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California Air Resources Board News Clips for July 26, 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.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Warming Climate Means Harsher Smog Season For California. Rising
temperatures from climate change will increase ozone levels in
California’s major air basins, according to a new report to the
California Air Resources Board from scientists at UC Davis and UC
Berkeley. The study also predicts that peak concentrations of
dangerous airborne particles will increase in the San Joaquin
Valley due to the effects of climate change on wind patterns.
Posted. http://www.physorg.com/news199107947.html
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_15604129
http://www.examiner.com/x-59146-Bakersfield-Environmental-News-Examiner~y2010m7d22-Scientists-claim-warming-climate-will-mean-more-smog

The Right and the Climate. Climate change legislation has been
dying in the Senate for months now, but Harry Reid’s decision to
finally admit as much — in the midst of an endless East Coast
heat wave, no less — has supporters of cap-and-trade casting
about for somebody to blame. They’ve blamed the Obama
administration, for prioritizing health care reform over an
energy bill. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/opinion/26douthat.html

Climate Change Plan Collapses In Senate. There is plenty of
blame to share for the political demise of climate change
legislation in Washington. Timid Democrats, obstinate
Republicans, a risk-averse White House and a sour public outlook
that green groups couldn't counter. Each played a role. Following
a health care fight, a $1 trillion stimulus package and new
financial regulations, there was neither the will nor patience
for another major showdown. The doomed plan was built on the
much-mocked cap and trade approach that set limits on carbon
emissions (think mainly coal-fired power plants) and allowed
polluters to buy and sell credits to stay within the caps.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/25/EDSL1EJ0V5.DTL

Four Ways to Kill a Climate Bill. IF President Obama and
Congress had announced that no financial reform legislation would
pass unless Goldman Sachs agreed to the bill, we would conclude
our leaders had been standing in the Washington sun too long. Yet
when it came to addressing climate change, that is precisely the
course the president and Congress took. Lacking support from
those most responsible for the problem, they have given up on
passing a major climate bill this year. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/opinion/26wasserman.html?src=mv
Health Rules Could Cut Greenhouse Emissions. A proposed rule on
mercury, a pollutant bad for fish and the people who eat too many
of them, could help the administration of President Barack Obama
get near its short-term climate goal, even if the U.S. Congress
fails this year or next to pass a bill tackling greenhouse gases
directly. Senate Democrats crafting an energy bill have abandoned
it until September, and for the rest of the year they probably
will not debate climate measures like carbon caps on power plants
and mandates for utilities to produce more power from renewable
sources like wind and solar. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/business/global/26green.html?src=busln

AB 32

AB32 to Face 2 Challenges on November Ballot. Californians will
vote twice in November on the state's groundbreaking law to
reduce emissions that contribute to global warming - once on an
oil company-backed initiative to put the law on hold
indefinitely, and once in the governor's race, where Republican
Meg Whitman has promised to suspend the rules for a year.
Governors are normally required to enforce all state laws,
including those they dislike. But AB32, which requires the state
to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases 25
percent by 2020, has a built-in escape hatch. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/25/MN3N1EIKOC.DTL

Claim: Anti-AB32 Measure Could Cost Thousands of Jobs. Passage
of California's Proposition 23 this November might cost as many
as 500,000 jobs and threaten 12,000 companies and billions of
dollars of private investment in California, claims a group
calling itself the “Clean Economy Network.” Posted.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=15819

Climate Law Adds Jobs to State Payroll. The state's landmark
global warming law has yet to create the promised bonanza of
green jobs, but it has boosted payrolls in another sector of the
economy: state government. At a time of budget cuts and state
worker furloughs, the state agency primarily responsible for
regulating global warming has bulked up its staff as it prepares
to enforce AB 32, the climate change law signed in 2006 by Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/26/2914294/climate-law-adds-jobs-to-state.html

Biz Leaders: Prop 23 Could Stall Renewable Energy Investments.
If California’s Proposition 23 passes this November, it could put
at risk 500,000 clean tech jobs, 12,000 companies and billions of
dollars of private investment in California, say business and
investment leaders, according to a report from the Clean Economy
Network (CEN). The Nov. 2 ballot measure would delay the
implementation of certain parts of Assembly Bill 32, the 2006 law
requiring that the state reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, until the state’s 12.3 percent
unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent for four consecutive
calendar quarters, reports The Sacramento Bee. Posted.
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/07/26/business-leaders-say-californias-prop-23-would-stop-efforts-to-boost-renewable-energy-investments/


Proposition 23: Be Careful What You Wish For, You Might Get It!
Climate change continues to appear on the electoral agenda
globally, but this November in California it will be front and
centre for the state’s voters. AB 32, the landmark emissions
reduction legislation of the Schwarzenegger administration is
under threat. Specifically, a proposition is now on the November
ballot to suspend AB 32 until the economy improves. Posted.
http://theenergycollective.com/davidhone/40507/proposition-23-be-careful-what-you-wish-you-might-get-it

Editorial: A Good Time to Rethink. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is
seeking a delay of a new rule to require 33 percent of power used
by utilities to be from renewable sources like wind and solar
power. We urge the governor to use the extra time to rethink the
entire idea that state government should impose such uneconomical
and unreliable requirements. Mr. Schwarzenegger has asked the
state Air Resources Board to postpone adopting the rule until
September, reported the Capitol Weekly, a newspaper covering the
capitol and politics. The rule was expected to be adopted this
month. Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/state-258999-renewable-sources.html

AIR POLLUTION

Mow Without Polluting Your Yard. It is a weekly chore for many
this time of year — mowing the lawn. What you probably don't
realize is that your gas-powered mower is also contributing to
bad air quality, right there in your own backyard. Until
recently, gas-powered lawn mowers were not required to regulate
emissions. The good news is that new regulations and a selection
of greener alternatives can help you Do Your Part to reduce air
pollution so close to home. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/sns-home-electric-lawn-mowers,0,106341.story

Orinda Couple Revs Up Fight against Leaf Blowers. Sure, rock
concerts, trains and traffic are noisy. But there's something
about leaf blowers that really amps up neighborhood tensions.
Peter and Susan Kendall founded Quiet Orinda a year ago to try to
persuade the city to ban leaf blowers. They've been collecting
signatures to present to the City Council, but haven't revealed
how many signatures they have, or when they'll go before the
council. Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_15563448
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15563448

Business Travel Groups Bristle At Obama's Anti-Pollution Idea.
President Obama's call for government workers to cut back on
driving and travel to reduce air pollution has angered business
travel leaders who say he is once again hurting the travel
industry. Obama issued a directive last week ordering government
workers to commute and travel less to reduce greenhouse emissions
13% by 2020. The move, he said, would eliminate 101 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-travel-briefcase-20100727,0,7803431.story

FUELS

Berkeley Lab Co-Leads $122 Million Sunlight-To-Fuel Effort.
Plants fuel the world with their ability to convert sunlight into
a usable form of energy. Now, the Department of Energy is putting
up $122 million to help humans capture the energy of the sun and
create renewable liquid fuels through "artificial
photosynthesis." Posted.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_15587963?source=most_emailed

Azusa Unified Dedicates New CNG Fueling Station. A fueling
station and new fleet of buses will cut Azusa Unified's fuel
costs in half, decrease carbon emissions and curb health hazards
for students, officials said. Thanks to grants from two
environmental agencies, the district installed a Compressed
Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station at its main office earlier this
year. Officials unveiled and dedicated it during an event
Thursday. Posted. http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_15593700

Zapping High Fuel Costs. Electric vehicles are on their way to
Riverside with the opening of the Inland region's first Zap
dealership. Ramon Alvarez C., owner of Alvarez Jaguar and Alvarez
Lincoln-Mercury in the Riverside Auto Center, has opened Alvarez
Zap alongside his other businesses with plans to market the
company's existing lineup of low-speed vehicles primarily to
commercial buyers, and to be a part of Zap's next step into the
consumer market. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/business/local/stories/PE_Biz_D_zap24.3a14e6e.html

Navy Adding Green to Haze-Gray Arsenal. An experimental “Green
Hornet” fighter jet that uses biofuel. The “Prius” warship
running on a hybrid engine. The Navy is increasingly going green
thanks largely to a desire to reduce its dependence on fossil
fuels that come from hostile places in the world. The Navy, the
Pentagon’s second-largest user of oil, also sees it as an
expensive bill to pay as budgets get leaner. Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/25/navy-adding-green-to-haze-gray-arsenal/

ENERGY

In Central California, Solar Power Dawns as a Major New Cash
Crop. California's Tulare County produces about 26 percent of the
state's milk supply and 55 percent of its oranges, and is one of
the few places in the world where giant Sequoias reproduce. What
it doesn’t seem to do is produce anywhere near enough electric
power to meet its needs. While the county has a few generating
facilities – mostly small hydroelectric plants dating from the
early 20th century – altogether they produce only about 50
megawatts of power. Posted.
http://sunpluggers.com/news/in-central-california-solar-power-dawning-as-major-new-cash-crop-0742

Livermore Recognized As Bay Area Leader In Solar Power. The city
of Livermore was recently recognized by the Northern California
Solar Energy Association as a Bay Area leader in solar power. The
city took home a number of awards recently during a solar energy
convention at San Francisco's Moscone Center. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_15590264

GREEN

GUEST OPINION: Ten Ways to Help Save the Planet. In 2008, Planet
Watch posted a series of suggestions of what we can do personally
to lower energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gasses. While
these individual steps will not solve the problem of energy
dependence or global warming by themselves, they should be part
of process of changing our way of thinking and challenging the
assumption that energy sources are not finite and their use
harmless. Posted.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100725/OPINION/100729728/1350?Title=GUEST-OPINION-Ten-ways-to-help-save-the-planet

RECYCLING

Boat of Plastic Bottles Ends 4-Month Pacific Sail. A sailboat
largely constructed from 12,500 recycled plastic bottles has
completed a 4-month journey across the Pacific Ocean meant to
raise awareness about the perils of plastic waste. The Plastiki,
a 60-foot (18-meter) catamaran, and its six crew weathered fierce
ocean storms during its 8,000 nautical miles at sea. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/nation-world/ci_15603022?nclick_check=1

BLOGS

Next Steps on Climate and Energy. The 20th century ended on
Friday, at least in relation to the discourse over what to do
about global warming. The end came with the failure of a
seven-year effort in the Senate to pass a climate bill centered
on a cap-and-trade system for reducing emissions of greenhouse
gases. Such a system had worked effectively for easily measured,
and mitigated, emissions of conventional pollutants from power
plants and other industrial sources. But carbon dioxide, the most
important human-generated greenhouse gas, poses an entirely
different set of challenges. Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/next-steps-on-climate-and-energy-2/