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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for June 27, 2013.
Posted: 27 Jun 2013 12:26:16
ARB Newsclips for June 27, 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 L.A., Owens Valley settle dispute over dust control. The DWP's actions will include fast-tracking mitigation measures that do not use water. Also, a Native American massacre site will be left undisturbed. Los Angeles and the Owens Valley have reached a settlement in their dispute over new measures to control dust storms that have blown across the eastern Sierra Nevada since L.A. opened an aqueduct a century ago that drained Owens Lake. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dwp-pollution-20130627,0,3310175.story CLIMATE CHANGE Idaho's Simpson to fight Obama over emission regs. The head of a House panel that helps set the Environmental Protection Agency's budget plans to do everything in his power to thwart President Barack Obama's proposed new regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican, is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Idaho-s-Simpson-to-fight-Obama-over-emission-regs-4625920.php Gov. Mead emphasizes coal's importance. Responding to President Barack Obama's pledge to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, the governor of the nation's leading coal-producing state emphasized Wednesday that coal plays a critical role in the nation's energy production. Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said any future federal regulations must still allow the construction and operation of state-of-the-art coal-fired plants. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Gov-Mead-emphasizes-coal-s-importance-4624132.php White House on HFCs could achieve climate results, advocates say. President Obama's reference to a super-greenhouse gas in his climate speech this week signals a growing realization within the administration of the importance of thinking beyond carbon for global warming solutions, analysts say. Speaking at Georgetown University, Obama mentioned a recent agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of greenhouse gases up to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983569/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Schwarzenegger spruces up his public image, with climate change as the centerpiece. Action movie hero and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have fallen out of California's political spotlight -- and movie circuit -- but some believe his work on climate change could hold the key for a comeback. Schwarzenegger's supporters say he set the standard for state and local governments to act when national leaders refuse. Last year, a group of U.N. correspondents named him "global advocate of the year." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983536/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY U.K. lags in reaching emissions reduction targets. The United Kingdom's Committee on Climate Change announced in a report that the nation's carbon emissions went up by 3.5 percent in 2012, casting doubt on whether its climate targets will be met. Even adjusting for exceptionally cold weather and the greater need for coal-powered electricity, emissions fell by only 1 percent instead of the 3 percent the government had aimed for. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983532/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Obama's climate plan takes aim at coal plants. America is slowly moving toward cleaner sources of energy and using less of it overall. President Barack Obama's plan to fight climate change will accelerate those trends. The plan aims to reduce power-plant emissions of carbon dioxide, increase America's reliance on natural gas and renewables and make trucks, homes and businesses more efficient. Posted. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_CLIMATE_CHANGE_IMPACT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Coal at Risk as Obama Seeks to Revive Emissions Progress. In his first presidential term, President Barack Obama presided over a sharp decline in U.S. carbon pollution. With the economy depressed, Americans drove less. Low natural gas prices prompted utilities to shutter carbon-heavy coal plants, and burn more gas for electricity. Solar and wind installations soared. This year, coal use and carbon emissions are up…Posted. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-06-26/coal-at-risk-as-obama-seeks-to-revive-emissions-progress.html Obama speech praises natural gas fracking boom. This week, President Barack Obama praised renewable energy, conservation — and fracking for natural gas. His support for fracking is upsetting some environmental groups that otherwise support his climate plan. Deb Nardone, the head of the Sierra Club's Beyond Natural Gas program, says Obama "is taking the wrong path" on natural gas. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Obama-speech-praises-natural-gas-fracking-boom-4625487.php The Future Looks Bleak for Keystone XL. Less than a month after the British Columbia government rejected an Enbridge pipeline proposal, TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline hopes also appear squashed. On June 25, President Barack Obama said the pipeline would only extend from Alberta to Texas if it "doesn't significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution." That casts serious doubts on TransCanada's ability to extend the major project from Canada to southern United States. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/The-Future-Looks-Bleak-for-Keystone-XL-4625525.php In Canada, Pipeline Remarks Stir Analysis. Perhaps it was his choice of words, but a small portion of President Obama’s speech about climate change on Tuesday has attracted a disproportionate amount of attention in Canada. At issue are his remarks about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would send bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. The pipeline requires presidential approval and, for Canadians at least, has become a dominant political issue. Posted. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/business/energy-environment/in-canada-pipeline-remarks-stir-analysis.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print Obama's climate plan silent on exports but pledges support for global gas markets. President Obama doubled down this week on using natural gas in place of dirtier fossil fuels like coal, alluding to natural gas exports in a discussion of how the U.S. can help address global greenhouse gas emissions, even as a study published yesterday said renewables are poised to surpass natural gas globally within three years. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983575/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY EPA aiming to finalize 2013 renewable fuel targets this summer. U.S. EPA plans to finalize its 2013 renewable fuel standard levels by the end of this summer, a senior agency official said yesterday. The agency is about seven months behind schedule in setting final targets under the standard for conventional ethanol and advanced biofuel production. It released proposed targets in late January and has since been collecting public comments and meeting with stakeholders. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059983590/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Advocates push role of natural gas in climate mitigation. Abundant and cheap, natural gas will be a key ingredient in America's energy mix for years to come, and systems that harness both the heat and electricity from burning this fuel can tackle climate change from several angles, according to researchers. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) released a report earlier this month outlining various paths for natural gas to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983570/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Secrecy surrounding Exxon's Pegasus probe fuels questions over Keystone XL plans. Exxon Mobil Corp.'s bid to shield from public view its inspection results for a shuttered pipeline that leaked at least 5,000 barrels of heavy Canadian oil sands crude in Arkansas this spring is galvanizing a debate over transparency and spill readiness that could affect the future of Keystone XL. Federal regulators at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are set to decide as soon as this week…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983546/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Tar sands or oil sands? Obama's comments stoke debate. In the polarized world of pipeline politics, activists see a clear difference between "tar sands" and "oil sands," although both refer to the mix of bitumen and sand that is processed into heavy Canadian crude. President Obama has used both terms in recent years but chose "tar sands" Tuesday while laying out his plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the United States (ClimateWire, June 26). Posted. http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059983535/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY VEHICLES German lobbying delays EU car emissions deal. Forceful German lobbying has halted a compromise deal to enforce stricter rules on carbon dioxide emissions for all new cars in the European Union from 2020, EU sources said on Thursday. The deal was hammered out late on Monday to enforce a limit of 95 grams per kilometre (g/km) as an average across the EU fleet by 2020. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/27/eu-cars-idUSL5N0F32PW20130627 Electric car industry reps cheered by market growth. The electric vehicle network is expanding in both technological advances and new markets, according to representatives from the auto industry and energy community. During a press call Tuesday, Nissan North America and Bosch Automotive Service Solutions highlighted rising sales for electric cars and 240-volt charging stations. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-car-growth-20130625,0,1890296.story Memphis auto exhaust testing ends Friday. Memphis city government has cautioned residents whose auto registration expires in June to get exhaust testing done quickly. The city earlier voted to shut down the emissions testing stations and that will be done permanently at 3 p.m. Friday. A statement from Mayor A C Wharton's office Thursday said that, beginning with July registrations, Shelby County Clerk Wayne Mashburn will renew vehicle registration without the requirement of motor vehicle inspection. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Memphis-auto-exhaust-testing-ends-Friday-4625822.php Are electric cars really cheaper than gas cars? A new website from the US Department of Energy compares the energy costs of driving an electric car relative to gasoline prices. The tool might prove useful, Styles writes, but only as long as it is grounded in the best information we have about the vehicle choices that potential electric car buyers are actually considering. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0627/Are-electric-cars-really-cheaper-than-gas-cars Fiat 500e electric car 'sold out' in California. The market for electric cars in California is doing well, according to Fiat's US chief, who said the Fiat 500e electric car has sold out in California. Fiat has never hidden the fact that its 500e electric car had been developed primarily for compliance reasons, thus there was little surprise when it was announced that sales would be limited to the state of California, at least, initially. Posted. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2013/0627/Fiat-500e-electric-car-sold-out-in-California Rough road for Obama's heavy-duty vehicle standards. New regulations to reduce carbon emissions from large trucks are central to achieving the United States' climate goals, but meeting the ambitious new vehicle standards won't be easy, administration officials said yesterday at the Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Washington, D.C. Christopher Grundler, director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality for U.S. EPA…Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983568/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY GREEN ENERGY Buying Green Is All About Saving Money, Not the Earth. Is anyone really surprised the results of a Yale University survey showed most "green" behavior is more about saving money than the environment? What does it mean to go "green"? The survey showed half of Americans deliberately bought an energy efficient kitchen appliance with 75% intending to do so with their next purchase. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Buying-Green-Is-All-About-Saving-Money-Not-the-4489677.php Adopting 'smart cities' a tough sell. On the flat-screen monitor on the wall, a simulated college campus operates in seamless efficiency. Sensors pick up minor changes in temperature or humidity that could signal an air-conditioning unit malfunctioning. Motion sensors act as power switches. Building managers use their iPads to see if the lights were mistakenly left on in a lecture hall. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Adopting-smart-cities-a-tough-sell-4625847.php Utility Companies Going Solar. Utility companies are buying into solar power and this is a triple play for these outfits, their customers and investors. Several of the largest U.S. utility companies are moving into the solar power business. While utility companies still lean heavily on coal and natural gas as power sources, the transition into solar and other green technologies is underway. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Utility-Companies-Going-Solar-4625413.php Analysts say 'baggage' may hold back progress despite White House boost. President Obama's new climate plan may not provide a significant boost to carbon capture and sequestration projects on coal-fired power plants, experts said yesterday. Gas prices are too low and the cost of the technology to "clean" coal in the power sector too high for the plan in its current form to do more than incentivize a few large-scale projects, they said. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983567/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Growth of clean power a 'bright spot' in otherwise bleak global energy trends. Within the next three years, renewable power could surpass natural gas as the second most prevalent source of electricity generation globally, behind only coal, according to a new forecast by the International Energy Agency. Hydropower accounts for about four-fifths of renewable generation and will continue to dominate the world's renewable portfolio into the foreseeable future, according to the IEA's "Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report" for 2013. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059983539/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Davis takes ‘CoolCalifornia’ prize as cities rally to cut carbon emissions. The City of Davis today (Thursday, June 27) was officially named the “Coolest California City,” outscoring seven other cities who lowered their greenhouse gas emissions in a statewide competition run by the University of California, Berkeley, for the California Air Resources Board. Cities competing in the CoolCalifornia Challenge spread the word at community meetings and fairs, where this young energy-saver picked up a reusable shopping bag with the competition’s logo. Posted. http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/27/davis-takes-coolcalifornia-prize-for-cutting-carbon-emissions/ L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signs plastic bag ban, finishes term with a flourish. With only a few days left in his term, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is continuing with a flurry of activity, signing the city's plastic bags ban on Wednesday, pushing to wrap up other major initiatives and planning a whirlwind citywide tour on Friday. From 6 a.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday, Villaraigosa said he will travel throughout the city to thank residents for the opportunity he was given to serve as mayor. Posted. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23547477/l-mayor-antonio-villaraigosa-signs-plastic-bag-ban?source=rss Edison to lay off 600 from San Onofre. Around 600 non-union workers will be laid off from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station over the next two months, Southern California Edison announced Wednesday. The move is the latest in the utility's efforts to reduce its workforce from 1,500 to 400 by next year as it decommissions the nuclear power plant. Posted. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/26/san-onofre-edison-layoff-jobs/ Solano transit meeting on reducing air pollution changes location. Today's Solano Regional Climate Action Planning community workshop will be in a new location. The 6-8 p.m. workshop will be held at the Solano County Events Center, 601 Texas St., at Texas Street and Union Avenue in Fairfield. The Solano Transportation Authority is asking Fairfield, Vacaville and other residents in northern Solano County to come with ideas on ways to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Posted. http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_23551048/solano-transit-meeting-reducing-air-pollution-changes-location OPINIONS Climate target No. 1: coal. The nation cannot allow the carbon output of its worst greenhouse gas emitters to continue unchecked. President Obama's omnibus proposal to combat global warming addresses the issue in all its many facets — truck emissions, high-level diplomacy, more federal land for solar and wind projects. Think of it as a target covered with water balloons. The president won't be able to keep all of them from bursting as his opponents in Congress and industry start throwing darts. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-climate-change-obama-20130626,0,3767714.story BLOGS Kerry Proposes U.S.-India Push on Carbon and Climate. Shortly after prodding India in a New Delhi speech to find ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Secretary of State John Kerry sent a “Your Dot” piece emphasizing that he sees this as a partnership between two dynamic, innovative democracies. Here’s Kerry’s fresh pitch, followed by my initial reaction: I was in India this week for the fourth U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue…Posted. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/kerry-proposes-u-s-india-push-on-carbon-and-climate/?_r=0&pagewanted=print