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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for May 22, 2012.

Posted: 22 May 2012 12:35:36
ARB Newsclips for May 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.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Emissions cut hiatus slows work to limit warming. Reluctance to
raise ambitions to cut greenhouse gas emissions due to economic
constraints is threatening progress towards limiting global
warming, delegates at United Nations' climate talks in Germany
warned on Monday. The talks in Bonn, which end on May 25, are
partly to discuss ways of raising the level of ambition on cuts
but the worsening eurozone crisis and battered global economy
have increased reluctance to commit to more financially onerous
cuts by the end of the decade, delegates told Reuters. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/21/us-un-climate-idUSBRE84K0WZ20120521
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/21/un-bonn-climate-conference-delegates_n_1533539.html

California bill would use some Cap and Trade profits for school
energy upgrades. OAKLAND -- Assemblymember Nancy Skinner is
expected to introduce a bill on Tuesday that would use a portion
of the money that businesses generate from trading carbon
emissions permits to make schools more energy efficient. "Funding
schools shouldn't be a question of paying teachers or paying
power companies," Skinner stated in a news release. "Efficiency
upgrades can put money back in the classroom to the tune of
$60,000 annually -- enough for one additional teacher for every
retrofitted school." Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_20676160/skinner-bill-would-use-some-cap-and-trade?source=rss

FUELS

More than 150,000 methane seeps appear as Arctic ice retreats.
Scientists have found more than 150,000 sites in the Arctic where
methane is seeping into the atmosphere, according to a report
published Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience. Aerial and
ground surveys in Alaska and Greenland revealed that many of the
methane seeps are located in areas where glaciers are receding or
permafrost is thawing as the climate warms, removing ice that has
trapped the potent greenhouse gas in the ground. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/05/22/3  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Tesla to start deliveries of Model S electric cars next month.
Tesla Motors Inc. said it will begin delivering its first mass
production electric car -– the high-end Model S to customers
starting June 22, about a month ahead of the expected schedule.
The Palo Alto-based company says it has more than 10,000 orders
for the battery-powered car but that not all will be delivered
this year. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-tesla-model-s-20120522,0,3950552.story?track=rss

Lotus Shows Carmakers How To Shed The Pounds, CARB Agrees.
There's a phrase oft-quoted in the automotive world when the
topic of lighter cars is discussed. The phrase, "add lightness",
originated from Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars and builder
of some of the best sports cars and racing vehicles ever made.
And the influence has remained--Lotus still builds light cars, to
the benefit of performance, handling, and of course--efficiency.
Posted.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1076389_lotus-shows-carmakers-how-to-shed-the-pounds-carb-agrees

'For first time in 30 years EU, Japan, China and US work on
common EV standards', says European Commission.  Part of ENEVATE
is working on the market drivers for electric vehicles such as
incentives. Incentive effectiveness is currently being evaluated
and some feedbacks are already collected via a survey conducted
in ENEVATE partner regions. “Incentives effectiveness depends a
lot on where you implement them. In the 70 surveys completed so
far, with responses from the UK, France, Ireland and Germany,
non-financial incentives such as parking or access to priority
lanes does not seem to be a major factor” said Godfried Puts,
Project Leader. Posted.  http://cars21.com/news/view/4665

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Bullet-train backers seek bypass around environmental lawsuits.
The people behind California's beleaguered high-speed rail
project want the Legislature to ensure lawsuits don't derail the
bullet train. The state's High-Speed Rail Authority is talking to
lawmakers about finding a way to bar judges from temporarily
halting construction. Agency board of directors Chairman Dan
Richard said he'd prefer courts be limited to ordering fixes.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2012/05/22/4 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY
 
GREEN ENERGY

2ND UPDATE: UK Draft Energy Bill Seeks To Secure GBP110B
Investment. The U.K. government Tuesday published its
long-awaited draft energy bill, which contains mechanisms and
incentives designed to encourage around GBP110 billion investment
in low-carbon energy such as offshore wind farms and new nuclear
power stations. With around one-fifth of the U.K.'s power
generating capacity closing over the next decade as aging nuclear
and old coal plants are shuttered, the proposed legislation is
part of government plans to keep the lights on while meeting
binding climate change targets at cheapest cost to the consumer.
Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120522-711908.html 
BY SUBSCRIPTION
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/britain-power-reform-idUSL5E8GLD1D20120522

Developer offers 'no-electric bill' homes in East Bay retirement
communities. Retired PG&E worker Spencer Brown was at first a bit
skeptical about SheaXero, the "no-electric bill" homes now under
construction by Shea Homes at the Trilogy retirement resort
communities in Brentwood and Rio Vista. Brown and his wife,
Effie, live in a Trilogy home in Rio Vista and recently decided
to upgrade to a Shea solar-powered home that promises to produce
as much electricity as it uses. Brown said that some SheaXero
homeowners whom he has talked with pay a few cents annually for
their electric bills. Posted.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_20676699/developer-offers-no-electric-bill-homes-brentwood-and
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20676697/developer-offers-no-electric-bill-homes-brentwood-and?source=rss

Folsom-based ISO moves to foster small solar projects. Commercial
rooftop solar arrays and other small-scale generators are
expected to gain easier connection to local electricity grids
under a measure approved recently by the California Independent
System Operator Corp., based in Folsom. Under the new measure,
ISO will produce an annual list of locations where small solar
providers could supply the grid. The report will be used in
negotiating renewable energy contracts and developing projects.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/22/4506890/folsom-based-iso-moves-to-foster.html#mi_rss=Business

Energy frugality born in recession is here to stay – survey. The
unsteady economy may have a silver lining: Recession-induced
energy thriftiness will persist when jobs and industries recover,
according to the results of a survey released yesterday. The
report, produced by the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions and
Harrison Group, showed 93 percent of queried consumers will
continue to use the same amount of energy they do now or even
less. This year, 83 percent of individuals said they will take
steps to reduce their power bills, compared with 63 percent the
year before. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/05/22/4 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

WWII Chemical Exposure Spurs Obesity, Autism, Researcher Says.
The World War II generation may have passed down to their
grandchildren the effects of chemical exposure in the 1940s,
possibly explaining current rates of obesity, autism and mental
illness, according to one researcher. David Crews, professor of
psychology and zoology at the University of Texas at Austin,
theorized that the rise in these diseases may be linked to
environmental effects passed on through generations. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/05/21/bloomberg_articlesM4DRCL6KLVR401-M4E16.DTL

Cap and trade is struggling but spreading, new chief of trade
group says. Veteran carbon market advocate Dirk Forrister
yesterday was officially named the new head of the International
Emissions Trading Association (IETA). Forrister comes to the
Geneva-based carbon trade lobby group from Washington, D.C.-based
Natsource LLC, one of the world's largest providers of asset
management services. He replaces Henry Derwent, who announced his
retirement in March. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/05/22/7 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

OPINIONS

Our cooling love affair with driving. Good news for Memorial Day
weekend: Since peaking at a national average of $3.93 on April 5,
the price of regular gasoline has fallen almost 25 cents per
gallon. That’s like a $25 billion tax cut for consumers. In
fact, gasoline is cheaper now than it was a year ago at this
time. Futures markets are signaling further possible declines. 
All hail President Obama! Clearly his brilliant energy policy has
gotten results, and fast. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-cooling-love-affair-with-driving-our-cars/2012/05/21/gIQA4taYgU_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions

How Big Oil Benefits From Global Warming Alarmism. I find it
somewhat comical when scientists and others who publicly express
skepticism about a looming man-made global warming catastrophe
are accused of being in the pocket of Big Oil. Here we are
referring to oil and gas… master resource trade commodities that
the entire world urgently depends upon. Can you imagine they are
losing sleep over market competition from non-fossil “renewable
alternatives” such as ethanol, windmills and sunbeams? Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2012/05/22/how-big-oil-benefits-from-global-warming-alarmism/

Let’s end polluter welfare.  At a time when we have more than $15
trillion in national debt, American taxpayers are set to give
away over $110 billion to the oil, gas, and coal industries over
the next decade. Clearly, we cannot afford it. The five largest
oil companies made over $1 trillion in profits in the last
decade, with some paying no federal income taxes for part of that
time, so they certainly do not need it.  It is time we end this
corporate welfare in the form of massive subsidies and tax breaks
[PDF] to hugely profitable fossil-fuel corporations.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/politics/lets-end-polluter-welfare/
 
Take a stand for clean air. The Lung Association couldn't agree
more strongly with the recent letter titled "Boehner's bogus
bills" (Monitor, May 15) stating that bills being championed by
House Speaker John Boehner would not be in the public's best
interest. Several bills mentioned in the letter would roll back
important protections offered by the Clean Air Act. If enacted,
these bills would result in dirtier air and more people being
burdened by lung disease. Posted.
http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/331098/take-stand-for-clean-air?SESSa7112aeb8b086e58ce106533696e0c9c=google

BLOGS

An Olympic Respite From Air Pollution. Chinese officials clamped
down on air pollution during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, giving
researchers an unusual opportunity to assess the effects of
polluted air on the risks for cardiovascular disease. Researchers
examined 125 healthy young doctors, average age 24, before,
during and after the Games, measuring their heart rates and blood
pressure and testing their blood for various biomarkers
associated with cardiovascular disease and death. Posted.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/an-olympic-respite-from-air-pollution/

What lies ahead for international action on global warming for
the rest of 2012? (Part 2). When countries meet in Rio+20 they
have a choice – they can talk about the actions that should be
taken to reduce global warming or they can outline new actions
that they’ll personally implement.  We are way past the point of
needing more countries talking – we need them to act.  After all,
the U.N. Climate Convention was agreed at the first Rio Summit in
1992, so 20 years after leaders met in Rio we need more than just
mere words from world leaders. Posted.
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jschmidt/what_lies_ahead_for_internatio_1.html

National security and climate change. As we continue to fill our
atmosphere with greenhouse gases, it isn't the natural world that
is under attack. We are also making the world less secure for
ourselves and everyone else on the planet. Over four years ago
the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) released a report on
Climate Change and National Security, An Agenda for Action.
Posted.
http://blogs.redding.com/dcraig/archives/2012/05/national-securi.html


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