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newsclips -- ARB Newsclips for November 18, 2013.

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 14:44:49
ARB Newsclips for November 18, 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

Alliance pushes ahead with CARB lawsuit.  Giving credit to the
state for a delay, the Alliance for California Business won't
halt its lawsuit over the required diesel particulate filters
(DPF) it calls "dangerous and mechanically defective."  In a
press release issued Friday, alliance president Bud Caldwell of
Northgate Express trucking of Chico said the steps taken by the
California Air Resources Board are in the "right direction" but
the announcement isn't changing the problem.  Posted. 
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_24536886/alliance-pushes-ahead-carb-lawsuit


AIR POLLUTION

Environmental groups challenge IPCC finding on palm oil
emissions. Environmentalists have slammed a recent
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report they say
underestimates the carbon emissions from developing more palm oil
plantations and have alleged government interference. The
opposition, led by Netherlands-based Wetlands International, said
the IPCC report's numbers for the level of carbon emissions that
result from digging up peat soils for oil palm operations is too
low. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990605/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

U.N. boss urges Europe to lead climate fight. U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon urged the European Union on Monday to stay at
the vanguard of efforts to combat climate change, sweeping aside
arguments led by Poland and business leaders that the bloc has to
prioritize economic growth. Talks in Warsaw due to end on Friday
are meant to be a step on the way to a new global deal in 2015 on
how to limit global warming to the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6
Fahrenheit) that scientists say would prevent the most
devastating effects of climate change. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/18/us-climate-talks-ban-idUSBRE9AH0GE20131118?feedType=RSS

 
US considering greenhouse gas reduction target post-2020. The
U.S. government has started to analyze what sort of emissions
reductions it can commit to after 2020 in a new agreement to
fight global warming, a State Department official said. “The
process has started — it’s been going on for a while in the U.S.
government to think about and develop a post-2020 commitment,”
Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy on climate, told reporters at
United Nations climate talks in Warsaw today. Posted.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/us-considering-greenhouse-gas-reduction-target-post-2020/article/2539305


Growing Clamor About Inequities of Climate Crisis. Following a
devastating typhoon that killed thousands in the Philippines, a
routine international climate change conference here turned into
an emotional forum, with developing countries demanding
compensation from the worst polluting countries for damage they
say they are already suffering. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/world/growing-clamor-about-inequities-of-climate-crisis.html?ref=us&_r=1&&pagewanted=print


Volcano discovery hints at fire below ice in Antarctica. A
volcano may be stirring more than a half-mile beneath a major ice
sheet in Antarctica, raising the possibility of faster base
melting that could ultimately affect climate. Seismologists
working in a mountainous area of Marie Byrd Land in western
Antarctica detected a swarm of low-magnitude earthquakes in 2010
and 2011 similar to those that can precede volcanic eruptions,
according to a study published online Sunday in Nature
Geoscience. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-volcano-ice-antarctica-20131115,0,6645564.story#axzz2l16ciPqm
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990582/print  BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY  

UN climate chief calls on coal industry to change. The U.N.'s
chief climate diplomat on Monday urged the coal industry to
diversify toward cleaner energy sources and leave most of the
world's remaining coal reserves in the ground. On the sidelines
of a U.N. climate conference, Christiana Figueres told dozens of
CEOs of coal companies meeting at Poland's Economy Ministry that
their industry needs to change radically to curb emissions of
heat-trapping gases that scientists say are warming the planet.
Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UN-climate-chief-calls-on-coal-industry-to-change-4990472.php

http://www.modbee.com/2013/11/18/3038012/un-climate-chief-calls-on-coal.html
 
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/nov/18/un-climate-chief-calls-on-coal-industry-to-change/


Missing data from Arctic one reason for 'pause' in global
temperature rise – study. Keeping track of our planet's
temperature is no easy task. The keepers of such long-term data
sets, usually government institutions, know they have to account
for numerous variations to keep a consistent measurement of
temperatures through time. Without that, it is impossible to know
how our world is changing. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990589/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Deadlier heat waves to strike eastern U.S. – study. Temperature
spikes spanning several days or more will rack up a higher body
count in the eastern United States during the coming century than
they have in the past, according to a new study. Heat waves are
the deadliest weather phenomenon in the United States, killing
more people annually than hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and
tornadoes combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990606/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Climate-change-caused extremes difficult to pinpoint locally but
clear at larger scale – study. For policymakers and planners, a
key aspect of preparing for climate change involves understanding
what, exactly, is going to change. Should they prepare for more
drought? Floods? Severe storms? Unfortunately, knowing this at a
local or regional scale is difficult. And it won't get easier for
a while, a new study finds. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059990587/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DIESEL EMISSIONS

State air officials give truckers more time to meet new diesel
standards. Truckers struggling to make the deadline to meet new
state diesel emission standards are getting a reprieve. The
California Air Resources Board announced this week it is
extending the Jan. 1 deadline to July 1.  The regulatory advisory
comes three weeks after a public hearing in Sacramento, where
state air officials got an earful from trucking advocates.
Posted.
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=NewsBank&p_text_direct-0=document_id=(%2014A2904E75F602B8%20)&p_docid=14A2904E75F602B8&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=14A2904E75F602B8&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=J5DY56PKMTM4NDgwMTU4MS44OTQ3MTM6MToxMzoxMDYuMjMwLjExMC4w&&p_multi=RSLB
BY SUBSCRIPTIO ONLY

FUELS

Coal Industry Needs Dramatic Change, Says UN Climate Boss. The
coal industry needs to change rapidly to help prevent global
warming by leaving most of the fuel in the ground and closing the
least efficient power plants, the top climate official at the
United Nations said. Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said fumes from
burning the fossil fuel are loading the atmosphere with
greenhouse gases, competing for water resources and harming
public health. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-18/coal-industry-needs-dramatic-change-says-un-climate-boss.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/world/top-un-official-warns-of-coal-risks.html?rref=science&pagewanted=print


Ethanol Futures Advance as Fuel Consumption Outpaces Supply.
Ethanol futures climbed for the seventh time in eight days as the
highest production rates in 21 months fail to replenish
stockpiles. Futures rose as much as 2 percent as supply has been
at record seasonal lows most of this year even as output
increased amid cheaper prices for corn, the primary ingredient
used to make the additive in the U.S., data compiled by Bloomberg
show. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-11-18/ethanol-futures-advance-as-fuel-consumption-outpaces-supply.html


As Pentagon invests in green fuel, critics focus on the cost. On
a recent Navy voyage, alternative fuel cost $26 a gallon, and
millions are being invested in bioenergy firms. Some experts
worry there won't be sufficient benefits. When the U.S. Navy
sailed an imposing fleet near Hawaii that was powered in part by
algae and used cooking grease, environmentalists weren't the only
ones who were thrilled. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-green-military-20131118,0,6681167.story#axzz2l16ciPqm


Why gasoline costs so much in California. Californians usually
pay more for gasoline than do drivers in other states. But not
this much more. Throughout this summer and fall, California's
gasoline prices have hovered about 40 to 45 cents per gallon
above the national average. The difference has sometimes reached
50 cents. In most years, it's more like 30 to 35 cents. The
increase hasn't received much attention, largely because gasoline
prices in California and the rest of the country have been
remarkably stable this year. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Why-gasoline-costs-so-much-in-California-4988144.php


Industry backs, environmentalists question draft fracking rules.
State regulators released draft rules Friday that, for the first
time, would require oil companies to apply for permission to
perform hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the controversial
but highly effective technique increasingly important to Kern
County petroleum producers. 
The proposed regulations call for a variety of measures ranging
from groundwater monitoring and oil well pressure-testing…Posted.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/business/oil/x2127193825/State-releases-draft-fracking-rules


Ethanol is losing its clout — Ag and ethanol groups respond to
2014 RFS proposal. ETHANOL LOSING ITS CLOUT: “Corn-based biofuel
has for years been untouchable politically, as presidential
candidates seemed to over-promise on ethanol every four years in
Iowa — but even that clout may be waning as both the tea partiers
on the right and greens on the left push to abandon it. Reasons
for the turnaround are many: The boom in domestic oil drilling
has dimmed the urgency to find other alternatives to Mideast
petroleum. Posted.
http://www.politico.com/morningagriculture/1113/morningagriculture12253.html


Enviros renew push for moratorium as Calif. issues draft fracking
rules. California on Friday unveiled draft rules to police
unconventional oil drilling, a highly anticipated development
that followed a multiyear debate on whether new restrictions were
needed. Companies using oil recovery techniques that include
hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," under the proposal must
obtain permits from the state, give at least 72 hours' notice and
identify where the work will occur. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/energywire/stories/1059990609/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Fuel cell cars from Toyota, Honda, Hyundai set to debut at auto
shows. Toyota, Honda and Hyundai will debut fuel cell cars this
week amid regulators' push for zero-emission vehicles, with all
three in showrooms by 2015. Price and few fuel stations present a
challenge. For decades, hydrogen fuel cell cars have been the
automotive technology of tomorrow: the big idea, for someday far
in the future. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fuel-cell-cars-20131117,0,5007194.story#axzz2l16ciPqm


Gasoline-only engines are top choice of most U.S. car buyers –
survey. While most U.S. consumers have a favorable view of
alternative vehicles and believe they're less expensive to own
over the long run, more than half would still prefer a
gasoline-only engine for their next car, according to a report
released today by a market research firm. The Navigant Research
survey conducted this fall found 55 percent of survey respondents
would choose a gasoline-only engine as their first or second
choice for their next vehicle purchase, followed by 43 percent
for a hybrid electric vehicle…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059990637/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Japan Pitches Americans on Its Maglev Train. As the world’s
fastest train raced through the mountains of central Japan,
former Gov. George E. Pataki of New York hoisted his 6-foot-5
frame into the aisle, lifted his hands from his seat and marveled
at the smoothness of the ride. “In the subway I’d need a strap,
at least,” Mr. Pataki said as the speedometer hit 314 miles per
hour and fleeting glimpses of Mount Fuji appeared through the
porthole-like windows. “This is amazing. The future.”  Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/business/international/japan-pitches-americans-on-its-maglev-train.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print


MISCELLANEOUS

Toxic waste seems to naturally vanish from Palos Verdes Shelf.
Tests suggest DDT, PCB levels are naturally lowering along Palos
Verdes Shelf, which could save EPA millions of dollars on
cleanup. Decades after industrial waste dumping turned part of
Southern California's seafloor into a toxic hot spot, scientists
have dredged up a mystery. Chemicals fouling the ocean off the
Palos Verdes Peninsula seem to be going away without being
cleaned up. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-palos-verdes-shelf-20131118,0,3932148.story#axzz2l16ciPqm


State fails to keep track of hazardous waste. Year after year the
trucks rolled in, dumping loads of sewage sludge and contaminated
dirt at a soil-recycling plant in this tiny desert community.
Thousands of deliveries were dutifully recorded in a state
database. Anyone who checked it would have seen that the plant
had no state permit to accept hazardous waste. Yet the dumping
went on for seven years — because state regulators either did not
look at their own records or did not act on the information.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-hazardous-waste-20131117-dto,0,2085710.htmlstory#axzz2l16ciPqm
 

OPINIONS

Climate campaigners reserve a special scorn for coal-fired power
generation. Coal has replaced nuclear as the form of energy that
environmentalists most love to hate. "The world needs to turn its
back on the fossil fuels of the past, like coal, which have
helped to create today's climate and instead look to the clean,
renewable energy sources of the future," the UK charity Christian
Aid said on Monday. "If we are to avoid dangerous climate change
we must leave most of the remaining coal reserves in the ground,"
the charity warned. Posted.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/18/coal-climate-idINL5N0J32VX20131118


Global warming pragmatism. Economist Robert Pindyck of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently examined the
computer models that estimate the effects and costs of climate
change — and he didn’t like what he found. The models reflect two
gaping uncertainties, he says. First, we don’t know how much
increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) will raise global
temperatures. “There are feedback loops” — interactions between
greenhouse gases and weather…Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-j-samuelson-global-warming-pragmatism/2013/11/17/01a09856-4e1e-11e3-ac54-aa84301ced81_story.html


UN climate change negotiations in Poland this week. With the
United Nations meeting this week in Warsaw, Poland, for its
annual conversation on climate change, one wonders if the
international community can come together quickly enough to
respond to this month’s warnings from the International Energy
Agency of a CO2 emissions rise by 20 percent by 2035 and a
long-term average temperature increase of 3.6°C. Despite reports
by U.N. scientists and nature researchers that the planet’s
climate is still warming, ice is still melting…Posted.
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/cause-conflict-conclusion/2013/nov/18/un-climate-change-negotiations-poland-week/#ixzz2l1pDsQAz


BLOGS

U.S. Dials Back on Ethanol. ETHANOL LOSES ITS SHINE. Biofuels may
have begun their fall from federal favor. The latest sign that
ethanol’s sway could be waning came Friday after the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency proposed scaling back government
rules that mandate a certain level of the corn-derived fuel to be
blended into gasoline. According to The Wall Street Journal’s
Tennille Tracy and Keith Johnson, the move represents one of the
biggest setbacks to date for the biofuel. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/11/18/u-s-dials-back-on-ethanol/tab/print/


Wealthy nations pledged billions to help the poor adapt to
climate change. So where did it go? One of the harsh ironies of
climate change is that the poor countries that have contributed
the least to the problem are expected to get hit the hardest.
That's why, in recent years, many of the world's wealthier
nations — including the United States, Germany, Britain, and
Japan — have been promising billions of dollars in aid to help
developing countries adapt to the impacts of global warming and
switch over to cleaner energy sources. Posted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/11/18/wealthy-nations-promised-billions-to-help-the-poor-adapt-to-climate-change-where-did-it-go/?print=1


Examining ‘Media’s Global Warming Fail’.  Frank Sesno, who runs
the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington
University and has been a longtime presence on CNN, anchored the
Reliable Sources show on Sunday and invited me and Philippe
Cousteau to discuss what the show described as “the media’s
global warming fail.” Posted. 
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/examining-medias-global-warming-fail/?_r=0


EPA eases off ethanol, a bit, for first time ever.  Forget
raising the national ethanol blend in standard gasoline to 15
percent (E15), the Environmental Protection Agency has, for the
first time ever, proposed reducing the ethanol requirement in the
American gas supply.  The reduction (technically, a
not-as-big-as-possible increase) was proposed Friday (PDF) and,
according to The New York Times, represents something of a
head-scratcher for the ethanol industry, despite being expected.
Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/11/17/epa-eases-off-ethanol-a-bit-for-first-time-ever/
  

Toyota Prius Plug-In keeping short, 10-mile EV range.  Are lower
cost and longer all-electric range in a plug-in hybrid mutually
exclusive concepts? That's what Toyota appears to be arguing to
the California Air Resources Board (CARB). In documents recently
filed with CARB concerning the Golden State regulator's 10-mile
minimum requirement for all-electric range in plug-in hybrids.
The EPA says the Prius Plug-in Hybrid has an all-electric range
of 11 miles, but CARB's calculations put it at six.  Posted. 
http://green.autoblog.com/2013/11/16/toyota-prius-plug-in-keeping-short-10-mile-ev-range/


Surviving Climate Change. Is a Green Energy Revolution on the
Global Agenda?
A week after the most powerful “super typhoon” ever recorded
pummeled the Philippines, killing thousands in a single province,
and three weeks after the northern Chinese city of Harbin
suffered a devastating “airpocalypse,” suffocating the city with
coal-plant pollution, government leaders beware!  Although
individual events like these cannot be attributed with absolute
certainty to increased fossil fuel use and climate change…Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-t-klare/climate-change-protests_b_4293667.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

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