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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for July 22, 2013.
Posted: 22 Jul 2013 12:21:59
ARB Newsclips for July 22, 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. CAP AND TRADE Carbon programs’ backlash in Australia, EU bode ill for U.S. efforts to fight climate change. Recent stumbles in Europe and Australia to implement ambitious climate change programs are providing a “cautionary tale” for the Obama administration and U.S. lawmakers as they consider how to fulfill President Obama’s drive to reduce U.S. greenhouse gases. A popular backlash against a carbon tax in Australia and major implementation problems with the European Union’s “cap-and-trade” carbon emissions trading program are…Posted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/18/carbon-programs-backlash-in-australia-eu-bode-ill-/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS#ixzz2ZnUVH4EB Morning Star joins AB 32 lawsuit; claim cap-and-trade auction is unconstitutional. Morning Star Packing Co. is one of 12 plaintiffs suing the California Air Resources Board over the state's cap-and-trade auction program enacted by the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known as AB 32. The company is represented by Pacific Legal Foundation, which filed suit in April. The state submitted its opening brief on Tuesday and the Pacific Legal Foundation will reply by Aug. 7. The next hearing is on Aug. 29. Posted. http://www.colusa-sun-herald.com/articles/star-11000-morning-auction.html Durham meeting to explain lawsuit over AB32. A free briefing is going to be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Durham Memorial Hall to explain the Pacific Legal Foundation's lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board. The suit lists Ron Cinquini Farming as one of 12 plaintiffs. The Morning Star Packing Co., located in Woodland, is the main plaintiff, but the law firm has gathered businesses and individuals throughout the state. Posted. http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_23702445/durham-meeting-explain-lawsuit-over-ab32 U.S. and European Climate Policies Trail California’s. As California pushes forward on a wide range of aggressive goals to curb its contribution to climate change, the same solution that’s the centerpiece of the state’s effort — a cap-and-trade market for carbon emissions — is moving forward in a big way on the international stage. The European Union voted this month to strengthen the role of the continental cap-and-trade system. Posted. http://highbrowmagazine.com/2631-us-and-european-climate-policies-trail-california-s AIR POLLUTION Smoke plumes from Mountain fire not expected to affect Ventura County air quality. Occasional smoke plumes from Mountain fire near Idyllwild this weekend are not expected to affect Ventura County’s air quality, officials said. The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District reported subtropical flow from Mexico and Arizona is causing smoke to blow overhead occasionally, but it is not expected to impact air on the ground. Posted. http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/jul/20/smoke-plumes-from-mountain-fire-near-idyllwild/ Bay Area Plan to Accommodate Population Growth, Cut Pollution Approved. A coalition of Bay Area leaders late Thursday night approved a long-term regional plan meant to accommodate population growth over the next few decades while meeting state mandates for cutting air pollution and improving access to public transportation. Posted. http://campbell.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/bay-area-plan-to-accommodate-population-growth-cut-pollution-approved_5a16a1cd CLIMATE CHANGE Folsom Lake, American River levels to hit 5-year lows. Water levels in Folsom Lake and the American River this fall will drop to levels not seen in five years as California verges on another extended drought period. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Folsom Dam, estimates the lake will fall to a storage level of 241,000 acre-feet by December. That is about one-fourth of total capacity. The lake has not reached such lows since December 2008, the last extended drought period, when it fell to as low as 199,000 acre-feet. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/22/5584513/folsom-lake-american-river-levels.html#storylink=cpy First climate rule imposed on insurers expands after a stormy start. A rare climate regulation on the U.S. insurance industry is being expanded to include additional companies, and smaller ones, in Democratic states where officials see climbing temperatures as a growing threat to the trillion-dollar sector. For the past two years, the measure required insurers that sell more than $300 million in annual premiums to disclose details about their climate preparedness to regulators in California, New York and Washington State. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984790/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY Poll finds growing Republican support for Obama's climate change plan. A bipartisan national poll conducted for the Natural Resources Defense Council found that two-thirds of registered voters approve of the most controversial proposal in President Obama's recent climate change action plan. "This is something the American people are strongly behind," said Peter Altman, director of the NRDC's climate and clean air campaign. "They're behind it from both parties." Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984749/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY FUELS Fracking films reflect twists in drilling debate. The boom in natural gas drilling has cast two opposing documentary filmmakers in unlikely roles. Josh Fox, a liberal environmental activist, finds himself at odds with President Barack Obama. Phelim McAleer, a free-market conservative, is echoing the Democratic president's support for natural gas. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Fracking-films-reflect-twists-in-drilling-debate-4677937.php California Fracking Regulations Near Approval. For the first time in 60 years, California may be moving to pass a law to regulate the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking”. A proposal in Sacramento to change state law to monitor, regulate and track every well that uses hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has moved closer to becoming state law. Posted. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/investigations/California-Fracking-Regulations-Near-Approval-216240791.html GREEN ENERGY Advocates welcome Va. offshore wind 'milestone'. Gov. Bob McDonnell and environmental advocates are calling the auction of a leasing area off Virginia's coast for the development of wind power a milestone. The federal government scheduled the Sept. 4 auction on Monday. Eight energy companies are expected to bid on the 112,800-acre leasing area set aside for the development off wind farms. Posted. http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Advocates-welcome-Va-offshore-wind-milestone-4679289.php With push from tax break, wind industry slowly moves out of the doldrums. More than six months after Congress extended a vital tax break for U.S. wind energy developers, the industry is showing signs of strengthening as electric utilities and high-profile companies such as Wal-Mart, Google, Microsoft and Apple chart their growth strategies around the use of wind and other renewable energy resources. Posted. http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059984746/print BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY MISCELLANEOUS Carson to declare emergency stemming from Carousel tract contamination. Carson is on the verge of declaring a local emergency to spur more rapid cleanup of its environmentally contaminated Carousel housing tract, which sits on a former oil tank farm that left untold amounts of petroleum just a few feet below the neighborhood's 285 homes. The city filed a claim for damages this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Shell Oil Co. is trespassing and creating a public nuisance that is causing injury. Posted. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_23695206/carson-declare-emergency-stemming-from-carousel-tract-contamination Kettleman City toxic landfill fight might turn on finances. At the doorstep to the largest hazardous waste landfill in the West, Kettleman City has some of California's biggest pollution burdens, the state Environmental Protection Agency says. Yet a different state agency is poised to allow expansion of the hazardous waste landfill 3.5 miles west of town — a move local activists say they will fight to the end. Posted. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/20/3397933/kettleman-toxic-landfill-fight.html#storylink=cpy OPINIONS Analysis: Lawyers gear up to lobby, sue as McCarthy heads to EPA. When Gina McCarthy steps into her new role as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency she will face an army of lawyers trying to sway the agency as it writes rules on power-plant emissions that will form the centerpiece of the Obama administration's climate-action plan. At least some of those lawyers are likely to lead legal challenges against the rules once they are issued. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/19/us-usa-climate-epa-lobbying-analysis-idUSBRE96I0Y120130719 Analysis: U.S. fuel export surge gives refiners surprise summer blockbuster. In the middle of July, U.S. refiners are normally doing a brisk business selling their fuel close to home, revving up output to meet peak driving demand. This year, however, they are in the midst of an unprecedented summer surge in exports of gasoline, diesel and other fuels, as the combination of cheaper shale crude and record-high biofuel credit costs open up new markets overseas. Posted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/19/us-usa-fuel-exports-analysis-idUSBRE96I05220130719 Commentary: More voices need to be heard when setting green standards. It takes scientific know-how, investment and innovation to produce the energy efficient buildings that increasingly dot our nation’s skylines as they advance from the design table to occupied homes, offices and facilities. Chemistry and thousands of cutting-edge products, materials and innovations play leading roles in making these high- performance buildings possible. Yet this contribution is frequently overlooked or misunderstood. Posted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/commentary-more-voices-need-to-be-heard-when-setting-green-standards/2013/07/19/4fd8200a-ed63-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html Putting more wind power on the grid. Wind farms should get a big share in the energy development zones in the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Wind turbines tend to be overshadowed by solar power projects, which get most of the attention from the public and policymakers. That's the case again in a new government plan for renewable energy projects in the California desert. Though the wind industry shouldn't get all the land it wants, the desert master plan should provide more and better space for wind farms. Posted. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-wind-energy-california-20130722,0,4212705.story Another View: Toxic waste watchdog rewards serial polluter. The state's top toxics regulator just pulled a fast one on a farming community suffering birth defects and infant deaths. The Department of Toxic Substances Control signaled it would grant a serial toxic polluter – Chemical Waste Management – a permit to expand its operations greatly at the controversial Kettleman City hazardous waste dump. Posted. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/21/5581115/toxic-waste-watchdog-rewards-serial.html#storylink=cpy The state's self-imposed fuel embargo. Our family has been in the retail gasoline business for four generations. During that time, we’ve met a lot of challenges, not the least of which were the gas lines and odd-even rationing days of the 1970s Arab oil embargo. Now we’re facing an embargo of another kind, from a source much closer to home. This time, the threat isn’t from Middle East oil sheiks but from Sacramento, in the form of the California Air Resources Board’s low- carbon fuel standard. Posted. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130721/OPINION/130719451?title=GUEST-OPINION:-The-state%27s-self-imposed-fuel-embargo California Again Leads The Way, This Time With Forest Carbon Offsets. Californians are known as innovation leaders, and once again, we are on the verge of demonstrating critical leadership. Only this time it isn’t about the Internet, social networking, reality television, venture capital or electric cars. It is about stopping tropical deforestation and supporting local communities. ‘What!?’ you say? How is the great state of California…Posted. http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2013/07/22/california-again-leads-the-way-this-time-with-forest-carbon-offsets/ BLOGS Electric vehicle sales are skyrocketing. Americans bought 40,000 new electric vehicles in the first six months of this year — more than twice the number purchased during the same period last year. And that was after sales of plug-in cars tripled from 17,000 in 2011 to 52,000 last year. Why are Americans so gung-ho on EVs? Caring about the environment is one reason. But the Energy Department highlighted another good reason on Friday when it released the plug-in sales data. Posted. http://grist.org/news/electric-vehicle-sales-are-skyrocketing/ AIR POLLUTION: CBS correspondent calls Riverside nation’s worst. As Ellen Currie watched CBS Evening News last week, up popped a comprehensive report (3 minutes, 4 seconds) on air pollution in China: Footage of murky smog. Adults and children walking the streets of Beijing in the Chinese equivalent of the burqa: Little masks covering their noses and mouths. Posted. http://blog.pe.com/2013/07/21/air-pollution-cbs-correspondent-calls-riverside-nations-worst/ Los Angeles Becoming Electric Vehicle Rebate Heaven. Tax credits and incentives for enticing American drivers to buy electric vehicles are in the thick right now. In Los Angeles, California, in particular, you’ve got access to the $7,500 federal credit, $2,500 state rebate and now expanded and improved electric vehicle charger rebates for home, workplace and public charging through the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Posted. http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/07/los-angeles-becoming-electric-vehicle-rebate-heaven/