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California Air Resources Board News Clips for December 29, 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.

Port Study Finds Air Quality Improvement. Air pollution from
ships, locomotives, trucks and other Port of Long Beach-related
sources dropped significantly from 2005 to 2008 -- including a 21
percent decrease in diesel particulate matter -- a new air
quality study shows. The biggest part of the improvement came
thanks to cleaner technology, not from a slowdown in cargo.
Posted. http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=84055 

My Word: Congress Must Give Port of Oakland Authority to Set
Standards to Help Truckers. A THOUSAND truck drivers face
unemployment in January when their rigs are banned from the Port
of Oakland. The state is rightly enforcing new diesel truck
emission standards, but these drivers can't afford the new trucks
or upgrades needed to comply. The drivers are angry because they
were misled about the availability of grants to pay the costs.
Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/sanmateo/ci_14081666


More Carbon Dioxide May Create a Racket in the Seas. Here is
another consequence of rising carbon dioxide emissions: the
oceans are getting louder. It has long been known that chemical
compounds in seawater, including boric acid, absorb sound, as
energy from sound waves stimulates certain reactions. As the
oceans grow more acidic, a result of increasing absorption of
atmospheric CO2, the seawater chemistry changes, resulting in
fewer reactions and less acoustic energy used. That means sounds
will travel farther and be louder at a given distance from a
sound source. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/29/science/earth/29obsound.html?pagewanted=print


Quebec Adopts California Car Emissions Standards. Quebec is
adopting California's stringent auto-emissions standards next
month, in a bold move to tackle the province's polluting
transport sector. When the new emissions standards take effect
Jan. 14, Quebec will become the first Canadian province to follow
California's lead in fighting greenhouse gases. Posted.
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/12/29/quebec-adopts-california-emissions-standards.html


A Fast, Cheap Way to Cool the Planet. This month's Copenhagen
talks focused on the leading climate change culprit: carbon
dioxide. But reversing global temperature increases by reducing
carbon emissions will take many decades, if not centuries. Even
if the largest cuts in CO2 contemplated in Copenhagen are
implemented, it simply will not reverse the melting of ice
already occurring in the most sensitive areas, including the
rapid disappearance of glaciers in Tibet, the Arctic and Latin
America. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704039704574616130812043404.html?mod=googlenews_wsj


Only Real Question Is: Does Man Cause Global Warming? Please put
an end to this global warming debate. Of course there is global
warming — look at the signs. The only question there should be is
the following: Is global warming caused by man? I believe it is.
I have two questions for the naysayers. Let’s go back 150 years.
How many asphalt roads were there? How many concrete buildings
were there? Posted.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/dec/29/only-real-question-does-man-cause-global-warming/


Democrats Ask White House to Wait On Climate Change Issue. In
the last few days of an economically disappointing 2009, and
before an election year, several moderate Democrats are
reportedly asking the White House to give up any intention of
passing a cap-and-trade bill next year. Posted.
http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2009/Dec09/122809/122809-01.htm


Editorial: Climate Conference in Copenhagen Unsurprisingly Falls
Short. THE LOW EXPECTATIONS of progress in advance of the U.N.'s
climate change conference in Copenhagen were ratified by the
results. Despite boasts by President Barack Obama and some other
world leaders of a breakthrough on reducing carbon dioxide
emissions, little of real substance was achieved. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_14081645 

Editorial: Shelving Climate Bill Sensible For Senate. A
cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas emissions and
financially penalize businesses emitting them faces new
opposition among moderate Senate Democrats, apparently worried
about voter backlash in next year's election. Cap-and-trade,
along with sweeping changes in health care, are the Obama
administration's two principle initiatives, but polls already
show more Americans oppose (55 percent) than support (40 percent)
the yet-to-be-approved health program, Rasmussen Reports said
Monday. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/trade-226115-cap-climate.html 

More Talk than Progress in U.S. Energy Policy. In 2009, all eyes
in America's energy industry turned to Washington.  A new
administration entered office determined to rewrite the ground
rules for every kind of energy company - from oil giants in
Houston to renewable power startups in Silicon Valley.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/28/BUP21B6I2N.DTL&type=business#ixzz0b5ywn0LL
                 
http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm?aid=2771 

Turbines Are Careful Fit in Desert. Some of the biggest
windmills in the nation could begin popping up on the Mojave
Desert landscape late next year.  One plan would put more than 30
turbines -- each with blades that would reach 429 feet in the air
-- on a ridge southeast of Barstow. The wind farm would generate
enough power for 50,000 homes or more. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_wind29.3fdb82f.html


Giving People the Power - To Save. Information is power. And in
the world of electricity, more information could mean less power.
As people know more about how much electricity they are using,
they tend to use less of it. Researchers call it “the Prius
effect” — so named because drivers with an eye on the hybrid
car’s dashboard slow down to keep gas mileage up. Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/29/giving-people-the-power-to-save/


Time to start fresh in the New Year. OK, Christmas is over. Time
to clean up. Here are some green New Year's resolutions to get
you started: I/We will:-Turn all ceiling fans counter-clockwise
in the summer and clockwise in the winter. -Unplug my cell phone
charger unless the phone is charging.-Wash clothes in cold
water.-Check car tires regularly for proper air pressure.-Never
allow my vehicle to idle. -Use caulk or weather stripping to
reduce air leaks in my home or business. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/702/story/2425932.html 

New Financing Schemes Make Solar More Affordable. If you think
you need $20,000 to $30,000 in cash upfront to install a solar
system on the roof of your home, think again. A number of Bay
Area solar companies — including Akeena Solar, SolarCity,
Sungevity and SunRun — are pioneering new business models and
creative financing mechanisms to make rooftop solar more
affordable. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/green-energy/ci_14066469 

Blogs

Ethanol Producers File Suit Against California Climate Rules.
Two ethanol industry trade groups filed a federal lawsuit
Wednesday that alleges California regulations to reduce the
carbon content of fuels in that state are unconstitutional and
should be struck down. Posted.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/73781-ethanol-producers-file-suit-against-california-climate-rules
http://www.truthabouttrade.org/news/latest-news/15373-ethanol-groups-sue-california-over-low-carbon-rule

Global Warmists Will Sue You For, Well, For Just About Anything.
Our favorite editorial opening line of the day (other than our
own, of  course): “Fresh from the fiasco in Copenhagen and with a
failure in the U.S. Senate looming this coming year, the
climate-change lobby is already shifting to Plan B, or is it
already Plan D? Meet the carbon tort. “What do demagogues and
despots do when they can’t get their way with a vote? There was
the fiasco in Copenhagen where global warmists managed to get the
vast majority of nations to merely “take note of” the already
non-binding “agreement” of a decided minority. Posted.
http://orangepunch.freedomblogging.com/2009/12/28/global-warmists-will-sue-you-for-well-for-just-about-anything/15397/