What's New List Serve Post Display
Below is the List Serve Post you selected to display.
newsclips -- Newsclips for May 17, 2011.
Posted: 17 May 2011 13:15:45
California Air Resources Board News Clips for May 17, 2011. 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 Power Plant Union Asks Congress to Delay EPA's Air Pollution Rules. A labor union that is usually a stalwart supporter of the Obama administration is asking Congress to delay U.S. EPA's new rules on toxic air pollution from coal-fired power plants, saying jobs will be lost if utilities don't get more time. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said today that it is backing American Electric Power Co. Inc. (AEP) as it lobbies Congress to give utilities an extra five or six years to clean up or shut down their oldest coal plants. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/16/16greenwire-power-plant-union-asks-congress-to-delay-epas-87699.html?pagewanted=print EPA Delays Rule On Industrial Emissions. The regulation to limit pollutants at power plants is suspended after protests from industry. It is the Obama administration's latest concession on the environment. The Obama administration has decided to delay a rule that would cut emissions from power plants at major industrial facilities, the most recent in a series of decisions since the midterm election to postpone controversial environmental regulations and steer a more business-friendly course. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-epa-emissions-20110517,0,5430431,print.story Clean Air Groups To Sue EPA Over Smog Enforcement. Advocates for clean air in the Valley today filed a notice of intent to sue the federal Environmental Protection Agency, alleging its failure to enforce 30-year-old pollution standards required by the Clean Air Act. In the letter filed on behalf of Medical Advocates for Healthy Air and the Sierra Club, Oakland-based Earthjustice threatens to sue the agency if it doesn't act on the San Joaquin Valley's failure to attain the one-hour ozone standard within 60 days. Posted. http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/article_6bd970ce-800f-11e0-be7e-001cc4c002e0.html White House Starts Review Of EPA Rules For Coal Plants. U.S. EPA has finished drafting final rules that would require coal-fired power plants in Eastern states to install new pollution controls if their emissions cross state lines and make air more unsafe to breathe in other parts of the country. White House records show that the agency sent a draft of the final regulations, also known as the Clean Air Transport Rule, to the Office of Management and Budget yesterday. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/05/17/3 Groups Plan To Sue EPA Over Ozone In LA, San Joaquin Valley. California environmentalists said yesterday they plan to sue U.S. EPA over years of perpetually high ozone levels in Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley. Advocacy groups accuse EPA of failing to comply with the Clean Air Act over hourly measurements of ozone. The one-hour standard is intended to prevent spikes in pollution that can cause asthma attacks and other breathing problems. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/05/17/18 CLIMATE CHANGE Carbon Execution Officer. The CEO of Alcatel-Lucent has put cutting emissions at the heart of strategy. Soon after becoming chief executive of Alcatel-Lucent in 2008, Ben Verwaayen announced the company would cut its carbon footprint 50% by 2020. Some might argue carbon emissions were the least of the telecom equipment maker's problems at the time. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703789104576272532218665822.html http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/05/17/8 Siemens U.S. Chief Concerned By Inattention to Climate Change. The head of Munich-based Siemens AG (SI)’s U.S. unit said he is unhappy that federal energy policymakers in Washington are no longer focusing on climate change. Eric Spiegel, chief executive officer of Siemens Corp., said a national strategy is needed to reduce clean-energy technology costs and find solutions for environmental risks associated with greenhouse gases. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-16/siemens-u-s-chief-concerned-by-inattention-to-climate-change.html Australia To Set Expected Carbon Tax Price By July. Canberra, Australia (AP) - A planned tax on carbon gas emitting industries in Australia would be far below a recommended price that might have forced polluters to switch to greener technology, the government said Tuesday. The still-undetermined starting tax, expected to be announced in July, would be "well south" of 40 Australian dollars (US$42) a metric ton (AU$44 a U.S. ton), Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/australia-says-carbon-tax-price-will-be-set-by-july-will-be-well-below-consultant-forecast/2011/05/17/AFjigT5G_story.html http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/17/australia-will-set-its-carbon-tax-price-by-july/ Britain Set to Announce Ambitious Environmental Steps. Brussels — Britain is poised to announce some of the world’s most ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions — a striking example of a government committing to big environmental initiatives while also pursuing austerity measures. Chris Huhne, the secretary of state for energy and climate change, is expected to release a statement on Tuesday that the British government will set in law a goal to cut its greenhouse gas emissions about 50 percent by 2025. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/business/global/17carbon.html?_r=2&pagewanted=print http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hHeVFaETbvJA7QYeFbvOIaY6Kp-w?docId=9f2948a9eaa645b4b06dde93e74fb9e1 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/05/16/bloomberg1376-LLA7PT0D9L3501-0D5VIQ59AFBT0LJ6R1IHTLBLEF.DTL&type=printable One Senate Republican, a Climate Believer, Considers Repealing Oil Subsidies. Rochelle, Ill. -- The flat fields here stop reluctantly at old screen doors of farmhouses dotting a countryside that changes mostly when corn covers or bares it. But something else is rising from these plains where trees are sparse: hundreds of wind turbines. Illinois is among the fastest-growing states for wind power, rivaling competitors with steadier breezes because of its access to transmission lines and a major market in Chicago. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/05/17/17climatewire-one-senate-republican-a-climate-believer-con-84371.html?pagewanted=print DIESEL EMISSIONS Port Of Hueneme Tentatively Awarded $4.5 Million For Electricity System. The Port of Hueneme has been tentatively awarded $4.5 million in state funds to help pay for a $9 million shore-side electricity system. The system is being developed to comply with new regulations requiring that ships anchored at California ports turn off their engines to limit emissions. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/16/port-of-hueneme-awarded-45-million-for-system/?print=1 VEHICLES Poll: Americans Worry About Gas Prices, Oil Dependence. The vast majority of Americans are concerned about gas prices (85%) and U.S. reliance on Middle East oil (87%), and three out of four say it's important to increase vehicle fuel economy, a poll Monday reveals. "Pain at the pump, along with the country's oil import dependence, has produced a growing consensus that the federal government should substantially increase fuel economy standards," said Mark Cooper…Posted. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/05/poll-americans-gas-prices-oil/1 Yellow Hybrid Stickers For Carpool Lanes Set To Expire. The California sticker program that has allowed solo drivers access to diamond lanes as a way to spur sales is ending July 1 — this time for good. Life in the fast lane is coming to an end for hybrid drivers. After a six-year run, the yellow stickers that allow owners of about 85,000 older hybrid vehicles to drive solo in carpool lanes are expiring July 1 — this time for good. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hybrid-stickers-20110517,0,372758,print.story Investors Urge US To Adopt California’s ‘Clean Cars’ Policies. The US government could significantly propel investments in the clean energy and energy efficiency sector by following California’s lead in adopting stronger fuel economy and emissions standards through 2025, investment experts said. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation last year set the first national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards, known as the 'clean cars' rules. Posted. http://www.environmental-finance.com/news/view/1713 Bill Ford: Company's Fleet Will Be 25% Electrified By 2020. Detroit -- About 25 percent of Ford Motor Co.'s fleet will be electrified by 2020, Chairman Bill Ford wrote in an article for Fortune magazine, published online today. With global oil prices rising and more congestion on the roads, Ford wrote that it is critical for the automakers to build smarter and cleaner-running cars that people will want to drive. Posted. http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110517/OEM02/110519921/1186 GREEN ENERGY Sen. Bingaman: Outlook Bleak for Passing 'Clean Energy' Standard, Repealing Oil Subsidies. The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is casting doubt on prospects for President Obama's proposed "clean energy" standard that would require utilities to source a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources by 2035. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/16/16greenwire-sen-bingaman-outlook-bleak-for-passing-clean-e-38941.html MISCELLANEOUS New Sprouts Store Gets EPA Honor For Refrigeration Technology. The new Sprouts Farmers Market opening Wednesday in Westlake Village is the first grocery store in California to receive the Environmental Protection Agency's highest award for green refrigeration technology. The new store, in the Westlake Plaza and Center on Westlake Boulevard, is the only grocery outlet west of the Mississippi to get the EPA's GreenChill platinum-level store certification award. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/16/new-sprouts-store-gets-epa-honor-for-technology/ OPINION Inhofe's View: All Pain, No Gain. Not too long ago, President Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress proudly announced that America would lead the fight against global warming by passing a cap-and-trade bill. But despite overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress in 2009, Democrats barely found the votes to get the proposal through the House, and Senate Democrats never even brought it up for a vote. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-05-16-Inhofe-says-cap-and-trade-all-pain-no-gain_n.htm Global Warming. To the Editor: Re “The River Untamable” (Week in Review, May 8): What will it take to convince people that the world’s climate is changing and that we are causing it to change? Will it be this latest flooding of the Mississippi River, brought about by record April rainfall in the Ohio River Valley and very high levels in other states, killing at least 18 people, flooding millions of acres of farmland, and causing untold misery and economic hardship? Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/opinion/l17warming.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print What Is Really Causing Renewable Project Failures in California? It is clear that the development of renewable and clean energy projects in California and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions has been successful, but has also been impeded by a variety of causes. With the required percentage of renewable resources being increased to 33% in the future, a survey of the landscape identifies many potential sources … Posted. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/05/17/what-is-really-causing-renewable-project-failures-in-california/ BLOGS Climate Panel Announces Reforms. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, rocked by controversy in recent years, has adopted a series of reforms of its management and governance to increase transparency and improve the quality of its hugely influential climate change reports, the group says. The changes will include a stronger review process for future climate assessments and fuller inclusion of alternate scientific views and acknowledgment of scientific uncertainty and controversy. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/climate-panel-announces-reforms/ New Tool, and Tune, for Tracking Fracking. In the final session of an environmental-science communication course that I co-taught at Pace University this spring, Thad Cook, a graduate student, gave a thorough overview of the issues raised by extracting natural gas from shale using hydraulic fracturing, the method now widely called fracking. He mentioned a useful new source of information, FracFocus.org. Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/new-tool-and-tune-for-tracking-fracking/ Electric Motorcycles Pick Up Speed. Electric motorcycles are closing the speed gap on internal combustion bikes. Brammo won the kickoff to this year's TTXGP North American Championship series Sunday, clocking the fastest-ever lap speed at Infineon Raceway for an electric motorcycle with its Empulse RR -- and showing the quick evolution of a sport that didn't even exist until 2009. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/05/brammo-ttxgp.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29 Climate Science-Defying Paper Yanked for Plagiarism. The so-called “hockey stick” plot of recent climate, in which recent temperatures appear as a sudden and anomalous rise after a thousand years of relative stability, has become a bit of an icon for climate change. Even though it’s rather secondary to the concerns about rising greenhouse gas levels — CO2 would be a concern even if we were limited to the 150 years of instrument records — Posted. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/05/climate-change-critic-retraction/ Carbon Budget: Could This Be The Greenest Government Ever? Actions speak louder than words - what is the coalition's environmental record so far? It seems a deal has finally been brokered on the UK's long-term climate change targets, with an announcement expected this afternoon from the energy and climate change secretary committing the UK to a 50% cut in greenhouse gases – compared with 1990 levels – by 2025. Posted. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/may/17/carbon-budget-greenest-government Report: CARB Says U.S. Is Leaning Towards Non-Chademo Quick-Charge Standard. Craig Childers, a zero-emissions specialist at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), said it appears that the U.S. is leaning towards the adoption of a non-CHAdeMO quick-charge standard for plug-in vehicles, according to All Cars Electric. Though Childers admits that this is not a "done deal," he claims that "automotive companies are lobbying for only one opening for powering the car to allow for cleaner design." Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/16/report-carb-says-u-s-is-leaning-towards-non-chademo-quick-char/