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ARB Newsclips for July 31, 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

California and Australia bolster carbon trading ties. California
and Australia have agreed to step up efforts to work together to
link their respective carbon markets, just weeks after
Australia's prime minister announced he would accelerate plans to
replace the country's carbon tax with an emissions trading
scheme. California's Air Resources Board and Australia's Clean
Energy Regulator yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding…
Posted.
http://www.businessgreen.com/print_article/bg/news/2285943/california-and-australia-bolster-carbon-trading-ties

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/07/31/policy-enforcement-briefing-carbon-markets-epa-budget-efficiency-bill/

http://www.examiner.com/article/arb-enters-into-agreement-with-aussies-to-combat-climate-change
 
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985368/print  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Carbon Drops to Two-Week Low as Weak Power Price Saps Demand. 
European Union carbon permits for December dropped the most in
three weeks as record-low power prices in Germany reduced demand
for emission allowances. The benchmark carbon contract fell as
much as 4 percent to 4.12 euros ($5.49) a metric ton on ICE
Futures Europe exchange, and traded at 4.13 euros at 12:47 p.m.
in London. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/carbon-drops-to-two-week-low-as-weak-power-price-saps-demand.html


Critics of offsetting emissions with credits to address desal
skeptics in Santa Cruz. Two experts in the controversial practice
of buying credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions will address
seawater desalination skeptics in Santa Cruz, where two water
agencies have pledged to design their water supply project as
net-carbon neutral. Barbara Haya, a research fellow specializing
in climate change at Stanford Environmental Law Clinic…Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/central-coast/ci_23763723/critics-offsetting-emissions-credits-address-desal-skeptics-santa


Farmers voice concern over Cap-and-Trade Program. Tuesday
morning, some members of the Pacific Legal Foundation met at the
Kern County Farm Bureau with members of the local farming
community to lay out their efforts to stop the state's
Cap-and-Trade Program. California’s Cap-and-Trade Program took
effect in early 2012, according to the Air Resources Board.
Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/business/Local-farmers-voice-concern-over-pending-cap-a-trade-law-suit-217679921.html


AIR POLLUTION

China Air Pollution Triple WHO Recommended Levels in First Half.
Air pollution in China’s largest cities, as measured by the
concentration of fine particulates that pose the greatest health
risk, was three-times worse in the first half of the year than
levels advised by the World Health Organization. The average
concentration of PM2.5 particulates in 74 cities monitored by
China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection was 76 micrograms
…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/china-air-pollution-triple-who-recommended-levels-in-first-half.html


San Joaquin Valley air gets double whammy of soot, ozone.
Wildfire smoke pouring into the San Joaquin Valley caused soot
levels to spike Tuesday above the federal standard in Madera,
Merced and Stockton. On Wednesday, meteorologists with the San
Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District reported a layer of
marine air should ease air quality problems a little, but soot
and ozone levels are expected to climb again by the weekend.
Posted.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/07/31/3416606/san-joaquin-valley-air-getting.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/30/2836489/smoke-from-wildfires-clogging.html#storylink=cpy


Santa Fe Springs facility creating odor has history of citations
from Air Quality. Lakeland Processing Co., is in hot water with
the Air Quality Management District after it received a fourth
citation in the past two months. The wastewater-treatment
facility is the source of the foul odor that's been blanketing
the city and surrounding areas, as far as the San Gabriel Valley
and Fullerton. Posted.
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_23761189/air-quality-management-district-has-issued-violations-odorous#ixzz2adwCfV2R

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_23761189/air-quality-management-district-has-issued-violations-odorous


Foundation says air measure component is illegal. 
Representatives of the Pacific Legal Foundation, which is suing
the state over its "cap and trade" program, have been making the
rounds up and down the state educating business people and
average citizens about what they say is a harmful hidden tax
rather than a simple regulatory scheme to improve the
environment. Tuesday they spoke to the Kern County Farm Bureau in
front of a group of about 40 people. Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/local/x2042022070/Foundation-says-air-measure-component-is-illegal


Is natural gas more climate-friendly? Researchers map thousands
of leaks in Washington, D.C.  Bob Ackley may be the only person
who has driven up and down every single street -- 1,500 miles
total -- in Washington, D.C. While Ackley, a plain-speaking New
Englander, enjoyed exploring the nation's capital, which he
described as "beautiful," this was serious business. He was
measuring leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is also
the main component of natural gas. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985330/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

New EPA chief: Climate controls will help economy. President
Barack Obama's top environmental official wasted no time Tuesday
taking on opponents of the administration's plan to crack down on
global warming pollution. In her first speech as the head of EPA,
Gina McCarthy told an audience gathered at Harvard Law School in
Cambridge, Mass., that curbing climate-altering pollution will
spark business innovation, grow jobs and strengthen the economy.
Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EPA_CHIEF?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-new-epa-head-gina-mccarthy-vows-to-act-on-climate-change/2013/07/30/dea868e0-f86b-11e2-8e84-c56731a202fb_story.html

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jul/30/new-epa-chief-climate-controls-will-help-economy/


EPA chief vows to tackle climate change.  The new head of the
Environmental Protection Agency told an audience at Harvard Law
School on Tuesday that cutting carbon pollution will "feed the
economic agenda of this country" and vowed to work with industry
leaders on shaping policies aimed at curbing global warming.
"Climate change will not be resolved overnight," EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy told the 310-member audience. Posted.
http://www.sbsun.com/ci_23766076/epa-chief-vows-tackle-climate-change#ixzz2adgwneXs


When would global warming destroy life on Earth? Study hazards a
guess. Two new studies look at when a runaway greenhouse effect
makes a planet uninhabitable. For Earth, the data suggest that
time is still distant, even with current levels of global
warming. A runaway greenhouse effect – where a planet's
atmosphere traps so much heat that temperatures rise to
life-snuffing levels – may be easier to achieve than previously
believed. And there may be more than one way to drive the
increase. Posted.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0730/When-would-global-warming-destroy-life-on-Earth-Study-hazards-a-guess


Why It Finally Makes Political Sense to Talk About Climate
Change. New polls show that voters increasingly view climate
global-warming deniers as cranks. The White House is paying
attention. In the summer of 2009, a dozen Democratic members of
Congress took a deep breath and put their political futures on
the line, voting for historic global-warming legislation
President Obama had told them was a top priority. After the bill
squeaked through the House, Democrats pleaded with the White
House: Posted.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/why-it-finally-makes-political-sense-to-talk-about-climate-change-20130725


DIESEL EMISSIONS

SMUD encourages truckers to plug in, reduce air pollution. To
achieve a more environmentally friendly - and cost-effective -
alternative to truck idling, the Sacramento Municipal Utility
District (SMUD) is providing utility power at a Sacramento rest
stop. SMUD recently installed more than 30 electrical hookups at
the Sacramento 49er Truck Travel Plaza truck stop on Interstate
80. The 18-month demonstration project is part of a greater
national effort, and if successful, the project will go
commercial. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/31/5611894/smud-encourages-truckers-to-plug.html#storylink=cpy


FUELS

Los Angeles Diesel Gains to Two-Week High as Refineries Flare.
California-blend diesel in Los Angeles advanced to the highest
level against futures in two weeks after Tesoro Corp. (TSO) and
Phillips 66 reported flaring at their refineries in Southern
California. Tesoro’s 266,000-barrel-a-day Carson plant reported
flaring after a compressor trip yesterday, a notice to state
regulators shows. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-30/los-angeles-diesel-gains-to-two-week-high-as-refineries-flare.html


Ford to Offer Natural Gas Fuel Systems for F-150 Pickups.  Ford
Motor Co. (F), the second-largest U.S. automaker, plans to begin
offering compressed natural gas fuel systems for its F-150
pickups to meet growing demand from business fleets and attract
retail buyers. Fuel packages similar to what Ford has offered on
large commercial vehicles since 2009 will be available starting
this year with the 2014 F-150, said Kevin Koswick, head of its
fleet operations. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/ford-to-offer-systems-for-f-150-pickups-to-run-on-natural-gas.html


Milestone Claimed in Creating Energy From Waste. After months of
frustrating delays, a chemical company announced Wednesday that
it had produced commercial quantities of ethanol from wood waste
and other nonfood vegetative matter, a long-sought goal that, if
it can be expanded economically, has major implications for
providing vehicle fuel and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/business/energy-environment/company-says-its-the-first-to-make-ethanol-from-waste.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print


Fight Over Plan for Natural Gas Port Off Long Island.  Some
fishermen call the waters some 20 miles off the coast of Jones
Beach on Long Island a no man’s land. With its flat, barren
bottom, the area is a passageway for sea life like bluefish,
flounder and squid. It has also become a battleground over future
energy sources in the region. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/nyregion/plans-for-a-natural-gas-port-stir-concerns-on-long-island.html
 

PG&E's CEO says tougher rules are needed on fracking.
Highlighting varying views in the energy industry over one of the
nation's most controversial environmental issues, the head of
California's largest utility on Tuesday said that tougher rules
are needed on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a position
advocated by environmental groups. Anthony Earley, chairman and
CEO of PG&E Corp., said in an interview with the San Jose Mercury
News editorial board that companies using fracking…Posted.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23763746/pg-es-ceo-says-tougher-rules-are-needed?source=rss


VEHICLES

Not a car or bicycle, but a blend — an ELF vehicle. Mark Stewart
turns quite a few heads as he zips through the streets on his
neon green ELF bike. With each pedal, his feet take turns
sticking out from the bottom while a gentle motor hums in the
background. What he's driving looks like a cross between a
bicycle and a car, the closest thing yet to Fred Flintstone's
footmobile, only with solar panels and a futuristic shape. It's a
"green" option for today's commuters. Posted. 
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ELF_BIKE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/car-bicycle-blend-known-as-an-elf-vehicle-is-making-1200-mile-trip-along-east-coast-trail/2013/07/31/68f03972-f9f9-11e2-89f7-8599e3f77a67_story.html

http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Not-a-car-or-bicycle-but-a-blend-an-ELF-4697728.php


Central California pollution district funds grants for fuel
efficient vehicles in Kern County. The San Joaquin Valley Air
Pollution Control District has started a grant program to fund
alternative fuel vehicles to public agencies in the central
California area. The grants award public agencies either $20,000
per car or $100,000 a year to buy alternative fuel vehicles.
Bakersfield College officials are one of many agencies who have
applied for the grant and have been awarded money. Posted.
http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/central-california-pollution-district-funds-grants-for-fuel-efficient-vehicles-in-kern-county


GREEN ENERGY

Trade Fight Over Solar Benefits a Bystander.  The long-running
trade conflicts over solar panels between China and the United
States and Europe have sown dissatisfaction all around, leaving
many manufacturers of solar materials complaining that the market
is still unfair. But one country not involved in the disputes has
already benefited from them and, with Saturday’s agreement
between China and the European Union, stands to benefit again:
Taiwan. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/business/global/solar-trade-dispute-leaves-taiwan-the-clear-winner.html?pagewanted=all
 

L.A. start-up's plasma lights help turn film and TV shoots green.
Hive Lighting's energy-saving plasma lights are part of a
conservation movement within the film production industry. Rob
Rutherford looked up from his workbench, order receipts and
debris from Hive Lighting's products strewn around his laptop.
"The bulbs shipped," he said to business partner Jon Miller. Both
grinned. More bulbs meant more business: new film, TV and
commercial sets to be illuminated by Hive's energy-saving plasma
lights…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-onlocation-hive-lighting20130731,0,2475194.story

Wind power industry catches fresh economic breeze after tough
half-year. The U.S. wind energy industry's growth engine badly
sputtered and then stalled in the first half of 2013, with only
1.6 megawatts of new wind power coming online between January and
June, according to data released yesterday by the American Wind
Energy Association. During the second quarter of the year, no new
wind turbines were built anywhere in the country, AWEA said, a
circumstance few would have predicted one year ago…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985367/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Some see Obama's plan on taxes as an opening for carbon levy.
President Obama has distanced himself from a carbon tax, but his
proposal yesterday to cut the corporate tax rate is a key piece
in a complicated puzzle that could lead to discussions about a
fee on emissions. By renewing his call to reduce the corporate
rate by 7 points, to 28 percent, Obama also raises the central
question of how he'll pay for it. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059985348/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

OPINIONS

Gale Banks: Automotive legend has changed the face of the
industry. Gale Banks knows a thing or two about power. And to say
he's had a profound effect on the U.S. auto industry would be an
understatement. His Azusa-based company, Gale Banks Engineering,
is known for designing and selling aftermarket turbocharge
systems for gas- and diesel-powered cars, boats, RVs and
high-performance pickup trucks. Banks turbocharge systems have
also been used to set land-speed records with a variety of
street-legal vehicles. Posted.
http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_23764054/gale-banks-automotive-legend-has-changed-face-industry


Editorial: Trouble for CEQA revamp. Demonstrating just how
difficult it will be to reach any political consensus on
reforming the California Environmental Quality Act, some
interesting opposition to the effort popped up this week. Was it
environmentalists, unions or the liberal Democrats who have been
arguing that changes to the act would no doubt weaken valuable
protections against pollution, environmental damage and health
threats to residents that have been in place for more than 40
years? Posted.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/ci_23763832/editorial-trouble-ceqa-revamp


BLOGS

EVTV kicks off 3rd Electric Vehicle Conversion Convention next
week.  Ever since lithium batteries first became available to the
general public, the popularity of converting gas-powered cars to
run on electricity has been on the rise. This is something we can
get behind, since not only does recycling previously-manufactured
vehicles make environmental sense, it's also great to see classic
automotive metal get a new, improved lease on life. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/07/30/evtv-kicks-off-3rd-electric-vehicle-conversion-convention/


Will California And Australia Trade Carbon Credits? California's
greenhouse gas cap and trade program will basically merge with a
similar program in Quebec in January. If a Tuesday announcement
by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is any indication,
Australia may be next. The announcement comes in the form of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CARB, which manages the
state's greenhouse gas emissions credit auction and trading
program…Posted.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/climate-change/will-california-and-australia-trade-carbon-credits.html