What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for August 16, 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

Bay pollution trading impact on poor questioned. The impact on
poor communities of cutting Chesapeake Bay pollution through
credit trading is being questioned in a report released Wednesday
by a nonprofit policy analysis group. The Center for Progressive
Reform said that the report finds that even if trading cuts
overall pollution, it might still have a negative impact on
low-income and minority communities. Pollution trading allows
some polluters to buy credits for cuts made by others. Maryland,
Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia already have state
programs, but a bay-wide program does not exist. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bay-pollution-trading-impact-on-poor-questioned-3790492.php#ixzz23jH05X7X


CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change poses risks to food, beyond US drought.  Downpours
and heatwaves caused by climate change could disrupt food
supplies from the fields to the supermarkets, raising the risk of
more price spikes such as this year's leap triggered by drought
in the United States.  Food security experts working on a chapter
in a U.N. overview of global warming due in 2014 said governments
should take more account of how extremes of heat, droughts or
floods could affect food supplies from seeds to consumers'
plates.  Posted. 
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/climate-drought-idINL6E8JFAI220120816
 

Greenland melting breaks record 4 weeks before season's end. 
Melting over the Greenland ice sheet shattered the seasonal
record on August 8 – a full four weeks before the close of the
melting season, reports Marco Tedesco, assistant professor of
Earth and atmospheric sciences at The City College of New York. 
The melting season in Greenland usually lasts from June – when
the first puddles of meltwater appear – to early-September, when
temperatures cool. This year, cumulative melting in the first
week in August had already exceeded the record of 2010, taken
over a full season, according to Professor Tedesco's ongoing
analysis.  Posted. 
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-08/ccon-gmb081412.php
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/08/16/3   BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Hawaii Supreme Court rules in favor of Maui groups. The Hawaii
Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of Native Hawaiian and
environmental groups seeking to have more water restored to
several central Maui streams so they can grow taro and revive
natural habitat. The court ruled the state Commission on Water
Resource Management erred when it came up with a plan outlining
how much water two companies may divert from the streams. The
court said the commission failed to adequately consider how
stream flows affect Native Hawaiian customary practices in the
area. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/aug/15/hawaii-supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-maui/#ixzz23j5KJCQv


China gets greener but is far from meeting its long-term clean
energy and environmental goals – report. Shanghai -- Despite
notable progress, China still faces big troubles on its energy,
climate and environmental fronts, the Asian Development Bank says
in a country analysis report published yesterday. The report,
prepared by a group of experts and the bank's own team, assessed
China's environmental performance during the period of 2006 and
2010, saying that the country achieved many environmental
improvements even though its economy grew faster than expected.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/08/16/1  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

CARB advises reefer unit owners to purchase their compliance
options soon. The California Air Resources Board (CARB)
recommends taking immediate action to plan and order compliance
options to ensure model year 2005 transport refrigeration units
(TRUs or reefer units) comply by the end of 2012. Purchase orders
must be placed soon for in-use TRU compliance technology to
qualify for a compliance extension. The TRU Airborne Toxic
Control Measure (ATCM) allows compliance extensions if delivery
or installation is delayed. Posted. 
http://refrigeratedtrans.com/2010-emissions/carb_reminds_reefer_owners_of_compliance_technology_deadlines_0816/


Port of Long Beach Sees 75% Emissions Reduction.  Port of Long
Beach (PoLB), analysis of key pollutants in 2005 compared to 2011
show a 75% reduction in airborne diesel particulates as a result
of clean air programs, and air pollution from port-related
sources declining for the fifth year in a row, the port authority
has said.  Program results showed reductions of all the key air
pollutants from ships, trucks, locomotives, tractors, and cranes
that move cargo.  In addition to the drop in diesel
emissions…Posted. 
http://shipandbunker.com/news/am/983137-port-of-long-beach-sees-75-emissions-reduction


FUELS

EPA to approve grain sorghum for cleaner ethanol. The federal
government is on the verge of approving a grain mainly used as
livestock feed to make a cleaner version of ethanol, a decision
officials say could give farmers a new moneymaking opportunity,
boost the biofuels industry and help the environment. A plant in
western Kansas already is gearing up to take advantage, launching
a multimillion-dollar renovation so it can be the first to turn
sorghum _ a plant similar in appearance to corn _ into advanced
ethanol. Posted. 
http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/epa-to-approve-grain-sorghum-for-cleaner-ethanol/article_a12a00b2-4d99-50d3-bbc5-241ca1e42bf8.html
 http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-15/epa-to-approve-grain-sorghum-for-cleaner-ethanol
   
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/epa-to-approve-sorghum-for-cleaner-ethanol-experts-say-grain-has-less-impact-on-food-prices/2012/08/15/8861a178-e70e-11e1-9739-eef99c5fb285_story.html
 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/08/15/2953235/epa-to-approve-grain-sorghum-for.html#storylink=misearch
 
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21322738/epa-approve-grain-sorghum-cleaner-ethanol?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com


BP Biofuels, Texas AgriLife Research partner to advance
cellulosic biofuel feedstock development.  BP Biofuels and Texas
AgriLife Research, part of The Texas A&M University System, have
signed a three-year agreement to develop and commercialize
cellulosic feedstocks for the production of advanced biofuels.
The collaboration will utilize AgriLife Research’s diverse high
biomass energy crop breeding program and BP Biofuels’ position as
one of the few global energy companies growing commercial-scale
biomass crops for liquid fuels.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/08/bptexas-20120815.html  

Natural gas slowly makes its way to your filling station. Motor
fuel retailers are cautiously betting that the filling station of
the future will offer a broader range of options than what is
available to today's gas-and-go drivers. The change is coming
with the integration of tens of thousands of alternative-fuel
vehicles into the global motor fleet, including those powered by
natural gas, hydrogen, biofuels and electricity. In the United
States, truck stop chain TravelCenters of America LLC revved the
alternative fuels market this summer when it said it would soon
offer liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the same islands where
owners of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles have long held
sway. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2012/08/16/2  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Early August auto sales match July's pace. It may be the dog days
of August, but auto sales aren't slowing. Industry analysts and
dealers said this week that sales during the first half of August
matched July's pace and could go even higher. In July, new cars
and trucks sold at an annual rate of 14.1 million. While that's a
slight letdown from the pace of 14.3 million in the first half of
the year, it's a big improvement over last year's 12.8 million.
Sales, in fact, remain a bright spot in the weakest economic
recovery since the Great Depression. Unemployment is high at 8.3
percent and consumer spending is feeble. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/aug/15/early-august-auto-sales-match-julys-pace/#ixzz23j4MF1Mm


GM China begins prototype battery cell fabrication.  General
Motors China is fabricating and testing prototype battery cells
and complete systems at its Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai
to support GM researchers and engineers in the development of
next-generation vehicle battery systems. These systems are
expected to be more affordable for GM customers around the world
and help GM expand vehicle electrification.  Researchers will be
able to complete a series of processes, including battery
material preparation, battery material coating, battery cell
fabrication and battery cell performance testing. GM’s goal is to
accelerate the development of batteries with improved energy
density, allowing smaller overall system sizes and reducing
costs.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/08/gmchina-20120816.html 

GREEN ENERGY

Report: 37,400 Clean Energy Jobs Announced In Q2, But PTC Threat
Already Slowing Wind Industry. Top 10 Clean Job States:
California, Florida and New York Landed Most Clean Energy Jobs in
2nd Quarter; Michigan, Colorado, Ohio, New Jersey, Illinois,
Nebraska and Mississippi Rounded Out Biggest-Gaining States. As
many as 37,409 jobs could be created from the more than 70 major
clean energy projects announced across the United States during
the second quarter of 2012, according to the latest quarterly
Clean Energy Jobs Roundup from Environmental Entrepreneurs
(E2)…Posted.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/report-37400-clean-energy-jobs-announced-in-q2-but-ptc-threat-already-slowing-wind-industry-2012-08-16?utm_source=California+Brightspot&utm_campaign=5655433d6f-my_google_analytics_key&utm_medium=email


INDUSTRY: Solar company bringing 1,000 jobs to Riverside. A
company that markets solar panels and has a very bullish outlook
about the future demand for its products is relocating its
operations to a historic but long-abandoned Riverside building
and hopes to employ as many as 1,000 people there, a spokesman
said Wednesday, Aug. 15. SolarMax Technology is remodeling the
old Food Machinery Corp. building adjacent to the Metrolink
station near downtown Riverside. The company will bring its
corporate headquarters, including full sales and office staffs,
employees who arrange customer financing and some distribution
personnel, to the location by the end of the year. Posted. 
http://www.pe.com/business/business-headlines/20120815-industry-solar-company-bringing-1000-jobs-to-riverside.ece

Vt. wind power protesters found guilty of trespass. Six
protesters who blocked a road leading to a wind power project on
a mountain in Lowell have been found guilty of trespassing. A
jury in Newport returned the verdict on Wednesday night after a
one-day trial. The protesters were accused of lining the path to
prevent workers and trucks from reaching the area where Green
Mountain Power Corp. contractors are building the wind energy
project on Lowell Mountain in Lowell, a small town in the
northern part of the state. Posted. 
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/aug/15/vt-wind-power-protesters-found-guilty-of/


MISCELLANEOUS

Lubbock man jailed in biodiesel fuel fraud case.  A West Texas
businessman indicted on 79 counts in a $42 million biodiesel fuel
fraud investigation has reported to jail.  Jeffrey David
Gunselman was booked into the Lubbock County Jail on Wednesday.
No bond has been set.  A federal grand jury in Lubbock indicted
the former Absolute Fuels chief executive officer on counts of
wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements. Posted.
 http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21323370/lubbock-man-jailed-biodiesel-fuel-fraud-case?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com


OPINIONS

Golden State high-speed rail is smart.  When he was governor of
California, Arnold Schwarzenegger put high-speed rail before the
voters, and the project has strong support from a bipartisan
group of mayors representing five of California’s largest cities.
Business groups across the state, including the Silicon Valley
Leadership Group and the Orange County Business Council, ardently
advocate for it.  Does Mr. Will have a better idea about how
California can meet the mobility needs of the estimated 20
million new citizens who will call the state home over the next
several decades? New freeways and airports? What would those
cost?  Posted. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/golden-state-high-speed-rail-is-smart/2012/08/15/459d0a26-e56a-11e1-9739-eef99c5fb285_story.html


Viewpoints: Implementing AB 32 will increase unemployment,
household expenses. With the passage of California's Assembly
Bill 32, the Golden State has embarked upon an experiment in
energy policy that has no modern parallel. Several recent studies
have shown that the consequences to the state could be dire, and
that California faces a choice between continuing on its current
trajectory toward a future of reduced economic growth and
opportunity, or changing course and adopting less draconian
climate and energy policies. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/16/4729971/stark-choices-for-states-energy.html


Viewpoints: Clean energy law drives innovation, creates jobs,
attracts investments. A quality cost-benefit analysis looks at
real costs and real benefits, using recognized economic models
that have been peer-reviewed. The recent analysis commissioned by
the California Manufacturers & Technology Association to look at
Assembly Bill 32, our state's landmark clean energy law, misfires
on both sides of the cost/benefit equation. And its underlying
model takes serious departures from accepted economic modeling.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/16/4729970/clean-energy-law-drives-innovation.html#storylink=cpy


A sign of what's to come? On especially hot days, 35-year-old
Paco Galvan must choose between his work and his health. He
stopped picking pears at noon this week, which will make it that
much harder to pay the electric bill. Not that paying the bill
helps. The air conditioner in Galvan's house is so weak it cools
only one room. It is hard to sleep at night for Galvan and his
four children. Not far from his home off Church Street, Analicia
Garcia pushed a stroller toward Union Square where her daughter
would be dropped off by the school bus Wednesday. Her sons
wrestled over a bottle of ice water. Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120816/A_NEWS/208160335&cid=sitesearch


In America's National Parks, Air Pollution Knows No Boundaries.
Summer is a time when American families plan vacations. Many are
centered on the natural beauty of our country and the National
Parks System. However, what many tourists may not anticipate is
that the destination of their journey is being impacted by air
pollution in the form of soot and haze, despite laws that were
put into place as far back as the 1970s.
In 1977, there was strong bipartisan support in Congress to
mandate the restoration of air in 156 of the country's national
parks and wilderness regions. Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-g-yerman/air-pollution-national-parks-_b_1783169.html


BLOGS

In Fuel Cells, Some Hope for Urban Sanitation. As more and more
people around the world flock to cities, urban areas in
developing nations are struggling to keep up with the human
influx and the waste that people produce. In 2010 roughly 2.5
billion people lacked basic sanitation, according to the World
Health Organization. A team of engineers has developed a tool
that may prove to be a solution: fuel cells that harness a mix of
microbes to clean wastewater while producing their own power. The
technology is young, but it shows promise, said Hong Liu, an
associate professor of biological and ecological engineering at
Oregon State University who heads the team. Posted. 
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/in-fuel-cells-some-hope-for-urban-sanitation/