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newsclips -- Newsclips for August 12, 2011.
Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:34:33
California Air Resources Board News Clips for August 12, 2011. California Air Resources Board News Clips for August 12, 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 Report details 2,000 unhealthy air alerts in 2011. You may have thought bad air pollution was on the way out, but not so. A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council counts more than 2,000 code orange alerts in U.S. communities and national parks from Jan. 1 to early August. Code orange means the air's too unhealthy for people with lung disease, older adults and children. NRDC, a pro-environmental advocacy group, is hoping the Environmental Protection Agency will consider this as they prepare to release new clean air standards. Posted. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/extremes/story/2011/08/Report-details-2000-unhealthy-air-alerts-in-2011/49920218/1 http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/08/us-2000-unhealthy-air-alerts-2011.php Obama, EPA hearing from both sides on ozone rule. The Obama administration once again may be poised to delay action on a tougher ozone standard as it tries to do no harm to the fragile economy. Buffeted by industry on one side and environmental groups on the others, the administration has missed several deadlines to change the standard for smog from the level set by the Bush administration in 2008. Posted. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/08/obama-epa-hearing-from-both-sides-on-ozone-rule/1 New Rules and Old Plants May Strain Summer Energy Supplies. Washington — As 58 million people across 13 states sweated through the third day of a heat wave last month, power demand in North America’s largest regional grid jurisdiction hit a record high. And yet there was no shortage, no rolling blackout and no brownout in an area that stretches from Maryland to Chicago. But that may not be the case in the future as stricter air quality rules are put in place. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/business/energy-environment/new-rules-and-old-plants-may-strain-summer-energy-supplies.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print Air quality, fire officials to team up; guidelines designed to help manage smoke from wildfires. In an effort to try to keep sooty air out of residents' lungs, local air quality managers will now have a direct role in determining how a fire will be fought if it erupts on federal land in California. Earlier this month, the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and the California Air Resources Board released a set of guidelines that encourage fire managers and air quality officials to work together to plan how to manage fires once they ignite. Posted. http://www.redding.com/news/2011/aug/11/air-quality-fire-officials-to-team/?print=1 Report: Valley air thick with smog. Ozone pollution days rank sixth in U.S. so far this year. The Coachella Valley is the sixth-worst out of 250 areas across the United States for high ozone pollution days so far this year, according to a report released Thursday. Joshua Tree National Park ranked fifth. The valley had 36 days of “Code Orange” ozone levels that exceeded the federal standard, according to the Washington-based Natural Resources Defense Council. Posted. http://www.mydesert.com/article/20110812/NEWS01/108120305/Valley-air-thick-smog-report-finds?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage Pollution at the moderate level, not many changes in weather forecast. Moderate ozone air pollution is forecast today and Saturday in both the foothills and on the valley floor by the Butte County Air Quality Control District. When there is moderate air pollution, unusually sensitive people, including those with respiratory ailments and children, should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion. Ozone is a summertime pollutant that forms when certain gases — in this area largely from vehicle exhaust — are heated by sunlight. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews/ci_18662074 Airlines fight EU rules on air quality. The European Union is starting to look like an environmental bully in the friendly skies — and the behavior could end up pushing global carriers out of its airspace. Airlines that fly into and out of EU nations are fighting to overturn a new rule that could cost them billions of dollars for their carbon dioxide emissions — including emissions generated beyond European airspace during international flights. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/11/no-friendly-skies-between-us-eu/ CLIMATE CHANGE Cap and Trade Becomes a Bludgeon in Republican Primary Brawl. Cap and trade is back. The controversial system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that was used potently against Democrats last year is being turned into ammunition against Republican candidates for president. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) repeatedly tore into former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty last night for his past support of a cap-and-trade program during an Iowa debate featuring eight Republicans seeking their party's nomination. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/08/12/12climatewire-cap-and-trade-becomes-a-bludgeon-in-republic-18500.html?pagewanted=print http://www.grist.org/list/2011-08-12-critical-list-bachmann-goes-after-pawlenty-on-cap-and-trade-a-bu http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/08/12/1 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES Car exhaust system maker fined $560,000 by California. • State says it sold non-California certified catalytic converters • Results from industry-wide probe The California Air Resources Board has fined Car Sound Exhaust Inc., a Rancho Santa Margarita maker of catalytic converters a total of $560,000 for air quality violations. “There are instances where companies are not aware of ARB’s requirements,” said CARB Enforcement Chief James Ryden. Posted. http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=19101 Ford announces plan to sell rooftop solar panels with electric vehicles. Auto companies with electric vehicle offerings are increasingly taking the opportunity to build links between their vehicles and renewable energy. Perhaps in response to those who say (incorrectly) that EVs do nothing to help mitigate carbon emissions – due to a prevalence of coal-fired electricity generation – manufacturers are forging strategic partnerships with solar companies to shore up the environmental case for the electric car. Posted. http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/08/ford-announces-plan-sell-rooftop-solar-panels-electric-vehicles/ GM awards A123 contract for battery packs. A123 Systems Inc., a growing U.S. lithium-ion battery company, says it has received a contract to provide battery packs for a General Motors global vehicle program. Jason Forcier, vice president for A123's Automotive Solutions Group, said that A123 will be supplying "thousands to tens of thousands" of battery packs to GM. Posted. http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110811/OEM05/110819982/1186 Clean car sites are the go-to stump for Obama's jobs message. President Obama yesterday used an appearance at a Michigan vehicle battery plant to repeat a talking point familiar to voters and observers by now: Clean cars mean more jobs, less pollution and a big boost for a failing industry. "Every day, hundreds of people are going to work on the technologies that are helping us to fight our way out of this recession," Obama said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/08/12/3 BY PAID SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY In Frederick, aiming to build ‘green homes’ that don’t break the bank. Anyone paying attention to the “green building” market knows that most of the eco-friendly abodes that have proliferated across the country in recent years have been million-dollar trophy homes. But the developers of the new North Pointe neighborhood in Frederick are taking things in the other direction: They’re building energy-efficient townhouses and duplexes geared toward middle-class buyers. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/in-frederick-planning-green-homes-that-dont-break-the-bank/2011/08/03/gIQAr4n0AJ_story.html Castro Valley library's solar project has it saving green. The county's newest library isn't just going green -- but saving a lot of it, too. The Castro Valley Library's rooftop solar project -- which included the installation of 880 solar panels -- recently was completed. The $1.6 million, 277-kilowatt system went online in May, after six months of construction. Danielle Kirchner, the library's circulation supervisor, said during the solar project's first month of operation, the library's energy bill dropped from nearly $6,000 in May 2010 to a credit of more than $3,800 in May 2011. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18663104?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_18663104?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com IKEA to go 100 percent renewable, starting with $6.5 billion in solar panels. Lots of companies talk about going green, but the scale of Swedish furniture retailer IKEA's ambition is breathtaking. In its quest to get 100 percent renewable, the firm skipped right over the usual, intermediate step of buying renewable power from a third party. Posted. http://www.grist.org/list/2011-08-12-ikea-to-go-100-percent-renewable-starting-with-6.5-billion-in-so MISCELLANEOUS Ray Anderson, ‘greenest CEO in America,’ dies at 77. Ray Anderson, 77, often called the “greenest CEO in America” for his crusade to turn his billion-dollar carpet company into an environmentally sustainable enterprise, died Aug. 8 at his home in Atlanta. He had liver cancer. Mr. Anderson was the founder of Interface, the largest producer of commercial carpet tiles. For 20 years, he ran the business in compliance with government regulations but never thought much about the environment. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/ray-anderson-greenest-ceo-in-america-dies-at-77/2011/08/10/gIQAGoTU7I_story.html Transit ridership surges throughout Bay Area. When John Leyba boarded Caltrain on Tuesday morning at the Diridon Station in downtown San Jose, he found it "insanely crowded" -- standing room only most of the way to San Francisco, where he works for PG&E as a business analyst. And when he transferred onto a Muni bus at 4th and King streets, he barely made it inside the door. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_18663245?source=rss Nanoparticles in sunscreen may be unsafe, scientists say. Although summer may be coming to a close, the debate on sunscreen safety rages on. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to put warning labels on sunscreens that contain nanomaterials, while requiring other labeling information. Sunscreen manufacturers increasingly are producing sunblocks with nanoscale ingredients, such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, because they rub on clearly without leaving a white film or paste. Posted. http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/nanoparticles-sunscreen-may-be-unsafe-scientists-say-11962 Proposition 84’s $7 Million Grant to Pave Way for Powerhouse Science Center Groundbreaking. Sacramento’s Premier Science Learning Center Breaks Ground This Fall. Sacramento, CA. – A large, colorful banner was unfurled for the first time Thursday, Aug. 11, draped over an aging building that was once a power station but now displays a new placard in the name of education. A banner ceremony took place at the historic PG&E Power Station B, the planned location of the Powerhouse Science Center, which is situated in the River District at 400 Jibboom Street in Sacramento. Posted. http://my.rosevillept.com/detail/185286.html OPINIONS STEWARD: Global warming is melting Al Gore’s brain. Former veep’s only defense of his bogus climate theory is potty language. Al Gore, the world’s foremost pseudo- scientist, is blasting skeptical scientists for their adherence to the centuries-old scientific method. Having tested the man-made global warming hypothesis with empirical observations, many scientists have come to different conclusions, causing Mr. Gore to become the Lenny Bruce of the environmental extremist gang. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/11/global-warming-is-melting-al-gores-brain/ Viewpoints: We need all the solar energy we can get – so remove barriers now. Recent articles in The Bee have highlighted a hot debate: Where should California best develop new solar energy? Some say we should build big plants in the desert; others argue for solar on our homes, where the land has already been drastically altered. In all this talk, we sometimes seem to forget how urgent it is to transition from fossil fuels. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/12/3832643/we-need-all-the-solar-energy-we.html Our View: New data cast doubt on global warming. A scientific poll shows that 69 percent of Americans believe it is at least "somewhat likely" that scientists falsify data to support their beliefs, of which 40 percent believe it is "very likely." Only 6 percent believe it's "not likely at all." New hard-science global warming data from NASA may back up the cynics. If tornadoes ravage the Great Plains, we are told it's more evidence of global warming. Posted. http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/global-109052-warming-believe.html#ixzz1Uq7JYfit BLOGS Ahead of deadline, groups express concern over release of climate-change documents. Four groups have written a letter to University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan expressing concern that UVa. may turn over protected records to a conservative group seeking documents related to climatologist Michael Mann. The university had agreed to turn over documents requested by the American Tradition Institute Environmental Law Center in January as part of a Prince William County circuit court judge's ruling in May. Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/city-state/2011/aug/11/ahead-deadline-groups-express-concern-over-release/ A Magnate’s Green Epiphany. Ray C. Anderson, a leading green business advocate and founder of Interface, one of the world’s largest carpet manufacturers, died this week. He’d spent the last 17 years promoting the benefits of sustainable business practices, not only for protecting the environment but for boosting the bottom line. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/a-magnates-green-epiphany/#more-110741 Once-Scorned Light Bulbs Are Advancing. In my Pragmatist column in Thursday’s Home section, I describe the latest advancements in energy-efficient light bulbs in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, part of which takes effect next January. Much of that discussion focuses on so-called C.F.L.’s, or compact fluorescent light bulbs. While they have improved in recent years, the technology continues to be hampered by worries about its environmental impact in landfills because C.F.L.’s contain mercury. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/once-scorned-compact-fluorescents-are-advancing/ As Ecosystems, Cities Yield Some Surprises. In Boston, scientists measuring the city’s greenhouse gas emissions have found what they call a “weekend effect,” a clear drop-off in the amount of carbon dioxide entering the city’s atmosphere on Saturdays and Sundays. In Fresno, researchers have discovered that backyard water use increases with wealth, as does backyard biodiversity. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/as-ecosystems-cities-yield-some-surprises/ Fountain Valley hydrogen station fills 'er up with sewer gas. As General Motors, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and other major automobile manufacturers prepare to bring hydrogen cars to market by 2015, the availability and sustainability of the hydrogen fuel to power them remains an issue. Later this month, what is believed to be the world's first sewage-powered hydrogen fuel station will open in Fountain Valley, offering a renewable-energy solution to one piece of the sustainability puzzle. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/08/hydrogen-fuel-waste-water-treatment-plant.html Bachmann knocks Pawlenty on cap-and-trade at Iowa debate. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) wants to tether former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to his past support for cap-and-trade policies to curb climate change, even though Pawlenty has fled from the position during the GOP presidential campaign. The two Minnesotans traded blows at Thursday night’s GOP debate in Iowa ahead of that state’s critical straw poll on Saturday. (The Hill’s Cameron Joseph has much more from the Iowa debate here). Posted. http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/176593-bachmann-knocks-pawlenty-on-cap-and-trade-at-iowa-debate Opposing Clean Air Protections, Industry Lobbyists Misrepresent When Updated Standards Must Be Met. Industry lobbyists are cynically exploiting anxieties over current economic conditions to oppose Americans’ right to be protected against unhealthy smog pollution. Because they don’t have the facts or science or law on their side, these lobbyists have been reduced to misrepresenting the way the Clean Air Act works and its extended timelines for reducing pollution. Posted. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jwalke/industry_will_have_plenty_of_t.html Scientists Isolate Plant Gene That Could Lead to Cheaper, More Efficient Ethanol Production. A research team at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) has isolated the gene that controls the amount of ethanol production a microorganism is capable of. Isolating the gene, which is called clostridium thermocellum, could allow scientists to experiment with altering a part of the microorganism’s DNA to make it produce more ethanol from a single plant. Posted. http://inhabitat.com/scientists-isolate-plant-gene-that-could-lead-to-cheaper-more-efficient-ethanol-production/