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California Air Resources Board News Clips for December 11-14,
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.


Editorial: Air Board Right To Delay Diesel Rules. The California
Air Resources Board voted last week to delay implementing tough
new rules on emissions from diesel trucks and buses. It was the
right move, though it should have come sooner, and the air board
suffered a loss of credibility because Chairwoman Mary Nichols
did not inform the board about an agency statistician who lied
about his credentials in preparing a health study on diesel
emissions. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/editorials/v-print/story/972151.html

Editorial: Shifting Into A Lower Gear. Air Board Considers
Delaying Diesel Pollution Rules Because Of Recession. The
California Air Resources Board is considering slowing
implementation of strict new diesel engine upgrades designed to
cut pollution from the state's thousands of big rigs. This is a
reasonable stance at a time of great economic stress. How
stressful can be seen by the 20 percent reduction in air
pollution this year simply because so many tractor-trailer rigs
have been idled by the recession. Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091214/A_OPINION01/912140317/-1/NEWSMAP#STS=g37hptkg.15cv

EDITORIAL: Air Panel's Decision Wise, Belated. Diesel rule
adjustments reflect tough economy, but bad moves hurt board. Even
before Wednesday's hearing began, it was clear that the
California Air Resources Board was prepared to roll back the
tough regulations on truck and bus diesel emissions it approved
last December. As its staff report stated, the down economy
already had reduced at least some of the pollution that prompted
the regulations in the first place. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/story/1746533.html

Air Board Aims To Cut Gases. The California Air Quality
Resources Board adopted a new regulation that it says will clamp
down on greenhouse gas from large refrigeration systems, a
release from the board stated. From 2012 to 2014 fees of $370 and
$170 will be collected from facilities that are large and medium
users of refrigerant. Posted. 
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_13992648

Results May Be The Same, But CARB Wants Report Redone. The
California Air Resources Board voted somewhat reluctantly last
week to redo a key report that was used to justify passage of the
truck and bus regulation last year even though most of the board
thinks the results will be pretty much the same as they were the
first time around. The report was authored by CARB staffer Hien
Tran, who later confessed to lying about his academic
credentials. Posted.
http://www.cunninghamreport.com/news_item.php?id=1137

Californian Clean Truck Laws In Question As Drayage Operators
Seek Extension. California – US – After last weeks report that
there were questions over the authenticity of results which
showed particulate pollution kills 3500 per year in the state,
when an employee’s qualifications proved false, the California
Air Resources Board (CARB) who are the body responsible for
administering environment contamination may now delay
introduction of their controversial diesel truck and bus
legislation. Posted.
http://www.handyshippingguide.com/shipping-news/californian-clean-truck-laws-in-question-as-drayage-operators-seek-extension_1034

State Board Honors Cool the Earth. Kentfield-based Cool the
Earth received an excellence award from the California Air
Resources Board earlier this month. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_13982910?nclick_check=1
 
Schwarzenegger Gets Failing Grades In Annual Green Report Card.
San Francisco -- The California League of Conservation Voters has
given failing grades to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) for
vetoing environmental bills and seeking expedited project reviews
under a state land-use law. In its annual report card released
yesterday, the group gave Schwarzenegger a 28 percent ranking,
the lowest of his short political career, for rejecting a number
of measures pushed by green advocates in Sacramento. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2009/12/11/7

Schwarzenegger Will Share California Climate Change Story At
Copenhagen. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to carry
California's climate change story to a conference in Copenhagen
next week, a move that will burnish his international image as a
leader in the war on global warming. He'll also take an entourage
of 20 administration officials to Denmark. Three nonprofit
organizations are picking up the tab. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/1148/story/1744087.html

Schwarzenegger Urges US Action On Climate Change. London —
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger urged Monday the US
government to take the lead in the fight against climate change,
as he prepares to head to Copenhagen for the UN summit. "It would
be good for the whole world ... if the US becomes the power
behind the movement," Schwarzenegger told the Financial Times. He
said he could sympathize with US President Barack Obama's efforts
to secure backing in the US Congress for national emissions
targets. Posted.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gfB_xJxDwfInHrvpIYXZVDqUZCoA

Editorial: Green Fantasies / Governor Ignores Anti-AB 32
Evidence. Every now and then, rapid-fire developments serve to
bring clarity to a big problem. This happened in a 24-hour
stretch earlier this week. The topic: why California’s rotten
economy is likely to remain rotten. On Tuesday, we asked Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger why he wouldn’t even consider suspending AB
32, the state’s landmark 2006 anti-global warming law, given that
state unemployment was 12.5 percent. Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/11/green-fantasies-governor-ignores-anti-ab-32-eviden/

Copenhagen Talks Enter Final Phase. Copenhagen -- International
climate talks have reached a boiling point. Voices big and small
are weighing in on the negotiations, including more than 100,000
protesters who clogged streets over the weekend here and in other
major city centers calling for countries to strike a strong deal.
Ministers from around the globe have also arrived, working
through the weekend in small groups behind closed doors. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2009/12/14/1

Summit Is Seen as U.S. Versus China. Copenhagen -- The political
script for a big climate-change conference in this Danish city
has U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders flying in
later this week to christen a new era of global environmental
cooperation. In reality, the summit is shaping up as a pivotal
economic showdown between the U.S. and China. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126074144005789473.html

Editorial: Finally, America Takes the Lead On Climate Change.
President Barack Obama's appearance at the U.N. climate change
summit in Copenhagen this week will draw the spotlight. But one
of the most important developments in the fight against global
warming took place in Washington on Monday, when the
Environmental Protection Agency ruled that greenhouse gases pose
a danger to public health and the environment. This paves the way
to regulate them. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_13980516?nclick_check=1 

Editorial: A Climate Shakedown. As American public sentiment and
congressional will to combat global warming wane, climate
zealots' strong-arm tactics ratchet up. The shakedown is underway
at the Copenhagen, Denmark, climate conference where 192 nations
are discussing how to impose worldwide restrictions on carbon
emissions. Some European nations have agreed to send developing
nations $3.6 billion a year until 2012 to help poorer countries
finance transition from fossil-based fuels to greener
alternatives. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/climate-223762-based-global.html

Thousands March in Copenhagen, Calling for Action. Waving a
panoply of signs warning that the planet is in peril and that
powerful nations should take note, tens of thousands of
demonstrators from around the globe took to the streets here on
Saturday for the largest protest planned in two weeks of talks on
a global strategy to combat climate change. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/science/earth/13climate.html?scp=2&sq=climate%20change&st=cse

Groups Won’t Wait For Warming Treaties. ‘Subnational’ movement
working on climate fixes. Sacramento — In South America,
governors of nine Amazon states are working together to protect
the rain forest from over-logging. In parts of Africa, United
Nations experts are helping poor nations pursue clean-energy
resources so they can grow without relying on “dirty” coal that
fuels the burgeoning economies of China and India. Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/14/groups-wont-wait-warming-treaties/

If Emissions Cuts Are Negotiated, Measuring Them Will Remain A
Challenge. With U.N. climate talks under way in Copenhagen, much
of the attention has focused on countries' competing proposals to
cut greenhouse gas emissions, and just how steep cuts included in
a final agreement might be. But an equally important and harder
to answer question, according to many scientists, is whether it
will be possible to tell whether any one country is holding up
its end of the deal. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2009/12/14/2

Climategate Changes Rules for Scientists. If, in the near term,
anything comes of Climategate, the latest skirmish in the battle
over the science of climate change, we hope it is this: That
researchers will more fully appreciate the fact that the world is
watching, that a vocal contingent will always doubt conclusions
that support the idea of man-made warming, and that their work is
being "reviewed" in a way few scientists have ever experienced.
Posted.
http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/editorials/x113236872/Climategate-changes-rules-for-scientists

Hacked E-Mails Don't Undercut Climate Science -- AP Review.
Clinical scientists at the University of East Anglia stonewalled
skeptics and discussed hiding data, according to e-mails stolen
and posted online last month. But the messages don't support
claims that climate science has been faked, the Associated Press
found in a review of the e-mails. Five AP reporters scrutinized
all 1,073 stolen e-mails, and summaries of the e-mails were sent
to seven experts in research ethics, climate science and science
policy. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2009/12/14/10
http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2009-12-09-66218.113116_Study_Businesses_not_harmed_by_emissions_bill.html#222

U.S. Emissions Won't Return To 2008 Levels Until 2019 – EIA.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. energy sector have fallen
and won't reach 2008 levels again until 2019, the Energy
Information Administration said today. "The recession will have a
lasting impact" on gross domestic product, total energy use and
carbon dioxide emission levels, EIA Administrator Richard Newell
said at the unveiling of his agency's 2010 Energy Outlook's
reference case. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2009/12/14/3 

New Data Show California's Fight Against Global Warming Supports
Healthy Economy. Two new studies have popped up over the last
week showing that global warming regulations can strengthen
California's economy with negligible costs. These results confirm
that the best medicine for our sputtering grey economy is a
strong infusion of green policy. Posted.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=print/7221

U.S. Wind Industry Won't Grow Until 2011, Industry Executive
Says. Copenhagen -- The U.S. wind power industry is in for
another tough year in 2010 and won't see a return to growth until
2011, said Jan Blittersdorf, president and CEO of NRG Systems, a
maker of wind measurement and turbine control equipment used by
wind farm developers and utilities. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2009/12/14/7

EPA Publishes 2 Rules Targeting Refrigerants. U.S. EPA today
published two rules aimed at reducing a potent greenhouse gas
that depletes the Earth's stratospheric ozone layer. The rules
target hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which are primarily used
as refrigerants. The first rule forbids certain HCFCs to be used
in the manufacturing of new air-conditioning and refrigeration
equipment starting next year, although it allows some limited use
to service existing equipment. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2009/12/11/22

Plan to Clear Valley Air Has EPA's OK. The federal Environmental
Protection Agency said Friday it has approved a state plan and
rules to meet an ozone health standard in the San Joaquin Valley
starting in 2010.The rules are for meeting the federal one-hour
standard for ozone, or smog, in the eight-county San Joaquin
Valley air basin. In a lawsuit filed last year, activists charged
the EPA was slow in taking action on measures for meeting the
one-hour standard and an eight-hour ozone standard in the valley.
Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2384/story/969917.html#ixzz0ZgGrMwSw

Valley Air Board Proposes Rule to Reduce Pollution from
Commuters. A rule aimed at businesses that proposes to decrease
air pollution by reducing the number of trips employees take
traveling to work or job assignments could spell added costs for
employers. A hearing is scheduled Thursday in Bakersfield that
will give the public a chance to ask questions and offer
feedback. A link to a live webcast will be available that day for
those unable to appear in person. Posted.
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20091212/NEWS01/912120304/1002/Valley-air-board-proposes-rule-to-reduce-pollution-from-commuters


US Reveals Fund For Green Tech In Poor Nations. The White House
on Monday announced a new program drawing funds from
international partners to spend $350 million over five years to
supply developing nations with clean energy technology to curb
greenhouse gas emissions and reduce global warming. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/business/story/972145.html#ixzz0ZgIlXlW1

Editorial: Public Health Should Trump Recreation at the Dunes.
Some amount of air pollution is the price we all pay for living
in an industrial world, even here in relatively rural San Luis
Obispo County. But it’s unreasonable — even downright arrogant —
to expect one group of residents to breathe in harmful levels of
pollutants so that others can get their kicks out of riding
around on the Oceano Dunes. Posted.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/story/954883.html 

Running Cleaner: Pajaro Valley Replaces Polluting School Buses.
The black cloud that's followed Pajaro Valley school buses for
years is going away. With the help of a $1.6 million grant, the
Pajaro Valley Unified School District has purchased 12 new buses
to replace older models considered some of the worst polluting
vehicles on the Central Coast. Posted.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_13983103 

Rise in S.J. Toxic Emissions May Be Anomaly. Toxic emissions
from factories and power plants in San Joaquin County climbed
slightly in 2008, ending a run of nine straight years on the
decline. But the 3 percent increase may be a blip. In most
places, emissions have been dropping because of tighter
environmental restrictions and, of late, the poor economy.
Posted.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091212/A_NEWS/912120321/-1/a_news14#STS=g37gqdrw.1epv
                                            
http://www.register-pajaronian.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=8084&page=72


Region Getting New Ethanol Stations. By year's end, the Inland
region will have its first two stations pumping an
environmentally friendly fuel blend consisting primarily of
grain-based ethanol. San Diego-headquartered Pearson Fuels will
begin dispensing E85, an alternative fuel with 85 percent ethanol
and 15 percent gasoline, on Dec. 16 at Joe's 76 in Perris.
Posted.
http://www.pe.com/business/local/stories/PE_Biz_S_ethanol11.381304b.html


Plug-In Hybrids Likely To Stay Expensive For Decades – Report.
Plug-in hybrid cars and trucks such as the much-hyped Chevy Volt
are likely to cost in excess of $10,000 more to make than
comparable nonelectric vehicles for at least the next two
decades, the National Research Council said in a report today.
The council examined the incremental costs associated with
plug-in hybrids and their advanced batteries, determining that
the Volt and other plug-ins that are capable of traveling at
least 40 miles exclusively on battery power will likely still be
costing automakers an additional $11,000 to make in 2030. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2009/12/14/15

Toyota Will Launch Plug-In Hybrid In 2 Years. Traditional
electric cars won't be the only energy-conscious vehicles to hit
the market in the coming years, a Toyota executive said today.
Toyota plans to launch its next-generation plug-in hybrid in two
years, Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada announced. The
car differs from a regular hybrid because its batteries can be
recharged by plugging it into a standard electrical outlet --
unlike earlier hybrids that were charged by the car's engine and
the braking system. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2009/12/14/16

Methods To Limit Fracturing's Impact Underused. While energy
firms have known for some time how to limit the environmental
impact of hydraulic fracturing -- a type of drilling increasingly
used to extract natural gas from shale -- such technologies have
seen limited adoption unless firms have been prodded by state
regulations. One of the largest challenges for drilling is
disposing of well wastewater, which is typically stored in open
waste pits. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2009/12/14/12

BLOGS

Man-Made Global Warming. How air board’s behavior made me an
agnostic. Note: this combines three previous posts. When I
blogged recently that the Climategate scandal had moved me from
being a believer in man-made global warming to being an agnostic,
I got lots of pushback. A professor wrote to note all the
evidence that wasn’t massaged or hidden by influential scientists
at the University of East Anglia, Penn State and the National
Center for Atmospheric Research. Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/12/man-made-global-warming-how-air-boards-behavior-ma/

Senators Offer New Climate Proposals. Three Senators released a
broadly-worded blueprint of a climate change and energy bill on
Thursday afternoon that they believe can win the 60 votes needed
to push the bill through next year. Posted.
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/senators-offer-new-climate-proposals/?scp=7&sq=climate%20change&st=cse