What's New List Serve Post Display

California Air Resources Board News Clips for January 29-February
1, 2010. 

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.

Firm Is On A Mission To Cut Diesel Emissions. Phillip Roberts'
disgust for soot inspired him to start a business that aims to
make older engines run cleaner. For product presentations,
Phillip Roberts sometimes carries along a petri dish filled with
black grit, just in case people don't believe the story about his
Long Beach condominium balcony and the catalyst for the creation
of his small business. ¶ The grit is a daily gift of air
pollution that comes with his otherwise spectacular view of the
Port of Long Beach, on the horizon just beyond the Queen Mary.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-engine-dirt1-2010feb01,0,74946,print.story

Budget Proposes $47 Million for EPA to Regulate CO2.
Washington—The Obama Administration proposed giving the
Environmental Protection Agency an additional $47 billion in its
2011 budget to fund plans to regulate greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide. The administration said $4 million would pay for
a new rule requiring firms to report their emissions and $43
million would go toward new regulatory initiatives the EPA is
preparing. In the absence of legislation from Congress to cut
greenhouse gases, the agency is drafting rules to regulate
emitters across the economy.  Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704107204575039130355226858.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_Investing

Obama's Budget Pushes Clean Technologies, Cuts Fossil Fuel
Incentives. President Obama's $3.834 trillion budget, to be
released today, proposes to inject billions more dollars in clean
energy research while slashing federal fossil fuel subsidies,
according to White House officials. The fiscal year 2011 budget
will include $6 billion for clean energy technologies, mostly
focused on research, development and demonstration, the White
House said. While sending more cash to priority areas, Obama is
also seeking a three-year non-military discretionary spending
freeze. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/01/3

Environmental Group Sues California To Halt Logging. The Center
for Biological Diversity suit alleges a state agency OKd
clear-cutting on 5,000 acres without properly analyzing carbon
emissions and climate consequences. Will clear-cutting forests
increase global warming? That's a contentious issue as
California, which is seeking to slash its carbon footprint,
wrestles over rules to manage the state's private forests.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-clear-cutting29-2010jan29,0,885503,print.story

Reader Rebuttal: Global warming law. As an energy efficiency
specialist who has spent three decades working in the field of
energy, it troubles me that a vocal chorus of critics of clean
energy and energy efficiency are now actively working to
dismantle California's historic energy security and climate law,
Assembly Bill 32 ["Freeze global warming regulations" Editorial,
Dec. 18]. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/energy-231743-california-clean.html

GOP: Jobs Or Trees? You Pick. The GOP wants you to choose
between jobs and trees this year, and it's betting you'll vote
for the paycheck. Republican lawmakers are submitting a pack of
"job-generating" bills in the Legislature, some of which would
roll back regulation. "It's easy to be green when you've got food
on the table," GOP Assembly-man Bill Berryhill of Ceres said.
"Most of these things were passed in the good times. We're in a
different time now." Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/local/v-print/story/1030864.html

Dan Walters: Is California Green Tech Salvation Or A Pipe Dream?
As California imposes tough new emission rules – particularly on
business – to reduce its carbon footprint, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger insists that "cleaning the environment, fighting
global warming … it's also great for the economy" by fostering
green technology. A few days earlier, his Employment Development
Department had announced that the state's unemployment rate in
December was 12.4 percent, with employers having eliminated
38,800 jobs in just one month. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/walters/v-print/story/2503406.html
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/walters/story/1030683.html#ixzz0eIpxrGVB
http://www.fresnobee.com/1148/story/1804437.html

'Climategate' Resonates In Bid To Delay Calif.'S Climate Law.
Berkeley, Calif. -- The case of the pilfered climate e-mails
could affect elections as skeptics use it to turn the public
against science-based policies, researchers said last week at a
panel here on the topic. University of California, Berkeley,
economics professor Maximilian Auffhammer, one of the scientists
whose work was disparaged in the e-mails from the University of
East Anglia, said the episode could have impacts far beyond the
damage done to individual scientists' reputations. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/01/4

Obama's $3.8T Plan Includes Cap-And-Trade Placeholder. President
Obama's fiscal 2011 budget unveiled today banks on Congress
passing legislation to cap greenhouse gases despite continued
uncertainty that such a bill can make it across the finish line.
The president's $3.8 trillion spending plan calls for lawmakers
to set up a "comprehensive market-based climate change policy"
that would curb heat-trapping emissions in the range of 17
percent below 2005 levels by 2020, followed by midcentury cuts of
more than 80 percent. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/02/01/1

Major Polluters Reaffirm Commitments To Accord. The United
States, China and the European Union have all signed on to the
Copenhagen Accord, writing to the United Nations before
yesterday's deadline to formally reaffirm their intention to
combat global warming. The United Nations plans to publish today
a list of commitments by participating countries, which also
include Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Japan and India. While the
total number of participating countries has not yet been
announced, it is expected to include at least 51 countries
producing a substantial majority of the world's greenhouse gas
emissions. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/02/01/11

SF Could Have Tougher Smoking Ban. San Francisco Supervisors
take the first step toward tightening a smoking ban this
afternoon. Supervisor Eric Mar wrote the legislation increasing
the smoking ban. "California State Air Resources Board to
Stanford University studies have shown that second hand smoke is
a serious toxin that causes coronary heart disease, increased
asthma and lots of horrible effects," Mar said. Posted.
http://www.kcbs.com/SF-Could-Have-Tougher-Smoking-Ban/6256062 

Suppliers That Don't Manage CO2 Could Lose Clients. Suppliers
that fail to manage their greenhouse gas emissions could lose
clients, said a report published on Monday. Some 56 percent of
large firms would in the future deselect suppliers for failing to
meet criteria on managing carbon emissions, according to a survey
by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/02/01/business/business-uk-carbon-suppliers.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=carbon%20emissions&st=cse

UN Says Nations' Greenhouse Gas Pledges Too Little. The goals
set by the world's biggest polluters for emissions rollbacks will
likely fall short of what many scientists say is necessary to
avoid the disastrous effects of global warming. The climate
adviser to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the U.S., China and
the European Union were among the 50 nations to have submitted
plans in keeping with a United Nations deadline to do so before
Monday. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/24hour/topstories/story/1031007.html#ixzz0eIsBoGUT
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100201-710195.html?mod=WSJ_World_MIDDLEHeadlinesAsia

The EPA's House of Cards Covering Global Warming. When the
Environmental Protection Agency declared greenhouse gases a
danger to the public health, they told us they based their
science primarily on three sources. Although the EPA claims to
have contributed to the research, their primary sources are the
U.S. Global Climate Research Program (USGCRP), the National
Research Council, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, the IPCC. Posted.
http://www.examiner.com/x-9111-SF-Environmental-Policy-Examiner~y2010m1d31-The-EPAs-house-of-cards-covering-global-warming


Federal Employees Weigh In On Obama's Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Plan. The Obama administration's drive to cut its greenhouse gas
emissions 28 percent by 2020 will mean less driving -- if federal
employees have a say. An end to trucking scrap metal halfway
across the country is a start, thinks Sierra Army Depot employee
Robert Ives. Every week, he sees 16 or more semi trucks leave his
California depot to move the metal, destined for recycling, to
Oklahoma's McAlester Army Ammunition Plant. To save fuel, he
thinks the material should instead go to a local facility.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/01/6

Carbon Trade Analysts See Flat Market Ahead. New York -- The
global carbon market will grow by a third in value terms as
prices recover to their pre-economic crisis levels, but activity
will stay flat as traders take a wait-and-see approach to
international climate talks, a prominent market research firm is
forecasting. The total volume of trading in carbon emission
allowances and offset credits will expand this year by about 5
percent above 2009 volumes, or to about 8 billion tonnes' worth
of greenhouse gases measured in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e),
Oslo-based Point Carbon predicts in a new forecast report.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/01/7

Scientists Want Residents To Help Collect Data. Wanted: citizen
scientists to help collect data on the effects of global warming
on plants and animals in the Santa Monica Mountains. A recruiting
drive for the project was held Saturday in Thousand Oaks in the
form of a lecture given by Susan Mazer, an evolutionary biology
professor at UC Santa Barbara, and Brian Haggerty, a doctorate
candidate at the university who is studying evolutionary ecology.
Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jan/30/scientists-want-citizens-to-help-collect-global/


Obama Ups Administration's Ante For Nuclear Power Plant
Incentives. A White House proposal to triple the size of the
$18.5 billion loan guarantee program for nuclear reactors has
sent the electric power industry the clearest signal yet that
President Obama wants to match his rhetoric with government
money. In its 2011 budget proposal to be released today, the
Obama administration is expected to propose increasing to $54
billion a loan guarantee program that could finance the
construction of seven nuclear plants, according to industry cost
estimates. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/01/5
http://www.modbee.com/business/story/1029974.html

UK Scientist: Climate Docs Maybe Stolen By Spies. London --
Britain's former chief science adviser says the theft of climate
e-mails from the University of East Anglia in southern England
may have been the work of spies. David King says the theft of the
e-mails last year was "an extraordinarily sophisticated
operation." In an interview with The Independent newspaper
published Monday, King says the timing of the e-mails'
publication online suggested the hack was intended to destabilize
the U.N. talks on tackling climate change held last year. 
Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020100497_pf.html
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14309197

Marcie Ellis: Snowstorms Reveal A Silent Killer. With the recent
storms battering California comes a sober reminder of a silent
killer lurking among us. Carbon monoxide poisoning is reportedly
responsible for the recent death of a Mt. Shasta man, and sent
several other local residents to the hospital. The victims were
apparently using gas generators to heat their homes during a
prolonged, storm-related power outage. The appliance may not have
been properly vented, creating a toxic level of carbon monoxide
(CO). Posted.
http://www.redding.com/news/2010/feb/01/marcie-ellis-snowstorms-reveal-a-silent-killer/?print=1

Schwarzenegger Orders Investigation Of Kettleman City Birth
Defects. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger directed state public health
and environmental officials Friday to visit Kettleman City to
conduct "a thorough investigation" into the causes of birth
defects in the San Joaquin Valley farming community. Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_14301368

EPA Change May Mean Impact Fees. Tehama County's air regulation
problems may worsen in 2011. The county is already out of
compliance for both ground-level ozone, also known as smog, and
particulate matter. But the Environmental Protection Agency is
considering knocking down its permitted ozone levels even
further, to somewhere between 0.070 and 0.060 parts per million,
instead of the existing 0.075. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14294050

New Mexico Rancher Cooking Up Plan To Store Co2 Emissions Into
The Ground. Rancher Jack Chatfield sees untapped value in the
spaces that lie beneath New Mexico's dusty landscape. But he said
the state needs to first decide who owns them. Scientists are
looking at underground fissures and caverns as places where
carbon dioxide emissions captured from fossil fuel power plants
can be stored. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14301852?nclick_check=1

An Electric Boost for Bicyclists. Jiang Ruming, a marketing
manager, owns a van, but for many errands, he hops on a
futuristic-looking contraption that lets him weave rapidly
through Shanghai’s messy traffic. He rides an electric bicycle.
Half a world away, in San Francisco, the president of that city’s
board of supervisors, David Chiu, uses an electric bike to get to
meetings without sweating through his suit. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/business/global/01ebike.html?scp=4&sq=global%20warming&st=cse

Toxic Waste From Tijuana Subject Of New Probe. Central
California Site Where Material Taken Under Investigation. Members
of the Environmental Health Coalition, community residents and
government environmental officials from both sides of the border
commemorated the cleanup of the Metales y Derivados toxic site in
Tijuana on Jan. 28, 2009. Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/01/toxic-waste-from-tijuana-subject-of-new-probe/

Silicon Valley Makes Big Push Into Solar And Smart-Grid
Technologies. Cleantech's vast ecosystem includes a dizzying
array of emerging technologies, from green building materials to
electric vehicles, lighting and wind power. But as Silicon Valley
reinvents itself as a global center of clean technology, two
sectors — solar power and "smart" upgrades to the electric grid —
already are reshaping the valley and changing the way energy is
produced and used. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14241380
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_14241380
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_14225614

Eye on the Environment: Fresh Is Better; Local Fresh Is Best.
What do you get when you combine care for one’s family, an
understanding of the role of fresh food in human health, and a
concern for environmental sustainability? You get a Ventura
County-based, local-food project called Locavore Lite 2010.
Strictly speaking, a locavore is a person who eats food grown or
raised locally. In real life, a Locavore is one who pays
attention to where food comes from and procures local food
whenever possible. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jan/30/fresh-is-better-local-fresh-is-best/

Do Rings Of Herbie The Elm Have Age, Climate Data? Yarmouth,
Maine—Herbie, the giant American elm tree, is giving his trunk
over to science. Since the tree was felled two weeks ago,
scientists from Columbia University, the University of Maine and
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have
contacted the Maine Forest Service about examining Herbie's trunk
to see what can be learned about the tree's age and about the
climate over the years. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_14306288

BLOGS

Maybe Carbon Dioxide Is Not The Only Factor Affecting Weather
And Climate. That’s the thought I had as I read this Wall Street
Journal news story headlined, “Slowdown in Warming Linked to
Water Vapor.” The lead sentence reads, “Climatologists have
puzzled over why global average temperatures have stayed roughly
flat in the past decade, despite a long-term warming trend.” The
first thought that occurred to me was: Well, maybe it wasn’t an
eternal long-term warming trend. We know from history that
weather sometimes gets colder and sometimes gets warmer; Posted.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Maybe-carbon-dioxide-is-not-the-only-factor-affecting-weather-and-climate-83213002.html