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newsclips -- Newsclips for July 6, 2012
Posted: 06 Jul 2012 12:11:12
ARB Newsclips for July 6, 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 Bolder Protests Against Pollution Win Project’s Defeat in China. China has long been known as a place where the world’s dirtiest mines and factories can operate with impunity. Those days may not be over, but a growing environmental movement is beginning to make the most polluting projects much harder to build and operate. Large and sometimes violent demonstrations against the planned construction of one of the largest copper smelting complexes on earth prompted local officials in southwestern China’s Sichuan Province to continue backpedaling furiously on Wednesday. The local government of Shifang, the planned site of the smelter, announced in a statement that the construction of the $1.6 billion complex had not only been suspended but also permanently canceled. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/world/asia/chinese-officials-cancel-plant-project-amid-protests.html Soot Pollution Standards Pose Challenge to Cities. In a laboratory at Rice University, a small machine hums, drawing in outside air through a tube and analyzing its soot content. “We can tell when someone walks by with a cigarette,” said Robert Griffin, an associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering. Nonsmokers also breathe in soot, sometimes known as particulate matter. It is a type of pollutant that increasingly concerns scientists as they uncover new links to heart and lung problems. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/us/some-cities-may-not-meet-new-epa-standards-for-soot-pollution.html?_r=1 CLIMATE CHANGE Official: More in US convinced of climate change. Increasingly common experiences with extreme climate-related events such as the Colorado wildfires, a record warm spring and preseason hurricanes have convinced many Americans climate change is a reality, the head of a U.S. scientific agency said Friday. Many Americans had previously seen climate change as a "nebulous concept" removed from them in time and geography, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/05/4613164/official-more-in-us-convinced.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy AP Newsbreak: http://www.dailynews.com/ci_21018132/official-more-us-convinced-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21018132/official-more-us-convinced-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21018132/official-more-us-convinced-climate-change?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/07/05/2900235/official-more-in-us-convinced.html#storylink=misearch http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-climate-official-says-more-extreme-events-convincing-many-americans-climate-change-is-real/2012/07/06/gJQAHNZ5QW_story.html http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/6/official-more-in-us-convinced-of-climate-change/ Chino council OKs General Plan with climate action plan. Council members have approved the city's General Plan with an agreement that a climate action plan be completed by 2013. The requirement is part of a lawsuit that was settled with a San Diego-based environmental group - Citizens for Responsible Equitable Environmental Development, or CREED. CREED officials argued the city's General Plan did not include an adequate air-pollution study for children and the elderly. The group also said the plan lacked an adequate study on greenhouse gases and failed to consider alternative citywide development that would have reduced impacts on the environment. Posted. http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_21016158?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com Forest fires, wood-burning stoves may have stronger climate impacts than previously thought. Scientists have found that fossil fuel and biomass combustion, whether from forest fires or from wood-burning stoves, has a larger impact on the climate than previously considered. Wildfires, such as the recent blazes in the western United States, along with millions of stoves across the developing world, dirty engines and aging generators, can kick up soot in vast quantities. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/2012/07/06/1 SUBSCRIPTION ONLY DIESEL EMISSIONS Navistar Bends on Emissions Technology. Truck maker Navistar International Corp. NAV -15.77% said Friday it will adopt a pollution-reduction technology for its engines that mirrors the rest of the truck industry, abandoning an alternative strategy that has undermined the company's credibility and caused its stock price to collapse. Navistar plans to treat diesel-engine exhaust with a process known as selective catalytic reduction, or SCR. The process, which involves filtering exhaust through a urea solution, will be used in tandem with another treatment technology called exhaust-gas recirculation, or EGR. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303684004577510602042441784.html?KEYWORDS=air+pollution SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Navistar Announces Advanced Clean Engine Technology To Meet Emissions Regulations. Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) today announced that it will introduce its next generation clean engine solution – In-Cylinder Technology Plus (ICT+) – to meet 2010 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions regulations and position the company to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) rules in advance of 2014 and 2017 requirements. The ICT+ technology combines Navistar's advanced in-cylinder engine expertise with urea-based aftertreatment and is expected to be available beginning early 2013. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/06/4613387/navistar-announces-advanced-clean.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy Caterpillar Inc. to pay $510,000 for shipping, selling uncertified equipment in California. Caterpillar Inc. will pay a fine of $510,000 to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for shipping more than 590,000 on-road and off-road engines that did not have legally required emissions controls installed. The investigation of these violations was conducted with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice based on similar conduct outside of California. The settlement calls for the Illinois-based company to pay a total of $2.55 million in penalties nationwide for violations of the Clean Air Act. Posted. http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2012/7/5/CaterpillarInctopay510000forshippingsellinguncertifiedequipmentinCalifornia.aspx FUELS Global Hydrogen Production and Storage Technologies Market to Reach US$1.4 Billion by 2018, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global report on Hydrogen Production and Storage Technologies markets. The global market for Hydrogen Production and Storage Technologies is projected to reach US$1.4 billion by the year 2018. Factors expected to encourage adoption of Hydrogen Production and Storage Technologies in the coming years include increasing preference for renewable energy, growing oil prices, and increased focus on reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Further, technology innovations and robust demand from developed markets, including the US and Europe, also augur well for the market. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Global-Hydrogen-Production-and-Storage-3685730.php VEHICLES I Am Silent, Hear Me Roar. THIS TESLA MODEL S thing you've heard so much about? You know, all-electric sedan, Silicon Valley, that guy from SpaceX? This is one amazing car. I mean, hard-core amazing. But first and foremost, gentle reader, it goes like the very stink of hell. Fifty-to-100-mph acceleration in the $97,900 Signature Performance model I drove is positively Lambo-like and…wait, let's stop right there: People who like fast cars are sensualists. And screaming up through the gears of an Italian sports car—getting that flit and loft in the belly, tasting the saliva of speed—is a pleasurable and addictive sensation. They don't call it dopamine for nothing. Posted. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304211804577504632238740966.html?KEYWORDS=vehicles Fisker teams up with Leonardo DiCaprio. Fisker is teaming up with movie star Leonardo DiCaprio to promote the environment through DiCaprio's foundation while also promoting Fisker's cars. DiCaprio is an equity investor in Anaheim-based Fisker, which makes the $100,000 Karma hybrid. DiCaprio received the first Karma off the production line and is among a string of Hollywood connections for the vehicle. The car had a recurring role on "Two and a Half Men" and pop star Justin Bieber got one for his 18th birthday. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/news/fisker-362322-dicaprio-production.html Honda to begin sales of all-new “N BOX +” mini-vehicle. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced it will begin sales of the N BOX + (“N BOX plus”), the second model of the new mini-vehicle N Series, at dealerships across Japan on July 6, 2012. Following the introduction of the N BOX, which realized one of the largest*1 interior spaces among all mini-vehicles in the market through adoption of newly-designed platform and powerplant, Honda is now introducing the N BOX + which was developed under the concept of “adding (“plus”) new possibilities.” Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/5/honda-to-begin-sales-of-all-new-n-box-mini-vehicle/ HIGH-SPEED RAIL Central Valley farmers protest high-speed rail. California is poised to begin building the nation's first high-speed rail system early next year, eventually sending trains zipping from San Francisco to Los Angeles as fast as 220 mph. But first the High-Speed Rail Authority must get the Legislature, and then the Central Valley, on board. Should high-speed rail officials persuade lawmakers to fund construction of the first 130-mile stretch, they'll need to quickly rebuild support in the San Joaquin Valley, where poor community relations have soured already skeptical farmers and local leaders, overshadowed hopes of economic development, and fueled opposition that could slow or stop arrival of the fast trains. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Central-Valley-farmers-protest-high-speed-rail-3684819.php GREEN ENERGY Placentia homeless shelter gets a green upgrade. A century-old farmhouse turned homeless shelter in Placentia has received more than $100,000 in energy-efficiency upgrades. The improvements to the Homeless and Intervention Shelter, known as HIS House, were made possible by a $56,570 donation from Walmart. Another 20 local construction-related businesses donated free or reduced materials such as paint, roofing shingles and insulation to the project. "As difficult as it is in the construction industry, there's still a desire to give," said Scott Larson, a project manager with HomeAid Orange County who oversaw construction. Posted. http://www.ocregister.com/news/shelter-362277-energy-project.html OPINION The Wise Way to Regulate Gas Drilling. AMERICA’S energy future has been transformed by the production of natural gas made possible by hydraulic fracturing. This gas is a much cleaner source of electricity than coal. The problem is that the fracturing process used to extract the gas can, if done improperly, pollute surface and drinking water and emit dangerous air pollution. States like Texas, Pennsylvania and New York are now rushing to impose their own rules. But what we really need is a system of federal oversight that will promote confidence in this technique and provide the industry with uniform standards without overregulating it. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/opinion/the-wise-way-to-regulate-hydraulic-fracturing.html Colorado's perfect firestorm. Last week, my parents had to pack their belongings and flee as the Waldo Canyon fire barreled toward their house in Colorado Springs. They were among 32,000 people forced from their houses by the fire, which has destroyed nearly 350 homes. My parents were lucky. Despite the trauma and fear of having to evacuate, they didn't lose their home. But the fire emphasized something of a long-running debate between my father and me: the reality and politics of climate change. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lubell-colorado-fires-and-climate-change-20120706,0,1751544.story Washington’s Hell Week puts climate change back on the radar. Wildfires? Record thunderstorms? Blast furnace heat? An earthquake, even? Bring it on! At least that’s what one group of folks is thinking, even if they don’t voice it quite so crassly. “We don’t want to do it in an I-told-you-so kind of way,” demurs John Topping, who is the president of the Washington-based Climate Institute. But see, people! This is what all the global-warming Paul Reveres have been shouting about. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washingtons-hell-week-puts-climate-change-back-on-the-radar/2012/07/05/gJQAQxtTRW_story.html BLOGS In Hong Kong, a Pledge to Turn Down the A/C. Hitting the shopping malls in Dubai or Singapore? Taking in a movie in Hong Kong? Better take a cardigan: arctic conditions often prevail in such spaces in hot but wealthy societies on this side of the globe. As I wrote in The Times about a year ago, however, it’s not just a question of discomfort. Cranking up the air-conditioning to that extent wastes energy and money and contributes to carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution in general. Posted. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/in-hong-kong-a-pledge-to-turn-down-the-ac/ Fireworks, some air pollution and your comments. The Fourth of July brought two pleasant surprises -- several comments on my blog item about fireworks air pollution and a holiday that was not marked by huge pollution spikes. But, since I have your attention, there were spikes in particle pollution in most places around the San Joaquin Valley. They just weren't huge spikes. Hanford's reading between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. was more than twice the daily federal threshold. That's dangerous. The spikes in Modesto and Turlock were a little bit higher. The pollution spikes were noticeable in Fresno, Clovis, Madera, Bakersfield, Visalia and Huron. Posted. http://fresnobeehive.com/news/2012/07/the_fourth_of_july_brought.html#storylink=misearch California approves $27 million in green-vehicle incentives. The Golden State's going a little more green once again. The California Air Resources Board approved $27 million in incentives that will be used to accelerate sales of zero-emission vehicles in the most populous U.S. state. CARB said that a "majority" of the funds will go towards purchase incentives for plug-ins and other zero-emission vehicles. About $10 million will go towards hybrid and zero-emission buses and trucks. So far, California, which has already mandated that one in seven new cars sold in the state be zero-emissions by 2025, has given out incentives to owners of more than 8,500 passenger cars, trucks and buses since 2008. Posted. http://green.autoblog.com/2012/07/06/california-approves-27-million-in-green-vehicle-incentives/