What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for September 13, 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 Rises as Industry Concerned Allowances Will ‘Skyrocket’
European Union carbon permits are poised for their fourth
consecutive weekly rise as a chemicals industry lobby group in
Brussels said factories in the region were concerned prices will
surge. “Prices will skyrocket when demand exceeds supply of
allowances,” Peter Botschek, director of energy, health, safety
and environment at the European Chemical Industry Council, said
yesterday by phone. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-13/carbon-rises-as-industry-concerned-permits-will-skyrocket-.html


Carbon tax, threatened Down Under, warms up U.S. climate debate.
The promise to rescind Australia's carbon tax is causing some
conservatives to throw bouquets, but climate advocates are
downplaying the impact that the federal election Down Under might
have on American efforts to price emissions. Prime Minister-elect
Tony Abbott, of the conservative Liberal Party, made the nation's
1-year-old carbon tax a key theme in his campaign against
incumbent Kevin Rudd, whose Labor Party elevated climate change
to the peak…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987191/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

AIR POLLUTION

For cleaner air, set car vents to 'recirculate,' study says.
Consider this next time you’re sitting in traffic on the freeway:
You’re in a zone where air pollution can be five to 10 times
higher than in surrounding areas. Even inside your vehicle,
you’re probably breathing in pollutants through the windows or
the air vents. After an hour-long commute, you’ve likely doubled
your daily exposure to the harmful particles in vehicle exhaust.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-recirculate-car-air-pollution-traffic-20130912,0,3076267.story


Exide plant will pay for blood tests for residents. Los Angeles
County health agency offers residents of areas near Vernon
battery recycler free checks for lead contamination. The Los
Angeles County Department of Public Health will offer free blood
testing on a massive scale for lead poisoning to address worries
that a Vernon battery recycler has jeopardized the health of
hundreds of thousands of residents in southeast Los Angeles,
officials said Thursday. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-blood-lead-20130913,0,7293744.story

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/12/la-county-free-lead-tests-for-people-near-plant/


Coal Industry Cries Foul Over Obama Rules Restricting Carbon.
Representatives of coal-intensive utilities and coal-producing
regions said that President Barack Obama would effectively outlaw
construction of new power plants using the fuel with pending
environmental rules. The Environmental Protection Agency is
revising proposed rules from last year in response to opposition
by utilities and mining companies. Posted.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-11/obama-said-to-ban-new-coal-plants-without-costly-carbon-controls

World’s Top 50 Emitters Threaten Global Climate Effort, CDP Says.
Growing pollution at 50 of the world’s biggest-emitting companies
threatens to undermine global efforts to contain rising
temperatures, according to a report by CDP, formerly known as the
Carbon Disclosure Project. Carbon emissions from the 50 top
emitters in the FT Global 500, including ArcelorMittal (MT), RWE
AG, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT:US) and Exxon Mobil Corp. ..Posted.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-12/world-s-top-50-emitters-threaten-global-climate-effort-cdp-says


CLIMATE CHANGE

New color purple depicts worsening climate risks in U.N. draft
report. Some parts of nature and human society are more
vulnerable than expected to climate change, according to a draft
of a U.N. report that adds a new purple color to a key diagram to
show worsening risks beyond the red used so far. It says "unique
and threatened systems" like coral reefs, endangered animals and
plants, Arctic indigenous communities, tropical glaciers or small
island states seem be less able to adapt to warming than believed
in a last report in 2007. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/13/us-climate-impacts-idUSBRE98C0AV20130913


Diageo Sips Savings in Whisky Carbon Emissions Footprint. What’s
in a bottle of Scotch? A large carbon footprint, as it turns out.
While London-based Diageo Plc (DGE) won’t say exactly how much,
the world’s largest distiller last year produced 701,000 metric
tons of carbon emissions, equal to about 0.6 pounds for each
bottle sold, or what comes out of your car’s tailpipe over
three-fourths of a mile. The owner of the Johnnie Walker brand is
working to voluntarily reduce emissions to help sustainability
and boost the corporate bottom line. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-11/diageo-sips-savings-in-whisky-carbon-emissions-footprint.html
 

Oil and gas production is driving Arctic ice melt – study. The
flaring of natural gas is contributing more than 40 percent of
the sooty black carbon in the Arctic, a level that raises new
concerns about the link between energy production and ice melt,
according to a new study. The findings in Atmospheric Chemistry
and Physics underscore the importance of environmental
regulations in the remote region as oil and gas production
continues, according to analysts. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987189/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

Biodiesel Might Be Fleets’ Best Clean Diesel Option. A recent
article on TruckingInfo.com looked at several options truckers
have when considering alternative fuels. While there are
advantages and disadvantages for natural gas, hybrid, electric
and even hydrogen fuel cells-powered medium and heavy duty
trucks, the article indicates clean diesel (and what’s a cleaner
diesel than biodiesel) might be the best choice for fleets:
Posted.
http://domesticfuel.com/2013/09/13/biodiesel-might-be-fleets-best-clean-diesel-option/


FUELS

Why environmentalists turned against fracking bill. Late
Wednesday night, when California's state Senate approved a hotly
contested bill to regulate fracking and sent it to Gov. Jerry
Brown for approval, it did so without the endorsement of some
normally supportive environmentalist groups. The bill from State
Sen. Fran Pavley had provoked intense opposition not just from
the oil industry but from fracking opponents, who had been urging
Brown to ban the practice outright. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Why-environmentalists-turned-against-fracking-bill-4810368.php


VEHICLES

Race Cars Go Electric. The world's fastest cars are becoming
eco-friendly. Charge up with these sleek, new rides from Porsche,
McLaren and Ferrari. LISTEN CAREFULLY TO the newest, costliest,
most technologically out-there supercars and you'll hear the new
timbre of automotive supremacy: the whirr of electricity. Over
the coming months, dealerships from Shanghai to Silicon Valley
will receive a trio of exotic hybrid models from manufacturers
Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324591204579038801019838712.html#ixzz2enKXbpVu


Going electric? Hybrid and electric cars set sales records in
August. Inch by inch, hybrids and electric cars are gaining
ground in the U.S. auto market. Automakers sold 54,855 hybrids in
August, reports Autodata Corp., a sales tracking firm. That is a
32% gain from the same month a year earlier and an industry
record for any prior month. 
Sales of rechargeable cars, which include plug-in hybrids such as
the Chevrolet Volt and electric-only vehicles such as the Tesla
Model S…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-electric-hybrid-car-sales-record-20130909,0,2202835.story


Electric vehicle ownership on the rise thanks to unique subsidy
program, energy savings. Daniel Phan had the world on a string.
He drove a Mercedes Benz to his job at Fannie Mae, where he
churned out housing loans until the bubble burst. Now, he sits
behind a desk for a Los Angeles city and county joint agency
finding housing for the homeless, the very people the housing
boon left on the curb. “I was on the profit-making side of
housing and urban development with Fannie Mae,” Phan, 50,
explained. “Now I am doing the opposite. Posted.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/environment-and-nature/20130913/electric-vehicle-ownership-on-the-rise-thanks-to-unique-subsidy-program-energy-savings

2014 Mazda 6 diesel sales postponed for emissions testing. Mazda
has postponed the U.S. launch of its diesel-powered Mazda 6
midsized sedan until April because of delays in emissions
testing, the company said today. Instead of hitting showrooms
before year end as planned, Mazda 6 sedans powered by the
automaker's Skyactiv-D 2.2-liter turbodiesel will arrive in late
April, Robert Davis, senior vice president of U.S. operations for
Mazda North American Operations, disclosed to Mazda employees
today in a letter obtained by Automotive News. Posted.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130913/carnews/130919919#ixzz2enI2l7NC


Reducing Emissions, One NYC Street-Vendor Cart At A Time. Almost
anything can be run on electricity these days. Add to the list,
now, even New York City's numerous food carts. In a new pilot
program, street vendors are testing out "grid-powered" electrical
connections as an alternative to the noisy, polluting generators
they typically use to run their carts, Gothamist reports. The
hardware is being supplied by Simply Grid, a company specializing
in "on demand" services involving public access to electricity.
Posted.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086931_reducing-emissions-one-nyc-street-vendor-cart-at-a-time


Coal Makes Electric Cars Bad? No, Plug-Ins Show Coal As Bad.
Every so often, electric-car skeptics will attack the idea of
using grid electricity to power a car by bringing up coal.
"Yeah," the argument goes, "but you're just burning coal instead
of gasoline in your electric car--so how's that any better?"
There is, of course, a fair amount of science that shows it
actually is better when measured by wells-to-wheels carbon
emissions. Posted.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1086927_coal-makes-electric-cars-bad-no-plug-ins-show-coal-as-worse


GREEN ENERGY

Carbon-coated spider silk wires could lead to 'green'
electronics. Here are two things you might not expect to see
together: spider silk coated in carbon nanotubes. This hybrid
material is stretchy, super strong and can shrink and grow with
humidity, making it potentially very useful for sensors and
flexible electronics – and scientists made it by rubbing it
between their fingers. This nanotube-coated spider silk,
described in the journal Nature Communications, could be useful
for devices such as heart monitors inside the body…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-carbon-nanotube-silk-spider-web-electronics-20130910,0,2917379.story


Solar panels could prove to be a favorable investment. San Diego
homeowners are finding the investment in a new solar system
profitable. With rate increases up to 30 percent for using energy
over and above lower tier brackets, solar has become a highly
attractive alternative to soaring utility costs. Many are not
aware the utility kilowatt rate is increased by the more energy
used in a given month. That’s correct; there is no discount for
volume, but rather a substantial penalty. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/sponsored/2013/sep/12/asi-hastings-heating-air-solar-cost-investment/


Wind prospectors delve into Mexico. A wind energy company with
ties to San Diego has brokered a deal to supply electricity at
two Volkswagen auto plants in Mexico, highlighting opportunities
for renewable energy prospectors there. Baja
California-headquartered Mexico Power Group, which spun off from
San Diego-based Cannon Power Group in 2011, signed an agreement
this month to supply wind-generated electricity to Volkwagen's
decades-old assembly plant in Puebla and and a VW engine
manufacturing facility in Guanajuato state. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/sep/12/wind-prospectors-delve-Mexico/


Solar industry has second-best quarter ever. Bolstered by strong
utility investment, the U.S. solar industry recorded its
second-largest quarterly growth in the second quarter of 2013,
adding 832 megawatts of photovoltaic (PV) capacity, or 15 percent
more than in the first quarter of the year. More than half of
that new capacity came in the utility sector, which completed 38
projects totaling 452 MW, a 42 percent increase over
first-quarter 2013…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059987168/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

Lawmakers act on wages, environment, in last hours. State
lawmakers ended their final session of the year after raising
California's minimum wage to one of the highest in the nation, as
they also addressed issues including environmental protection,
immigrant driver's licenses and teacher misconduct. The
Legislature adjourned early Friday after a final rush of debates
and negotiations. They aren't scheduled to return until January.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Lawmakers-act-on-wages-environment-in-last-hours-4810943.php


OPINIONS

Even Green Cars Need Mined Metals. The administration can easily
provide a fair assist to makers of advanced autos by removing
regulatory barriers to the minerals vital to hybrid and electric
vehicles. The administration can easily provide a fair assist to
makers of advanced autos without meddling with the market
("Electric Losers, Round Two," Review & Outlook, Sept. 3) by
removing regulatory barriers to the minerals vital to hybrid and
electric vehicles. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323595004579069032783722674.html#printMode?KEYWORDS=green+energy


How We Learned Not to Guzzle. FOR as long as most of us can
remember, the nation’s energy news has trended from bad to worse,
starting with the oil crises of the 1970s. But today, the good
news is that our energy productivity and security are better than
they have been in decades. You’d never know it by listening to
those who say our energy security requires construction of the
massive Keystone XL pipeline, or a new surge of oil and gas
drilling, or a nuclear power renaissance, or all of the above.
Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/opinion/how-we-learned-not-to-guzzle.html?_r=0


Bill to tighten oversight of fracking a good step. Poised on the
edge of an oil boom, California now has at least a modest set of
new rules to control a promising but uncertain technology that
taps one of the country's biggest pools of underground energy. A
bill to regulate hydraulic fracturing - which injects a brew of
sand, water and chemicals to break up rock formations to extract
oil and gas - cleared the Legislature and will go to Gov. Jerry
Brown, who signaled his eagerness to sign the measure, SB4.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Bill-to-tighten-oversight-of-fracking-a-good-step-4810408.php


BLOGS

After Betting $5 Billion on Electric Cars, Nissan Wants More
Competition. RNO.FR +1.85% and its partner Nissan Motor
Co.7201.TO +0.20%, finding it tough to convince drivers to buy
their electric cars, at least have the satisfaction of knowing
that they aren’t the only auto makers throwing billions of
dollars at the technology. Their German rivals took the wraps off
a wide range of new hybrid-drive and electric cars at the
Frankfurt motor show this week with even super-luxury auto maker
Rolls-Royce talking of future hybrid versions of its limousines.
Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/09/12/after-betting-5-billion-on-electric-cars-nissan-wants-more-competition/
 

Average new car fuel economy hits record 24.9 mpg.  With more
stringent federal fuel economy standards coming, it should be no
surprise that the average new-vehicle fuel economy is on the
rise. Automotive News cites a study from the University of
Michigan Transportation Research Institute (Go Blue!), that shows
that the 24.9-mile-per-gallon average for August of 2013 is
nearly five miles per gallon better than when UMTRI started
keeping track in October 2007.  Posted. 
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/12/average-new-car-fuel-economy-record-24-9-mpg/
  

Explained in 90 seconds: Your fridge is accelerating climate
change — but it doesn’t have to.  The outward statecraft of the
recent G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, was dominated by
disagreements over Syria. But behind the scenes, leaders were
busy agreeing on something they rarely find common ground on:
climate change. Thirty-five nations and the European Union
decided to curb hydrofluorocarbons, a set of powerful
heat-trapping gases used in refrigeration, air conditioning, heat
pumps, and insulation. Posted. 
http://grist.org/climate-energy/explained-in-90-seconds-your-fridge-is-accelerating-climate-change-but-it-doesnt-have-to/
  

California Set to Enact Laws To Improve Access for Electric Car
Charging.  A pair of laws currently on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk
could greatly improve electric vehicle charging infrastructure in
the state. California AB1092 require changes in the building code
so that new multi-family dwellings are required to wire for
electric car charging infrastructure, and SB454, the Electric
Vehicle Charging Stations Open Access Act, would simplify access
to EV charging stations.  Posted. 
http://www.plugincars.com/california-enacts-sweeping-charging-station-infrastructure-128249.html