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newsclips -- Newsclips July 15, 2011.
Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:35:11
California Air Resources Board News Clips for July 15, 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 Health Groups Make Hay Over Utility Regulators' EPA Resolution. During a meeting next week, an influential group of electricity regulators is set to take a position on the idea of letting older power plants wait an extra few years to retire, rather than following new pollution rules from U.S. EPA. Public health groups such as the American Lung Association aren't happy about the resolution that will be considered by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) during its annual summer meeting. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/07/15/7 CLIMATE CHANGE UN Shipping Agency Approves New Rules For Energy Efficiency, Carbon Emissions. The U.N. agency regulating international shipping has decided new cargo vessels must meet energy efficiency standards and cut carbon emissions. The International Maritime Organization is requiring new ships contracted after 2015 be designed to reduce pollution from today’s average, according to an efficiency index for ships of varying sizes and types. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/un-shipping-agency-approves-new-rules-for-energy-efficiency-carbon-emissions/2011/07/15/gIQApQFJGI_story.html Heavy Coastal Erosion In 2009-2010 Winter Linked To Climate Change. The storms that battered the West Coast during the winter of 2009-10 eroded record chunks of shoreline, and more will likely disappear as the changing climate brings more such powerful storm seasons, scientists warn in a new study. Pacific waves were 20 percent stronger on average than any year since 1997 and higher-than-usual sea levels drove them further inland, tearing away on average one-third more land in California. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_18478625 UC Davis Researchers Find Climate Change Muscling In On Mussels. Polar bears may have stolen the show when it comes to climate change, but it may be the lowly California mussel that we really should be watching. A new study by researchers at UC Davis shows that rising acid levels in the ocean thin and weaken the shells of this diminutive bivalve. And that could spell trouble for entire marine ecosystems. Posted. http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/uc-davis-researchers-find-climate-change-muscling-mussels-11510 Tropical Forests Are Best For Mitigating Carbon – Study. Forests are responsible for nearly all of the terrestrial carbon sink, the landmass that processes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a new study reveals. Although there are several ecosystems that take in carbon -- grasslands, agricultural fields and wetlands, for example -- forests, particularly tropical ones, take the cake, concludes the paper published in the journal Science. "It indicates the dominant role of forests," said Richard Birdsey, co-author of the report and a researcher with the U.S. Forest Service. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/07/15/4 Troubles Vex California’s Carbon Plan. CAP AND TRADE SPARKS POLITICAL UPHEAVAL. CAP AND TRADE HAS been a controversial topic around the nation and the world, but perhaps no more so than in California. The state intends to implement the first full-scale carbon-trading system in the United States in January. That multimillion-dollar effort is growing much more difficult as the deadline looms. Posted. http://www.energybiz.com/magazine/article/227965/troubles-vex-california-s-carbon-plan DIESEL EMISSIONS Law: Buses, Big Rigs, Diesels Must be Retrofitted. A new air quality plan set for EPA approval will phase in exhaust filter requirements starting next year and mandate most heavy diesel equipment be replaced or retrofitted in 10 years. Operators of trucks, buses, trains, ships and other heavy diesel equipment in California--and certainly the ports of Long Beach and L.A.-- will have to start phasing in exhaust filters in January and, in many cases, replace the vehicles by the end of the decade. Posted. http://belmontshore.patch.com/articles/law-buses-big-rigs-diesels-must-be-retrofitted FUELS EPA Proposes Waiving Federal Requirements For Stations To Capture Gasoline Vapors When Vehicles Refuel Beginning In 2013. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a proposed rule under the Clean Air Act (CAA) that would waive requirements beginning in 2013 for systems used at gas station pumps to capture potentially harmful gasoline vapors while refueling cars. The result of the proposal would potentially save affected gas stations more than $3,000 annually, according to EPA. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/07/epa-proposes-waiving-federal-requirements-for-stations-to-capture-gasoline-vapors-when-vehicles-refu.html U.N. Body Upholds The Right To Incentivize 'Clean Coal' United Nations -- The concept of coal plants as soldiers in the fight against global warming survives, for now. Yesterday, the Executive Board of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) refused to suspend a process whereby coal-fired power plants can earn greenhouse gas emissions offset credits, which usually go to projects that are seen as removing or preventing emissions from entering the atmosphere. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/07/15/6 VEHICLES White House Offers Auto Makers Concession to Win Mileage Support. The White House is ready to let auto makers improve the future fuel efficiency of pickups and sport utility vehicles at a slower pace than passenger cars, say people familiar with the matter, a move that would benefit Detroit manufacturers. Officials are scrambling to reach by early next week a broad agreement on a mileage target by 2025 of 56 miles a gallon, roughly double the current level. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304521304576446324032091778.html DRIVING GREEN: Electric Car Safety And Durability. Energy is dangerous. We learn this as kids, whether we recognize it or not. Climb up a tree and your increased potential energy threatens to break your arm if you fall out. Pedal your bike too quickly and your kinetic energy might do the same if you lose control and crash. Store enough energy to propel a five-passenger vehicle any useful distance, and you’ve got enough energy to be dangerous if it is released suddenly. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/driving-green-electric-car-safety-and-durability/2011/07/15/gIQAHcp8FI_story.html Calif. Regulators Order Utilities To Develop EV Rate Plans. San Francisco -- California energy regulators ordered utilities yesterday to work with automakers on developing a strategy for setting rates for charging electric vehicles. The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously for development of strategies for having buyers of electric vehicles tell the utilities about their purchases, possibly modeled after a voluntary notification system that General Motors Co. has been using since December. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/07/15/19 GREEN ENERGY Los Angeles DWP To Again Offer Solar Rebates. The plan, suspended because money ran out, involves smaller rebates and higher rates. Customers who generate extra power could sell it to the utility. Commission and council approval are required. Los Angeles once again will pick up part of the tab for residents who want to go solar. The Department of Water and Power announced at a public workshop Thursday the relaunch of its Solar Incentive Program, which offers rebates to businesses and homeowners who generate their own electricity. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-dwp-solar-20110715,0,1492312.story Two Valley Malls To Go Solar, Generate Hours Of Electricity. The Westfield Group is spending $6.6million to install solar panels at its malls in Sherman Oaks and Canoga Park - the company's largest renewable energy investment in the U.S., officials said Thursday. The installation is well under way at Westfield Fashion Square and will begin next week at Westfield Topanga, said Larry D. Green, Westfield's senior vice president for U.S. development. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_18481607?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com Germany's Lufthansa Starts Biofuel Flights. Germany's biggest airline, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says it has begun trial flights using biofuels in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Lufthansa said Friday that an Airbus A321 flying the Hamburg-Frankfurt route four times daily will use a 50/50 mix of regular fuel and biosynthetic kerosene in one of its two engines for the next six months. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jul/15/germanys-lufthansa-starts-biofuel-flights/ http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18483373?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com For The First Time Ever, Renters Can Get Solar Incentives, Too. There's a reason California is the largest solar market in the country -- I mean, aside from its abundance of sun. Namely, its regulators keep coming up with new ways to allow people to DIY-up their own distributed energy systems. Their latest brainstorm is a measure that allows renters to take advantage of the same solar incentives as people who own their own homes. Posted. http://www.grist.org/list/2011-07-15-for-the-first-time-ever-renters-can-get-solar-incentives-too MISCELLANEOUS State Roundup: Record Year For California Rooftop Solar; NH Veto Saves Carbon Trading; VA Wants Alternative Fuel Fleet; More On-Bill Financing; And WV Wind Power. Record Year For California Rooftop Solar. 2010 was a record year for rooftop solar in California with 194 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic capacity added atop residences and commercial buildings. That marks a 47% increase over 2009, according to the Public Utilities Commission, and the state now has a total of 924 MW of rooftop solar - more than half of its 2016 goal of 1,750 MW. Posted. http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.printerfriendly/id/22676 Hacking For The Planet. In a protest move that makes ELF operations look like knocking off a few small-town liquor stores, international "hacktivists" Anonymous just announced a plan to pursue hacking campaigns in support of green causes. The first victim of Operation Green Rights was ginormous biotech firm Monsanto, which Anonymous targeted for "corrupt, unethical and downright evil" business practices. Monsanto confirmed the attack, though it downplayed the damage. Posted. http://www.grist.org/business-technology/2011-07-15-hacking-for-the-planet OPINIONS An Unenlightened Waste Of Energy In Congress. How many members of Congress does it take to unscrew a lightbulb? When it comes to repealing a directive ending old-school incandescents, there weren't enough in the House this week. In one of the more fact-averse campaigns in recent memory, Republican forces fell short in trying to end a federal policy that phases out the familiar pear-shaped lightbulb in favor of newer models that use less juice. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/14/EDI11K9VIR.DTL&type=printable BLOGS Scattered Attempts at Carbon Capture. As my colleague John Broder and I reported in Thursday’s paper, American Electric Power is dropping its plan to build a commercial-scale version of a carbon dioxide scrubber at Mountaineer, its coal-fired power plant in New Haven, W.Va. The company decided that since public service commissions in West Virginia and Virginia had refused to give it full reimbursement for a pilot version that it ran for two years, …Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/scattered-attempts-at-carbon-capture/?ref=earth The Difference Engine: Priced Off The Road? THERE is one sure way to free a gas-guzzling country like America from having to rely on oil imported from places that are politically unstable and far from friendly, while at the same time reducing its carbon emissions and conserving energy for future generations. Politicians on both sides of the aisle know precisely what it is. Posted. http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/07/fuel-economy BMW Buys Leasing Firm To Launch Its i Series Electric Cars. BMW has purchased the car-leasing unit of Dutch banking giant ING for a reported $1 billion. The move enables BMW to expand its fleet operations, but more importantly, it gives the automaker the ability to aggressively promote the launch of its i Series electric cars via leasing options. Posted. http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1063094_bmw-buys-leasing-firm-to-launch-its-i-series-electric-cars Fuel Poverty and Climate Change Legislation. There’s a nice little collision going on in the UK between two groups or people: or perhaps two different visions of the good society. This is between the concept of fuel poverty and the legislation being used to try and deal with climate change. Figures show a huge rise in UK households in fuel poverty, even before expected rises in the price of gas and electricity, …Posted. http://blogs.forbes.com/timworstall/2011/07/15/fuel-poverty-and-climate-change-legislation/