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California Air Resources Board News Clips for December 29, 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

Solano County Plan Focuses On Greenhouse Gas Emissions.  Doing
its part to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, Solano County has drafted an action plan, which is up
for review by the public. The plan recommends 31 measures and 94
implementing actions that the county can take to reduce both
emissions and communitywide contributions to global climate
change. Solano County's Draft Climate Action Plan and the study
of environmental impact is available for public review for 45
days. The goal of the draft, according to staff, is to reduce
unincorporated Solano County's greenhouse gas emissions by 20
percent below 2005 emission levels by the year 2020. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16964047?nclick_check=1

GREEN ENERGY

Redwood City among Bay Area Cities to Participate in Regional
Bicycle-Sharing Pilot Program. Roughly a year from now, 100
bicycles are expected to be placed throughout downtown Redwood
City for people to rent and ride as part of a $7 million regional
bike-sharing pilot program. The bicycles will be available at
hubs including the Redwood City Caltrain station, according to
the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. The bulk of the
funding for the program is coming from a $4.29 million grant
issued by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which is
supporting the initiative because of its potential to reduce
climate change. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_16961253

OPINION

Global Warming Grinch. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez's
bizarre warning to Santa about the North Pole. Two days before
Christmas, Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey sent
a bizarre open letter to the North Pole to warn Santa about the
"dramatic melting of the Arctic sea ice" due to the effects of
carbon emissions. "I am worried about your safety and your
ability to deliver billions of Christmas gifts if the ice cap on
the North Pole no longer stays frozen all year," the senator
wrote. " Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203513204576047942299675336.html

Note To Global Warmers; It's Winter, Snow Happens. Those of us
who live in the Pacific Northwest know that every year about this
time, the temperature drops and snow falls from the sky. We know
this time as "winter", and so far it has happened every year in
recent memory.  Some winters are colder than others, and some
winters have more snowfall than others.  We accept that here. 
It's called "life", and we deal with it. But to some, this annual
phenomenon is caused by something sinister, and it must be dealt
with.  Posted.
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-spokane/note-to-global-warmers-it-s-winter-snow-happens

SINGER: No Proof Man Causes Global Warming. International climate
negotiations collapsed in December 2009 in Copenhagen (soon
dubbed "Flopnhagen") - and the just-completed round in Cancun,
Mexico, achieved little. Basically, the public no longer trusts
the science being dispensed by the United Nations. Also, major
developing countries, including China and India, refuse to
sacrifice economic growth for an uncertain goal. Yet, in most
policy discussions- and in Al Gore's movie - it is still assumed,
without question, that the warming trend, since about 1900, is
human-caused. But there is no good evidence to support this
belief except constant repetition of the mantra "The science is
settled." Posted.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/28/no-proof-man-causes-global-warming/

EDITORIAL: California's 'Cap-And-Trade' Escapade. Golden State
pushes climate change over business climate. The fact that the
lame-duck Congress balked at endorsing "cap-and-trade"
legislation didn't deter California from approving its own
version of the extreme green scheme for restricting industrial
emissions. The move bolsters the state's reputation as the left
coast's home for ideas out of left field. Soon Americans will
witness what happens when global-warming hysteria worsens an
already sick economy. Posted.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/27/californias-cap-and-trade-escapade/print/

BLOGS

Ford to Install Engine Start-Stop Technology on Gasoline-Powered
Cars. Traffic jams could start to get quieter in 2012 when Ford
begins to install its Auto Start-Stop technology on
gasoline-powered cars sold in North America. The technology,
currently used on hybrid Ford vehicles, cuts off the engine when
a car is stopped at a traffic light and switches it back on when
the driver’s foot leaves the brake pedal. Ford says Auto
Start-Stop will improve fuel economy of conventional cars between
four and 10 percent. And engine shutoffs will result in a
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Posted.
http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2010/12/29/ford-to-install-engine-start-stop-technology-on-gasoline-powered-cars/

House Energy Chair Upton Calls EPA Climate Change Plan
'Unconstitutional Power Grab'. In an op-ed piece in the Wall
Street Journal, the incoming House Energy and Commerce Committee
Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) teamed up with Tim Phillips,
president of Americans for Prosperity, to write that the
Environmental Protection Agency's plan to regulate emissions of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases "represents an
unconstitutional power grab that will kill millions of jobs --
unless Congress steps in. Posted.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/post-carbon/2010/12/house_energy_chair_upton_calls.html

The Nissan Leaf Breezes Into Carlsbad. A local family gets a
special opportunity to test-drive the all-electric car, which is
not yet available at dealerships. A Carlsbad family had a unique
chance to test-drive a very modern car recently—the Nissan LEAF. 
At the Tamarack beach parking lot, Darren Lister told Patch that
the LEAF acronym stands for the "leading, environmentally
friendly, affordable family car." It's a completely electric car,
which, of course, has no gas tank. Its batteries are charged
through a port built in to the nose of the car. Posted.
http://carlsbad.patch.com/articles/the-nissan-leaf-breezes-into-carlsbad

Broken Glass and Dust Provide Insights to Climate Change. Our
future climate may be revealed in the way a drinking glass
shatters. At least, according to research by National Center for
Atmospheric Research scientist Jasper Kok. Analyzing the patterns
of broken glass help revel similar patterns in the fragmentation
of dust particles -- and its these dust particles in our
atmosphere that play a big role in the planet's climate. Watching
how dust fragments could lead to better weather forecasting and
clearer understanding of long-term climate change. Posted.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/12/broken-glass-and-dust-provide-insights-to-climate-change.php