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ARB Newsclips for August 30, 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

RIVERSIDE: Forum focus is growth and air pollution.  The
Press-Enterprise on Sept. 12 will host a community forum to
discuss the health effects, economics and policy questions
surrounding Inland air quality, which fails to meet federal
health standards.  The event is free and open to everyone.  On
Sept. 8 and 9, the newspaper and PE.com will publish several
articles that examine the health effects of air pollution and the
economic pressure to build warehouses and distribution centers,
which bring more pollution from diesel trucks.  Posted. 
http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-environment-headlines/20130829-riverside-forum-focus-is-growth-and-air-pollution.ece


Update: High school sports canceled in 8 California-Nevada
counties for Friday, Saturday due to smoke.  The Nevada
Interscholastic Activities Association announced Thursday
afternoon that it was canceling all outdoor events Friday and
Saturday involving its member schools due to the wildfire smoke
in Northern Nevada and California.  The NIAA announcement affects
games and events in eight counties: Washoe, Douglas, Carson,
Lyon, Storey and Churchill in Nevada, and Mono and El Dorado in
California.  Posted. 
http://www.rgj.com/article/20130829/NEWS/130829009/Update-Reno-air-quality-improves-into-moderate-range?nclick_check=1


CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change Worsens Wildfires: Blazes Increase by 2050. 
Wildfires have become a major issue as they blaze across acres of
land, consuming trees, dry grass, houses and anything else in
their path. We may have to get used to more of these fires in the
future, though. It turns out that climate change may be worsening
wildfires and that by 2050, the wildfire season will be about
three weeks longer, twice as smoky and will burn a wider area in
western states.  Posted. 
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/9138/20130830/climate-change-worsens-wildfires-blazes-increase-2050.htm


FUELS

EPA should move forward with proposals for vehicle emissions. 
Consumers looking to boost their fuel economy and lower their
cars' emissions can choose from an ever-increasing number of car
and truck options. But given the 3 trillion miles that Americans
drive each year, huge amounts of pollution are still being
produced. The air around our roadways has high concentrations of
particulates, ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, and sulfur—more than
50 percent of which comes from vehicles. That pollution can cause
respiratory problems in children and adults.  Posted. 
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/08/fuel-and-car-emissions-standards-to-improve-air-quality/index.htm


VEHICLES

Nissan Joins Tesla Selling California Green-Car Credits.  Nissan
Motor Co. (7201), the most prolific electric-car maker, has begun
selling green-car credits under California’s clean-air rules. The
only automaker that had previously disclosed doing so is Tesla
Motors Inc. (TSLA)  California requires large automakers to sell
electric or other zero-emission vehicles in proportion to their
share of the largest U.S. state market for cars and trucks.
Nissan has delivered enough of its all-electric Leaf hatchbacks
that it has started selling excess credits, Executive Vice
President Andy Palmer told reporters in Irvine, California, this
week.  Posted. 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-29/nissan-joins-tesla-selling-california-green-car-credits.html


MISCELLANEOUS

Bike-sharing program rolls out with 700 cycles.  A curvy, clunky
turquoise figure with a quirky sort of beauty might just be the
answer to Bay Area traffic congestion and air pollution.  At
least that's the hope of some officials as the Bay Area Air
Quality Management District rolled out 700 heavy-duty turquoise
bicycles Thursday as part of a regional bike-sharing program
stretching from San Francisco to San Jose.  Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bike-sharing-program-rolls-out-with-700-cycles-4772633.php#photo-5113465


BLOGS

Renewable Energy to Be Price Competitive in Western U.S. by 2025.
 Renewable energy installations are an active business in most of
the Western United States, in part due to renewable portfolio
standard (RPS) mandates, which require a certain percentage of
installed capacity to come from renewable sources.  But most of
those RPS requirements will be met by 2025, which leaves the
“what’s next?” question. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) aims to provide the answer in its latest report [PDF],
"Beyond Renewable Portfolio Standards: An Assessment of Regional
Supply and Demand Conditions Affecting the Future of Renewable
Energy in the West."  Posted. 
http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/renewable-energy-to-be-price-competitive-in-western-us-by-2025?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IeeeSpectrumGreenTech+%28IEEE+Spectrum%3A+Green+Tech%29


Should climate change be added to the civil rights agenda?  We
marched against the recent attack on voting rights. We demanded
justice in the face of Stand Your Ground laws and racial
profiling. We marched to raise awareness on unemployment,
poverty, gun violence, immigration, and gay rights. And we called
for action on climate change.  Chances are, when you think about
civil rights, environmental issues aren't on the radar screen.
But stop and think about it. Remember Hurricane Katrina?  Posted.
 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/30/climate-change-civil-rights-washington


These States Are Going to Become Green Energy Powerhouses. 
Renewable energy has gotten tantalizingly close to becoming
competitive with conventional fossil fuels, and to help bridge
the gap, more than 30 states have passed laws requiring energy
companies to supply a minimum amount of power from green sources.
But according to a new study, if renewable sources are built in
the right places, they could compete against traditional power
plants without subsidies, turning states like California,
Wyoming, and New Mexico into green energy powerhouses.   Posted. 
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/08/these-states-are-going-become-green-energy-powerhouses/6723/


Sacramento getting first DC fast chargers with SAE Combo, CHAdeMO
plugs.  What's next, peace in the Middle East? The ongoing
question of which fast-charging standard Americans will prefer as
electric-vehicle ownership becomes more commonplace is being made
redundant, at least for those residing in Sacramento. The
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has acquired a few
Efacec DC fast-charging stations, which can be modified to serve
both the CHAdeMO standard backed by Japanese automakers like
Mitsubishi and Nissan and the SAE Combo fast-charging connector,
which US and German automakers say is better.  Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/08/30/sacramento-first-with-dc-fast-chargers-with-sae-combo-chademo/


Americans are driving less in nearly every state.  After 60 years
of car-worship, Americans in virtually every state are driving
less, according to a new report from the U.S. Public Interest
Research Group. Over the past eight years, the number of vehicle
miles traveled has steadily decreased, a trend dominated by the
so-called millennial generation’s much lower driving rates. 
Total vehicle miles traveled peaked in 2007 after steadily rising
for decades. Since then, however, driving per person has dropped
in 46 states. Washington, D.C., residents drive the least, at an
average of 5,774 miles each year, followed by Alaska, Hawaii, New
York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/americans-are-driving-less-in-nearly-every-state/