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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for September 5, 2012
Posted: 05 Sep 2012 14:27:43
ARB Newsclips for September 5, 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 Council candidates to discuss Santa Monica Airport issues. Air pollution and noise at the Santa Monica Airport will be among the issues discussed Sept. 13 at a Santa Monica City Council candidates forum. Fifteen council candidates, including two incumbents, vying for four open seats have been invited to participate, according to Martin Rubin, an airport opponent who will moderate the event. The health and safety effects of flight school operations and jet traffic will be among the topics. Posted. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/santa-monica-forum-on-airport-issues-planned.html EPA OKs air pollution permits for Shell's Arctic Ocean drilling. The Obama administration on Friday said that it would grant Royal Dutch Shell a one-year air pollution permit for an Arctic drilling rig, further bolstering the possibility that over the next two months Shell will start its controversial project to drill for oil off the Alaska coast. The Environmental Protection Agency granted the permit in response to a Shell request for a waiver from current air pollution regulations for the Noble Discoverer, an offshore drilling ship. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-epa-shell-arctic-20120831,0,6058124.story Caltech-led team creates device to weigh molecules. Scientists have created a tiny measuring scale 300 times smaller than the width of a human hair that can weigh a single molecule at a time. The device may one day help doctors diagnose disease and illuminate the complex inner machinery of cells, its makers say. An international team led by Caltech researchers built the device to measure the mass of large molecules that are difficult to analyze through conventional mass spectrometry methods. The scale features a long, bridge-like structure that vibrates at a specific frequency. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-molecule-scale-20120828,0,491029.story Pollution left in wake of Isaac. Weathered oil in the form of tar has washed up on some Louisiana beaches from Gulf waters churned by Hurricane Isaac, prompting restrictions of fishing in some waters and tests to determine whether the source is submerged oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. "I'd say there's a smoking gun," said Garret Graves, Gov. Bobby Jindal's top adviser on coastal issues. He said tests were being done to verify the source of the oil. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/04/4786697/pollution-left-in-wake-of-isaac.html#storylink=misearch Shell to Construct World's First Oil Sands Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project. Shell today announced that it will go ahead with the first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project for an oil sands operation in Canada. The Quest project will be built on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project joint venture owners (Shell, Chevron and Marathon Oil[1]) and with support from the Governments of Canada and Alberta. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/05/4788501/shell-to-construct-worlds-first.html#storylink=misearch Canadian firm proposes new Neb. oil pipeline route. The company that wants to build a pipeline to transport crude oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries said Wednesday it has revised its proposed new route through Nebraska to avoid environmentally sensitive areas. The latest proposed Keystone XL pipeline route is TransCanada's second attempt to satisfy state environmental regulators. The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality said in July that the initial revised route crossed land that could erode easily and passed near unconfined aquifers that supply drinking water to residents and livestock. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/ci_21472208/canadian-firm-proposes-new-neb-oil-pipeline-route?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21472208/canadian-firm-proposes-new-neb-oil-pipeline-route?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/transcanada-revises-new-neb-route-for-oil-pipeline-that-company-says-avoids-sensitive-areas/2012/09/05/ab5ec2b8-f772-11e1-a93b-7185e3f88849_story.html CAP AND TRADE Carbon trading becoming global reality. Australia and the EU have agreed to fully integrate their respective cap and trade schemes by 2018 even as California’s scheme moves closer to reality with the State having held a trial auction on August 30 in anticipation of the first real auction for the purchase and sale of carbon permits on November 14. Andrew Sullivan of Stikeman Elliott, writing in the firm’s Canadian Energy Law blog, has more on both the Australian and the California developments. Posted. http://business.financialpost.com/2012/09/05/carbon-trading-becoming-global-reality/ CLIMATE CHANGE Democratic Party Platform: Climate Change Challenges And Other Environmental Issues Addressed. As the final weeks of the 2012 presidential campaign unfold, one of the starkest contrasts between the recently released Democratic and Republican party platforms is in climate change policy. While the 2012 Republican platform mentions the term "climate change" once (while downplaying the issue's severity), the 2012 Democratic platform uses the term "climate change" 18 times. "Our opponents have moved so far to the right as to doubt the science of climate change," it declares… Posted. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/04/democratic-party-platform-climate-change-environment_n_1854579.html?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012 Turning off Energy, Not Climate Change, Is Biggest Threat, Doctors Say. Thousands of accused witches were burned at the stake in medieval times in an effort to protect their communities from bad weather, stated Jane Orient, M.D., president of Physicians for Civil Defense. It didn't work then, of course, as Europe continued to suffer greatly during the Little Ice Age. And human beings still do not have the power to control the climate, she said. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/04/4785572/turning-off-energy-not-climate.html#storylink=misearch Global warming ballot battle comes to Oakland. About 50 protestors converged upon a Valero gas station in Oakland’s Uptown section this morning to call attention to a proposed ballot measure backed by oil companies to roll back California’s landmark greenhouse gas emissions law. Activists from CREDO Action, the Courage Campaign, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, the Environmental Defense Fund, the National Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club were among the crowd, bearing signs with slogans such as “Texas oil $ go home,” “Don’t mess with California, Texas,” “Stop killing the solution to pollution,” and “Clean air now.” Posted. http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/04/22/global-warming-ballot-battle-comes-to-oakland/ Obama's 2nd-term agenda: Global warming, immigration, taxes. President Barack Obama says his Republican challenger has the "wrong vision" for the country. So what is his? Some of his agenda for a second term is a continuation of the first. He'd raise taxes on annual family incomes above $250,000. He'd continue to spend on education and green energy. He'd implement the health care law and financial regulations already enacted. And he'd continue to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan with a goal of getting them all out by the end of 2014. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/04/4783625/obamas-2nd-term-agenda-global.html#storylink=misearch How Democrats have shifted on climate, energy since 2008. Four years ago, the backdrop for energy and environmental debates in the United States was quite different than it is today. Oil prices had just hit $140 per barrel, a spectacular new record. Climate change was a pressing concern for both parties. The resurgence of domestic oil and gas drilling, in places like North Dakota, had yet to reveal itself fully. Since then, however, things have changed. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/04/how-democrats-have-shifted-on-climate-energy-since-2008/ Is Romney warming up to global warming? One of the very best days to bury real news is on the first day of a political convention, when the entire class of political reporters and commentators is collected in a single room and sealed off from the rest of the world. Yesterday’s news concerned global warming — an issue that neither Mitt Romney nor Barack Obama seems anxious to highlight. Obama apparently believes it is among the most urgent and dangerous problems in the world — but not so urgent or dangerous to do much about it. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/is-romney-warming-up-to-global-warming/2012/09/05/1cd0c408-f775-11e1-8b93-c4f4ab1c8d13_blog.html DIESEL EMISSIONS Air Resources Board Recognizes FEV, Inc. as Independent Emission Test Laboratory. FEV, Inc., (FEV) a leading developer of advanced powertrain and vehicle technologies, announced today that California's Air Resources Board (ARB) has recognized FEV, Inc. as an independent laboratory properly equipped to perform various emissions testing in accordance with applicable federal and California regulations for heavy-duty diesel engines for on-road applications. Gary Rogers, president and CEO of FEV, Inc., made the announcement. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/05/4788271/air-resources-board-recognizes.html#storylink=misearch FUELS California’s Quiet but Crucial Role in Shaping Fuel Economy Standards. When the Obama administration completed the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards for 2017 to 2025 last month, it was a milestone in a long and frequently contentious process, but not the last word. California, alone among the states with the power to set its own emissions policy, was at the negotiating table throughout the process and reserved the right to certify the results through its own legislative channels. The state consequently retains the authority to throw a monkey wrench into the agreement, which calls for automakers’ fleets to reach an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, but environmental advocates and industry leaders alike expect an easy approval. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/californias-quiet-but-crucial-role-in-shaping-fuel-economy-standards/ Democrats promote benefits of natural gas. In the party platform they unveiled Tuesday, Democrats draw a distinction between "Big Oil" and "cheap, abundant natural gas" they tout as "helping to bring jobs and industry back to the United States." At the same time, the Democratic platform tones down its assessment of the severity of global warming and what the United States should be doing to arrest it -- a big turnaround from four years ago, when the party warned that "the epochal, man-made threat to the planet" of climate change had to be halted. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Democrats-promote-benefits-of-natural-gas-3839620.php California’s Quiet but Crucial Role in Shaping Fuel Economy Standards. When the Obama administration completed the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards for 2017 to 2025 last month, it was a milestone in a long and frequently contentious process, but not the last word. California, alone among the states with the power to set its own emissions policy, was at the negotiating table throughout the process and reserved the right to certify the results through its own legislative channels. Posted. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/californias-quiet-but-crucial-role-in-shaping-fuel-economy-standards/ GREEN ENERGY Dominion asks Va. regs to convert power plant. Dominion Virginia Power said Wednesday it is asking Virginia regulators for permission to convert its oldest coal-fired power station in Fluvanna County to natural gas as part of previously announced plans to close or convert some of its power stations and open new ones to meet growing energy demands in the state.The Richmond, Va.-based energy provider said it has filed an application with the Virginia State Corporation Commission for the conversion of its Bremo Power Station, a 227-megawatt, two-unit plant on the James River. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Dominion-asks-Va-regs-to-convert-power-plant-3841179.php Jurupa Unified School District to Save More Than $34 Million with Solar and Energy Upgrades. Jurupa Unified School District and Chevron Energy Solutions today announced the completion of a 2.7 megawatt solar and energy efficiency program expected to reduce energy costs at 27 school sites and save the District more than $34 million. The project added solar photovoltaic panels mounted on parking and shade structures at nine campuses; replaced 400 air conditioning units, most of them more than 20 years old; and upgraded more than 21,000 lighting fixtures. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/05/4788734/jurupa-unified-school-district.html#storylink=misearch Democrats and the energy industry ... it's complicated. Delegates and lawmakers attending the Democratic National Convention here could spend time this week perusing a 32-page publication promoting the Queen City's energy industry while riding natural-gas-industry-sponsored vehicles on their way to one of a dozen events sponsored by Duke Energy Corp. and other industry groups. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2012/09/05/1 VEHICLES Smart City San Diego & San Diego Zoo Unveil Solar To Electric Vehicle Charging Project. Smart City San Diego and the San Diego Zoo today announced they will install a solar photovoltaic canopy that will charge electric vehicles (EV) in the Zoo parking lot. Smart City San Diego is a collaboration that combines the resources of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), City of San Diego, GE, UC San Diego and CleanTECH San Diego to drive projects forward that improve the region's energy independence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and assert San Diego as a clean energy leader. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/05/4789853/smart-city-san-diego-san-diego.html#storylink=misearch Nissan Brings Ideas to Life by Kick-Starting Next Great Innovation. Computers, the electric car, music — some of the world's best ideas have been born in garages. To celebrate "everyday ideas" and inspire the creation of the next great innovation, Nissan is launching "Nissan Innovation Garage," a social movement that offers everyone an opportunity to showcase their best ideas. Beginning today, aspiring innovators will be asked "Wouldn't it be cool if____?" and Nissan could help bring their ideas to life. Each idea submitted online at www.NissanInnovationGarage.com will be reviewed and voted on by a panel of judges that will include established engineers from a variety of fields. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/05/4789617/nissan-brings-ideas-to-life-by.html#storylink=misearch Pope goes green with electric car. Pope Benedict XVI is now a bit greener. The 85-year-old pontiff was presented with his first electric car Wednesday, a customized white Renault Kangoo for jaunts around the gardens of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. Benedict has been dubbed the "green pope" for his environmental concerns, which have been a hallmark of his papacy. He has written of the need to protect God's creation in his encyclicals, and raised the issue on his foreign trips and in his annual peace messages. Posted. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21472581/pope-goes-green-electric-car?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com VW launches lighter, more fuel-efficient Golf. Volkswagen is rolling out the latest version of its mainstay Golf hatchback in a key test of its ability to widen its lead over other mass market carmakers in Europe, lower manufacturing costs and overtake Toyota as the world's biggest carmaker. The new Golf looks much like the old one, but the key differences are on the inside. The car has been completely redesigned, based on a new common mechanical structure for the chassis, engine and other basic parts. Posted. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21471409/vw-launches-lighter-more-fuel-efficient-golf?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com MISCELLANEOUS IQAir's New Edition Redefines High-Performance Air Purification. - IQAir (www.iqair.com), the technology leader in high-performance air purification, today introduced its New Edition room air purifiers. This is IQAir's most significant upgrade yet to its line of residential high-performance air purifiers. The New Edition offers three advancements: Up to 25 percent more clean air, Up to 38 percent longer filter life, And 32% quieter – a new level of quietness never before achieved in high-performance home air purification. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/05/4788003/iqairs-new-edition-redefines-high.html#storylink=misearch Few environmental bills make it out of the California Legislature. Environmental groups and their supporters hoping for a new wave of green laws from the Legislature this year ended up with barely a ripple. From a statewide effort to ban plastic bags, to limits on foam food packaging, most of the top environmental bills of the 2012 session died. Environmental groups did score a few wins. They beat back an effort by industry to rewrite the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, the landmark law that requires environmental studies of major projects. And lawmakers passed a bill over the furious objections of hunters to ban the use of dogs in bear and bobcat hunting. Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_21468131/few-environmental-bills-make-it-out-california-legislature?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_21468132/few-environmental-bills-make-it-out-california-legislature?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_21468132/few-environmental-bills-make-it-out-california-legislature?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com