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ARB Newsclips for January 7, 2013. 
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

Annual Buildup of Air Pollution Chokes Tehran. Already battered
by international threats against their nation’s nuclear program,
sanctions and a broken economy, Iranians living here in the
capital are now trying to cope with what has become an annual
pollution peril: a yellowish haze that engulfs Tehran this time
of year. For nearly a week, officials here and in other large
cities have been calling on residents to remain indoors or avoid
downtown areas, saying that with air pollution at such high
levels, venturing outside could be tantamount to “suicide,” state
radio reported Saturday. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/world/middleeast/tehran-is-choked-by-annual-buildup-of-air-pollution.html?_r=0
 

A solution to La Jolla's smell problem proves elusive. Excrement
from seabirds and marine mammals creates a stench that officials
would like to effectively combat. But many obstacles stand in the
way. There's a political stink rising in this seaside community,
blown ashore from the rocks of La Jolla Cove, where myriad
seabirds and marine mammals roost, rest and leave behind what
animals leave behind. The offal accumulation is offending noses
at trendy restaurants, tourist haunts, and expensive condos
perched on some of the most pricey real estate in the country.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-la-jolla-stink-20130106,0,3547171,print.story


Judge sides with EPA on deadline for toxics rule. A federal court
today rejected an industry request to set a deadline for U.S. EPA
to finalize reconsideration of its landmark mercury and air
toxics limits. In one of industry's three legal challenges to the
rules, known as MATS, petitioners in White Stallion v. EPA said
last October that EPA was not moving quickly enough to finalize
the rule. Consequently, EPA might not meet an April 2013
construction deadline for new power plants. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/07/14 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Agencies issue joint statement on controversial coal plant's
future. The heads of U.S. EPA, the Interior Department and the
Department of Energy released a joint statement Friday promising
closer cooperation to reduce pollution from the Navajo Generating
Station in Arizona while also protecting economic development.
Supporters of the 2,250-megawatt coal-fired power plant within
the Navajo Nation near the Grand Canyon say EPA-mandated controls
could force it to shut down. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/print/2013/01/07/16 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

Pulling Carbon Dioxide Out of Thin Air. WHETHER streaming from
the tailpipes of cars or the smokestacks of so many power plants
and factories, carbon dioxide emissions keep growing around the
globe. Now a Canadian company has developed a cleansing
technology that may one day capture and remove some of this
heat-trapping gas directly from the sky. And it is even possible
that the gas could then be sold for industrial use. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/business/pilot-plant-in-the-works-for-carbon-dioxide-cleansing.html?src=twr


Study: Alaska got colder from 2000-2010.  The overwhelming
majority of Alaska is getting colder and has been since 2000,
according to a study by researchers with the Geophysical
Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. But the authors
stop short of saying the lower temperatures contradict that idea
that the earth, and Alaska in particular, is warming. Instead,
they conclude that the findings show a temporary variation. 
Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/07/3124329/study-alaska-got-colders-from.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy


Sewage plant by the sea? Calif city rethinks plans.  When this
quaint fishing city looked at places for a new sewage treatment
plant to replace the aging one next to the beach, it proposed to
stay put and rebuild by the water. The location did not sit well
with state coastal regulators, who were concerned about the
threats of erosion and rising sea levels fueled by global
warming. Days before the California Coastal Commission was set to
hear the case, the city turned into an unlikely ally.  Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/01/05/3122932/sewage-plant-by-the-sea-calif.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy


Cap-and-trade complicates Shasta Lake electricity dealings;
effect on rates unclear. What effect, if any, state laws aimed at
curbing greenhouse gas emissions will have on the city's electric
ratepayers remains unclear as officials are in the early stages
of navigating a complex set of rules associated with
cap-and-trade. Tom Miller, assistant city manager and electric
utility director, updated the council this week on the city's
dealings with the state program. The city hasn't yet entered any
auctions to sell pollution permits issued by the state. Posted.
http://www.redding.com/news/2013/jan/04/cap-and-trade-complicates-shasta-lake-dealings/?print=1


As planet warms, more lava could find its way to the surface. The
effect of volcanic eruptions on climate has been one of the more
hotly contested topics in the global warming debate. Seized upon
briefly by climate skeptics as an alternative to human-caused
warming, eruptions are now understood by mainstream science to
result most often in net cooling for a period of up to several
years. Few researchers, however, have considered that an inverse
relationship might also exist -- that over time, climate might
have an effect on the planet's igneous activity. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/07/4 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Hawaii may feel stronger climate change impacts. Anticipating
beach erosion, sea level rise, decreased rainfall and the
depletion of fisheries, scientists say Hawaii will feel the
impact of climate change earlier and more acutely than other
states. In response, Hawaii's government pushed forward an act to
prepare for the coming problems. In 2007, the Hawaii Legislature
adopted Act 234, which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
to 1990 levels by 2020 in a cost-effective manner. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/07/6 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

Approval of truck stop is appealed. A proposed 12-acre truck stop
off Interstate 5 at Flag City near Lodi remains on an
environmental review merry-go-round. A court-ordered
environmental impact report of the proposed Love's Travel Stop
found that air pollution from the truck stop could be adequately
reduced but that it would generate "significant and unavoidable
traffic impacts." Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130105/A_BIZ/301050314&cid=sitesearch


California CU Helps Trucker Stay Green on the Road. Mid Cities
Credit Union recently helped walk a small business owner through
the steps to get financing for a new truck and become compliant
with a California greenhouse gas emission measure. Julio
Contreras, a member of the $24 million credit union in Compton,
Calif., was able to obtain a State Treasury California Capital
Access Program, or CalCAP, Air Resources Board loan.  Posted.
http://www.cutimes.com/2013/01/02/california-cu-helps-trucker-stay-green-on-the-road?t=lending


FUELS

As Biofuel Demand Grows, So Do Guatemala’s Hunger Pangs. In the
tiny tortillerias of this city, people complain ceaselessly about
the high price of corn. Just three years ago, one quetzal — about
15 cents — bought eight tortillas; today it buys only four. And
eggs have tripled in price because chickens eat corn feed.
Meanwhile, in rural areas, subsistence farmers struggle to find a
place to sow their seeds. On a recent morning, José Antonio
Alvarado was harvesting his corn crop on the narrow median of
Highway 2 as trucks zoomed by. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/science/earth/in-fields-and-markets-guatemalans-feel-squeeze-of-biofuel-demand.html?ref=earth
 

EPA fracking study may dodge some tough questions. An ongoing
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study on natural gas
drilling and its potential for groundwater contamination has
gotten tentative praise so far from both industry and
environmental groups. Glenn Paulson, the EPA’s science adviser,
describes the project as “one of the most aggressive public
outreach programs in EPA history.” The final report won’t come
out until late 2014. Posted.
http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130106/NEWS03/130109738/epa-fracking-study-may-dodge-some-tough-questions


China starts building new nuclear power plant. A utility company
says it has started building China's first new nuclear power
plant since Beijing lifted a construction moratorium imposed on
the industry to review safety following Japan's Fukushima
disaster. China's decision to press ahead with nuclear
development runs counter to moves in other countries such as
Japan and Germany, which plan to scale back or shut down their
nuclear power industries. Posted.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jan/06/china-starts-building-new-nuclear-power-plant/#ixzz2HJUgDsHg


California Energy Commission to award up to $2.45M for renewable
natural gas for transportation fuels.  The California Energy
Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) has released
a Program Opportunity Notice (PON-12-506) for the award of up to
$2.45 million to accelerate research, development and
demonstration (RD&D) of advanced technologies to produce
renewable natural gas (RNG) transportation fuels.  Posted.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/cec-20130105.html 

Greenhouse gas levels from unconventional oil production vary
widely – study. When it comes to carbon emissions, crude oil
sources are not created equal. The watery tight oil pumped from
the Bakken Shale has a different emissions footprint than the
gooey sludge from Canada's oil sands. A new report from the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace concludes that
policymakers should acknowledge these differences to develop
guidelines that keep the dirtiest fuel sources underground to
mitigate global climate change. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/07/2 BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Study finds that aluminum reduces electric vehicle cost against
steel counterpart for same targeted range.  A recent study found
that an aluminum electric vehicle can cost up to €635 (US$829)
less than that its steel counterpart despite the higher cost of
aluminum, given equivalent range targets.  Posted. 
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/01/fka-20130107.html 

GREEN ENERGY

Wind turbines wearing down faster than expected, study asserts.
Wind turbines installed in Denmark and the United Kingdom are
wearing down faster than manufacturers expected, a new study
claims. The study is billed as the largest of its kind and looked
at 3,000 onshore and offshore turbines in operation between 2000
and 2011. But it was published by the U.K.-based Renewable Energy
Foundation (REF), a think tank that has campaigned against wind
farms, which prompted the wind industry to accuse it of bias.
Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/print/2013/01/07/3  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

BLOGS

Solar Mosaic: Kind of a big deal for clean energy.  You know
what’s fun? What’s fun is watching young people figure out how to
change the world they've inherited.  Case in point: Billy Parish.
When I first met him, he’d just dropped out of Yale. Not because
he couldn't hack it. Because he didn't think it was as important
as fighting climate change.  Posted.
http://grist.org/climate-energy/solar-mosaic-kind-of-a-big-deal-for-clean-energy/


Could Chuck Hagel, likely defense secretary nominee, turn out to
be a climate hawk?  Chuck Hagel, who's expected to be nominated
as secretary of defense this week, has long been confused about
climate change ... and yet concerned about it too. He has a
history of obstructing climate action, but also a record of
elevating climate as a national security issue. If he's confirmed
to head the Department of Defense, he might ultimately show
himself to be a climate hawk -- though not one who hews to green
orthodoxy or any party line.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/politics/could-chuck-hagel-likely-defense-secretary-nominee-turn-out-to-be-a-climate-hawk/


Climate change is here, it is real and it is bad.  Climate change
is here. Climate change is real. There is no use denying it is
made worse by greenhouse gas emissions. The real questions to ask
are: why should we care? 1. Disasters cost too much money.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the biggest
threat to our economy, both long term and short term, is climate
change.  Posted.
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/communities-health-and-science-today/2013/jan/5/climate-change-here-it-real-and-it-bad/#ixzz2HJhvfb57