What's New List Serve Post Display

ARB Newsclips for April 2, 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 Carbon Pares Gains as Analysts Revise 2013 Emissions Estimate.
Carbon permits pared gains as analysts said European Union data
showed emissions from factories and power stations probably fell
more than their predictions made earlier today. The benchmark
December carbon contract advanced 8.7 percent to 5.11 euros
($7.05) a metric ton on ICE Futures Europe in London. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-01/eu-carbon-rises-after-2013-emissions-fell-slower-than-expected.html


AIR POLLUTION

Sahara desert dust brings smog to Britain. European pollution and
dust swirling in from the Sahara created a "perfect storm" of
smog in Britain on Wednesday, prompting authorities to warn
people with heart or lung conditions to cut down on tough
physical exercise outdoors. Air pollution in some areas reached
the top rung on its 10-point scale, the environment department
said. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_AIR_POLLUTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/02/6288084/sahara-desert-dust-brings-smog.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Sahara-desert-dust-brings-smog-to-Britain-5369236.php


O.C. metal-finishing plant poses high cancer risk to nearby
residents. Air regulators will seek an order for Hixson Metal
Finishing to reduce chromium 6 emissions as soon as possible. A
metal-finishing facility in Newport Beach poses an "unacceptably
high" cancer risk to its neighbors and should curtail its
emissions as soon as possible, state air quality officials said
Tuesday. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-newport-pollution-20140402,0,3992189,print.story
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/aqmd-607943-hixson-newport.html


Review of air permits finds high pollution rates for biomass
energy -- environmental group. Economic incentives and legal
technicalities have allowed for the construction of more 70
biomass plants in the last decade, according to a group opposed
to generating electricity from burning plant matter. The
Partnership for Policy Integrity released an analysis of 88
biomass power plant air permits today…Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/climatewire/stories/1059997162/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

CLIMATE CHANGE

West Coast States, British Columbia Talk Carbon Collaboration. An
agreement signed in October 2013 by the governors of California,
Oregon and Washington and the leader of British Columbia to
collaborate on climate policies could produce a consistent
fueling infrastructure for electric vehicles on the West Coast,
California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Matt
Rodriquez said March 27. Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-01/west-coast-states-british-columbia-talk-carbon-collaboration.html


Has the new U.N. report turned Bill O'Reilly into an
environmentalist? Don't expect a wholesale rush on the part of
climate change skeptics or deniers to embrace the idea that human
beings are responsible for global warming. Expect instead a slow
melting of resistance as scientists turn up the heat. You’d like
to think the new, alarming U.N. report on global climate change
might provide a wake-up call to skeptics such as…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-ra-global-climate-change-20140401,0,4792215.story#ixzz2xkrCGzmW


Climate impacts are going to hit the developing world hardest,
IPCC says. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the
world's leading climate science body, declared in a new report
that global warming is wreaking havoc "on all continents and
across the oceans," with the worst yet to come. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/02/6289529/climate-impacts-are-going-to-hit.html#storylink=cpy


UC Merced Connect: Changes seen deep in the sea. Large, naturally
occurring low-oxygen zones in the Pacific appear to be expanding,
and there is a sharp change in the number of bacteria that
produce and consume different forms of toxic sulfur, according to
a UC Merced researcher’s latest paper in Nature Communications.
These expanding deoxygenated zones could also contribute to
climate change, which, in turn, appears to contribute to their
growth. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/01/6287911/uc-merced-connect-changes-seen.html#storylink=cpy


Brown preaches climate change to state regulators.  California
Gov. Jerry Brown, who once studied to become a Jesuit priest,
brought his missionary passion for making progress with climate
changes to the spring meeting of the Environmental Council of the
States, a national non-profit, non-partisan association of state
and territorial environmental agency leaders, at the old Ft.
Baker in Sausalito on Monday.  Posted. 
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=25553 

Entrepreneurs vie to turn heat-trapping gas into a red-hot
commodity.  Awkward, adolescent companies that capture carbon
emissions or convert them into chemicals or fuels nervously
gussied up booths and showed off nearly mature technology ready
for commercial partners at the agency's annual Energy Innovation
Summit. Unlike the wallflowers of last year, largely exhibited in
posters on the wall, carbon utilization and alternative carbon
capture technologies were a noticeable presence on the main floor
at this year's DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
(ARPA-E) conference in Washington, D.C. Posted.
http://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1059997195/print BY
SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

DROUGHT

Drought in California may hinder job growth for years, economists
say. Lack of rain in 2013 could diminish the fishing and
manufacturing sectors in California, the UCLA Anderson Forecast
says. Even without the weather factor, L.A. is grappling with
major problems with its job market. The ongoing drought in
California could dampen employment growth in coming years and
have a ripple effect on several industries in the state…Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ucla-forecast-20140402,0,6357166,print.story


California water managers ease delta pumping limits. Fishery
agencies are under increasing political pressure to take
advantage of late winter storms and ramp up pumping from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Officials announced Tuesday that
they are temporarily waiving an endangered species protection to
enable water managers to send more Northern California water
south. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-drought-pumping-20140402,0,5488934.story#ixzz2xl9fcsNJ

 
Despite recent storms, Sierra snowpack remains well below normal.
These are strange days for California water officials. The
penultimate snow survey of the season Tuesday found the Sierra
Nevada snowpack holding 32 percent of normal water content – a
relatively dismal reading – and yet many of them expressed
relief. A few months earlier, those water officials had feared
much worse. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/01/6286757/despite-recent-storms-sierra-snowpack.html?storylink=lingospot#storylink=cpy


Mountain View declares water shortage emergency. Mountain View
has declared a water shortage emergency as the San Francisco Bay
Area city faces the statewide drought. The San Jose Mercury News
reports (http://bit.ly/Odep9K) the City Council voted unanimously
Tuesday for a "Stage 1" declaration, the lowest emergency level.

It authorizes city staff to ramp up efforts to educate the public
about conservation programs. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/02/6288611/mountain-view-declares-water-shortage.html#storylink=cpy


California drought: Downpours fall far short of ending crisis.
Snow surveyors are expected to tromp out into the Sierra powder
Tuesday under a soft, steady patter of comforting precipitation,
but the spring moisture is a cruel oasis in California's desert
of drought, according to leading climate and weather gurus. The
pounding rain along the coast and fluffy snow in the mountains
this week won't come close to solving the state's mounting water
crisis…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/California-drought-Downpours-fall-far-short-of-5365318.php


FUELS

Oil down to $99 ahead of US inventories report. The price of oil
retreated to near $99 a barrel on Wednesday, adding to a big fall
the day before, as traders awaited a report on U.S. crude
stockpiles and considered the possible reopening of export
terminals in Libya. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark U.S.
crude for May delivery was down 66 cents to $99.08 a barrel in
electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On
Tuesday, the Nymex contract slid $1.84. Posted.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_PRICES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

OTHER RELATED STORIES
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/02/6288009/oil-down-slightly-ahead-of-us.html#storylink=cpy


Methane-spewing microbe blamed in Earth's worst mass extinction.
Sometimes bad things come in small packages. A microbe that
spewed humongous amounts of methane into Earth's atmosphere
triggered a global catastrophe 252 million years ago that wiped
out upwards of 90 percent of marine species and 70 percent of
land vertebrates. That's the hypothesis offered on Monday by
researchers aiming to solve one of science's enduring
mysteries…Posted.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/01/us-science-extinction-idUSBREA2U1KO20140401


Officials concerned about crude oil rail shipments. Local and
state leaders are raising concerns about a San Francisco Bay area
refinery's plan to move as many as 100 train cars of flammable
crude oil daily through Northern California cities. The
Sacramento Bee reports (http://bit.ly/1mKFu3a) the Valero
Refining Company in Benecia plans to have trains travel on the
Union Pacific line that runs through downtown West Sacramento and
Davis…Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/02/6289447/officials-concerned-about-crude.html#storylink=cpy


Parnell seeks tax credits to state refineries. Gov. Sean Parnell
has put forth a proposal that may assist the state's three
refineries in providing lower cost fuels to in-state customers.
Parnell's proposal is a new tax credit that the three state
refineries may use for infrastructure upgrades and investments
for the purpose of increased production, the Fairbanks Daily
News-Miner reported Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1lAiymY). Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/01/6286493/parnell-seeks-tax-credits-to-state.html


VEHICLES

Does Tesla Really Need a $5 Billion Battery? Musk Seeks Sites in
Southwestern States for Giant Factory. In a project that is
befuddling industry experts and competitors, Tesla Motors Inc. is
looking for possible sites for a giant electric-car battery
factory in four Southwestern states. The plant, dubbed a
"gigafactory" by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, would be the
world's largest factory by a long shot. Posted.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304157204579473304005412522?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLE_Video_Top&mg=reno64-wsj


China Considers More Electric-Car Incentives: Official. China may
exempt electric-car buyers from paying purchase taxes as part of
expanded state measures to bolster sales of such vehicles after
past incentives failed to spur demand, Vice Premier Ma Kai said.
The government may cut or waive the 10 percent auto-purchase tax
for new-energy vehicles…Posted.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-02/china-considers-more-electric-car-incentives-vice-premier-says.html


GREEN ENERGY

Going Under the Sea for Clean Energy.  A black-and-red tower with
what look like white wings juts out of the water in Strangford
Lough, a fjord that runs from the Irish Sea deep into the farm
country of Northern Ireland.  Curious seals stick their heads up
as a boat draws close, but they don’t seem to be bothered by the
strange-looking device, which is actually a windmill, except its
blades are under water.  Posted. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/business/energy-environment/going-under-the-sea-for-clean-energy.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&action=click&module=Search®ion=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry485%23%2Fgreen%2Benergy%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F1%2Fallauthors%2Fnewest%2F


MISCELLANEOUS

L.A. Council overhauls trash collection for business, big
apartments. The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to
overhaul the way garbage is collected from tens of thousands of
businesses and apartment complexes in what supporters described
as an ambitious bid to put Los Angeles at the forefront of
reducing landfill waste nationwide. "This is really about
environmental justice," said Councilman Jose Huizar, who backed
the plan.  Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-trash-franchise-overhaul-20140401,0,557748.story#ixzz2xkpydSbb


Allergic asthma sufferers should take some precautions when
exercising. Spring has sprung, and in addition to welcoming the
beauty and warmth of the season, many folks welcome - though
maybe not with eager anticipation - seasonal allergies. And for
some, allergies and asthma go hand in hand. More than 50 percent
of the 20 million Americans with asthma have allergic asthma,
according to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America.
Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/02/6288319/allergic-asthma-sufferers-should.html#storylink=cpy


EarthTalk: Cool green apps that help you commune with nature.
Dear EarthTalk: What are some cool apps that work with a mobile
phone that can help me get in better touch with the environment?
_ Mitchell Brown, Troy, Mich. Not surprisingly, there are
thousands of "green" apps out there that make it easier for
people to find and share information to help us all become better
stewards of the natural environment. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/01/6286528/earthtalk-cool-green-apps-that.html#storylink=cpy


Toxic vapor control system planned for DeWitt Clinton building. A
system to vent hazardous gas from underground pollution will be
added to the former DeWitt Clinton hotel as part of a state
Superfund pollution cleanup agreement near the site of a planned
new downtown convention center, the state Department of
Environmental Conservation said. Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Toxic-vapor-control-system-planned-for-DeWitt-5368337.php


OPINIONS

Global Warming and the Developing World. Climate change is
drastically affecting the whole world and is likely to become
much more damaging unless greenhouse gases are reduced, recent
reports from the United Nations and the  American Association for
the Advancement of Science have concluded. The problems are most
immediate in developing nations, many of which have contributed
little pollution but are most affected by rising sea levels and
drought. Posted.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/04/01/global-warming-and-the-developing-world?hp&rref=opinion


Climate change is here, now. Will the world act? There's a new
tone in the latest report on climate change from the United
Nations' expert organization on the subject. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change doesn't just forecast
the usual sweeping changes that are likely to occur as the planet
warms, the kinds of warnings the public has heard (and often
ignored) for decades. Posted.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-climate-change-un-ippc-report-20140401,0,7095074.story#axzz2xkp7OCE5

 http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/02/6288321/climate-change-is-here-now-will.html#storylink=cpy


Climate change report raises new alarms about future disasters.
The following editorial appeared in the Kansas City Star on
Tuesday, April 1: A new report from an international study group
on climate change could hardly be gloomier. The adverse effects
of greenhouse gases in global environments, at least in part
probably caused by human activities, extend from coastal flooding
to farmland drought. Posted.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/02/6288320/climate-change-report-raises-new.html#storylink=cpy


As globe warms, adapt and mitigate: Our view. As a piece of
literature, the latest report from the United Nations' expert
organization on climate change is no John Grisham page-turner.
Pulled together by 309 authors and editors from 70 countries, the
document released this week brings to mind the saying about a
camel being a horse designed by committee. Despite the turgid
prose, excessive acronyms and bewildering flow charts…Posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/04/01/climate-change-global-warming-ipcc-editorials-debates/7175157/


If You Can Read This, You Won't See the End of Coal. Maybe coal
is considered a compelling subject for discussion as we move into
spring and increasingly concern ourselves with the quality of our
outdoor world. Or perhaps it's purely coincidence. Whatever the
reason, my newly arrived April issues of both National Geographic
and Wired include lengthy articles about the controversial black
fuel…Posted.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/If-You-Can-Read-This-You-Won-t-See-the-End-of-5370656.php


BLOGS

IRENA: Making A Business Case for Renewable Energy. Solid
progress has been made in the past three years promoting
renewable energy as a policy choice, especially in parts of the
developing world where demand is expected to grow rapidly,
although more must be done to make clean energy a significant
share of the global mix, according to the director general of the
International Renewable Energy Agency. Posted.
http://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2014/04/02/irena-making-a-business-case-for-renewable-energy/?KEYWORDS=climate+change


How China's Electric Car Dreams Became A PR Nightmare In America.
Few individuals or institutions have the power to truly move
markets like Warren Buffett and the Chinese government. When the
two forces converged in 2008 to back Chinese electric car company
BYD, the little-known brand rose to international fame. Buffett's
Berkshire Hathaway put $230 million into buying a 10 percent
stake in the company…Posted.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/01/byd-china-electric-car_n_4964233.html


What is causing the UK's high levels of air pollution?  The high
air pollution across central and southern England and parts of
Wales is due to light easterly winds bringing pollutants from the
continent and allowing local pollution to linger close to where
it is produced.  Posted. 
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/02/what-causing-uk-high-level-air-pollution


Congress members ask EPA to reopen three fracking investigations.
 A crew of Democratic House members are calling on the EPA to do
its damned job — specifically, to investigate potential links
between pollution and fracking in three states where groundwater
has been mysteriously poisoned.  Posted. 
http://grist.org/news/congress-members-ask-epa-to-reopen-three-fracking-investigations/
 

Nissan Leaf has 2nd-best sales month ever, Chevy Volt does a 2013
repeat.  A month ago, Nissan's director of EV sales and
marketing, Toby Perry, said he expected to see the Leaf's sales
momentum continue into March. It wasn't a big leap, since January
and February were slow sales months in 2013 (around 640 each)
before a big climb to 2,200 in March. Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/01/2014-march-chevy-volt-nissan-leaf-sales/
 

Number of electric vehicles doubling every year. Percentage-wise,
400,000 vehicles in the global fleet of cars is a small, small
number. If 2011 estimates of a billion cars worldwide is
accurate, 400,000 is basically a rounding error. Still, since
those 400,000 are electric vehicles, it's a number worth
celebrating. The Zentrums für Sonnenenergie- und
Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (which roughly translates
as the Center for Solar and Hydrogen Energy Research in
Baden-Württemberg…Posted.
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/01/number-of-electric-vehicles-doubling-every-year/
  




California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.