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newsclips -- Newsclips for September 22, 2011.

Posted: 22 Sep 2011 12:17:35
California Air Resources Board News Clips for September 22, 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’s Jackson Says She Respects Obama’s Decision on Ozone. Lisa
Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, said she respects President Barack Obama’s decision to
quash proposed new smog limits and said the agency will enforce a
2008 rule. States will be notified within days that they must
comply with an ozone standard of 75 parts per billion, set under
President George W. Bush’s administration, that had been on hold
while the EPA moved to tighten it, she said today.  Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-22/epa-s-jackson-says-she-respects-obama-s-decision-on-ozone-1-.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903791504576586752657473350.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Boxer opposes House GOP move to stall EPA rules. Washington --
California Sen. Barbara Boxer declared war Wednesday on an effort
by House Republicans to roll back environmental regulations,
warning that blocking the plan in the Democratic-controlled
Senate is no sure thing. The House is set to vote Friday on
legislation that would delay an Environmental Protection Agency
rule to require 27 states that rely heavily on coal-fired
electricity generation to reduce power-plant emissions that drift
into other states, and another rule that would limit mercury and
other pollution from coal-fired plants. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/22/MNJV1L7JM4.DTL

Sacramento temperatures soar, but air quality not yet 'unhealthy'
It definitely is hot in the Sacramento region today, as
temperatures have soared to triple digits, but air quality has
not yet reached the "unhealthy" levels predicted. A combination
of unseasonably hot weather, low winds and a high pressure ridge
prompted the concerns about air quality for today and Thursday,
said Jamie Arno, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Metropolitan
Air Quality Management District. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/21/3926169/today-expected-to-be-a-spare-the.html

Attorney general rips San Diego pollution-reduction plan. The
state attorney general issued strong criticism of the San Diego
region’s draft transportation plan for the next several decades
because it “sets too low a bar” in reducing pollution and
contains “significant legal problems.” The target of Kamala
Harris’ critique is the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan and its
companion piece, the Sustainable Communities Strategy, as well as
the underlying draft environmental impact report. Posted.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/sep/21/state-ag-critical-regional-plan-pollution-reductio/

House GOP bill would roll back air-pollution rules.  The House of
Representatives is scheduled to vote Friday on a bill that has
mushroomed recently into a plan to block the Obama
administration's two main rules to clean up air pollution from
power plants and change the way the Clean Air Act has worked for
40 years.  House Republicans who crafted the bill say
environmental regulations harm economic competitiveness. Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2011/09/21/1870813/house-gop-bill-would-roll-back.html

San Joaquin Valley records first ozone violation.  Air pollution
officials are saying that excessive heat, stagnant air and
vehicle exhaust combined Wednesday to push the San Joaquin Valley
over the federal smog limit for the first time this year.  The
Fresno Bee ( http://bit.ly/pojwIY) is reporting that recording
stations in Fresno and Parlier violated the one-hour limit for
ozone, which can cause asthma and lung problems.  The region was
fined $29 million annually last year for failing to meet the
limits set by the Clean Air Act.  Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/09/21/2547997/san-joaquin-valley-records-first.html#storylink=misearch
http://www.modbee.com/2011/09/21/1870911/san-joaquin-valley-records-first.html
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/sep/21/san-joaquin-valley-records-first-ozone-violation/
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18948435

Parks pollution on the rise. Sequoia and Kings Canyon in
California record worst in the country. Air pollution in national
parks is at a three-year high, and two adjacent California parks
have recorded the worst readings, according to a report by the
National Parks Conservation Association.  Sequoia and Kings
Canyon national parks exceeded the Environmental Protection
Agency standard for ozone pollution 68 days so far this year, the
most of any of the national parks that monitor air quality.
Joshua Tree National Park came in second, with 49 days. Posted.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_ozone22.408cc28.html
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/air-pollution-rising-national-parks-12712

Study: High levels of traffic pollution can trigger heart
attacks. Exposure to high levels of traffic-related air pollution
appears to temporarily boost the risk for experiencing a heart
attack, new British research suggests. However, the apparent
elevation in risk is short-lived, the study team noted, lasting
for only one to six hours following exposure and dissipating
entirely thereafter. What's more, air pollution exposure may not
bump up overall cardiac risk as much as fast-track it, increasing
the chances that an individual already facing a probable heart
attack threat will experience it slightly sooner than otherwise.
Posted.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/heartdisease/story/2011-09-21/Study-High-levels-of-traffic-pollution-can-trigger-heart-attacks-/50495770/1

U.S. Chamber asks House to pass 'TRAIN Act' The House should vote
tomorrow to make economic considerations a bigger part of U.S.
EPA's Clean Air Act regulatory process, the nation's largest
business group said today. In a letter to House members, the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce urged support for a bill that would set up a
new Cabinet-level commission to study the economic effect of EPA
rules and delay two new sets of air pollution limits for the
power sector. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2011/09/22/9 BY PAID
SIBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Global warming's CO2 culprit jumps 45% since 1990. Global
emissions of carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming,
jumped 45% between 1990 and 2010, and reached an all-time high of
33 billion tons last year, the European Commission reports.
The emission cuts in some industrialized countries that are
relying more on energy efficiency and renewable power are not
enough to offset the escalating demand for energy, especially in
developing countries, according to the new report by the EC's
Joint Research Centre and PBL Netherlands Environmental
Assessment Agency. Posted.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/09/global-warming-culprit-jumps-45-since-1990/1

US urges faster progress on carbon dioxide storage.  U.S. Energy
Secretary Steven Chu says all countries need to embrace
technologies for capturing and burying carbon dioxide pollution
to counter climate change and increase energy production.  The
U.S. is strongly committed to the process, known as carbon
sequestration, and plans to have 10 commercial demonstration
projects online by 2016 storing 16-17 million tons of carbon per
year, Chu said Thursday following talks on the issue in Beijing. 
Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/sep/22/us-urges-faster-progress-on-carbon-dioxide/

EIA predicts a grim future for carbon emissions.  The U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA) issued its "International Energy
Outlook" this week. For anyone concerned about the uncontrolled
rise in carbon emissions -- the primary heat-trapping gas fueling
dangerous global warming -- it paints a very grim future.  Under
a climate science deniers' fantasy scenario, the EIA projects
that global carbon dioxide emissions will rise some 40 percent
from 2008 to 2035.  Posted. 
http://www.grist.org/fossil-fuels/2011-09-22-eia-predicts-a-grim-future-for-carbon-emissions

Carbon Capture Speeds Up.  While the urgency to reduce carbon
dioxide emissions has diminished somewhat in the United States
for now due to the current political climate, many other regions
of the world have strong reduction mandates in place. At the same
time, some states are moving forward with their own initiatives. 
The bottom line is that a handful of pilot programs in the United
States continue to evaluate technologies and the business issues
of carbon capture and sequestration. And international efforts
are picking up steam.  Posted. 
http://www.energybiz.com/magazine/article/234781/carbon-capture-speeds

Removing CO2 from factory emissions has major potential –
analysis. Carbon capture systems attached to industrial
facilities such as gas processing plants could make a significant
dent in global carbon dioxide emissions by midcentury, according
to a new study. In a new analysis, the International Energy
Agency and the U.N. Industrial Development Organization concludes
that capture equipment installed on factories outside the
electricity sector -- such as ammonia production plants -- could
reduce CO2 levels by 4 metric gigatons, or about one-tenth of the
level required to halve global emissions from the energy sector
by 2050. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/09/22/6 BY PAID
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Carbon extraction may be necessary if emissions continue to
increase. If greenhouse gas emissions keep rising after 2020, new
research suggests humans may have to remove carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere on a massive scale. The research, a series of
articles to be published in the journal Climatic Change in
November, will form the backbone of the next U.N.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports in 2013
and 2014. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2011/09/22/9 BY PAID
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

Using natural gas the only ‘good news story’.  The path to a
national energy policy based largely on natural gas is becoming
clearer as economic turmoil and rising oil prices cause lawmakers
to take a second look at the clean-burning fuel trapped in
underground rock, American Gas Association President and CEO Dave
McCurdy said Tuesday.  In a wide-ranging interview, the one-time
Democratic congressman from Oklahoma argued that the nation needs
an “all-in” approach to break its addiction to foreign oil. 
Posted. 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/20/using-natural-gas-the-only-good-news-story/?page=all

VEHICLES

Freedom of Choice In Energy Sources (VIDEO). While there’s
concern about coal powered electric power plants and their CO2
emissions, renewables and smart grid integration will play an
important role in charging electric vehicles. Posted.
http://www.automotivedigest.com/video/video.aspx?nid=16&videoIndex=2401

GREEN ENERGY

Republicans Attack on Handling of Stimulus Money and Green Jobs.
The battle over Solyndra, the California solar equipment
manufacturer that took $528 million in government loans and then
declared bankruptcy, moved on to a second House committee on
Thursday as Republicans broadened their attack on the Obama
administration’s management of stimulus money and its pursuit of
alternative energy as a way to spur employment. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/science/earth/23energy.html

Kind of a big deal: $1.6 billion coming for energy efficiency
projects.  Two separate initiatives formed this week that could
unlock more than $1.6 billion in private investment for energy
efficiency projects around the U.S.  Yesterday at the Clinton
Global Initiative, two of the largest U.S. pension funds, CalPERS
and CalSTERS, announced that they would invest $1 billion toward
energy efficiency projects. This follows a June announcement at
the Clinton Global Initiative, where the AFL-CIO and the American
Federation of Teachers announced a similar goal that has already
resulted in over $150 million in investment.  Posted. 
http://www.grist.org/energy-efficiency/2011-09-21-kind-of-a-big-deal-1.6-billion-coming-for-energy-efficiency-proj

Walmart Installs Solar Panels in 60 Additional California
Locations. Once the 60 additional Walmart stores receive solar
panels, the company's solar portfolio will total over 75 percent
of its stores in California. Walmart is taking part in the
adoption of greener technologies throughout California by
installing solar panels on its stores. It announced today that it
will install solar panels on 60 more California stores. Posted.
http://www.dailytech.com/Walmart+Installs+Solar+Panels+in+60+Additional+California+Locations/article22809.htm

MISCELLANEOUS

FDA phases out inhaler due to environmental impact. Washington --
Asthma patients who rely on over-the-counter inhalers will need
to switch to prescription-only alternatives as part of the
federal government's latest attempt to protect the Earth's
atmosphere. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday
patients who use the epinephrine inhalers will need to switch by
Dec. 31 to other types that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons,
an aerosol substance once found in a variety of spray products.
Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_18952963 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Solyndra dragnet widens. The Solyndra dragnet continues to widen.
With top executives from the Fremont solar energy company
expected to appear -- but refuse to testify -- Friday before a
congressional panel seeking answers about Solyndra's sudden
bankruptcy despite $535 million in federal loan guarantees,
members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday
sent letters to the company's two biggest investors asking for a
raft of new information." Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_18948942 BY SUBSCRIPTION
ONLY

OPINIONS

Dan Morain: Biogas would stink less if it bred jobs here. I'll
refrain from making too many wisecracks about cow emissions. This
is, after all, a family newspaper and I do have standards. The
California Energy Commission stepped into the issue the other
day, filling a room with 100 energy entrepreneurs, developers,
lobbyists and utility executives, plus a smattering of consumer
advocates and environmentalists. The discussion focused on
regulations governing gas used to fire generators, but not just
any gas. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/22/3928980/biogas-would-stink-less-if-it.html

Solyndra default casts shadow over clean-energy effort.  The
following editorial appeared in the Dallas Morning News on
Wednesday, Sept. 21: Obama administration defenders argue that
high-tech "green energy" companies are inherently risky and need
a boost from government subsidies.  In principle, that's not
inaccurate. We have long supported America's evolving toward
cleaner energy sources - like wind, solar and nuclear - and away
from higher-polluting oil and coal.  Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2011/09/22/1871604/solyndra-default-casts-shadow.html

BLOGS

Poll Finds Support Among Small Businesses for Tougher Fuel
Economy Standards.  Findings from a new poll contradict the
prevailing wisdom that small-business owners are focused on the
twin burdens of regulation and high taxes. Owners are instead
more concerned about economic uncertainty and higher costs,
including expensive fuel.  According to the online poll of 1,257
small-business owners, commissioned by the Small Business
Majority, an advocacy organization that is financed by foundation
grants but not composed of dues-paying members, 87 percent of
respondents support federal action to increase car and truck fuel
efficiency.  Posted. 
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/poll-finds-support-among-small-businesses-for-tougher-fuel-economy-standards/?scp=2&sq=green%20vehicles&st=cse

10 ways colleges encourage students to ditch their cars.  Today
is World Car-Free Day, and environmentalists are encouraging
everyone to walk, bike or take public transit to work or class
instead of driving.  It’s the same message that many college
administrators give to students at the beginning of every year.
The prime motivations are often logistical (not enough parking),
but it’s a cause that many students are backing for green
reasons.  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/campus-overload/post/10-ways-colleges-encourage-students-to-ditch-their-cars/2011/09/22/gIQAQLPynK_blog.html

Survey: Calif. firms take energy-saving steps.  California
small-business owners are taking steps to save energy costs and
cut waste, according to a survey for Small Business Majority, an
advocacy group based in Sausalito.  According to the Internet
survey of 1,257 owners nationwide, 197 of them in California,
conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, California
business owners: 75% have installed energy-saving light bulbs,
appliances, windows and insulation, 86% recycle, 19% have bought
hybrid, electric, or alternative fuel vehicles.  Posted. 
http://jan.ocregister.com/2011/09/21/survey-calif-firms-take-energy-saving-steps/64018/

Is Climate Change Already Causing Violent Conflict?  For years,
the Pentagon has been saying that climate change is perhaps the
biggest threat to American security of all. Back in 2004, a
report commissioned by Pentagon defense adviser Andrew Marshall,
the man behind the restructuring of the US military under Donald
Rumsfeld, predicted that “abrupt climate change could bring the
planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear
threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy
supplies.” Posted. 
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/climate-change-already-causing-violent-conflict/

Why We Need to Look at Oil the Way We View Salt.  To kick off the
Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo, R. James Woolsey,
former Director of the CIA, talked briefly about politics. In the
1970s, during the OPEC oil embargo and the resulting energy
crisis, the Carter Administration pushed policies away from oil
as a source of energy. 97% of transportation worldwide is still
run by oil, but thanks to Carter’s energy policies, only 1% of
our power is generated this way. Posted. 
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09/turning-oil-salt/

New Study Says L.A.'s Smog Pollution Is 'Worse Than We Thought'
Environment California just released a new report, Danger in the
Air: Unhealthy Air Days in 2010 and 2011. Guess what, L.A. The
top five smoggiest metropolitan areas in the country in 2010 were
in California. Ground-level ozone, smog's main component, is one
of the most harmful and prevalent air pollutants, exacerbating
respiratory illness and causing premature death. Though air
quality has improved greatly over the last decade thanks to state
and federal policies, the road to clean, healthy air stretches on
for miles. Posted.
http://laist.com/2011/09/21/new_study_says_las_smog_pollution.php

Zero Emission Cargo Equipment: CARB Could Help Make It Happen.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) considers amendments to
its measure cleaning up diesel cargo handling equipment at ports
and railyards tomorrow.  Along with the many minor amendments
proposed, CARB has the opportunity to greatly advance Zero
Emission Container Movement Systems that are much cleaner and
more efficient than their diesel predecessors. The Cargo handling
equipment regulation provides much needed relief from air
pollution in some of the most heavily impacted communities. 
Posted.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dbailey/zero_emission_cargo_equipment.html

Obama Issues Veto Threat to Defend Clean Air Act. This week a
House vote is being taken on another anti-EPA bill. The
Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation
(TRAIN) Act, a Republican bill that would create a multi-million
dollar multi-agency committee to analyze the economic cost of 10
EPA rules on smog-causing and heat-trapping gases, fine
particulates, mercury, ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide
will likely pass the Republican-held House. The bill is
redundant. Posted.
http://cleantechnica.com/2011/09/22/obama-issues-veto-threat-to-defend-clean-air-act/

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