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California Air Resources Board News Clips for September 22, 2010.
 

This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
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individual websites to view some of the following news articles.

ENERGY

California Air Resources Board To Vote On Renewable Electricity
Rules. Despite a bruising ballot battle over California's
landmark climate change law, the state is forging ahead with
plans requiring electric utilities to obtain a third of their
supply from renewable energy sources. The California Air
Resources Board on Thursday will vote on far-reaching new rules
and regulations for the state's renewable electricity standard, a
cornerstone of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's agenda. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/22/v-print/3046784/california-air-resources-board.html
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/09/22/v-print/2087713/california-air-resources-board.html

Calif. Agencies Shrug Off Ballot Assault, Unveil Clean-Power
Strategies. California officials promoted the state's
clean-energy agenda yesterday amid an intensifying campaign to
derail it by rolling out an agreement among four agencies about
how to achieve the state's 33 percent renewable electricity
mandate by 2020 and reach other energy goals. The pact by the Air
Resources Board, Public Utilities Commission, Energy Commission
and Independent System Operator creates a blueprint for achieving
a renewable-energy goal that is unprecedented in scope in the
United States. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/09/22/11

State Moves Ahead With Push For Renewable Power. Despite a
bruising ballot battle over the California's landmark climate
change law, the state is forging ahead with plans requiring
electric utilities to obtain a third of their supply from
renewable energy sources. The California Air Resources Board on
Thursday will vote to adopt far-reaching new rules and
regulations for the state's renewable electricity standard …
Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2010/09/21/v-print/1348707/state-releases-targets-for-clean.html

California Pushes For More E-Vs. State wants a million
electric-powered cars on roads by 2020. Washington -- California
wants 1 million full-battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles on the Golden State's roadways in a decade. The nation's
largest state unveiled a new plan for its energy future two days
in advance of the California Air Resources Board considering a
first-in-the-nation rule that would require one-third of the
state's electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. Posted.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100922/AUTO01/9220320/1148/California-pushes-for-more-E-Vs

How Some Clean Energy Investors Clear The Hurdles To Growth. New
York -- What investors in the clean energy sector say they want
most from government is consistency -- and a price on carbon. At
an event titled "Crossing the Commercialization Valley of Death"
during New York City's Climate Week NYC, investors, financial
advisers and business owners met to discuss the biggest hurdles
to commercializing clean technology. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/09/22/3

Senate Momentum Builds for Clean Energy and Jobs, but Not
Climate
Call it climate-lite. The renewable electricity standard
introduced in the Senate yesterday is a key element in most
sprawling measures to address climate change. It's designed to
rev up renewable electricity -- 15 percent by 2021, including
efficiency -- resulting in less fossil fuel use and fewer
emissions. That would help utilities cut their carbon output to
comply with an emissions cap -- if Congress ever enacts one.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/09/22/22climatewire-senate-momentum-builds-for-clean-energy-and-54130.html?pagewanted=print

http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/09/22/1

RES Supporters Begin Drumming Up 60 Votes For New Bill. A
bipartisan group of senators today floated a new stand-alone
renewable electricity standard bill, but they walked back
slightly from earlier comments that the legislation had enough
supporters to pass the Senate this year. Sen. Jeff Bingaman
(D-N.M.), chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee
and primary author of the new bill, said he and his colleagues
will use the next few weeks to drum up support for the measure.
Posted. http://eenews.net/eenewspm/print/2010/09/21/2

Reid Floats Natural Gas Bill; Support Grows For Renewable-Energy
Measure. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday floated a
stand-alone version of natural gas incentives language that was
included in an energy and oil spill response package that failed
to see floor action this summer. The Nevada Democrat has listed
the measure, which provides tax breaks for natural gas vehicles
and infrastructure, as one of his top energy priorities this
fall. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/09/22/1

DOE Releases A Draft Plan To Push Offshore Wind Developments.
Offshore wind development needs a jump-start. And the Energy
Department thinks it can provide the needed jolt, according to a
new draft plan from the agency. While Europe and China have
blazed ahead with such projects, offshore wind projects along the
United States have snagged on issues including steep energy
costs, technical challenges and permitting hurdles. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/09/22/6

U.N. Groups Want $36 Billion A Year To Ease Energy Poverty.
Countries where people earn less than $2 a day also tend to be
places with no reliable access to electricity. The United Nations
does not believe that is a coincidence. It wants the world to
spend $756 billion -- about $36 billion annually for the next two
decades -- to ensure universal access to modern energy services
by 2030. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/09/22/7

California Wants 1 Million Electric Cars On Its Road By 2020.
During his 2008 campaign for president, Barack Obama famously
said that he wanted one million plug-in cars on U.S. roads by
2015. That's a goal that many experts continue to think will be
extremely hard to attain. Now California has adopted the same
goal for the state alone, but with a different and longer
timeframe. For the Golden State, the deadline is 2020--one that
may be much easier to meet. Posted.
http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1049597_california-wants-1-million-electric-cars-on-its-road-by-2020
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/california-to-have-1-million-evs-by-2020-24624.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

Global Climate Talks Rest On Low Expectations As U.S. Debates
China's Role. New York -- U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern said
yesterday that nations participating in U.N.-led climate talks
remain too far apart to achieve a binding accord this year, but
the Obama administration plans to stick by a U.S. pledge to cut
greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/09/22/4

Big Powers Talk Climate, But No Grand Deal Sighted. New York — A
lead U.S. negotiator says two days of talks among 17 major
economic powers in New York were "very constructive" in exploring
ways to slow and cope with climate change. But no one expects a
new, binding global pact anytime soon on reducing global warming
gases. Special climate envoy Todd Stern tells reporters that "no
one is expecting or anticipating in any way a legal treaty to be
done at Cancun this year." Posted.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g5i6DVVs_EMnlyec8G47kVl3oMZQD9ICFU3O0

Report Details Potential Impact of Prop. 23. Ballot initiative
would halt about half of greenhouse gas reduction efforts. With
Proposition 23 becoming an issue in the California governor’s
race, a new report details what impact that measure would likely
have on greenhouse-gas emissions in the state, if it passes.
Posted.
http://www.baycitizen.org/politics/story/proposition-23/print/

23,000 Californians Join Conversation about Defeating Proposition
23. The Sierra Club and CREDO Action hosted a conference call
Monday evening to discuss the No on Proposition 23 campaign with
Californians, who will be voting on the measure on November 2.
More than 23,000 people joined the call to hear Sierra Club
Executive Director Michael Brune and CREDO Action president and
co-founder Michael Kieschnick discuss the dirty energy initiative
and how the Sierra Club and CREDO Action will be working to
defeat Proposition 23 this fall. Posted.
http://yubanet.com/california/23-000-Californians-Join-Conversation-About-Defeating-Proposition-23.php

FRIEDMAN: China Turns Climate Change Into Jobs. What a contrast.
In a year that’s on track to be our planet’s hottest on record,
America turned “climate change” into a four-letter word that many
U.S. politicians won’t even dare utter in public. If this were
just some parlor game, it wouldn’t matter. But the totally bogus
“discrediting” of climate science has had serious implications.
Posted.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100922/OPINION/100929901/1042?Title=FRIEDMAN-China-turns-climate-change-into-jobs

Proposed NOAA Global Warming Agency Endorsed By Expert Panel. The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should establish
an in-house Climate Service that acts as the lead agency for all
federal climate science and services, according to an expert
panel from the National Academy of Public Administration. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/09/22/4

SB 375

Air Resources Board's Pollution Targets Unrealistic. The
California Air Resources Board is on the verge of destroying the
collaborative work of an unlikely coalition of environmentalists,
labor, employers and municipalities. These diverse interests
worked together to pass SB375, a bill to create more sustainable
communities through regional planning. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/22/EDGM1FGPV9.DTL&type=printable

Is 'Smart Growth' Law On Right Track? No. This is a very
difficult time for Californians, and our state leaders need to
recognize the gravity of the state's condition. A case in point
is the need to pursue a more rational implementation of Senate
Bill 375, a law passed in 2008 aimed at prompting communities to
consider climate change impacts in planning of new development.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/22/v-print/3046918/sb-375-hijacked-jobs-and-economy.html

Opinion: Air Board Overreaching In Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Targets. This Thursday, the California Air Resources Board will
make a crucial decision impacting the lives of California
residents for years to come. The vote could result in extreme
cost increases for families and businesses across the state. And
almost nobody knows about it. As members of the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission -- the planning, coordinating and
financing agency for Bay Area transit -- we want to call your
attention to this important issue.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_16136457?nclick_check=1

VEHICLES

GM Seeks A 2nd Life For The Volt Battery. General Motors Co. will
join a power-grid company to study what happens to car batteries
once they've driven their last mile. No one knows yet, because
the first wave of electric cars arrives later this year. They
will need at least a few years to reach meaningful numbers, and
the batteries themselves will take most of a decade before their
usefulness for driving runs out. But in one scenario, analysts
say, utilities could adapt the used batteries for grid energy
storage. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/09/22/2

Clean-Car Efforts In Spotlight At Clinton Initiative. The Clinton
Global Initiative announced today a series of education and
outreach programs aimed at promoting sales of electric vehicles.
At the initiative's sixth annual meeting in New York, the trade
group Electric Drive Transportation Association announced an
online "clearinghouse" for information about plug-in cars and an
effort to create government and industry task forces to set up
standards for electric cars. Posted.
http://eenews.net/eenewspm/print/2010/09/21/8
 
Spending Is Blocked for Capitol Charging Stations. The Obama
administration is investing billions of dollars to encourage the
manufacturing of batteries and components for electric vehicles
and to establish tens of thousands of battery charging stations
nationwide so that the vehicles’ owners will have places to
“refuel.” But it appears that an act of Congress will be needed
to get charging stations installed for some employees in the
president’s own backyard. Posted.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/spending-is-blocked-for-capitol-charging-stations/?pagemode=print

Smaller Engines The Trend. U.S. Buyers Continue To Favor Them In
Cars. Detroit --When it came time for Ray Hancart to choose the
engine he wanted in a new Honda Accord, he decided there was no
need for the bigger V-6. He picked one with four cylinders. The
Columbus, Ohio, marketing and public relations executive joined a
growing trend in U.S. auto sales toward smaller powerplants,
choosing Honda's 2.4-liter four. Posted.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100921/Biz/100929916/0/googleNews&Template=printart

Coda's All-Electric Sedan Will Cost $45K Before Rebate. Coda
Automotive has announced that its all-electric sedans will cost
$44,900 before a $7,500 federal tax rebate, putting it in the
same range as the upcoming Chevy Volt and making it $11,000 more
expensive than the Nissan Leaf. The company plans to produce
14,000 of its sedans by the end of 2011. The first run will reach
consumers in California in December. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/09/22/12

Powering Up With New Fuel Cells. Two buildings in the New York
region are poised to become among the first large-scale
residential projects powered by fuel cells, an energy-producing
technology that proponents say costs and pollutes less than
conventional alternatives. The fuel cells—weighing in at 60,000
pounds and about the size of a freight car—can provide 400
kilowatts of energy by converting natural gas to hydrogen, and
then hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440604575496011990915100.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#printMode

DIESELS

No Idle Time: Apus Provide Drivers Comfort Without Engines
Idling. Hypothetically, let’s say you’re manager of a trucking
company in Vermont. Capitalizing on the insatiable demand for
maple syrup that rages throughout the southeast United States,
you maintain a lucrative seasonal business hauling freshly
packaged bottles of the sweet treat to Atlanta, Ga., and
returning with rolls of carpeting. Each 20-hour leg of the
journey is quite popular and you’re able to keep trucks on the
road almost constantly. Posted.
http://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/Item/79699/no_idle_time_apus_provide_drivers_comfort_without_engines_idling.aspx

AIR POLLUTION

U.S. Issues Tighter Temporary Standard For Combustible Dust. In
the wake of West Virginia's Upper Big Branch Mine explosion, the
Obama administration is tightening the rules on coal dust. The
dust, which reports indicated had built up in the Massey
Energy-owned mine, is highly combustible when it collects on
conveyor belts, walls and floors. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health
Administration issued an "emergency temporary standard" yesterday
that requires mine operators to coat those surfaces with more
crushed stone, which can alleviate the combustibility of the
dust. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/09/22/14

San Joaquin Valley Nut Industry Works to Cut Dust. Almond and
walnut growers are harvesting their crops with the help of
machines somewhat like vacuum cleaners. But unlike the household
appliances, these rigs can spew out plenty of dust as they go
about picking up nuts. In recent years, industry people have
worked on ways to reduce the dust, which can cause health
problems for people who breathe it. Posted.
http://www.modbee.com/2010/09/21/1349517/nut-industry-works-to-cut-clouds.html#ixzz10H8RYQoH

Law Would Crack Down on Roaring Motorcycles. Customizing their
Harley-Davidsons is a way to make their rides unique, Tom Scott
and his biking buddies say. It's not necessarily about whose
exhaust system is the loudest. "Motorcycles, especially
Harley-Davidson's, are a piece of jewelry and everyone likes
theirs to look a little different," said Scott, who 45 years ago
opened Harley-Davidson of Anaheim-Fullerton. "I'm a dealer and I
hate that noise." Posted.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/motorcycles-267390-noise-law.html?nstrack=sid:382675|met:102|cat:227|order:3

MISCELLANEOUS

Murkowski Likely Ousted From Top Energy Spot. Republican members
of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee may have
stripped Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) of her top position on
the committee this afternoon, with a replacement to be voted on
tomorrow. Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.)
confirmed that members of the committee today voted on the floor
by secret ballot on whether to take the ranking member spot from
Murkowski. Posted. http://eenews.net/eenewspm/print/2010/09/21/1