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California Air Resources Board News Clips for August 20, 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.


Valley Air District Wants To Regulate Charbroilers. Air
officials are proposing a rule to curb tiny specks in charbroiler
exhaust that threaten the health of those living near
restaurants. But the measure misses most of the pollution. The
rule would apply to chain-driven charbroilers that cook meat on a
conveyor with burners above and below. Those charbroilers, used
by such restaurants as Carl's Jr. and Burger King, account for
25% of charbroiler exhaust. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1607046.html

Lawmakers Cementing Legislation. The region’s big four lawmakers
are back in Sacramento busy pushing legislation on topics ranging
from state university reform, smoking at hospitals, greenhouse
gas emissions and renewable energy, among many others. With the
state budget mess behind them, Senators Joe Simitian and Leland
Yee and Assemblymen Ira Ruskin and Jerry Hill are back in the
capital working hard on cementing their legislative legacies.
Posted.
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=115206

Climate Benefits, Community Safeguards Can Come Together. As the
state continues to tackle climate change, we must ensure that our
policy solutions provide equal protection to all Californians.
Our low-income and minority communities are overburdened with the
harmful effects of poor air quality. Statewide solutions must not
overlook these communities, but rather move to protect and
strengthen them. California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions
Act of 2006—AB 32—promised to protect such communities, yet these
very communities are still waiting for AB 32’s promises to be
fulfilled. Posted.
http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=y7j9z9rk2lx81t&xid=y7j7xxmsax520d&done=.y7j9z9rk2me81t#

Chevron Backs Oil Group's 'Energy Citizens'. Taking a leaf from
the playbook employed by health care reform opponents, the oil
industry has put together an "Energy Citizens" movement aimed at
derailing climate-change legislation. And San Ramon's Chevron
Corp. is throwing its weight behind the effort. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/20/BUMS19AKJ9.DTL&type=printable

IBM-Sponsored Report: Utilities Not Ready For Climate Change.
New York (Dow Jones)-- A report sponsored by International
Business Machines Corp. (IBM) says that 90% of utilities around
the world know they are at risk from climate change but fewer
than a third said they have performed any financial review of the
possible impacts on their business. Utilities face a variety of
potential problems from climate change, including shortages of
water to cool plants, increased generation demand from hotter
summers and power outages from more frequent severe weather,
according to the report. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090820-710357.html

Why Climate Change Will Matter to Every Company GreenBiz.com. 
BSR has recently fielded inquiries from a range of member
companies asking how climate change is relevant to their
business. The timing of these questions is obvious: With
prospective climate change legislation and policy discussions in
the United States and elsewhere, intensive international
negotiations culminating later this year, and ongoing stakeholder
interest, companies are scrambling to develop or boost their
climate change strategies, assess their internal and supply chain
emissions, and examine the potential risks and opportunities
throughout their operations, value chain, and industry. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmCarbonEmissions/idUS45494881120090820

Agency Warns Current Climate Proposals Won't Work. Brussels —
Reversing global warming will cost up to $185 billion (euro130
billion) a year before 2020 and require more action by world
governments than currently pledged, an international
environmental analysis group said Thursday. ClimateWorks
Foundation said U.N. climate change talks would fail to reach a
meaningful agreement with the proposals made so far, and that a
new approach was needed. Posted.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hqjnE4ztVvGMddkXDlAK3-OpALWQD9A6N2G83
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nationandworld/ci_13168240
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/20/AR2009082002081.html

Cutting Greenhouse Gases. Every year, the nearly 7 billion
people on Planet Earth driving their vehicles, operating
coal-fired electric generating plants, running heavy industries,
and carrying out dozens of other fossil fuel-burning activities
pump an estimated 234 billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gases
or carbon dioxide equivalents into the atmosphere. Posted.
http://deltafarmpress.com/legislative/greenhouse-gases-0820/

World Youth Tell Leaders to Clean Up. An international gathering
of youth and children, billed as the largest ever of its type on
climate change, Thursday pressed world leaders to do far more to
curb damage to the environment. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/08/20/news/news-us-youth.html?_r=1&scp=9&sq=carbon%20emissions&st=cse
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/20/AR2009082001600.html

Oversight Costs City Plenty, Though End Result Will Be Cleaner
Air. Any steps taken to help clean the air in Fresno, Valley,
state, nation and hence, the world, I’m all for. In “Diesel
breach costs Fresno” in the August 19, 2009 Fresno Bee, an
oversight by the city of Fresno to better monitor exhaust smoke
conditions of vehicles in its off-road diesel fleet apparently,
caused a fine to be assessed against the city by the California
Air Resources Board or CARB. The article, co-authored by Paula
Lloyd and George Hostetter, opens this way. Posted.
http://www.examiner.com/x-11410-Fresno-Green-Transportation-Examiner~y2009m8d19-Oversight-costs-city-plenty-though-end-result-will-be-cleaner-air


Benicia Seeking New Energy. Benicia - A local consulting firm
with ties to a Nobel Peace Prize winner has lost an appeal to be
involved in the city's renewable energy efforts. Intergy
Corporation had submitted a project proposal in June to help
develop a solar and wind farm, but Benicia city officials decided
to pursue other proposals instead. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_13168204

Denver Airport Plans Solar Power For Its Fuel Farm.
Denver—Denver International Airport wants to build a $7 million
solar electric-generating system to power its fuel storage and
distribution system. Airport officials said Wednesday they will
ask the City Council for approval to sign a contract with two
companies to develop the 1.6-megawatt project on about 9 acres
north of the airfield. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/financialmarkets/ci_13160735

Top-Mileage Hybrid Sedans Are Fords. The top gasoline-electric
hybrid sedans for fuel mileage aren't Hondas or Toyotas. That
honor goes to the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and its sibling 2010
Mercury Milan Hybrid.  The federal government rates the newly
revamped, five-passenger Fusion and Milan Hybrids at 41 miles per
gallon in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway, leading to an
average city/highway mileage of 39 mpg. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_13159352

Administration Plans To Wind Down Clunkers Program. The Obama
administration is developing plans to wind down the popular Cash
for Clunkers program and could announce by Friday when the
incentives will no longer be available. Transportation Secretary
Ray LaHood said Wednesday the department would announce within 48
hours how it intends to discontinue the program that offers car
buyers rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 for trading in older vehicles
for new, more fuel-efficient models. Department officials met
with car dealer trade groups on Wednesday to discuss how the
program will eventually end and respond to complaints over a
backlog of rebate payments to dealers. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13167223

Editorial: The Ball Is In Chevron's Court Concerning The
Richmond Refinery. THE IMPASSE between Chevron and
environmentalists over renovations at the Richmond refinery is
indeed puzzling. Environmental groups won a lawsuit challenging
the oil company's environmental impact report regarding the
refinery's ability and intent to process heavy crude oil, which
would increase air pollution, after extensive retrofit work is
completed. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_13161195

Mercury Widespread In Nation's Fish, Study Shows. Washington —
No fish can escape mercury pollution. That's the take-home
message from a federal study of mercury contamination released
Wednesday that tested fish from nearly 300 streams across the
country. The toxic substance was found in every fish sampled, a
finding that underscores how widespread mercury pollution has
become. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_13162116

Groups Intend To Sue State Over Pesticide Use. A handful of
environmental groups on Wednesday filed a notice of intent to sue
three California state agencies after they allegedly failed to
properly regulate pesticide applications. The environmental
groups, including the Ventura County-based Wishtoyo Foundation
and Community & Children’s Advocates Against Pesticide Poisoning,
claim the California Department of Pesticide Regulation is not
moving quickly enough to curb emissions from fumigants and that
the agency promised to regulate pesticide use year-round but is
only doing so in the summer. Posted.
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/aug/19/groups-intend-to-sue-over-pesticide-use/

Affordability Is Martek's Challenge As It Looks to Turn Algae
Into Fuel. Now that its flagship product is in nearly every
container of infant formula sold in the United States, Martek
Biosciences is looking to edge its way into the gas tank. The
Columbia firm, which develops nutritional supplements for food
and beverages based on the fermentation of algae, announced this
month that BP has agreed to invest $10 million over a 30-month
period to fund research seeking ways to inexpensively develop
vehicle fuel from organisms such as seaweed. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/20/AR2009082001792.html

For St. Mark's, A Miracle From Underground. Leaders at St.
Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield discovered two years ago
that their building's heating and cooling system was on its last
tottering legs and that replacing it would require borrowing a
half-million dollars. Then they received an unbelievable proposal
from Zach Fettig, who grew up attending St. Mark's and had
recently graduated from James Madison University. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/18/AR2009081803857.html

We've Come a Long Way Toward Curbing Acid Rain, but It's Still
Around. Back in the 1980s, acid rain was the environmental
scourge of the day. Canada's environmental minister proclaimed it
an "insidious malaria of the biosphere"; it menaced the
Transformers; it turned Kimberly's hair bright green in an
episode of "Diff'rent Strokes." Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/19/AR2009081901237.html


Obamamania: Going Ga-Ga Over Well, Let's See. What's Obamamania?
Domestically, it's a heart beating hotly for throttling American
industry in the name of a cleaner environment. For "energy
independence" without expanded nuclear power. For a "stimulus
package" (etc.) causing (in for instance the fiscal year ending
this fall) record-setting $2 trillion annual deficits. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/world/story/823587.html?storylink=pd


Cash for Clunkers Does the Environment No Good. Sen. Dianne
Feinstein of California was right -- the first time. The
so-called Cash for Clunkers program, she wrote in a June column
published in the Wall Street Journal, was "expertly designed to
provide Detroit one last windfall in selling off gas guzzlers
currently sitting on dealer lots because they're not a smart
buy." Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/editorials/story/823254.html?storylink=pd 

Australian Parliament Sets Renewable Energy Target. Australia's
Parliament passed a law Thursday requiring that 20 percent of the
country's electricity come from renewable sources such as the sun
and wind by 2020, matching European standards and up from about 8
percent now. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/20/business/AP-AS-Australia-Renewable-Energy.html?scp=5&sq=carbon%20emissions&st=cse


Architects Return to Class as Green Design Advances. It seems
like only yesterday that environmentally conscious building
practices began making their way into the architecture
profession. How times have changed. This year, the American
Institute of Architects implemented a policy requiring all
members to take four hours of continuing education courses in
sustainable design every year. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/education/20BUILD.html 

Lodi May Go Solar Near I-5. The view from Interstate 5 near Lodi
- a landscape of farmland, sewage ponds and truck stops - could
soon feature some new pieces of scenery: rows of shiny solar
panels. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090819/A_NEWS/908190323/-1/A_NEWS14

Using Solar Heat To Power Air Conditioning. Southern California
Gas Co. is testing systems that use less gas and electricity and
is inviting businesses to view the prototypes on the roof of its
Downey research facility. Everyone knows solar power can heat
homes and generate electricity. But on a rooftop in Downey,
Southern California Gas Co. engineers are using solar mirrors to
cool down their offices. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fi-solar20-2009aug20,0,344033,print.story

Sleight-Of-Hand 'Benevolence'. The government has an insidious
way of helping. First it hurts you. Then it benevolently rushes
in to relieve a little of the pain. Then, it takes credit for
being so nice. Taxpayers experience this every payday when the
government takes money from their earnings. Later, the government
may deign to return some of your money to you as a tax refund –
money it didn’t have a right to in the first place. Posted.
http://www.vvdailypress.com/common/printer/view.php?db=vvdailypress&id=13987

Formaldehyde Council Recommends "Bake-Out" Of New Homes. The
Formaldehyde Council, Inc. (FCI) engaged an industrial hygienist
to address recent concerns about formaldehyde. Larry Newton, CIH,
CSP stated, “we are making houses too air tight for the sake of
energy savings without regard to providing sufficient fresh air
for healthy living”. Posted.
http://www.examiner.com/x-5101-San-Jose-Environmental-Health-Examiner~y2009m8d19-Formaldehyde-Council-recommends-bakeout-of-new-homes

BLOGS

Making Fuel At Home: Waste Wine Primes The Pump. It sounds too
good to be true: A residential system that allows people to make
fuel from waste products and use it to run their vehicles. That’s
what inventors of the E-Fuel MicroFueler claim, and there's
support for the idea in government, industry, technology and pop
culture. MicroFueler buyers are eligible for a $5,000 tax credit.
Former L.A. Laker Shaquille O'Neal is an investor in the company
that distributes them. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/08/waste-wine-primes-the-pump.html

Carbon Traders Arrested for Tax Fraud. British customs officials
arrested seven people near London on Thursday suspected of
dodging taxes that should have been paid for selling large
amounts of carbon dioxide permits — the main currency in the
European Union’s Emissions Trading System. Posted.
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/carbon-traders-arrested-for-tax-fraud/?hp


Australia Targets 20 Percent Renewable Energy By 2020. Sydney -
Australia on Thursday passed a clean-energy law requiring the
country to produce 20 percent of its power from renewable sources
by 2020, a move that could draw billions of dollars in green
investment. The Australian Senate passed the government-sponsored
bill just days after parliament rejected further-reaching but
controversial legislation aimed at slashing carbon emissions.
Posted.
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-20-australia-targets-20-percent-renewable-energy-by-2020/

Plastic Bag Wars Poised to Continue. In the wake of Seattle
voters’ decisive rejection of a proposed 20-cent fee on paper and
plastic bags, opponents of disposable shopping bags have vowed to
press for an all-out ban on the bags. “A ban would be the logical
next step,” said Brady Montz, the Seattle chairman of the Sierra
Club and one of the anti-bag campaign leaders. Posted.
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/plastic-bag-wars-poised-to-continue/