What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for March 22, 2012. 

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

Breathing Smog in Pregnancy Linked to Child's Behavior Problems.
Women exposed to higher levels of certain air pollutants while
pregnant are more likely to have children with anxiety,
depression and attention problems by ages 6 and 7, new research
suggests. "This study provides new evidence that prenatal
exposure to air pollution at levels encountered in New York City
can adversely affect child behavior," said Frederica
Perera…Posted.
http://news.yahoo.com/breathing-smog-pregnancy-linked-childs-behavior-problems-160408224.html

Illinois village sues oil firms over pollution. An Illinois
village has sued Shell, ConocoPhillips and a local refinery,
accusing them of releasing millions of pounds of cancer-causing
pollutants and failing to repair broken pipelines and other
problems at the refinery. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/21/ill-village-sues-oil-firms-over-pollution-claims/
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_20222320/ill-village-sues-oil-firms-over-pollution-claims?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_20222320/ill-village-sues-oil-firms-over-pollution-claims?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Plan Could Pay Off for Airlines. Emirates, an airline
based in wealthy Dubai, has been among the outspoken opponents of
a system making airlines account for their pollution on all
flights using E.U. airports. Yet Emirates could make a modest
profit of €1.5 million, or $2 million, from a small surplus of
permits, each representing a ton of carbon dioxide, that airlines
can trade as part of the system. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/business/energy-environment/carbon-plan-could-pay-off-for-airlines.html?scp=5&sq=air%20pollution&st=cse

Warmest March ever drives farmers to plant early. Ethan Cox is
sowing corn on his 5,000-acre Illinois farm earlier than ever
this year, betting that the premium he may collect for delivering
an early crop is worth the risk of a damaging late-spring frost.
Lured into the fields by what is so far the warmest March since
records began in 1871, Cox is toiling alongside dozens of farmers
across the Midwest who have begun seeding what may be a record
crop weeks earlier than usual, according to agronomists, farm
managers and analysts who keep close tabs on farm activity.
Posted. 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/us-usa-corn-planting-idUSBRE82L0IW20120322

FUELS

Unhappy public not sure who to blame for high gas. Families
canceling vacations. Fishermen watching their profits burn up
along with their boats' gasoline. Drivers buying only a few
gallons of gas at a time because they can't afford to fill the
tank. From all corners of the country, Americans are irritated
these days by record-high fuel prices that have soared above $4 a
gallon in some states and could top $5 by summer. And the cost is
becoming a political issue just as the presidential campaign
kicks into high gear. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/03/22/national/a005956D01.DTL

U.S. drilling won't lower gas prices, study shows. Washington --
It's the political cure-all for high gas prices: Drill here,
drill now. But more U.S. drilling has not changed how deeply the
gas pump drills into your wallet, according to an Associated
Press statistical analysis of 36 years of data. Political
rhetoric about the blame over gas prices and the power to change
them - whether Republican claims now or Democrats' charges four
years ago - is not supported by cold, hard figures. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/22/MNE51NO6PT.DTL
 
Obama putting Oklahoma pipeline on fast track. Deep in Republican
oil country, President Barack Obama is fending off criticism of
his energy policies, pointing to plans to fast-track an oil
pipeline that emerged after he delayed the larger Keystone XL
project earlier this year. Obama was directing federal agencies
Thursday to expedite a 485-mile line from Oklahoma to refineries
on Texas' Gulf Coast that would remove a critical bottleneck in
the country's oil transportation system. The directive would also
apply to other pipelines that alleviate choke points. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/22/obama-putting-oklahoma-pipeline-on-fast-track/
http://www.nctimes.com/entertainment/tv/obama-putting-oklahoma-pipeline-on-fast-track/article_9702b650-6bdb-538e-92cd-a11b6330dd55.html
www.dailynews.com/ci_20230328/science-care-preserve-dcs-original-cherry-trees?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/obama-putting-oil-pipeline-on-fast-track-as-he-promotes-energy-record-in-oklahoma/2012/03/22/gIQAxQQ3SS_story.html

Drivers feeling pain at the gas pump are unsure who is to blame
but want a government solution. Families canceling vacations.
Fishermen watching their profits burn up along with their boats’
gasoline. Drivers buying only a few gallons of gas at a time
because they can’t afford to fill the tank. From all corners of
the country, Americans are irritated these days by record-high
fuel prices that have soared above $4 a gallon in some states and
could top $5 by summer. And the cost is becoming a political
issue just as the presidential campaign kicks into high gear.
Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/americans-feeling-pain-at-the-gas-pump-unsure-who-to-blame-but-want-a-government-solution/2012/03/22/gIQANjrBTS_story.html

VEHICLES

L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa urges Congress to pass transportation
bill. Saying it would create thousands of desperately needed
jobs, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa urged Congress on Wednesday to
pass a transportation bill that would speed up the construction
of several Los Angeles County highway and rail projects. "This is
a shot in the arm, make no mistake," Villaraigosa said during a
news conference in Chatsworth, against the backdrop of
construction workers building the Orange Line busway extension.
The current federal law that funds transportation projects will
expire March 31. Posted. 
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_20227040/l-mayor-villaraigosa-urges-congress-pass-transportation-bill?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com

Electric trucks sold to Frito-Lay. Electric Vehicles
International announced Wednesday a pilot program with Frito-Lay
North America in which the snack company will purchase five EVI
all-electric, medium-duty trucks for use in Northern California.
The design offers a 90-mile range between charges, a top speed of
65 mph and is intended for used in fleets where vehicles follow
regular routes and return to base at the end of their rounds.
Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120322/A_BIZ/203220314&cid=sitesearch

GREEN ENERGY

Obama Tours Four States to Defend Energy Policy. Against the
desert backdrop of the nation’s largest solar energy
installation, President Obama on Wednesday assailed Republican
critics of his clean energy policies as “the flat earth society”
even as he sought to demonstrate his own support for domestic oil
and gas production. Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/us/politics/obama-to-promote-energy-policy-on-4-state-trip.html?ref=jackiecalmes

Obama, GOP vie for upper hand on energy. Wooing a nation of
increasingly angry motorists, President Barack Obama and his
Republican rivals are all plunging into gas-pump politics,
seeking the upper hand as energy becomes a driving issue in the
election campaign. The president is defending his energy agenda
this week, traveling Wednesday to a solar panel plant in Nevada
and later to oil and gas fields in New Mexico and the site of a
future oil pipeline in Oklahoma. Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120321/A_NEWS/120329974&cid=sitesearch
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/21/obama-gop-vie-for-upper-hand-on-energy/
http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/obama-gop-vie-for-upper-hand-on-energy/article_585567bc-bcfa-537b-a474-ad0f4c293a38.html
http://www.modbee.com/2012/03/21/2122931/obama-gop-vie-for-upper-hand-on.html
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_20222414/obama-gop-vie-upper-hand-energy?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/confronted-by-rising-gas-prices-obama-and-gop-foes-seek-upper-hand-on-energy/2012/03/21/gIQAjD9eSS_story.html

The White House’s secret plan to make American households more
energy-efficient. In the spirit of keeping a positive, bright
outlook on life and politics (ha), we’re going to ignore for the
moment the Obama administration’s embrace of the Cushing-to-Texas
branch of Keystone XL. Instead, let’s talk about another
announcement the White House made today, this one about how
they’re going to convince Americans to use less energy. Posted. 
http://grist.org/list/the-white-houses-secret-plan-to-make-american-households-more-energy-efficient/

MISCELLANEOUS

Methyl iodide pulled from market. A controversial pesticide
intended for California's strawberry fields has been pulled from
the market by its manufacturer, much to the applause of
environmental groups that waged a long battle against the toxic
fumigant. 
Makers of methyl iodide, a bacteria-fighting agent that was
approved for use in California in 2010, said in a statement they
had suspended sales of the product in the United States due to
"economic viability." Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/22/BAJ21NO9GA.DTL&type=printable

Caltrain upgrades a step toward high-speed rail. Bay Area
transportation officials have agreed on a $1.5 billion plan to
work with the High-Speed Rail Authority to electrify Caltrain and
install advanced train-control systems to build a hybrid rail
system accommodating both commuter and high-speed trains. Under
the proposal, released late Wednesday, the Bay Area would receive
$706 million in state high-speed rail bond money, with the rest
of the funds coming from local sales taxes, other state and
federal funds, bridge tolls and air district money. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/22/BAPS1NOFAV.DTL
http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_20227441/high-speed-rail-bay-area-plan-split-1?source=rss

OPINIONS

Viewpoints: Embrace the opportunities presented by 'cap and
trade' California has always been on the leading edge of
technological innovation, and now our groundbreaking
environmental policies are launching a new wave of investment and
economic growth. As speaker of the state Assembly, I authored and
fought for the passage of AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act
of 2006, because I knew we were on the cusp of an extraordinary
opportunity. We could limit pollution, protect public health and
spur a clean energy revolution at the same time. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/21/v-print/4353752/embrace-the-opportunities-presented.html

This diesel Chevy doesn’t poke along, so why does GM? La
Chaux-De-Fonds, Switzerland —  Louis-Joseph Chevrolet, founder of
the Chevrolet Motor Car Co., now the largest division of the
world’s largest automobile manufacturer, General Motors, was a
local boy. That is a point of celebration in this proud
industrial town, located high in the Jura Mountains along the
western border of France…GM and Chevrolet already have something
in play that could do an even better job of connecting Europe and
the United States while saving fuel and reducing tailpipe
pollution in the process. Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/cars/this-diesel-chevy-doesnt-poke-along-so-why-does-gm/2012/03/08/gIQAdmrb1R_story.html

TONELSON: Obama ‘all-of-the-above’ plan lacking in energy. As
gasoline prices drift higher, threatening economic growth, the
White House excoriates Republicans for having no comprehensive
energy plan while claiming to have an “all-of-the-above” plan of
its own. But the White House plan is nothing more than a full
court press to regulate carbon dioxide in direct rejection of
comprehensive 2007 legislation by a Republican Congress to reduce
vulnerability to international oil prices. Posted. 
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/20/tonelson-obama-all-of-the-above-plan-lacking-in-en/

Green Party insists time for change is now. Survival in the early
frontier meant taming the wilderness by cutting down trees and
tilling the fields; however, climate scientists now say that the
continued cutting down of trees will affect the quality of life
and possibly the survival of our progeny. A cooler planet depends
on saving the trees. 
University of California research examining the effects of
California’s temperature increases on Blue and Valley
Oaks…Posted.
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/mailbag/green-party-insists-time-for-change-is-now/article_98caea0a-73e7-11e1-8eea-001871e3ce6c.html

BLOGS

Biofuels About More Than Climate. Biofuels have been heavily
promoted in the European Union as the most straightforward way to
reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from transport. Other ways of
doing it are a more distant prospect. Electric cars are making a
push, but are still some way from taking off, as are other
innovative technologies. Biofuels, meanwhile, are perfectly
compatible with combustion engines used today and are–more or
less–readily available. They are considered greener than gasoline
and diesel based on fossil fuels because their carbon dioxide
emissions Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2012/03/21/biofuels-about-more-than-climate/

Imagining Carbon Emissions in Underground Exile. In a perfect
world, greenhouse gas emissions would be on the decline in the
near future, with fossil fuels replaced by clean sources of
energy like wind and solar. But current emissions are so daunting
that the chances of the planet cleaning up its act in a timely
manner are slim. “It’s such a big number that it’s sort of hard
to grasp what it means,” said Ruben Juanes, a geoscientist at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/imagining-emissions-in-underground-exile/

How Much Carbon Do California’s Forests Hold? a tough number to
nail down, but a federal program is zeroing in on it. Trees,
grasses and freshwater aquatic systems all play a part in the
carbon cycle. The U.S. Geological Survey is developing a series
of reports on how much carbon and other greenhouse gases the
nation’s ecosystems hold. Trees and plants, soils and rivers,
farms and wetlands all sequester carbon to greater or lesser
extents. But how much? And how might that number change in the
future? Posted.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/03/21/how-much-carbon-do-californias-forests-hold/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Climate+Watch+Blog%29

Air district offers commercial gardeners free electric equipment.
Any gardeners out there looking for a quieter, air-friendly leaf
blower? The local air-quality police are offering you quite a
freebie. And it's not just for leaf blowers. Commercial gardeners
can get electric tools, such as blowers, mowers and trimmers,
from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District this
year. It's a $500,000, one-year experiment to see how the tools
stand up in daily use. It may not sound like a major campaign,
but the district's experiment is a response to a big hassle in
many neighborhoods. Posted. 
http://fresnobeehive.com/news/2012/03/air_district_offers_commercial.html#storylink=misearch