What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for September 3, 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’s ETS makes encouraging headway.  As the federal
government gets started implementing a national Climate Action
Plan, the country’s boldest state-level experiment is making
strong progress. Yesterday, California announced the results of
its latest auction of carbon pollution permits, completely
selling out of its permits for future carbon pollution for the
first time. The increased demand for these pollution permits
reflects an encouraging development: Confidence in California’s
climate action program is growing, and its long-term future is
becoming more and more certain.  Posted. 
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/9/2/carbon-markets/californias-ets-makes-encouraging-headway


EU Said to Plan Carbon-Market Aviation Adjustment in October. 
The European Union plans to present a change to its emissions
curbs on airlines in the first half of October that will take
into account a decision later this month by the United Nations on
whether to pursue global measures to cut pollution by the
industry. The European Commission, the EU’s regulatory arm, is
considering limiting carbon-dioxide discharges by flights into
and out of the 28-nation bloc only in European air space,
according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-02/eu-said-to-plan-carbon-market-aviation-adjustment-in-october.html

AIR POLLUTION

Beijing issues new measures aimed at curbing air pollution. 
Beijing unveiled yet another slew of measures on Monday to curb a
choking pollution problem, including limiting the number of new
vehicles on the roads and closing or upgrading the facilities of
1,200 companies. China's smoggy capital has tried everything from
shutting factories to a massive subway building programme as it
battles a severe air pollution problem, but with little apparent
effect. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/02/china-pollution-beijing-idUSL4N0GY17D20130902


Silver Lining in China’s Smog as It Puts Focus on Emissions. 
Jiang Kejun may be one of the few Beijing residents who see a ray
of hope in the smog engulfing the city. A researcher in a state
energy institute, he is an outspoken advocate of swiftly cutting
China’s greenhouse gas output, and he says public anger about
noxious air has jolted the government, which long dismissed
pollution as the necessary price of prosperity. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/world/asia/silver-lining-in-chinas-smog-as-it-puts-focus-on-emissions.html?hpw


Beijing Will Cut Coal Burning and Barbecues in Bid to Fight Smog.
The Chinese capital will limit cars, outdoor barbecues and coal
burning under new measures to reduce air pollution that exceeded
recommended World Health Organization levels by nearly 40 times
in January. Coal use for electricity consumption in Beijing will
be reduced by 13 million metric tons by 2017 from the 2012 level,
while limits will be put on outdoor barbecues in suburban areas
and the number of cars will be kept below 6 million, the city
government said in a statement today. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-02/beijing-will-cut-coal-burning-and-barbecues-in-bid-to-fight-smog.html


Air Quality Alert Due to Smoke Impacts From the Rim Fire.  The
San Joaquin Valley and Mariposa County air pollution control
districts have issued an air quality alert due to smoke impacts
from the rim fire in Mariposa... Merced... Madera... Fresno...
Kings... Tulare... Tuolumne and the valley portion of Kern
counties.  This air quality alert is in effect until 12 PM PDT
Monday September 2.  Exposure to particle pollution can cause
serious health problems... aggravate lung disease... cause asthma
attacks and acute bronchitis... and increase risk of respiratory
infections.  Posted. 
http://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/mariposa-daily-news-2013/157-august/9729-air-quality-alert-due-to-smoke-impacts-from-the-rim-fire-


APCD study to be reviewed at meeting.  Over the last year,
implementation has been under way of the San Luis Obispo County
Air Pollution Control District’s Rule 1001 that requires the
Off-Highway Vehicle Division of State the California Department
of Parks and Recreation to mitigate the silica dust coming from
its park on the Dunes.  Recently, APCD director Larry Allen told
the board of directors the State Parks Department has not been
complying with Rule 1001.  Posted. 
http://www.theadobepress.com/articles/2013/09/03/columns/versaw/versaw.txt


CLIMATE CHANGE

Keystone Delays Seen Giving Time for Climate Concessions.  A
decision on whether to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline may
slip into next year, giving opponents time to marshal efforts
against it while offering President Barack Obama a chance to
wring concessions from Canada. The U.S. State Department is
reviewing TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s request to build the $5.3
billion link from Alberta’s oil sands to U.S. refineries in the
Gulf Coast. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-03/keystone-delays-seen-giving-time-for-climate-concessions.html


Greenhouse-Gas Fight Escalates. A quiet move by the Obama
administration to put a higher price tag on greenhouse-gas
emissions has sparked a big fight, prompting new legislation in
Congress and sniping in academic circles. Buried in new
energy-efficiency standards the Department of Energy released in
May for microwave ovens was an administration estimate that the
cost to the country for each ton of carbon dioxide emitted was
$36 in 2007 dollars—up from its 2010 estimate of $21 a ton.
Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324324404579040950076712782.html?KEYWORDS=climate+change


Population growth increases climate fear.  California has 157
endangered or threatened species, looming water shortages, eight
of the 10 most air-polluted cities in the country and 725 metric
tons of trash washing up on its coast each year.  California also
has 38 million people, up 10 percent in the last decade,
including 10 million immigrants. They own 32 million registered
vehicles and 14 million houses. By 2050, projections show 51
million people living in the state, more than twice as many as in
1980.  Posted. 
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Population-growth-increases-climate-fear-4781833.php


U.S. and Europe may face off over reducing airline emissions. 
The Obama administration faces a possible confrontation with
Europe over reducing carbon emissions when representatives of 191
countries gather this month in Montreal to develop global
standards for aviation emissions.  Greenhouse gas emissions from
commercial flights are growing at a steep rate, and nations
participating in the International Civil Aviation Organization
meeting said they hope that it leads to strong, enforceable
standards. So far, the chances appear slim, according to
observers.  Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-airline-emissions-20130903,0,5513176.story


DIESEL EMISSIONS

Valley air district offers 2 diesel truck-grant programs.  The
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is seeking
Valley truckers -- especially single owner/operators -- to apply
for grants to help meet a state emission-reduction deadline and
is offering free regional workshops to provide application
assistance.  The district has made an additional $7 million
available and broadened its eligibility criteria through its
Truck Voucher Program, specifically for the Valley's 15,000
single owner/operators.  Posted. 
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/31/3473045/valley-air-district-offers-2-diesel.html


Valley truckers fret over clean exhaust cost.  Thousands of San
Joaquin Valley truck drivers are facing a Jan. 1 deadline to
complete expensive upgrades to their rigs, prompting air-quality
officials to free up millions of dollars in assistance.  The
impending deadline is part of a controversial state rule to
reduce diesel pollution from large trucks. The rule was delayed
in 2010 because of the crumbling economy, but now it is once more
lurching forward.  Posted. 
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130903/A_NEWS/309030308/-1/A_BIZ


VEHICLES

Chevrolet Cruze diesel adds fuel efficiency but sticks to recipe.
 Like the American kid who returns from study abroad with a
German accent, Chevrolet's latest Cruze sedan will come with a
decidedly European flair.  Starting in September, Chevy will
offer the compact sedan with a diesel engine. It joins the two
gas engines that have been available in the car since the Cruze
began selling in 2010.  Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-chevy-cruze-20130831,0,1578720.story


OPINION

A Carbon Tax That America Could Live With.  THIS summer, the
Obama administration released the President’s Climate Action
Plan. It is a grab bag of regulations and policy initiatives
aimed at reducing the nation’s carbon emissions, which many
scientists believe contribute to global warming. This got me to
thinking: What might I do to reduce my own carbon emissions? Here
are some things I came up with. Think of them as Greg Mankiw’s
Climate Action Plan. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/business/a-carbon-tax-that-america-could-live-with.html?hpw


The air near L.A.'s freeways: How dangerous?  You know something
is off base when the regional air district monitors and regulates
emissions from fire pits on Southern California's beaches, which
affect a handful of homeowners, before it gets around to the 24/7
blasts of pollution along the area's freeways. That's not
entirely the fault of the South Coast Air Quality Management
District, though. Unhealthful emissions from cars and especially
trucks along the freeways have fallen into a regulatory black
hole until now.  Posted. 
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-freeway-pollution-20130903,0,1359178.story


Air pollution and the effect of the electric car.  If one were to
identify the top problems in the areas 40 miles north and south
of Salt Lake City, most people would name air pollution among the
top five. Six counties in Utah have been graded "F" in "State of
Air 2013," according to the report issued by the American Lung
Association. Throughout many years, for quite a number of days
each year, inversion, a phenomenon characterized by haze, exists
over valleys in Utah, causing health problems for young and old
alike — especially those who are troubled by bronchitis,
emphysema and asthma.  Posted. 
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765636887/Air-pollution-and-the-effect-of-the-electric-car.html?pg=all


BLOGS

Choking on Pollution, Beijing Eyes Car Congestion Fee.  Faced
with often catastrophic air pollution, Beijing is considering
taking a page out of London’s playbook: a congestion fee for car
owners. A notice published on the Beijing government website (in
Chinese) late Monday said the city is mulling a policy to impose
a congestion fee for cars as it aims to keep less than 6 million
vehicles licensed by the end of 2017, from about 5.35 million
now. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/09/03/choking-on-pollution-beijing-eyes-car-congestion-fee/?KEYWORDS=air+pollution

California companies fined $3.6 million for importing dirty ATVs.
 One California-based consultant just got busted for
double-dipping on four-wheelers. Chi Zheng, whose Los
Angeles-based companies MotorScience Inc. and MotorScience
Enterprise Inc. specialized as a consultant for all-terrain
vehicle imports from China, had his companies fined $3.6 million
for violating emissions requirements, according to the US
Department of Justice, US Environmental Protection Agency and the
California Air Resources Board (CARB). The companies were hit
with a $3.55 million fine and a $60,000 civil penalty to be paid
within six months and must follow a strict compliance plan for
the next 15 years.  Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/01/california-companies-fined-3-6-million-for-importing-dirty-atvs/


Swiss engineers working on 80-mpg CNG-diesel-electric hybrid. 
Automakers have a tough sell reaching fuel economy standards in
the US and Europe. Swiss researchers think the solution will have
to come from a fusion of the technologies. Researchers at the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have developed a
new engine that they say could get the equivalent of 80 miles per
gallon. It's a hybrid that gets its power from a diesel engine,
natural gas and an electric motor. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/09/03/swiss-engineers-working-on-80-mpg-cng-diesel-electric-hybrid/


CARB Formaldehyde Rule Should Be Law of the Land.  A dozen years
ago, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) embarked on a
regulatory process that resulted in groundbreaking limits on
formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. 
California's Airborne Toxic Control Measure (ATCM) went into
effect in January 2009 and has altered the way industry does
business around the world. Product emissions have dropped to
historic lows, the development of new adhesive formulations has
accelerated, and a global Third Party Testing and Certification
(TPC) system has emerged to manage CARB's regulation and support
its credibility in the marketplace.  Posted. 
http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood-blogs/closets-blog/home-storage-trends-guest-blogs/CARB-Formaldehyde-Rule-Should-Be-Law-of-the-Land-222084321.html?ref=321#sthash.jn0DhLAb.dpbs


Is global warming really slowing down?  Chances are you’ve heard
people say that global warming has “stopped,” “paused,” or hit a
“slowdown.” It’s a favorite talking point of political
conservatives like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who recently declared
that there has been “no recorded warming since 1998.” Climate
skeptics frequently use these arguments to cast doubt on climate
science and to downplay the urgency of addressing global warming.
Last year, for instance, Fox News pronounced global warming
“over.”  Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/is-global-warming-really-slowing-down/