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California Air Resources Board News Clips for August 5, 2009. 
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.

Report: Early Costs Of Climate Bill Will Be Modest. Climate
change legislation before Congress would boost electricity prices
by about 20 percent by 2030, although most of the increases
wouldn't begin until after 2020, a government analysis concluded
Tuesday. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/24hour/politics/story/805697.html 

Technology Smorgasbord Needed to Meet Climate Goals – EPRI. The
electric power industry can achieve deep reductions in greenhouse
gas emissions by 2050 by building new nuclear plants,
sequestering coal-plant emissions, boosting wind energy and
improving efficiency, the industry's top research group said
yesterday. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/08/04/04greenwire-technology-smorgasbord-needed-to-meet-climate-35698.html
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/08/04/04greenwire-house-bill-will-spur-20-electricity-price-hike-28686.html

Small Pacific islands Call For Big Carbon Cuts. Cairns,
Australia -- Island nations are the least responsible for climate
change but will bear the brunt of its ill effects, Australia's
leader said Wednesday, as a group of small Pacific states called
for a 45 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/05/AR2009080500082.html

U.S. Consumers Spared Big Costs In Climate Bill. New York
(Reuters) - A new U.S. government study on Tuesday adds to a
growing list of experts concluding that climate legislation
moving through Congress would have only a modest impact on
consumers, adding a bit more than $100 to household costs in
2020. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080402336.html

Cost To Meet Emissions Goal Could Double. Without nuclear power
and "clean coal," the cost of cutting greenhouse gas emissions
from the electricity industry could almost double, according to a
study released Monday by a Bay Area think tank. The study, by the
Electric Power Research Institute, argues that the kind of deep
cuts sought by federal legislation are achievable, for a
reasonable price. But the price will soar without nuclear energy
and clean-coal power plants, which trap their carbon dioxide
emissions and store the gas underground.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/03/BULF193ADP.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Editorial: Corn Power. PRESIDENT Obama's nominee as ambassador
to Brazil, Thomas A. Shannon Jr., is a longtime diplomat trained
to speak honestly without giving unnecessary offense. So when
Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) asked Mr. Shannon during his July 8
confirmation hearing about lifting the 54-cents-per-gallon tariff
on imported ethanol, most of which comes from Brazil, the State
Department veteran responded carefully. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080402797.html

Fossil-Fuel Groups Form Circular Firing Squad. Big energy
companies that once stood shoulder to shoulder in a fight against
climate legislation are shifting battle positions to focus on new
opponents. Each other. Natural gas is bashing coal. This week,
coal punched back. Big oil and gas companies are condemning the
House climate bill that buoys coal-fired utilities. Coal's
response is to ask senators for even more help than the fuel
received in the House legislation. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2009/08/05/1

Is Shale Gas The Climate Bill's New Bargaining Chip. Natural gas
from shale formations is the new magic phrase in the oil and gas
industry, as new technologies have led to stunning increases in
potential resources and anticipated profits. Now some want to see
if it carries any political magic. With new discoveries of the
fossil fuel in massive but difficult to drill shale deposits,
advocates claim that climate legislation means a job boom for gas
engineers and drillers, and revenue for producers. They say a cap
on greenhouse gas emissions could lead power plants to switch to
gas from coal, which emits about double the carbon dioxide of
gas. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2009/08/05/1

A Quiet, Peaceful Culture. Re: your July 30 article, “More
motorcyclists roaring to ride”: The reported statements by Tom
Cass, president of Simi Valley ABATE, in this article are
incredible. Calling it “part of our culture,” he said, “we feel
it’s an infringement on our right to be able to do what we want
with our motorcycles,” in response to legislation by Sen. Fran
Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, to address motorcycle emissions. Posted.
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/aug/05/a-quiet-peaceful-culture/

Kelley: Die-Hard Bikers Still Feel 'Hassled By The Man'. Peter
Fonda, in a role not unlike his Captain America character in
“Easy Rider,” played Heavenly Blues, the leader of a chopper
chapter from Venice, Calif. “The Wild Angels” (1966) was
screenwriter Charles B. Griffith’s only foray into the zen of
maintaining a motorcycle lifestyle, yet enthusiasts can quote,
chapter and verse, from Heavenly Blues’ paean to libertarianism:
“We wanna be free. Posted.
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/aug/05/die-hard-bikers-still-feel-hassled-by-the-man/

‘Cash For Clunkers' Effect On Pollution? A Blip. "Cash for
clunkers" could have the same effect on global warming pollution
as shutting down the entire country - every automobile, every
factory, every power plant - for an hour per year. That could
rise to three hours if the program is extended by Congress and
remains as popular as it is now. Climate experts aren't
impressed. Posted. http://www.modbee.com/2032/story/805601.html

Climate Experts say 'Cash For Clunkers' Won't Have Much
Environmental Impact. Washington — "Cash for clunkers" could have
the same effect on global warming pollution as shutting down the
entire country — every automobile, every factory, every power
plant — for an hour per year. That could rise to three hours if
the program is extended by Congress and remains as popular as it
is now. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12991440
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080402299.html

Clunkers' Rebates Look Likely For Another Month. Washington -
The Senate has cleared the way for a vote extending the
"cash-for-clunkers" program, which offers car buyers rebates of
up to $4,500 for trading in their gas-guzzlers for new,
higher-mileage models, setting aside Republican opposition to the
plan. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12996060

Obama Administration Withholds Data On Clunkers. Washington—The
Obama administration is refusing to quickly release government
records on its "cash-for-clunkers" rebate program that would
substantiate—or undercut—White House claims of the program's
success, even as the president presses the Senate for a quick
vote for $2 billion to boost car sales. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics/ci_12989666

West Marin Dairyman Straus Gets New Poop-Powered Car. Albert
Straus has come full circle. The longtime West Marin dairyman,
who totaled his manure-powered electric car when he crashed into
two 1,000-pound heifers in March, has replaced it with a more
recent model. Straus, president of Straus Family Creamery in
Marshall, is back on the road with a 2003 Toyota RAV4 Electric
Vehicle that gets most of its electricity from manure produced by
his cows. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_12993042

Cerritos Wants To Clear Air Over Erroneous Toxic Air Report.
Cerritos - The city of Cerritos, with its lucrative auto square,
award-winning library and array of public artwork, normally
experiences good publicity. Since June, however, the city has
been struggling to repair a damaged reputation after the
Environmental Protection Agency released a faulty air quality
report that showed a small Cerritos neighborhood as having the
highest cancer risk in the nation. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12992989?nclick_check=1

S.J. Air Officials Ask Public To Police Self. When San Joaquin
Valley air quality cops outlaw wood burning on cold winter
mornings, some people grumble. The region's many rules and
regulations - some of which are unpopular - have always been the
most effective weapon against bad air, and, indeed, experts say
the Valley is cleaner than it was just a few years ago. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090805/A_NEWS/908050316


Schwarzenegger To Host Second Climate Summit. Sacramento, Calif.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning a second conference for
local government leaders from around the world to discuss climate
change. The Republican governor has invited officials to Los
Angeles for a three-day gathering in September. Govs. Jennifer
Granholm of Michigan and Jim Doyle of Wisconsin, both Democrats,
are co-sponsors. Schwarzenegger's office says the event is
scheduled Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. Governors from every state and
regional leaders from other countries have been invited, but
Schwarzenegger's office could not say who would attend. 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-us-schwarzeneggersum,0,5205267.story

Blogs
Climate Bill Would Raise Costs Slightly. The climate change and
energy bill passed by the House in June will bring somewhat
higher energy prices for businesses and households and slow
economic growth slightly by 2020, according to a draft report
from the Energy Information Administration, a research arm of the
Energy Department. Posted.
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/climate-bill-would-raise-costs-slightly/


Cough! Cough! EPA's New Effort To Clean The Air. More than a
third of Californians report that they or an immediate family
member suffer from asthma or respiratory problems, according to a
recent survey by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of
California. Now the federal Environmental Protection Agency,
under a court-ordered deadline, has proposed a major new
regulation to control nitrogen dioxide (NO2),  a key factor in
respiratory illness. The new EPA rule, which will be the subject
of a public hearing in Los Angeles on Thursday, is the first to
address the dangerous gas in 35 years. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/08/air-pollution-nitrogen-dioxide.html

Dividing the Loot from Cap and Trade. Now that the Senate
Finance Committee has finished doing whatever it did to
health-care reform, it is turning to cap and trade with this
morning's hearing on "allowance and revenue distribution." This
sounds like a boringly technical topic, but in fact it's one of
the most important aspects of climate change legislation. Posted.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/hearing/2009/08/dividing_the_loot_from_cap_and.html?hpid=news-col-blog

Separating Myth From Fact on “Cash for Clunkers”. As debate
rages on in the capital over whether to keep assisting the auto
industry by giving out more "cash for clunkers" rebates, two
assertions are becoming commonplace: the program is helping
diminish U.S. oil consumption, and the program is not paid for
with new money. Posted.
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010296.html

Yosemite Trees In Decline; Climate Change Is Lead Suspect.
Yosemite National Park has fewer large trees than it did 70 years
ago. Researchers believe climate change is behind the decline.
From the 1930s to the 1990s, Yosemite's large-diameter tree
density decreased 24%, according to a study by researchers at the
U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Washington.
Scientists compared the park's earliest records (1932-1936) with
records from 1988-99. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/08/yosemite-trees-declining-climate-change.html