What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for October 17, 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

WHO agency: Air pollution causes cancer.  What many commuters
choking on smog have long suspected has finally been
scientifically validated: air pollution causes lung cancer. The
International Agency for Research on Cancer declared on Thursday
that air pollution is a carcinogen, alongside known dangers such
as asbestos, tobacco and ultraviolet radiation. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_POLLUTION_CANCER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-17-10-08-24
 

Related stories:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/17/us-cancer-pollution-idUSBRE99G0BB20131017

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/air-pollution-really-is-cancerous-according-to-world-health-organization-agency/2013/10/17/25845d82-370f-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html
  
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/air-pollution-cancer-article-1.1488490

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_24328345/who-agency-air-pollution-causes-cancer?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/17/who-agency-air-pollution-causes-cancer/
  
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_24328345/who-agency-air-pollution-causes-cancer?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/10/17/cancer-air-pollution-carcinogens/3002239/


South Los Angeles residents fuming over oil field. They confront
the South Coast Air Quality Management District at a town hall,
criticizing inconclusive information on whether air levels are
toxic. The South Coast Air Quality Management District's top
brass faced a frustrated crowd at a town hall meeting Wednesday,
during which more than 100 South Los Angeles residents criticized
the agency's inability to say whether fumes from an oil field are
hazardous. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-fumes-20131017,0,2223463,print.story
 

Vatican warns of pollution in Sistine Chapel.  The head of the
Vatican Museums has warned he will be forced to limit the number
of visitors to the Sistine Chapel if its new air conditioning and
air purification systems don't significantly reduce pollution
levels. Antonio Paolucci told a conference Thursday that he was
confident the new system, which is expected to be operational at
the end of 2014, would curb the dust, humidity and carbon dioxide
that are dulling Michelangelo's frescoed masterpiece. Posted. 
http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/17/2979013/vatican-warns-of-pollution-in.html#storylink=cpy


Assemblymember Manuel Pérez & Clinton Foundation Health Matters
Initiative Hold Stakeholder Meeting on Salton Sea Air Quality. 
This morning, Assemblymember V. Manuel Pérez, together with the
Clinton Foundation Health Matters Initiative, held a stakeholder
meeting at UCR Palm Desert to discuss Salton Sea air quality
mitigation issues.  Nearly 50 people attended the
two-and-a-half-hour meeting, representing a range of entities,
including local government agencies, community advocates…Posted. 
http://www.imperialvalleynews.com/index.php/news/imperial-valley/5625-assemblymember-manuel-perez-clinton-foundation-health-matters-initiative-hold-stakeholder-meeting-on-salton-sea-air-quality.html


CLIMATE CHANGE

The EPA and the Supreme Court Fight Climate Change.  Even as it
decided yesterday to critically examine one of the weapons that
the Environmental Protection Agency uses in its fight against
climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court stood firmly behind the
Obama administration’s basic plan: using the EPA to regulate
greenhouse gases as harmful pollutants. That’s because the court
refused to consider a broader challenge to the EPA’s fundamental
authority in this area. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-16/the-epa-and-the-supreme-court-fight-climate-change.html


Climate Change to Cost East Asia 5.3% of GDP, ADB Study Says.
Climate change will lead to more flooding and drought in East
Asia and could chop 5.3 percent off annual gross domestic product
by the year 2100 if measures aren’t adopted to tackle it,
according to the Asian Development Bank.  Rising temperatures in
China, Japan, Mongolia and South Korea will spur more flooding
and tropical storms in coastal areas and make northern
agricultural regions more prone to drought, the ADB said today in
its “Economics of Climate Change in East Asia” report. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-17/climate-change-to-cost-east-asia-5-3-of-gdp-adb-study-says.html


Energy giant sees 'impressive' GHG reduction from natural gas by
2030. Global energy firm Siemens AG entered the international
electricity fuels debate this week by declaring that a wide-scale
shift to natural gas for power generation would result in a 5
percent cut in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, or as
much as is emitted annually by the 28 countries of the European
Union. On the other hand, continued heavy reliance on
carbon-intensive fuels will result in a 25 percent increase in
greenhouse gases globally…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988956/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Almost all land ecosystems at risk of major shifts due to global
warming – study. More than 80 percent of the world's ice-free
land is at risk of profound ecosystem transformation in the next
century, a study from researchers at the Potsdam Institute in
Germany has found. The report, published this month in Earth
System Dynamics, used nearly 20 climate models to study more than
150 climate scenarios, adjusting for various degrees of warming.
Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988948/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Disease, insect threats linked to climate change more dramatic
than expected – study. Scientists' predictions that insect
epidemics would eat away at North America's forests have already
come to pass, "in some cases more rapidly and dramatically than
expected," a new study finds. The new review of climate change's
impacts on North American forests, prepared for the upcoming
National Climate Assessment…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988971/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

FUELS

GM to sell Impala powered by natural gas, gasoline. General
Motors says it will start selling a Chevrolet Impala sedan next
summer that runs on both natural gas and gasoline. The company
says both fuels are needed because there are few natural gas
filling stations in the U.S. GM says the Impala will be the only
factory-produced full-size car that runs on both fuels. Natural
gas is plentiful in the U.S. and is cheaper than gasoline. AAA
says gas costs about $3.35 per gallon. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GENERAL_MOTORS_NATURAL_GAS_IMPALA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


California's Top Oil Regulator on Fracking, Climate Change, and
Fossil Fuels. Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, leads the
eighth-largest economy in the world, and this powerhouse is
wading into the national debate over hydraulic fracturing, the
oil and natural gas boom, and what it means for the economy and
environment. Mark Nechodom, who as the state's Department of
Conservation director is Brown's top oil and natural gas
regulator, recently, spoke with National Journal about the state
of the energy play in the Golden State. Posted.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/new-energy-paradigm/california-s-top-oil-regulator-on-fracking-climate-change-and-fossil-fuels-20131016


VEHICLES

Audi adds diesel to compact SUV.  Audi's best-selling sport
utility vehicle, the Q5, gets even better in 2014 with the
addition of a six-cylinder, diesel engine that is fuel-thrifty
yet muscular. The federal government mileage ratings for the
new-for-2014 Q5 TDI with turbocharged and direct-injection V-6 -
24 miles per gallon in city driving and 31 mpg on highways -
rival those of many SUVs with smaller, four-cylinder, gasoline
engines. It's even rated 1 mpg more in highway driving than the
gasoline-electric hybrid Audi Q5. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BEHIND_THE_WHEEL_AUDI_Q5?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


L.A. Auto Show: German diesels top Green Car award nominations.
Two German diesel sedans and three Japanese cars are the
finalists for the Green Car of the Year Award to be handed out at
the Los Angeles Auto Show next month. The finalists for the Green
Car Journal award include the Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Honda
Accord, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla. Whereas previously the field
has been dominated by hybrids and electric cars…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-green-car-award-nominations-20131017,0,2123602.story


Tesla Tops California Green-Car Credit Sales in Past Year.  Tesla
Motors Inc. (TSLA:US), the electric-car maker led by Elon Musk,
was the top seller of California zero-emission vehicle credits in
the past year as Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) led hybrid-car credit
trades, according to a state tally.  Tesla transferred 1,311.52
ZEV credits from Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30 this year, 32
times the number of Suzuki Motor Corp. (7269), the next biggest
seller, according to a California Air Resources Board report
yesterday. Posted. 
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-10-16/musk-s-tesla-tops-california-green-car-credit-sales-in-past-year
  

Lawmakers tackle alternative fuel vehicles' role in reducing air
pollution.  The way alternative fuel vehicles could be tapped to
address the Wasatch Front's air pollution problem not only
presents complex questions in the arena of how to pay for it, but
also poses a conundrum when it comes to public policy
ramifications.  Utah lawmakers were puzzling over the twin
challenges in an interim meeting of the Public Utilities and
Technology Committee Wednesday after hearing a report delivered
by Ron Allen, chairman of the Public Services Commission. 
Posted. 
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865588525/Lawmakers-tackle-alternative-fuel-vehicles-role-in-reducing-air-pollution.html
 

GREEN ENERGY

Cosumnes Oaks students use energy-efficient house as learning
laboratory. Cassidy Goldman and the rest of her class at Cosumnes
Oaks High School spent hours during their junior year watching
construction workers build a small two-bedroom house on their
campus in Elk Grove. They watched crews erect a solar panel that
pivots toward the sun, build framing that allows for extra
insulation and install photovoltaic cells on the roof to help
heat water. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/16/5828101/cosumnes-oaks-students-use-energy.html#storylink=cpy


New solar thermal plant to blaze trail for future projects. In
sunny southwestern Arizona, a new energy project that bottles the
rays and saves them for later is now online, paving the way for
future solar thermal generators in the United States. The
280-megawatt Solana power plant near Gila Bend, Ariz., began
commercial operation last week after passing initial output
tests. The facility is one of the largest examples of
concentrating solar power (CSP), a system where mirrors direct
the sun's light to heat up a working fluid. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059988970/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

MISCELLANEOUS

No More Formaldehyde in Shampoo as J&J Girds for Rules.  Johnson
& Johnson (JNJ) baby shampoo contains an ingredient that might
give parents pause: formaldehyde.  Deemed a “probable human
carcinogen” by the U.S. government, formaldehyde is one of 164
potentially harmful chemicals targeted under a new California law
that imposes stricter safety standards on a range of products
made by such companies as J&J and Procter & Gamble Co.
(PG)…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-17/no-more-formaldehyde-in-shampoo-as-j-j-girds-for-rules.html


OPINIONS

Viewpoints: Legislation could hurt California’s crusade to reduce
toxic chemicals.
Federal oversight of the more than 80,000 chemicals used in the
United States is essentially nonexistent. The 34-year-old law
meant to regulate chemicals – the Toxic Substances Control Act,
or TSCA – makes it nearly impossible to pull harmful chemicals
off the market. It also doesn’t require companies to understand
the environmental and health consequences of a chemical before it
is marketed. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/17/5827527/viewpoints-legislation-could-hurt.html#storylink=cpy


San Onofre nuclear power plant bill should be paid. For Northern
Californians, the decision last summer to shutter the San Onofre
nuclear power plant that serves San Diego and Los Angeles is easy
to ignore. But decisions about who will pay for the plant that is
now closed will have effects that reverberate throughout the
state. When San Onofre was built, electricity customers made a
deal with Southern California Edison and its partners, including
San Diego Gas and Electric…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/San-Onofre-nuclear-power-plant-bill-should-be-paid-4901960.php


Response To Readers: Combating Climate Change With Nuclear Power
And Fracking. With more than 7,500 views and 180-plus tweets, I
want to thank everyone for taking the time to read the original
HBS Working Knowledge piece, The Case for Combating Climate
Change with Nuclear Power and Fracking, and, in particular, for
sharing your thoughts with one another. I don’t expect the
article has changed minds, but I do hope it encourages people to
open their minds to consider new possibilities. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2013/10/16/response-to-readers-combating-climate-change-with-nuclear-power-and-fracking/


BLOGS

Air Pollution Linked to Lower Birth Weights.  Air pollution, even
at relatively low levels, is associated with a significant
increase in the risk for low-birth-weight babies, a new study has
found. European researchers pooled data from 14 studies that
included more than 74,000 mother-child pairs in 12 countries. The
scientists also estimated concentrations of airborne particulate
matter at the mothers’ home addresses during their pregnancies.
Posted.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/air-pollution-linked-to-lower-birth-weights/?_r=0