 months fail to replenish stockpiles. Futures rose as much as 2 percent as supply has been at record seasonal lows most of this year even as output increased amid cheaper prices for corn, the primary ingredient used to make the additive in the U.S., data compiled by Bloomberg show. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-18/ethanol-futures-advance-as-fuel-consumption-outpaces-supply.html As Pentagon invests in green fuel, critics focus on the cost. On a recent Navy voyage, alternative fuel cost $26 a gallon, and millions are being invested in bioenergy firms. Some experts worry there won't be sufficient benefits. When the U.S. Navy sailed an imposing fleet near Hawaii that was powered in part by algae and used cooking grease, environmentalists weren't the only ones who were thrilled. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-green-military-20131118,0,6681167.story#axzz2l16ciPqm Why gasoline costs so much in California. Californians usually pay more for gasoline than do drivers in other states. But not this much more. Throughout this summer and fall, California's gasoline prices have hovered about 40 to 45 cents per gallon above the national average. The difference has sometimes reached 50 cents. In most years, it's more like 30 to 35 cents. The increase hasn't received much attention, largely because gasoline prices in California and the rest of the country have been remarkably stable this year. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Why-gasoline-costs-so-much-in-California-4988144.php Industry backs, environmentalists question draft fracking rules. State regulators released draft rules Friday that, for the first time, would require oil companies to apply for permission to perform hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the controversial but highly effective technique increasingly important to Kern County petroleum producers. The proposed regulations call for a variety of measures ranging from groundwater monitoring and oil well pressure-testing…Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/oil/x2127193825/State-releases-draft-fracking-rules Ethanol is losing its clout — Ag and ethanol groups respond to 2014 RFS proposal. ETHANOL LOSING ITS CLOUT: “Corn-based biofuel has for years been untouchable politically, as presidential candidates seemed to over-promise on ethanol every four years in Iowa — but even that clout may be waning as both the tea partiers on the right and greens on the left push to abandon it. Reasons for the turnaround are many: The boom in domestic oil drilling has dimmed the urgency to find other alternatives to Mideast petroleum. Posted. http://www.politico.com/morningagriculture/1113/morningagriculture12253.html Enviros renew push for moratorium as Calif. issues draft fracking rules. California on Friday unveiled draft rules to police unconventional oil drilling, a highly anticipated development that followed a multiyear debate on whether new restrictions were needed. Companies using oil recovery techniques that include hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," under the proposal must obtain permits from the state, give at least 72 hours' notice and identify where the work will occur. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059990609/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Fuel cell cars from Toyota, Honda, Hyundai set to debut at auto shows. Toyota, Honda and Hyundai will debut fuel cell cars this week amid regulators' push for zero-emission vehicles, with all three in showrooms by 2015. Price and few fuel stations present a challenge. For decades, hydrogen fuel cell cars have been the automotive technology of tomorrow: the big idea, for someday far in the future. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fuel-cell-cars-20131117,0,5007194.story#axzz2l16ciPqm Gasoline-only engines are top choice of most U.S. car buyers – survey. While most U.S. consumers have a favorable view of alternative vehicles and believe they're less expensive to own over the long run, more than half would still prefer a gasoline-only engine for their next car, according to a report released today by a market research firm. The Navigant Research survey conducted this fall found 55 percent of survey respondents would choose a gasoline-only engine as their first or second choice for their next vehicle purchase, followed by 43 percent for a hybrid electric vehicle…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990637/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL Japan Pitches Americans on Its Maglev Train. As the world’s fastest train raced through the mountains of central Japan, former Gov. George E. Pataki of New York hoisted his 6-foot-5 frame into the aisle, lifted his hands from his seat and marveled at the smoothness of the ride. “In the subway I’d need a strap, at least,” Mr. Pataki said as the speedometer hit 314 miles per hour and fleeting glimpses of Mount Fuji appeared through the porthole-like windows. “This is amazing. The future.” Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/business/international/japan-pitches-americans-on-its-maglev-train.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print MISCELLANEOUS Toxic waste seems to naturally vanish from Palos Verdes Shelf. Tests suggest DDT, PCB levels are naturally lowering along Palos Verdes Shelf, which could save EPA millions of dollars on cleanup. Decades after industrial waste dumping turned part of Southern California's seafloor into a toxic hot spot, scientists have dredged up a mystery. Chemicals fouling the ocean off the Palos Verdes Peninsula seem to be going away without being cleaned up. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-palos-verdes-shelf-20131118,0,3932148.story#axzz2l16ciPqm State fails to keep track of hazardous waste. Year after year the trucks rolled in, dumping loads of sewage sludge and contaminated dirt at a soil-recycling plant in this tiny desert community. Thousands of deliveries were dutifully recorded in a state database. Anyone who checked it would have seen that the plant had no state permit to accept hazardous waste. Yet the dumping went on for seven years — because state regulators either did not look at their own records or did not act on the information. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-hazardous-waste-20131117-dto,0,2085710.htmlstory#axzz2l16ciPqm OPINIONS Climate campaigners reserve a special scorn for coal-fired power generation. Coal has replaced nuclear as the form of energy that environmentalists most love to hate. "The world needs to turn its back on the fossil fuels of the past, like coal, which have helped to create today's climate and instead look to the clean, renewable energy sources of the future," the UK charity Christian Aid said on Monday. "If we are to avoid dangerous climate change we must leave most of the remaining coal reserves in the ground," the charity warned. Posted. http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/18/coal-climate-idINL5N0J32VX20131118 Global warming pragmatism. Economist Robert Pindyck of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently examined the computer models that estimate the effects and costs of climate change — and he didn’t like what he found. The models reflect two gaping uncertainties, he says. First, we don’t know how much increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) will raise global temperatures. “There are feedback loops” — interactions between greenhouse gases and weather…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-j-samuelson-global-warming-pragmatism/2013/11/17/01a09856-4e1e-11e3-ac54-aa84301ced81_story.html UN climate change negotiations in Poland this week. With the United Nations meeting this week in Warsaw, Poland, for its annual conversation on climate change, one wonders if the international community can come together quickly enough to respond to this month’s warnings from the International Energy Agency of a CO2 emissions rise by 20 percent by 2035 and a long-term average temperature increase of 3.6°C. Despite reports by U.N. scientists and nature researchers that the planet’s climate is still warming, ice is still melting…Posted. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/cause-conflict-conclusion/2013/nov/18/un-climate-change-negotiations-poland-week/#ixzz2l1pDsQAz BLOGS U.S. Dials Back on Ethanol. ETHANOL LOSES ITS SHINE. Biofuels may have begun their fall from federal favor. The latest sign that ethanol’s sway could be waning came Friday after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed scaling back government rules that mandate a certain level of the corn-derived fuel to be blended into gasoline. According to The Wall Street Journal’s Tennille Tracy and Keith Johnson, the move represents one of the biggest setbacks to date for the biofuel. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/11/18/u-s-dials-back-on-ethanol/tab/print/ Wealthy nations pledged billions to help the poor adapt to climate change. So where did it go? One of the harsh ironies of climate change is that the poor countries that have contributed the least to the problem are expected to get hit the hardest. That's why, in recent years, many of the world's wealthier nations — including the United States, Germany, Britain, and Japan — have been promising billions of dollars in aid to help developing countries adapt to the impacts of global warming and switch over to cleaner energy sources. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/18/wealthy-nations-promised-billions-to-help-the-poor-adapt-to-climate-change-where-did-it-go/?print=1 Examining ‘Media’s Global Warming Fail’. Frank Sesno, who runs the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University and has been a longtime presence on CNN, anchored the Reliable Sources show on Sunday and invited me and Philippe Cousteau to discuss what the show described as “the media’s global warming fail.” Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/examining-medias-global-warming-fail/?_r=0 EPA eases off ethanol, a bit, for first time ever. Forget raising the national ethanol blend in standard gasoline to 15 percent (E15), the Environmental Protection Agency has, for the first time ever, proposed reducing the ethanol requirement in the American gas supply. The reduction (technically, a not-as-big-as-possible increase) was proposed Friday (PDF) and, according to The New York Times, represents something of a head-scratcher for the ethanol industry, despite being expected. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/11/17/epa-eases-off-ethanol-a-bit-for-first-time-ever/ Toyota Prius Plug-In keeping short, 10-mile EV range. Are lower cost and longer all-electric range in a plug-in hybrid mutually exclusive concepts? That's what Toyota appears to be arguing to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). In documents recently filed with CARB concerning the Golden State regulator's 10-mile minimum requirement for all-electric range in plug-in hybrids. The EPA says the Prius Plug-in Hybrid has an all-electric range of 11 miles, but CARB's calculations put it at six. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/11/16/toyota-prius-plug-in-keeping-short-10-mile-ev-range/ Surviving Climate Change. Is a Green Energy Revolution on the Global Agenda? A week after the most powerful “super typhoon” ever recorded pummeled the Philippines, killing thousands in a single province, and three weeks after the northern Chinese city of Harbin suffered a devastating “airpocalypse,” suffocating the city with coal-plant pollution, government leaders beware! Although individual events like these cannot be attributed with absolute certainty to increased fossil fuel use and climate change…Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-t-klare/climate-change-protests_b_4293667.html?view=print&comm_ref=false ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 13:02:36 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 19, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 19, 2013. 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 Is Not A Tax, California Court Says. The Sacramento Superior Court upheld California’s cap-and-trade program last week against two affronts to its carbon auction system. The decision is unsurprising given the tentative ruling in the Air Resources Board’s (ARB) favor in August, but its affirmation in the upper court is an important step in cementing the legality of the United State’s first sub-national carbon market. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=10054§ion=news_articles&eod=1 California Issues First Forest Carbon Offsets. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) took a major step forward in the development of its offset program by issuing the first forest carbon offsets eligible for compliance with the state’s cap-and-trade market. The offsets come from two improved forest management (IFM) projects: the Willits Woods project and the Farm Cove Improved Forest Management Project. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=10055§ion=news_articles&eod=1 Developers of CCS-equipped power plant lock horns with Calif. Regulators. A California power project that would demonstrate commercial-scale carbon capture and sequestration technology is sparring with state regulators over its emissions. The Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) plant in oil-rich Kern County would be the first plant in the state equipped with CCS technologies aimed at preventing emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide. The federal Department of Energy has provided $408 million to the $4 billion project. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990713/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION 1 Way Shell Shouldn't Emulate ExxonMobil. It's often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. So what should we make of Royal Dutch Shell's decision to return to the Chukchi Sea? Is this pure folly, or is there method in Shell's madness? Shell's history in the Chukchi Sea reads like a rap sheet. Shell reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this September under which the company paid out $1.1 million for violations of the Clean Air Act. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/1-Way-Shell-Shouldn-t-Emulate-ExxonMobil-4992983.php South Coast Air Quality Management District files petition over EPA rule. The government agency responsible for controlling regional air pollution has asked a federal court to review a recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency that it fears will worsen air quality in the Coachella Valley. The EPA ruled in September that the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Reservation northwest of Palm Springs along Interstate 10 was allowed to welcome heavier-polluting developments before offset requirements take effect. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20131118/NEWS07/311180028/South-Coast-Air-Quality-Management-District-files-petition-over-EPA-rule CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon conundrum prompts some greens to think the unthinkable: nuclear. The lack of progress at United Nations talks to agree a deal to tackle global warming is calling into question the insistence of many environmental groups that low-carbon nuclear power can never be the answer. Japan dismayed many at the 195-nation conference last week by saying it would fail to reach its greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2020 …Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/19/climate-talks-nuclear-idUSL5N0J34E320131119 Ban says people feel "planet's wrath" over warming. People around the world are feeling the "wrath of a warming planet", U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday, urging almost 200 governments to take tougher action to reach a deal in 2015 on fighting global warming. Ban told environment ministers at climate talks in Warsaw they had a steep climb ahead to agree to cut rising greenhouse gas emissions that scientists say fuel more extreme weather. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/19/climate-talks-idUSL5N0J43PE20131119 Climate Change Makes Any Disaster Global. Historians may look back at Typhoon Haiyan as a turning point in disaster journalism and the politics of climate change. For the first time, an extreme-weather catastrophe in the tropics has shrugged off its “made in Asia” label and gone global. Coverage of storms, floods and droughts usually begins and ends with war-zone style reporting about dire conditions on the ground. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-18/climate-change-makes-any-disaster-global.html Slowdown in Carbon Emissions Worldwide, but Coal Burning Continues to Grow. Global emissions of carbon dioxide are slowing somewhat from the rapid pace of the last decade, new figures show, but growth in coal burning continues to outstrip the growth in other forms of energy, and experts said the world remains far from meeting international goals on climate change. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/science/slowdown-in-carbon-emissions-worldwide-but-coal-burning-continues-to-grow.html?pagewanted=print UN chief says current climate pledges insufficient. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged governments to put forth more ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions, saying "current pledges are simply inadequate." Speaking Tuesday to a U.N. climate conference in Warsaw, Ban said countries need to "set the bar higher" as they negotiate a new global climate agreement that is supposed to be adopted in 2015. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UN-chief-says-current-climate-pledges-insufficient-4993196.php Aid needed for global warming. Americans are generous by nature. About half of U.S. families contributed to earthquake relief in Haiti in 2010, and millions of us have already supported typhoon aid for the Philippines. But there's a golden opportunity for our country to do much more. We can help generations of Filipinos withstand the typhoon seasons that rock that island nation every year from summer to fall. The most meaningful thing the United States could do is take decisive action on climate change right now. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Aid-needed-for-global-warming-4991537.php A glance at coal and its role in climate change. Coal took center stage in the global warming debate on Monday as a high-profile coal industry event kicked off on the sidelines of a U.N. climate conference in Warsaw. Environmental activists were outraged, saying coal is the problem, not the solution to climate change. Poland, which is presiding over both conferences…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/18/3617094/a-glance-at-coal-and-its-role.html Some states ignore climate change in disaster plans, but coastal states are on alert. When it comes to planning for climate change disasters, some states are far ahead of others. That conclusion came last week in a study from Columbia Law School finding that many states -- particularly in landlocked areas of the country -- are not incorporating climate change into their state hazard mitigation plans, which are required under federal law for maximum amounts of disaster assistance. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990687/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Port Of Oakland Truckers Threaten Shutdown Over Emissions Rules. The Port of Oakland Truckers Association announced on Monday that drivers will walk off the job as early as next week if they don’t get financial help meeting new clean-air standards. Truckers are giving the port until Wednesday to agree to financial offsets to help with new air quality rules—which require that trucks used must have been built in 2007 or later to keep working. Posted. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/11/18/port-of-oakland-truckers-threaten-shutdown-over-emissions-rules/ CARB confusion? Agency says low-use exemption can come two ways. In late October, the California Air Resources Board considered a plan that sounded as if it would exempt most long-haulers that don’t often run in the state from its most expensive trucking regulation. Rather than comply with CARB’s Truck and Bus Rule, also known as the On-Road Rule, CARB staff proposed an exemption for trucks that ran less than 5,000 miles annually. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=26203#.UounXxCJT3U Deadline Looms to Upgrade Trucks or Install Filters. Truckers at the Port of Oakland grabbed headlines last week when they demanded an extension -- and extra funding -- to a January 1 deadline to upgrade their engines to meet California Air Resources Board (CARB) pollution standards. Meanwhile, general freight and construction truck drivers face a separate January deadline to start replacing their vehicles or install filters that can cost as much as a truck. Posted. http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201311190850/b Big Rigs Traveling I-15 to Be Checked for Air Quality Compliance. Truckers traveling through Riverside County on Tuesday could be stopped and their rigs checked for emissions control compliance, according to state officials. Representatives from the California Air Resources Board, along with California Highway Patrol officers, will be conducting random checks of big rigs going north and south on Interstate 15, according to CARB officials. Posted. http://murrieta.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/state-officials-to-check-big-rigs-for-air-quality-compliance FUELS Colorado proposes reducing methane leaks from energy production. Colorado proposed new rules Monday to reduce methane leaks from oil and gas operations, the first effort in the country to address emissions of the greenhouse gas that is a byproduct of the domestic fossil fuel boom. Carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels is the main driver of climate change, but while less methane is emitted overall, it is an even more potent heat-trapping gas than carbon. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-colorado-methane-leak-reduction-20131118,0,6584481.story#axzz2l6rYb0ZA International utility executives seek carbon price to help shun fossil fuels. Executives responsible for 75 percent of the world's electricity generation capacity are in agreement that establishing a credible price for carbon dioxide is the most important way to drive large-scale change among utilities away from carbon-intensive fuels like coal and oil in favor of cleaner sources like wind and solar power. Yet despite sustained efforts to increase investment in renewable energy, fossil fuels will continue to form the backbone of electric power generation systems through 2035…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990660/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Regulator launches investigation into Tesla Model S fires. U.S. auto safety regulators have launched an investigation into luxury electric sports car maker Tesla Motors Inc's (TSLA.O) Model S sedan after three car fires in six weeks. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary evaluation of the risks associated with highway debris striking the underbody of the 2013 Model S, the agency said on its website on Tuesday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/19/us-autos-tesla-investigation-idUSBRE9AI0I220131119 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-19/u-s-regulator-opens-probe-of-fire-in-tesla-electric-cars.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/business/us-safety-agency-opens-inquiry-into-tesla-fires.html?hpw&rref=business http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Tesla-Model-S-Probed-by-U-S-After-Three-Fires-in-4993319.php http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/19/elon-musk-tesla-fire-changes/3637187/ http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/11/19/us-safety-agency-opens-investigation-into-tesla-model-s-electric-car-fires/ Hyundai to market hydrogen vehicle next year. For years, the joke in the auto industry was that a mass-produced car that runs on hydrogen was always a decade away. That will change next year when Hyundai starts selling a Tucson SUV powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. It will be the first mass-market vehicle of its type to be sold or leased in the U.S. "These things are now ready for prime time," John Krafcik, Hyundai's North American CEO, said last week. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/18/5923954/hyundai-to-market-hydrogen-vehicle.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Hyundai-to-sell-hydrogen-powered-SUV-in-2014-4992555.php http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_24549088/hyundai-market-hydrogen-vehicle-next-year http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_24553795/hyundai-market-hydrogen-vehicle-next-year?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/18/3618186/hyundai-to-sell-hydrogen-powered.html Three electrics lead 10 worst cars for depreciation. Three electric cars and a raft of luxury models are likely to perform the worst when it comes to resale value over the next five years, Kelley Blue Book reports. KBB has already listed the models that it thinks will hold the most of their value over the next five years. The list was headed by Toyota's FJ Cruiser, an off-road oriented model that's entering its last year of production. It is expected to be worth 70% of its original value in five years compared to today. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/11/19/worst-2014-cars-for-depreciation/3637497/ LA AUTO SHOW L.A. Auto Show: Will fuel cells make battery electric cars obsolete? For decades, hydrogen fuel cell cars have been the automotive technology of tomorrow: the big idea, for someday far in the future. No longer. At auto shows in Los Angeles and Tokyo this week, Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. will introduce hydrogen-powered cars. Hyundai’s will reach U.S. showrooms next year, while the other models will begin selling a year later. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-auto-show-fuel-cell-20131117,0,3678128.story#axzz2l6rYb0ZA GREEN ENERGY Calif. needs to set 51% renewables target to keep market humming – report. California risks stalling its renewable energy industry if it does not mandate more renewables generation, according to a new report by University of California law schools. For the state's legal and energy policy experts, California's success in reaching its near-term renewables targets underscores the risk of complacency. "The success of state policies may ironically be contributing to a stalled market for renewables… Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990689/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Contest Aims for a Cleaner-Burning Wood Stove. Only blocks away, the Energy Department manages the search for quarks and NASA scours the heavens for Earth-like planets. But inside a big white tent on the National Mall, the focus is on something simpler: oak, ash and elm, and how to make them heat a house with as little pollution as possible. It is not rocket science, but the 12 teams that are competing to solve the problem are finding ways to get twice as much heat out of a log of firewood. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/science/earth/contest-aims-for-a-cleaner-burning-wood-stove.html?_r=0 OPINIONS RPT-COLUMN-Is there any future for coal? Kemp. Climate campaigners reserve a special scorn for coal-fired power generation. Coal has replaced nuclear as the form of energy that environmentalists most love to hate. "The world needs to turn its back on the fossil fuels of the past, like coal, which have helped to create today's climate and instead look to the clean, renewable energy sources of the future," the UK charity Christian Aid said on Monday. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/19/coal-climate-idUSL5N0J338D20131119 Big Ethanol Finally Loses. It's not often that the ethanol lobby suffers a policy setback in Washington, but it got its head handed to it Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency announced that for the first time it is lowering the federal mandate that dictates how much ethanol must be blended into the nation's gasoline. It's about time. It's been about time from the moment the ethanol mandate came to life in the 1970s. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303789604579198081681248494?KEYWORDS=emissions BY SUBSCRIPTION Fracking’s Achilles’ Heel. It’s not very often that someone starts his career as a geologist and then winds up as governor, but John Hickenlooper, the governor of Colorado, can make that claim. “We had fracking when I was a working geologist in 1981,” he told me on Monday. “It was very primitive. What really changed the world is when we got horizontal drilling. It was a technique that allowed you to recover a lot more natural gas.” Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/opinion/nocera-frackings-achilles-heel.html?src=recg&pagewanted=print Letters: An island nation's warning on climate change. Re "Rising Pacific tides," Opinion, Nov. 13. How poignant to read of a man from the Pacific island nation of Kiribati seeking asylum in New Zealand because rising tides are swamping his homeland. If, decades ago, oil companies had been required to internalize the environmental cost of carbon dioxide emissions, we might not be at this crisis point. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-le-1119-tuesday-kiribati-20131119,0,4718691,print.story Editorial: Truckers still deserve answers. Our view: We hope the state uses the one-year delay in emission regulations to address problems with the diesel particulate filter. Likely no one was surprised that a group of trucking companies and business owners filed a lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board over diesel regulations. Filed in Glenn County Superior Court last week…Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/editorials/ci_24552443/editorial-truckers-still-deserve-answers BLOGS The Lachrymose World of Old King Coal. Old King Coal was a merry old soul, but now he’s looking glum. Displaced, frowned upon, often unwanted and struggling to adapt, the black stuff is the black sheep of the energy flock. In the U.S. coal has already been squeezed out by the low, low price of natural gas and now is being forced out by environmental rules that…Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/11/19/the-lachrymose-world-of-old-king-coal/?KEYWORDS=emissions Role of Smoking Cited in China’s Rising Lung Cancer Deaths. As fears grow among residents of China’s cities that heavy air pollution is contributing to a rise in lung cancer, a major conference on the disease over the weekend in Beijing focused on a more familiar culprit: smoking. The number of deaths from lung cancer in China has increased by 465 percent over the past 30 years, doctors said at the Sixth China North-South Lung Cancer Summit, which brought together 300 experts. Posted. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/role-of-smoking-cited-in-chinas-rising-lung-cancer-deaths/?_r=0&pagewanted=print California's Cap-and-Trade Program -- More Than Just a Solution for California. Throughout the world California has a well-deserved reputation for leadership and innovation. Our efforts to combat climate change continue this tradition of leadership. In passing the 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act, Californians committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and began implementing groundbreaking policies to achieve this goal. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-gero/post_6160_b_4285205.html Where Will Electric Vehicles Get Their Juice? Do you know where the first automobile pulled up to get the first tankful of gas? It was at a pharmacy in Wiesloch, Germany in 1888, where Bertha Benz (yes, that Benz) stopped on her way from Mannheim to Pforzheim in the first automobile. (She didn’t ask the pharmacist to clean the windshield because there wasn’t one.) Other places where people stopped in the early days included general and hardware stores and blacksmith shops. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2013/11/18/where-will-electric-vehicles-get-their-juice/ Port of Oakland Truckers Threaten New Work Stoppage. Several hundred independent truckers at the Port of Oakland are serving notice that they’ll stop work as early as next week unless state and regional air regulators give them a break on rules for diesel emissions. The Port of Oakland Truckers Association announced that members voted unanimously to stop work if their demands aren’t met. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/11/18/port-of-oakland-independent-truckers-protest Electric Vehicles Approach Tipping Point. When the first hybrid cars hit the streets, people would point and stare, even stop owners on the street to ask questions. Was it a fad? A novelty? A toy for green enthusiasts? Time has proven otherwise. In the first quarter of last year, the hybrid Toyota Prius was the third best-selling family car in the world. When the latest generation of plug-in electric cars hit the mass market three years ago, they evoked the same mix of reactions as hybrids did: enthusiasm, curiosity, and some skepticism. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/plehner/electric_vehicles_approach_tip.html 2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Drivers Can Opt For Solar Charging Service. BMW's first full-scale production electric car isn't a vehicle done by half measures. It's uniquely styled, features high-tech carbon fiber reinforced plastic construction and the minimalist interior is awash with sustainable materials. BMW thinks its customers might want to continue that sustainability through to the car's charging, so has teamed up with SolarCity to offer i3 drivers an affordable solar electricity service to power their vehicles. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088538_2014-bmw-i3-electric-car-drivers-can-opt-for-solar-charging-service ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 15:49:34 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 20, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 20, 2013. 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 EU, California Show China How to Avoid Carbon-Permit Oversupply. European Union and Californian emissions markets have shown China how to avoid the pitfall of oversupply in its own carbon-trading programs, said the vice mayor of the city of Shenzhen. Permit prices on the EU Emissions Trading System plunged 80 percent the past five years, according to data from the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-19/eu-california-show-china-how-to-avoid-carbon-permit-oversupply.html California Miscounts Emissions in Oversupplied Market. California has over-counted greenhouse-gas emissions, a mistake that will extend the excess supply of allowances in the state’s carbon market, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said. The California Air Resources Board used data that double-counted emissions from natural gas suppliers and the output from related power plants in reporting a 2 percent increase from 2011 to 2012, said William Nelson, a New York-based analyst for New Energy Finance. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-19/california-miscounts-emissions-in-oversupplied-market.html AIR POLLUTION Contest Aims for a Cleaner-Burning Wood Stove. Only blocks away, the Energy Department manages the search for quarks and NASA scours the heavens for Earth-like planets. But inside a big white tent on the National Mall, the focus is on something simpler: oak, ash and elm, and how to make them heat a house with as little pollution as possible. It is not rocket science, but the 12 teams that are competing to solve the problem are finding ways to get twice as much heat out of a log of firewood. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/science/earth/contest-aims-for-a-cleaner-burning-wood-stove.html?_r=0 Plant to spend $84M on pollution control in La, Tx. Cabot Corp., the second largest carbon black manufacturer in the U.S., agreed Tuesday to pay a $975,000 civil penalty and spend an estimated $84 million on technology to control air pollution at its three facilities in Franklin and Ville Platte, La., and Pampa, Texas, federal officials said. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, a co-plaintiff in the case, will receive $292,500 of the penalty…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/19/3619339/plant-to-spend-84m-on-pollution.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Turmoil at climate talks as blame game heats up. An old rift between rich and poor has reopened in U.N. climate talks as developing countries look for ways to make developed countries accept responsibility for global warming - and pay for it. With two days left, there was commotion in the Warsaw talks Wednesday after the conference president - Poland's environment minister - was fired in a government reshuffle and developing country negotiators said they walked out of a late-night meeting on compensation for climate impacts. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Warming seen worse as nations fail to meet carbon goals. The world is getting further off track in limiting global warming with setbacks in Japan and Australia outweighing positive signals from the United States and China, a study showed on Wednesday. A Climate Action Tracker compiled by scientists said the world was headed for a temperature rise of 3.7 degrees Celsius (6.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times by 2100, against 3.1C (5.8F) if governments stuck to promised cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/20/us-climate-talks-warming-idUSBRE9AJ0MR20131120 Unavoidable Answer for the Problem of Climate Change. Japan’s announcement last week that it would not meet its promise to sharply reduce its carbon emissions met a chorus of disapproval from around the world. Delegates at the international climate talks in Warsaw, which end Friday, lamented Japan’s move as a blow to worldwide efforts to slow global warming. In the Philippines, which is still collecting the dead from Typhoon Hayan, it served as yet another example of the indifference of the rich world to… Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/business/economy/unavoidable-answer-to-problem-of-climate-change.html?_r=0 High-detail maps to help county reduce carbon footprint. Thanks to a grant from NASA, Sonoma County will soon have $1.2 million worth of high-detail information about its forests, including how those forests can help the county fight climate change. Specifically, the state-of-the-art maps will show how much carbon Sonoma County’s forests can hold. They come as local governments and conservation agencies are eyeing open space not just for recreation and habitat conservation, but also for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131118/articles/131119560 DIESEL EMISSIONS DIESEL CRACKDOWN: State regulators cite offending trucks. Gary Broadwater, 47, didn’t appreciate the $300 citation he received Tuesday, Nov. 19, after the flatbed truck he drove was inspected by state air-pollution regulators just off Interstate 15 in Lake Elsinore. The truck owned by his employer, the Lancaster-based Frazier Corp., didn’t have a special exhaust filter that traps and burns diesel soot to reduce harmful emissions. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20131119-diesel-crackdown-state-regulators-cite-offending-trucks.ece FUELS Toyota vows fuel cell model by 2015 in green push. Toyota is promising a mass-produced fuel cell car by 2015 in the latest ambitious push to go green by an industry long skeptical about the super-clean technology that runs on hydrogen. Satoshi Ogiso, the Toyota Motor Corp. executive in charge of fuel cells, said Wednesday the vehicle is not just for leasing to officials and celebrities but will be an everyday car for ordinary consumers, widely available at dealers. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_TOYOTA_HYDROGEN_CARS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/business/international/toyota-unveils-fuel-cell-concept-automobile.html?hpw&rref= Calif. Democrat calls for offshore fracking moratorium. California Rep. Lois Capps (D) yesterday called for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing off the Southern California coast. Capps aired her concerns during yesterday's floor debate over a pair of oil and gas drilling bills, one of which would prohibit the Bureau of Land Management from regulating hydraulic fracturing onshore. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990795/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Honda counts on lean production for hybrid Fit. Honda is making a big push with its new Fit subcompact to get out of being the perennial also-ran of hybrid cars to Japanese rival Toyota, the maker of the Prius. It's a challenge hinged on making the technology affordable. Hybrids deliver fuel efficiency by switching between a gasoline engine and an electric motor, depending on driving conditions but cost more than gasoline cars. Honda's answer: Lean production. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_HONDA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail consultant costs near $600 million even before construction starts. The latest accounting by the California High-Speed Rail Authority to state lawmakers indicates that the agency has spent almost $600 million on engineering and environmental consultants -- all without turning a shovelful of dirt on construction. In the twice-a-year report sent to legislative leaders on Friday, the agency is sticking to its estimated price tag of $68.3 billion to build its San Francisco-to-Los Angeles bullet-train line. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/19/3619630/high-speed-rail-consultant-costs.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY UC RIVERSIDE: University unveils waste-to-energy system. UC Riverside engineers on Tuesday, Nov. 19, unveiled a system that uses heat and pressure to turn human waste into clean energy – a technology they say will save millions of dollars and cut pollution. Researchers at the university’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology have been working since 2002 to develop a commercially viable steam hydrogasification system. Their two-story reactor is the only one operating in California, officials said. Posted. http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20131119-uc-riverside-university-unveils-waste-to-energy-system.ece L.A. County joins partners in campaign to green public buildings. In an effort to green Los Angeles County public buildings and groom local contractors for the projects, a partnership between government, private and nonprofit groups was announced Monday at East Rancho Dominguez Library, a LEED platinum-certified library. “What we seek to do is leverage the considerable assets and capacity of the county…Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/environment-and-nature/20131118/la-county-joins-partners-in-campaign-to-green-public-buildings MISCELLANEOUS Part of truck-heavy Terminal Island Freeway could become a park. Plan would remove a 1-mile section of Long Beach road and provide green space to an area plagued by port-related noise and pollution. The around-the-clock rumble and hum of big rigs and cars funneling in and out of one of the world's busiest port complexes have for years defined daily life in west Long Beach. Streets of tidy homes, schools and playgrounds are boxed in by refineries, rail yards and truck routes to the harbor, including the gritty, four-mile Terminal Island Freeway. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-long-beach-freeway-20131118,0,6791569.story#axzz2lDXRzcKx OPINIONS A Change of Carbon Climate in Japan. Much of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic revival strategy is still on the drawing board, but earlier this month he did something important by deciding not to do anything. Mr. Abe abandoned Tokyo's 2009 pledge to reduce the country's carbon emissions by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020. Mr. Abe's announcement came as officials meet in Warsaw for another round of talks on global carbon reductions. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303653004579209260979688056?KEYWORDS=climate+change California's tough new fracking rules. Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed sensible regulations for hydraulic , fracturing the controversial drilling method that involves pumping water and chemicals into the earth to release trapped oil and gas. They were written in response to a bill by state Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills (Los Angeles County), that the Legislature passed this year. Pavley's bill will also require the state to conduct an independent scientific study of the costs and benefits of fracking. Both the costs and benefits of fracking are likely to be high, which is a big reason why the technique is so controversial. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/California-s-tough-new-fracking-rules-4994621.php BLOGS Air Pollution Standards Mean Truckers Must Retrofit or Upgrade — Soon. Every time Bloomington dump truck operator Ruben Garcia pulls up at a job site, he finds himself caught in the same conversation: “What are you going to do next year?” Not everyone has a good answer. “If we can clean up these fleets, then we will definitely have a positive impact on public health.” Truckers in the Port of Oakland grabbed headlines recently when they held a demonstration at Oakland City Hall…Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2013/11/19/air-pollution-standards-mean-truckers-must-retrofit-or-upgrade-soon/ A Conversation With: British Climate Economist Lord Nicholas Stern. At the National Stadium in Warsaw, the British climate economist Lord Nicholas Stern spoke to India Ink about how India’s future emissions would require it to do more to solve the global challenge, even as it moves to eradicate poverty. Posted. http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/a-conversation-with-british-climate-economist-lord-nicholas-stern/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 14:53:11 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 21, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 21, 2013. 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 Beijing Looks to Markets to Fix Pollution. China's leaders are taking aim at the cheap use of resources that has let its industries boom but has choked its air and tainted its soil, looking to markets to play a larger role in commodity prices as a way to fix pollution. The strategy change, endorsed as part of a wide-ranging policy blueprint at a Communist Party meeting that concluded last week, promises to grant markets a "decisive role" in allocating resources, while more harshly penalizing polluters. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304607104579209672150391040#printMode Pollution Suit Puts Chill on Popular Hot Sauce Sriracha. When Minneapolis donut chef Teresa Fox heard that Huy Fong Foods Inc., maker of Sriracha Asian-style hot sauce, might be forced to shut its factory near Los Angeles, she knew she needed to stock up. The co-owner of Glam Doll Donuts, a hip bakery popular with a late-night crowd, uses the sweet and spicy chili sauce in the icing for her peanut butter and Sriracha-flavored "Chart Topper" doughnut. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304607104579210192185591658#printMode EPA proposes new deadline for air cleanup plans. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a new deadline for Alaska to develop a plan to clean up Fairbanks air that's been deemed dangerous to breathe. The federal agency on Tuesday proposed that the state formulate a plan by Dec. 31, 2014, to address a chronic winter particulate problem in Fairbanks with, which can cause health problems for the young, the elderly and the weakened. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EPA-proposes-new-deadline-for-air-cleanup-plans-4996104.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/20/3043054/epa-proposes-new-deadline-for.html#storylink=cpy Panel grants pollution waiver for Ill. coal plants. The Illinois Pollution Control Board agreed Thursday to give a Texas company extra time to install pollution controls at five Illinois coal-fired power plants, saying it would be an economic hardship for the company to do it sooner. The panel voted 3-1 to grant a pollution-control waiver to Houston-based Dynegy Inc., which still must acquire the plants from Ameren Corp., but said it would be several hours before the opinion was available to the public. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Panel-grants-pollution-waiver-for-Ill-coal-plants-4998426.php New state website gives real-time air quality data. A website now available for desktop computers and mobile devices allows people in California to see real-time measurements of air quality. The California Air Resources Board said Tuesday that the Breathe Well site allows people to plan outdoor activities with the help of "sophisticated and comprehensive air monitoring networks." The site can access hour-by-hour averages of data - ozone and fine particle pollution - that is relayed from about 200 monitors statewide. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/health/New-state-website-gives-real-time-air-quality-data-232587771.html Air pollution? Now there’s an app for that. If your lungs and eyes won’t tell you, perhaps your smartphone can. The California Air Resources Board says it has developed a mobile website for smartphones and tablets that makes it possible to see real-time levels of ozone and fine particle pollution in one’s immediate area — or in towns and cities throughout California — on an hour-by-hour basis. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=24641 CLIMATE CHANGE Developing Nations Stage Protest at Climate Talks. The United Nations climate talks here are bogging down over the old divide between rich and poor nations on the question of who should pay when climate-related disaster strikes, with developing nations staging a symbolic walkout early Wednesday in protest at what they consider inadequate financial support from wealthy countries. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/world/rich-and-poor-nations-spar-over-climate-damages.html?hpw&rref=science&_r=0 Activists walk out of UN climate talks. Activists walked out of U.N. climate talks the day before they end, saying two weeks of negotiations have brought no results. Wearing "polluters talk, we walk" T-shirts, hundreds of activists walked out on Thursday from Warsaw's National Stadium, the venue for the meeting. In a statement, the protesters said the Warsaw talks of more than 190 nations were "on track to deliver virtually nothing" while the "actions of many rich countries ...are directly undermining" the U.N. climate efforts. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/21/5933670/activists-walk-out-of-un-climate.html#storylink=cpy http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/21/3044579/activists-walk-out-of-un-climate.html#storylink=cpy Is America no longer public enemy No. 1 on climate change? The annual U.N. climate change negotiations often take on the flavor of an environmental war crimes tribunal, with America as the top offender. Not this year. For the first time in at least a decade, activists have not awarded the United States a "fossil of the day" designation, with which it brands environmental miscreants and those seen as blocking progress in the talks. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990838/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY World should act now on CO2 to prevent dangerous temperature rise – scientists. The longer the world waits to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the harder it will be to keep warming under 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This may not sound surprising, but in a recent perspective paper published by the journal Nature Climate Change, two prominent climate scientists put some numbers on what that wait time will mean for the Earth's temperature. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990826/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS EPA offers grants to replace older diesel engines. Owners of construction vehicles with older diesel engines in six Nebraska counties may apply for a federal rebate to help replace the vehicles or retrofit older vehicles with new cleaner burning engines. The Environmental Protection Agency is making $2 million available for public and private owners of construction vehicles. Those in Cass, Douglas, Lancaster, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington counties may apply for the money. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EPA-offers-grants-to-replace-older-diesel-engines-4998038.php http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/11/21/2m-funding-available-to-reduce-diesel-engine-pollution/ EPA Offers Support for Construction Diesel Retrofits. The Environmental Protection Agency has $2 million for rebates to encourage emissions retrofitting on diesel construction engines. The rebates are being offered as part of an ongoing EPA program, the Diesel Emission Reduction Act, that has awarded more than $500 million in retrofit support over the past five years. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/11/epa-offers-support-for-construction-diesel-retrofits.aspx 
 Port of Long Beach Repeals Cargo Fee. The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners this week unanimously repealed a cargo fee that has been on the Southern California seaport’s books since 2008 but implementation was delayed repeatedly and the fee was never collected. The repealed fee would have been a charge on each cargo container to help fund roadway and railway improvements in and around the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/11/port-of-long-beach-repeals-cargo-fee.aspx FUELS House backs bill to speed natural gas pipelines. The House has approved a bill to speed approval of natural gas pipelines, the third bill passed this week to boost energy production in the U.S. The pipeline bill would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve or deny a pipeline application within a year. The bill was approved 252-165. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/House-backs-bill-to-speed-natural-gas-pipelines-4998697.php House passes bill to restrain federal fracking rules. The House yesterday passed 235-187 a bill that would restrain federal rules related to oil and natural gas hydraulic fracturing in states that regulate the practice. Passage of H.R. 2728 closed another chapter in the weeklong energy bill focus on the House floor. Earlier yesterday, the House voted on a bill to speed Bureau of Land Management leasing to energy companies…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/eedaily/stories/1059990832/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Just 10 percent of Calif. car chargers delivered. A New Jersey energy company required by an unusual legal settlement to build an extensive network of electric car chargers throughout California has delivered just 10 percent of what it promised in the first year. By fortifying the state's still-spotty charging infrastructure, the settlement between NRG Energy Inc. and California energy regulators was sold as the key to jump-starting enthusiasm for the non-polluting vehicles. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Just-10-percent-of-Calif-car-chargers-delivered-4997907.php http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/20/just-10-percent-of-calif-car-chargers-delivered/ Lexus opts for China over LA, Tokyo auto shows for face-lifted CT 200h hybrid’s world premier. While a flurry of new car models are being paraded this week at auto shows in Los Angeles and Tokyo, Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus is using the week’s other big auto show in China to unveil the latest version of its CT 200h. This four door hatchback hybrid is positioned as a sporty luxury compact. The 2014 model is the first major update since it was launched in China in 2011. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/lexus-opts-for-china-over-la-tokyo-auto-shows-for-face-lifted-ct-200h-hybrids-world-premier/2013/11/21/b8f3dd7e-5288-11e3-9ee6-2580086d8254_story.html 3 automakers launch fuel-cell electric vehicles, say market finally is ready. Honda and Hyundai unveiled fuel-cell electric vehicles at the L.A. Auto Show here yesterday, pledging to produce and sell a green car that has proved difficult to move into the mainstream. The debuts came as Toyota showed a concept fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) at the Tokyo Auto Show. The launch of the FCEV is a "pivotal moment," said John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, "the moment when our industry begins to roll out the next-generation electric vehicle." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990837/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY LA AUTO SHOW Toyota Shows Off Fuel-Cell Automobile. Hydrogen-powered cars are finally being readied for their Prius moment — at least, that is what promoters of the environmentally friendly technology hope. Toyota, maker of the Prius, the first hybrid vehicle to achieve mass-market acceptance, on Wednesday unveiled a concept version of a hydrogen fuel-cell car that it plans to begin selling “around 2015,” as the company put it. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/business/international/toyota-unveils-fuel-cell-concept-automobile.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print L.A. Auto Show: Honda debuts fuel-cell concept car. Honda unveiled a hydrogen fuel-cell concept car at the L.A. Auto Show on Wednesday, a vehicle that has the same high-tech drive train that will be in the version of the car that will go on sale in the U.S. and Japan two years from now. But the sheet metal of the sweeping, aerodynamic car is the whimsy of the automaker’s design team, and won’t make it to dealer showrooms. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-auto-show-honda-fuel-cell-20131120,0,3472209.story#axzz2lJHDykNT http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1088639_honda-fcev-fuel-cell-concept-debuts-at-l-a-auto-show L.A. Auto Show: Hyundai debuts new Tucson. Hyundai unveiled its new Tucson hydrogen fuel-cell crossover at the L.A. Auto Show on Wednesday, a vehicle that will be the first mass-market hydrogen-powered car to go on sale in the U.S. when it hits showrooms in February. The South Korean automaker plans to offer the car on a $499 a month, 36-month lease with a $2,999 down payment. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-auto-show-hyundai-tucson-debut-20131120,0,4126357,print.story Hyundai’s Coming Hydrogen Car, & Some Context On Hydrogen Transportation. On Friday, Hyundai North America CEO John Krafcik announced that the South Korean automaker has developed a hydrogen car. The company, along with Toyota and Honda, will unveil its prototype hydrogen-powered fuel-cell car at both the Los Angeles and Tokyo Auto Shows this week. “These things are now ready for prime time,” Krafcik told the Associated Press. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/21/hyundais-coming-hydrogen-car-context-hydrogen-transportation/#Ui8BQFf4ADlrB4cb.99 GREEN ENERGY Report: Pa. wind power saves water, protects air. Wind power in Pennsylvania is saving water and avoiding pollution that contributes to climate change and other problems, according to a report issued Wednesday by a group lobbying for government policies that promote the use of wind to produce electricity. The Penn Environment report said the state's existing two dozen wind farms, which are concentrated in southwest and northeast Pennsylvania…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Report-Pa-wind-power-saves-water-protects-air-4995797.php Study: California Wind Power is the Worst For Wildlife. California's newest wind turbines may be killing more than 100,000 birds a year, according to a peer-reviewed study to be published in December. Those mortalities seem to climb the taller wind turbines get. And California wind turbines kill more wildlife per megawatt than identical turbines in other parts of the country. What's more, though some have pointed to replacements of the old-style lattice structures holding up turbines with monopoles as a way of making wind turbines safer for birds…Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/wind/study-california-wind-turbines-deadliest-in-us.html MISCELLANEOUS A Smart Smoke Alarm That Keeps Its Cool. The last apartment I lived in was a certifiable fire hazard. It was mostly my fault — I ripped out the smoke detector my landlord had installed because it was so sensitive that even a steamy shower would set off its earsplitting beeping. Smoke alarms are old-world tech in an era when most of the devices that wind up in our pockets and homes tend to be sleek, efficient and deliberately nonintrusive. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/technology/personaltech/review-nest-protect-smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-detector.html OPINIONS Hydrogen and electric cars are nothing to be afraid of: Steve Scauzillo. When I last saw my brother-in-law in Kansas, he was giving me a ride in his modified Mercedes. We had to make a stop at a restaurant so he could fill up his tank. Yeah, that’s right, he adapted both his old-model diesel Mercedes sedans to run on used french fry oil. Tinkering in one’s garage is so American. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20131120/hydrogen-and-electric-cars-are-nothing-to-be-afraid-of-steve-scauzillo BLOGS Hydrogen Cars Showcased At Los Angeles Auto Show Could Be Future Of Transportation. Cars that run on hydrogen and exhaust only water vapor are emerging to challenge electric vehicles as the world's transportation of the future. At auto shows on two continents Wednesday, three automakers unveiled hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to be delivered to the general public as early as next spring. Hyundai Motor Co. will be the first to the mass market in the U.S. It unveiled a hydrogen-powered Tucson small SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show that will be leased to consumers. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/hydrogen-cars-la-auto-show_n_4317569.html Are you cooking up a health hazard in the kitchen? Making dinner could turn your kitchen into a health hazard. Numerous studies are showing that cooking can cause air pollution in your kitchen, some of the same stuff that is in smog. One study even shows that cooking can cause emission levels in your kitchen that would exceed acceptable limits for air quality outside your house. You would not necessarily be able to see it, because some of the substances are colorless and odorless. Posted. http://www.katu.com/news/local/Are-you-cooking-up-a-health-hazard-in-the-kitchen--232788761.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 11:12:51 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for November 22, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 22, 2013. 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. CLIMATE CHANGE Climate talks near end without clarity on targets. U.N. climate talks are likely to run overtime with more than 190 countries arguing over the building blocks for a new pact to slow global warming. A draft text presented Friday, the last scheduled day of the two-week conference in Warsaw, gave only vague direction on when countries should present their targets for restricting carbon emissions. That's a key element of the deal that's supposed to be adopted in Paris in 2015. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Related articles: http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24578768/climate-talks-near-end-without-clarity-targets?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24578768/climate-talks-near-end-without-clarity-targets?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/22/3046594/climate-talks-near-end-without.html http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Climate-talks-near-end-without-clarity-on-targets-5001189.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/22/5936825/climate-talks-near-end-without.html 90 companies worldwide produced fuels driving climate change. Just 90 companies worldwide produced fuels that generated two-thirds of industrial greenhouse gas emissions from 1854 to 2010, according to a new study. The 90 biggest producers of fuels driving climate change include investor-owned corporations, such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, and state-owned oil companies, such as Saudi Aramco and Mexico's Pemex. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-1122-climate-emissions-20131122,0,5093377.story#axzz2lJWWCVKC DIESEL EMISSSION EPA leader checks out Long Beach clean-air projects. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy rolled up to the Port of Long Beach's security command post on Pier F in a GMC Yukon XL, then got a quick tour aboard a fuel-efficient crew boat to view air-quality projects and discuss the seaport's environmental challenges. The crew boat operates on fuel oil and can burn through 27 gallons per hour if the twin 850-horsepower engines run at full bore – which is 20 mph. The boats are held out as environmental stars in the ports because they've been retrofitted with fuel-efficient technologies. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mccarthy-538334-port-air.html Truckers given time, incentive to aid clean-air initiatives. After a letter campaign by rural communities, the Cali-fornia Air Resources Board announced this week it will provide relief to truckers already working to meet state deadlines for upgrades to their aging diesel fleets. The Calaveras County Air Pollution Control Board and other rural area groups sent letters to Gov. Jerry Brown addressing concerns about unintended economic consequences of the clean-fleet regulations. Posted. http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_9aa48070-5397-11e3-bea8-001a4bcf887a.html California offers relief to truckers. The California Air Resources Board recently announced that it will provide relief to truckers working to meet state deadlines for upgrades to their aging diesel fleets. The change comes following letters from the Tehama County Air Pollution Control District and other rural air districts seeking various changes in the mandate, said district controller Alan Abbs. The relief is detailed in a regulatory advisory which recognizes good faith efforts of fleets to meet upcoming compliance deadlines. The advisory also provides early access to planned regulatory changes to be considered by the Board in April 2014. Posted. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/business/ci_24579062/california-offers-relief-truckers FUELS Former advisors to Gov. Brown request fracking ban. A group of 27 former campaign and administration advisors to Gov. Jerry Brown released a letter Thursday asking him to ban the unconventional oil extraction method known as fracking until more is known about its effects on global warming, air and water pollution. Their concern is over the 1,750-square mile Monterey shale formation that holds oil in rocks underneath Central and Southern California. It's estimated to hold two-thirds of the recoverable shale oil in the continental U.S., more than 15 billion barrels worth. But this kind of oil is difficult to extract because it's locked in those pockets of rock. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2013/11/21/15248/former-advisors-to-gov-brown-request-fracking-ban/ Most electric vehicle drivers charge them at home. In a bid to boost electric car sales, Bay Area cities have installed hundreds of public charging stations where drivers can top off their batteries. The stations are considered essential to warding off "range anxiety," the fear of running out of electricity on the road. But a new survey suggests that many plug-in car owners rarely use them. Just 10 percent of charging happens at public stations, according to the survey from PlugInsights. Seven percent of charging takes place at work. In contrast, 81 percent of electric car charging happens at home. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Most-electric-vehicle-drivers-charge-them-at-home-4999799.php VEHICLES Network of electric car chargers stalled in Calif. A New Jersey energy company required by an unusual legal settlement to build an extensive network of electric car chargers throughout California has delivered just 10 percent of what it promised in the first year. By fortifying the state's still-spotty charging infrastructure, the settlement between NRG Energy Inc. and California energy regulators was sold as key to jump-starting enthusiasm for the non-polluting vehicles. More places to "refuel" would diminish worries of getting stranded with a dead battery, and widespread adoption of the cars would help the state meet ambitious air quality goals. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CAR_CHARGING_STATIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Related articles: http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Network-of-electric-car-chargers-stalled-in-Calif-4997907.php L.A. Auto Show: Hydrogen vs. electric -- which is superior? Hydrogen fuel cell cars were the big talk of the L.A. Auto Show this week -- but will they catch on? That’s the question we put to some of the top auto industry executives in the United States. We were looking for insight into what will be the dominant zero emission car technology 20 years from now, cars powered by hydrogen or electric vehicles with rechargeable batteries? Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-auto-show-hydrogen-vs-electric-20131121,0,3406683.story#axzz2lOpEvC4D BLOGS Former advisors to Gov. Brown request fracking ban. A group of 27 former campaign and administration advisors to Gov. Jerry Brown released a letter Thursday asking him to ban the unconventional oil extraction method known as fracking until more is known about its effects on global warming, air and water pollution. Their concern is over the 1,750-square mile Monterey shale formation that holds oil in rocks underneath Central and Southern California. It's estimated to hold two-thirds of the recoverable shale oil in the continental U.S., more than 15 billion barrels worth. But this kind of oil is difficult to extract because it's locked in those pockets of rock. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/politics/2013/11/21/15248/former-advisors-to-gov-brown-request-fracking-ban/ Prognosticating The Green Car Of The Future. When will we see the ultimate green car, who will make it and how long will it take for it to hit the mass market? That’s pretty much what everyone in the auto industry is asking. While clearly no one can answer those questions definitively, the chief executive of Nissan Motor Co. offered up his take on the sidelines of the Tokyo Motor Show this week. “Mass marketing, I don’t see it before 2020,” Carlos Ghosn said of hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars. The CEO was responding to a question on why Nissan is so focused on battery-powered electric vehicles at a time when rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. plan to roll out their latest fuel-cell cars. Nissan has said it will launch a fuel-cell vehicle in 2017. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/11/22/prognosticating-the-green-car-of-the-future/?KEYWORDS=green+vehicles ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:52:21 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 25, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 25, 2013. 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 Sells Carbon Permits for $11.48 Each at Auction. California, the second-largest carbon-emitting state in the U.S., sold 16.6 million carbon allowances at auction for $11.48 each, roughly in line with analysts’ expectations. Units of Chevron Corp. (CVX), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS) and PG&E Corp. (PCG) were among the companies that qualified to buy permits in the Nov. 19 auction, a report posted on the state Air Resources Board’s website today showed. The agency doesn’t disclose the names of winning bidders. The state received 1.82 offers for every permit put up for sale. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/california-sells-carbon-permits-for-11-48-each-at-auction.html California Air Resources Board Announces Results of Carbon Auction. Ninety-six percent of the carbon allowances were bought at auction by companies required to do so in order to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets. The price of each allowance was $11.48, just 77 cents more than the minimum price allowed. Emily Reyna with Environmental Defense Fund says that’s not necessarily bad. “Opponents were saying that cost could be upwards to $70 to $100 or more," says Reyna. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/11/25/california-air-resources-board-announces-results-of-carbon-auction/ AIR POLLUTION Analysis: U.S. air pollution authority faces Supreme Court tests. The U.S. government's authority to regulate air pollution nationwide, often against the wishes of Republican-leaning states, could face new curbs when the Supreme Court takes on two high-stakes cases in coming months. The cases focus on the broad-ranging power wielded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the landmark Clean Air Act, first enacted in 1970. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/24/us-usa-court-airpollution-analysis-idUSBRE9AN0E120131124 Spare the air alert issued for Bay Area. Bay Area residents seeking to escape the cold weather must use options other than burning wood in their fireplace after the first Spare the Air Alert of the winter season was issued on Monday. The alert from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District bans burning wood, fire logs, pellets or other solid fuels in fireplaces, woodstoves, outdoor fire pits or other devices. The alert is in effect for 24 hours. The air quality agency issues alerts when the particulate matter in the air reaches an unhealthy level. Particulate matter consists of fine particles in the air that can be detrimental to a person's health. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24595959/spare-air-alert-issued-bay-area?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Bay Area’s 1st Spare-The-Air Alert Of Season Issued For Monday. The first Spare the Air alert of the winter season has been issued for Monday by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. A cold weather pattern and lack of wind has allowed air pollution to rise to a level that is considered unhealthy, according to the BAAQMD. The alert bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or other solid fuel, both inside and outdoors, for 24 hours. Homes without permanently installed heating systems are exempt. Posted. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/11/24/spare-the-air-alert-monday/ http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/first-spare-air-alert-winter-issued-monday-wood-fi/nb3zL/ Monday to be a no-burn day. Air quality officials issued the first winter Spare the Air Day banning indoor and outdoor wood burning starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday. Prompted by air pollution levels, the ban prohibits the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors for 24 hours. Residents of homes without permanently installed heating for whom wood stoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat are exempt. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131124/articles/131129720 Newport Beach could get natural gas fire rings on two beaches. Newport Beach residents may soon be one step closer to roasting marshmallows beachside over natural gas-burning fire rings. On Tuesday, the city staff plans to recommend that the City Council approve participation in a pilot project with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to install natural gas fire rings in certain beach areas, while also removing some of the existing wood-fueled fire rings. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1124-fire-rings-20131124,0,3268491.story#axzz2lgTFr4OS http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/24/3050794/newport-beach-to-consider-natural.html#storylink=cpy CLIMATE CHANGE Deals at Climate Meeting Advance Global Effort. Two weeks of United Nations climate talks ended Saturday with a pair of last-minute deals keeping alive the hope that a global effort can ward off a ruinous rise in temperatures. Delegates agreed to the broad outlines of a proposed system for pledging emissions cuts and gave their support for a new treaty mechanism to tackle the human cost of rising seas, floods, stronger storms and other expected effects of global warming. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/world/deals-at-climate-meeting-advance-global-effort.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/world/europe/un-climate-talks-near-end.html?_r=0 Whitehouse talks climate change with MLB, NBA, NFL. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is praising the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball and other professional sports organizations for taking steps to address climate change. The Rhode Island Democrat met with representatives from all the major sports organizations Thursday to discuss what teams are doing to limit their carbon emissions and encourage renewable energy. He says professional sports take climate change seriously. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/24/3050749/whitehouse-talks-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy DIESEL EMISSIONS Two sides emerge in emissions argument at CSUSB. Slapping tighter regulations on emissions from diesel-burning trucks might not help the Coachella Valley or other regions across Southern California create economically and environmentally sustainable communities, but keeping schools away from major sources of emissions, such as highways or railroad yards might. Two very different schools of thought emerged early at the Sustainable Goods Movement Symposium, held Thursday and Friday at California State University, San Bernardino’s Palm Desert campus. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20131122/BUSINESS0302/311220018/Two-sides-emerge-emissions-argument Port Of Oakland Truckers Association Votes Unanimously For Wednesday Work Stoppage. Port of Oakland Truckers Association (POTA) members voted unanimously late Friday evening to stop work at the port on Wednesday, November 27. They’ve met with city, state and federal regulators, terminal managers, and Port of Oakland officials many times since their August 19 work stoppage, but have not made any gains on their demands. On November 13, truckers met with Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Deputy Mayor Sandré Swanson, Port Executive Director Chris Lytle, as well as California Air Resources Board (CARB) members, expecting to bring offers of an extension from CARB or funding from the City and Port, but were forced to return to their membership without any offers to present. Posted. http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/11/24/18746759.php Oakland, Calif., truckers authorize strike. After meeting with the California Air Resources Board and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Nov. 13, the Port of Oakland Truckers Association held a general membership meeting and “voted unanimously for what amounts to a strike authorization if their demands aren’t met.” (POTA press release). While the truckers’ association was meeting with CARB, Mayor Jean Quan and Port of Oakland Executive Director Chris Lytle at City Hall, over 70 truckers surrounded the downtown plaza in a deafening convoy, honking their horns in support of their representatives. Posted. http://www.workers.org/articles/2013/11/22/oakland-calif-truckers-authorize-strike/ ARB offers relief to truckers on diesel rules. The California Air Resources Board announced on Nov. 14 it will provide relief to truckers working to meet state deadlines for upgrades to aging diesel fleets. The relief is detailed in a regulatory advisory that recognizes "good faith" efforts of fleets to meet upcoming compliance deadlines. The advisory also provides "early access" to planned regulatory changes to be considered by the board in April. The move comes as larger fleets were required under the Statewide Truck and Bus Regulation to complete the upgrade for most of their trucks with diesel particulate filters by Jan. 1 and as smaller fleets are just beginning to undertake similar actions. Posted. http://www.appeal-democrat.com/business/article_f2545796-54c3-11e3-bf1f-0019bb30f31a.html FUELS Iowans worry about ethanol’s lost clout. For decades, presidential candidates’ chances in Iowa were wounded if not doomed unless they backed federal support for ethanol, a boon to the state’s corn-growing economy. That rule of politics collapsed resoundingly in the 2012 campaign when five of the six top Republican candidates said it was time for such intervention in the private market to end. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/25/tp-iowans-worry-about-ethanols-lost-clout/ GM and U.S. Army expand fuel-cell collaboration. Expanding on a demonstration project in Hawaii, General Motors Co. and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) will again collaborate on fuel-cell technology under a new cooperative research and development agreement. The new collaboration will focus on the testing of new hydrogen fuel-cell materials and designs to evaluate their performance and durability before assembling them into full-scale fuel-cell propulsion systems. Currently, TARDEC is evaluating GM fuel-cell vehicles in a Hawaii comprehensive demonstration; the technology has possible military applications ranging from ground vehicles to mobile generators. Posted. http://articles.sae.org/12508/ California Energy Commission to award up to $29.9M to hydrogen refueling infrastructure projects. The California Energy Commission (CEC) will award up to $29.9 million to projects to develop hydrogen refueling infrastructure in California (PON-13-607). The solicitation has two goals: 1) to develop infrastructure necessary to dispense hydrogen transportation fuel; and 2) to provide needed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) funding to support hydrogen refueling operations prior to the large—scale roll—out of Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs). CEC will provide funding to construct, to upgrade, or to support hydrogen refueling stations that expand the network of publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations to serve the current population of FCVs and accommodate the planned large—scale roll—out of FCVs beginning in 2015. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/11/20131124-cech2.html VEHICLES L.A. Auto Show drives new green-car market. If there’s a subliminal message hidden amid the flash and sizzle of this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, it’s this: Soccer moms and macho guys can be green, too. Automakers are extending the alternative-fuels market to buyers of family-friendly SUVs and minivans as well as sports cars and large-format pickup trucks preferred by male consumers. Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20131122/la-auto-show-drives-new-green-car-market GREEN ENERGY Wind Energy Company to Pay $1 Million in Bird Deaths. Duke Energy agreed on Friday to pay $1 million in fines as part of the Justice Department’s first criminal case against a wind power company for the deaths of protected birds. A subsidiary of the company, Duke Energy Renewables, pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Wyoming on Friday to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a federal law that protects migratory birds. The company was charged with killing 14 golden eagles and dozens of other birds at two wind projects in Wyoming since 2009. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/us/wind-energy-company-to-pay-1-million-in-bird-deaths.html?ref=earth http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20131122/wind-farm-gets-fined-for-killing-eagles Starkville has largest solar array in Mississippi. For years and years the guys behind Synergetics were interested in solar power but never pulled the trigger. The biggest hurdle: cost. It just wasn't financially feasible for the Starkville-based information technology company, which was founded in 1992 and employs almost 50 people. "We didn't want to be green for the sake of being green," David Palmer, the company's 45-year-old CEO, said. "We didn't want to be green if it didn't make sense." They took other "green" steps. They recycled. They installed energy efficient light fixtures. They changed the color of their corporate headquarters' roof from black to white. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/24/3040303/starkville-has-largest-solar-array.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Dan Morain: From an obscure panel, John Froines made a difference in our lives. The tribute was very low-key, fittingly held in a small hearing room at the California Environmental Protection Agency. No one knew about it, other than a few selected guests. John Froines, a chemist and retired UCLA professor of environmental health, was the man of the hour. Froines’ name might stir dim memories among some tiny number of people who recall the turbulent 1960s. But this event was about Froines’ science and the impact it has had on our lives. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/24/5938492/dan-morain-from-an-obscure-panel.html OPINION Climate Crisis: Who Will Act? The last-minute deal at the United Nations Climate Conference in Warsaw keeps hopes for a comprehensive successor agreement to the 1997 Kyoto protocol alive. But let us be clear: Much more decisive action will be needed if we are to stand any chance at fending off the dangers of climate change. We now have just one more shot, next year in Peru, to make more substantive progress toward a successor agreement before the crucial 2015 Paris conference. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/opinion/climate-crisis-who-will-act.html?hpw&rref= EDITORIAL: Hits and misses. Regulations to clean up the air will not make much difference without enforcement. Inland residents, especially, should welcome regulators’ efforts this week to ensure that diesel trucks are complying with state emissions rules. Inspectors from the state Air Resources Board conducted spot checks of trucks along Interstate 15 in Lake Elsinore on Tuesday. The state’s 2008 rules require California truckers to phase in cleaner diesel engines and retrofit old engines with exhaust filters that cut down on pollution. The owners of about 50,000 trucks in the state’s smallest fleets — three trucks or less — face a January deadline to comply with the standards. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20131122-editorial-hits-and-misses.ece Our View: Good news in the air over the Valley. Many of our region’s most vexing problems don’t get cured per se, but sometimes we do see signs of progress. It’s important to acknowledge the improved outlook on two fronts: Promising sign No. 1 – better air. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control district believes it has met the federal one-hour ozone standard, so the Valley should be relieved of the $29 million annual fine that is paid primarily through higher vehicle registration fees. It could take a year to learn whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will remove the penalty, but we think the progress is worth applauding. For the first time on record, the Valley did not record a violation of the one-hour ozone standard during the warm months when the problem occurs. Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/11/22/3350737/good-news-in-the-air-over-the.html To keep L.A. and Long Beach's ports trucking. It takes 10,000 professional truck drivers to move all the goods that come into the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. And it's no wonder. Our two ports handle 40% of all goods imported to the United States. A lot of the jobs generated by the ports, including those of unionized longshoremen and railroad workers, pay good wages that contribute to a solid middle class in the region. But many of the truck drivers who serve the ports find themselves stuck at the bottom of the economic ladder because of the way their employers classify and exploit them. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-hahn-port-truckers-20131125,0,7186112.story#axzz2lgTFr4OS Viewpoints: Making sure renewable energy produces clean energy. Californians can certainly brag about the state’s leading role in deploying renewable energy from the sun and wind. In-state renewable energy generation has spiked in the past few years, prices have come down significantly, and we appear to be well on our way to meeting the goal of 33 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2020. But will this renewable energy boom actually mean cleaner air and less greenhouse gas pollution? Most of us assume that renewable means clean. But the intermittent nature of much of this power – since the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow – may lead grid operators to rely on more fossil fuel-based power to fill gaps in the renewable sources. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/24/5935340/viewpoints-making-sure-renewable.html BLOGS U.S. Embassy Stocks Up on Air Purifiers. Companies and institutions employing foreigners in China are starting to realize that to keep workers in the cities, they need to make changes to the way they operate. Based on anecdotal evidence, air pollution, more than anything else, is driving expatriate workers away from China, or dissuading those outside China from taking postings here. News reports of various rounds of “airpocalypse” descending on Chinese cities have not helped. Posted. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/u-s-embassy-stocks-up-on-air-purifiers/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 11:11:20 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for November 26, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 26, 2013. 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 Study: US spewing 50% more methane than EPA says. The United States is spewing 50 percent more methane - a potent heat-trapping gas - than the federal government estimates, a new comprehensive scientific study says. Much of it is coming from just three states: Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. That means methane may be a bigger global warming issue than thought, scientists say. Methane is 21 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the most abundant global warming gas, although it doesn't stay in the air as long. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_MORE_METHANE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Related articles: http://www.sciencecodex.com/studies_find_methane_emissions_in_california_and_us_15_times_greater_than_expected-123731 http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Study-US-spewing-50-more-methane-than-EPA-says-5010487.php Spare the Air alert called for Tuesday. Wood fires are banned in Bay Area fireplaces and stoves Tuesday because a Spare the Air alert has been issued for a second day in a row. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District said a pattern of cold, stagnant air is trapping smoke and fine particles near the ground, causing predictions of unhealthy air. Another no-burn alert may be issued for Wednesday as well. During alerts, it's illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to burn in their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits or any other wood-burning devices. An exemption is made for homes without permanently installed heating in areas where wood stoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_24598894/spare-air-alert-called-tuesday?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_24598894/spare-air-alert-called-tuesday?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24598894/spare-air-alert-called-tuesday?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com Season’s first Spare the Air Alert issued for Monday; wood fires banned. The first Spare the Air alert of the winter season for Napa and eight other counties has been issued for Monday by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. A cold weather pattern and lack of wind has allowed air pollution to rise to a level that is considered unhealthy, according to the air quality district. The alert bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or other solid fuel, both inside and outdoors, for 24 hours. Homes without permanently installed heating systems are exempt. Posted. http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/season-s-first-spare-the-air-alert-issued-for-monday/article_13ebb9e6-5562-11e3-b236-001a4bcf887a.html Voluntary restriction this morning on wood burning in the Truckee Meadows. Air pollution in the Truckee Meadows is moderate and the Washoe District Health Department asks people to do voluntary restriction on wood burning. This morning's wood burning code is yellow due to elevated levels of fine particulates, the health department reports. People with health concerns should consider reducing prolonged or health exertion, the health department said. Posted. http://www.rgj.com/article/20131126/NEWS/131126006/Voluntary-restriction-morning-wood-burning-Truckee-Meadows?nclick_check=1 Low-cost sensors gather air pollution data. Epidemiologists' understanding of the relationship between exposure to airborne pollutants and a range of health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and asthma, has grown increasingly precise in recent years. What's less well known is precisely where the air is most polluted. Toronto, for example, has only four air-quality measurement stations providing real-time data, even though research shows that the concentration of pollutants such as nitric oxides, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide can vary by orders of magnitude within an area spanning just a few city blocks. Posted. http://phys.org/news/2013-11-low-cost-sensors-air-pollution.html CLIMATE CHANGE EU climate chief says UN talks hinge on 2015 deal. After another U.N. climate conference gave only modest results, European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says the process needs to provide a "substantial answer" to global warming in two years to remain relevant. Even if it succeeds, it's worth reconsidering whether the international confabs need to be held every year, and whether the scope of each session should be narrower, Hedegaard told The Associated Press on Sunday. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CLIMATE_CHANGE_?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Rio de Janeiro mayor to lead cities climate group. Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes (payz) will succeed New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as head of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. Bloomberg made the announcement Tuesday at New York City Hall. The group is a network of the world's megacities aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MAYORS_CLIMATE_CHANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Related articles: http://online.wsj.com/article/AP58e17d047b7843f2a80639370fe67334.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change DIESEL EMISSSION CARB delaying retrofit deadline, sued over alleged DPF misleading. The California Air Resources Board is delaying the particulate matter filter retrofit enforcement deadline to July 1 for truck owners who report by Jan. 31 they made a efforts toward trying to comply with the retrofit law. CARB released Nov. 13 an advisory that said it would recognize truck owners’ “good faith” actions toward compliance by Jan. 1, the deadline for retrofitting a particulate matter filter. The state says it will delay enforcement through July 1 for those who’ve mad efforts and then reported the efforts by Jan. 31 to CARB’s Truck Regulations Upload and Compliance Reporting System. Posted. http://www.ccjdigital.com/carb-delaying-retrofit-deadline-sued-over-alleged-dpf-misleading/ FUELS GM and U.S. Army expand fuel-cell collaboration. Expanding on a demonstration project in Hawaii, General Motors Co. and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) will again collaborate on fuel-cell technology under a new cooperative research and development agreement. The new collaboration will focus on the testing of new hydrogen fuel-cell materials and designs to evaluate their performance and durability before assembling them into full-scale fuel-cell propulsion systems. Posted. http://articles.sae.org/12508/ BLOGS New Study Finds U.S. Has Greatly Underestimated Methane Emissions. A comprehensive new study of atmospheric levels of methane, an important greenhouse gas released by leaky oil and gas operations and livestock, has found much higher levels over the United States than those estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency and an international greenhouse gas monitoring effort. The paper, “Anthropogenic emissions of methane in the United States,” is being published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study, combining ground and aerial sampling of the gas with computer modeling, is the most comprehensive “top down” look so far at methane levels over the United States, providing a vital check on “bottom up” approaches, which have tallied estimates for releases from a host of sources — ranging from livestock operations to gas wells. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/new-study-finds-u-s-has-underestimated-methane-levels-in-the-atmosphere/?_r=0 23 Stories That Show Solar Power Can Be Successful Anywhere in L.A. The stereotype of affluent California rooftop solar owners persists enough that it's being used effectively in anti-solar campaigns. And there certainly are a lot of wealthy Californian individuals and businesses taking advantage of solar. But though there's certainly room for improvement in the way we make rooftop solar's benefits available to people without a lot of cash to throw around, the field isn't just limited to the rich -- even in stylish Los Angeles. That's according to "Solar in the Spotlight: Stories of Angelenos Investing in a Clean Energy Future" -- a report released today by Environment California offering 23 human-interest-style case studies of solar installations throughout Los Angeles and environs. The stories range from modest homes, to local businesses and community churches, to the titans of L.A.'s flagship industry. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/new-report-details-las-diverse-rooftop-solar-scene.html EPA Faces Challenges To Air Pollution Authority In Supreme Court Cases. The U.S. government's authority to regulate air pollution nationwide, often against the wishes of Republican-leaning states, could face new curbs when the U.S. Supreme Court takes on two high-stakes cases in coming months. The cases focus on the broad-ranging power wielded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the landmark Clean Air Act, first enacted in 1970. The law was envisioned as a cooperative effort between the federal government and states in which the EPA sets standards but states have to set plans to comply. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/24/epa-air-pollution-supreme-court_n_4333602.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 12:52:03 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 27, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for November 27, 2013. 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 Carbon Rises to 2-Week High as Volume Climbs to Most in a Month. Climate negotiators’ failure last week to set emission-limiting rules for the Kyoto Protocol’s extension through 2020 was down to one paragraph on Ukraine’s greenhouse-gas targets, according to the European Union. Envoys meeting at the United Nations climate talks in Warsaw couldn’t agree on article “3.7ter,” a paragraph in the Kyoto rules that sets the limit on countries’ emissions, said Isaac Valero-Ladron, a climate spokesman for the European Commission. Negotiators have given themselves another seven months to reach agreement, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the EU. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-27/carbon-rises-to-2-week-high-as-volume-climbs-to-most-in-a-month.html 1st batch of 5,000 carbon emission permits bought. The first carbon emission permits in Shanghai traded at 27 yuan (US$4.43) each yesterday after the city launched its carbon trading market. Sinopec Shanghai Gaoqiao Co bought the first batch of 5,000 permits, known as Shanghai Emissions Allowances (SHEA), for 2013 compliance from Shanghai Waigaoqiao No. 3 Power Generation Co at 27 yuan each in the first trade on the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange. One SHEA confers the right to discharge 1 ton of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. Posted. http://www.china.org.cn/business/2013-11/27/content_30719525.htm Green Investing: Four Stocks With Falling Emissions and Rising Profits. The United Nations’ 19th annual Climate Change Conference concluded on Saturday with little progress made in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming. This had been viewed as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for the formation of a universal climate agreement - to replace the Kyoto Protocol – at the 2015 session in Paris. Instead, after two weeks marked by a hunger strike, walkouts, and general discord, the 195 countries ultimately acquiesced to modest compromises. Posted. http://wire.kapitall.com/investment-idea/green-stocks-falling-emissions-profits/ Factbox: How do China's carbon markets work? China's most populous province, Guangdong, will launch a CO2 emissions trading scheme in mid-December, hot on the heels of Shanghai and Beijing this week. A market in Shenzhen was launched in June. China, the world's biggest source of climate-changing carbon emissions, will initially distribute credits to member firms mostly free of charge, meaning participants will face additional costs only if they exceed their quotas and have to buy. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/27/us-china-carbon-factbox-idUSBRE9AQ06D20131127 AIR POLLUTION Beijing destroys BBQs in order to fight pollution. Beijing is waging a war against air pollution and it is doing so one barbecue at a time. Authorities in the capital have destroyed more than 500 open-air barbecues "to cut PM2.5" - the tiny particulate matter in the air that can enter deep into the lungs. Photos carried by state media showed workers on Tuesday cutting pieces of metal with sparks flying as city wardens looked on. Citizens online ridiculed the exercise, suggesting authorities should focus on bigger sources of pollution. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/nov/26/beijing-destroys-bbqs-in-order-to-fight/#ixzz2lrjTCFse CLIMATE CHANGE How to Save for a Disaster. The destruction wreaked by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines this month has renewed debate on a critical financial question: How can nations best prepare for and respond to natural disasters? It’s a topic that is especially pressing in an age of climate change and population growth. The World Bank, which finds itself perpetually in the midst of disaster-response activities, is helping to back a study to get some answers. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/28/business/energy-environment/how-to-save-for-a-disaster.html The 2 Companies Most Responsible for the World's Greenhouse Gas Emissions. According to a recent study published in the scientific journal Climatic Change and reported by The Guardian, 90 companies have been responsible for nearly two-thirds of all carbon dioxide and methane gas emissions in the entire world since 1750. In the video below, Motley Fool contributor Jay Jenkins highlights the top two investor-owned companies, ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM ) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX ) . According to Jay, this should be a troubling revelation for long-term investors in these oil giants. Posted. http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/11/27/the-2-companies-most-responsible-for-the-worlds-gr.aspx DIESEL EMISSIONS California Air Resources Board (CARB) to introduce tougher truck emissions standards. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has announced it is detailing plans to adopt new optional ultra-low NOx emissions limits for diesel truck engines in December 2013. The details of the plan were discussed at the Diesel Emissions Conference in Atlanta last month, organized by Integer Research. The board is also considering a future mandatory low-NOx engine standard, pending the outcome of a research project looking into the matter. Posted. http://www.discoverdef.ca/news/2013/11/26/exclusive-california-air-resources-board-%28carb%29-to-introduce-tougher-truck-emissions-standards/ VEHICLES Complete Auto Loans Announces New "Electric Car" Loan Incentives. In the next fifty years, climate scientists estimate that global warming will increase the temperature of the Earth by at least one degree Celsius. This seemingly microscopic change will have far-reaching impacts on the planet’s most fragile ecosystems, causing the sea levels to rise and the desertification process to increase. Complete Auto Loans wishes to encourage Americans to discard their fuel-hungry SUVs and trucks in favor of more efficient and environmentally friendly electric cars. On November 20th, 2013, Complete Auto Loans announced its new electric-car loans, set to take effect in December of this year. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Complete-Auto-Loans-Announces-New-Electric-Car-5013079.php GREEN ENERGY Clean Wind Farms Catch Up to Dirty Big Oil. One energy company has an ugly accident and lots of birds are killed. It pays a huge fine and gets slammed in the news media. Another energy company routinely kills plenty of birds and gets off scot-free. A double standard? It sure looks that way. Or at least it did before last week, when the U.S. Justice Department settled criminally charged Duke Energy Corp. with operating wind farms that slaughtered hundreds of birds, leading the energy producer to pay $1 million in fines and restitution. Although oil companies have often been charged with killing birds as a result of spills, it was the first time a wind-energy producer was penalized for deaths of protected birds. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-27/clean-wind-farms-catch-up-to-dirty-big-oil.html A roof you can root for. For 30 years, Stephen Keane, 78, saw the same thing outside his apartment windows: a dark, plain roof adorned with some tired-looking air-conditioning units. Today, he looks out those same windows and sees a quilt of creeping plants with burgundy flowers. That old eyesore of a roof was transformed in September into a thriving “green roof.” “It’s kind of relaxing to look out this window,” he says while viewing the lower roof that covers the retail space in his apartment building, 1841 Columbia Road (1841 Columbia Road NW; 202-234-4619). “It looks like it’s spruced up a bit.” Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2013/11/27/a-roof-you-can-root-for/ UC Davis West Village falls short of zero net energy goal. A sustainability-focused UC Davis housing community is generating 87 percent of its own electricity, short of the university’s ambitious goal that the development produce all of the energy it consumes. The $300 million West Village campus project opened to much fanfare two years ago, riding on the hope that it would serve as a model for future construction. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/26/5949323/uc-davis-west-village-progresses.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Chef makes the most of leftovers. When John Medall, executive chef of The Patio on Lamont Street, was a boy, Thanksgiving at his parents’ house went something like this: After the whole family sat down to eat turkey and trimmings, at one point his father would repair to the kitchen and start his own private ritual. “Everybody would eat their turkey and my dad would be in the kitchen, picking apart the turkey carcass,” Medall said in an interview at his Pacific Beach restaurant. This was “my dad’s favorite thing in the whole world.” Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/26/chef-John-Medall-leftovers-sustainable-food/ OPINION Tesla Meets the Auto Regulators. Look out, Elon Musk. Expecting rational results from regulatory agencies is often a recipe for disappointment. Two of Mr. Musk's Tesla Model S cars burned up when road debris punctured the battery, a vulnerability not seen in other electric cars. Mr. Musk says his cars are no more fire-prone than gasoline cars. He claims to welcome a National Highway Safety Administration investigation into whether the cars are defective and warrant a recall. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304465604579222051067101342?KEYWORDS=climate+change BLOGS A Fresh Look at America’s Gas Lands. I’ve been meaning to post for a while on “Gas Rush Stories,” a series of simple, but captivating short films on America’s gas drilling boom made by Kirsi Jansa, a Finnish video journalist currently living in Pittsburgh. The time is right because Jansa is in the running for a $10,000 grant from the Sprout Fund that could help her sustain and refine this effort to portray the many meanings and realities surrounding hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, in Pennsylvania communities scattered over the gas-rich Marcellus Shale. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/a-fresh-look-at-americas-gas-lands/ China Hopes Cities Can Help Boost Electric Car Sales. In exchange for actively promoting environmentally friendly vehicles, 28 pilot cities and urban areas will qualify for subsidies the government outlined in September aimed at boosting alternative-fuel vehicle sales. State-media Xinhua said Tuesday that the incentive program, which runs through 2015, aims to push sales to government-related organizations and institutions as well as public-transport providers. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/11/27/china-hopes-cities-can-help-boost-electric-car-sales/?KEYWORDS=vehicles ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2013 16:25:40 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 2, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 2, 2013. 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 Australia Urged to Buy Carbon Credits for Cheaper Emission Curbs. Buying carbon credits near record low prices in global markets would cost-effectively ensure Australia meets its pledge to cut emissions by 5 percent, an industry group told the nation’s new government. Purchasing carbon credits from the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism would give the government an insurance policy if its plans for reducing emissions fall short…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-02/australia-urged-to-buy-carbon-credits-for-cheaper-emission-curbs.html Australia’s Pollution Plan Starts to Look Like Trading. Australia’s newly elected leaders, claiming a mandate to dump the old government’s climate policies, would actually protect programs the defeated Labor party was using to prepare for emissions trading. Environment Minister Greg Hunt is working to shield the agencies that monitor and regulate greenhouse gases from cuts proposed for other climate units, according to a policy paper he issued on Oct. 24. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-01/australia-s-pollution-plan-starts-to-look-like-trading.html Green for Green: The Buyers That Stand Behind Forest Carbon. It might not be immediately apparent why insurance giant Allianz, retailer Marks & Spencer, energy company Eneco, airline Qantas or Brazilian cosmetics producer Natura Cosméticos would invest their money in forest carbon offsets – sometimes from projects on the other side of the world – but they do. Our most recent State of the Forest Carbon Markets Report tracked 19.7 million tonnes of forest carbon offsets that companies had purchased voluntarily. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=10084§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION U.S. environment chief to share air pollution lessons with China. China can learn from U.S. struggles to reduce pollution as it confronts recent high-profile incidents of poor air quality paralyzing major cities, the top U.S. environmental regulator said on Monday. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy spoke ahead of a visit to Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese locations next week. "While I am all too well aware of the severe air quality challenges that China now faces…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/02/us-usa-climate-china-idUSBRE9B10TO20131202 New car engines emit more harmful particles than predecessors –study. New-generation petrol engines of passenger cars emit about 1,000 times more particles, including carcinogens, than traditional petrol engines, a study by German researchers showed. Faced with strict CO2 limits, carmakers have downsized engines to cut emissions and new gasoline direct injection (GDI) petrol engines may be in almost all new petrol cars sold in Europe by the end of the decade…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/27/caremissions-study-idUSL5N0JC35120131127 Shanghai Warns Children to Stay Indoors on Air Pollution. Shanghai warned children and the elderly to stay indoors as the level of the most harmful pollutants exceeded more than 10 times the level deemed safe by the World Health Organization. The air pollution index in the nation’s commercial hub exceeded 300 as of 1:41 p.m., placing it in the “severe” range and the highest of six levels, the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center said on its website today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-01/shanghai-warns-kids-elderly-to-stay-indoors-on-severe-pollution.html EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to talk emissions in China. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy is heading to China in hopes of strengthening air pollution and climate change goals overseas. McCarthy, who told reporters the trip is about "engagement" more than securing "commitments," said the recently concluded United Nations climate negotiations in Warsaw, Poland, and mounting public pressure in China to improve air quality will serve as the backdrop. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/epa-administrator-gina-mccarthy-to-talk-emissions-in-china/article/2540030 Builders mount challenge to air-quality guidelines. The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge by the building industry to new air-quality guidelines for Bay Area construction projects. But a lawyer for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said Tuesday's court order, which granted review on only one of several issues raised by the California Building Industry Association, will allow the guidelines to take effect for the first time since the district adopted them in 2010. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Builders-mount-challenge-to-air-quality-guidelines-5017817.php APCD study to be reviewed at meeting. Over the last year, implementation has been under way of the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District’s Rule 1001 that requires the Off-Highway Vehicle Division of State the California Department of Parks and Recreation to mitigate the silica dust coming from its park on the Dunes. Recently, APCD director Larry Allen told the board of directors the State Parks Department has not been complying with Rule 1001. Posted. http://www.theadobepress.com/articles/2013/12/01/columns/versaw/versaw.txt CLIMATE CHANGE Green Desert: All signs point to climate change. In the immediate aftermath of the devastation of the Philippines by Typhoon Haiyan, the media predictably ran to weather and other scientific experts to ask what if any role climate change may have played in the storm that killed more than 5,200 people and left millions still homeless. The first cautious answers were, not much. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013311300038 DIESEL EMISSIONS Truckers offered good faith agreement. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced that it will provide relief to truckers working to meet state deadlines for upgrades to their aging diesel fleets. The relief is detailed in a regulatory advisory, which recognizes good faith efforts of a fleets to meet upcoming compliance deadlines. The advisory also provides early access to planned regulatory changes to be considered by the board in April. Posted. http://www.record-bee.com/news/ci_24613644/truckers-offered-good-faith-agreement California’s Clean Diesel Program to Play Key Role in Lowering Emissions. Two highly successful air quality programs designed to lower emissions from older diesel engines were included in a major legislative package signed into law by Californian Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 28. “The $2 billion ten-year package included continued funding for two major California clean diesel programs — the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program and AB 923…Posted. http://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/Californias-Clean-Diesel-Program-to-Play-Key-Role-in-Lowering-Emissions/21645/ Truckers protest outside Port of Oakland. Truck drivers and their supporters picketed at the Port of Oakland on Wednesday over an impending deadline to upgrade their trucks to meet clean air standards and what they said were long wait times to pick up loads. Television news footage showed Oakland police keeping dozens of protesters away from the entrance to one of the port's terminals in the morning. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Truckers-protest-outside-Port-of-Oakland-5016413.php FUELS Jerry Brown followed to events, heckled by California environmentalists over fracking. Gov. Jerry Brown, who championed environmental causes when he was governor before and made global warming a focus of his current administration, has been targeted in recent weeks by an increasingly vocal group of activists whose animosity would once have appeared improbable. Environmentalists frustrated with Brown’s permissiveness of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/02/5961428/jerry-brown-followed-to-events.html#storylink=cpy Idaho Power gets OK for WY coal plant project. Idaho Power Co. can spend tens of millions to clean up its Wyoming coal-fired power plant and expect ratepayers to cover the project's cost, but regulators want quarterly updates on whether these emission-control investments continue to make sense as federal environmental rules change. Announced Monday by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Idaho-Power-gets-OK-for-WY-coal-plant-project-5028590.php VEHICLES Era of hydrogen fuel cell cars begins next year. The moment was pure Schwarzenegger. In April 2004, California's then-governor paraded before the press a specially equipped Toyota Highlander that ran on hydrogen and spat nothing out the tailpipe but water. Fuel cell cars, he said, would soon appear on California's roads, helping the state wean itself off of oil and fight global warming. Speaking to a pack of dignitaries and reporters at UC Davis, he committed California to building up to 200 hydrogen fueling stations by 2010…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Era-of-hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars-begins-next-year-5026289.php Air agency pushing new-car plan for poor. One longtime critic of federal transportation spending once concluded that it would be less expensive for the government to buy every new transit rider a Jaguar XJ8 than it would be to build certain new rail systems. Unfortunately, California officials may not have realized that the idea of buying people new cars wasn’t a serious proposal as much as a way to illustrate a point about excessive spending. The California Air Resources Board is now embarking on a program that would help poor people buy energy-efficient vehicles. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/01/tp-air-agency-pushing-new-car-plan-for-poor/ GREEN ENERGY Student fossil-fuel divestment movement persists. The student campaign to press colleges and universities to divest from fossil fuels is entering a new phase, now that administrators at several top schools have said no. Students say the refusals from schools including Harvard, Brown and Cornell have been both a shock and a motivation for the campaign, which is active at more than 200 schools. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/APa76f528b683149939003b788158f3285.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Student-fossil-fuel-divestment-movement-persists-5025722.php Prying Loose the H from H20. Despite its grim associations with bombs and zeppelin disasters, hydrogen remains handy stuff, useful for oil refining and ammonia synthesis. It is also a promising source of energy. The problem is that, to obtain it, you need fossil fuel, which costs money and produces emissions. If only we could find a better way to pry hydrogen loose from oxygen, it would be as plentiful as water. Scientists at Stanford University have taken a step in that direction by developing a low-cost, sun-powered, corrosion-resistant "water splitter" made of silicon and nickel. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304465604579220261040615056#printMode Urban Schools Aim for Environmental Revolution. Nothing seemed special about the plates from which students at a handful of Miami schools devoured their meals for a few weeks last spring — round, rigid and colorless, with four compartments for food and a fifth in the center for a carton of milk. Looks, however, can be deceiving: They were the vanguard of what could become an environmental revolution in schools across the United States. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/us/urban-schools-aim-for-environmental-revolution.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Clean energy company wins Tulsa startup contest. CleanNG LLC, whose invention could revolutionize compressed natural gas vehicles, raced ahead of the competition to cross the finish line as the $30,000 grand-prize winner of the Tulsa Community College StartUp Cup. "It's really exciting for us, and I think this is the cash we need to get over the hump and to start generating sales and getting this business up and going," said Michael Tate, co-founder and chief operations and communications officer with CleanNG. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/30/3059857/clean-energy-company-wins-tulsa.html#storylink=cpy Dairy digesters convert cow manure into clean electricity. SMUD enlists cows at two Galt dairies to produce more than just milk. The typical dairy cow produces six to seven gallons of milk each day. She also generates 120 pounds of manure and urine every day. Now, with dairy digesters recently installed at two dairies in Galt, neither product goes to waste. In fact, cow waste produces electricity that keeps the milk in your refrigerator cold. Posted. https://www.smud.org/en/about-smud/news-media/news-releases/2013-11-07-dairy-digester.htm OPINIONS ‘Climate Casino’: An Overview of Global Warming. I’ve long looked at global warming as a worthy topic that I should try to wrap my mind around. Although I knew I needed to dig deeper, I never truly understood why. Until now. “The Climate Casino,” by William Nordhaus, provided compelling answers to my unanswered questions in a comprehensive and lucid way. It is a one-stop source on global warming, seen through the prism of a brilliant economistPosted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/business/climate-casino-an-overview-of-global-warming.html?_r=0 Letter: Carbon tax would help environment. Professor Natalie Mahowald, who contributed to the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, says, "We should focus on what potential solutions to climate change would improve our lives in other ways, and thus should be encouraged no matter what." A simple carbon tax would put consumers in the position of choosing the solutions they are willing to tolerate because it will save them money by reducing their carbon costs. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Letter-Carbon-tax-would-help-environment-5026582.php Don’t light that fire. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District says our air is so bad that we can’t burn wood in our fireplaces in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. It’s because of particulate matter, or stuff in the air, such as the dust kicked up during the nut harvest. Most of it, though, comes from wood smoke, and most of that comes from chimneys. Such restrictions irritate a lot of people, especially those who realize that similar restrictions don’t apply to Bay Area residents whose fireplace pollution often blows over into the valley. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/29/3061040/dont-forget-neighborsas-you-shop.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS Cal State San Bernadino adds FuelCell technology. A new 1.4-megawatt utility-owned fuel cell, provided by Danbury-based FuelCell Energy, has started operation at Cal State University San Bernardino. A Direct Fuel Cell DFC1500 power plant, a joint project with Southern California Edison, has been integrated into the campus’s central plant, generating electricity to the utility grid with waste heat to the campus at no cost to the university. Posted. http://blog.ctnews.com/financialmines/2013/12/02/cal-state-san-bernadino-adds-fuelcell-technology/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2013 13:27:24 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for December 3, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 3, 2013. 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 Quebec set to launch carbon market with first permit auction. Some of Quebec's biggest polluters will be able to buy carbon permits at the Canadian province's first such auction on Tuesday, a key step toward linking its cap-and-trade program next year to a similar effort in California. The 40 or so emitters in Quebec will be on the hook to pay for emissions from roughly 70 facilities. Participation in the auction is likely to be limited to some of the province's largest polluters…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/02/carbon-auction-quebec-idUSL2N0JH20C20131202?type=companyNews&feedType=RSS Australia Plans Carbon Fund to Cut Investor Risk, Survive Attack. The government will design a new carbon-abatement fund in Australia as a long-term vehicle, minimizing the uncertainty plaguing clean-energy projects, the environment minister said. “The system we put in place can last a number of decades,” Greg Hunt, environment minister in Australia’s newly elected government, said today at the Climate Expo in Melbourne. Subsequent governments won’t be able to easily roll back the planned Direct Action policy or reintroduce the carbon tax…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-02/australia-wouldn-t-stop-secondary-carbon-trading-minister-says.html Methane from Appalachian coal could generate carbon credits in California. Methane emissions from coal mines in Pennsylvania and West Virginia could soon become a valuable commodity on California’s cap-and-trade carbon market. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports a company called Verdeo has struck such a deal with one of Pennsylvania’s biggest coal producers. Verdeo would pay Consol Energy to destroy the methane emitted from vents at a Washington County mine in order to generate carbon credits… Posted. http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/12/03/methane-from-appalachian-coal-could-generate-carbon-credits-in-california/ States to EPA: Keep Cap-and-Trade Alive. Cap-and-trade legislation is long dead in Congress, but Northeastern states are pressing the Environmental Protection Agency to keep the concept alive elsewhere. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—nine states that have a regional power-plant emissions cap—want EPA to let them use the system to meet federal carbon-emissions rules for existing plants. And the rules that EPA will float in draft form next June should let other states take the same road, RGGI argues in a new letter to the agency. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/states-to-epa-keep-cap-and-trade-alive-20131202 RGGI states urge EPA to follow their model for cutting carbon emissions. The nine states still involved in the Northeast's cap-and-trade system for cutting carbon emissions from power plants yesterday urged U.S. EPA to follow a similar model as it develops guidelines for other states. In a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, environmental commissioners from the nine states said the federal agency should mimic the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's market-based regional approach to trimming carbon. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991178/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Sea-Level Rise Too Fast to Reverse Climate Change: Study. By the time climate change reduces crop yields or frequently floods New York City subways, it will be too late to avert damage without better forecasting tools, a panel of scientists said in a report released today. Dangerous rises in the sea level or heat waves that kill crops can arrive quickly and leave little time to put preventative measures in place, according to a study from the National Research Council, a group of scientists providing information for U.S. government decision-makers. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-03/sea-level-rise-too-fast-to-reverse-climate-change-study.html Struggling with one of the driest years on record. Rex Williams' sheep normally are munching green grass in early December. But this year, one of the driest on record, the land he leases remains mostly brown. “We planted our winter crop into dust, dry ground,” Williams said. Hardly any grass germinated, so Williams has been forced to feed hay to his sheep months earlier than normal. “It's scary; we've never been in a situation like this before,” said Williams, who's been ranching about 23 years.” Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131202/articles/131209928 How fast is the Earth's climate actually changing? How quickly parts of the Earth's climate are changing in response to added greenhouse gases and what's forecast for decades ahead is a mixed bag, a federal advisory council says in a report out Tuesday. For example, two "abrupt" impacts the National Research Council report said can be definitively linked to man-made climate change are a rapid decline in sea ice over the past decade, and increased extinction pressure on plant and animal species. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/12/03/abrupt-climate-change-report/3851501/ FUELS In Fracking, Sand Is the New Gold. Energy Boom Fuels Demand for Key Ingredient Used in Drilling Wells; 100 Sand Mines in Wisconsin. The race to drill for oil in the U.S. is creating another boom—in sand, a key ingredient in fracking. Energy companies are expected to use 56.3 billion pounds of sand this year, blasting it down oil and natural gas wells to help crack rocks and allow fuel to flow out. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304868404579194250973656942?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories BY SUBSCRIPTION California billionaire on crusade against Keystone pipeline. Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge fund executive and environmental activist from San Francisco, chose his venue carefully. “It is here President Obama drew his own personal line in the sand,” Steyer said as he convened a conference on the Keystone XL pipeline Monday at Georgetown University. The reference was to a speech by Obama in June in which the president declared he would approve Keystone only if backers…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-billionaire-keystone-20131202,0,4641600.story#ixzz2mR2TkXNp US may be producing 50% more methane than EPA estimate indicated. The United States may be emitting 50 percent more methane, a potent greenhouse gas, than the federal government had previously estimated, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Though carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels is the main driver of climate change, and less methane than carbon is emitted overall, methane is an even more powerful heat-trapping gas than carbon. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/29/5955905/us-may-be-producing-50-more-methane.html#storylink=cpy VEHICLES Saab Brand Makes Its Latest Comeback. Sedan to Go on Sale in Sweden Next Week; China Sales Are Planned. The latest company to attempt a revival of Sweden's recently defunct Saab car brand started producing the 9-3 Aero sedan Monday, but the auto maker's plan for initially selling the vehicle online reflects how difficult it will be to actually get one. Chinese-backed National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, which last year bought Saab's assets out of bankruptcy, plans to run a factory in western Sweden with an output rate of just two cars a day. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303670804579233763915726796?KEYWORDS=electric+vehicles BY SUBSCRIPTION Next electric cars burn rubber, not just save gas. Automakers focused on selling electric cars to the environmentally minded are now also setting their sights on new potential buyers: performance addicts. They are rolling out new plug-in models that put the premium on breakneck acceleration and fun behind the wheel, not just relieving pain at the pump. At the same time, the new sleek models are certain to glamorize electric cars, which often come across as stodgy, utilitarian subcompacts meant for solo commuting or grocery runs. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/12/01/performance-electric-plug-in/3773629/ NRG finds installing chargers in Calif. harder and slower than it bargained for. A deal to install electric vehicle charging stations in California in order to alleviate a penalty for a predecessor's role in the state's power crisis is proving tougher than NRG Energy had in mind. NRG is required to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure in California's major metropolitan areas by 2016 but is well behind schedule. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991181/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Study suggests fuel cell hybrid with supercapacitors for energy storage the most fuel efficient. An evaluation of different fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle (FCHEV) powertrain designs—such as fuel cell/supercapacitor (FC/SC), fuel cell/battery (FC/B), and a combination of supercapacitors and batteries (FC/SC/B)—and different control strategies by researchers in Belgium concluded that the FC/SC HEV has slightly higher fuel economy than the FC/B HEV and FC/B/SC HEV powertrains. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/12/20131202-fchev.html Plug-In Electric Car Sales For November: Level With Last Month? As the year winds toward a close, U.S. car sales are at their highest levels in years. And modern plug-in electric cars will set a new sales record too. With one month left, November deliveries of cars with plugs look like they'll hold steady with last month's. The Chevrolet Volt sold 1,920 units last month, against 2,022 in October, bringing its sales for the year to date to 20,702. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088858_plug-in-electric-car-sales-for-november European Parliament backs mandatory EU-wide rollout of charging stations. The European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee endorsed a draft EU directive mandating Member States to ensure at least a certain minimum number of publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charging points are installed by 2020. The report adopted on 26 November introduces the notion of wireless charging and supports the Commission’s provision regarding standards. Posted. http://cars21.com/news/view/5669 GREEN ENERGY Power struggle: Green energy versus a grid that's not ready. Minders of a fragile national power grid say the rush to renewable energy might actually make it harder to keep the lights on. In a sprawling complex of laboratories and futuristic gadgets in Golden, Colo., a supercomputer named Peregrine does a quadrillion calculations per second to help scientists figure out how to keep the lights on. Peregrine was turned on this year by the U.S. Energy Department. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-grid-renewables-20131203,0,1019786.story#ixzz2mR2xT0di The quest for a simple, solar-powered stove that could save lives. John Garman's proposal for a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant started life as a humble undergraduate engineering project. After spending $3,000 to design and build the stove -- and successfully cooking two batches of bacon with it -- Garman realized it was time to scale up their efforts. The $100,000 Gates Foundation grant, announced two weeks ago, should allow just that, Garman said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991176/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Navy cleanup forces dozens to move on Treasure Island. About two dozen families are being forced from their Treasure Island homes so the Navy can clean up toxic material buried in the old waste disposal site beneath the townhouse units. "A letter we got last week was the first we heard of it," said Paris Hayes, who has lived in his Bayside Drive unit for more than 10 years. The residents will be moved out in stages, with the first group leaving in April and the last gone by July. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Navy-cleanup-forces-dozens-to-move-on-Treasure-5029425.php OPINIONS Climate-change deniers have freedom to say what scientists will not. George Will’s Nov. 28 op-ed column, “Pardon these turkeys,” turned out to be interesting, but Mr. Will couldn’t resist a nonsensical blast at those who realize we are heading for climate disaster. “It evidently is the first science to reach the end of its subject, all questions answered,” he declared. But it is the deniers who have this position; climate scientists emphasize that nothing is 100 percent certain, but that 95 percent should be enough to have people worried. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/climate-change-deniers-have-freedom-to-say-what-scientists-will-not/2013/12/02/d29c1b2a-590d-11e3-bdbf-097ab2a3dc2b_story.html Bumps in the path of high-speed rail. California needs a high-speed-rail system to ease traffic, direct growth and to knit a sprawling state and its economy together. But a Sacramento judge says the $68 billion plan must also follow its own financial rules in a decision that could slow the project and drive up its costs. The ruling by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny is a major setback for a lofty vision that keeps smashing into the grim realities of California politics and economics. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Bumps-in-the-path-of-high-speed-rail-5026320.php Environmental fears about fracking are overblown. Re "Fracking boom in U.S. at core of energy revolution" (Page A1, Nov. 28): As a professional geologist with more than 30 years in the environmental industry, I often get questions about fracking from friends and acquaintances. My standard response is that fracking fears, especially the impact on groundwater supplies, have been totally overblown by the anti-carbon disciples and the controversy-hungry media. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/02/5960002/fracking-in-not-the-environmental.html#storylink=cpy Fracking will soon lead to hardship. Re "Fracking boom in U.S. at core of energy revolution" (Page A1, Nov. 28): I greatly enjoyed this and other recent in-depth articles on the current U.S. energy boom due to hydraulic fracturing. However, I was disappointed that environmental concerns were sequestered in their own article; they are critical to understanding the phenomenon in full context. We cannot, as a world, burn more than 20 percent of our proven fossil fuel reserves…Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/02/5958340/a-fracking-long-boom-is-impossible.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS Self-Driving Nissan Electric Car Takes to Highway. Nissan Motor Co. said a self-driving version of its electric Leaf car made its first foray onto public roads. Its guidance system, called Autonomous Drive, senses road conditions and operates the car’s steering, acceleration and braking as it merges into traffic, changes lanes and makes adjustments to keep a safe distance from other vehicles. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/12/02/self-driving-nissan-electric-car-takes-to-highway/ Here's How Climate Change Will Ruin Your Winter Vacation. Snow sports enthusiasts may need to transition into water or rock sports in the near future because the era of long, cold winters with heavy snowfall may be a thing of the past. The effects of climate change can be easy to miss for some, but for ski resorts that depend on natural snowfall for their businesses -- which are increasingly having to invest in snowmaking technology due to a lack of natural snow -- the changing global climate is impossible to ignore. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/heres-how-climate-change-_n_4372787.html California Cap And Trade Expanding In 2014 After Successful 2013. California’s cap and trade market will expand in 2014 after a successful first year of operations that quelled fears of a European Union-style carbon allowance glut while powering a clean energy economic boom. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced a minimum of 81 million 2014 allowances and 37 million 2017 allowances will be auctioned during 2014, and the minimum reserve price for allowances will be set at $11.34. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/03/california-cap-and-trade-expanding-in-2014-after-successful-2013/ Carbon Nanofibers Offer Cheap Way to Convert CO2 To Fuel. File this one under “I” for It takes a thief to catch a thief. A research team at the University of Illinois at Chicago is on track to developing a low-cost method for reducing carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, which puts it one step away from creating synfuels including synthetic gasoline. The secret sauce is the use of carbon nanofibers in combination with another catalyst. If the new UIC carbon reduction system bears out on a commercial scale, Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/03/carbon-nanofibers-play-role-in-low-cost-synfuels/#1jiUegS9TF7LpXvg.99 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2013 13:17:15 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 4, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 4, 2013. 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 What are California Legislators Thinking About Cap-and-Trade? CA Senate Hearing at UCLA Focuses on Ways to Spend Auction Revenue. Today, UCLA’s Emmett Center and IOES hosted a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Climate Change and AB 32 Implementation with Senators Pavley, Correa, de Leon, deSaulnier, Lieu, and Assemblymember Bloom attending. The hearing featured testimony on climate science, on AB 32 implementation, and on opportunities to invest revenue from the state’s cap-and-trade auctions in ways that create jobs…Posted. http://legal-planet.org/2013/12/03/what-are-california-legislators-thinking-about-cap-and-trade/ Australia's environment minister defends scrapping carbon pricing. Scrapping the "brutal" carbon pricing system is consistent with other nations' climate policies, Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt said in a speech to the Carbon Expo in Melbourne yesterday morning. The minister laid out details on the Coalition's Direct Action approach to climate, predicting it will be in place for decades and insisting it will pass the Senate by July next year. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991238/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Hong Kong Central Roadside Pollution Surges to Toxic Levels. Nitrogen dioxide readings jumped in Hong Kong at two roadside pollution monitoring stations, reaching concentrations at which it becomes a toxic gas. The reading in the downtown district of Central was 231.8 micrograms per cubic meter at 3 p.m. local time, data from the Environmental Protection Department show. The gas can cause significant inflammation of the airways once concentration levels exceed 200 micrograms, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-04/hong-kong-roadside-pollution-spikes-to-toxic-levels-in-central.html California Launches Breathe Well Mobile Site. A new mobile website launched by the California Air Resources Board aims to help users monitor air quality. The state of California has launched a new mobile website that will help users to, literally, breathe easier. Called Breathe Well, the site was developed by the state's Air Resources Board (ARB) to provide people with access to hour-by-hour air pollution data. Site visitors can see real-time levels of ozone and fine particle pollution in their immediate area, or in other cities and towns throughout the state. Posted. http://www.govtech.com/health/Breathe-Well.html CLIMATE CHANGE Federal study warns of sudden climate change woes. Hard-to-predict sudden changes to Earth's environment are more worrisome than climate change's bigger but more gradual impacts, a panel of scientists advising the federal government concluded Tuesday. The 200-page report by the National Academy of Sciences looked at warming problems that can occur in years instead of centuries. The report repeatedly warns of potential "tipping points" where the climate passes thresholds, beyond which "major and rapid changes occur." Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_SUDDEN_WARMING_WOES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-03/sea-level-rise-too-fast-to-reverse-climate-change-study.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/04/science/earth/panel-says-global-warming-risks-sudden-deep-changes.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0&pagewanted=print http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-climate-urgency-20131204,0,7482587.story#axzz2mUXKNUh5 http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Federal-study-warns-of-sudden-climate-change-woes-5031607.php http://www.modbee.com/2013/12/03/3067001/federal-study-warns-of-sudden.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/12/04/stories/1059991266 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Texas takes on greenhouse gas permits after long EPA fight. Texas regulators will hold a hearing this week on a proposal to take over greenhouse gas permitting from U.S. EPA, a move that could wind down a long-running dispute over how to regulate the state with the biggest emissions footprint in the United States. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and an industry group say the proposed rules would streamline the process for pipeline operations, oil refineries, power plants and other sources of emissions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059991250/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Botswana accused of allowing fracking in national parks. The government of Botswana has quietly allowed international companies to explore for natural gas in some of the country's most sensitive national parks using the controversial drilling method of hydraulic fracturing, according to a new documentary released in South Africa. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-botswana-fracking-20131202,0,4172564.story#ixzz2mWVQU4Zp Chevron CO2 Injection Wells to Cut GHG Emissions 40%. Chevron has started drilling carbon dioxide injection wells as part of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Australia, Oil & Gas Journal reports. The wells are expected to reduce the project’s greenhouse gas emissions by about 40 percent, the publication says. The CO2 injection project on Barrow Island, part of Chevron’s Gorgon-Jansz LNG project…Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/12/04/chevron-co2-injection-wells-to-cut-ghg-emissions-40/ VEHICLES Mitsubishi Cuts Electric Car Price in U.S. to Overcome Obscurity. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211) lowered the price of its i-MiEV electric car in the U.S. by 21 percent to spur demand for a vehicle that attracted only a dozen buyers last month. The 2014 i-MiEV hatchback will sell for $22,995, down from $29,125 for the previous model, the Tokyo-based company said in a statement late yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-04/mitsubishi-cuts-electric-car-price-in-u-s-to-overcome-obscurity.html Rav4EV, which uses a Tesla battery, is fire-free. As federal investigators probe the safety of the Tesla Motors Model S and its battery pack, it's worth noting that there's another electric car sold in California with the same basic power source. And it hasn't had a single battery fire to date. Toyota's Rav4EV features a battery pack built by Tesla. Since the small SUV hit the market in September 2012, Toyota has sold about 1,200 of them, all in California. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Rav4EV-which-uses-a-Tesla-battery-is-fire-free-5028772.php Driverless Cars Could Be Cruising California Roads By Spring. The California Department of Motor Vehicles has released its newly created regulations for the testing of automated vehicles. The DMV’s Bernard Soriano said the regulations are intended for manufactures who want to begin testing their cars on California roads. The rules cover everything from how much insurance the cars must have to who can drive them. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/14114 GREEN ENERGY U.K. Cuts Onshore Wind, Solar Aid; Boosts Turbines at Sea. The U.K. government said it expects 40 billion pounds ($65 billion) of investment in renewables by 2020 after shifting incentives toward offshore wind power and away from projects on land in areas where residents object. The Treasury published a list of final “strike prices” for electricity from renewables in its national infrastructure plan today, cutting support for solar parks and onshore wind farms and raising them for turbines at sea. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-04/u-k-cuts-onshore-wind-solar-aid-boosts-turbines-at-sea.html Hitachi unveils storage for wind, solar energy. Hitachi unveiled an energy-storage system that the company said will support wind and solar power and allow users to sell electricity into deregulated markets such as California. The units can be installed on high-voltage power lines, and will be able to capture excess energy produced by wind and solar sources so it can be sold back into the network when the demand for power exceeds the supply. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Hitachi-unveils-storage-for-wind-solar-energy-5032196.php Power struggle: Green energy versus a grid that's not ready. In a sprawling complex of laboratories and futuristic gadgets in Golden, Colo., a supercomputer named Peregrine does a quadrillion calculations per second to help scientists figure out how to keep the lights on. Peregrine was turned on earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Energy. It has the world's largest "petascale" computing capability. It is the size of a Mack truck. Its job is to figure out how to cope with a risk from something the public generally thinks of as benign _ renewable energy. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/04/5969141/power-struggle-green-energy-versus.html#storylink=cpy Solar farm could find cheap parking at S.J. County yard. A parking lot for county vehicles could soon double as a mini solar farm. It will be cheaper in the long run to install solar carports at San Joaquin County's corporation yard in south Stockton and use the energy from the sun than to buy electricity for the county facility, according to a resolution approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131204/A_NEWS/312040318&cid=sitesearch OPINIONS Let Them Burn Coal. There’s a lot of hand-wringing about our warming planet, but billions of people face a more immediate problem: They are desperately poor, and many cook and heat their homes using open fires or leaky stoves that burn dirty fuels like wood, dung, crop waste and coal. About 3.5 million of them die prematurely each year as a result of breathing the polluted air inside their homes — about 200,000 more than the number who die prematurely each year from breathing polluted air outside, according to a study by the World Health Organization. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/opinion/let-them-burn-coal.html?hpw&rref=opinion&_r=0 Global warming debate keeps up. In his op-ed Jeffrey Bada, regarding some of the hostility toward science he has personally experienced states: “What I do not understand is the reason for this hostility.” The short answer is that the issue of global warming has become politicized, but more interesting are the reasons why. For many years environmentalists have propagated the myth that nuclear power is unacceptably dangerous, completely disregarding scientific fact to the contrary. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/03/letters-climate/ BLOGS An Update on Risks of Abrupt Jolts from Global Warming. In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences published “Abrupt Climate Change: Inevitable Surprises,” a valuable report examining whether and how the building human influence on the climate system might lead to disruptive jolts. The most important finding, in a way, was that this was an area sorely in need of intensified research. Most of the “monsters behind the door,” to use an apt phrase from Stephen W. Pacala of Princeton, were plausible rather than probable. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/an-update-on-risks-of-abrupt-jolts-from-global-warming/ SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: Solar development moratorium lifted. San Bernardino County supervisors today, Dec. 3, gave initial approval to an ordinance that establishes rules for where commercial solar projects can be located to avoid conflicts with neighborhoods and biological resources. The board is scheduled to give final approval to the development code amendment at its meeting on Dec. 17. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/environment/2013/12/03/san-bernardino-county-solar-development-moratorium-lifted/ Study shows California can meet its climate goals. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently completed a study that shows California is well on the path to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and meeting its ambitious climate goals. The analysis found that regulations that have already been adopted have put California on track to reducing its emissions below the state’s targets all the way to the year 2026, while aggressive expansion of the existing policies will allow the state to meet and exceed its 2050 goal. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/pmiller/study_shows_california_can_mee.html Dangerous Climate Change, Reconsidered. If we take the dangers of future global warming seriously, then nothing is more important for curbing them than to immediately begin significant annual reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. That was my first reaction on reading the new paper by climatologist James Hansen of Columbia University’ Earth Institute and his colleagues being published today by PLOS ONE, “Assessing Dangerous Climate Change: Required Reductions of Carbon Emissions to Protect Young People…Posted. http://blogs.plos.org/retort/2013/12/03/dangerous-climate-change-reconsidered/ Renewable Energy Offers Best Hope, Not Threat. A recent LA Times article raises fears that clean energy might make the electric grid less reliable. The article gets some key facts wrong. Clean energy, key to fighting dangerous climate change, is manageable and getting cheaper all the time. First, clean energy is not just the whim of some special interest group: there is a global scientific consensus that we must cut our use of fossil fuels in order to reduce dangerous carbon pollution. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/nlong/renewable_energy_offers_best_h.html ALEC preparing attacks on EPA carbon pollution standards. This week, the polluter-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is holding its annual meeting in DC, and the obstruction of EPA progress to reduce carbon pollution is front and center on its Environment Task Force agenda. ALEC conferences create a space for corporations and conservative lawmakers to create model legislation that any state legislator can introduce. American Electric Power is the current chair of ALEC’s environment task force. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ahaq/alec_preparing_attacks_on_epa.html Safe Climate Caucus: A Vision For Congressional Action For Our Planet. Today, action on climate change hit a milestone on the Hill with it being the 100th day of speeches by the Safe Climate Caucus. For 100 days, members of the Caucus have spoken out on a wide range of topics ranging from extreme weather to clean energy to the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/khenderson/today_action_on_climate_change.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2013 15:12:06 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 5, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 5, 2013. 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 Large Companies Prepared to Pay Price on Carbon. More than two dozen of the nation’s biggest corporations, including the five major oil companies, are planning their future growth on the expectation that the government will force them to pay a price for carbon pollution as a way to control global warming. The development is a striking departure from conservative orthodoxy and a reflection of growing divisions between the Republican Party and its business supporters. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/business/energy-environment/large-companies-prepared-to-pay-price-on-carbon.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print AIR POLLUTION Air pollution tied to slight reduction in birth weight. Women who were exposed to air pollution during pregnancy tended to give birth to slightly lighter babies, in a new study from New York City. A series of studies has suggested air pollution may be harmful during pregnancy, but the issue remains unresolved. "We had an opportunity to use a unique data resource in New York City that was designed to estimate exposure throughout the city, which allowed us to improve on past studies…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/05/us-air-pollution-idUSBRE9B40Z020131205 Hong Kong Central Roadside Pollution Surges to Toxic Levels. Nitrogen dioxide readings jumped in Hong Kong at two roadside pollution monitoring stations, reaching concentrations at which it becomes a toxic gas. The reading in the downtown district of Central was 231.8 micrograms per cubic meter at 3 p.m. local time, data from the Environmental Protection Department show. The gas can cause significant inflammation of the airways once concentration levels exceed 200 micrograms, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-04/hong-kong-roadside-pollution-spikes-to-toxic-levels-in-central.html Group divided over how to cut Washington emissions. Gov. Jay Inslee stood with the governors of California and Oregon and a Canadian province official several weeks ago and agreed to put a price on greenhouse gas pollution and mandate the use of cleaner-burning fuels. Environmental groups cheered the news, and the climate deal got wide media attention. But the governor faces a tougher sell in Olympia as he tries in coming months to persuade lawmakers to back some of his more ambitious carbon-reducing ideas. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Group-divided-over-how-to-cut-Washington-emissions-5034843.php Coastal areas once seen as CO2 sources are now carbon sinks – study. Scientists have identified the ocean as a crucial part of balancing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but it may provide more potential than previously thought as a place to store the greenhouse gas. A study published yesterday in the journal Nature shows that coastal portions of the ocean are now absorbing CO2, instead of emitting the gas as previously calculated. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991365/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Temperature limit too high to avoid climate change: study. An internationally agreed target to limit rises in global average temperatures to within 2 degrees Celsius is around double the threshold that would avoid catastrophic climate change, a study by 18 eminent scientists said. Governments decided in 2009 that such temperature increases needed to be no more than 2 degrees C (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels to avoid effects such as more extreme weather, higher sea levels and ocean acidification. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/04/us-climate-temperature-idUSBRE9B218020131204 Diseases on the move because of climate change. Software engineer Andres Chavez is used to doing things quickly, efficiently and correctly. So he knew something was seriously wrong when, on a business trip in 2009, he was so confused he could barely sign a stack of paperwork. "I felt like I was living a quarter-second in the past," he says of the onset of Valley Fever, a disease caused by a soil fungus. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/04/climate-change-disease/2623863/ Weak RFS will lead to massive emissions spike -- trade group. U.S. EPA's controversial proposed revisions to the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS) could pump up to 35 million additional tons of carbon dioxide into the air from the transportation sector, according to a biotechnology trade group that will testify at a public hearing today. Using estimates for next year's fuel consumption and greenhouse gas models from EPA and Argonne National Laboratory…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991327/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Public lands emit far more carbon than they absorb – analysis. Public lands emit nearly five times more greenhouse gases than they absorb, according to a new analysis from a left-leaning think tank. That's because there's far more carbon dioxide released from burning coal, oil and natural gas taken from public lands than is absorbed by national forests, grasslands and coastal ecosystems, the Center for American Progress said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991348/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Dozens of Solano farmers, business owners object to air rules. Air quality regulations handed down from the California Air Resources Board (ARB) are quite the contentious topic in Solano County. More than 30 people, mostly small-business owners and farmers, attended a town hall meeting Wednesday evening hosted by Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Solano, to express their concerns about costly regulations to the state and to Mary Nichols, who chairs the air board. Posted. http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_24659191/dozens-solano-farmers-business-owners-object-air-rules Emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines plummet – study. Emissions of nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter and other air pollutants from heavy-duty diesel engines are down significantly, even surpassing the targets required by U.S. EPA and the state of California, according to a new study. Emissions testing of heavy-duty diesel engines from three major manufacturers found that overall emissions of nitrogen dioxide -- which contributes to the formation of smog -- were down 99 percent compared with 2004 engines and were 61 percent below a 2010 EPA standard. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991362/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Oil refineries, environmentalists clash over plans. To oil company Valero, adding rail lines to its Benicia refinery represents a way to tap cheap, domestic crude by train, cutting costs and tanker traffic on the bay. To environmentalists mobilizing to stop the project, it's a potential entry point for low-grade oil from Canada's tar sands, and a possible health threat. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Oil-refineries-environmentalists-clash-over-plans-5035759.php Environmentalists to NY: Scrap liquefied gas plans. Environmental groups Wednesday delivered thousands of comments critical of New York's proposed liquefied natural gas regulations and demanded the state withdraw the proposals and start over. The regulations would allow LNG fueling and storage facilities in New York for the first time since 1973, when the state imposed a moratorium following an LNG facility explosion on Staten Island that killed 40 workers. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/04/5970580/environmentalists-to-ny-scrap.html#storylink=cpy HIGH-SPEED RAIL California bullet train project handed another setback. Federal regulators refuse to exempt a segment of proposed track from review, likely delaying the project and driving up costs. In another key setback to the California bullet train project, federal regulators have rejected the state's request to exempt a large Central Valley segment of proposed track from a lengthy planning review. The action affects part of a 29-mile rail section to be built near Fresno, where state officials have already awarded a construction contract. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-bullet-feds-20131205,4290748,7717219,print.story GREEN ENERGY Obama to feds: Boost renewable power 20 percent. Saying the government should lead by example, President Barack Obama is ordering the federal government to nearly triple its use of renewable sources for electricity by 2020. Obama says the plan to use renewables for 20 percent of electricity needs will help reduce pollution that causes global warming, promote American energy independence and boost domestic energy sources such as solar and wind power that provide thousands of jobs. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_RENEWABLE_ENERGY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Obama-to-feds-Boost-renewable-power-20-percent-5036791.php Top 10 Green Stories. See the rest of TIME’s Top 10 of Everything 2013 lists here. Posted. http://science.time.com/2013/12/04/science-and-space/slide/top-10-green-stories/#ixzz2mdE0JSB3 MISCELLANEOUS Recycling success threatens funding for San Jose school. One of 14 conservation corps programs in the state, the San Jose Conservation Corps Charter School is a product of the 1986 "bottle bill" that launched statewide recycling efforts. But funds from the deposit shoppers pay on cans and on soda and water bottles are at risk of drying up in June, the school's Executive Director Bob Hennessy said. While conservation corps schools receive attendance-based funding handed out to all public schools, they also has get CalRecycle revenue. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_24654134/recycling-success-threatens-funding-san-jose-school OPINIONS Another View: Court rulings create insurmountable barrier to high-speed rail project. The Sacramento Bee editorial board’s contention that the court rulings on California’s high-speed rail project don’t effectively kill it (“Rail ruling is a setback, but it’s not a golden spike,” Nov. 27) reminds me of the scene in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” where the knight who has just had all four of his limbs severed says, “Just a flesh wound.” Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/05/5971157/another-view-court-rulings-create.html#storylink=cpy Viewpoints: Beyond the stench of ‘rooster sauce’ Last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered the Irwindale plant that produces the highly popular “rooster sauce” Sriracha to cease operations that could be emitting odors that are “extremely annoying, irritating and offensive to the senses, warranting consideration as a public nuisance.” Too bad the judge didn’t apply the same logic to the city government of Irwindale and shut it down, too. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/05/5971161/viewpoints-beyond-the-stench-of.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS China Chases Renewable Energy as Coast Chokes on Air. New figures in China show the country adding clean, renewable electricity generation faster than it is expanding capacity of more polluting sources. But change can’t happen fast enough for residents in eastern China, who are now choking on soupy air associated with coal-burning plants more often associated with the country’s north. Led by hydropower, renewable energy sources made up 57% of newly installed electricity-generating capacity during the first 10 months of 2013…Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/12/06/china-chases-renewable-energy-as-coast-chokes-on-air/ What surprises could climate change have in store for us? There are a few different ways that global warming could unfold in the decades ahead. The world might heat up steadily and predictably, giving humans and other species time to adjust. Or we could see large, abrupt changes that are extremely difficult to adapt to. It's that latter prospect in particular that worries many climate experts. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/12/04/what-surprises-could-climate-change-have-in-store-for-us/ Study: Pollution and certain genes increases chance of autism in children. The risk for autism is heightened when children who have a certain gene mutation connected with the disorder are exposed to high pollution, according to a new study by scientists at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Previous studies by USC researchers Heather Volk and Daniel Campbell found links between autism and air pollution exposure for pregnant women and infants. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2013/12/05/15312/study-pollution-and-certain-genes-increases-chance/ Climate Change Consequences Are Just Around the Corner. Climate change is evolving rapidly from a risk to be avoided to a reality to be mitigated. Despite a coordinated global campaign to reduce carbon emissions in the U.S. and other countries, too little progress has been made. The measures that have been passed – like higher auto fuel efficiency standards and tighter emissions rules for new power plants – will slow the rise of carbon…Posted. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/12/05/a-new-report-details-the-near-term-consequences-of-global-warming ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2013 14:21:44 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 6, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 6, 2013. 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 Quebec sells over 2.7 mln carbon-emission permits at C$10.75 a tonne. Permits to emit greenhouse gases in Quebec sold for C$10.75 per tonne, the minimum bid price, at the Canadian province's first auction. Nineteen companies participated in the auction on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Quebec government on Friday. Auction participants bought 1.025 million permits for the right to emit a tonne of carbon dioxide-equivalent in 2013, out of 2.97 million permits offered. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/12/06/quebec-carbon-market-idUKL2N0JL17420131206 Major companies plan for U.S. carbon emissions fee, report says. Major U.S. companies, from Wal-Mart and Google Inc. to Shell and ExxonMobil, are including future charges for carbon emissions in their strategic plans, according to a report released on Thursday. The non-profit Climate Disclosure Project, which discloses the greenhouse gas emissions of the world's biggest corporations, found that 29 major companies that operate or are headquartered in the United States, factor in an "internal carbon price" of up to $60 per ton of emissions in their business strategies. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/05/usa-energy-carbon-idUSL2N0JK0V220131205 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/business/energy-environment/large-companies-prepared-to-pay-price-on-carbon.html?_r=0 AIR POLLUTION United States to help China crack down on vehicle emissions. The United States will help China implement stricter emission standards for vehicles in a bid to help the world's biggest carbon emitter tackle rampant air pollution, the White House announced on Thursday. The announcement was one of several made at the conclusion of Vice President Joe Biden's visit to China on Thursday…PosteD. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/05/us-united-states-to-help-china-crack-dow-idUSBRE9B40ZW20131205 http://www.washingtonpost.com/cars/us-partners-with-china-to-put-auto-emissions-in-check/2013/12/06/9950be44-5e93-11e3-8d24-31c016b976b2_story.html Flights delayed as air pollution hits record in Shanghai. Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled on Friday in China's commercial hub of Shanghai as record levels of air pollution shrouded the city in smog, prompting authorities to issue the highest level of health warning. The incident is especially embarrassing at a time when China seeks to build Shanghai into a global business hub on par with the likes of London, New York and Hong Kong by 2020. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/06/us-china-pollution-idUSBRE9B508X20131206 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304096104579241760912685556 BY SUBSCRIPTION Smog at extremely hazardous levels in Shanghai. Shanghai authorities ordered schoolchildren indoors and halted all construction Friday as China's financial hub suffered one of its worst bouts of air pollution, bringing visibility down to a few dozen meters, delaying flights and obscuring the city's spectacular skyline. The financial district was shrouded in a yellow haze, and noticeably fewer people walked the city's streets. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Smog-at-extremely-hazardous-levels-in-Shanghai-5040332.php CLIMATE CHANGE Big Oil Anticipates 10-Fold Surge in Carbon Emission Cost. International oil producers are girding for carbon emission costs that may surge to almost 10 times the current prices in Europe, the world’s largest greenhouse gas market, as governments around the world step up efforts to curb climate change. Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), the biggest energy company by market value, is basing plans for future capital investments on the assumption that it will have to pay $60 a metric ton for carbon emissions. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-05/big-oil-braces-for-10-fold-surge-in-carbon-emission-costs.html Utility customers reap 'climate dividend'. Come the new year, utility customers will be receiving a "climate dividend" from California's cap-and-trade system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, under state rules finalized Thursday. California is rolling out the nation's first economy-wide approach for controlling pollution by capping total greenhouse gas emissions and issuing pollution permits that can be bought and sold. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/06/climate-dividends-coming/ Global warming hasn't stopped but looks different due to climate variability – study. Climate change deniers and the news media have made much of the global warming "pause" in recent years. But recently published research adds more credence to climate scientists' claim that patterns of natural climate variability explain why global mean surface temperatures increased at a slower rate beginning in the early 2000s. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991387/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Texas greenhouse gas proposal falls short, enviros say. Regulators here who are writing rules for greenhouse gas permitting need to do more to measure those emissions and ensure that industries use the best technology to reduce them, environmental groups said at a public hearing. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has proposed rules that would allow the state to take over from U.S. EPA issuing permits for facilities that emit greenhouse gases, ending a long-running dispute between the two regulators. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059991391/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Truckers pepper state air quality staffers during Redding meeting. Anger, fear, frustration and skepticism rang through an emotionally charged Redding City Council Chambers Thursday, as truckers and industry supporters warned state air officials new diesel emission standards will crush an already frail economy. The public forum was scheduled to go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but California Air Resources Board staff members were still fielding questions more than an hour past the scheduled ending. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_24667453/truckers-pepper-state-air-quality-staffers-during-redding FUELS Ethanol Increases Fourth Time This Week on Signs of Higher Use. Ethanol increased a fourth time this week on record low stockpiles and signs of higher demand. Futures jumped as much as 7.2 percent two days after an Energy Information Administration report showed gasoline consumption and ethanol blending above year-earlier levels. Stockpiles along the U.S. East Coast, which includes New York Harbor, fell to 4.76 million barrels last week, data from the Energy Department’s statistical arm showed. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-06/ethanol-increases-fourth-time-this-week-on-signs-of-higher-use.html Groups call for federal regulations to curb methane leaks. Ninety health, environmental and sportsmen’s groups asked the federal government Thursday to clamp down on the release of methane gas by the petrochemical industry, asserting that the United States cannot reach its goal for reducing heat-trapping emissions without addressing the issue. Led by the Clean Air Task Force…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/groups-demand-regulations-to-cut-methane-leak/2013/12/04/eba5b128-5d3e-11e3-95c2-13623eb2b0e1_story.html Gulf gets more restoration projects from BP fund. Restoring the oil-stained Gulf of Mexico coastline is critical to the Obama administration's fight against climate change, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Friday. Jewell was at a national park outside New Orleans to announce the latest round of projects to help the Gulf Coast recover from the 2010 BP oil spill. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Gulf-gets-more-restoration-projects-from-BP-fund-5040400.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/06/5976375/gulf-gets-more-restoration-projects.html Riding the Fracking Wave All the Way to China. The race is on to make America the Saudi Arabia of natural gas, but not everyone is in love with the idea of the U.S. becoming a major exporter of the increasingly abundant energy source. Flush with new production thanks to the fracking revolution, the natural gas industry is hoping to send some of its supplies overseas, and bring back some cash back to America's shores in the process. Posted. http://www.nationaljournal.com/new-energy-paradigm/riding-the-fracking-wave-all-the-way-to-china-20131205 New Study Suggests Much Larger Methane Emissions from Oklahoma and Neighbors. A new study of atmospheric methane in the United States suggests much higher levels than previously thought. The new data raises questions about the impact of natural gas production in Oklahoma and neighboring states, where emission estimates have more than doubled. Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issues a report that tracks the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. In the 2013 update released in April, the EPA dramatically lowered its estimate of methane from natural gas production. Posted. http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/2013/12/05/new-study-suggests-much-larger-methane-emissions-from-oklahoma-and-neighbors/ VEHICLES SolarCity to offer Tesla-made batteries to business customers. SolarCity Corp (SCTY.O) on Wednesday said it will begin offering Tesla Motors Inc-made batteries with its commercial solar systems, allowing businesses to cut what they pay to their local utility by using stored electricity. The batteries made by Tesla (TSLA.O), which can also provide backup power during blackouts, are available to business owners who put up new solar installations…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/05/us-solarcity-batteries-idUSBRE9B404E20131205 http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24660729/solarcity-turns-tesla-batteries-soak-up-solar-power http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/12/05/tesla-batteries-go-from-cars-to-roofs.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991406/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY HIGH-SPEED RAIL High-speed rail officials say plan is on schedule. Critics and many political observers might see California's bullet train project as nearly dead, but state officials made clear Thursday that the train is still heading down the rails at full speed. Under siege following court rulings, Dan Richard, the chairman of the state's High-Speed Rail Authority, said the state still plans to break ground as early as next month on the largest public works project in California history. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/05/3649154/feds-deny-early-approval-of-ca.html http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_24662778/high-speed-rail-authority-try-again-get-bond?source=rss http://www.news10.net/news/california/article/264936/430/Bullet-train-leaders-bullish-even-after-2013s-roadblocks GREEN ENERGY Renewable fuel backers try to change EPA's mind at hearing. Supporters of the renewable fuels industry turned out en masse on Thursday, desperate for the U.S. government to change course after last month announcing a plan to lower the amount of biofuels that must be added to the fuel supply in 2014. About 300 people attended a public meeting held by the Environmental Protection Agency on the Renewable Fuel Standard, proposed changes which have become one of the most divisive policy issues of the year. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/06/us-usa-biofuels-idUSBRE9B414P20131206 Obama orders agencies to increase renewable energy use. President Obama has ordered federal agencies to more than double their renewable energy use over the next seven years, part of his ongoing attempt to find ways to cut carbon emissions without cooperation from Congress. In a presidential memorandum released Thursday, Obama challenged agencies to get 20% of their energy from renewable sources by fiscal year 2020. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-obama-renewable-energy-use-20131205,0,3896287.story#ixzz2miNStq00 http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Obama-to-tell-feds-to-boost-renewable-electricity-5035982.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/05/5972211/obama-to-feds-boost-renewable.html GVSU incubator develops renewable energy device. Grand Valley State University's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center has launched a number of upstart businesses, but breakthrough products have been few and far between. Energy Partners LLC founder and GVSU professor emeritus Jim Wolter thinks he and partner Ed Brandel have come upon an energy storage device that could be a game changer, according to The Muskegon Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1bSf1qz ). Solar 24 combines a large solar energy panel with a battery pack…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/GVSU-incubator-develops-renewable-energy-device-5040399.php NY seeks $30M in proposals for renewable energy. New York state is seeking proposals for $30 million worth of commercial renewable energy projects in New York City and the Hudson Valley. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is looking for proposals for solar and renewable biogas systems larger than 200 kilowatts by Dec. 30. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/NY-seeks-30M-in-proposals-for-renewable-energy-5040344.php For wind power, US extends permit for eagle deaths. The Obama administration said Friday it will allow some companies to kill or injure bald and golden eagles for up to 30 years without penalty, an effort to spur development and investment in green energy while balancing its environmental consequences. The change, requested by the wind energy industry, will provide legal protection for the lifespan of wind farms and other projects for which companies obtain a permit…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/For-wind-power-US-extends-permit-for-eagle-deaths-5041341.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/06/5976535/for-wind-power-us-extends-permit.html http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Latest-News-Wires/2013/1206/Eagle-deaths-US-to-let-wind-energy-kill-eagles Eco-friendly LEED rating system faces attacks. An eco-friendly building rating system that has powered a green arms race across the nation now faces a challenge from policymakers and an upstart rival. LEED, the longstanding king of green construction and renovation projects, has become a de facto brand in cities such as Portland, Ore., where sustainable growth has been the rage for years. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24664415/eco-friendly-leed-rating-system-faces-attacks Reservoir emissions: a quiet threat to expanding hydropower. Hydropower is a frequent target for criticism. Regardless of your views on global warming, turning a serene stretch of river into an artificial lake humming with electrical equipment can make you unpopular, and the announcement of any new hydropower project is often swiftly followed by outcries over habitat disruption and community displacement, among other concerns. But hydropower's clean energy bona fides are rarely questioned. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991386/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Federal, Calif. regulators lead efforts to ramp up energy storage – panel. Federal regulators are moving steadily to reduce barriers to grid-scale energy storage, while states -- with California far in the lead -- pursue their own incentive programs, a panel of experts said yesterday. Much of the state and federal effort has focused on assigning storage the same benefits enjoyed by conventional renewables under many state and federal laws. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991409/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Palo Alto releases results of first-ever transportation study. One-fifth of Palo Alto households have switched to alternative fuel vehicles and more than 50 percent own four or more bicycles, according to the results of the city's first-ever transportation survey. Intended to shed light on travel patterns within Palo Alto, the survey was circulated online and in hardcopy format from March 11 to May 5. Of the 3,707 responses the city received, 77 percent were from residents. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24667647/palo-alto-releases-results-first-ever-transportation-study?source=rss Bike sharing takes its place among major mass transit systems. Transportation alternatives to cars are taking off around the globe, according to a new series of reports. Bicycle sharing is the newest mode to hit prime time. According to a new report by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), there are now more than 600 bike-share systems with a total of more than 600,000 bikes worldwide. "Bike share has reached a tipping point where it's no longer this crazy idea that a few cities are trying out. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991404/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS COLUMN-U.S. EPA must set realistic emissions limits for coal: Kemp. President Barack Obama has directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize regulations on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by existing coal-fired power plants by June 2015, as part of the White House Climate Action Plan. The EPA has already published draft regulations that would limit greenhouse emissions from new coal plants to no more than 1,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour of electricity generated (lbs/MWh). Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/05/usa-coal-idUSL5N0JK2LZ20131205 Manhattan Moment: Biofuel mandates help special interests at consumers' expense. This month, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a reduction in 2014 biofuel mandates from 18 billion gallons to 15 billion gallons. This decision was made because gasoline consumption has fallen, and fuel mixes made with more than 10 percent biofuels can damage car engines. But there is more to the story. Since 2005, the Renewable Fuel Standard has required fuel sold in the United States to contain biofuels, of which corn-based ethanol is the most common. Posted. http://washingtonexaminer.com/manhattan-moment-its-time-to-end-biofuel-mandates/article/2540276 Letters: Powering California. Re "Clean energy could choke the grid," Dec. 3 The Times ignores the fact that extreme weather, not renewables, poses the biggest threat to the nation's energy grid. Regardless of the energy source, the grid requires smart management and investment. Predicting mechanical problems at the many aging power plants can be tricky. Imagine asking a mechanic to foresee every problem with a 40-year-old car. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-le-1206-friday-renewable-energy-grid-20131206,0,5363622.story#ixzz2mipLtlCQ BLOGS Oil giant Total joins forces with Bay Area biofuel firm. The French oil giant reported Thursday a new joint venture with Amyris to make and market renewable diesel and jet fuel. Total is already the largest shareholder in Amyris, an Emeryville firm that tweaks the genes of microorganisms — mostly yeast — to turn plant sugars into useful chemicals. Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2013/12/05/oil-giant-total-joins-forces-with-bay-area-biofuel-firm/ How California's Renewable Energy Actually Performed in 2013. As we close in on the end of the year, it's customary to look back and assess the past. And when it comes to renewable energy in California, the year drawing to a close has been an epochal one. In 2013, California saw abundant installations of a number of different kinds of renewable power plants, from gigantic wind turbines to modest rooftop solar arrays, and lots of changes in the laws that regulate how we generate and use renewable energy. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/the-grid/how-californias-renewable-energy-actually-performed-in-2013.html Pricing Carbon Emissions? Bring It On, Say Some Large Companies. It seems many large companies are willing to pay a price for their emissions. A new report by environmental data company CDP found that at least 29 companies--including the five major oil companies, Walmart, and American Electric Power--are now incorporating a price on carbon emissions into the their financial plans, according to The New York Times. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088942_pricing-carbon-emissions-bring-it-on-say-some-large-companies Energy Subsidies Fan The Flames But All Sectors Share In The Federal Pie. The production tax credit given to the wind energy industry may run out of gas and not get renewed before year-end. But the subsidy is now fanning the flames on all government largess and specifically which industries are the most worthy of getting the added incentives. Just how taxpayer money gets doled out is mired in so much intricacy that is difficult to follow. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2013/12/06/energy-subsidies-fan-the-flames-but-all-sectors-share-in-the-federal-pie/ Natural Gas Building Spree Cancels Out Emissions We Save From Leaving Coal Behind: Report. Companies are so excited about cheap natural gas that they're on an expansion spree, which might undo some of the good we've done by switching to the cleaner fuel from coal, a new report says. The low cost of natural gas is largely seen as a net positive for climate change, as burning gas generates lower levels of emissions than burning coal. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/05/natural-gas-emissions_n_4392093.html The Climate Post: Report Warns of Sudden Climate Change Impacts. Hard-to-predict sudden changes to Earth's environment are more worrisome than larger but more gradual impacts of climate change, according a panel of scientists advising the federal government. A 200-page report released Tuesday by the National Academy of Sciences repeatedly warns of potential climate "tipping points" beyond which "major and rapid changes occur." And some of these changes--happening in years instead of centuries--have already begun. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-profeta/the-climate-post-report-w_b_4397948.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2013 15:31:06 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 9, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 9, 2013. 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 Economist champions carbon credits. An agricultural economist advocates for farmers and ranchers to receive credits with a monetary value for the carbon their acres absorb. The dean of New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences sees a financial opportunity for farmers and ranchers in future federal climate change bills. Lowell Catlett encourages the agricultural community to participate…Posted. http://www.capitalpress.com/article/20131209/ARTICLE/131209907/1169#sthash.z62tIXAL.dpuf AIR POLLUTION U.S. Northeast states ask EPA to crack down on Midwest pollution. Eight Northeastern and mid-Atlantic governors on Monday petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require "upwind" states in the Midwest and South to curb ozone-forming pollution from their power plants, which they say travels downwind and poses health risks to their citizens. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/09/us-usa-air-pollution-idUSBRE9B80M520131209 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/us/politics/eastern-states-press-midwest-to-improve-air.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Northeast-Mid-Atlantic-seek-anti-pollution-action-5048304.php http://www.freep.com/article/20131209/NEWS06/312090069/michigan-air-pollution-clean-petition-blown-prevailing-winds Obama’s Pollution-Control Agenda Goes to Court Tomorrow. Two of President Barack Obama’s top pollution-control measures face courtroom tests tomorrow as coal-dependent utilities, miners and some states challenge what they call overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency. Efforts to regulate pollutants that cause smog and soot, as well as mercury from coal plants, have moved in fits and starts for more than a decade. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-09/obama-s-pollution-control-agenda-goes-to-court-tomorrow.html Air district moves ahead on Newport Beach plan for fire pits. Air quality officials on Friday approved $600,000 for contractors to design and install gas fire rings on public beaches, taking a new step in the fight over hundreds of wood-burning fire pits on Los Angeles and Orange County coast. The South Coast Air Quality Management District will pay two companies about $24,000 per unit to build more than two dozen gas or propane-burning fire pits. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-adv-fire-rings-20131207,0,2582257.story#axzz2n02PojN2 2014 World Cup as polluting as 560,000 cars. The World Cup may be great for planet football, but it isn't so good for planet Earth. FIFA says the 2014 tournament, which will require huge amounts of air travel to venues across Brazil, will produce the equivalent of 2.72 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/12/09/3078607/2014-world-cup-as-polluting-as.html#storylink=cpy Sixth 'Spare the Air' alert of winter season issued for Bay Area on Monday. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued its sixth Winter Spare the Air alert for today, banning all wood burning throughout the region. The air alert was issued due to a cold, stagnant weather pattern that has allowed air pollution to rise to a level that is expected to be unhealthy on Monday. "Because still weather and high pollution levels have persisted in the region…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_24685234/sixth-spare-air-alert-winter-season-issued-bay Wood-burning boilers could save businesses money, but remain a tougher sell for homes. Companies in the eastern United States could save money by switching to biomass boilers for heating and industrial steam, according to a recent study. Using wood-based fuel to boil water could curb energy expenses and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal or oil. In a study published earlier this year in the Renewable Energy Journal, researchers ranked states based on their potential for converting boilers to run on woody biomass. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991486/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Shanghai Warns Kids to Stay Indoors for Seventh Day on Smog. Shanghai warned children and the elderly to stay indoors for at least a seventh day out of the first nine this month, intensifying pressure on local authorities to control the worst smog since government monitoring began last year. The city’s air quality index was at 238, or “heavily polluted” at 5 p.m., according to the local monitoring center. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Shanghai-Warns-Kids-to-Stay-Indoors-for-Seventh-5048236.php Supreme Court weighs issue of cross-state air pollution. Inside an unmarked trailer at the end of an unmarked dirt road about 15 miles north of the nation's capital, a high-tech radar monitor beeps every 10 minutes in an effort to find out who is polluting Maryland's air. Aided at times by weather balloons and aircraft carrying ozone monitors, the "radar wind profiler" — one of three in the state — measures wind speed and direction up to 4 kilometers above ground. The findings often reveal that air pollution capable of inducing heart attacks…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/08/supreme-court-clean-air-pollution-states/3896299/ CLIMATE CHANGE As Keystone ruling nears, Canada short on time for climate plan. Canada is running out of time to offer U.S. President Barack Obama a climate change concession that might clinch the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, as the country's energy industry continues to resist costly curbs on greenhouse gas emissions. Two years of negotiations between the Canadian government and the energy sector to curtail carbon pollution have not produced an agreement. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/09/usa-energy-keystone-idUSL2N0JN01P20131209 Arctic thaw tied to European, U.S. heatwaves and downpours – study. A thaw of Arctic ice and snow is linked to worsening summer heatwaves and downpours thousands of miles south in Europe, the United States and other areas, underlying the scale of the threat posed by global warming, scientists said on Sunday. Their report, which was dismissed as inconclusive by some other experts, warned of increasingly extreme weather across "much of North America and Eurasia where billions of people will be affected". Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/08/climate-arctic-idUSL5N0JL2O720131208 EU to Approve Change to Emissions Program. European Union lawmakers are set Tuesday to approve a long-sought fix to the bloc's struggling system for trading carbon-emission rights as Germany and other nations have recently indicated support for the plan to make it more expensive to pollute. The Emissions Trading System was designed to put a price on greenhouse-gas pollution by utilities as the bloc seeks to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 20% by 2020 versus 1990. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303330204579248122693932120 Inconvenient truth: China, developing world now biggest source of greenhouse gases. China's greenhouse gas emissions have escalated in the past decade even as U.S. emissions have dropped, and that has fundamentally changed the balance of power in international negotiations over blame for climate change and who bears the most responsibility for trying to stop it. When President Obama took office, the U.S. and other major emitters faced calls to…Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/8/china-and-other-heavy-polluters-contribute-little-/#ixzz2n0R5NiIn Spotlight on oceans. The ocean is getting hot, sour and breathless, a group of UC San Diego science students warned officials at an international climate conference last month. She was one of ten UC San Diego graduate students who travelled to Poland for the 19th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Warsaw. “We went as a group to present science and why it matters and why there’s scientific evidence that humans are creating global ocean change…Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/06/environment-climate-ocean-acidification/ Abandoned mine may offer novel solution for global warming. Researchers from Stanford University may have found a way to permanently bury greenhouse gas emissions inside the Earth after having set their lab at an abandoned mine, located about 110 km east of the campus. The team, which will present its findings this week at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in San Francisco, worked for two years at Red Mountain mine, which contains some of the world's largest veins of pure magnesium carbonate, or magnesite. Posted. http://www.mining.com/abandoned-mine-may-offer-novel-solution-for-global-warming-45557/ DIESEL EMISSIONS OOIDA Files Lawsuit Over California Truck Regulations. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, against the California Air Resources Board on Friday, in connection with the Truck and Bus Regulation. It is asking for an injunction saying the regulation is unconstitutional and discriminates against out-of-state truckers. Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/12/ooida-files-lawsuit-over-california-truck-regulations.aspx CARB proposes more exemptions, hears public comment on impact on trucking. The California Air Resources board has proposed another exemption to its slate of Jan. 1 regulatory changes, which would allow truck owners to run in certain “NOx-exempt” counties without retrofitting their trucks with diesel particulate filters or buying new equipment. If the proposed extension is approved, owners of 2006 and older engines running in these counties…Posted. http://www.ccjdigital.com/carb-proposes-more-exemptions-hears-public-comment-on-impact-on-trucking/ Valley air district urges truckers to attend truck-rule workshop. With the Jan. 1, 2014 compliance deadline of the California Air Resources Board’s truck rule fast approaching, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District has a workshop December 12 to explain the changes. “We are very pleased that the Air Resources Board sees the importance of allowing additional time for these small trucking operations to receive critical funding that allows them to go beyond what is required by this regulation,” says Seyed Sadredin, the Valley Air District’s executive director and air pollution control officer. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=24758 Workshop to explain truck emissions deadline. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District will hold a workshop for truckers on Dec. 12 explaining next year's compliance deadline with the state's Truck and Bus rule. By the Jan. 1 deadline, all heavy duty trucks with 2005 model year engines or newer must be equipped with a device to filter out particulate emissions. Trucks with 2010 model year engines are already compliant with the rule…Posted. http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/energy-and-environment/9914-workshop-to-explain-truck-emissions-deadline California Ports Ready for At-Berth Regulation. Years of work have gone into constructing the shore power infrastructure needed to comply with the California Air Resources Board’s "Airborne Toxic Control Measure for Auxiliary Diesel Engines Operated on Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth in a California Port," known as the At-Berth Regulation, which requires that at least half of all container ships berthed at the ports to shut down their diesel engines and run on shore-side electricity beginning Jan. 1, 2014. Posted. http://eponline.com/articles/2013/12/09/california-ports-ready-for-at-berth-regulation.aspx Heavy trucks up for auction; part of national sale of 500. Truck and heavy equipment auctioneer J.J. Kane will be auctioning off more than 235 pieces of heavy equipment from California, bucket trucks and dump trucks, some of which will not be legal to operate in California over the next few years without soot filters or upgrades. Truck and heavy equipment auctioneer J.J. Kane will be auctioning off more than 235 pieces of heavy equipment from California, bucket trucks and dump trucks…Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/12/04/auction-selling-heavy-equipment.html FUELS Short-cut to produce hydrogen seen as step to cleaner fuel. Scientists have produced hydrogen by accelerating a natural process found in rocks deep below the Earth's surface, a short-cut that may herald the wider use of what is a clean fuel, a study showed on Sunday. Used in rockets and in battery-like fuel cells, hydrogen is being widely researched as a non-polluting fuel, but its use is so far hampered by high costs. A few hydrogen vehicles are already on the roads, such as the Honda FXC Clarity and Mercedes-Benz F-Cell, and more are planned. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/08/environment-hydrogen-idUSL5N0JK1OT20131208 Canadian government clears Shell to expand Jackpine project. The Canadian government has granted approval for Royal Dutch Shell Plc to expand its Jackpine oil sands project in northern Alberta, a move that could boost production at the site by up to 100,000 barrels a day. Canada's environment minister said in a statement late on Friday that after a review by a federal-provincial panel, the government concluded that the project was likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/07/shell-jackpine-idUSL2N0JM0IP20131207 VEHICLES Are Zero electric motorcycles coming to LAPD? Are electric motorcycles going to be part of the Los Angeles Police Department fleet? Zero Motorcycles hope so. The electric motorcycle company based in Scotts Valley, Calif., has placed a couple of its Zero DS Police models with the LAPD, which is currently testing them for practicality on the force. From the company's booth at this weekend's Progressive International Motorcycle. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-mo-autos-are-electric-motorcycles-coming-to-lapd-20131207,0,5606739.story#ixzz2n06WqEZI US Electric Vehicles sales report for November. The monthly US EV sales report is provided by InsideEVs and is updated with the latest available information. Inventory problems for last month’s biggest three selling models (Toyota Prius PHEV, Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan LEAF) have limited sales numbers in November despite high demand. November ended with about 8,700 plug-ins sold. Despite a relatively muted first half of the year, electric vehicle sales have been surging since August – a record month when over 11,000 plug-ins were sold. Posted. Http://cars21.com/news/view/5673 HIGH-SPEED RAIL Californians deserve to know how a bullet train will be financed. The rail authority's chairman has some ideas, but we haven't heard from Gov. Brown. Let's stipulate that a bullet train zipping between Los Angeles and San Francisco would be grand and groovy. But to quote a great movie line, "Show me the money!" That's what the pro football wide receiver (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) tells the sports agent (Tom Cruise) in the flick "Jerry Maguire." And it's what a judge, former bullet backers and many citizens have been trying to tell an obstinate Gov. Jerry Brown. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-cap-bullet-train-20131209,0,4623084.column#ixzz2n026ByFE GREEN ENERGY Wave-energy plan revived at San Onofre. Retired electrical engineer Chong Kim of Fountain Valley is reviving a bid to generate electricity from the force of the waves off the coast at San Onofre, filing a preliminary permit with Washington officials and hanging out a shingle for willing investors. An earlier permit application for the offshore power plant, filed in 2010, was abandoned because of insufficient funding for environmental studies that can run into the millions of dollars. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/09/wave-energy-revival/ Low natural gas prices, energy efficiency to play key roles in EPA's existing power plant rules. Economists and regulators are beginning to see preliminary results from the potential scenarios under future regulations to reduce carbon emissions from the nation's fleet of power plants. In his Climate Action Plan released in June, President Obama directed U.S. EPA to craft a regulation that would set maximum carbon emissions standards from existing power plants by July 2014. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991488/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Agency plans to drastically scale back enforcement. U.S. EPA plans to conduct fewer in-person inspections and bring fewer cases against industrial rule-breakers over the next five years, the agency said in a recent document outlining its goals. The agency aims to carry out 30 percent fewer inspections and evaluations than the past five years. It will seek to initiate 40 percent fewer civil cases, and it will keep criminal goals mostly static with 2012. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991523/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS Letters: Act now to save the Earth, or else. Re "Studies raise urgent climate alarms," Dec. 4. It's senseless to argue that burning fossil fuels isn't driving the rise of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to levels that scientific core samples show have not been seen in millions of years. Clearly the Earth's internal system of environmental balances can be pushed out of whack by human actions. Foolish farming practices caused the Dust Bowl, and it didn't take centuries. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-le-1207-saturday-climate-change-20131207,0,2919344,print.story How to make a global climate change deal. By Editorial Board, Published: December 6 IN THE Warsaw climate change conference last month, world representatives negotiated an agenda for further negotiations. That they did not manage to mess that up, we are told, is an achievement. The United Nations climate change proceedings are in their 22nd year. Until participants embrace some realities, they are unlikely to produce useful agreements. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-to-make-a-global-climate-change-deal/2013/12/06/119efca6-5ba3-11e3-a66d-156b463c78aa_story.html Pace of global warming adds to urgency to change. President Obama made another modest attempt to do something about climate change last week by ordering federal agencies to more than double their use of renewable energy by 2020. The operative word is modest. There is no hope of doing something truly transformational to meet the No. 1 challenge of our times in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where deference to consumer fear, dubious science and the clout of Big Oil continues to rule the day. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/diaz/article/Pace-of-global-warming-adds-to-urgency-to-change-5042485.php Proposed law needs remodel. If you are going through a hair-pulling home remodel now, you probably noted Stockton's proposed green building ordinance. It would add $2,500 to $5,000 to your costs. On the front end. Tweaking your house to guzzle less energy saves money long-term. That said, there is a difference between recognizing the financial and ecological benefits of this approach and being forced to adopt it. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131208/A_NEWS0803/312080323&cid=sitesearch BLOGS A new look at climate change. The annual United Nations climate change talks, which concluded last month in Warsaw, unfortunately found little common ground on carbon. The talks broke down over the world’s richest nations’ inability to agree with the poorest on how to address the financial costs of global climate change. While disappointing, it’s not surprising. Developed countries like the United States and the nations of the European Union, which have wielded the largest carbon footprints over the past decades, are not as often the victims of climate-related disasters. Posted. http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/12/09/a-new-look-at-climate-change/ China Admits It's Poorly Prepared To Tackle Climate Change Impacts. China is poorly prepared to tackle the impact of climate change that presents a serious threat to the country, thanks to a lack of planning and public awareness, the government said on Monday. The world's most populous country already faces challenges from weather extremes, with 2,000 people dying on average each year since the 1990s in natural disasters that are set to get worse, China's powerful economic planning agency said. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/china-climate-change_n_4410704.html Climate Change This Week: The Real Climate Tax, Methane Mess, and More! US Taxpayers Footing Big Bill For Climate Change Inaction says a new analysis, reports Kieran Cooke at RTCC. Hurricane Sandy, enhanced by rising sea levels and temperatures, and drought that hit 70% of the US cost $100+ Billion; in 2012 alone, relief payouts amounted to $300+ per US person. Meanwhile US weather-related catastrophes have risen from about 50 annually in the 1980s, to about 200 annually in recent years. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-ellen-harte/climate-change-this-week_b_4405753.html?view=print&comm_ref=false Three steps back? California's climate, clean air and consumer cost issues. The Sierra Club has launched an online petition and video urging the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and Governor Jerry Brown to reject a plan that it says would add new air pollution to Southern California and move California's climate goals backward. The Sierra Club contends that the CPUC, the California Independent System Operator and the California Air Resources Board (CARB)…Posted. http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/three-steps-back-californias-climate-clean-air-and-consumer-cost-issues/2013-12-09 Why Congress needs to extend the wind energy tax credit. The wind energy production tax credit is a tougher issue than you might imagine for some good liberal wonks. On the one hand, wind power is great. On the other hand, tax credits are a market-distorting, inefficient way of making policy. They are basically spending disguised as tax cuts. Most tax credits that affect the environment …Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/why-congress-needs-to-extend-the-wind-energy-tax-credit/ Diesel exhaust causes 6% of all lung cancer deaths. If there were ever a reason for automakers like Audi and Volkswagen to get their "clean diesel" technology – or something even cleaner, i.e., zero-emission vehicles – on the road, this is it. Researchers at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands say up to six percent of lung-cancer deaths in the US and UK could be caused by diesel exhaust. The researchers published a study in the Environmental Health Perspectives …Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/09/diesel-exhaust-causes-6-percent-lung-cancer-deaths/ Looking on the Bright Side of Bad Air. The heavy air pollution that shrouded much of eastern China over the past week has generated intense coverage in Chinese media, including a few efforts to find silver linings in the haze. Aided by the expansion of real-time air quality monitoring to many cities, along with official websites that report pollution data, Chinese residents have a far better idea now of what they are breathing than they did just a few years ago…Posted. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/looking-on-the-bright-side-of-bad-air/ A Follow-up on the NYT's Environmental Coverage. Last March, the New York Times killed its Green blog and disassembled its environment desk, distributing the staff into other units. Jayni noted the possible concern that this change might result in diminished resources for environmental coverage at the Times; she also noted the positive spin that some Times people put on the change, that it would “mainstream” environmental coverage into the Times overall news reporting. Posted. http://legal-planet.org/2013/12/08/a-follow-up-on-the-nyts-environmental-coverage/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2013 11:59:07 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 10, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 10, 2013. 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 European Lawmakers Vote to Support Carbon Trading. Lawmakers at the European Parliament on Tuesday approved a rescue plan for the European Union’s system for trading carbon-emission credits. Their hope is to revive prices for carbon credits, which have been so low that the system is creating few incentives for smokestack industries to cut back on their emissions of greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/business/energy-environment/european-lawmakers-vote-to-support-carbon-trading.html?pagewanted=print 1-Year Anniversary: California's Cap-and-Trade is a Success. On the one-year anniversary of California's carbon market, the results are in - it is a success. The program has raised an impressive $1.4 billion for California. Half of that funds renewable energy projects and cutting emissions, including $130 million specifically destined for low-income communities. Posted. http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25388 Carbon tax repeal hits Senate roadblock. The federal government's plan to scrap the carbon tax has run headlong into a Senate roadblock, with the first bill rejected and little hope the upper house will decide on the full package of bills before next year. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has called on the Senate to vote on his package of 11 bills to remove the carbon tax before parliament adjourns for its summer break on Thursday night. Posted. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/carbon-tax-repeal-hits-senate-roadblock-20131210-2z2xe.html AIR POLLUTION Shanghai Air Pollution Wanes After Smog Forces Cancellations. Shanghai’s air pollution fell to “light” levels after record smog this month prompted flight cancellations and the city warned children and elderly to stay indoors on at least seven of December’s first nine days. The city’s PM2.5 air pollution was 63.1 micrograms per cubic meter as of 2 p.m., after hitting 360 micrograms per cubic meter yesterday. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-10/shanghai-air-pollution-wanes-after-smog-forced-flights-canceled.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-12-09/shanghai-air-pollution-wanes-after-smog-forced-flights-canceled Supreme Court to hear arguments Tuesday over EPA pollution rules. The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on whether the Environmental Protection Agency can require Midwestern states to cut the smog and soot that travels from their power plants downwind to Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. The arguments come a day after governors in eight of the downwind states filed a petition with the EPA to try to force their neighbor states to reduce their straying emissions regardless of the court ruling. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-to-hear-arguments-tuesday-over-epa-pollution-rules/2013/12/09/5417b50a-60ee-11e3-8beb-3f9a9942850f_story.html?tid=hpModule_ba0d4c2a-86a2-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394 Third consecutive Spare the Air alert issued for Tuesday in Bay Area. Wood fires will be banned in the Bay Area on Tuesday as a result of a Spare the Air alert issued for the third consecutive day. A prolonged spell of cold stagnant air is trapping pollutants near the ground, spurring the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to issue its seventh Spare the Air alert of the cold season. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_24687918/third-consecutive-spare-air-alert-issued-tuesday-bay?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_24687918/third-consecutive-spare-air-alert-issued-tuesday-bay?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Supreme Court seems receptive to some EPA arguments in cross-state case. U.S. EPA pressed the Supreme Court today to uphold its effort to curb air pollution that drifts from one state to another. At issue is the 2011 Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, or CSAPR, a regulatory regime for 28 Eastern states tossed out last year by a federal appeals court after challenges from industry and some states. EPA maintains it reasonably interpreted the phrase "contribute significantly" in the Clean Air Act's…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991595/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Local leaders planning for climate effects. When it comes to climate change, local officials have a message for Washington: Lead or get out of the way. Local governments have long acted as first responders in emergencies and now are working to plan for sea level rise, floods, hurricanes and other extreme events associated with climate change. As a presidential task force prepares for its first meeting Tuesday, local officials say they want and need federal support…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CLIMATE_CHANGE_RESPONSE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Local-leaders-planning-for-climate-effects-5050235.php http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Local+leaders+tell+Washington+climate+change+response/9267183/story.html The Montreal Protocol, a Little Treaty That Could. Here is a remarkable fact about global warming: It might be twice as bad right now were it not for a treaty negotiated by a conservative American president, for an entirely different purpose, based on motives no one has ever quite understood. That treaty is known, in shorthand, as the Montreal Protocol. Its formal purpose is to save the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, which protects the planet and its people from debilitating levels of cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/science/the-montreal-protocol-a-little-treaty-that-could.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print San Mateo County most vulnerable in California to seal level rise. A regional or countywide flood protection district dedicated to sea level disaster preparations should be assembled immediately, according to a group of nearly 400 people who packed a College of San Mateo auditorium today. The group assembled to attend a four-hour conference titled "Meeting the Challenge of Sea Level Rise in San Mateo County," which was presented by U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo…Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_24692910/san-mateo-county-most-vulnerable-california-seal-level?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com State releases carbon footprint app. California has released a new app that businesses and families can use to calculate their impact on the environment. The app, Cool California, was made available by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) this week to reveal the estimated tons of carbon dioxide emitted each year when families use gas, electricity, water and even shop for food and clothes. Posted. http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/energy-and-environment/9929-state-releases-carbon-footprint-app New greenhouse gas has higher global warming impact than Carbon dioxide. Toronto: Scientists have discovered a man-made greenhouse gas that appears to have the highest global-warming impact as compared to any other compound to date. The chemical - perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA) - is the most radiatively efficient chemical found to date, breaking all other chemical records for its potential to impact climate…Posted. http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/new-greenhouse-gas-has-higher-global-warming-impact-than-carbon-dioxide-456916 New Report: Rising Seas Threaten 233 Federally Protected Species. Sea-level rise driven by climate change poses a deadly threat to 233 federally protected animal and plant species in 23 coastal states, according to a new scientific report from the Center for Biological Diversity, and U.S. wildlife protection agencies are not doing enough to protect at-risk species. For the “Deadly Waters” report, Center scientists analyzed data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as scientific literature. Posted. http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2013/sea-level-rise-12-10-2013.html DIESEL EMISSIONS Carrier’s Exhaust Emissions System Gets CARB Conditional Approval. An optional engine emissions system (EES), capable of reducing diesel particulate mass from trailer refrigeration unit exhaust by more than 98%, has received conditional verification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Carrier Transicold says. The CARB level 3+ verified diesel emissions control (VDEC) device can be included on new trailer refrigeration units or added later for users who do not initially require it…Posted. http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/products/article/story/2013/12/carrier-s-exhaust-emissions-system-gets-carb-conditional-approval.aspx FUELS Gasoline Declines as Fuel Inventories Expected to Rise. Gasoline futures fell on speculation that supplies of the motor fuel increased for the third week in a row as refiners increased operating rates. Futures sank as much as 0.5 percent. Inventories expanded by 2 million barrels last week, according to the median estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Refinery utilization rose 0.5 percentage point from the prior week, which marked highest seasonal level since 2004, the survey showed. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-10/diesel-advances-as-cold-weather-boosts-heating-oil-use.html VEHICLES Ford considers diesel, hybrid and electric versions of new Mustang. Someday, muscle-car enthusiasts might brag about kilowatts, not horsepower. Future versions of the 2015 Ford Mustang, which was revealed last week, might possibly get diesel, hybrid, and even electric powertrains. At the car's unveiling, Ford global powertrain chief Bob Fascetti told GoAuto that the Blue Oval is pondering all of these options, in an effort to make the Mustang greener. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/1209/Ford-considers-diesel-hybrid-and-electric-versions-of-new-Mustang Electric Cars Kick Your Car’s Boot — 8 Ways How. “Boot” = “trunk” in British English. It also sounds a bit like butt. Hence, the headline. It’s no secret at all to people who own or have driven electric cars — electric cars totally kick the ass (or boot) of their gasmobile cousins. It’s not simply a matter of how nicely they drive, but there are probably a dozen reasons why we see them as being much more awesome. I’ll quickly run down 7. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/09/electric-cars-kick-cars-boot-8-ways/#gjZsKzJTpUWmaIh6.99 MISCELLANEOUS Cold dis-comfort: Antarctica set record of -135.8. Feeling chilly? Here's cold comfort: You could be in East Antarctica which new data says set a record for "soul-crushing" cold. Try 135.8 degrees Fahrenheit below zero; that's 93.2 degrees below zero Celsius, which sounds only slightly toastier. Better yet, don't try it. That's so cold scientists say it hurts to breathe. A new look at NASA satellite data revealed that Earth set a new record for coldest temperature recorded. It happened in August 2010 when it hit -135.8 degrees. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_COLDEST_EVER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Cold-dis-comfort-Antarctica-set-record-of-135-8-5049200.php Cows to get carbon credits for not burping. By replacing urea supplements with nitrate salts, the amount of methane burped by cattle can be reduced by up to 20 per cent. Using a new methodology, producers could then claim credits on their herds' reduced methane emissions through the Federal Governmentas Carbon Farming Initiative. RAMP Carbon developed the methodology with Meat and Livestock Australia and the Australian Agricultural Company. Posted. http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/20245744/cows-to-get-carbon-credits-for-not-burping/ OPINIONS Lewis Diuguid: China could lead efforts to end global warming. Necessity places this great city ahead of most in fixing humanity's shared global warming problem. Pollution costs China billions of dollars a year in health and other losses, but that hasn't slowed China's growth. Its economy is No. 2 behind the U.S., and it is the world's largest auto market and growing. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/10/3659188/lewis-diuguid-china-could-lead.html http://www.modbee.com/2013/12/10/3080517/lewis-diuguid-china-could-lead.html On climate change, action vs. inaction: Your Say. A decline in sea ice and increased risk of extinction for some plant and animal species are linked to man-made climate change, according to a National Research Council report released last week. Comments are edited for clarity and grammar: The severity of global warming is potentially catastrophic. Leaning toward doing something about global warming, even though it is unproved…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/12/09/on-climate-change-action-vs-inaction-your-say/3935307/ Green Power Gridlock: Why Renewable Energy Is No Alternative. Since just about everything we do and the equipment needed to support it depends upon a source of energy, wouldn’t it be great if someone would invent perpetual motion machines that can generate all we want without consuming any resources or producing pollution? Okay, some of you are doubtless saying: “Yes, and they already exist. There are wind turbines and solar power systems that can do that if we build enough of them.” Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/12/10/green-power-gridlock-why-renewable-energy-is-no-alternative/ BLOGS New EPA chief visits China to talk air pollution in first trip abroad. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy embarked on her first international trip this week, visiting China to talk about collaborating with that country to combat air pollution and climate change. In a speech on Tuesday morning, the EPA chief planned to commend China for confronting those environmental issues with ”urgency and commitment,”…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/12/10/new-epa-chief-visits-china-to-talk-air-pollution-in-first-trip-abroad/ China Releases Blueprint for Adapting to Climate Change. China issued its first nation-wide blueprint for adapting to climate change, as governments around the world shift their efforts from focusing solely on curbing global warming to minimizing its impact on people and the environment. “Addressing climate change isn’t only about reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, it’s also about taking initiative on adaptation,” …Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/12/10/china-issues-blueprint-to-help-minimize-effects-of-global-warming-and-climate-change/ Climate Change Capitalism. Several leading energy companies and public utilities have quietly accepted the reality of climate change. They acknowledge that carbon will be taxed or a price added to it to discourage fossil fuel use and encourage renewable energy sources. In their long-term strategies, they now assume that the cost of carbon will rise significantly. Last week, a non-profit research organization called CDP…Posted. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/12/10/energy-and-utility-companies-recognize-the-climate-change-reality For Our Children--and the Economy--Congress Must Act Now to Continue Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy. Few of us have the tedious details of the U.S. tax code on our minds during this holiday season. But one of the best gifts Congress could give us—and future generations—would be to extend the renewable energy tax incentives expiring this month. Without congressional action, only the long-subsidized fossil fuel industry will benefit. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kkennedy/for_our_children--and_the_econ.html U.S. Cities Prepare For Climate Change Effects. When it comes to climate change, local officials have a message for Washington: Lead or get out of the way. Local governments have long acted as first responders in emergencies and now are working to plan for sea level rise, floods, hurricanes and other extreme events associated with climate change. As a presidential task force prepares for its first meeting Tuesday, local officials say they want and need federal support, but they worry that congressional gridlock and balky bureaucratic rules too often get in the way. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/10/cities-climate-change_n_4417955.html Electric Cars: Which States Are Doing It Right, Which States Lag? If you live in parts of California, electric cars--from the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid all the way up to the Tesla Model S--are no longer uncommon. The streets of Palo Alto, in the center of Silicon Valley, are practically crawling with Teslas these days. But in other parts of the country, you may go months without seeing a single car with a plug. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1089014_electric-cars-which-states-are-doing-it-right-which-states-lag Newly discovered greenhouse gas '7,000 times more powerful than CO2'. Perfluorotributylamine is an unregulated, long-living industrial chemical that breaks all records for potential climate impacts. A new greenhouse gas that is 7,000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the Earth has been discovered by researchers in Toronto. The newly discovered gas, perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), has been in use by the electrical industry since the mid-20th century. Posted. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/10/new-greenhouse-gas-powerful-chemical-perfluorotributylamine ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2013 13:58:44 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 11, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 11, 2013. 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 EU Carbon Falls as Nations Opt for Flexible Surplus-Fix Option. Carbon fell for the first time in six days after European Union governments gave their initial support to the most flexible version of a rescue plan for the bloc’s emissions market. Carbon allowances declined as much as 5.2 percent after member states at a EU Climate Change Committee meeting in Brussels favored a scenario that withholds fewer permits from auctions in 2014 than the 400 million under an alternative option. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-11/eu-carbon-falls-as-nations-opt-for-flexible-surplus-fix-option.html U.K. Urged to Keep Carbon Goal Even as Energy Costs Climb. The U.K.’s ambition to cut carbon emissions by half is affordable and mustn’t be watered down, the government’s adviser on global warming said. “There is no reason to change the budget,” John Gummer, chairman of the Committee on Climate Change and a member of the parliament’s upper house, said in London. The advice is included in a report today that concludes a two-part review of Britain’s target to reduce emissions by half by 2025 from 1990 levels. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-11/u-k-urged-to-keep-carbon-goal-even-as-energy-costs-climb.html Australian offset scheme hits milestone but future uncertain. Australia this week surpassed 3 million credits issued under its carbon offset scheme for agriculture, forestry and waste, but uptake of new projects is low with regulatory uncertainty weighing heavily on project developers, experts say. The Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) was launched in 2011 under the former Labor government to drive emission reductions in sectors…Posted. http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/australia-carbon-idINL3N0JQ1FX20131211 Report: Big U.S. Businesses Ready For A Carbon Price. First came the news that a majority of the American public and many big investors are increasingly open to curbing the effect of global warming and supportive of mitigating carbon emissions by government action. Now comes a new report from the CDP revealing that many of the largest U.S. and global companies are ready for it too. The CDP, which released its report last week, analyzed data from many of the biggest companies in the U.S. or doing business here. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkrancer/2013/12/11/report-big-u-s-businesses-ready-for-a-carbon-price/ Guangdong to Start Carbon Auction With China’s Highest Price. China’s southern province of Guangdong will start auctioning 3 million metric tons of carbon permits on Dec. 16 with the highest debut price in the nation. Guangdong, the largest of seven carbon markets planned in China, set a minimum of 60 yuan ($9.90) per ton of emissions for the auction, according to a statement distributed on the website of the provincial Development and Reform Commission. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-12-11/guangdong-to-start-carbon-auction-with-china-s-highest-price AIR POLLUTION Justices Hear Case on Cross-State Pollution Rules. The Supreme Court heard arguments on Tuesday in a knotty environmental case over how to hold states responsible for air pollution that drifts across their borders and causes harm in downwind states. If there was consensus among the justices, it concerned only the complexity and difficulty of the issues before them. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/us/justices-hear-arguments-on-cross-state-air-pollution-rules.html?hpw&rref=politics Air pollution battle pits administration against GOP-led states. The Supreme Court seems receptive to the call for tougher environmental rules to reduce cross-border air pollution from Midwestern and Southern states. In a regional air pollution battle with partisan overtones, the Obama administration appeared to make headway Tuesday in persuading the Supreme Court to allow tougher federal environmental standards to prevent ozone and other emissions from coal-producing Midwestern and Southern states from wafting over Northeastern states. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-court-air-pollution-20131211,0,709478.story#ixzz2nC0WqOU1 China: Here Are Some Great Things About Toxic Air. China' You can’t make this stuff up. On Sunday, with swaths of eastern China shrouded in a polluted haze, Chinese state media decided to release a list of five “surprising benefits” of smog. Here, courtesy of Wang Lei, an editor for China Central Television’s website, are five good things about bad air: Posted. http://world.time.com/2013/12/09/china-here-are-some-great-things-about-toxic-air/#ixzz2nBxBD4OT CLIMATE CHANGE Corbett pick gets nod after climate change dustup. Pennsylvania state senators have confirmed Gov. Tom Corbett's latest nominee to be his environmental protection secretary, but not before a dustup over climate change. Christopher Abruzzo won the Senate's 42-8 confirmation vote Tuesday to head the Department of Environmental Protection. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Corbett-pick-gets-nod-after-climate-change-dustup-5052582.php Free app will measure your carbon footprint. If you want to know what your carbon footprint is — either for yourself or for your small business — there’s an app for that. The California Air Resources Board developed a free app for iTunes and Android that allows users to calculate their carbon footprint. To use the calculator, a user plugs in his or her car’s mileage rating, and other factors, such as how much is spent on electricity or natural gas. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2013/12/11/free-app-will-measure-your-carbon.html California Releases Draft Climate Change Preparation Plan. The draft “Safeguarding California Plan” is an update of the state’s 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy. It outlines the preparations needed in nine key sectors like energy, public health, agriculture and water. The plan recommends a long-term sustainable funding source for climate change mitigation and better coordination between government agencies, private business and individual citizens. http://www.capradio.org/14451 B.C.’s once-lauded green agenda now in disarray. It was not that long ago that B.C. was being hailed as a leader in the fight against rising greenhouse gas emissions. Former premier Gordon Campbell was the toast of enviro-crusaders everywhere, his bold reduction targets held up as an example of the kind of brave political leadership required to save the Earth from burning up. Mr. Campbell, of course, was pushed from office prematurely, the victim of one of the biggest public policy blunders in recent memory – the harmonized sales tax. Posted. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bcs-once-lauded-green-agenda-now-in-disarray/article15857839/ Global Climate Change Primarily Impacting Fresh Water Supply says Climatologist. The primary impact of global warming and climate change will be on the availability of fresh water, according to former NASA Climatologist DeWayne Cecil. This comes as bad news in a world already experiencing widespread water shortages, water wars, famine and drought. Posted. http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/12/11/global_climate_change_primarily_impacting_fresh.htm Scrapping sea level protection puts Australian homes at risk. As the science on the coastal impacts of climate change gets stronger, the protections for Australia’s coastal communities are getting weaker. If that continues, everyone will pay. Along the eastern seaboard of Australia, where most of us live, state governments are relaxing their policies and largely leaving it to local councils to decide if homes can be built in low-lying areas. The Queensland government confirmed this week that sea level rise will be removed from its State Planning Policy…Posted. http://theconversation.com/scrapping-sea-level-protection-puts-australian-homes-at-risk-21271 USGS releases tool quantifying county-scale impacts of climate change. Wondering what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's most recent report might mean for your county? Yesterday, the U.S. Geological Survey released an online tool to help. Developed in collaboration with Oregon State University's College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, the tool provides future temperature and precipitation projections for all counties within the contiguous United States. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991647/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY IPCC scientists outline areas of climate uncertainty, but panel's future is also uncertain. Scientists affiliated with the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted areas for future scientific focus during a presentation at the American Geophysical Union conference here. While the IPCC scientists focused on presenting areas of scientific interest, they were repeatedly asked about the future of the panel and its reports. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/12/11/stories/1059991629 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB sued over older trucks. A lawsuit filed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) against the California Air Resources Board (CARB) last week seeks an injunction against the agencies truck and bus emission regulations because those rules interfere with interstate commerce and discriminate against out-of-state truckers. “It’s not about emission compliance of older trucks or newer trucks; it’s about violating the Commerce Clause” of the U.S. Constitution, Norita Taylor, OOIDA’s spokesperson, told Fleet Owner. Posted. http://fleetowner.com/regulations/carb-sued-over-older-trucks http://www.forconstructionpros.com/news/11273174/lawsuit-calls-carb-truck-retrofit-rules-a-barrier-to-interstate-commerce Under fire, facing suit: CARB hears from truck owners. Already under fire from many in the trucking industry and facing a new lawsuit, the California Air Resources Board unveiled new exemptions and hinted it would consider other loopholes for its Truck and Bus Regulation last week. Though CARB’s Truck and Bus Rule went into effect two years ago, most small trucking fleets haven’t been required to install diesel particulate filters or replace older trucks until January 2014. As the deadline approached, complaints about the rule have increased. Posted. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=26296#.Uqi_PhCB33U Federal judges reject EPA rule on heavy-duty truck engine emissions. Federal appellate judges today again threw out a U.S. EPA rule related to its approval of heavy-duty truck engines that did not meet its air standards. At issue is a long-running challenge to EPA's rulemaking following its 2001 engine emission standards for smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides, or NOx. The standards required manufacturers to cut emissions by 95 percent by 2010. The industry split on how to accomplish that goal. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2013/12/11/stories/1059991672 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Uphill Battle in Europe Over Fracking. A recent lecture on energy and climate change at the London School of Economics and Political Science by John Browne, the former chief executive of the oil giant BP, showed how contentious the debate on the merits of extracting natural gas from shale rock has become in Britain and Europe. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/business/energy-environment/uphill-battle-in-europe-over-fracking.html?_r=0 California said to be poised for oil boom – maybe. To hear the oil industry tell it, California stands poised for an economic boom. Development of the Monterey Shale, a vast geologic formation that could hold 15.4 billion barrels of oil, will flood the state with new jobs and tax revenue, according to the industry and its allies. They've used that argument as an effective shield against environmentalists bent on banning fracking in California. But not everyone is convinced the Monterey Shale can be developed, at least not on a grand scale. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/California-said-to-be-poised-for-oil-boom-maybe-5054568.php Biofuels industry struggles with economic, political climate biofuel industry faces hurdles. Companies developing renewable fuels and chemicals face extraordinary political uncertainty in getting the government to support their needs, said speakers at a San Diego conference on industrial biotechnology. The renewable-fuel market is now dominated by ethanol, produced from corn and added to gasoline. That mandate has been widely criticized for competing with food production and for a questionable energy benefit. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/11/tp-biofuels-industry-struggles-with-economic/ VEHICLES Fiat 500e Wins Road & Track’s Best Electric Car for 2013. With all electric vehicles on the market such as the Tesla Model S, it was surprising that the Fiat 500e won Road & Track’s Best Electric Car for 2013. But you have to stop and consider, while this car is on the tiny side, it delivers some undeniably fun to drive feature, including 111 horsepower that will run for 87 miles on a single charge. The regenerative braking system and handling also helped put this subcompact into the winners circle. Posted. http://automotivediscovery.com/fiat-500e-wins-road-tracks-best-electric-car-2013/9218359/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoks6rLZKXonjHpfsX56ekoWKS%2BlMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4ASsFiI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFSrfMMbd52bgEUhE%3D GREEN ENERGY U.S. poised to pass Germany in solar installation for first time in 15 years. Germany is still the world's juggernaut when it comes to installed solar, with twice the capacity of second-place Italy and roughly five times that of the United States. For the first time in 15 years, however, the United States appears to be closing that gap, surpassing Germany in 2013 in terms of new installed solar power. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991645/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Mercury pollution a step closer to being curbed. Mercury, a neurotoxin and one of the world's most prevalent pollutants, has been a public health concern for decades. But its days as a major environmental health issue may be numbered under a new international treaty that limits its use for the first time. The U.N. treaty, known as the Minamata Convention, has been signed by about 140 countries and, in November, the United States became the first to ratify it. http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Mercury-pollution-a-step-closer-to-being-curbed-5052908.php Health report ranks CA 21st in nation. Though Californians are more physically active than their peers in other states, obesity is on the rise, according to a nationwide health report released Tuesday by the nonprofit United Health Foundation. The 24th annual “America’s Health Rankings” report for 2013 examines a range of publicly available government data to rank states across 31 categories, from smoking and drug deaths to infant mortality and diabetes. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/10/health-report-united-california/ BLOGS Purify The Air As You Ride, With This Photosynthesis Bike. Developed by designers in Bangkok, this bike is like a two-wheeled plant, powered by your feet. Bicycles are often cited as the most efficient modes of transportation in the world. They’re five times more efficient than walking, and 100 calories on a bike can send a person three miles. In a car, 100 calories would only take a passenger 280 feet. What if a bike of the future could perform more than one function, earning even more efficiency brownie points? ...Posted. http://www.fastcoexist.com/3023176/purify-the-air-as-you-ride-with-this-photosynthesis-bike#1 ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2013 14:05:31 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 12, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 12, 2013. 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 UPDATE 1-Guangdong may withhold free permits in China's 4th emissions scheme: sources. China's Guangdong province has warned emitters that unless they bid for carbon permits in government auctions at a regulated minimum price, they will not receive any free permits under the nation's fourth emissions trading scheme, sources said. China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is launching seven pilot carbon markets ahead of a nationwide scheme later this decade…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/china-guangdong-carbon-idUSL3N0JR19J20131212 Groups Call for Repayment of Loan From Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds. Lawmakers approved a one-time loan from the auction proceeds to the general fund last fiscal year. The Governor is now preparing to release his 2014-2015 budget proposal in January. The coalition says the Governor has a legal obligation to repay the loan and invest in programs that reduce carbon pollution. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/articles/2013/12/11/groups-call-for-repayment-of-loan-from-cap-and-trade-auction-proceeds/ AIR POLLUTION Beijing to buy new buses to clear city smog –media. China's capital Beijing, regularly shrouded in hazardous air pollution, plans to replace its oil-burning buses with greener models by 2017 to help clear the smog, state news agency Xinhua said. Nearly 14,000 new buses powered by electricity or natural gas will be bought to replace two-thirds of Beijing's bus fleet and halve carbon emissions, Xinhua said on Thursday, citing the city's environment and transportation authorities. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/china-buses-idUSL3N0JR3KS20131212 Toxins from burning bodies bad for Oakland, lawsuit says. Oakland approved a large crematorium in an East Oakland industrial area without first considering the health impacts of burning some 3,000 bodies a year, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by an East Oakland environmental group. The suit, announced Wednesday by Communities for a Better Environment, alleges that Oakland's city planners wrongly considered the crematorium a "general manufacturing facility" that could be approved without a public hearing. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Toxins-from-burning-bodies-bad-for-Oakland-5056562.php http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24709052/lawsuit-oakland-crematorium-will-pollute-air?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24709052/lawsuit-oakland-crematorium-will-pollute-air?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/12/3663112/lawsuit-oakland-crematorium-will.html High court likely to allow Obama’s clean-air rules. The fate of key clean-air regulations — central to the President Obama’s larger environmental agenda — now rests with the Supreme Court, which on Tuesday hinted it may throw the administration a lifeline and allow controversial pollution rules to be reinstated. The high court heard arguments Tuesday in a case that’s pitted the administration against states and the energy industry and one that centers on the Environmental Protection Agency’s so-called good neighbor rule, which was struck down by a lower court last year. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/10/high-court-likely-to-allow-obamas-clean-air-rules/ Thursday will be record fifth straight Spare the Air day. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the season’s ninth winter Spare the Air alert for Thursday, which bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors for 24 hours. Extremely cold, stagnant weather persists in the Bay Area, causing the air district to call a record fifth consecutive alert. Posted. http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/thursday-will-be-record-fifth-straight-spare-the-air-day/article_8a0d49e4-62ac-11e3-94c4-001a4bcf887a.html CLIMATE CHANGE Will city warm to a costly climate plan? Many scientists and environmental activists have declared the debate over man-made global warming to be over. Even climate-change skeptics seem to admit as much, at least in terms of public-policy. Like it or not, officials at every level of government view climate change as a given and are crafting regulations to combat it. It may be pointless to get into scientific scuffles at this point, but there is another global-warming debate that is emerging. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/11/will-san-diego-warm-costly-climate-plan/ DIESEL EMISSIONS CARB gives conditional OK to emissions reduction system. Carrier Transicold announced that its optional engine emissions system (EES) has received conditional verification from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The EES reduces diesel particulates from trailer refrigeration units by more than 98%, Carrier Transicold said. According to Carrier Transicold, the EES is the first OEM-developed CARB level 3+ verified diesel emissions control (VDEC) device for trailer refrigeration units…Posted. http://fleetowner.com/running-green/carb-gives-conditional-ok-emissions-reduction-system FUELS U.S. Senators introduce bill to eliminate corn ethanol mandate. A group of 10 U.S. Senators introduced a bipartisan bill on Thursday to eliminate the corn ethanol mandate, arguing that current law raises the cost of food and animal feed and damages the environment. The bill, introduced by Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat; Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican; and eight cosponsors, faces an uphill battle as many lawmakers from agricultural states support the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/us-usa-ethanol-corn-idUSBRE9BB0WR20131212 UPDATE 1-Governments fail to agree EU limit on food-based biofuels. EU energy ministers on Thursday failed to agree on a compromise deal to limit the use of transport fuels made from food crops, which critics say pushes up food prices and can do more harm than good to the environment. The European Union's Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said the delay would damage its efforts to reduce dependence on gas and oil imported…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/eu-biofuels-idUSL6N0JR2VL20131212 In Podesta, a Keystone skeptic returns to White House. John Podesta's return to the White House could dim prospects for the Keystone XL pipeline's approval, environmentalists said Wednesday, as the Democratic Party elder and Keystone critic crafts policies to curb climate change. Podesta, who was chief of staff under President Bill Clinton, will have the title "counselor to the president" and chiefly advise President Barack Obama on energy and climate change issues, the White House said this week. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-usa-whitehouse-keystone-idUSBRE9BA04H20131211 As U.S. gov't cuts back on biofuel, some rue 'collateral damage' Ben Wootton was just getting ready to bring his company out of bankruptcy last month when word from Washington stopped him in his tracks. Instead of an expected pick-up in sales for the biofuel-based diesel that he makes from recycled cooking oil at a suburban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, plant, demand is likely to drop due to a proposed freeze on U.S. consumption mandates. "I won't be alive, for sure," said Wootton, who runs the 1.5 million gallon per year Keystone Biofuels plant. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/us-epa-biofuels-idUSBRE9BB02920131212 More refinery closures on the cards for 2014 –IEA. An increase in new oil refining capacity and a rise in production of fuel not processed at refineries will lead to more plant closures in 2014, the International Energy Agency said in its latest monthly report. Crude distillation capacity will increase by a net 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2013 and a further 1.2 million bpd in 2014, IEA forecast in its December Oil Market Report. Refineries in Europe, in particular, have been hit hard by competition from plants in the United States and Asia…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/iea-refining-idUSL6N0JQ27H20131211 How Shale Helped Frack Mexico's Energy Impasse. After decades of inertia, the energy-reform proposal given general approval by the Mexican Senate late Tuesday goes even further than many had expected. The country's rapidly changing energy relationship with its northern neighbor helps explain why. Mexico's dismal decline in oil production, to 2.94 million barrels per day last year from 3.85 million in 2004, is the obvious impetus for trying to coax in more foreign money and expertise. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304202204579252093109526358?mod=WSJ_Energy_2_4_Right Exxon: Rising living standards propel energy needs. Exxon Mobil says the drive for higher living standards around the world will keep demand for electricity and transportation fuels growing even as economies get more efficient and governments put a price on pollution. The company's annual long-term energy outlook, released Thursday, predicts world energy demand will grow 35 percent by 2040 as electricity and modern fuels …Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/11/exxon-rising-living-standards-propel-energy-needs/ HIGH-SPEED RAIL Sides go back to court in high-speed train lawsuit. The combatants in a lawsuit over California's high-speed project head back to court Friday afternoon in Sacramento. Lawyers with the California Attorney General's Office and attorneys for high-speed rail opponents in Kings County will meet in a case management conference that is expected to set a spring trial date over allegations that current plans for the proposed bullet-train violate Proposition 1A…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/11/3661992/sides-go-back-to-court-in-high.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY Muni trolley wire 'visual pollution' electrifies debate. San Francisco's 78-year-old system of electric trolley buses sounds like a model of green transportation: low-noise, no-emission, high-capacity vehicles that serve the city's busiest Muni routes. At least until you look up. The wires that supply power to the buses run above miles of city streets, putting caps of electric lines over some of San Francisco's most traveled intersections before disappearing into rats' nests of overhead wires strung by a motley list of public utilities. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Muni-trolley-wire-visual-pollution-electrifies-5056671.php MISCELLANEOUS Calif. Assembly Democrats urge $8B budget reserve. Assembly Speaker John Perez pledged Wednesday to cautiously begin restoring funding to some social programs that were slashed during the recession and said lawmakers will ask voters to approve a revised rainy day fund on the November 2014 ballot. Having a voter-mandated savings plan and building an $8 billion budget reserve by 2017 would protect the state from future "slashes and cuts" like those that devastated state programs in recent years, said Perez, D-Los Angeles. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/11/5992674/calif-assembly-democrats-urge.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS China’s Rust Belt Cities Hit With New Air Pollution Fines. A province in the heart of China’s rust belt has levied air pollution fines on city governments for the first time, in a sign that pressure to improve air quality in the world’s second-largest economy is trickling down to the local level. Liaoning, one of the nation’s largest industrial hubs, has so far collected a total of 54.2 million yuan ($8.9 million) from eight of its cities after it passed tougher air-pollution regulations last year, the official Xinhua news agency reported Monday. Posted. http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/12/11/new-air-pollution-fines-hit-chinas-rust-belt-cities/?KEYWORDS=air+pollution Toyota wants to sell 5k-10k fuel cell vehicles a year, to start. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) powered by hydrogen were taken more seriously at the LA Auto Show and Tokyo Motor Show last month than ever before, but their presence in the market is still shrouded in fog. Soichiro Okudaira, chief officer of research and development at Toyota, is confident fuel cell costs will come down enough to make FCEVs "just one alternative of the eco cars," but that probably won't happen for another 10-15 years. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/12/toyota-wants-to-sell-5k-10k-fuel-cell-vehicles-a-year-to-start/ SolarCity using Tesla battery tech for DemandLogic grid energy storage. Grid energy storage is becoming a tangible business opportunity for cleantech companies and automakers these days – it's all that's left of Coda, for example, and Toyota is open to the opportunities. Sun-power provider SolarCity has entered the market with DemandLogic, a smart energy storage system designed to deal with what it calls two major pain points for businesses: rising utility demand charges and increasing grid outages. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/12/solarcity-using-tesla-battery-tech-for-demandlogic-grid-energy-s/ 2014 World Cup to nearly double carbon emissions over 2010. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil will dump 2.72 million tons of carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere, according to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). To put that number into perspective, it’s equivalent to the CO2 produced by 560,000 cars in a year, or 136,000 American homes. And that’s over 1 million tons more CO2 than was emitted by the previous World Cup in 2010. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/2014-world-cup-to-nearly-double-carbon-emissions-over-2010/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:21:16 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 13, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 13, 2013. 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 EU Maritime Carbon Rules Must Avoid Global Row, Governments Say. The European Union’s planned rules to monitor greenhouse gases from ships must be in line with international law to avoid conflicts with other nations, according to member states including Italy and Ireland. Draft rules to introduce monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide from ships starting in 2018 were discussed by EU environment ministers at a quarterly meeting in Brussels today. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-13/eu-maritime-carbon-rules-must-avoid-global-row-governments-say.html UN Carbon Plan Won’t Reverse 99% Price Decline, New Energy Says. Support for voluntary retirement of United Nations carbon credits at last month’s global climate talks is unlikely to dent a surplus that drove prices to record lows, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Envoys at the UN Conference of the Parties in Warsaw encouraged canceling Certified Emission Reductions, or CERs, while stopped short of simplifying the retirement process. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-12-12/un-carbon-plan-won-t-reverse-99-percent-price-decline-new-energy-says Wetlands Carbon Credits. Could Swim Into California Market. Carbon finance could soon play a critical role in the restoration of California’s wetlands, with a coalition of stakeholders developing a methodology that would allow wetlands restoration projects in the state to generate credits for both the voluntary carbon market and California’s cap-and-trade program. The new methodology would scientifically quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from the restoration of California deltaic and coastal wetlands. Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=10109§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION Shanghai Air Pollution ‘Moderate’ at 7 Times PM2.5 Guidelines. Shanghai warned children and the elderly to avoid prolonged or heavy outdoor activities as PM2.5 readings hit seven times the World Health Organization’s recommended level of daily exposure. The air quality index was 183 as of 9 a.m., signaling “moderate pollution,” the third worst in a six-tier warning system, according to the website of the city’s environmental monitoring center. The level of PM2.5 pollutants was 186.4 micrograms per cubic meter. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-13/shanghai-air-pollution-moderate-at-7-times-pm2-5-guidelines.html Air pollution taking hold over N. Utah. Much of northern Utah was under a health alert Thursday as lung-busting soot counts signaled the arrival of another air pollution season that coincides with cold and stagnant air, which can trap industrial and tailpipe emission close to the ground. Salt Lake City had the nation's dirtiest air Thursday, far exceeding health standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Air-pollution-taking-hold-over-N-Utah-5059124.php Sierra Club threatens suit over Ameren air quality. An environmental group says it plans to soon sue utility provider Ameren over what it calls repeated violations of federal air pollution standards. The Sierra Club told Ameren Corp. it plans legal action in the next 60 days over what the group says are nearly 10,000 violations of the Clean Air Act since 2008 at coal-fired power plants in St. Louis, Jefferson and Franklin counties. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Sierra-Club-threatens-suit-over-Ameren-air-quality-5058960.php AQMD issues ‘no burn' warning today for L.A., Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Due to an unhealthful air quality forecast, today will be a no-burn day for residents living in the South Coast Air Basin. Residents living in the basin, which includes all of Orange County and the non-desert areas of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, are prohibited from burning wood or manufactured fire logs in their fireplaces for the 24-hour period that began at midnight…Posted. http://www.dailybulletin.com/general-news/20131213/aqmd-issues-no-burn-warning-today-for-la-orange-san-bernardino-and-riverside-counties Homeowner power products maker agrees to $1 million California air board fine. Husqvarna Professional Products has agreed to pay a fine of $1,038,000 for violations of air quality laws related to the sale of uncertified small engines in California, according to the state Air Resources Board. Husqvarna is an international company whose outdoor products include chain saws, lawn mowers, trimmers, blowers, brush cutters and snow blowers. Posted. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/12/12/3389350/homeowner-power-products-maker.html http://www.examiner.com/article/husqvarna-professional-products-fined-more-than-1-million-by-arb Judges skeptical of industry challenge to EPA nonroad regs. Federal judges appeared reluctant today to back a challenge from the makers of nonroad engines to U.S. EPA's air regulations. The case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit represents yet another attempt by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) to undermine EPA's 1994 regulations and California's later attempt to implement more stringent standards. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991851/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Mild 2013 cuts Arctic a break, warming woes remain. The rapid melting in the Arctic eased up this year. But the government says global warming is still dramatically altering the top of the world, reducing the number of reindeer and shrinking snow and ice, while increasing certain fish and extending the growing season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its report card for the Arctic on Thursday, portraying 2013 as moderate compared with the roasting 2012. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Mild-2013-cuts-Arctic-a-break-warming-woes-remain-5058592.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/12/5996161/noaa-arctic-sea-ice-melt-linked.html FUELS Keystone XL's true effect on emissions is Obama's main issue. The oil industry says the pipeline can pass the test, but critics say it will lead to more oil sands extraction, and thus, more greenhouse gases. Can the Keystone XL pipeline be built without significantly worsening greenhouse gas emissions and climate change? For President Obama, that is the main criterion for granting a federal permit to allow the pipeline to cross from southern Alberta into the United States. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-canada-tarsands-20131213,0,3099649.story#ixzz2nNX0Do9S State issues emergency fracking regulations. The California Department of Conservation on Thursday announced it has come up emergency regulations on oil and gas well stimulation that will go into effect Jan. 1. The department is working on developing rules that will regulate hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, that will go into effect at the start of 2015. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/state-issues-emergency-fracking-regulations/article_c38e64d0-63cb-11e3-9133-0019bb2963f4.html Developing plant-based plastics and other materials could help cut greenhouse gases. Encouraging the development of plant-based feedstocks could help achieve the administration's goals in addressing climate change, a panel of experts said yesterday. Speaking at a briefing organized by the American Chemical Society, the panelists discussed the benefits of replacing petroleum-based fuels, plastics and chemicals with ones made from soybeans, coconuts, wood and various other potential materials. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/12/13/stories/1059991811 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Calif. agency deepens probe into authority over offshore fracking. The agency in charge of protecting California's coastline is scrutinizing whether it has the authority to police the use of hydraulic fracturing for offshore deposits of oil and natural gas. The California Coastal Commission oversees use of land and water along the 1,100-mile coast but until now hasn't weighed in on the unconventional drilling that's happening offshore. Revelations that fracking is happening there could change that. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059991821/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Ford to make start-stop technology available on 70% of its N. America lineup by 2017. Auto Start-Stop technology will be available on 70% of Ford’s North American vehicle lineup by 2017, the company said. Ford Auto Start-Stop can increase fuel efficiency by up to 10% in city driving. A major part of the company’s Blueprint for Sustainability, the expansion of Auto Start-Stop comes as the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine (earlier post) is set to go on sale in the 2014 Ford Fiesta. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/12/20131213-fordss.html Electric car sales have a banner year, but overall volumes remain low. In a sign of the strengthening economy, more than 15 million new cars and light trucks will be sold in the United States this year, up from 14.4 million in 2012. Among them will be a record number of electric vehicles, though overall volumes remain low as consumers slowly grow comfortable with the new technology. "There was an expectation that electric vehicles would take off very quickly, but this is a process," said auto industry analyst Alan Baum. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_24714434/electric-car-sales-have-banner-year-but-overall?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com New US Survey Finds Lots of Americans Are 'EV-Ready'. When it comes to electric cars, most people are worried about their limited range and potential repair costs. Instead, they should be concerned about where to plug the cars in. That’s the conclusion of a new study by Consumers Union and the Union of Concerned Scientists, which surveyed 914 adults who own cars in a nationally representative telephone sample. Posted. http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=31927 GREEN ENERGY Mexico Congress Passes Historic Energy Bill. Mexico's Congress voted amid fistfights and shouts of "treason" to end the 75-year monopoly of the state-owned oil firm Petróleos Mexicanos. The landmark bill aims to open the door for foreign oil giants to return to one of the world's biggest energy markets for the first time since 1938. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303932504579254013051981266 Earth Friendly Products is on a mission to make cleaning green. The firm manufactures dozens of natural cleaning products at its Garden Grove plant that it says are biodegradable and free of toxic chemical substances. At a Garden Grove manufacturing plant, chemists confer over batches of lavender, parsley and other natural ingredients, testing them for strength and quality. Other tests ensure that the products are pure and pour well. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-made-in-californa-green-cleaners-20131213,0,2326034.story#ixzz2nNnijNTr Homes equipped with rooftop solar sell at a premium in Calif. It's common knowledge in the real estate world that homes with special amenities -- like oversized garages or backyard swimming pools -- fetch a higher price on the resale market. But what if the home is equipped with rooftop solar panels, an amenity that is a material asset but can also reduce the homeowner's energy costs? Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991810/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Solar installations to grow 20% globally in 2014, Citigroup says. Solar power demand will grow 20 percent worldwide next year, led by booming activity in the United States, China and Japan, Citigroup analysts said in a report. Worldwide new solar installations will rise to 42 gigawatts next year from an estimated 35 GW this year, the report forecast. Installations in the United States will rise to 5.4 GW from 4 GW, in China to 10 GW from 8 GW, and in Japan to 9 GW from 7 GW. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991777/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS San Francisco bicycle boom follows bike-friendly upgrades. It will come as little surprise to anyone who's seen the river of riders flowing along Market Street during commute hours that an annual census shows bicycling continues to boom in San Francisco. The number of people riding bikes has increased 14 percent since 2011 and 96 percent since 2006. That's the conclusion of the 2013 bicycle count taken by the Municipal Transportation Agency in September and released Thursday. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/San-Francisco-bicycle-boom-follows-bike-friendly-5060338.php OPINIONS Energy Needs of the World’s Poor. Re “The Poor Need Cheap Fossil Fuels” (Op-Ed, Dec. 4): While Bjorn Lomborg is correct in that the challenge of bringing energy access to the 1.2 billion people who lack it and the challenge of combating global climate change are entwined, I disagree with his notion that governments could and should unlink these challenges to tackle them sequentially. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/13/opinion/energy-needs-of-the-worlds-poor.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print BLOGS Pollution cuts at the port promise a breath of fresher air for West Oakland. The Port of Oakland said that diesel pollution from its maritime operations has plunged 70 percent from 2005 levels, even as the port is handling 3 percent more cargo. The port is in the midst of a larger push to reduce its diesel pollution in West Oakland 85 percent by 2020. Tim Leong, an environmental scientist at the port, said the agency is on track to meet that goal. “The community can breathe easier,” Leong said. “The port is doing its part.” Posted. http://blog.sfgate.com/inoakland/2013/12/12/pollution-cuts-at-the-port-promise-a-breath-of-fresher-air-for-west-oakland/ Clean Air Has Its Day In Court. Two of the most important health standards ever adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce harmful air pollution from power plants had their day in court this week. Actually two courts: the Supreme Court heard arguments on EPA's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), which targets smog and soot pollution emitted from power plants in upwind states that travels across state boundaries to foul the air in downwind states. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jwalke/clean_air_has_its_day_in_court.html What Does Climate Change Have to Do with Health? Plenty. When people think of climate change, they tend to think of it as a science and environmental issue. But climbing levels of greenhouse gases, particulate matter, and rising seas hurts more than the environment. It harms people’s health, too. “Climate change is one of greatest public health threats of our time,” said Anne Kelsey Lamb of Oakland’s Public Health Institute. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2013/12/12/what-does-climate-change-have-to-do-with-health-plenty/ Pacific Coast Action Plan on climate and energy. On Monday, October 28, 2013, the governors of California, Oregon, Washington, and the premier of British Columbia signed a landmark climate change agreement, known as the Action Plan, committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean energy incentives along the Pacific Coast. In a novel process that bypassed the federal legislative processes in the United States and Canada…Posted. http://watchlist.vermontlaw.edu/pacific-coast-action-plan-on-climate-and-energy/ Cap-and-trade generates $3.3 million for energy efficiency this year. Vermont’s efficiency utility received $3.3 million this year through the Northeast carbon cap-and-trade initiative. The money will be used to fund the state’s thermal efficiency program. Vermont participates in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade “market” among nine Northeastern states designed to cap regional greenhouse gas emissions and encourage states to invest in renewable energy and efficiency projects. Posted. http://vtdigger.org/2013/12/12/cap-trade-generates-3-3-million-energy-efficiency-this-year/ States look to alternative fuel vehicles for efficiencies. States interested in squeezing every last efficiency out of their budgets are increasingly turning to vehicles that run on alternative fuels or use less gas, initiatives officials say could end up saving millions of dollars over the long run — while helping to spur an emerging industry. Vehicles make up a significant percentage of a state’s budget. States, counties and municipalities owned more than 3.7 million vehicles in 2011…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/12/13/states-look-to-alternative-fuel-vehicles-for-efficiencies/ The Remarkable Energy Efficiency of Electric Cars. A Belgium research group called Laborelec, with support from Brussels' Vrije University, set out two years ago to collect extensive data on the energy use of electric cars. Funded by Electrabel, the Belgian utility, they acquired five Peugeot Ion EVs, essentially clones of Mitsubishi's i-MiEV, some 30,000 of which have been sold worldwide. Posted. http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=31928 40% of American households could easily drive EVs without changing habits. It's a solution that would please just about everyone, save Exxon. Find every American household that could theoretically get by with a plug-in vehicle, and make them buy 'em. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Consumers Union says about 45 million households – about 42 percent of all the households in the US - could drive plug-in vehicles with "little or no change" in their driving habits. And more than half of those could go on just as they are today if they drove battery-electric vehicles. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/12/40-of-american-households-could-easily-drive-evs/ Bosch has big plans for better, cheaper li-ion batteries in 2020. Robert Bosch GmbH and GS Yuasa Corp. think they can solve the cost and range limitation quandaries faced by lithium ion batteries and the electric vehicles they go into. By 2020, German automotive supplier Bosch and Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa plan to deliver a li-ion battery that costs half as much to produce and offers twice the energy density of today's batteries. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/12/bosch-has-big-plans-for-better-cheaper-li-ion-batteries-in-2020/ So if the carbon tax is not working, then what is? We are told by the government the carbon tax is a huge waste of money. Emissions, they say, are not coming down. Despite throwing billions of dollars at it, there has been no appreciable result, they claim. It’s time to face the reality, and try a new approach – Direct Action. Meanwhile, we are told the carbon tax is a dead weight on the economy and, at least as part consequence, industrial output is declining alarmingly. Posted. http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/so-if-the-carbon-tax-is-not-working-then-what-is-93123 The Climate Post: Clean Air Rules Face Scrutiny as World's Largest Emitter Develops Climate Plan. Oral arguments were held Tuesday to determine the legality of a rule that regulates air pollution crossing state lines. Before the U.S. Supreme Court was the issue of whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exceeded its authority by designing state limits for air pollution when it developed the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), which was intended to take effect in January 2012. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-profeta/the-climate-post-clean-ai_b_4439806.html?view=print&comm_ref=false Secondhand smoke: Why East Coast cities are still choking on Midwest pollution. When pollution drifts by wind into other states, landing in people’s lungs and endangering their lives, it seems sensible to require the state where the pollution originated to put in controls so its industry stops harming its neighbors. It’s like a family of smokers in which a child has asthma: The onus is on the adults to limit their smoking so it doesn’t reach the crib or the playroom. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/secondhand-smoke-why-east-coast-cities-are-still-choking-on-midwestern-pollution/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2013 15:02:33 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 16, 2013 From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 16, 2013. 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 EU Adopts Emergency Carbon Fix Law to Curb Permit Glut. The European Union adopted an emergency law change to alleviate a record glut of emission permits in the region’s carbon market and help prices recover from near all-time lows. EU agriculture ministers approved an amendment to authorize the European Commission, the bloc’s regulatory arm, to postpone sales of as many as 900 million carbon allowances despite opposition from Poland. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-16/eu-adopts-emergency-carbon-fix-law-to-curb-permit-glut.html EU Climate and Energy Squeeze on Industry Backfiring, Dow Says. Europe’s “backfiring” climate and energy policies are adding to high natural gas costs and holding back Dow Chemical Co.’s investment in the region, said the company’s director of global climate change policy. European Union proposals to limit the amount of free emission permits in its cap-and-trade program boost industry costs, and are one reason Dow and other chemical makers limited refining capacity expansion in the region for the past 12 years…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-16/eu-climate-and-energy-squeeze-on-industry-backfiring-dow-says.html CARB Approves Another Round of Cap and Trade Amendments. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has held its most important meetings related to the Cap and Trade Regulation (Regulation) annually in October over the last few years, and 2013 was no exception. On October 25, CARB staff presented to the Board both retroactive and proactive “tweaks” to the program in anticipation of its next major milestone—the broadening of the compliance market in 2015 when transportation fuels are included. Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/12/16/carb-approves-another-round-of-cap-and-trade-amendments/ Initiative: Carbon-credit dollars for timber lots. For most of Oregon’s history, the forests like the ones near Paul Nys’ house were places where a landowner could get wealthy. Cultivated from seed, rows of trees were grown to a healthy middle age and then chopped down, buzzed into lumber at sawmills and shipped out. Over the years, the retired schoolteacher has had many offers to buy his property…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/initiative-carbon-credit-dollars-for-timber-lots/2013/12/16/f7b51ecc-666c-11e3-997b-9213b17dac97_story.html http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/16/6004983/initiative-carbon-credit-dollars.html#storylink=cpy http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/16/3670149/initiative-carbon-credit-dollars.html A forced auction sheds light on China's experiments with carbon trading. Good sales usually signal a strong market demand, but that might not always be the case in the Chinese carbon market. Guangdong province, host to China's fourth regionwide emissions trading pilot, today launched an auction for 3 million tons of carbon permits. While the government has yet to unveil the result, the Guangzhou-based China Emissions Exchange, which hosts the auction, said that it has been going quite well. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991889/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY AIR POLLUTION Air quality officials say South L.A. oil field modifying operations. Air quality regulators say that an urban oil field blamed for chronic respiratory illnesses and nosebleeds in a South Los Angeles neighborhood is modifying its operations to prevent leaks and upgrade air pollution controls. Allenco Energy Co., which voluntarily suspended operations Nov. 22 at the request of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), plans to inspect and repair tanks, remove an open-air drain and sump from service…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-1213-fumes-20131216,0,832064.story#ixzz2nf2TfWtD Big disparities in air pollution detected in L.A. neighborhoods. Smog is an irritation for anyone living in Los Angeles, but exactly where in the city you live can make a huge difference in your in your exposure to the tiniest air pollutants, a new study has found. The study by UCLA researchers compared four Los Angeles neighborhoods and found striking disparities in levels of air pollutants known as ultrafine particles, even over short distances. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-air-pollution-neighborhood-ultrafine-particles-20131213,0,7983027.story#ixzz2nf31qUKB http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/california-news/6428-los-angeles-neighborhoods-show-striking-differences-in-transit-related-air-pollution.html Residents urge closure of Exide battery recycling plant. The company says it has reduced emissions. One by one, hour after hour Saturday in a ballroom at Cal State Los Angeles, residents, elected officials and activists from southeast Los Angeles pleaded with an air district hearing board to shut down a Vernon battery recycler accused of endangering hundreds of thousands of people because of unsafe arsenic and lead emissions. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1215-exide-20131215,0,6472756.story#ixzz2nf3tZSA9 Lawsuit aimed at FutureGen pollution standards. The Sierra Club has filed a federal lawsuit aimed at tightening the pollution controls planned for the FutureGen clean-coal project. The environmental group argues In the lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Springfield that the project needs to meet tougher standards for preventing the release of pollutants into the air. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/16/6005170/lawsuit-aimed-at-futuregen-pollution.html#storylink=cpy http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/16/3670229/lawsuit-aimed-at-futuregen-pollution.html Air agency announces Chico wood smoke ban today. An indoor wood-burning ban for Chico has been issued for today by the Butte County Air Quality Management District. In a press release, the agency said residents inside Chico's city limits are being asked not to use woodstoves or fireplaces today because of expected poor air quality. Burning EPA-approved woodstoves or manufactured logs is OK. The ban continues today to midnight. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews/ci_24732986/air-agency-announces-chico-wood-smoke-ban-today Unhealthy air conditions expected across the Valley. The worst type of advisory from the San Joaquin Valley Air District is air deemed, "Very Unhealthy." Air is not expected to be that bad Monday, but schools and doctors are watching the air quality conditions very closely. Schools say they could be limiting outdoor actives for their kids. And allergy doctors say they are preparing for a busy day. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District expects the air from San Joaquin to Kern Counties to be unhealthy. Posted. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9361824 Spare the Air alert issued for Monday. Monday is a Spare the Air day around the Bay Area, so burning of wood logs and other solid fuels is prohibited unless there is no alternate heating source. Lingering cold weather had created stagnant atmosperic conditions expected to trap air pollution at human levels, including soot and microscopic particulates resulting from fires, air quality officials say. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131216/articles/131219682 Pollution cuts at the port promise a breath of fresher air for West Oakland. The Port of Oakland said that diesel pollution from its maritime operations has plunged 70 percent from 2005 levels, even as the port is handling 3 percent more cargo. The port is in the midst of a larger push to reduce its diesel pollution in West Oakland 85 percent by 2020. Tim Leong, an environmental scientist at the port, said the agency is on track to meet that goal. “The community can breathe easier,” Leong said. Posted. http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/dec/12/pollution-cuts-at-the-port-promise-a-breath-of/#ixzz2nfKM15XJ CLIMATE CHANGE EU reaches deal to cap super-warming F-gases. The European Union on Monday reached a tentative deal on limiting the use in fridges and air conditioners of fluorinated gases that have a global warming potential thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. Two decades after international action led to the phasing out of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the European Commission last year proposed a law to eliminate the climate-harming "F-gases" that replaced CFCs. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/16/eu-fgases-idUSL6N0JV42A20131216 U.S. states urge regulator to adopt their emissions strategies. Fifteen U.S. states have urged the top environmental regulator to adopt their carbon-cutting policies as a template for future federal rules to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, the country's largest source of pollution. Officials from states such as Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota told the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) their states had cut a fifth from carbon emissions by power plants in the past seven years, using policies other states could follow. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/16/us-coal-carbon-idUSL3N0JV0UQ20131216 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-16/fifteen-states-press-obama-for-tough-flexible-epa-rules.html http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991919/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY A burning question: Why don't climate scientists sound more worried? If the threats posed by climate change are so grave, then why don't scientists discussing those risks sound more worried? This was the question addressed by science historian Naomi Oreskes, of Harvard University, in a provocative session at the American Geophysical Union conference. The session was titled "400ppm CO2: Communicating Climate Science Effectively." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991886/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Opposition emerges to San Diego's Climate Action Plan. Last week, San Diego officials released the working draft of the city's Climate Action Plan, a 74-page proposal for slashing greenhouse gas emissions. "Climate adaptation will not be inexpensive," according to the plan. "It is a case where the cost will come before the benefits." Such open-ended verbiage has sparked concern, especially from industries that say they will feel the brunt of the new rules. The climate plan calls for major cutbacks in each household's waste production…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2013/12/16/stories/1059991863 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS EPA offers funding to cut down pollution from diesel engines. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made available $2 million in funding for rebates to help public and private construction equipment owners replace or retrofit older diesel construction engines. The rebates will reduce harmful pollution and improve air quality in local areas. “Exhaust from diesel construction equipment affects children, senior citizens and others in neighborhoods across the country…Posted. http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=152336 Hydrogen-powered buses having ups and downs. The ski resort town of Whistler, British Columbia, is ending its hydrogen fuel-cell bus program, the world's largest demonstration of its kind, and switching back to diesel. The 20-bus project was launched ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics to showcase the technology before an international audience in a location with challenging terrain and climatic conditions. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059991884/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS California Plans Tighter Control of Fracking, but Not Enough for Some. California drillers eager to use hydraulic fracturing to tap the nation’s largest oil shale formation will face comprehensive regulation for the first time next year under rules issued this week. The rules take effect on Jan. 1, though they will be replaced a year later by permanent regulations that are still being developed but are expected to be similar. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/business/energy-environment/california-plans-tighter-control-of-fracking-but-not-enough-for-some.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print Gasoline prices dropping in Charlotte area, nation. The price of gasoline in the Charlotte area and nationwide continues to dip after fluctuating throughout November, according to AAA Carolinas. The average local price today is $3.22 per gallon for regular unleaded, down from $3.26 a week ago. The Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill market’s average was $3.19 a month ago. The statewide average price in North Carolina is $3.28 per gallon, down from the week-ago average of $3.32 but still up from the month-ago average of $3.20. Posted. http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2013/12/16/gasoline-prices-dropping-in-charlotte-area-nation.html Natural gas seen passing coal as U.S. power source by 2040. The U.S. Energy Information Administration and the International Energy Agency issued slight downward revisions for future coal use in separate reports released today. EIA's "Annual Energy Outlook" early release, which makes predictions largely based on a regulatory status quo, said natural gas will overtake coal in U.S. power production by 2040. The agency said gas will fuel 35 percent of the nation's electricity by 2040 compared with 32 percent for coal. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2013/12/16/stories/1059991921 BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Democratic House bill would extend tax incentives. A House bill introduced by Democrats as members left for recess last week would extend two biofuels tax credits that are slated to expire at the end of this month. The bill introduced by Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), who leads the Congressional Algae Caucus, would provide a one-year extension of the second-generation biofuel producer credit worth $1.01 a gallon of fuel and the special allowance for second-generation biofuel plant property. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991907/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Oil prices drive ethanol, corn prices -- U.N. study. Oil prices are the long-run drivers of ethanol and corn prices, according to a new study by economists from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. FAO economists Natalia Merkushev and George Rapsomanikis found that in the long run, ethanol prices move with oil prices -- though their relationship is affected by federal policies like the renewable fuel standard. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991910/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Tesla Motors plans to debut cheaper car in early 2015. Tesla Motors plans to unveil an electric car in early 2015 that could sell in the $40,000 range, a mainstream offering that could be key to the automaker's future growth. Tesla's only current offering is the Model S, a premium sport sedan that starts at $71,070 before any state or federal tax incentives, and can cost far more with options. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-tesla-model-e-debut-2015-20131213,0,37648.story#ixzz2nfQm44AR http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991903/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Converting glycerol from biodiesel production into bio-gasoline. A team at the University of Idaho has demonstrated that glycerol, a byproduct from biodiesel production, could be used as a substrate for producing drop-in gasoline-range biofuel. In a paper published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels, Guanqun Luo and Armando G. McDonald describe their study of converting methanol (MTG) and a mixture of methanol and glycerol (MGTG) into gasoline-range hydrocarbons using a bench-top, fixed-bed microreactor. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/12/20131216-mgtg.html HIGH-SPEED RAIL Foes of bullet train are gaining momentum. The state's strategy of tapping $3.2 billion in federal money to begin construction of an ambitious bullet train project may be legally flawed and could put the state in financial jeopardy, key lawmakers say. After recent legal rulings that bar the use of state money for the project, legislators from both political parties say that even the use of federal funds is questionable and the entire project needs to be reassessed. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-bullet-future-20131214,0,7798656.story#ixzz2nfDc6AZS GREEN ENERGY Regulators pose threat to EU green energy and industry. A formal enquiry by EU regulators into German energy subsidies, expected this week, threatens to hand heavy industry a multi-billion euro bill and jeopardises Europe's shift to green energy, campaigners and lawyers say. Across the European Union, subsidies to help achieve an overall 2020 target to get 20 percent of energy used from renewable sources have been blamed for pushing up fuel costs. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/16/stateaid-idUSL6N0JT0FE20131216 Valley builders prepare for new state energy-efficiency codes next year. California is raising the bar next year on energy efficiency in new homes and commercial buildings. Developers will have to ensure roofs can support solar panels, install windows that let in sunlight while reducing heat gain, and add whole-house fans under the more stringent building codes. The improvements could add a couple thousand dollars to the cost of a home…Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/13/3666510/valley-builders-prepare-for-new.html#storylink=cpy MISCELLANEOUS Corning Inc. gets $30 million tax credit. Corning Inc. is getting a $30 million tax credit from the federal government. The 48-C Tax Credit is part of a $150 million package that will go toward investments in manufacturing facilities by 12 firms. The benefit will allow Corning to expand the manufacturing capacity of its diesel emissions control products facility in Erwin, N.Y. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says this new investment will allow continued growth as countries around the world toughen emission standards. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/AP07e3fad28af14db591ffc6d4cd4c1b3d.html?KEYWORDS=emissions Beach Mining in Monterey Bay Causes a Dustup. Officials in California Weigh Limits on a Decades-Old Facility That Dredges Sand. California's Monterey Bay boasts one of the nation's most protected coastlines, situated within a federal sanctuary that imposes bans on everything from Jet Skis to offshore drilling. Yet most days, hundreds of tons of sand are harvested from one of its most picturesque beaches, in a mining operation now coming under increased state and local scrutiny. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304202204579254312563952176?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5 Residents living near Expo Line stations reduce car use, study shows. After the light-rail line opened, Angelenos who lived within half-mile of a station tripled their rail ridership, USC study finds. he Metro Expo Line was already under construction when Ryan Vincent started house-hunting. His goal: to live within walking distance of a light-rail station. "Every house I looked at, I was doing the mental calculus," Vincent, 39, said. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-expo-study-20131216,0,6863796.story#ixzz2nf28tunE OPINIONS A Fight Over Cross-State Pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency is charged by the Clean Air Act with setting air-quality standards and issuing regulations to limit pollutants like life-threatening particulate matter and ozone. Because bad air often travels far from its source — 93 percent of the air pollution in New Haven, Conn., for example, comes from other states — the act’s “good neighbor” policy requires that every state work to assure that the pollution from its power plants does not “contribute significantly” to the pollution in other states. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/opinion/a-fight-over-cross-state-pollution.html?_r=0 Kern almond trees very close to illegal fracking discharge. I took a windshield tour last week to see hydraulic fracturing operations around Shafter, just northwest of Bakersfield. Oil and ag are side by side here -- right on top of a city of 17,000 people.I saw the site where Vintage Production California LLC discharged chemicals and water into an open pit. The fluid, containing boron, salts and other chemicals, had been injected into shale thousands of feet below to free up oil. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/16/3670127/kern-almond-trees-very-close-to.html#storylink=cpy BLOGS Air regulators seek public comment on Vernon battery recycler. More than a hundred people turned out for the South Coast Air Quality Management District's hearing about the Vernon-based Exide battery recycling plant. AQMD is asking for the district’s independent quasi-judicial board for an abatement order that would force Exide to halt all lead smelting operations until it comes into compliance with rules to control emissions of arsenic metals from its blast furnace. Posted. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2013/12/14/15408/air-regulators-seek-public-comment-on-vernon-batte/ Warmer days, potentially more pollution in store for Valley. We just got through a cold snap. Where I live, the overnight temperatures dipped down into the mid-to-upper 20s. Daytime highs, meanwhile, were in the 50s and, on some days, the 60s even. Next week, however, it’s a different story: daytime temps are expected to reach 70 degrees and this is for mid-December?! As temperatures rise, this could spell trouble for Central Valley air. Posted. http://alankandel.scienceblog.com/2013/12/14/warmer-days-potentially-more-pollution-in-store-for-valley/ The Neverending Story: Spare the Air Again on Monday. Another Winter Spare the Air alert has been issued, this one for Monday. Wood burning is banned both indoors and outdoors for the full 24 hours. It's the ninth consecutive Winter Spare the Air day, setting yet another record. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District made the announcement on Sunday afternoon, saying the prolonged cold weather is trapping pollutants close the ground and causing unhealthy air. Posted. http://piedmont.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/the-neverending-story-spare-the-air-again-on-monday-piedmont China Can Clean Its Air. On December 14, 2013, China became the first nation in 37 years to make a soft landing of a spacecraft on the moon. Its unmanned Jade Rabbit lunar rover is now very busy exploring the surface of the moon. At the very same time this great scientific achievement was taking place, events nearer to the ground were less inspiring. Last week, eastern China sat under a massive gray cloud of air pollution that was among the most widespread smog incidents the planet has ever seen. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-cohen/china-can-clean-its-air_b_4453342.html?view=print&comm_ref=false Global Warming Explained, In About A Minute. On a pleasant day in 2011, researchers roamed San Diego's public parks in search of volunteers to fill out anonymous surveys about global warming. In the end about 270 responses were collected from a mix of park visitors and nearby community college students. The researchers wanted to know how well the average American understands the basic processes responsible for global warming…Posted. http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/12/16/251437395/global-warming-explained-in-about-a-minute ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:21:12 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 17, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 17, 2013. 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 quality takes a turn for the bad. Air quality briefly soared into the "very unhealthy" range in Stockton for the third day in a row Monday, another consequence of a historically dry 2013. "Very unhealthy" is the most severe among five levels established by air quality officials. From 10 a.m. until sometime after noon, officials recommended that everyone avoid outdoor activity - not merely those who are elderly or sick, but also those who are considered healthy. Posted. http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131217/A_NEWS/312170313&cid=sitesearch Otay Mesa Pollution Permit Gets Hearing. The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public hearing this evening on revisions to a pollution permit application for a proposed power plant in unincorporated Otay Mesa. The developer of the Pio Pico Energy Center has applied for a federal pollution permit used by regulators to ensure that natural gas turbines will not significantly degrade air quality in the area. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/17/tp-otay-mesa-pollution-permit-gets-hearing-public/ Wood-burning ban continues with 7th 'Spare the Air' day. A wood-burning ban in the Bay Area has extended to a full week after a seventh-straight "Winter Spare the Air" alert was issued for Saturday. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the alert -- its 11th since the district's Winter Spare the Air season began Nov. 1 -- because of an ongoing cold weather pattern that is trapping pollution close to the ground. Posted. http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2013/12/16/wood-burning-ban-continues-with-7th-spare-the-air-day http://www.sanramonexpress.com/news/2013/12/16/bay-area-sees-unprecedented-10th-straight-winter-spare-the-air-alert http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_24735090/10th-consecutive-spare-air-alert-called-tuesday-bay?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_24739071/spare-air-today-is-today http://www.universityherald.com/articles/6237/20131216/spare-the-air-campaign-continues-bay-area-ban-on-man-made-fires-because-of-cold-weather.htm Chico wood fires banned today; fires discouraged elsewhere. The advisory that triggers an indoor wood-burning ban for Chico has been issued for today by the Butte County Air Quality Management District. Residents in Gridley are also discouraged from starting fires. In a press release, the agency said residents of Chico and Gridley are being asked not to use wood stoves or fireplaces today because of expected poor air quality. Burning EPA-approved wood stoves or manufactured logs is OK. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews/ci_24738288/chico-wood-fires-banned-today-fires-discouraged-elsewhere CLIMATE CHANGE Claims Made That Climate Change Impacts On Los Angeles Only Partially Mitigated By AB 32 Implementation. Air Resources Board To Finalize Updated AB 32 Scoping Plan In Early 2014. Under a business-as-usual scenario, research indicates that Los Angeles County is on track for less snowfall, hotter temperatures and an increase in the number of extreme heat days by mid-century, and these changes are inevitable. Posted. http://lbbusinessjournal.com/long-beach-business-journal-newswatch/2013-claims-made-that-climate-change-impacts-on-los-angeles-only-partially-mitigated-by-ab-32-implementation.html Dems aim to elevate work on global warming next year – Boxer. Senate Democrats will do what they can to push climate change to the top of the political agenda in the new year, starting with "big announcements" that could come even before the New Year's Eve ball drops, Sen. Barbara Boxer said today. The California Democrat will hold a long-promised hearing Jan. 16 on President Obama's Climate Action Plan featuring U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059991994/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Trucking companies give drivers a way to own their own truck. A few years ago, the Gardena resident asked his oldest son to be his partner in the drayage trucking business, which involved ferrying containers to and from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles with a 1996 Peterbilt truck. Jorge Jr. jumped at the chance to work with his father, a man who supported a family of five children with trucking. But the ports enacted a Clean Trucks Program in 2008 to reduce the number of polluting trucks…Posted. http://www.sbsun.com/business/20131216/trucking-companies-give-drivers-a-way-to-own-their-own-truck http://www.presstelegram.com/business/20131216/program-helps-drivers-at-ports-of-la-and-long-beach-own-their-own-trucks FUELS Britain Opens Door to More Shale Gas Drilling. The British government signaled on Tuesday that it was intensifying its efforts to encourage the development of shale gas production, with plans to award a new set of shale drilling licenses next year despite persistent opposition from environmental groups. “Today marks the next step in unlocking the potential of shale gas in our energy mix,” Energy Minister Michael Fallon said in a statement on Tuesday. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/business/international/britain-opens-door-to-more-shale-gas-drilling.html?pagewanted=print Shell aims to lower oil sands emissions with LNG trucks. Oil sands operator Shell Canada Ltd. announced yesterday that it is teaming up with manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. to test natural gas-fueled trucks in northern Alberta. The company said it hopes to cut its emissions profile at oil sands sites by equipping mining trucks with engines that run primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG releases less greenhouse gases and harmful particulates than diesel when burned and is typically less expensive than oil-based fuels on a per-gallon-equivalent basis. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059991959/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS UW balloons measure particles in atmosphere. The balloon looks more like an enormous jelly fish when it lifts off. Helium buoys the top as the rest of its fabric skin hangs limp. It's not a hot air balloon as we know it, where a pilot uses heat to control elevation. This balloon fills with gas until it becomes a 100-foot ball floating high above the Earth's surface. Instead of carrying people, it hauls pricey instruments. And instead of floating around the state, the balloon bursts about 20 miles up in the sky, parachuting down instruments that measure particles, ozone, temperature, altitude and pressure. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UW-balloons-measure-particles-in-atmosphere-5066974.php OPINIONS Climate Change Denial. Re “The Little Treaty That Could” (By Degrees, Dec. 10): When I read that “some of the same people who deny global warming now took money from the chemical industry back then to challenge science,” it occurs to me that our culture has to consider whether this equates to simple political process or prostitution. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/science/climate-change-denial.html BLOGS Amid China’s Bad Air, a Reminder That Smoking Still Kills. As the recognition of the danger of outdoor air pollution in China grows, health authorities are trying to use that knowledge to raise awareness of an even deadlier health threat: smoking. China has about 350 million smokers, and despite efforts to reduce consumption, tobacco is still widely consumed, and about half of adult males are regular smokers, according to surveys. Posted. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/amid-chinas-bad-air-a-reminder-that-smoking-still-kills/?_r=0 EPA says average MPG of new cars sold in 2012 hit record. The US Environmental Protection Agency has released its annual report for fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions trends, and it shows that 2012 was a banner year for both with average fuel economy of 23.6 miles per gallon and average CO2 emissions of 376 grams per mile – both all-time records since the figures were first tracked in 1975. Even better, early figures show that 2013 will continue this trend, and Automotive News reports that the industry is on pace to meet the 54.5-mpg target in 2025. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/15/epa-average-mpg-new-record-2012/ Ozone layer will take five more decades to fully recover. Remember when the world came together to save the ozone layer — even Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher? The Montreal Protocol, a treaty that went into effect in 1989, curbed the use of CFCs and other chemicals that tear up the planet’s UV-absorbing sheath of ozone. But that was nearly a generation ago — and things still haven’t been fully patched up in the lower stratosphere. Posted. http://grist.org/news/ozone-layer-will-take-five-more-decades-to-fully-recover/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2013 14:59:10 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 18, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 18, 2013. 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 Hospital in southwest China opens smog clinic. A hospital in southwest China has opened a clinic for patients who are suffering symptoms related to smog, a doctor said Wednesday, highlighting how big a concern pollution has become for Chinese. The dedicated clinic at the Chengdu No. 7 People's Hospital has already treated more than 100 patients since opening last week. One public health expert suggested hospitals may follow suit to cash in on China's notorious smog. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_CHINA_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/18/chinese-hospital-opens-smog-treatment-clinic/ Draft pollution law seeks to tackle lethal European air. EU policymakers on Wednesday unveiled a draft law to tackle air pollution, which every year is linked to 400,000 premature deaths in Europe and costs of tens of billions of euros. The proposals include new limits on emissions from power plants and industry, as well as measures to make member states comply with existing rules on limiting pollutants associated with asthma, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/18/us-eu-air-idUSBRE9BH0DE20131218 Air pollution from burning coal hits Bosnian town. Authorities have ordered factories and homes to stop burning coal in a central Bosnian town where air pollution has reached alarming levels. Zenica is an industrial town that produces steel and where many homes are heated by burning coal. That sometimes leads to significant air pollution. Samir Lemes of the citizens association Eco Forum said the concentration of sulfur-dioxide in Zenica's air reached 1.400 micrograms per cubic meter…Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/17/air-pollution-from-burning-coal-hits-bosnian-town/ Macedonia takes precautions against air pollution. Macedonia's government has imposed emergency measures in four cities, including Skopje, the capital, to address heavy air pollution caused by traffic and wood- and oil-burning heating systems. For the past six days, airborne particle concentrations in the cities have exceeded the highest permissible levels during freezing winter weather. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/12/17/3093674/macedonia-takes-precautions-against.html#storylink=cpy Sooty air over San Joaquin Valley triggers health warning. Dangerous soot levels continued Wednesday morning in the San Joaquin Valley with the highest readings in Fresno, Tulare, Kings and Kern counties. At 8 a.m., Visalia's monitor showed 130 parts of soot per cubic meter of air -- the threshold is 35 parts per cubic meter averaged over a full day. Fresno, Hanford and Bakersfield had readings higher than 100 parts per cubic meter. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/17/3671901/high-pressure-front-in-fresno.html#storylink=cpy Fires, air pollution combine for smelly, hazy day. The smoke may have been coming from far away but the South Bay did not escape the foul air from fires Tuesday. Many people in Santa Clara County had to see and smell the combined forces of the Sims Recycling center fire in Redwood City, the Big Sur fire and yet another Spare The Air day. In San Jose, Joanna Flood walked with a scarf around her nose and mouth. Posted. http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/health-med-fit-science/fires-air-pollution-combine-smelly-hazy-day/ncNfL/ CLIMATE CHANGE In Typhoon Area, Kerry Warns of Threats of a Warming Planet. After touring miles of roofless homes and shattered shantytowns destroyed by one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday announced that additional American humanitarian aid would be sent to the Philippines and described the giant typhoon as a warning of future extreme weather in a warming world. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/world/asia/typhoon-haiyan-philippines-aid.html California Prepares For Third Straight Dry Year. DWR says its principle concern is the plight of farmers who have to operate with much less water than they need for their crops. Bill Croyle, DWR’s new drought manager, says the lack of water will likely mean leaving land fallow and relying on transfers of water from areas where it’s available to places with a critical shortage. Posted. http://www.capradio.org/14883 Climate change: The warmest November worldwide since 1880. November was a hot month for planet Earth. Government scientists reported Tuesday that last month set a heat record. They say it was the warmest November on record, across Earth, since record-keeping began in 1880. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says average global temperature, for water and land surfaces combined…Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/r14/Environment/Latest-News-Wires/2013/1218/Climate-change-The-warmest-November-worldwide-since-1880 Georgetown Climate's Arroyo and Pacyniak discuss state recommendations on emissions standards. How can U.S. EPA craft its existing source rule for power plants to maximize flexibility for stakeholders? During today's OnPoint, Vicki Arroyo, executive director of the Georgetown Climate Center at Georgetown Law, and Gabe Pacyniak, an institute associate at the Georgetown Climate Center, discuss a letter sent to EPA this week by 15 states offering recommendations for the upcoming power plant rule. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/tv/videos/1761/transcript BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY A warming planet will soon produce scattered but more severe and lasting water shortages – study. Water shortages already put stress on people's lives in many countries today. Climate change due to unabated greenhouse gas emissions is likely to confront 40 percent more people with chronic water scarcity within a few decades. A group of scientists at research institutes worldwide drew this conclusion by using an unprecedented number of impact models. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059992044/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS U.S. lawmakers want hearing on natural gas methane emissions. Democratic lawmakers concerned about the growing U.S. reliance on natural gas for electricity on Tuesday called for a congressional hearing on emissions of methane - a potent greenhouse gas - from oil and gas production. Henry Waxman, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives' energy and commerce panel, and Bobby Rush, chairman of the House energy and power subcommittee…Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/17/usa-climate-methane-idUSL2N0JW1DS20131217 . EPA cites 62 Richmond violations by Chevron. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notified Chevron on Tuesday that the company could face fines of $37,500 for every day it fails to rectify 62 regulatory violations the agency has identified since the smoky Richmond refinery fire last year. In a letter that marked the first step in fining Chevron for the Aug. 6, 2012 fire that sent 15,000 people to hospitals complaining of breathing problems…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/EPA-cites-62-Richmond-violations-by-Chevron-5072914.php HIGH-SPEED RAIL Fresno soil drilling prepares for high-speed rail construction. Geologists began drilling holes and collecting soil samples Tuesday in downtown Fresno in preparation for the first stages of construction on California's proposed high-speed train project. The first soil borings by Earth Mechanics Inc. took place along H Street, under the Stanislaus Street overpass that spans H Street, the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and G Street. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/17/3672421/soil-drilling-begins-in-fresno.html#storylink=cpy GREEN ENERGY Baucus proposal replaces dozens of energy breaks with credits for 'clean' fuel, electricity. The Senate's top tax writer unveiled a radical proposal today to eliminate dozens of deductions, credits and other incentives for the energy industry and replace them with two provisions designed to promote clean electricity and transportation fuels and another credit for carbon capture and sequestration. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059992076/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Algae converted to crude oil in less than an hour, energy department says. The day when planes, trucks and cars are commonly revved up on pond scum may be on the near horizon thanks to a technological advance that continuously turns a stream of concentrated algae into bio-crude oil. From green goo to crude takes less than an hour. The goo contains about 10 percent to 20 percent algae by weight. Posted. http://www.nbcnews.com/science/algae-converted-crude-oil-less-hour-energy-department-says-2D11762083 MISCELLANEOUS $1.1B California paint ruling may prompt new suits. Paint makers could face a surge of lawsuits after a California state court judge ordered three companies to pay $1.1 billion to help government agencies get rid of lead from an estimated 5 million homes in the state. The ruling, while preliminary, was a rare loss for an industry that had turned back some 50 lawsuits filed nationwide over the last 25 years by public agencies seeking billions of dollars to remove lead-based paint from homes…Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LEAD_PAINT_COURT_BATTLE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT OTHER RELATED STORIES http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/16/6006973/judge-paint-companies-to-pay-calif.html#storylink=cpy http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/1-1B-California-paint-ruling-may-prompt-new-suits-5070503.php Former DOE Secretary Chu joins board of carbon capture firm. Former Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who once called coal "my worst nightmare," is getting into the "clean coal" business by joining a carbon capture company's board of directors. Inventys Thermal Technologies of Vancouver, British Columbia, is promoting what it calls a novel and cheaper method of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059992071/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY OPINIONS EDITORIAL: Put the brakes on ethanol racket. The nation needs a more sensible approach to energy and environmental issues than a heavy reliance on corn-based ethanol. Congress should end the mandate to mix corn ethanol into the nation’s fuel. A handout to the agriculture industry is not an acceptable substitute for thoughtful federal policies. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., last week introduced a bill to eliminate the corn ethanol mandate. Posted. http://www.pe.com/opinion/editorials-headlines/20131217-editorial-put-the-brakes-on-ethanol-racket.ece BLOGS White House to get aggressive on climate change? Republicans are rightly outraged this morning because new White House counsel0r John Podesta compared the GOP to a “cult worthy of Jonestown” in an interview earlier this fall that Politico published today. Podesta has since apologized. Beyond this flap, there is some important news in the piece about Podesta: He agreed to the job on the condition that he be allowed to oversee an aggressive climate change agenda via executive action. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/12/18/white-house-to-get-aggressive-on-climate-change/ Signs of Baby Steps on Stanching Wasteful Flaring of Natural Gas. I hope you’ll read “Applying Creativity to a Byproduct of Oil Drilling in North Dakota,” a valuable Clifford Krauss feature on baby steps taken by the oil and gas industry to stanch the wasteful, polluting flaring of natural gas from the country’s booming Bakken oil fields in North Dakota. (There’s no infrastructure for storing or transporting the gas and the oil is the quarry, given its much higher price.) Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/baby-steps-on-stanching-u-s-flaring-of-natural-gas/?_r=0 AIR POLLUTION: Bad air again prompts burn ban. Regional air quality officials have issued a home fireplace burning ban for Wednesday, Dec. 18, in the Inland counties as well as Orange County and Los Angeles areas because of anticipated unhealthful levels of soot and other particle pollution. “It’s mostly because of the stagnant conditions we are having, particularly overnight,” said Sam Atwood, a South Coast Air Quality Management District spokesman. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/air-quality/2013/12/17/air-pollution-bad-air-again-prompts-burn-bad/ NYC mayor Bloomberg signs bill requiring 20% of all parking spaces to be EV 'charger ready'. At least it's not in any way difficult to find a parking spot in Manhattan. If it was, New York City's new plan to make at least 20 percent of the off-street parking throughout the five boroughs accessible to a plug-in vehicle charging station would be really onerous. Oh, wait. The largest city in the country is now mandating that owners of parking lots, parking garages and other off-street parking areas have enough electrical juice to supply a fifth of the spaces with charging stations.Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/17/nyc-mayor-bloomberg-signs-bill-requiring-20-of-all-parking-spac/ Toyota Prius named best value, Nissan Armada worst by Consumer Reports. Thinking about buying a Toyota Prius but can't figure if the initial purchase cost will be offset in the long run enough to make it a smart buy? Then you're probably reading these words on AutoblogGreen and not on Autoblog. But beyond that, Consumer Reports has some good news for you. For the second year in a row, CR has named the Prius the best value on the market. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/18/consumer-reports-best-value-toyota-prius-worst-value-nissan-armada/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2013 12:29:43 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 19, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 19, 2013. 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 Chinese Carbon Market Opens to a Busy First Day. The first day of trading in what will be by far the largest carbon market in China started briskly on Thursday with pricing in line with expectations, as Beijing continued its drive to slow its rapid growth of heat-trapping emissions. The first trade on the China Emissions Exchange in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, was priced at 61 renminbi, or about $10, with the cement firm Hailuo buying 20,000 carbon permits…Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/20/business/energy-environment/chinese-carbon-market-opens-to-a-busy-first-day.html?_r=0 Palmdale power plant gets major board approval. Despite bitter opposition, a proposed natural-gas power plant in Palmdale is one step closer to construction after a local air quality board signed off on the purchase of critical pollution offset credits Tuesday. The plant, initially envisioned as a hybrid project with a solar component, has been hotly contested and its approvals process marred by accusations of political manipulations. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_24746807/palmdale-power-plant-gets-major-board-approval?source=most_emailed AIR POLLUTION Arsenic levels at second battery recycler draw concerns. Quemetco, based in the City of Industry, has been ordered to perform a health risk study after tests showed elevated arsenic emissions. Amid an outcry over arsenic emissions from a Vernon battery recycler, the South Coast Air Quality Management District is now raising concerns about emissions from the other battery recycler in Southern California. Officials with the air district earlier this month ordered City of Industry-based…Posted http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-arsenic-20131219,0,214714.story#ixzz2nwbvQyqw http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-exide-20131219,0,7030357.story#axzz2nrIwXZoH http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/19/3675218/battery-recycler-ordered-to-clean.html http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24756718/battery-recycler-ordered-clean-up-at-plant?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com Poor air quality lingers in San Joaquin Valley basin. Poor air quality Valleywide continues as the air basin lingers under a high-pressure system that has kept emissions from escaping, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District said in a news release Wednesday. The eight counties of the air basin have been under wood-burning prohibitions for several days and local air officials discourage residents from using wood-burning devices unless they are exempt from curtailments. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/12/19/3096426/poor-air-quality-lingers-in-san.html#storylink=cpy Redwood City working with metal recycling company to prevent more polluting fires. City officials met today with Sims Metal Management after a second fire in two months broke out at the recycling plant in Redwood City Tuesday morning. The two-alarm fire at Sims Metal Management, located at 699 Seaport Blvd., started after a small explosion was reported around 12:50 a.m., Redwood City fire officials said. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_24757385/redwood-city-working-metal-recycling-company-prevent-more NC plant to spend $50 million to meet regulations. A western North Carolina paper mill wants nearly $15 million in help from the state to meet federal clean-air regulations that will force it to replace two coal-fired boilers. State lawmakers would have to approve allocating most of the money. The General Assembly doesn't start it's 2014 session until May and that could be cutting it close for Evergreen Packaging in Canton to meet a 2016 deadline from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/NC-plant-to-spend-50-million-to-meet-regulations-5077696.php Congressman calls for SMO air pollution investigation. Congressman Henry Waxman, D-Santa Monica, is calling on air quality officials to investigate a claims by scientists that there are high levels of ultrafine particle pollution around Santa Monica Airport. A study released last week by scientists from UCLA and the California Air Resources Board suggested that ultrafine particle levels were between four and 37 times higher in the area downwind of SMO than in neighboring areas. Posted. http://smdp.com/congressman-calls-for-smo-air-pollution-investigation/130523 CLIMATE CHANGE CA’s Climate Change Trilogy: Research, Reduce & Adapt. With last week’s release of a major climate adaptation plan draft from California’s Natural Resources Agency, the state continues to take bold steps to address climate change and cut pollution using a “research, reduce and adapt” approach.The winning trilogy: Conduct Thorough Research. As EDF knows, good policy is grounded in science. National and international reports warn us of the dire consequences of climate change…Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/12/18/cas-climate-change-trilogy-research-reduce-adapt/ Furman says EPA carbon rules won't hurt the economy. The president's top economic adviser said yesterday that limiting carbon emissions at power plants won't dampen the nation's financial recovery, noting that it's "very easy" to create economic benefits in the future landmark regulations. The assertion by Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, foreshadows one of the thorniest challenges in crafting U.S. EPA's standards to address rising temperatures: public concern about electricity prices and jobs. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059992104/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Carbon budget attracts controversy as models try to map energy's future. The value of energy companies, embodied by the size of their reserves, could pop like a bubble. That was the conclusion widely drawn from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's fifth assessment report, released in October, which found the world can emit no more than 469 gigatons of carbon to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Energy companies have much more than this amount of carbon trapped in their coal, gas and oil reserves. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059992080/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS 2010 engine tech has nearly eliminated NOx, particulate matter and other emissions, study says. A study touted this month by the Diesel Technology Forum shows that emissions by trucks of particulate matter, nitrous dioxide, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and non-methane hydrocarbons have all been reduced by 97 percent or more by 2010 engine technology. The study was conducted by the Coordinating Research Council and the Health Effects Institute, and the Diesel Technology Forum says “clean diesel technology” like exhaust aftertreatment…Posted. http://www.ccjdigital.com/2010-engine-tech-has-nearly-eliminated-nox-particulate-matter-and-other-emissions-study-says/#sthash.vyPcLFMt.dpuf VEHICLES Tesla gets state tax break. A state panel has granted a $34.7-million tax break to Tesla Motors Inc., which makes high-tech electric vehicles at facilities in Fremont and Palo Alto. The California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority this week approved the credit on sales and use taxes that Tesla would have paid for equipment to expand its production of electric cars and power trains. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-tesla-gets-state-tax-break-20131218,0,6973220.story#ixzz2nwgdFX84 http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2013/12/18/tesla-lands-tax-incentives-from-state.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search MISCELLANEOUS Grover Beach mayor no longer represents city on air board. About five months after she authored a petition not authorized by the Grover Beach City Council, Mayor Debbie Peterson has been removed as the city’s representative on the county’s Air Pollution Control District board. The petition urged repeal of a controversial dust-control rule affecting the Oceano Dunes off-highway vehicle park. Posted. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/12/18/2841366/grover-beach-apcd-debbie-peterson.html OPINIONS Why are the Big Three resisting new mileage and emissions standards? It is clear the new standards for mileage and emissions are working, and more can easily be done. One year after automakers began building cars to meet tough new mileage and emissions requirements, it is clear the new standards are working. An in-depth assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency found that manufacturers are on track to deliver a fleet by 2025…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-becker-auto-emissions-20131219,0,541688.story#ixzz2nwfd3qRy Editorial: Plow under the ethanol mandate. The nation needs a more sensible approach to energy and environmental issues than a heavy reliance on corn-based ethanol. Congress should end the mandate to mix corn ethanol into the nation’s fuel. A handout to the agriculture industry is not an acceptable substitute for thoughtful federal policies. Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., last week introduced a bill to eliminate the corn ethanol mandate. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ethanol-594005-corn-mandate.html BLOGS Know What's Cool in L.A.? Roofs. A new amendment to Los Angeles' building codes now requires all new residential roofs to reflect more sunlight, a move that should help the city reduce the effects of global warming. The amendment to the city's Municipal Building Code passed unanimously Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council and will require all new or rebuilt roofs to use so-called "cool roof" material, which reduces the amount of solar energy the roof absorbs -- helping reduce both heat inside the home and the so called "urban heat island" effect. Posted. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/conservation/know-whats-cool-in-la-roofs.html Cadillac starts shipping 2014 ELR plug-in hybrid to dealers. Cadillac dealers will soon receive deliveries of the all-new 2014 ELR extended range electric luxury coupe. Shipments started from General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck facility this week, and initial deliveries will take place after the first of the year. As with the Chevy Volt before it, all dealers receiving the 2014 ELR have been specially trained and certified to sell and service the plug-in hybrid, including lessons in how to be an "ELR Concierge Representative." Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/19/cadillac-starts-shipping-2014-elr-phev/ Ohio dealer group sues Tesla to stop direct EV sales. Ohio auto dealers will not let a legislative loss stop their fight against Tesla Motors. Earlier this month, the California-based electric vehicle company had to marshal its forces to stop a state law (Senate Bill 137) that would have banned Tesla stores in Ohio. The Ohio senate voted against the amendment, which set the stage for the dealers to try a new strategy: getting rid of Tesla's sales license through the courts. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/19/ohio-dealer-group-sues-tesla-to-stop-direct-ev-sales/ 100,000 Miles on a LEAF: That's Just the Beginning for Electric Cars. Electric cars have been in the mainstream for three years now, and many people are using them as daily drivers. Inevitably, that has led to some mega-users racking up very high mileage on their cars. A 2012 Chevrolet Volt owner in Ohio, Erick Belmer, has rolled up more than 120,000 miles. And a big star right now is Steve Marsh of Kent, Washington, who was celebrated by his state’s governor Monday for reaching 100,000 miles in his Nissan LEAF. Posted. http://www.plugincars.com/100000-miles-leaf-just-beginning-evs-129112.html ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2013 12:56:36 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 23, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 23, 2013. 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 Analysis: Strong start for California carbon market, but challenges loom. As the clock winds down on the first year of California's carbon trading market for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, state officials say they have a lot to celebrate. The state's cap-and-trade program, which could become a model for other U.S. states, sets a limit on the amount of heat-trapping gases businesses can emit and allows them to trade excess permits. Regulators this year held a series of permit auctions, with strong demand from buyers. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/20/us-california-carbon-market-analysis-idUSBRE9BJ17U20131220 AIR POLLUTION San Joaquin Valley officials fight with EPA over air quality. Local officials say that ozone has been reduced and hope to end fees they began three years ago to help pay for cleaning up the air. But the U.S. is skeptical and asks for more data. After spending decades and hundreds of millions of dollars cleaning up stubbornly high levels of pollution, air quality officials in the San Joaquin Valley are telling federal regulators that enough is enough. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-valley-air-20131223,0,586097.story#ixzz2oKOdXidZ Calif. battery plant to reduce arsenic health risk. A Southern California battery recycling plant has been told to reduce the health risk from arsenic it's spewing into the air. A Nov. 22 inspection found that smokestack emissions of arsenic had increased at Quemetco, Inc. The plant in the San Gabriel Valley smelts lead from old batteries. Regulators felt that the arsenic emissions might exceed the threshold level that could create a 10-in-a-million risk of cancer…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Calif-battery-plant-to-reduce-arsenic-health-risk-5084608.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/21/6019472/s-cal-battery-plant-to-reduce.html http://www.sgvtribune.com/environment-and-nature/20131220/second-battery-recycling-plant-emitting-more-arsenic Research project eyes wood smoke effects in Keene. Calm, cold nights are a cause for concern in Keene. Because the city sits in a valley, it's prone to a meteorological phenomenon called an air inversion, where a lid of warm air traps cold air and harmful pollution close to the ground. Fireplaces and woodstoves can take the chill off inside, but the smoke they produce is a big part of the problem outside. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Research-project-eyes-wood-smoke-effects-in-Keene-5084215.php Greek Economic Crisis Leads to Air Pollution Crisis. In the midst of a winter cold snap, a study from researchers in the United States and Greece reveals an overlooked side effect of economic crisis – dangerous air quality caused by burning cheaper fuel for warmth. The researchers, led by Constantinos Sioutas of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, show that the concentration of fine air particles in one of Greece’s…Posted. http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/world/6521-greek-economic-crisis-leads-to-air-pollution-crisis.html Another ‘Spare The Air’ Alert Issued for Monday. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a Winter Spare the Air alert for Monday, Dec. 23, its 16th alert this season. The Spare the Air alert bans wood burning both indoors and outdoors due to unhealthy pollution levels throughout the Bay Area. "Dry weather is forecast for the week and threatens to cause high levels of pollution to build up through the Christmas holiday," air district executive officer Jack Broadbent said. Posted. http://losgatos.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/another-spare-the-air-alert-issued-for-monday States eye collaborative effort to meet emissions standards. Faced with the persistent problem of air pollution drifting from upwind areas, state officials in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic are looking to open a dialogue with other states for a more collaborative approach. More than 20 states have been involved in early discussions on a technical and policy collaboration to reduce ozone pollution that they say could be more nimble and less contentious than the current U.S. EPA-driven process. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059992270/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Project aims to reduce refrigeration emissions. On a warming planet, it can be costly -- and dirty -- trying to keep things cold. But now a team of researchers at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Imperial College London are in the early stages of developing a new refrigeration technology that could almost double its energy efficiency and eliminate the need for highly pollutant gases. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059992241/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY CLIMATE CHANGE Poll: Americans see impact of global warming. Most Americans say global warming is serious and want the United States to address it, but their support for government regulations has fallen in recent years, says a poll Friday conducted for USA TODAY. Three of five say global warming is a very serious global problem, and two of three say it will hurt future generations either a lot or a great deal if nothing is done to reduce it, according to the poll of 801 U.S. adults…Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/19/americans-global-warming/4127803/ Calif. readies first statewide plan for sea-level rise. California is dealing with the apocalyptic prophesies of sea-level rise in a very real way. The state is preparing to issue broad guidelines for developers and local governments to use when approving development on 1,100 miles of coastline, which is expected to retreat as ocean levels rise due to climate change. Draft guidance released in October predicts up to 66 inches of rise by 2100 in some parts of the state. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059992230/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Australian government unveils plan to reduce emissions. Australia's federal government will cut carbon emissions without a carbon tax by finding the lowest-cost options, said Environment Minister Greg Hunt. Hunt has unveiled the Emissions Reduction Fund, the coalition government's plan for combating climate change and cutting emissions 5 percent by 2020. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059992238/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS To clean up coal, Obama pushes more oil production. America's newest, most expensive coal-fired power plant is hailed as one of the cleanest on the planet, thanks to government-backed technology that removes carbon dioxide and keeps it out of the atmosphere. But once the carbon is stripped away, it will be used to do something that is not so green at all. It will extract oil. When President Barack Obama first endorsed this "carbon-capture" technology…Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/To-clean-up-coal-Obama-pushes-more-oil-production-5086067.php http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/22/6017649/to-clean-up-coal-obama-pushes.html GREEN ENERGY Retailers seek 'green' alternative to plastic gift cards. Whole Foods and Starbucks are among the businesses offering more sustainable options, although higher costs of alternative materials remain an obstacle. Like millions of Americans, Jessica Hamilton of Pasadena will buy her friends and family a handful of gift cards this holiday season, drawn by their convenience. Yet Hamilton, who carries reusable bags when she goes shopping…Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-gift-card-pollution-20131223,0,2368606.story#ixzz2oKPrJVSI Renewable energy projects help boost local cleantech economy. In recent months, construction has been booming on several large renewable energy projects in the Imperial Valley just east of San Diego. Workers are busy hammering stakes into the ground and then fixing photovoltaic solar panels to these stakes, creating row upon row of panels glinting in the near constant sunlight found in this area. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/sponsored/2013/dec/22/renewable-energy-cleantech/ MISCELLANEOUS Los Angeles plastic bag ban starts on Jan. 1. After Jan. 1, Los Angeles shoppers will no longer be presented with that checkout choice: Paper or plastic? Instead, they will be required to bring in their own reusable bags or pay 10 cents for each paper bag they need. The city’s plastic bag ban will start with stores of more than 10,000 square feet or with annual sales of more than $2 million. Then, beginning on July 1, the ban will extend to smaller stores such as mini-marts. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20131222/los-angeles-plastic-bag-ban-starts-on-jan-1 OPINIONS Why Green Energy May Not Be All Good. Green, clean, non-polluting energy has been the holy grail of Western society for years. With growing concern over pollution and global warming, more nations look to renewable energy as part of their energy portfolios -- a good idea in many regards, but green energy has some drawbacks. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Why-Green-Energy-May-Not-Be-All-Good-5086500.php What’s with these Spare the Air alerts? During some of our coldest weather, when a crackling fire is most needed to warm body and spirit, the regional air district has been cranking out bans on wood burning. There have been 15 no-burn days since the start of November, including 11 in a row — a record that will live in holiday infamy — ending last week. The way this is going, I fear for Christmas and the Yule log. These Spare the Air alerts aren’t exactly new. Posted. http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/real-napa/columnists/kevin-courtney/what-s-with-these-spare-the-air-alerts/article_78dd936e-6a03-11e3-9657-0019bb2963f4.html An alternative to fossil fuels. An article by Jennifer Dlouhy in the Houston Chronicle, "Oil giant expects fossil fuels have lots of life left" (Page D1, Dec. 13), reports that prognosticators at Exxon Mobil Corp. expect "the bulk of energy needed to fuel the world by 2040" will be supplied by oil and natural gas. From one standpoint, it is reassuring to know the resources of hydrocarbons are sufficient to meet the world's present demand as well as an expected 35 percent increase in the future. Posted. http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/An-alternative-to-fossil-fuels-5083301.php?cmpid=opedhprr BLOGS Hardly very neighborly. Our opinion: The Northeast shouldn’t be the dumping ground for the Midwest’s and South’s pollution. A war of words is forming over the best way to clear the air we breathe. The battle pits Northeast states against those in the Midwest and South, which are taking an approach to clean air that’s as welcome as a garage band starring your next-door neighbors’ kids. Posted. http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/hardly-very-neighborly/27026/ Obama gets clean coal by aiding oil industry. The technology President Obama is touting for coal plants to cut back on emissions is helping an unlikely source: the oil industry. The carbon-capture technology is still locking in carbon dioxide to cut back on emissions but it is now being sold to oil companies, which pump it into oil fields as a means to force more crude to the service, according to The Associated Press. Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/193864-obama-gets-clean-coal-by-aiding-oil-industry 5 Big Energy Stories Of 2013. The U.S. is awash in oil and natural gas. China’s air pollution is so bad some cities were nearly shut down. A massive typhoon wreaked havoc in the Philippines. These are some of the top stories of the past 12 months. Amid these developments, however, there are signs that some businesses, consumers, and governments are moving toward a growing understanding of the risks of climate change. The question is whether we will shift course quickly enough to reduce the incoming threats of more extreme weather events and other climate impacts. Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/manishbapna/2013/12/23/5-big-energy-stories-of-2013/ Energy-positive EV 'Skypump' opens at Whole Foods in Brooklyn. After reading about a new Whole Foods Market featuring two super-green-friendly plug-in vehicle charging stations out in its parking lot, one wonders if the IFC sketch comedy show should be renamed "Brooklandia." Because it doesn't get much more crunchy than this. The grocery retailer has worked with Urban Green Energy (UGE) to develop all sorts of eco-friendly goodies at its new Brooklyn store. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/21/energy-positive-ev-skypump-opens-at-whole-foods-in-brooklyn/ US predicts gas will still be king in 2040. A new report from the Department of Energy predicts that gasoline will still be the fuel of choice for a vast majority of the auto industry over 25 years from now, although it will be slightly less dominant than it is today. The report, from the DoE's Energy Information Agency, predicts that by 2040, the number of gas-powered vehicles on the road will fall from today's 82 percent to 78 percent. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/22/us-predicts-gas-still-dominant-in-2040/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2013 11:20:34 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 24, 2013. From: gmassey@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 24, 2013. 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 Heavy Pollution Enshrouds Northern China Including Capital. Heavy pollution enveloped northern and central China today, prompting warnings for people to stay indoors as smog levels in some areas exceeded World Health Organization-recommended levels by 30 times. The concentration of PM2.5, fine air particulates that pose the greatest health risk, was 421 micrograms per cubic meter at 2 p.m. near Tiananmen Square in Beijing…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-24/beijing-warns-against-outdoor-activities-on-heavily-polluted-air.html Lung cancer: A cloud on China's polluted horizon. China's doctors are beginning to speak of a link between air pollution and lung cancer. Children as young as 8 have been treated. he youngest known lung cancer patient in eastern China is an 8-year-old girl whose home is next to a dust-choked road in heavily industrialized Jiangsu province. Another patient was a 14-year-old girl from Shanghai, the daughter of two nonsmokers with no family history of lung cancer. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-china-lung-cancer-20131224,0,3058283.story#ixzz2oPbIcMVg CLIMATE CHANGE Elon completes annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory. Elon University's greenhouse gas emissions have increased over the past six years with the growth of both the campus population and its number of facilities, but on a per student and per square foot measurement, emissions levels continue their steady decline, according to the sixth annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory released this month by sustainability leaders at the university. Posted. http://www.elon.edu/e-net/Article/84420 FUELS Israel's new motor fuels strategy leans on gas. Israel plans to cut oil use in transportation by 60 percent by 2025, an aggressive target by world standards, and will tap into its newfound natural gas deposits to make it happen. It is also investing heavily to help start-ups developing battery and biofuel technologies, and is offering an annual $1 million prize to innovators in the field, almost on par with winning a Nobel. Posted. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/12/24/us-israel-cars-fuels-idUKBRE9BN0BC20131224 Mo. hog farms to produce biogas. A Smithfield Foods subsidiary has announced a joint venture to turn hog manure into energy at its farms in northern Missouri. Murphy-Brown of Missouri is providing the manure to produce biogas, a fuel similar to natural gas. Roeslein Alternative Energy will manage the project and secure financing for the $100-million project. Murphy-Brown, the world's largest pork producer, was formerly called Premium Standards Farm. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Mo-hog-farms-to-produce-biogas-5090631.php Md. study of gas drilling health effects outlined. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is announcing the scope of a planned study of public health effects of natural gas drilling in western Maryland. The agency said Tuesday that the study will assess the possible impact of hydraulic fracturing on water and air quality, noise and public safety. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Md-study-of-gas-drilling-health-effects-outlined-5090779.php Industry faces bleak 2014 with expired tax credit, low RFS target. Even as they close out the year with record production levels, biodiesel makers are facing an uncertain year at best in 2014. Producers will begin the year without their tax credit, a $1-a-gallon production incentive that has spurred the expansion of facilities and new participants entering the market. The measure is set to expire along with a raft of other renewable energy incentives Dec. 31. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059992281/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES High-speed charging for electric vehicles on its way, but not quite there yet. Drivers may very well be aware of range constraints on electric vehicles like the Tesla Model S or Nissan Leaf, but the time it takes to charge might not be so clear. Depending on an outlet's volts and amps, charging the battery on a Tesla Model S could take anywhere from five to 100 hours, which isn't the best news for those taking a longer trip. Posted. http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/high-speed-charging-electric-vehicles-article-1.1552047#ixzz2oPjwSqoO Hyundai, Kia reach $400-million settlement over inflated MPG claims. Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America, the U.S. sales arms of the sibling South Korean automakers, said Monday they have reached a settlement in class-action litigation over inflating the fuel economy claims for their vehicles. Hyundai will offer the owners of the models with the inflated ratings a lump sum payment that will average $353. The payment varies depending on whether the vehicle was purchased or leased. Kia’s average payment will be $667. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-hyundai-kia-settle-mpg-lawsuit-20131223,0,2442041.story#ixzz2oPc5E1kQ Have Electric Cars Already Reached The Tipping Point? ABB Says Yes. With wider choice and better cars, electric car ownership seems to get more appealing by the month. But as yet, predicting the future of the electric car industry has still been largely guesswork--nobody quite knows how much batteries will come down in price, how many electric cars automakers will sell, how low the price needs to be for adoption to snowball. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1089310_have-electric-cars-already-reached-the-tipping-point-abb-says-yes GREEN ENERGY Catching Rays in California, and Storing Them. Solar power is growing so fast in California — with installations by customers increasing tenfold since 2006 — that it is turning the state’s power system upside down. In a twist that is being closely watched by power companies around the country, California utilities will install massive banks of batteries and other devices to store the power surplus created by solar panels in the afternoon, when the sun’s rays are strong. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/24/business/energy-environment/catching-some-rays-in-california-and-storing-them.html?ref=earth DRI unveils solar array on Reno campus. Solar panels have been installed on the rooftops and in the parking lot of the Desert Research Institute in Reno. Officials say the solar array will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.8 million pounds of carbon annually, save the facility $80,000 a year in electrical costs and create seven full-time jobs. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/DRI-unveils-solar-array-on-Reno-campus-5090660.php US To See Uncertainty In 2014 Wind Sector. The U.S. House of Representatives has already gone on vacation back to their districts and the Senate effectively adjourned for 2013 on Friday, meaning that the one-year extension of the Wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) will expire on January 1, 2014. The PTC is a $0.022 per kilowatt-hour tax credit on the power that new wind farms in the United States generate for the first ten years of their operation. Posted. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/12/24/us-see-uncertainty-2014-wind-sector/#pE8qCiZxloq9OOXA.99 OPINIONS Political Science at the EPA. The agency peer reviews itself on its own coal ban. The Environmental Protection Agency pretends that its mission is scientific, not political. But you sure wouldn't know it from the campaign to cut out the EPA's independent science advisers who exposed the junk science behind the EPA ban on new coal power. The professors and Ph.D.s who sit on the EPA Science Advisory Board, or SAB, review regulations that involve novel scientific or technological fields, and especially the credibility of the peer-reviewed research the EPA is supposed to use. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303560204579250382687716124?KEYWORDS=carbon BY SUBSCRIPTION Oil Industry Makes Use of Coal Carbon. America’s newest, most expensive coal-fired power plant is hailed as one of the cleanest on the planet, thanks to government-backed technology that removes carbon dioxide and keeps it out of the atmosphere. But once the carbon is stripped away, it will be used to do something that is not so green at all. It will extract oil. When President Obama first endorsed this “carbon-capture” technology, the idea was that it would fight global warming by sparing the atmosphere from more greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.vnews.com/news/nation/world/9919673-95/oil-industry-makes-use-of-coal-carbon Letter to the editor: We are kidding ourselves over this 'clean' fuel. For decades, Americans believed that natural gas was a clean-burning fuel. We worried little about its effect on the environment. Nor did we worry about its effect on the lives of people in rural areas who endure the pollution, noise and truck traffic that goes with producing and processing natural gas. That didn’t mean all was well. We’ve come to recognize that despite all the hoopla over fracking for shale gas, it has its down-sides. Posted. http://www.citizen-times.com/article/D2/20131224/OPINION04/312240059/Letter-editor-We-kidding-ourselves-over-clean-fuel BLOGS Americans are buying less electricity. That’s a big problem for utilities. Something very unusual has been happening to the U.S. electricity sector over the past three years. The U.S. economy keeps growing. People are buying bigger homes and plugging in ever more electronic gadgets. And yet power companies have been selling less and less electricity since 2011: Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/12/23/americans-keep-buying-less-electricity-thats-a-big-problem-for-utilities/?wprss=rss_national&clsrd Arctic warming, jet stream coupling may mean another winter of extreme storms and cold air outbreaks for eastern U.S. Investigation of differences between northern hemisphere winters from 2001-2013 and 1998-2000 leaves little doubt that a large and consequential trend has occurred in the configuration of the polar jet stream which is linked directly to pronounced warming in high northern latitudes. Moreover, the overall trend has remained largely unbroken and appears to have accelerated in the last six winters. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/12/24/arctic-warming-jet-stream-coupling-may-portend-another-winter-of-extreme-storms-and-cold-air-outbreaks/ Flood Grant Program To Let Communities Consider Rising Seas Due To Climate Change. State and local leaders can now consider expected sea level rise due to climate change when applying for grants to help prevent property damage along coastlines, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said Monday. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/23/fema-flood-program_n_4495117.html A new greenhouse gas. Now here’s something we needed like a hole in the head: in a recent study a group of Canadian researchers identified a new greenhouse gas (GHG). Perfluorotributylamine (let’s just call it PFTBA) is actually not a new substance. It has been used in the electronics industry for decades, but while scientists have suspected that its molecules behave like tiny heat traps when they buzz around in the earth’s atmosphere, they’ve never confirmed that suspicion until now. Posted. http://www.news24.com/Columnists/AndreasSpath/A-new-greenhouse-gas-20131224 In China, Dreaming of a Less Smoggy Christmas. Christmas Eve, marked by tens of millions of Christians in China and celebrated in a secular fashion by millions more, saw heavy pollution blanketing at least 78 cities with eight of them registering beyond 500, the upper limit to the government’s air quality index. And though for most Chinese Tuesday was an ordinary working day, there was plenty of irritation about the smog, which mostly affected the north of the country. Posted. http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/24/in-china-dreaming-of-a-less-smoggy-christmas/ Used Better Place EVs sold at steep discount in Israel. Half-off on electric vehicles that can go about three-quarters range on a single charge? That's more or less what the new owner of Better Place's battery-switching and EV-charging network in Israel is proposing for a bunch of Renault Fluence Z.E. vehicles that it has to get off of its hands. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/24/used-better-place-evs-sold-steep-discount-israel/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2013 13:24:01 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 26, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 26, 2013. 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 Tianjin launches China's latest carbon market. The Chinese city of Tianjin on Thursday launched the country's fifth emissions trading scheme as the world's biggest-emitting nation took another step towards reining in its impact on the environment. The newest of China's carbon markets caps CO2 emissions from iron and steel producers, chemical facilities, power and heat generators, and oil and gas exploitation. Five initial trades at 26 and 28 yuan ($4.28 and $4.61) for a total of 45,000 permits were announced by the government at Thursday's opening ceremony. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/26/china-tianjin-carbon-idUSL3N0K50AS20131226 Court to hear arguments on Christie's removal of state from greenhouse gas program. An appellate panel will soon grapple with whether Governor Christie illegally removed New Jersey from a multistate program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Oral arguments are expected to be heard before a three-judge panel in Trenton on Jan. 8, nearly 20 months after two environmental groups sued Christie. They claim the governor violated state law by not seeking any public comment before pulling New Jersey out of the program in 2011. Posted. http://www.northjersey.com/news/237215101_Court_to_hear_arguments_on_Christie_s_removal_of_state_from_greenhouse_gas_program.html#sthash.oCl3Faz4.dpuf AIR POLLUTION Beijing Pollution Prompts Second Day of Warnings to Stay Indoors. Beijing residents were warned to stay indoors for a second day due to “severe” pollution as northern China remained cloaked in smog. Air quality indexes in the cities of Shijiazhuang, Handan, Xingtai and Hengshui in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, and Xi’an in Shaanxi province, had reached the maximum of 500 at 11:00 a.m., data from the China National Environment Monitoring Center showed. At this “severe” level, the worst of six on the government’s scale, the young, elderly and ill should stay inside, and others should avoid outdoor activities. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-25/beijing-pollution-prompts-second-day-of-warnings-to-stay-indoors.html Worries in the Path of China's Air. When China’s skies darken with pollution, it is not the only nation to suffer. Soot, ozone-forming compounds and other pollutants from China can blow east to Korea and Japan. Ultimately, some even reach the west coast of the United States, scientists say. Other nations generate pollution too, of course, so the wafting of bad air from China adds to local problems. China’s emissions worry countries in the path of the plumes, but in a region where political tensions often run high, international solutions are largely elusive. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/business/energy-environment/worries-in-the-path-of-chinas-air.html?_r=0 Shanghai Warns Children to Stay Indoors on Haze, PM2.5 Surge. Shanghai warned children and the elderly to stay indoors as smog enveloped China’s commercial hub, sending levels of the worst pollutants surging to more than 15 times World Health Organization guidelines. The level of PM2.5 pollutants reached 395.7 micrograms per cubic meter at 3 p.m., the city’s environmental monitoring center said. The WHO recommends exposure of no more than 25 over a 24-hour period for particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that are more dangerous than other particulate matter. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-26/shanghai-issues-air-pollution-warning-as-pm2-5-surges-overnight.html Washoe health officials lift burn ban. The Washoe County Health District has downgraded the area's burn code from red to yellow. Officials say the air quality in the Truckee Meadows has improved slightly. That means it's OK to use fireplaces, wood stoves and pellet stoves. But officials are urging residents to curtail burning on a voluntary basis. Reducing burning now can help prevent air pollution from reaching unhealthy levels. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Washoe-health-officials-lift-burn-ban-5094022.php China gets tough on environmental targets. China Wednesday promised to adopt "the strictest" environment and energy policies as it has lagged behind in terms of four binding environmental targets set for 2015. The four targets are for energy intensity, carbon dioxide emissions, rationalization of energy consumption and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a mid-term evaluation report on the implementation of the 12th five-year development plan (2011-2015).The report was submitted to the bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC). Posted. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-12/25/c_132996338.htm Home gas ranges produce toxic gases, Lawrence Berkeley Lab study says. Air pollution isn't just an outdoor problem. Unhealthy fumes may be emitted inside your own home if you're cooking over an unvented gas stove. Almost two-thirds of California households using gas burners in the winter without venting range hoods are exposed to gases that can cause breathing problems, according to a new study by a team at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. "Homes are exceeding air quality standards, exposing people to toxins who shouldn't be," said scientist Brett Singer, who contributed to the study. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24793108/berkeley-study-home-gas-ranges-produce-toxic-gases http://www.insidebayarea.com/science/ci_24793108/berkeley-study-home-gas-ranges-produce-toxic-gases?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24793108/berkeley-study-home-gas-ranges-produce-toxic-gases?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com Bay Area Restaurants Exempt From Spare The Air Days. The stagnant weather in the Bay Area has prompted a string of Winter Spare the Air days for the region, but not everyone has to abide by the rules. During Winter Spare the Air days, it is illegal to burn wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuels, indoors or outdoors. But it’s a different story for Bay Area restaurant owners. Posted. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/12/25/bay-area-restaurants-exempt-from-spare-the-air-days/ Spare the Air, No. 18, today. Put away those logs you were planning to burn today while sitting by a Christmas fire sipping hot cocoa. Once again the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a Spare the Air Alert for today. The alert is the 18th of the season. Due to forecasts of unhealthy levels of pollution, a ban has been placed on the indoor and outdoor burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel. Homes without permanently installed heating with wood stoves or fireplaces as their only source of heat are exempt, according to a press release. Posted. http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_24792200/spare-air-no-18-today http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_24793356/spare-air-alerts-keep-coming-no-burning-wood CLIMATE CHANGE Rethinking How to Split the Costs of Carbon. It is probably a safe bet that very few Americans unwrapping a brand-new iPhone left under their Christmas tree are thinking about its impact on the global climate. I have some good news for them, and some bad. No, Apple hasn’t managed to produce the device without adding heat-trapping carbon to the air. The company expects an iPhone 5s to inject 70 kilograms — about 154 pounds — of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere over its lifetime, 11 pounds less than the iPhone 5 that Apple introduced last year. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/business/economy/what-if-consumers-not-producers-paid-for-emissions.html NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory Gets Simulated Taste of Space. A NASA observatory that will make the most precise, highest-resolution and most complete, space-based measurements of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere to date has marked a key milestone in preparation for its planned July 2014 launch. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 spacecraft was moved into a thermal vacuum chamber at Orbital Science Corporation’s Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Gilbert, Ariz., southeast of Phoenix, in late November, where it underwent a series of environmental tests that were completed last week. Posted. http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2013/12/26/nasas-orbiting-carbon-observatory-gets-simulated-taste-space/ Cold Weather Extremes Are the New Climate Change Reality Yet the Focus on Global Warming Means Society Is Unprepared Says Friends of Science. Recent extreme storms and ice storms in eastern Canada reflect climate trends under reported in the media, say Friends of Science. Peer-reviewed studies by solar scientists indicate a 'solar hibernation' may be imminent according to a recent report by Dr. Mahdav Khandekar. Over the past six years, extreme cold weather in central and eastern Europe, India and South America has led to the deaths of hundreds of people, Khandekar reports debunking the claims of global warming causing extreme weather like Typhoon Haiyan, in a report published Nov. 27, 2013 by the Global Warming Policy Foundation. Sadly, the IPCC scientists have not even mentioned this trend in their recent reports. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Cold-Weather-Extremes-Are-the-New-Climate-Change-5093484.php FUELS Universities receive $10M to study biofuels. If 1 ton of woody debris can produce 50 gallons of fuel, how many gallons of fuel could 42 million acres of dead and dying forests produce? Funded by a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a consortium of five universities, joined by research labs across the Northern Rockies, is looking for ways to turn that mass of dead timber into a carbon-neutral fuel source. Known as the Bioenergy Alliance Network of the Rockies, the upstart group includes researchers at Montana's two flagship universities, and those at Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado State. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/12/25/3105505/universities-receive-10m-to-study.html California's Low-Carbon Fuel Rule Is Working, Study Says, but Threats Loom. California is replacing oil with cleaner-burning fuels in cars and trucks, thanks to a landmark low-carbon fuel rule, according to a recent report. But the rule's fate is uncertain amid legal chaos and a shortfall in the production of clean biofuels. The report, conducted by researchers at the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, said California drivers saved more than two billion gallons of gasoline in the two years since the launch of the rule—about as much gas as the state uses in two months. The carbon emissions reduction is equal to taking half a million vehicles off the road. Posted. http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/dec/25/californias-low-carbon-fuel-rule-is-working-says/#ixzz2obMB92k9 VEHICLES Volkswagen's 2013 diesel-vehicle sales to top 100,000: Why it matters. Volkswagen Group of America will easily clear sales of 100,000 diesel vehicles in the U.S. this year, marking a milestone for both the German carmaker and the auto industry. Although diesel engines date back to the dawn of the automotive age, it’s a technology that American consumers have never taken to. Credit their memory of an older generation of smelly, smoky and hesitant diesel cars. But by building a generation of fuel-efficient, clean and quiet turbo diesels with lots of zip, and making a diesel an engine option in almost every vehicle VW and its luxury Audi brand sell here, the German company has become a pioneer for the technology. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-vw-diesel-car-sales-20131224,0,1276279.story#axzz2obhr7BTX GREEN ENERGY Wind Power Developers Race Clock to Secure Subsidy. As the rest of the world prepares to toast the new year, the wind industry is hard at work on its own year-end tradition, rushing to make sure projects qualify for an important subsidy before it is set to vanish at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday. Developers are signing deals, ordering equipment and lurching ahead with construction starts to qualify for a tax credit that is worth 2.3 cents a kilowatt-hour for the first 10 years of production. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/business/energy-environment/wind-power-developers-race-clock-to-secure-subsidy.html Palm Springs residents warming up to solar program. The solar panels installed on the Palm Springs home of Steven Rockwell and Michael Glenner on Friday are the first to be financed through the Coachella Valley’s long-awaited regional energy loan program. The property-assessed clean energy (PACE) financing program — officially Clean Energy CV Upgrade — started pulling the trigger on energy-efficiency and solar home improvements on Dec. 16, said Mike Lemyre, director of program development for the Ygrene Energy Fund, the Santa Rosa company rolling out the privately funded program. Rockwell and Glenner’s 13-kilowatt solar installation leads a list of seven fully approved projects, with more than 30 additional projects in the pipeline, he said. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013312250013 OPINION EarthTalk: How to explain global warming to kids. Dear EarthTalk: Do you have any tips for explaining global warming and other complex environmental problems to my kids? -- Peter Buckley, Pittsburgh. Kids today may be more eco-savvy than we were at their age, but complex topics like global warming may still mystify them. Luckily there are many resources available to help parents teach their kids how to understand the issues and become better stewards for the planet. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/EarthTalk-How-to-explain-global-warming-to-kids-5094011.php BLOGS VW says it has sold over 100,000 TDI diesels in America this year. Volkswagen Group of America has lit oil-burning fireworks to celebrate the sales of more than 100,000 TDI Clean Diesel vehicles in the US between its VW and Audi brands this year. According to VW, that means it is responsible for more than 75 percent of diesel-engined cars and SUVs sold here – perhaps not surprising when the two brands offer a total of 12 diesel models. What might be surprising is that the number of diesels isn't far off the estimated sales of 90,000 battery electric vehicles and PHEVs, with 15,000 of those accounted for by the Tesla Model S, another 12,000 or so being the Toyota Prius PHEV. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/26/vw-audi-100000-tdi-sales-us/ Environmental Group Predicts 2014 Will be Big for Climate, Energy. The leaders of the Natural Resources Defense Council are predicting that 2014 will be an important year for environmental policy. The NRDC is optimistic about prospects for environmental policies and legislation in 2014. In a conference call to highlight the group’s priorities, Climate and Clean Air Campaign Director Pete Altman notes a continuing trend toward increased political acceptance of climate change science. Posted. http://wfpl.org/post/environmental-group-predicts-2014-will-be-big-climate-energy ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2013 10:52:11 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for December 27, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 27, 2013. 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 Study: Some air pollution can seep indoors. A Utah State University research professor has measured how much air pollution can seep into homes on days authorities are issuing warnings about high soot levels outdoors. The Herald Journal of Logan reports (http://bit.ly/19kAIio) that environmental engineering professor Randy Martin found levels of extremely fine soot to be a quarter of the level outdoors. That means some soot still makes its way indoors. Martin says the best furnace filters can help. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Study-Some-air-pollution-can-seep-indoors-5095665.php S.F. could fight pollution with more greening efforts, study says. The City's most happening hood is also its least healthy. And only one thing can save residents of the Mission district from breathing San Francisco's dirtiest air: going green, and going greener in 2014 than in the past year. Nearly all San Franciscans live within 1.5 miles of a major freeway, according to a recently released study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The resulting exposure to particulate matter makes lung ailments like cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) two of the most common health problems in The City. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/sf-could-fight-pollution-with-more-greening-efforts-study-says/Content?oid=2659187 Valley's stagnant air not going anywhere. Have you been feeling an uncomfortable tightness in your chest? Are your reaching for your asthma inhaler more often? If so, the cause may be related to the valley's terrible, awful no-good air. In summer, the valley's biggest air problem is ozone, an unhealthy component of smog that forms under the hot, summer sun. But this time of year the valley's air pollution scourge is particulate matter, or PMs, a mixture of tiny solid particles and liquid droplets in the air. The size and composition of PM is directly linked to potential health hazards. Posted. http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x429884910/Valleys-stagnant-air-not-going-anywhere 20th Spare-The-Air Alert Of Season Issued For Friday. More air will be spared on Friday, as a series of “Winter Spare the Air” alerts issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District continues. District officials announced today that wood burning will be banned in the Bay Area on Friday for the fifth day in a row and the 20th day this season. Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air district, thanked the public for observing the restrictions and acknowledged that there have been a lot of wood-burning bans lately. Posted. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/12/26/20th-spare-the-air-alert-of-season-issued-for-friday/ http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20131226/articles/131229695 DIESEL EMISSSIONS "Some Flexibility" in Start of California Shore-Power Rules. In a Monday statement, California regulators officially confirmed that vessels that have tried to comply with new shore power rules will not be penalised if they are unable to do so because of problems outside of their control. "While the January 1, 2014 compliance date remains unchanged, ARB will recognize a fleet's good faith efforts to comply with the requirements during a transition period," the California Air Resources Board (CARB) said in the statement. Posted. http://shipandbunker.com/news/am/352694-some-flexibility-in-start-of-california-shore-power-rules GREEN ENERGY Can we turn unwanted carbon dioxide into electricity? Researchers are developing a new kind of geothermal power plant that will lock away unwanted carbon dioxide (CO2) underground - and use it as a tool to boost electric power generation by at least 10 times compared to existing geothermal energy approaches. The technology to implement this design already exists in different industries, so the researchers are optimistic that their new approach could expand the use of geothermal energy in the US far beyond the handful of states that can take advantage of it now. Posted. http://www.domain-b.com/technology/20131227_electricity.html MISCELLANEOUS As city cycling grows, so does bike tax temptation. Early blasts of snow, ice and below-zero temperatures haven't stopped a surprising number of Chicago cyclists from spinning through the slush this winter, thanks in part to a city so serious about accommodating them that it deploys mini-snow plows to clear bike lanes. The snow-clearing operation is just the latest attention city leaders have lavished on cycling, from a growing web of bike lanes to the nation's second largest shared network of grab-and-go bicycles stationed all over town. But it also spotlights questions that have been raised here, a city wrestling with deep financial problems, and across the country. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BICYCLE_TAX?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Other related articles: http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_24801579/bicycle-tax-its-tempting-some-cities?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/nation-world/ci_24801579/bicycle-tax-its-tempting-some-cities?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.modbee.com/2013/12/26/3106161/as-city-cycling-grows-so-does.html http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24799111/california-climate-policy-showing-way-world?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com OPINION California climate policy: Showing the way for the world. The disappointing news from the November 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Warsaw has overshadowed California's recent climate policy successes. Since Jan. 1, 2013, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) has been operating a market for greenhouse gas emissions allowances. This market caps emissions by large industrial firms and from electricity consumption and will expand to include the consumption of transportation fuels and natural gas in 2015. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_24799111/california-climate-policy-showing-way-world?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com BLOGS The climate champions of 2013. In a year that saw carbon pollution levels hit the milestone of 400 parts per million in the atmosphere and brought record-breaking drought, fires, typhoons, and air pollution, it can be easy to forget there are climate champions out there, pushing back on those climate grinches. Here are a few of the climate heroes that made progress, inspired, or otherwise made an impact in 2013. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/the-climate-champions-of-2013/ Yes, it's totally possible to drive 100+ miles in a Nissan Leaf in freezing cold. Plug-in electric vehicle drivers can potentially drive their EVs long distances under extreme weather conditions. The catch is that they have to drastically change their driver behavior. Over the past year, FleetCarma has been collecting data from 7,375 Nissan Leaf trips and 4,043 Chevrolet Volt trips. The best that a Leaf driver was able to get was 106 miles from the lithium ion batteries in freezing conditions. A Volt driver managed 38 miles on battery only when the temperature was 32 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/26/drive-100-ev-miles-nissan-leaf-freezing/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 12:32:34 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for December 30, 2013 From: aleaks@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 30, 2013. 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 cap and trade cash rolls in for 2013. It was an important year for California's ambitious efforts to limit greenhouse gases, one where the buying and trading of pollution credits brought in big money but left lingering questions about how the money should be spent. 2013 marked the first full year of the state's cap and trade program, the combination of a gradually lowering carbon emissions cap combined with a clean-up-or-pay-up option for the industries affected. Posted. http://www.news10.net/news/article/267187/2/California-cap-and-trade-cash-rolls-in-for-2013 The Year in Forest Carbon: Supply-Side Success, Demand-Side Dilemmas. This year began with an underappreciated tailwind from the 2012 climate talks in Doha, which provided a clear set of forest-carbon issues for UN negotiators to work through in 2013. The result was a series of productive meetings that culminated with agreement on sticky issues that had long been hindering the creation of financing mechanisms that Reduce greenhouse gas Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Posted. http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id=10131§ion=news_articles&eod=1 AIR POLLUTION SF Bay area air agency issues new wood-burning ban. San Francisco Bay Area air quality officials are prohibiting the use of wood-burning fireplaces for another day after determining the region's air is unhealthy. For the 7th day straight, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an alert for Sunday, which makes use of fire pits, woodstoves or manufactured fire logs illegal. Homes where woodstoves or fireplaces are the only heat source are exempt. Jack Broadbent, the district's executive director, says particulates from burning wood create unhealthy air. Air quality has suffered recently due to a prolonged dry spell that has allowed pollution to remain in the area. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2013/12/28/3108905/sf-bay-area-air-agency-issues.html#storylink=cpy Breast milk harbors environmental pollutants. It's advice that doctors impart to mothers over and over: Breast milk is the most nutritious, fortifying food they can feed their babies. But women may not be aware of the strong possibility that their milk is also less than pure, an unintended consequence of living in a developed nation. That's because their bodies are exposed to chemicals like pesticides, flame retardants, additives and other chemicals from household products, air, water and food. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Breast-milk-harbors-environmental-pollutants-5100672.php Special meeting to discuss dunes letter. Grover Beach Mayor Debbie Peterson has called a special council meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss a letter protesting her removal from the Air Pollution Control District. The meeting will take place in the council chambers of City Hall, 154 S. Eighth St., and will include a closed session to discuss potentially initiating litigation. City Council members recently voted to remove Peterson as the city’s representative on the APCD after she spoke out about her opposition to a new rule regarding monitoring and mitigating dust pollution from the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Posted. http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/special-meeting-to-discuss-dunes-letter/article_f8dec876-7057-11e3-b58f-0019bb2963f4.html FUELS UC Davis report addresses compliance costs of California's LCFS. A recent report authored by two University of California, Davis researchers examines the economics of the California low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) program. According to information released by the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, the report found that compliance costs for the LCFS could increase rapidly in the future if there are large differences in marginal costs between traditional fuels and low-carbon fuels. Compliance costs could also increase rapidly due to capacity or technology constraints associated with deploying low-carbon fuels. Posted. http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/9475/uc-davis-report-addresses-compliance-costs-of-californias-lcfs VEHICLES Plug In, Turn On, Pass Gas Station. When the final figures for 2013 are tabulated, sales of battery-electric and plug-in vehicles in the United States are expected to nearly double 2012’s totals, according to the Electric Drive Transportation Association, a trade group based in Washington. Even so, that is fewer than 100,000 vehicles, in a year when the industry is on track to comfortably top 15 million sales. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/automobiles/plug-in-turn-on-pass-gas-station.html Electric cars may hold solution for power storage. The thick blue cables and white boxes alongside an industrial garage here look like those in any electric-car charging station. But they work in a way that could upend the relationship Americans have with energy. The retrofitted Mini Coopers and other vehicles plugged into sockets where a Chrysler plant once stood do more than suck energy out of the multi-state electricity grid. They also send power back into it. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-electric-cars-20131229,0,5640652.story#ixzz2oz2ReWre Warming to the idea. A customer checking out the new Jeep Cherokee might be more intrigued by the novel nine-speed transmission than by what's inside the air conditioner compressor. But the refrigerant flowing through the veins of the Cherokee's air conditioner, a formulation called 1234yf, might be just as crucial as the gearbox to Chrysler's strategy for satisfying strict new environmental rules in the United States and Europe. Posted. http://www.autonews.com/article/20131230/OEM01/312309996/warming-to-the-idea#ixzz2oz7wDm4Z California ISO Rolls Out Roadmap On Vehicle-Grid Integration. The California Independent System Operator Corp. (ISO) has released a blueprint for integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into the grid. The ISO says the roadmap builds upon efforts already underway in both the private and public sectors to enable EV aggregations. According to the ISO, the report - "The Vehicle-Grid Integration Roadmap: Enabling Vehicle-based Grid Services" - outlines three interdependent tracks to assess how consumer use of electric vehicles could benefit electric reliability and determine policies and technologies necessary to elicit that value through appropriate market signals for a more reliable, sustainable electric grid. Posted. http://www.renewgridmag.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.10661 http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/12/20131228-caiso.html GREEN ENERGY New Energy Struggles on Its Way to Markets. To stave off climate change, sources of electricity that do not emit carbon will have to replace the ones that do. But at the moment, two of those largest sources, nuclear and wind power, are trying to kill each other off. In the electricity market, both are squeezed by pressure from natural gas, which provides some carbon reductions compared with coal but will not bring the country anywhere near its goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas has a carbon footprint that is at least three times as large as that goal. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/28/us/new-energy-struggles-on-its-way-to-markets.html?_r=0 Trina to Build 1-Gigawatt Solar Project in Western China. Trina Solar Ltd., China’s second-largest solar-panel maker, agreed to build a plant in the western Xinjiang region to produce 1 gigawatt of power, about the same amount as a new nuclear reactor. Trina signed a framework agreement with the local authority in Turpan Prefecture to develop the ground-mounted project, it said today in a statement. The company also plans a factory in the area to make the photovoltaic modules used in solar panels. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-30/trina-to-build-1-gigawatt-solar-project-in-western-china.html California energy-rebate program draws few takers. California's 3-year-old effort to improve the energy efficiency of 100,000 homes has fallen far short of its initial goals, upgrading about 12,200 so far, state data show. Originally funded through President Obama's stimulus package, Energy Upgrade California offers rebates worth up to $4,500 for homeowners who swap out their old furnaces and duct work, install insulation, seal leaky window frames or take other steps to make their houses more efficient. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/California-energy-rebate-program-draws-few-takers-5097225.php MISCELLANEOUS Shafter farmer helps bring focus to Valley environmental issues. Last year, almond farmer Tom Frantz shot a video of an oil company illegally spilling fracking fluid laced with chemicals into an open pit at the edge of town. Within months, his video had inspired stories from the New York Times to the British Broadcasting Corp. The open pit -- next to another farmer's almond orchard -- has since been covered with dirt. A fence now blocks the public's view. But state water authorities saw enough. They issued a notice of violation. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/12/28/3687815/shafter-farmer-helps-bring-focus.html OPINION Save the Shark, Save the World. In 1971, an unexpected series of interactions between international table tennis players turned out to be the first indication of China’s willingness to engage with the United States after decades of estrangement. It presaged President Richard M. Nixon’s watershed visit to the country. This unlikely set of events later came to be known as Ping-Pong diplomacy. Now we could be witnessing the equivalent — call it shark-fin diplomacy — by which China signifies to the world that it is ready to step forward into new arenas of environmental protection. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/opinion/save-the-shark-save-the-world.html?hpw&rref=opinion BLOGS AIR POLLUTION: Damning science raises new concerns about foul air. Mexico City seems to be an unlikely place to discover ominous evidence about air pollution that’s a part daily of life in Inland Southern California. But that’s where a neurologist, worried about the children living in the metropolis’ notoriously dirty air, set out more than 10 years ago to discover how all that pollution affected people’s brains. She started by dissecting the brains of euthanized dogs. Her findings were remarkable and disturbing: Dogs exposed to the city’s most polluted neighborhoods had soot in their brains. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/air-quality/2013/12/27/air-pollution-damning-science-raises-new-concerns-about-foul-air/ Progress, But Long Road Ahead to California Climate Goals. 2013 was a pivotal year for California’s efforts to confront the increasingly ominous threats from climate change. The nation’s broadest cap-and-trade program for carbon pollution kicked in, and Governor Jerry Brown joined in two new multi-state pacts aimed at curbing emissions. But seven years after passing its landmark climate law, California’s journey toward attaining its climate goals has just begun. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/2013-progress-but-long-road-ahead-to-calif-climate-goals/ Zoox promotes its Star-Trek-like self-driving vehicle. With drivers theoretically relieved from the duty of actually having to drive the car, they can now spend time figuring out what "Zoox" actually means. The start-up unveiled its concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November and is now ready to reveal a few more details about its utopian mission of autonomous vehicles on its website. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/30/zoox-promotes-self-driving-vehicle/ 13 major clean energy breakthroughs of 2013. While the news about climate change seems to get worse every day, the rapidly improving technology, declining costs, and increasing accessibility of clean energy is the true bright spot in the march toward a zero-carbon future. 2013 had more clean energy milestones than we could fit on one page, but here are 13 of the key breakthroughs that happened this year. Posted. http://grist.org/climate-energy/13-major-clean-energy-breakthroughs-of-2013/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2013 12:16:05 -0800 Subject: newsclips -- Newsclips for December 31, 2013 From: dchelini@arb.ca.gov ARB Newsclips for December 31, 2013. 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 cap and trade cash rolls in for 2013–$$ to cover deficit NOT help environment. It was an important year for California’s ambitious efforts to limit greenhouse gases, one where the buying and trading of pollution credits brought in big money but left lingering questions about how the money should be spent. 2013 marked the first full year of the state’s cap and trade program, the combination of a gradually lowering carbon emissions cap combined with a clean-up-or-pay-up option for the industries affected. Posted. http://capoliticalnews.com/2013/12/31/california-cap-and-trade-cash-rolls-in-for-2013-to-cover-deficit-not-help-environment/ AIR POLLUTION Pollution Rising, Chinese Fear for Soil and Food. The farm-to-table process in China starts in villages like this one in the agricultural heartland. Food from the fields of Ge Songqing and her neighbors ends up in their kitchens or in the local market, and from there goes to other provinces. The foods are Chinese staples: rice, cabbage, carrots, turnips and sweet potatoes. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/world/asia/good-earth-no-more-soil-pollution-plagues-chinese-countryside.html?ref=science&_r=0 New Year’s Eve comes with Winter Spare the Air alert. New Year’s Eve will be another Winter Spare the Air day for the Bay Area, so those planning to pop open a bottle of champagne next to a roaring fire may have to settle for a few candles instead. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the season’s 23rd Spare the Air alert – banning residential wood burning - because of continuing dry, stagnant weather that has allowed unhealthy particulate matter to accumulate close to the ground. Fireworks will still be shot off over the Bay because the Winter Spare the Air alert doesn’t apply to them. Posted. http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/new-years-eve-comes-with-winter-spare-the-air-alert/Content?oid=2662087 No Fireplace Fires on New Year's Eve, Air Quality Management District Says. Local residents thinking of a fireplace fire on New Year’s Eve are prohibited from doing so by the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The South Coast Air Quality Management District on Monday issued a “no burn alert” for the region, which includes Temecula, for Tuesday, Dec. 31 due to predicted elevated fine particulate levels. Posted. http://temecula.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/no-fireplace-fires-on-new-years-eve-air-quality-management-district-says Wood burning ban called for New Year’s Eve. Saying that the high pressure system in the Bay Area is strengthening, to the detriment of air quality, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is issuing the season’s twenty-third Winter Spare the Air Alert for Tuesday. The alert bans the burning of wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel both indoors and outdoors for 24 hours. “Wood smoke pollution is again building up in the Bay Area,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “While these conditions are in place, we appreciate the public’s help in reducing air pollution by not burning wood.” Posted. http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/wood-burning-ban-called-for-new-year-s-eve/article_07df1aea-7195-11e3-8774-0019bb2963f4.html CLIMATE CHANGE How technology can halt climate change. In the 1890s, New York City was swamped — not by a storm but something smellier, horse manure. Horses, the primary mode of transportation, dropped more than a million pounds each day, causing a sanitation crisis. No one found a fix, and some estimated the streets would eventually be buried several feet deep. Then, "shift happened," says Harvard chemist Daniel Nocera. The automobile arrived, and almost overnight, it replaced horses and cleaned up the streets. Hailed as an environmental savior, it solved a seemingly insurmountable problem. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/30/climate-change-technologies/4041931/ NY City greenhouse gas emissions drop 19 pct since 2005. New York City's greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by 19 percent since 2005, outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday, putting the city nearly two-thirds of the way to meeting the goal that Bloomberg set five years ago. Bloomberg announced the progress report as he prepares to leave the mayor's office on Wednesday after 12 years in office. In the comprehensive climate change blueprint he launched in 2007, called PlaNYC 2030, Bloomberg set a goal to slash citywide emissions 30 percent by 2030 through a number of initiatives, such as requiring hybrid taxi cabs and retrofitting municipal buildings to make them more energy efficient. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/30/us-newyorkcity-climate-idUSBRE9BT0QN20131230 DIESEL EMISSSION Ports, vessels get ready for new statewide regulation to lower emissions through shore power. When the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach adopted a groundbreaking plan seven years ago to clear the pollution spewed by operations at the nation’s busiest seaports, the move sparked a sea of changes for the industry. Among those changes, inspired by the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan adopted in 2006, was one of the state’s most aggressive mandates toward significantly lowering ship emissions. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/business/20131230/ports-vessels-get-ready-for-new-statewide-regulation-to-lower-emissions-through-shore-power FUELS UC Davis report finds LCFS compliance costs may rise rapidly; recommends offsetting measures. A recent report prepared by UC Davis researchers for the California Air Resources Board (ARB) found that compliance costs for the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) may increase rapidly in the future if there are large differences in marginal costs between traditional fossil fuels and alternative, low-carbon-intensity fuels; or if there are capacity or technological constraints to deploying alternative fuels, particularly those with low-carbon intensity. In the absence of readily available, low CI fuel alternatives, the fuel market will adjust along two dimensions to maintain compliance with the LCFS: (i) increase the use of cheaper fuels below the Standard such as ethanol derived from corn starch and sugarcane; or (ii) increase fuel prices and reduce fuel consumption to a level where the Standard is technologically feasible. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/12/20131230-lcfs.html BLOGS Climate Change Worse Than We Thought, Likely To Be 'Catastrophic Rather Than Simply Dangerous'. Climate change may be far worse than scientists thought, causing global temperatures to rise by at least 4 degrees Celsius by 2100, or about 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Nature, takes a fresh look at clouds' effect on the planet, according to a report by The Guardian. The research found that as the planet heats, fewer sunlight-reflecting clouds form, causing temperatures to rise further in an upward spiral. Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/31/climate-change-worse_n_4523828.html ELF is a sun-powered, egg-shaped trike. Ever hear of the ELF sun-powered tricycle that offers both pedal power and a solar-powered electric motor? We hadn't either (hat tip to Phillip A.), but it's finally getting a bit of attention from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, CNN and on A&E TV's Shipping Wars, where "Cowgirl Jennifer" Brennan delivered two ELFs to Iowa and Illinois. The photo gallery below shows off ELF details like battery range specs, info on the 60-watt PV solar panel, dual disc brakes and optional fiber carbon panels. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/31/elf-is-a-sun-powered-egg-shaped-trike/ New findings suggest EVs lose value quicker than gas-only autos. Electric cars may be great for saving money on gas, but a new report from Kelley Blue Book, commissioned by USA Today, shows that EVs might not be a great value option for their first owners. The study found that compared to gas-powered vehicles, EVs tend to lose significantly more of their value in the first five years of ownership, corroborating a study conducted in the UK, which we reported on earlier this month. The new Chevrolet Spark EV, for example, will only be worth 28-percent of its $28,305 sticker price after it's been on the road for five years, compared to its conventionally powered counterpart's 40 percent value retention. Posted. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/12/31/electric-cars-depreciate-quicker/ Spare-the-Air Days: How They Make the Call. The Bay Area is on a roll — not one to brag about, however. With at least two streaks in December, one lasting 11 days, this winter looks to shatter the record for the number of Spare-the-Air days, the longstanding campaign by regional air quality regulators to curb particulate air pollution by restricting wood-burning. Twenty-two are already in the books. That’s about double the number of actual days so far with unhealthy air. So how do they know when to “pull the trigger” and ask us to “spare the air”? The process starts with meteorologists at the the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, who look daily at the weather forecast and from that, try to handicap whether the nine-county Bay Area will exceed federal air pollution standards the following day. Posted. http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2013/12/30/spare-the-air-days-how-they-make-the-call/ ====================================================================== You are subscribed to the newsclips mailing list. To UNSUBSCRIBE: Please go to http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv.php and enter your email address and click on the button "Display Email Lists." To unsubscribe, please click inside the appropriate box to uncheck it and go to the bottom of the screen to submit your request. You will receive an automatic email message confirming that you have successfully unsubscribed. Also, please read our listserve disclaimer at http://www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/disclaim.htm . The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, see our website at www.arb.ca.gov. ======================================================================