What's New List Serve Post Display

What's New List Serve Post Display

Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- Newsclips for December 1, 2010.

Posted: 01 Dec 2010 12:30:15
California Air Resources Board News Clips for December 1, 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

Late Heat Spoils Banner Low-Smog Year. Bay Area residents were
headed toward a banner year for clean air during a cool early
summer, but heat waves late in the season cooked up enough smog
to make 2010 a mediocre year for air quality. Ground-level smog
concentrations violated federal health standards somewhere in the
region on nine days this year, compared with eight days in 2009,
and 12 days in 2008, according to the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District. Only one excessively smoggy day was recorded
in 2007, when a less stringent federal smog limit was in effect.
Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16746147
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Fstate%2Fn063809S75.DTL
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/incontracosta/detail?entry_id=78074
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7818020

Backyard Burn Season Begins Today. Today marks the beginning of
backyard burn season, which will run through April 30. But
officials from the regional Air Pollution Control District are
reminding residents that burning can be a significant health
hazard both to themselves and to their neighbors. Residential
burning will be allowed in San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Monterey
counties with restrictions. Fires to dispose of dry vegetation
cleared prior to a construction project are also permitted. The
burning of garbage and treated wood is strictly prohibited at all
times. Posted.
http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20101201/NEWS01/12010319/Backyard-burn-season-begins-today

Kettleman City Landfill Fined $300,000. The Central Valley toxic
landfill at the center of a birth defect controversy has been
fined by the Environmental Protection Agency. The violation -
improperly disposing of a cancer-causing chemical. The EPA fined
Chemical Waste Management $302,000 stemming from an inspection
they did at the facility in April of this year. They punished the
facility, after finding a leak of PCB's - a toxic chemical known
to cause cancer and birth defects. The EPA says this fine has
nothing to do with the investigation into a cluster of birth
defects in Kettleman City. Posted.
http://www.kmph.com/Global/story.asp?S=13592997

Iran Shuts Offices Because Of Heavy Air Pollution. Tehran, Iran
-- For the second time in a month, heavy air pollution in Iran's
smog-filled capital has forced authorities to close government
offices and schools and declare a two-day public holiday because
of the health dangers of being outdoors. A government committee
decided pollution levels in Tehran warranted the closure of all
government offices, schools and industries on Wednesday and
Thursday because of "polluted and unhealthy" conditions. Critics
say each holiday incurs about $130 million in financial losses.
Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/01/AR2010120101114_pf.html

CLIMATE CHANGE

Google Creates Climate Change Videos Amid Cancun Talks. Google
has come up with its own weapon for fighting climate change as
representatives of nearly 200 countries meet for a 12-day
conference on the issue in Cancun, Mexico. On its Google Earth
website, it offers a series of videos that act as tutorials and
will be incorporated into workshops that it's offering at the
United Nation's Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 16),
which began Monday. Posted.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/12/google-fights-climate-change-cancun-talks/1

DIESEL EMISSIONS

Fuel Economy, Emissions Proposal Ready for Comment. The docket is
now open for comments on the federal proposal to establish
national standards for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions
for medium and heavy trucks. On Tuesday the Environmental
Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration published their joint proposal, which will
establish a new way to measure truck fuel efficiency and
emissions and set industry performance standards. Comments on the
proposal, which was published in the November 30 Federal
Register, are due by January 31. Posted.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-print.asp?news_id=72310

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Nears Renewal. The Senate
Environment and Public Works committee has reauthorized the
Diesel Emissions Reduction Act first passed in 2005. Led by
Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and ranking member Sen.
Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., the move if passed will continue a loan
program initially set up to reduce diesel emissions via upgrades
and modernization of older diesel engines and equipment. Sen.
George Voinovich, R-Ohio, and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., introduced
initial legislation in 2005 and the program was approved by a
vote of 92-1. The program is set to expire in the 2011 fiscal
year. Posted.
http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article-print.jsp?article_id=4571

GREEN ENERGY

Group Grades Tahoe Sierra Ski Areas on Green Scale. An
environmental report card from conservationists says Sierra ski
resorts are continuing a trend toward going green. The Reno
Gazette-Journal reports that Squaw Valley USA placed first and
Alpine Meadows ranked third in the Ski Area Citizens Coalition
rating of 82 western ski resorts resorts. Sugar Bowl and Boreal
also rated "A," while "B" grades went to Kirkwood Mountain,
Homewood Mountain, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe.
Posted.
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=109444&catid=2

VEHICLES

GM To Add 1,000 Clean-Car Jobs In Mich. As Volt Rolls Out.
General Motors Co. will add 1,000 engineering and research jobs
in Michigan as the company expands its development of electric
and hybrid vehicles. The announcement came as the company
officially introduced the Chevrolet Volt, which runs on battery
power and a gas-powered motor. GM CEO Daniel Akerson said the
Volt was the start of a new commitment by GM to be a leader in
clean-car technology after its $50 billion government bailout
last year. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2010/12/01/20

MISCELLANEOUS

Kettleman City Toxic Waste Facility Fined For Violations. EPA
fines Chemical Waste Management $302,100 for failing to properly
manage carcinogenic PCBs. The company — the only one in the state
licensed to handle PCBs — says its cleanup exceeded EPA
standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency levied a
$302,100 fine Tuesday against the operator of a toxic waste dump
near a Central California farming community beset by unexplained
birth defects, saying the company failed to properly manage
carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-kettleman-fine-20101201,0,5101568,print.story

PG&E To Offset Emissions By Financing Destruction Of
Refrigerants. California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
announced a deal yesterday to finance the destruction of
ozone-depleting chemicals that contribute far more to global
warming, by weight, than carbon dioxide. PG&E will purchase and
retire 160,000 metric tons of offsets from Environmental Credit
Corp. on behalf of utility customers enrolled in PG&E's
ClimateSmart program, which funds emissions reductions to
compensate for the CO2 associated with electricity generation.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2010/12/01/6

OPINION

Free Speech Now Forbidden. Philosophers have pondered and debated
the question of "what is true?" for eons. Now, thanks to the
bureaucrats at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), we have
our answer: The truth is whatever CARB says it is, and those who
utter forbidden opinions to the contrary will be punished.
Sounding like something from George Orwell, CARB is poised to
adopt a regulation that literally "forbids" and "penalizes"
opposing views. Posted.
http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2010-11-30-70827.113116-Free-speech-now-forbidden-.html#print

A Select Committee for Termination. Putting a global warming
panel out of business. Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey will
hold one last media spectacle at his Select Committee for Energy
Independence and Global Warming today, allowing such oracles as
green activist Robert Kennedy Jr. to preach about the imminent
catastrophe of climate change. Let's hope Speaker-designate John
Boehner makes it the committee's last hurrah. Current Speaker
Nancy Pelosi created this outfit in 2007 as a way to outflank
then Energy Committee Chairman John Dingell, for whom climate
change is not a religion. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704679204575646763823952070.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Katie Couric's Notebook: Climate Change. The debate over global
warming is once again heating up in Washington. Roughly half of
the newly elected Republican congress members are climate change
skeptics, according to one survey, and some want to roll back
environmental regulations. Their position was bolstered by the
Climategate scandal, in which a handful of scientists were
accused of manipulating data to support climate change. Posted.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500803_162-20024202-500803.html

BLOGS

What's the Punishment For Burning Wood on Spare the Air Day? You
are so busted.Today, for those who care to know, is a Spare the
Air Day. In communicating this news, the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District used terms such as "illegal" when describing
the burning of wood -- and noted that locals "must" not do so. As
that vocabulary would imply, this isn't just a suggestion.
Failure to adhere to the mandate to not set wood aflame can cost
you $400. That's been the law of the land since 2008 -- and a
full eight people have felt the burn after burning wood. Of
course, that's not a lot of lawbreakers. Posted.
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/12/spaire_the_air_day_wood_fire.php?print=true
http://www.baycitizen.org/blogs/pulse-of-the-bay/first-winter-spare-air-day/

In the Energy Race, Echoes of Sputnik. Associated Press Energy
Secretary Steven Chu addressing the National Press Club on energy
research on Monday. With some House Republicans gunning for the
stimulus bill, especially the portion that went to the Energy
Department, the energy secretary went on a pre-emptive offensive
of sorts on Monday in advance of the Republican takeover over the
chamber, telling an audience at the National Press Club that that
money was merely a down payment. Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/in-the-energy-race-echoes-of-sputnik/?pagemode=print

U.S. Needs Critical Boost in Energy Research, Panel Tells Obama.
American Energy Innovation Council. The United States needs to
more than triple its spending on energy research, development and
demonstration projects, from about $5 billion now to $16 billion,
and should institute a strategic review of national energy policy
every four years, an advisory group of scientists and engineers
said in a report to President Obama this week. Posted.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/u-s-needs-critical-boost-in-energy-research-panel-tells-obama/?pagemode=print

Survey Finds Rising Pollution Concerns. One in four Hong Kongers
is considering leaving the city because of poor air quality,
according to a survey released by local think tank Civic
Exchange. That is an increase from one in five who considered
moving in 2008, the last time the same survey was conducted. The
potential exodus also risks sapping the city’s intellectual
wealth, as 89% of those who said they would consider leaving Hong
Kong possessed at least a college degree.
http://blogs.wsj.com/hong-kong/2010/12/01/survey-finds-rising-pollution-concerns/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-01/hong-kong-air-pollution-very-high-at-three-stations-update1-.html

Obama, Arnold, Jerry, and the Big Green Dream. The latest UN
global climate summit has just gotten underway in Cancun, Mexico
with little progress in store, despite 2010 turning out to be
perhaps the hottest year on record. That makes the moves underway
in California even more significant. Especially since, to
President Barack Obama's evident dismay, action in Congress was
already dead even before Republicans took over the lower house of
Congress. We'll see if there's any action in Cancun, following
last year's debacle in Copenhagen, covered here on the Huffington
Post. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-bradley/obama-arnold-jerry-and-th_b_790145.html

5 Reasons Why EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gasses Is Good for
Labor. With the collapse of climate protection legislation in
Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency, acting under a
mandate from the US Supreme Court, is stepping in to regulate the
greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. At the
end of 2009, it issued an "endangerment finding" that greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere "threaten the public health and welfare
of current and future generations." New regulations are scheduled
to go into effect early in 2011. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brendan-smith/5-reasons-why-epa-regulat_b_789737.html

ARB What's New

preload