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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for October 30, 2012.
Posted: 30 Oct 2012 12:32:06
ARB Newsclips for October 30, 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 Niland air quality reaches unhealthy level for some. Air quality levels in the Niland area have reached unhealthy levels for sensitive groups, according to an alert from the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District. People with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children are the groups most at risk, especially when they are physically active, according to the alert. It is because levels of particulate matter 10 reached levels of 101 on the air quality index. Posted. http://articles.ivpressonline.com/2012-10-29/people-with-cardiopulmonary-disease_34802071 Clearing the air: What an HVAC cleaner should really do in your home. Those statistics about indoor air pollution and it’s relation to respiratory problems convinced you it was time to get your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) cleaned. You were even looking forward to the increased energy efficiency that a clean system can provide. But $49 and one very noisy service call later, you’re still sneezing and you haven’t seen any dip in your energy bill. What happened? Posted. http://www.egcitizen.com/ara/real_estate/c2da5ff8-b49c-5bb1-baf0-bb9143d3c922.txt CLIMATE CHANGE South Korea to Accelerate HCFC Emissions Phase Out by 10 Years. South Korea plans to phase out emissions of hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs, by 2030, 10 years faster than agreed to under the Montreal Protocol on the reduction of ozone-depleting substances. The Korean government, adhering to the ozone-protection rules of the Montreal Protocol, will next year start imposing ceilings on the production and consumption of HCFCs, gases that gained favor in the early 1990s as an alternative to chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in an e-mailed statement. Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-30/south-korea-to-accelerate-hcfc-emissions-phase-out-by-10-years.html Rule Tweaks May Dissuade California Carbon Bidders, RBC Says. Tweaks to the rules governing the California carbon market may dissuade bidders in the state’s first auction next month, said a trader at RBC Capital Markets. California’s air resources board on Aug. 17 suspended a rule requiring companies to pledge annually that they haven’t engaged in “shuffling” electricity resources to comply with state emissions limits. The board may propose regulatory amendments by the middle of next year to change supply of free allowances to factories at risk of shifting their emissions to regions outside the state, according to a Sept. 20 statement on the board’s website. Posted. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-29/rule-tweaks-may-dissuade-california-carbon-bidders-rbc-says If New York’s carbon emissions were solid, they’d bury the Empire State Building within a day. It’s pretty hard to visualize air pollution. Smog at least was smoggy, but carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are invisible to the naked eye. Carbon Visuals took a crack at showing people exactly how much carbon dioxide New York City dumped in the atmosphere in 2010, and their concept — in which a blue ball 33 feet across represents the metric ton of carbon dioxide gas released by the city every 0.58 seconds — actually does a great job of bringing home the gigantic amounts of waste we’re creating. Posted. http://grist.org/list/if-new-yorks-carbon-emissions-were-solid-theyd-bury-the-empire-state-building-within-a-day/ Countdown to California's "Cap and Trade" Carbon Credit Auction. After a series of setbacks, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) now seems poised to host its historic initial auction for California carbon emission credits on November 14. The auction is a key part of the greenhouse gas (GHG) cap and trade regulation, which, in turn, is a central component of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (also known as Assembly Bill 32), signed into law by former California Governor Schwarzenegger. AB 32 requires California to reduce its GHG emissions to 1990 levels by the end of 2020. Posted. http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/countdown-to-californias-cap-and-trade-23856/ US actions on climate change in the next administration. For over two decades the EU has established a track record in global leadership on climate change. While producing mixed results, the EU remains committed to regional and global policies and actions advancing energy sustainability. Although sovereign debt, financial and other economic distresses have rocked the EU since 2008, these difficulties have not lessened the prominence of climate change on the EU’s political agenda. Posted. http://www.iss.europa.eu/publications/detail/article/us-actions-on-climate-change-in-the-next-administration/ Climate change powers "Frankenstorm" Sandy. A record-smashing superstorm is expected to slam into the eastern seaboard of the United States today. After rampaging though the Caribbean islands, hurricane Sandy has swelled into a massive storm system as it plows along the east coast. Tropical force winds span over 1,500 km -- making it the "largest hurricane in Atlantic history." An expanse of open ocean more than 2,500km across is frothing with waves greater than 12 feet high. Posted. http://www.vancouverobserver.com/print/node/13351 VEHICLES Pike Research US consumer survey finds decreasing fundamental interest in plug-in electric vehicles. A new Pike Research survey assessing US consumer demand, preferences, and price sensitivity for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and electric vehicle charging equipment (EVCE) has found a decline in the fundamental interest in PEVs among survey participants between 2011 and 2012. In 2012, 35% of respondents stated that they would be extremely or very interested in purchasing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or battery electric vehicle (BEV) with a range of 40 to 100 miles and an electricity cost equivalent to $0.75 per gallon. Posted. http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/10/pikepev-20121029.html Japan, US, France, Germany and China are top 5 markets in EV readiness. In an EV market report by McKinsey, Japan, the United States, France, Germany and China are ranked as the top 5 countries in terms of EV market maturity level in 2012. Sales numbers in the five countries indicate that the EV market is taking off in US and Europe, while in China and Japan the market is shrinking. The sales of electric vehicles witnessed positive growth in the United States and Europe in the second quarter of 2012. The sales of electric vehicles amounted to 7,931, a 28% growth compared to the first quarter. Posted. http://cars21.com/news/view/5022 GREEN ENERGY Microgrids could bring big green changes to power systems. Sandy may look bad now, but could it (and the other Frankenstorms before it) actually inspire change? If enough power goes down, if enough damage is done, if enough people demand it — well, maybe. But that change would be small. Micro, in fact. Millions of East Coasters have already lost power this week and millions more stand to lose it in the coming days. Our reliance on central power plants and large grids has a lot to do with this. Posted. http://grist.org/news/microgrids-could-bring-big-green-changes-to-power-systems/ MISCELLANEOUS At polluted Santa Susana lab site, sacred cave attracts tribe's bid. The Chumash are seeking a parcel that includes Burro Flats Painted Cave, which has some of the best preserved pictographs in the state. The Chumash tribe has expressed interest in buying a 450-acre slice of a contaminated nuclear research facility in the hills between the Simi and San Fernando valleys, hoping to preserve a cave that its members consider sacred. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chumash-rocketdyne-20121030,0,6013343.story OPINIONS Ethanol suit hints at climate split between states. SINCE THE SENATE failed to pass a climate bill in 2010, environmentalists have looked to the states to cut the country’s greenhouse-gas emissions, and their gaze has been fixed most firmly on California. Continuing its tradition of pioneering green policies that others copy, the Golden State is implementing a landmark greenhouse-gas law that would do what Congress didn’t — put a price on carbon-dioxide emissions through a cap-and-trade program, at least in California. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ethanol-suit-points-to-split-between-states-over-climate-policy/2012/10/29/1786dc40-17d6-11e2-8792-cf5305eddf60_story.html Herhold: A San Jose gas station corner is ground zero in environmental fight. When the Silicon Valley Leadership Group wants to show legislators the flaws of California's 42-year-old environmental quality act (CEQA), the bus halts at Moe's Stop gas station at 33rd and McKee streets in San Jose. Four years ago, Moe's began a laborious attempt to add three pumps under a canopy on the east side of its property. No big deal, right? Wrong. It took Moe's more than three years and a blizzard of legal and consultant bills before it got permission. What held it up? Posted. http://www.mercurynews.com/scott-herhold/ci_21882452/herhold-san-jose-gas-station-corner-is-ground Was Hurricane Sandy Caused by Global Warming? As widespread power outages and flooding affect millions on the East Coast, speculation continues as to whether or not climate change caused the storm. Millions were paralyzed by Hurricane Sandy as the storm swept up the East Coast Monday night into Tuesday. The storm made landfall in New Jersey but shut down federal government offices, public transportation systems, and schools in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Posted. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/10/30/was-hurricane-sandy-caused-by-global-warming BLOGS Yes, Hurricane Sandy is a good reason to worry about climate change. Every time a major natural disaster barrels along, people want to know whether it has anything to do with global warming. Is climate change causing this storm? That drought? Will we see more disasters like it if the planet keeps warming? When it comes to tropical cyclones like Hurricane Sandy, the climate links can be somewhat difficult to pin down. On the one hand, humans have warmed the planet about 0.8°C since the Industrial Revolution. As Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research likes to say…Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/10/29/yes-hurricane-sandy-is-a-good-reason-to-worry-about-climate-change/ A year of extreme weather — and little climate change talk. So far this year we’ve seen: The first nine months of 2012 have been the hottest in the United States on record. (Globally, this has been the eighth-warmest year on record.) — The wildfire season this year was the second-largest by area since records began in the 1960s, topped only by 2006. In Colorado, 600 homes were destroyed in the Waldo Canyon fire. — The biggest drought in half a century parched the Midwest, sent food prices climbing and knocked 0.4 percentage points off third quarter GDP growth. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/10/30/a-year-of-extreme-weather-and-little-climate-change-talk/ Gettin' down with cap 'n trade. Next month, California will hold the first auction as part of its carbon cap and trade program. The program, which will be the second largest CO2 emissions trading system in the world, has been in the works since 2006, when the Golden State passed the Global Warming Solutions Act, a piece of legislation that mandated chiseling down greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. A cap and trade system puts a limit on the total amount of carbon dioxide polluters can emit – that’s the cap. For its initial cap, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) set a CO2 limit of 162 million tons. Posted. http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/gettin-down-with-cap-n-trade/