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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/

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