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California Air Resources Board News Clips for November 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.

AIR POLLUTION

Sweeping New Rules Would Slash Sulfur Pollution In Southland.
Regulations adopted by the South Coast Air Quality Management
District would cut emissions by oil refineries and industrial
plants by 2,000 tons a year. But federal regulators say the
overall plan also depends on curbing truck emissions. Eleven
major oil refineries and industrial plants in the Los Angeles
area will be forced to slash sulfur pollution by more than 2,000
tons a year under sweeping new regulations, but the move may not
be enough to meet federal health standards for the region unless
the state maintains strict curbs on truck pollution. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-air-pollution-20101109,0,6756173,print.story
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/11/08/state/n142626S96.DTL&tsp=1
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101108-719955.html
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16557425?nclick_check=1
http://www.ocregister.com/news/pollution-275005-plan-epa.html
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=7772706

CLIMATE CHANGE

Will Prop 26 Actually Impact California’s Climate Law? Late last
week, the Natural Resources Defense Council had a good post
explaining why California’s Proposition 26, which voters in the
state approved last Tuesday, won’t impact the state’s landmark
global warming law, as many have suggested. NRDC’s Kristin
Eberhard said the proposition, which would require two-thirds
approval in the state legislature for any proposal that imposes a
new fee on industry, will not affect the state’s climate change
law, AB32, because it only pertains to changes in statute that
occur after Jan. 1, 2010. Posted.
http://washingtonindependent.com/103030/will-prop-26-actually-impact-californias-climate-law

California Passes Environmental ‘Sleeper Threat’ California
voters on Tuesday resoundingly struck down a bid to suspend the
state’s climate change law, but they passed another lesser-known
measure that could make it harder for the state to carry out that
law. In a wave of anti-tax sentiment, voters pushed through
Proposition 26, which imposes a two-thirds vote on new fees,
retroactive to the beginning of the year. Pre-election ads
marketed Prop 26 as a way to close a tax loophole, and many
voters bundled it with another ballot measure having to do with a
supermajority vote. Posted.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=print/8368

New Technology Removes Carbon From Natural Gas Before Combustion.
A new technology that captures carbon from natural gas before it
is burned, thereby reducing emissions by 40 percent, could be
tried out at a pilot plant in Boston on a commercial scale. The
technology, developed by the Canadian company Atlantic Hydrogen
Inc. of Fredericton, New Brunswick, could reduce emissions at a
cost that is 80 percent less than those of other post-combustion
methods of capturing greenhouse gases. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/11/09/8

FUELS

Farm Industry Groups Sue EPA Over E15 Decision. A coalition of
farm and food industry groups sued the Obama administration today
in an attempt to block its approval of higher levels of ethanol
in gasoline. The frequent critics of ethanol -- including the
Grocery Manufacturers Association, American Meat Institute,
National Council of Chain Restaurants, National Chicken Council,
National Pork Producers Council and American Frozen Food
Institute, as well as three other food industry groups -- are
suing U.S. EPA over its recent decision to allow a blend of 15
percent ethanol and unleaded gasoline for some cars. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/11/09/1

Scientists Scramble To Bridge The Uncertainty Gap. Skeptics of
climate change -- a good number of them about to take seats in
Congress -- often point to uncertainties or holes in the science
as reasons for delaying or not taking action. But uncertainty is
the modus operandi of science, as Vaughan Turekian, chief
international officer at the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, describes it. Scientists report not only
what is known but to what degree it is known. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/11/09/3

GREEN ENERGY

Clean-Power Subsidies Hit $57B Last Year – IEA. Renewable energy
was subsidized globally by $57 billion last year, according to
International Energy Agency chief economist Fatih Birol. About
$37 billion was given to electricity from renewable power and $20
billion to biofuels, the IEA estimated in its "World Energy
Outlook," published today. The outlook predicts that $5.7
trillion will be invested in renewables in the next 25 years.
This is the first estimate of assistance given to the industry by
governments. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/11/09/4

MISCELLANEOUS

District Reduces Electric Lawn Mower Price. A battery-powered
lawn mower could be yours for just $25. That’s one of the
cut-rate deals being offered by not a discount house, not a
department store, not an online retailer, but by the air
pollution control people. Prices are being mowed down by the San
Joaquin Valley Air Pollution control District on two models of
battery-powered lawn machines – just in time for holiday giving.
Posted.
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=16787
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101109/A_NEWS/11090322/-1/NEWSMAP
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x1003410958/Air-district-slashes-cost-of-non-polluting-mowers
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101108/A_NEWS/101109895
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/106926013.html

OPINION

Editorial: Truckers Who Did Right Now In A Bind. David Chidester,
owner of a small, Fresno-based trucking firm, did the right thing
to cut air pollution and help us all breathe a little easier. In
late 2009 Chidester leased $5.5 million worth of the cleanest
diesel trucks available, replacing his aging and dirty fleet, to
comply with California's stringent new air pollution standards.
Sadly, he's about to be punished for it. The California Air
Resources Board is preparing to revise the standards that
prompted Chidester's investment. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/11/09/v-print/3169890/truckers-who-did-right-now-in.html

BLOGS

Passage Of Little-Known Initiative May Disrupt California Climate
Plan. While California’s election results offered plenty for
state environmentalists to cheer, the passage of a so-called
“stealth” ballot initiative could undermine its proposed carbon
market. Last Tuesday, voters rejected Proposition 23, which
sought to halt California’s landmark environmental law, AB 32,
which mandates the state reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to
1990 levels by 2020. Posted.
http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2010/11/08/passage-of-little-known-initiative-may-disrupt-california-climate-plan/

Thomas Elias: Loss Of Prop. 23 Makes State Leaner, Greener. A lot
of the folks who supported Proposition 23, the soundly defeated
plan to suspend California's climate change law, insisted they
were doing so in part to preserve the state's stature as a leader
in a variety of industries, from computer chips to gasoline
refining. Not to worry. Computer chip and software companies will
continue to be a large presence in places like the Silicon
Valley, Orange County, the Conejo Valley corridor along U.S. 101
in Ventura County and San Diego County. Posted.
http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20101109/OPINION/11090302

Coda Electric Car Company CEO Resigns. Coda Automotive Inc., a
start-up electric car company in Santa Monica, said Monday that
its chief executive, Kevin Czinger, has resigned "by mutual
consent."  The management shake-up comes barely two months after
the company said it would start taking deposits for its
four-door, five-passenger sedan and would begin delivering the
cars in December. Posted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/coda-electric-car.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheTechnologyBlog+%28Los+Angeles+Times+Technology+Blog%29