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California Air Resources Board News Clips for May 19, 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.

ENERGY

Sacramento Mayor Launches 'Green Initiative'. Sacramento Mayor
Kevin Johnson has jumped into the region's effort to green its
economy. During an elaborate ceremony Tuesday at the California
Museum, the mayor announced that he was launching a "green
initiative" focused on making the city and region a national hub
for green tech jobs and research. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/19/2760730/sacramento-mayor-launches-green.html#ixzz0oOLWded1

Coachella Valley Cities Score $6.1 Million for Energy Efficient
Program. Southern California Edison will give $6.1 million to
Coachella Valley Association of Governments for energy efficient
programs, the regional government announced this afternoon. The
grant is part of a $22 million project that will help cities
implement long-term energy efficiency practices, energy
efficiency education, greenhouse gas inventory work and climate
action planning. Posted.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100518/NEWS07/100518033/1263/update/Coachella-Valley-cities-score-6.1-million-for-energy-efficient-program

Companies Search for Energy Savings, With Mixed Results. The yen
for energy efficiency is beginning to take hold in industrial
America. Whether it's axles in Detroit or beer in Delaware, there
are companies that realize they could eventually be touched by
pending federal legislation to put a price on carbon emissions.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/05/19/19climatewire-companies-search-for-energy-savings-with-mix-20486.html

NAS CLIMATE REPORT

3 Climate Change Reports Call For Setting Price On Carbon
Emissions. In three reports on global warming, the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences Wednesday called for limiting greenhouse gas
emissions by setting a price on them. The three "America's
Climate Choices" reports, requested by Congress under the Bush
administration, come as roiling debate over climate and energy
legislation in Washington and the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico cloud future energy decisions. Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/environment/2010-05-19-climate20_ST_N.htm

National Academy Of Sciences Urges Swift U.S. Action To Curb
Emissions. The National Academy of Sciences wants to put the
United States on a low-carbon diet. That is the underlying
message of a hotly anticipated trio of reports requested by
Congress and released today. In them, the academy describes an
"urgent need" for the nation to trim its greenhouse gas
emissions. The reports say available evidence "makes a compelling
case" that climate change is happening now, is largely driven by
human activities and threatens the well-being of people today and
in future generations. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2010/05/19/1

CLIMATE CHANGE

Obama Officials Insist U.S. Will Pursue Emission Cuts. America
will keep its promise to cut carbon emissions even if U.N.
climate change talks someday disintegrate, State Department
climate envoy Todd Stern said yesterday. Stern, speaking at a
Brookings Institution forum, stood by the United Nations as the
"central event" to develop a worldwide response to global warming
-- despite criticism after a tumultuous summit in Copenhagen,
Denmark, that the agency is the wrong apparatus for the job.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/05/19/4

Poizner Goes From Backer To Foe Of Global Warming Law. The
Republican primary candidate for governor now wants California to
roll back AB 32. Four years ago he called the law a bold effort
to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. As he wages a Republican
primary for governor this year, Steve Poizner has advocated
rolling back California's law to curb global warming
indefinitely, calling it "a Draconian set of regulations that
doesn't help the environment and … destroys the economy." Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/la-me-poizner-20100519,0,4187595,print.story

US Top Scientists Urge Coal, Oil Use Penalties. Washington --
Ditching its past cautious tone, the nation's top scientists
urged the government Wednesday to take drastic action to raise
the cost of using coal and oil to slow global warming. The
National Academy of Sciences specifically called for a carbon tax
on fossil fuels or a cap-and-trade system for curbing greenhouse
gas emissions, calling global warming an urgent threat. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/19/AR2010051901624_pf.html
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_15116834
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/may/19/us-top-scientists-urge-coal-oil-use-penalties/
http://www.nctimes.com/news/science/article_6176d136-dad2-526a-bef5-5d9509095c6c.html

AB 32

Why AB32 Goes After the Cement Industry. While a Wyoming coal
plant and one Chevron refinery are the largest pollution sources
for California, the three industries that together account for
40% of California’s GHG emissions include electric utilities, oil
refineries and cement manufacturers – so these are the three
industries most impacted by California’s climate legislation,
AB32, which will begin next year. Posted.
http://cleantechnica.com/2010/05/18/why-ab32-goes-after-the-cement-industry/

EMISSIONS

‘Tainted’ Credits Cut UN Carbon Price: Energy Markets (Update2).
(Adds Orbeo analyst in fifth paragraph, updates prices.) --
Emission traders’ most-profitable credits, linked to greenhouse
gases considered more harmful than carbon dioxide, are dragging
the United Nations carbon market to its biggest discount in a
year. The UN faces a devaluation of the tradable credits it gives
investors that pay for projects to reduce hydrofluorocarbons, or
HFCs, because the European Union may favor alternatives such as
windfarms to combat global warming. Posted.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-19/-tainted-credits-cut-un-carbon-price-energy-markets-update2-.html

ATA Criticizes Climate Change Bill Introduced In US Senate. The
American Trucking Associations (ATA) cannot support the American
Power Act, the climate change bill introduced May 12 by Sens John
Kerry and Joe Lieberman, ATA President and Chief Executive
Officer Bill Graves said. This bill will raise the cost of
gasoline and diesel fuel without significantly reducing the
output of carbon dioxide by the trucking industry, which is a
non-discretionary user of diesel fuel. Posted.
http://refrigeratedtrans.com/2010-emissions/ata-criticizes-climate-change-0519/

Global Cooling Is Coming -- and Beware the Big Chill, Scientist
Warns. Contrary to the commonly held scientific conclusion that
the Earth is getting warmer, a scientist who has written more
than 150 peer-reviewed papers has unveiled evidence for his
prediction that global cooling is coming soon. The hottest new
trend in climate change may be global cooling, some researchers
say. Posted.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/19/global-cooling-scientists-warming/

EDITORIALS

The Senate Needs To Act Now On The Climate Bill. Sens. John F.
Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) have provided
Congress with an opportunity. Their climate bill, released last
week, is imperfect. But it offers a start, very much in the right
direction. Contrary to popular wisdom, acting on global warming
is not going to get easier after this year's election.
Legislators should seize this moment. The burning of oil, natural
gas and coal for industry, transportation and modern life
generally gives off gases that get trapped in the atmosphere,
keeping heat in and warming the Earth. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/18/AR2010051804440_pf.html

AIR

Sacramento Ranks 89th Among Worst Allergy-Inducing U.S. Areas.
Sacramento ranks 89th out of the 100 most challenging
metropolitan areas for allergy sufferers, according to analysis
from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released
Monday. Knoxville, Tenn., is the "Spring Allergy Capital,"
followed by Louisville, Ky., Chattanooga, Tenn., Dayton, Ohio,
and Charlotte, N.C. In California, San Francisco ranked 63rd,
Modesto 64th, San Jose 67th, Stockton 86th and Los Angeles 92nd.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/18/v-print/2759410/stop-sneezing-sacramento-its-not.html

Kudzu Linked To Poor Air Quality. A study connects the invasive
plant — a nitrogen-fixing legume — to production of ozone, a
component of smog. Kudzu, a fast-growing and invasive Asian vine
introduced in the American South several decades ago, has now
blanketed more than 7 million acres of the region, making it
sometimes seem more common than the hallmark azaleas, dogwoods
and peach trees. Now there's evidence that the plant also
increases air pollution. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-kudzu-20100522,0,6052416,print.story

HP Researchers Say Manure Could Help Power Data Centers. Giving
new meaning to the term "server farm," a team of Hewlett-Packard
researchers has come up with an idea for an environmentally
friendly data center — powered by manure. In a paper set for
release this week, HP scientists have proposed using a "biogas"
recovery system that would convert livestock waste into methane,
to be used as fuel to generate electricity for data centers —
those cutting-edge computer facilities that serve as the nerve
centers for an increasingly Internet-dependent world. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15112627?nclick_check=1
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/technology/19cows.html?src=busln&pagewanted=print

Solar Rebates a Boon to Some, Not All. Coachella Valley
homeowners can now get state rebates of up to $1,875 for
installing solar thermal water heaters, but some solar
contractors warn the new program may only attract the more
dedicated green consumers. Posted.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100519/BUSINESS06/5190303/1003/BUSINESS


Miscellaneous

Forestry Companies Reach Environmental Deal. TORONTO -- Canada's
major pulp and paper companies said Tuesday they will restrict
logging in environmentally sensitive areas of the country's
northern boreal forest as part of a groundbreaking deal with
environmental groups. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/18/AR2010051803402.html

Blogs

Pep Boys Settles Clear-Air Suit. In what the Justice Department
has described as “the largest vehicle and engine importation case
brought by the United States to date under the Clean Air Act,”
the Pep Boys automotive parts and repair chain has agreed to pay
a record $5 million fine. The Environmental Protection Agency
accused the company of importing nearly a quarter-million
noncompliant motorcycles, recreational vehicles and other
motor-driven devices, like generators, into the United States
from China over a period of about six years. Posted.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/18/pep-boys-settles-clear-air-suit/


AB32 Goes Beyond American Power Act: A Correction. Last week I
reported that a battle over whether to suspend AB32, California’s
landmark greenhouse gas reduction legislation, would be rendered
“moot” by the passage of the climate bill now being weighed by
the Senate, known as the American Power Act. As it turns out,
that was an exaggeration, a fact pointed out by both commenter’s
here and at the NRDC. Posted.
http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/05/ab32-goes-beyond-american-power-act/

National Research Council Calls for Climate Action. In its most
comprehensive study so far, the nation’s leading scientific body
declared on Wednesday that climate change is a reality and is
driven mostly by human activity, chiefly the burning of fossil
fuels and deforestation. The National Research Council, an arm of
the National Academy of Sciences, issued three reports stating
that there is an overwhelming case for a harmful human influence
on the global climate and arguing for strong and immediate action
to limit emissions of climate-altering gases in the United States
and around the world. Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/national-research-council-calls-for-climate-action/?pagemode=print

Global Cooling Or Global Fooling? Remember how some in 2006 and
2008 were saying Global Warming stopped in 1998? How instead the
planet is cooling off? Well, someone forgot to tell the climate.
Last month according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC),
the combined global land and ocean surface temperature and the
worldwide ocean surface temperature was the warmest April on
record since records began in 1880. Posted.
http://blogs.redding.com/dcraig/archives/2010/05/global-cooling-3.html

A Free Pass to Soot, Smog, Toxic Air Pollution Is No Way to Pass
Climate Bill. Life-saving Clean Air Act protections are not
bargaining chips. Last week, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe
Lieberman (I-CT) released a long-awaited discussion draft of
their climate and energy bill, the American Power Act. Among the
bill's big giveaways to polluters was a surprise invitation to
exempt dirty old power plants from clean-up requirements for
soot, smog, and toxics such as mercury. Posted.
http://unearthed.earthjustice.org/blog/2010-may/free-pass-soot-smog-toxic-air-pollution-no-way-pass-climate-bil

Report Grades Cruise Lines On Environmental Impacts. The second
annual report card grading cruise lines on their environmental
impacts is out today from Friends of the Earth, and Disney Cruise
Line gets props for "most improved." Though in general, the San
Francisco-based environmental group says the results of its
review of 11 major cruise lines and 113 ships "aren't pretty." 
Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=93173.blog