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California Air Resources Board News Clips for May 24, 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

EPA Hearing In Philly On Coal Plant Pollution. 
Philadelphia—Federal environmental officials are holding a public
hearing in Philadelphia on proposed standards for toxic air
pollution from power plants.  The Environmental Protection Agency
wants the public's input on rules to curb emissions of mercury,
arsenic, lead, nickel, chromium and acid gases from coal plants.
Posted.  http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18126717
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18126717
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/24/epa-hearing-in-philly-on-coal-plant-pollution/

Texas Lawyer Wants Foreign Pollution Addressed.  Houston—A lawyer
who previously represented the energy industry has filed a
petition with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
seeking a relaxation of rules governing air-borne pollution that
he says compel Texas businesses to pick up the tab for foreign
polluters.  Attorney Jed Anderson said states should not be
forced to make deeper cuts in smog-forming emissions to meet
federal limits because of wind-borne pollution from places such
as Mexico.  Posted.  http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18120239

State Working With Feds On National Car Pollution Standards.
California has been at the forefront of toughening pollution
standards for cars, due in part to its dirty air. Now state
officials are working with federal agencies to align standards
for the rest of the nation, improving fuel efficiency and
tailpipe emissions. State regulations, also known as the Pavley
law, set emissions standards for cars made from 2012 to 2016.
Posted.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/state-working-feds-national-car-pollution-standards-10380

CLIMATE CHANGE

Jobs and Savings Help Regional Carbon Market Survive GOP Attacks.
New Hampshire, Delaware and Maine have decided to stay in RGGI
for now, but New Jersey's exit is still possible. Efforts to
unravel a regional carbon trading program have hit a wall in
recent weeks after lawmakers in New Hampshire, Delaware and Maine
moved to reaffirm their states' participation in the market.
Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/23/idUS62011457620110523

Getting Wise to the Owl, a Charismatic Sentry in Climate Change.
For 19 years, the owl researcher Denver Holt has journeyed to
Barrow, Alaska, each summer to map out the predator-prey
relationship between the lemmings that crawl across the tundra
and the white owls that hunt them from above. As he prepares for
his 20th field season in the Arctic, he says that the snowy owl
has a role to play in understanding ecological changes in one of
the fastest changing places in the world. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/science/24owl.html?scp=4&sq=climate%20change&st=cse

Calif. Appeals Decision Blocking Cap-And-Trade Plan. California
regulators have appealed last week's court decision staying their
cap-and-trade program for industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
The state Air Resources Board (ARB) filed a notice of appeal with
San Francisco's Superior Court yesterday. Environmental justice
advocates had sued over a provision in the California
Environmental Quality Act requiring state agencies to analyze the
environmental consequences of their policies. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/05/24/14

Misguided Objection to Progressive Policy: The EJ Lawsuit Against
Implementation of California’s AB 32 Climate Policy. On May 20th,
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith ruled that
the California Air Resources Board had not adequately explained
its choice of a market-based mechanism – a cap-and-trade system —
to achieve approximately 20 percent of targeted emissions
reductions by 2020 under Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming
Solutions Act of 2006. Posted.
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/analysis/stavins/?p=1090

Climate Commission Finds Climate Change Evidence 'Beyond Doubt'
After calling the evidence for global warming "exceptionally
strong and beyond doubt," the first big report from Australia's
Climate Commission said actions this decade will determine its
impact for the rest of the century. Designed to quell the
political debate about the government's carbon tax, the report
outlines the latest research on the impact of climate change on
Australia. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/05/24/6

FUELS

Chevron To Try Again To Upgrade Richmond Refinery. After
Chevron's last attempt to upgrade its aging Richmond oil refinery
bogged down in court, the company has decided to try again.
Chevron Corp. on Monday reported that it will once again ask
Richmond officials for permission to renovate the refinery,
improving its ability to process high-sulfur crude oil.
Richmond's City Council narrowly approved the upgrade in 2008,
despite complaints from environmentalists that the changes could
lead to more air pollution in a community that already had too
much. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/24/BUVF1JJVEO.DTL&type=printable

Ethanol Declines Most in More Than Week on Economic Concerns.
Ethanol dropped for the first time in more than a week, falling
with other energy commodities on signs of economic weakness that
may curb fuel demand. The gasoline additive slumped as Greece
stepped up austerity measures to keep pace with its deficit and
after the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s gauge of economic
activity dropped below zero in April. Ethanol, concocted from
corn in the U.S., is blended with gasoline to augment supply.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/05/23/bloomberg1376-LLNY5M0YHQ0X01-6HDOJDJOKQF11Q4S7U4G60TFT5.DTL&type=printable

BIOfuel From Algae Technologies Project Launched. A new
international project is kicking off to produce biofuels from
algae. The BIOfuel From Algae Technologies (BIOFAT) project is
supported by nine partners based in seven countries and the goal
is to show that ethanol, biodiesel and bioproducts call all be
produced at large scale from algae. Posted.
http://domesticfuel.com/2011/05/24/biofuel-from-algae-technologies-project-launched/

UK Lawmakers Give Green Light To Shale Gas Drilling, Highlight
Vast Offshore Reserves.  London — British lawmakers said Monday
that shale gas resources in Britain should be developed to reduce
the country’s reliance on imported supplies.  A report from the
cross-party Energy and Climate Change Committee released on
Monday rejected calls for a moratorium on the controversial
energy source amid concerns about its impact on public health and
the environment.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/uk-lawmakers-give-green-light-to-shale-gas-drilling-highlight-vast-offshore-reserves/2011/05/23/AFvS509G_story.html
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/05/23/2399385/uk-lawmakers-green-light-shale.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.modbee.com/2011/05/23/1700998/uk-lawmakers-green-light-shale.html
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18122703
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18122703
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/23/uk-lawmakers-green-light-shale-gas-drilling/

Multi-Nation Partnership Develops Production Guidelines. The
United States, China and 23 other nations agreed yesterday on the
first-ever set of biofuel production guidelines. The policies,
introduced by the Rome-based Global Bioenergy Partnership,
suggest ways to produce and use biofuels and biomass in ways that
do not add to climate change or affect food prices. Palm oil is
one biofuel source that has grown especially popular in recent
years. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/05/24/13

House GOP Accuses Obama Admin Of Deliberately Raising Gas Prices.
House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa
(R-Calif.) today suggested that the Obama administration is
intentionally trying to boost oil and gas prices as part of a
concerted effort to force the green agenda that it was unable to
achieve through its failed cap-and-trade effort. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/05/24/1

VEHICLES

Ford Sees Chance To Woo Japanese Buyers. Ford sees a big chance
to snatch buyers away from Japanese automakers battling
production delays caused by the March earthquake and tsunami, and
vehicles in the works could help deliver it growth in a
long-difficult market. "The opportunities for Ford in Japan have
never been greater," Ford Japan Chief Executive Tim Tucker said
Tuesday of the products planned for Japan. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/24/ford-sees-chance-to-woo-japanese-02/
http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_51102aff-ba28-58c5-9fc9-4122eedc7ac2.html

Chrysler To Pay Back U.S. On Tuesday As Fiat Hikes Stake.
Chrysler Group LLC plans to pay off its remaining debt to the
U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday, clearing the way for partner
Fiat SpA to increase its stake in the No. 3 U.S. automaker.
Chrysler and Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said today Chrysler
raised enough money in a debt offering to pay back the loans.
Posted. 
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110523/OEM/305239773/1306

GREEN ENERGY

Greenstart: New Bay Area Tech Incubator Homing In On Green
Technology. By some estimates, there are more than 100 tech
incubators around the world, ranging from those affiliated with
top universities to the fast-growing cluster of Bay Area venues
like Y Combinator, 500 Startups and Plug and Play Tech Center.
Joining the mix Tuesday is a San Francisco outfit called
Greenstart. Like its peers, the "startup accelerator" aims to
help entrepreneurs get their young companies off the ground. But
Greenstart is focusing on just one slice of the technology pie:
so-called "clean" tech. Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_18126512?source=rss&nclick_check=1

Wind Energy Industry Demands Bonneville Fix Problems Forcing
Shut-Off Of NW Wind Generators.  Grants Pass, Ore.—The wind
energy industry demanded Monday that the Bonneville Power
Administration fix problems that have forced the shut-off of
Northwest wind generators while hydroelectric dams fill the grid
with power produced from a heavy spring runoff.  The complaints
voiced by the American Wind Energy Association and U.S. Rep. Earl
Blumenauer, D-Ore., at a wind energy…Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/wind-energy-industry-demands-bonneville-fix-problems-forcing-shut-off-of-nw-wind-generators/2011/05/23/AFPFy09G_story.html
http://www.modbee.com/2011/05/23/1700994/wind-industry-demands-nw-grid.html
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/05/23/2399383/wind-industry-demands-nw-grid.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18122675?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18122675
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/23/wind-industry-demands-nw-grid-overload-solution/
http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_05a0692b-6c74-5fa6-a2f1-fc6d374bf3a5.html

Siemens Executive Says Bipartisan Clean Energy Push Could Start
With Efficiency Bill. With Congress bogged down over high
gasoline prices, the head of U.S. operations for Siemens AG said
proposals to increase energy efficiency are a "no-brainer" and a
doable next step to advance U.S. energy policy. "It's
thousand-dollar bills lying on the ground. People just need to
bend over and pick them up," said Eric Spiegel, president and CEO
of Siemens Corp., the U.S. arm of the Munich-based conglomerate.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/05/24/2

FWS Wind Turbine Guidelines Ruffle Feathers Of Both Enviros And
Industry. The Interior Department's draft guidelines for the
responsible siting and operation of wind farms fail to protect
at-risk species like the sage grouse and prairie chicken and
could result in the deaths of more than a million birds a year
within the next 20 years, a leading bird advocacy group says.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/05/24/11

Are Home LEDs Ready For Prime Time? Some might say this is the
year of the LED. A slew of new light bulbs relying on
light-emitting diodes have come out in recent weeks as
manufacturers prepare to battle for residential customers drawn
to efficiency but fed up with their other options. LED bulbs are
being marketed -- at least in the residential space -- as
replacements for energy-hungry incandescent lights and as
pleasing, but still efficient alternatives to the curly compact
fluorescents that consumers link with chilly blue tones and trace
amounts of mercury content. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/05/24/12

MISCELLANEOUS

Has the Monorail's Future Finally Arrived? It's gaining traction
as a solution in areas where mass-transit needs are surging. The
train of the future may be turning a corner—but you'll have to
look up to see it. Long hailed as a model for future
public-transportation systems, monorails in reality have been
largely written off as theme-park attractions—too slow and too
small to serve as urban transit systems. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703567404576292914218923744.html?mod=WSJ_business_LeftSecondHighlights

Bay Toxic Fish Warnings Updated. In the first update to a
17-year-old guide on how safe it is to eat fish caught in San
Francisco Bay, state health leaders have relaxed some warnings
but caution that children and women of childbearing age should
not eat perch, white sturgeon, shark or striped bass. Mercury and
PCBs have rendered some of the Bay's most popular sport fish
unsafe in any amount for children and woman younger than 45,
according to the guidelines. And perch from San Francisco Bay are
unsafe for anyone to eat, the guidelines say. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_18123623?source=rss&nclick_check=1
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/officials-warn-high-mercury-pcb-levels-some-sf-bay-fish-10410

UN Probes Japan Nuke Plant; More Melted Fuel Found. A major
international mission to investigate Japan's flooded,
radiation-leaking nuclear complex began Tuesday as new
information suggested that nuclear fuel had mostly melted in two
more reactors in the early days after the March 11 tsunami. That
would mean that all three of the most troubled reactors at the
plant have suffered partial meltdowns. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/24/un-opens-probe-into-japans-crippled-nuke-plant/
http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_61bf9e1b-6f1a-59ac-9d15-6d8a2d6a8c1b.html

UK Outlines Plans For Green Bank. The British government outlined
plans for the world's first state-backed green investment bank on
Monday - a key plank of its pledge to transition the country into
a low-carbon economy. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the
bank will open for business next April and will likely focus
initially on investing in areas such as offshore wind, waste and
non-domestic energy efficiency. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/may/23/uk-outlines-plans-for-green-bank/

OPINION

WAYNE KIRKBRIDE: If It's Spring In Mother Lode, There Must Be
Smoke.  "I moved to the mountains to have fresh, clean air and I
have to close my doors and windows on some days to keep the smoke
out," said one newcomer to the Mother Lode.  As much a part of
the springtime ritual as bringing out patio furniture and having
outdoor parties, so is the annual cleaning up the accumulation of
leaves, pine needles and branches from fall and winter and
burning the piles.  Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2011/05/24/1701015/if-its-spring-in-mother-lode-there.html

Let Hybrid Cars Save For Themselves.  If you bought a hybrid
vehicle thinking it would save you time and money on your daily
commute, one of the favorite perks is about to end.  Back in
2005, California began handing out 85,000 yellow stickers to
owners of hybrid cars, as an incentive to boost purchases of
fuel-efficient vehicles.  Motorists with the stickers were
allowed to drive solo in carpool lanes — which are found
primarily in the Bay Area, Sacramento and other metro areas.
Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2011/05/23/1701175/let-hybrid-cars-save-for-themselves.html

Keep Calm and Carry On. Caution: It is vitally important not to
make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this
week’s shots from Joplin, Missouri, you should not ask yourself:
I wonder if this is somehow related to the huge tornado outbreak
three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, or the enormous outbreak a couple
of weeks before that—together they comprised the most active
April for tornadoes in our history. But that doesn’t mean a
thing. Posted. http://action.350.org/signup_page/connections

BLOGS

Court Orders Majority of California's Climate Law to Proceed; Cap
and Trade to Get Fresh Look. Last week, Judge Ernest Goldsmith of
the San Francisco Superior Court ruled to keep the bulk of
California’s climate law, AB 32, moving ahead without delay, and
narrowed the scope of an ongoing dispute to one piece of the
puzzle – California’s cap and trade program. The decision cleared
up an outstanding question in a lawsuit challenging the
California Air Resources Board’s approval of the AB 32 Scoping
Plan, California’s groundbreaking blueprint to cut global warming
pollution statewide. Posted.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ajackson/bulk_of_californias_climate_la.html

Fracking All Over The Place -In UK As Well. Fracking , that same
word and process that inspires fear and loathing in the US, is
under way in the UK. Apparently under the very hard rock of
Lancashire is a lot of natural gas. But here’s the bother. The
only way to get at it is to use a method called "hydraulic
fracturing", or "fracking" for short. Posted. 
http://www.celsias.com/article/fracking-all-over-place-uk-well/

Clean Air is a Fundamental Right. Clean air is a fundamental
right -- our lives depend on it. But air pollution threatens that
right, and with it all of the little moments that make life
special: blowing out candles on a birthday cake, spending a day
outside with friends, or playing with our kids in the front yard.
Recently, after more than a decade of delay, the Environmental
Protection Agency proposed health protections that will ensure
coal-fired power plants, some of the worst air polluters in the
country, have to limit mercury and other toxic pollution that
damages our health. Posted.
http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/clean-air-is-a-fundamental-right/

Climate Policy For Conservatives.  Suppose you believe, as I do,
in basic conservative principles (free enterprise and a market
economy, limited government, and minimal change in established
institutions that work well), but also acknowledge that
anthropogenic climate change presents a sufficient danger that
something needs to be done about it. Posted. 
http://www.grist.org/climate-policy/2011-05-24-climate-policy-for-conservatives

Five Hot, Rockin’ Geothermal Companies.  Like the natural gas
sector, which has experienced an incredible boom due to new
drilling techniques that allow companies to cost-effectively
access unconventional gas, the geothermal sector is going through
a renaissance that may open up a vast new set of resources. 
Traditional utility-scale geothermal, often called hydrothermal,
utilizes hot water or direct steam beneath the earth to run a
turbine and generate electricity.  Posted. 
http://www.grist.org/cleantech/2011-05-23-five-hot-rockin-geothermal-companies

Sunfire Acquiring Staxera To Support Development Of Technology To
Generate Synthetic Fuels From Renewable Energy Sources, Water And
CO2.  Bremen, Germany-based SunFire is acquiring staxera, a
developer and manufacturer of SOFC high-temperature fuel cells
sited in Dresden, from Webasto, a supplier to the automotive
industry. The acquisition will enable SunFire—the developer of a
process to generate renewable fuels from CO2 and H2O ...  Posted.
 http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/05/sunfire-20110523.html