What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for January 8, 2014. 

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

EU makes carbon pollution more expensive.  It will become more
expensive for businesses in the European Union to burn fossil
fuels this year after the 28-country bloc decided Wednesday to
beef up its carbon trading system. The agreement ended a year of
bickering over how to amend what is Europe's prime tool in the
fight against climate change and the world's biggest emission
trading system. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/08/eu-makes-carbon-pollution-more-expensive/


California cap and trade updates. Learn how the market is doing.
California officially launched its world class cap-and-trade
program for greenhouse gas pollution on January 1, 2013.
California Carbon Allowances (CCAs) are auctioned by the State’s
Air Resources Board on a quarterly basis through 2020. Posted.
http://www.edf.org/california-cap-and-trade-updates 

AIR POLLUTION

Pollution Costs to Rise as EU Governments Back Market Fix. Carbon
prices are poised to rebound from a three-year slump as European
Union member states backed a stopgap plan to reduce a record glut
of pollution permits. The cost of emitting carbon dioxide will
jump to 7.75 euros ($10.54) a metric ton by the end of the year,
from today’s close of 4.65 euros, according to the median of nine
analyst and trader estimates compiled by Bloomberg News. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-01-08/pollution-seen-costlier-after-eu-intervention-carbon-climate.html


China sets targets for curbing air pollution. China has set new
targets for its provinces to reduce air pollution by 5 to 25
percent, state media said late on Tuesday, underscoring the
government's concern about a source of public anger. China
regularly issues directives to try to tackle air pollution in
major cities, but these have had limited effect. Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/08/us-china-pollution-idUSBREA0705720140108


L.A. sues to block oil field near USC from reopening.  The Los
Angeles city attorney filed a lawsuit Tuesday to stop Allenco
Energy Inc. from reopening in South Los Angeles, accusing the
company of ignoring years of evidence that fumes from its oil
fields were sickening residents of the surrounding neighborhood.
City Atty. Mike Feuer's investigation found that Allenco
willfully disregarded violation notices issued by oversight
agencies and that regulators did not move forcefully to enforce
their numerous and repeated citations. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-fumes-charges-20140108,0,2901824.story#ixzz2pq6RnwkN
 

CLIMATE CHANGE

L.A. storms to grow more destructive as sea level rises, study
says. Major storms will be more destructive to coastal areas of
Los Angeles as sea level rise accelerates over the century,
according to a new study the city of Los Angeles commissioned to
help it adjust to climate change. The study by USC took inventory
of the city's coastal neighborhoods, roads, its port, energy and
water infrastructure to evaluate the damage they would face from
a storm under sea level rise scenarios anticipated for
mid-century and 2100. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-sea-level-20140108,0,3069596.story#ixzz2ppphEuga


Climate change still real despite cold snap. It happens every
winter. Sometime between Santa's squeeze down the chimney and the
Groundhog's peek out of his hole, a cold snap or big snowstorm
gives climate-change skeptics another chance to suggest that
global warming isn't happening. Some examples this week: Radio
talk show host Rush Limbaugh said the "polar vortex" the cold was
blamed on is a new term invented by the media to link the cold
wave to man-made climate change. Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/01/07/climate-change-cold-snap/4359363/
 

Polar freeze: It’s weather, not climate. Tuesday’s polar vortex
has set off a new round in one of the world’s most predictable
disputes: Does Extreme Weather Event X prove or disprove climate
change? In short: No. The crazy weather that plunged almost all
of the U.S. into a deep freeze represents a millisecond in
long-term planetary climate trends — a rounding error in the
calculation of mean global temperature. Posted.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/chill-cant-kill-same-old-climate-debate-101862.html#ixzz2pq0TaMNs


FUELS

Lawmakers call on Gov. Jerry Brown to halt fracking in
California.  This post has been updated. See the note below for
details. Calling a recent bill to regulate hydraulic fracturing,
or "fracking," in California insufficient, a group of lawmakers
are urging Gov. Jerry Brown to halt the oil and gas extraction
method. The issue of fracking, in which sand, water and chemicals
are injected into the ground to release oil and gas, was one of
the most contentious battles in the Legislature last year.
Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-fracking-letter-levine-20140107,0,230027,print.story


Judge endorses Otay Mesa power plant. In an abrupt reversal,
state utility regulators are embracing plans for a new natural
gas power plant at Otay Mesa that environmentalists condemn as
costly and unnecessary. Approval of the Pio Pico Energy Center
would accentuate the state's increasing reliance on natural gas
to replace electricity once generated by the San Onofre nuclear
plant, retired in June because of flawed replacement steam
generators.  Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/07/otay-mesa-power-backed/


U.S. exports surge as producers eye new and emerging markets.
U.S. producers shipped more ethanol to foreign countries in
November than in any other month in the last year and a half,
according to federal data kept by the Agriculture Department.
Ethanol producers in the United States exported 82.4 million
gallons in November, a 54 percent increase over October and the
highest level since March 2012. While Canada and Brazil remained
top importers of U.S. ethanol, much of the product went to new
and emerging markets. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059992567/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Researchers find easier, lower-cost way to break down plants.
Researchers at North Carolina State University say they've
discovered a new way to break down plant materials, a development
that could lower production costs for advanced biofuels. Their
method uses liquid salts to extract lignin -- the tough parts of
a plant that protect cell walls -- from farm residues and
grasses. Unlike in prevailing methods for breaking down plants,
liquid salts can be used at lower temperatures and be almost
fully recovered after the process. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059992569/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

VEHICLES

Plug Gains on U.S. Funding to Boost Range of Electric Trucks.
Plug Power Inc. (PLUG), a maker of fuel-cells for warehouse
forklifts, rose to a 32-month high after winning U.S. Energy
Department funding to adapt its systems to extend the range of
electric trucks. Plug rose 39 percent to $3.85 at the close in
New York, the highest since May 2011. The Energy Department will
provide $3 million for Plug to develop hydrogen fuel cells for 20
FedEx Corp. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2014-01-07/plug-power-rises-on-u-s-funding-to-double-electric-truck-range.html


GREEN ENERGY

Slowly, Asia’s Factories Begin to Turn Green.  When Intel went
about setting up its chip factory in Vietnam, it found an oddity:
Local laws did not govern every aspect of the building. The
government had no comprehensive standards, for instance, on
refrigerant chemicals, which in the United States are typically
regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. In fact,
officials asked Intel whether the company had any ideas on the
subject that might be useful to other manufacturers operating in
the country. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/business/international/asian-factories-see-sense-and-savings-in-environmental-certification.html
 

Survey: Green power should replace nuclear.  A majority of
utility customers in San Diego and Orange counties say climate
change considerations should weigh in replacing power from the
recently retired San Onofre nuclear plant, according to a survey
released Wednesday by the Sierra Club. The survey conducted by
Raleigh, N.C.-based Public Policy Polling found 51 percent of
utility customers believe the "potential impact on climate
disruption" should be a major consideration in replacing San
Onofre. Posted.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/08/survey-hightlights-green-energy/


MISCELLANEOUS

State Senate panel to hold hearing on toxic substances regulator.
The Jan. 15 hearing by the Environmental Quality Committee will
focus on the Department of Toxic Substances Control's oversight
of hazardous waste operations. The state Senate's Environmental
Quality Committee has scheduled a hearing on the Department of
Toxic Substances Control's oversight of hazardous waste
operations in California, officials announced Tuesday. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-toxics-20140108,0,7244496,print.story


OPINIONS

The Cold This Time.  By now, we all know that a polar vortex is a
cyclone of frigid air centered on the Arctic. A rogue sweep of
that air moved south and pushed the temperature in Central Park
in New York City to a 118-year low of 5 degrees on Tuesday
morning; records were similarly broken in scores of other
American and Canadian cities; and flights were canceled across
North America. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/opinion/the-cold-this-time.html


Editorial: Dump the ethanol mandate. Let's get the government out
of your gas tank. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has
proposed reducing the amount of ethanol and other biofuels that
must be mixed into the nation's fuel supply. Fuel blenders would
be required to use 15.21 billion gallons of biofuel in 2014, down
from 16.55 billion gallons last year. Posted.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-01-06/opinion/ct-ethanol-mandate-edit-0106-20140106_1_fuel-blenders-ethanol-mandate-more-ethanol


BLOGS

A Closer Look at Cold Snaps and Global Warming.  I spent a couple
of hours this morning discussing the Northern Hemisphere cold
snap in the context of global warming on CBC radio shows across
Canada. Between 1 and 2 p.m. Eastern Time this afternoon I’ll be
discussing extreme weather and climate change on the The Kojo
Nnamdi Show on WAMU with Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at
Rutgers University focused on the impact of Arctic
conditions…Posted.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/a-radio-chat-on-cold-snaps-and-global-warming/
 

Balancing The Energy Mix In A Green World -- What Execs Need To
Know. For today’s business executives, choosing the right energy
mix to power and support operations has become an increasingly
important element of strategic planning. Where energy decisions
were once based primarily on cost, companies now must factor in
considerations that include price volatility, sustained
reliability, regulatory trends, brand image and consumer
preferences and expectations. Posted.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ey/2014/01/08/balancing-the-energy-mix-in-a-green-world-what-execs-need-to-know/


Ford C-Max Solar Energi takes a recharging station wherever it
goes.  Companies ranging in size from small startups to major
automakers have been experimenting with solar-powered charging
stations for EVs and plug-in hybrids. And, of course, people have
been powering vehicles with onboard solar panels for quite some
time, too. Still, Ford's new C-Max Solar Energi Concept shows the
promise of a truly practical implementation of solar on a
production vehicle, and it may not be as far off in the future as
we had thought. Posted.
http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/08/ford-c-max-solar-energi-concept-ces-2014/