What's New List Serve Post Display

California Air Resources Board News Clips for October 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.

Hopes Fade for Comprehensive Climate Treaty. Washington — With
the clock running out and deep differences unresolved, it now
appears there is little chance that the climate change
negotiations in Copenhagen in December will produce a
comprehensive and binding new treaty on global warming. The
United States and a number of other major emitting countries have
concluded that it is more useful to take incremental but
important steps toward a global agreement rather than to try to
jam through a treaty that is either too weak to address the
problem or too onerous to be ratified and enforced. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/science/earth/21treaty.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print

Chu Backs Price Collar On Carbon Permits. Washington (Reuters) -
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Tuesday threw his support
behind setting a price floor and ceiling on carbon dioxide
pollution permits that are part of climate control legislation
pending in Congress." I personally would support a price collar
because it gives more stability, and it's a damper on some of the
manipulative stuff" that some members of Congress fear could
develop in the market, he told the Reuters Washington Summit.
Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/Washington09/idUSTRE59J3W120091020

Public Hearings Convene on First U.S. Greenhouse Gas Pollution
Standards. Washington, Public hearings commence this week on the
nation's first greenhouse gas pollution standards.  Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT)
officials will hear public testimony on proposed new historic
fuel economy benchmarks and national greenhouse gas emissions
limits for passenger vehicles:  October 21st in Detroit, October
23rd in New York City, and October 27th in Los Angeles. For more
information on the public hearings, see
www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regulations.htm. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS180818+20-Oct-2009+PRN20091020

On Road to 60 Votes for Climate Bill, Senate Swells With Fence
Sitters. The fence is getting a bit more crowded. Despite two
significant moves over the last month -- a bill introduction and
the emergence of a possible bipartisan partnership -- the number
of senators unwilling to commit to voting for comprehensive
climate and energy legislation continues to grow. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/10/20/20climatewire-on-road-to-60-votes-for-climate-bill-senate-43836.html?scp=3&sq=carbon%20emission&st=cse


Opinion: Time for Inaction on Global Warming. Congress should
consider the costs before passing "cap and trade." "Global" and
"warming" are perhaps the two most important words used to
justify the approaching governmental control of our economy. In
reality, global warming is barely occurring: In the 30 years
starting in 1977, warming amounted to 0.32 degree Fahrenheit per
decade, and in the next hundred years it is estimated to be about
half a degree per decade. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704500604574482191245495128.html#

Forest Study Sees Upside Of Climate Change. Warmer temperatures
may spur tree growth in some regions of the Pacific Northwest,
which could mean reduced carbon in the air, researchers say.
While gradually warming global temperatures long have been seen
as an environmental threat, a study released Monday suggested
that the forests of the Pacific Northwest could see a substantial
gain in productivity as the thermometer climbs. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trees-warming20-2009oct20,0,172619,print.story

A Balanced View of Global Warming. There's been a shift in
Global Warming from denial being the mainstream view, to
acceptance being mainstream, and denialists finding themselves
suddenly as the minority gadflies looking in. Both extremes are
probably wrong. Although they accept Global Warming, New
Scientist magazine says we can expect 1-2 decades of cooling
because of normal Oceanic current variations. Posted.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Balanced-View-of-Global-by-Scott-Baker-091019-344.html

Enthusiasm for Natural Gas Cools. MADRID — Developing countries
around the world are increasingly turning to natural gas as their
alternative transportation fuel of choice. But early official
embrace of the technology in industrialized nations has mostly
cooled, because risks inherent in mass deployment outweigh the
benefits, especially in regard to climate change. After a decade
of double-digit annual growth, according to several estimates,
more than 10 million vehicles worldwide are now powered by
methane derived from natural gas or organic waste. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/business/global/21rencar.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Potential Grows for Biomass Energy. San Francisco — Woody
biomass provides just 0.94 percent of all U.S. energy now,
supplying the equivalent of 3.5 million American homes. But Bob
Cleaves, president of the Biomass Power Association, a group in
Portland, Maine, that represents about 80 plant-burning
incinerators in 16 states, says available raw material would
allow the industry to double its output. New incinerators are
already being planned in many states. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/business/global/21renforest.html?ref=global-business&pagewanted=print

Stanford Moves Aggressively To Cut Energy Use, Reduce Carbon
Impact. The long-range Energy and Climate Plan includes
higher-than-required energy standards for new buildings,
retrofitting of existing buildings, a transformation of the
campus energy plant, and programs to teach students, faculty and
staff how to cut energy use. In an effort to tackle the threat of
global climate change head on, Stanford University has developed
an ambitious, long-range, $250 million initiative to sharply
reduce the university's energy consumption and greenhouse gas
emissions. Posted.
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/october19/stanford-carbon-footprint-101909.html?view=print

Fossil Fuels’ Hidden Cost Is in Billions, Study Says. Washington
— Burning fossil fuels costs the United States about $120 billion
a year in health costs, mostly because of thousands of premature
deaths from air pollution, the National Academy of Sciences
reported in a study issued Monday. The damages are caused almost
equally by coal and oil, according to the study, which was
ordered by Congress. The study set out to measure the costs not
incorporated into the price of a kilowatt-hour or a gallon of
gasoline or diesel fuel. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/science/earth/20fossil.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

ATA and Port of Long Beach Reach Settlement. Arlington, Va., -
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) Executive Committee and
the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commissioners have each approved a
Settlement negotiated between Port officials and ATA and trucking
industry representatives. The Settlement is based upon motor
carrier registration process, referred to as a Registration and
Agreement, which will replace the Port's Concession Agreement.
The settlement is also expected to end litigation with the Port
of Long Beach, however litigation with the Port of Los Angeles
will continue. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS11619+20-Oct-2009+PRN20091020

Foreign Automakers Urge California To Drop 'Cool Cars' Plan.
Washington -- The battle over California's "cool cars" standards
isn't over. The largest foreign automakers asked California to
drop its proposal to require cars sold in the Golden State,
staring in the 2012 model year, to limit the amount of solar
energy entering vehicles. Late Monday, the state said it had no
plans to do so. The Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the
trade association representing Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor
Co., Nissan Motor Corp., Hyundai Motor Corp. and other foreign
automakers, said in a letter released today that it wanted the
California Air Resources Board to reconsider its plans. Posted.
http://detnews.com/article/20091019/AUTO01/910190389&template=printart

Officials Hint at Progress Negotiating Climate Deal. A two-day
meeting of officials from countries responsible for the bulk of
the world’s greenhouse gas emissions ended Monday in London with
hints that rich and developing nations might be able to bridge at
least some of their differences on issues hobbling agreement on a
new climate treaty. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704500604574482191245495128.html#printMode

Report Looks At Hidden Health Costs Of Energy Production.
Generating electricity by burning coal is responsible for about
half of an estimated $120 billion in yearly costs from early
deaths and health damages to thousands of Americans from the use
of fossil fuels, a federal advisory group said Monday. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/politics/story/899491.html

Haas School To Offer Green Tech Program. UC Berkeley has created
an institute within its Haas School of Business to tap the
growing student interest in green tech, bringing together
research on clean-energy technology, policy and economics. The
Energy Institute at Haas combines the efforts of several existing
programs at the university, which has moved aggressively in
recent years to expand its research and course offerings in
alternative energy. The university announced the institute's
creation Monday. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/20/BA3D1A7RM1.DTL&type=printable

Michigan Limits Mercury From Coal-Fired Plants. Michigan's
coal-fired power plants will be required to make drastic cuts in
mercury emissions under regulations announced Monday. The rules
developed by the Department of Environmental Quality are designed
to implement a policy Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced three
years ago to slash the generators' mercury output 90 percent by
2015. Coal-fired plants produce 60 percent of Michigan's
electricity. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_13595909#
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101903038.html

On the Waterfront: Trucking Re-Regulation Becoming A National
Issue. What began a few years ago as an effort to rid Southern
California's port communities of the soot-spewing container
trucks poisoning local skies has morphed into a national battle
to re-regulate sections of the trucking industry. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13596505#

8 South Asian Nations Resist Binding Emission Cuts. New
Delhi—Eight South Asian countries have agreed they can't be part
of any climate change deal that sets legally binding limits on
their emissions, an Indian official said Tuesday. India, Pakistan
and six other nations will present a coordinated stance at a key
global meeting in Copenhagen in December to stick with the Kyoto
Protocol, agreed in 1997, Indian Environment Minister Jairam
Ramesh said after a two-day meeting of regional environment
ministers. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_13600140#
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102000785.html

Auto X Prize Cuts Green-Car Contest Pool In Half. New York—The
organizer of a $10 million contest to develop next-generation
green vehicles said Monday it narrowed down its list of
competitors by half, with qualifying teams ranging from Indian
car giant Tata Motors to a team of Cornell University engineering
students. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_13594463#
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101901743.html

Planet Panel. Excerpts from comments by The Post's panel of
experts on climate change. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902908.html

Biden: Fix That Drafty Roof. Just in time for the first New
England snow, Vice President Biden today announced a new federal
initiative to encourage Americans to weatherize their homes,
thereby reducing heating bills and carbon emissions and helping
to produce jobs. Posted.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/10/19/biden_fix_that_drafty_roof.html?wprss=44

Biden To Model Solar Finance Plan On Berkeley's. The solar
financing plan that originated in Berkeley in 2007 will become a
national model, Vice President Joe Biden said Monday. Biden's
program, known as Recovery Through Retrofit, creates a framework
for cities, counties and states to set up tax districts that
allow residential and business property owners to install solar
panels and make other energy improvements, repaying the
investment over a 20-year property tax assessment. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/20/BAKT1A7R72.DTL&type=printable

BLOGS

California's Over-Regulation of Auto Industry to Kill Jeep
Wrangler? California's Air Resources Board (CARB) is setting
difficult goals in it's Cool Cars regulations. Turns out it might
just help Jeep sales. There was a rumor going around recently
that CARB (the California Air Resources Board) would in essence
ban "black" cars because of their natural tendency to trap heat
inside and thus require more "energy" to cool the car. As one
would expect, I didn't see any mention of how that would work in
cold climates where heating would require less energy because of
the black car's ability to keep heat in. Posted.
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/b/2009/10/19/californias-over-regulation-of-auto-industry-to-kill-jeep-wrangler.htm

Warming Climate Could Promote Forest Growth. A warming planet is
expected to bring a host of ills, including rising seas,
spreading deserts and disease infestations. Yet it's not all bad
news, apparently. Researchers at Oregon State University looked
at a variety of climate models and found that higher-elevation
forests in the Pacific Northwest can be expected to vigorously
expand their growth with warmer temperatures -- up to 500% a
year, under some scenarios. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/10/warming-climate-could-promote-forest-growth.html

Are Solar Panels Really Black? And What Does That Have to Do
With the Climate Debate? Nathan Myhrvold is a polymath’s
polymath, the former chief technology officer at Microsoft who,
by the time he was 23, had earned, primarily at UCLA and
Princeton, a bachelor’s degree (mathematics), two master’s
degrees (geophysics/space physics and mathematical economics),
and a Ph.D. (mathematical physics). He is co-founder of
Intellectual Ventures, a firm comprising many other scientists,
including climate scientists, whose counterintuitive views on
global warming and its possible solutions are explored in the
final chapter of SuperFreakonomics. Posted.
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/are-solar-panels-really-black-and-what-does-that-have-to-do-with-the-climate-debate/?pagemode=print

On CO2, Small Steps for Big Emitters? John Broder has written an
update on the climate-treaty talks and I have a story in The
Times summarizing the sixth meeting of the Major Economies Forum
on Energy and Climate, through which the Obama administration has
sought to facilitate efforts to create a new global climate
treaty by seeking common ground among a smaller set of countries
with the biggest emissions. My article cites a morning speech
delivered to the gathering by Prime Minister Gordon Brown of
Britain in which he stressed that the atmosphere does not
negotiate Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/on-co2-small-steps-for-big-emitters/?pagemode=print

O.C. Passed Over In EPA Green-Building Contest. That’s right —
no winners from O.C. are posted in the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s green-building contest, which honors
construction in three categories:  student design, professional
design and creation of green jobs. Posted.
http://greenoc.freedomblogging.com/2009/10/19/oc-passed-over-in-epa-green-building-contest/14497/

Does Energy Star Label Have A Dark Side? Some manufacturers
could be getting away with slapping an “Energy Star” label on
appliances that don’t deserve it, a new Energy Department audit
shows. According to a story Monday in the New York Times, an
internal audit showed that the Energy Department does not
adequately check out products that carry the label, which is
supposed to signal a high degree of energy efficiency to
consumers. Posted.
http://greenoc.freedomblogging.com/2009/10/19/does-energy-star-label-have-a-dark-side/14509/