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California Air Resources Board News Clips for February 9, 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.

Venture Capital Favored Smaller Projects In 2009 – Report. New
York -- Venture-capital investments into renewable energy and
clean technology sectors fell last year as financiers pulled back
during a steep recession, according to a survey by consulting
giant Ernst & Young. But while the volume of capital declined
significantly, the number of individual financing arrangements
increased toward the end of the year as money flowed out of
expensive projects into cheaper ones, analysts said. Overall, the
amount of venture capital flowing into clean tech declined by 50
percent globally last year, to $2.6 billion. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2010/02/08/5

'Thicket Of Regulations' Is Killing Jobs, Fiorina Says. Colton -
U.S. Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina used the CalPortland cement
plant in Colton on Monday as a backdrop to criticize the "thicket
of regulations" that she said is killing jobs in California.
Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, is seeking the
Republican nomination in June and fighting for the chance to take
on incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., in the general
election. The loss of jobs in California has been a Republican
theme in both the U.S. Senate race and contest for California
governor, with many of the candidates calling for streamlined
regulations and tax cuts. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/politics/stories/PE_News_Local_W_fiorina09.429a247.html

Thirdhand Smoke Forms Indoor Carcinogens, Lawrence Berkeley Lab
Scientists Report. A common indoor air chemical reacts with
residues of tobacco smoke clinging to clothing, skin and surfaces
to form potent carcinogens, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley
Laboratory reported in a study published Monday. A few years ago,
researchers began paying closer attention to the potential health
effects of "thirdhand smoke," which is a thin layer of toxic
substances from tobacco smoke that settles on surfaces long after
cigarettes have been extinguished. The scientists, however, are
the first to find that nitrous acid, an indoor air pollutant
created by gas appliances, vehicle engines and tobacco smoke,
reacts with nicotine found on surfaces. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14359831?source=rss

Letter To Editor: Smoking Regulations Benefit The Public. Dear
editor, with regard to the article published in the Register on
Jan. 26 concerning the American Lung Association’s low grades for
smoking laws in Napa County, it is important for the public to
understand that Napa County residents have benefited from past
legislation that has created smoke-free restaurants, bars,
airplanes and workplaces. Clean indoor and outdoor air
legislation has resulted in countless lives saved in California
and around the world. Posted.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_9e6df5fe-1527-11df-b1e1-001cc4c002e0.html?print=1

Agency Will Create National Climate Service to Spur Adaptation.
The Obama administration announced plans yesterday to create a
new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate
Service. The proposed entity would provide "user-friendly"
information to help governments and businesses adapt to climate
change, creating a central federal source of information on
everything from projections of sea level rise to maps of the
nation's best sites for wind and solar power. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/02/09/09climatewire-agency-will-create-national-climate-service-63603.html?pagewanted=print
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/09/1
http://www.examiner.com/x-25061-Climate-Change-Examiner~y2010m2d9-US-to-launch-new-climate-agency-amid-growing-doubts-about-the-theoryhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/09/new-federal-office-would-study-global-warming/

Bolivia Expects 5,000 Foreigners At Climate Forum. La Paz,
Bolivia—Bolivia's government says it expects thousands of
activists, environmentalists and scientists to travel to the
Andean nation for conference on climate change. Bolivia's foreign
minister, David Choquehuanca, estimates roughly 5,000 foreigners
will attend the event. The 3-day forum kicks off on April 20 in
the city of Cochabamba. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_14360804

China Releases First National Pollution Census. Beijing—China
has revealed its most ambitious measure of what explosive
development has done to its environment, saying Tuesday its first
national pollution census has mapped nearly 6 million sources of
industrial, residential and agricultural waste. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_14362988

Global Warming A Threat For The Olympics? Vancouver, B.C. -- One
morning last week, environmentalist David Suzuki looked across
English Bay from his Vancouver home to Cypress Mountain, usually
covered in snow this time of year but now left all but bare by a
warm winter. "I've watched in horror as the snow has just melted
away from Cypress Mountain," Suzuki said, referring to the 2010
Olympic Games snowboarding and freestyle skiing venue. The view
from Vancouver, Suzuki and others say, provides a glimpse into
the future for the Winter Olympics. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=233250

Palin Likens Global Warming Studies To 'Snake Oil'. Redding,
Calif.—Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called studies supporting
global climate change a "bunch of snake oil science" Monday
during a rare appearance in California, a state that has been at
the forefront of environmental regulations. Palin spoke before a
logging conference in Redding, a town of 90,000 about 160 miles
north of the state capital. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14361335

Skeptics Find Fault With U.N. Climate Panel. Just over two years
ago, Rajendra K. Pachauri seemed destined for a scientist’s
version of sainthood: A vegetarian economist-engineer who leads
the United Nations’ climate change panel, he accepted the 2007
Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the panel, sharing the honor with
former Vice President Al Gore. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/science/earth/09climate.html

Backing Down On Climate Change. If changes in the public mood
and the party alignment of the U.S. Senate have stalled
health-care legislation, they may have thrown the highly
anticipated climate bill under a bus. Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/national/story/1814470.html

Editorial: Bipartisan Pushback on EPA Carbon Policing. Amid
worldwide challenges to global warming theory, bipartisan
opposition is forming in Congress as prominent Democratic voices
join Republican critics of the Obama administration's pending
greenhouse gas regulations. Two powerful Democratic committee
chairmen – Missouri's Ike Skelton and Minnesota's Collin
Peterson, of the House Armed Services and Agriculture committees,
respectively – joined Missouri Republican Jo Ann Emerson in
advancing a bill to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency's
finding that greenhouse gases are dangerous, which empowered the
agency to regulate the emissions. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/global-233244-epa-warming.html

Carlsbad Desalination Greenhouse-Gas Plan Reaffirmed By CARB.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has reiterated its
support for the energy minimization and greenhouse-gas reduction
plan proposed by Poseidon Resources for the Carlsbad desalination
project. In a letter to the California Coastal Commission (CCC)
on 8 February 2009, the CARB says, "We do not believe there have
been any changes to the project or the assumptions underlying
Poseidon's GHG plan, which would change the positions expressed
in our August 5, 2008 letter."  Posted. 
http://www.desalination.biz/news/news_story.asp?id=5224&channel=0&title=Carlsbad+desalination+greenhouse-gas+plan+reaffirmed+by+CARB

Corn Ethanol Gets Obama's Support. Score another one for the
corn farmers. Corn ethanol has long been ridiculed as a
vote-getting farmer-subsidy program that does little or nothing
to help the nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil or cut
its greenhouse gas emissions. But suddenly, corn doesn't look so
bad, according to the Obama administration. EPA Chief Lisa
Jackson said on Feb. 3 that after considering the latest science
on crop yields, land use and ethanol-production efficiency, corn
ethanol can be quite a good thing, after all. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/08/corn-ethanol-obama-technology-ecotech-biofuels_print.html

Dutton Seeks Independent. Review of State Air Board Actions.
Sacramento – To help protect jobs, Senate Republican Leader-elect
Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) has introduced Senate Bill 960, a
measure that requires the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s
Office to review regulations imposed by the California Air
Resources Board. Under the legislation introduced by Senator
Dutton, the LAO would determine the cost effectiveness and
feasibility of implementing new regulations that have a cost of
$10 million or more.  Posted.
http://www.inlandempire.us/rss/article.php?client=redfusion&id=20100208141603

What Is The U.S. Clean Energy Outlook After The Stimulus Money
Runs Out? This is the year that the money will flow and jobs will
grow from the Energy Department's $80 billion in seed money
investments in clean energy. But what happens after the recovery
funding is spent? On that question, expert opinion was divided at
last week's RETECH 2010 conference, sponsored by the American
Council on Renewable Energy. Some industry panelists said clean
energy incentives are paying off already. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/09/2

Experts Say U.S. Should Follow Japan's Lead In Cutting Energy
Use. Over the next decade, Japan will have to figure out how to
cut more carbon from an economy that has picked nearly all the
"low-hanging fruit" of energy efficiency. Now, some of its energy
leaders are saying, the United States should follow Japan's lead
and pick its own. A handful of Japanese researchers and
executives stopped in Washington yesterday on their world tour to
build ties on energy technology that can help the country meet
ambitious new climate goals. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/09/5

San Francisco Launches $150 Million Energy Efficiency Program.
San Francisco -- San Francisco residents will be able to pay for
water conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy home
improvements through their property taxes, under legislation
Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) signed yesterday. "GreenFinanceSF"
authorizes $150 million for energy-saving retrofits and
installations, the largest such pool of money dedicated in the
country. Homeowners will be able to finance up to $50,000 of
projects per house. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/02/09/6

Citigroup, Gazprom in Pioneering Energy-Credit Deal in China.
Beijing – Citigroup Inc. and OAO Gazprom closed a small but
pioneering deal in China that could lay the foundation for a
bigger nationwide market in carbon trading. Under the deal, the
American bank and the Russian gas giant bought energy-intensity
credits from three Tianjin heating utilities that had
outperformed efficiency targets set by the port city near
Beijing. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704820904575055131451492108.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_business

Large Marin Energy Users Face Choice: PG&E Or More Renewable
Energy. Some 9,200 customers of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. have
begun receiving notices from the Marin Energy Authority that they
must "opt out" by contacting PG&E if they choose not to
participate in the Marin Clean Energy program. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14360950

Explaining Alternative Energy Sources To Kids. Most of the
energy we use in this country comes from sources far beneath the
Earth's surface called fossil fuels. Petroleum (which is used to
make oil and gasoline), natural gas and coal formed deep
underground over hundreds of millions of years. These deposits
were created as once-living plants and animals decomposed under
high pressure and heat. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/08/AR2010020803569.html

What Does $36B in Nuclear Loan Guarantees Buy Democrats? The
Obama administration extended a helping hand to the nuclear
industry last week by proposing to expand nuclear power loan
guarantee authority by $36 billion, putting into action its
long-stated support for the energy source. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/02/09/09greenwire-what-does-36b-in-nuclear-loan-guarantees-buy-d-66819.html
 

GRAY: Getting A True Measure On Biofuels. Little noticed outside
a small policy community, an issue has quietly arisen in recent
years that, while seemingly technical, has the potential to
derail the nation's attempts to address the issues of energy
security and the environment. The issue is how or whether to
count the effects of "indirect" land use — including as far away
as Southeast Asia or Brazil — in determining the total greenhouse
gas emissions from renewable fuels like ethanol, the very fuels
that will enable us to reduce our dependence on imported oil.
Posted.
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/09/gray-getting-a-true-measure-on-biofuels/

Tehama County To Expand Grants To Tractors. Starting in March,
Tehama County farmers may be able to get a new tractor for a
fraction of the cost. Tehama County Air Pollution Control
District officials are readying an expansion to the local Carl
Moyer grant program, which has long paid to replace the state's
diesel engines with lower- or zero-emission alternatives. It's
not so much as that it's a lot of pollution (from a given diesel
engine) as it is the kind of pollution, Air Pollution Specialist
Joe Sunday said. Diesel particulate emissions represent a
significant cancer risk to the entire population. Posted.
http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/ci_14365193

Carbon Monoxide Taking A Toll On Snowbound Without Power. The
families were just trying to keep warm. Snowbound and without
power in their homes, they turned to what seemed like a good
alternative: gas-fueled generators. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/08/AR2010020803703.html

Propane Distributer Launches Vehicle Conversion Effort. Propane
is cheaper and burns cleaner than gasoline, but it powers just a
small fraction of U.S. vehicles. A Santa Rosa company wants to
change that by converting cars and trucks to run on the
alternative fuel. “This is the biggest opportunity we've had — in
terms of volume — in many years,” said Jeff Stewart, president of
Blue Star Gas. Posted.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100208/ARTICLES/100209528/1350?Title=Propane-distributer-launches-vehicle-conversion-effort
 
Blogs

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Says Pika Not Imperiled by
Climate Change. The Obama administration has determined that the
American pika, a small rabbit-like mammal, is not threatened by
climate change. The decision underscores how the Endangered
Species Act has become the latest battlefield in the fight over
global warming. Posted.
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us-fish-and-wildlife-service-says-pika-not-imperiled-by-climate-change/


Keeping China (Relatively) Green. The blessings of a temperate
climate make California the greenest place in America, but
California is still a lot browner than China. When Matthew Kahn
and I estimated household carbon emissions across American
metropolitan areas, we found that the three areas with the lowest
emissions were San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose. Carbon
emissions in these places are still more than four times the
emissions in the brownest Chinese city (Daqing) and 10 times as
high as the household emissions in the average Chinese city.
Posted.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/keeping-china-relatively-green/


Reality Check on Old Ice, Climate and CO2. Richard Alley’s name
has been thrown around a bit by bloggers asserting that ice-core
records from Greenland show  that carbon dioxide has scant, if
any, influence on climate. Dr. Alley, a glaciologist and climate
scientist at Penn State, is a longtime contributor to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, author of a nice
history of ice and climate, “ The Two-Mile Time Machine,” and —
as many Dot Earth readers are aware — a teacher with musical and
terpsichorean talents (see the YouTube video below for his
orbital dance explaining how ice-age cycles help show the
amplifying power of greenhouse gases).  Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/richard-alley-on-old-ice-climate-and-co2/